sand art

do you remember making sand art as a child? i decided to try an only slightly more sophisticated project this past weekend to bring a bit of the beach into my new bedroom. my family owns a summer home on nantucket, where my cousins and i have spent much of each summer on the beach or working in retail. this summer is a different story (in the best way, of course!) but that's no reason not to include my favorite island in my future boudoir.

first i traced the island and taped it into the back of an 11" x 14" canvas ($8 at michaels).

since it was still a little tough to see the tracing through the canvas, my detail-oriented dad took matters into his own hands. (note his shirt!)

the fruits of his labor.

i painted around the island, let it dry, and then used paper cement ($9 at michaels) to glue sand onto the white part of the canvas.

et voilà! it's far from perfect but it'll be a lovely reminder of summertime come winter at bucknell.

what diy projects have you taken on lately? i would love to hear from you!

do you remember making sand art as a child? i decided to try an only slightly more sophisticated project this past weekend to bring a bit of the beach into my new bedroom. my family owns a summer home on nantucket, where my cousins and i have spent much of each summer on the beach or working in retail. this summer is a different story (in the best way, of course!) but that's no reason not to include my favorite island in my future boudoir.

first i traced the island and taped it into the back of an 11" x 14" canvas ($8 at michaels).

since it was still a little tough to see the tracing through the canvas, my detail-oriented dad took matters into his own hands. (note his shirt!)

the fruits of his labor.

i painted around the island, let it dry, and then used paper cement ($9 at michaels) to glue sand onto the white part of the canvas.

et voilà! it's far from perfect but it'll be a lovely reminder of summertime come winter at bucknell.

what diy projects have you taken on lately? i would love to hear from you!

Sorting with Style

{orange notebook, $18.95}

{world map file folders, $16.95 for twelve}

{skull weekly planner, on sale for $11}

{red faux snakeskin tape measure, $12.95}

{red magazine pocket, $19.95}

given my love for pretty workspaces, i was so excited when julie of sorting with style asked me to help spread the word about her fabulous office supplies company. surely you know an interior designer who needs the faux snakeskin tape measure — and how fabulous would the red magazine pocket be for collecting mail in your foyer?

{orange notebook, $18.95}

{world map file folders, $16.95 for twelve}

{skull weekly planner, on sale for $11}

{red faux snakeskin tape measure, $12.95}

{red magazine pocket, $19.95}

given my love for pretty workspaces, i was so excited when julie of sorting with style asked me to help spread the word about her fabulous office supplies company. surely you know an interior designer who needs the faux snakeskin tape measure — and how fabulous would the red magazine pocket be for collecting mail in your foyer?

I Heart Hindsvik

{vintage tin globe, $55}

{large blue coral specimen, $29}

{red metal drawer, $25}

{white wood ampersand, $125}

{1940s card table, $149}

one of my preferred procrastination methods is to peruse etsy for hours, stumbling upon new shops and adding little treasures to my favorite items. a recent perusal yielded the discovery of hindsvik, a vintage company out of canada that specializes in custom lettering and colorful storage. prices are reasonable and the hidden gems are numerous — what are you waiting for?

{vintage tin globe, $55}

{large blue coral specimen, $29}

{red metal drawer, $25}

{white wood ampersand, $125}

{1940s card table, $149}

one of my preferred procrastination methods is to peruse etsy for hours, stumbling upon new shops and adding little treasures to my favorite items. a recent perusal yielded the discovery of hindsvik, a vintage company out of canada that specializes in custom lettering and colorful storage. prices are reasonable and the hidden gems are numerous — what are you waiting for?

in the nude

my best friend briana of sequence of sequins (she's new to blogging; go show her some love!) has been looking for the perfect pair of nude pumps. i consider the inexpensive pair that i ordered online last year one of the most versatile items in my closet so i thought i'd find a few options for her in the hopes that you'll find something you love as well. luckily for all of us, these leg-lengthening wonders are available at literally every price point — i've covered $20 to $595 below. once you add a pair to your shoe repertoire, you'll wonder how you ever lived without them!

{go jane faux leather peep toe heel, $20}

{target mossimo virginia pumps, $30}

{bcbgeneration flash pump, on sale for $56}

{paris hilton senorita pump, $89}

(these might actually be my favorite! how cute are the bow and the pink heel?)

{jessica simpson waleo pump, $89}

{aldo destime pump, $90}

{steve madden caryssa heel, $90}

{urban outfitters matiko nicki peep-toe wedge, $148}

{christian louboutin décolleté 100 pumps, $595}

p.s. looking for something? i love a good online hunt and would love to track down a few options for your wishlist. just send me an email at mhoran@optonline.net and i'll get shopping!

my best friend briana of sequence of sequins (she's new to blogging; go show her some love!) has been looking for the perfect pair of nude pumps. i consider the inexpensive pair that i ordered online last year one of the most versatile items in my closet so i thought i'd find a few options for her in the hopes that you'll find something you love as well. luckily for all of us, these leg-lengthening wonders are available at literally every price point — i've covered $20 to $595 below. once you add a pair to your shoe repertoire, you'll wonder how you ever lived without them!

{go jane faux leather peep toe heel, $20}

{target mossimo virginia pumps, $30}

{bcbgeneration flash pump, on sale for $56}

{paris hilton senorita pump, $89}

(these might actually be my favorite! how cute are the bow and the pink heel?)

{jessica simpson waleo pump, $89}

{aldo destime pump, $90}

{steve madden caryssa heel, $90}

{urban outfitters matiko nicki peep-toe wedge, $148}

{christian louboutin décolleté 100 pumps, $595}

p.s. looking for something? i love a good online hunt and would love to track down a few options for your wishlist. just send me an email at mhoran@optonline.net and i'll get shopping!

friday finds

what a big week! i got a little tour of jonathan and simon's amazing apartment, scheduled my upcoming blog makeover with jessica from the love list, and made a new blog friend in dagny of scandinavian chic. here's what else went down this week on a few of my favorite blogs:

scott of the sartorialist delighted with bicycle eye candy...

bailey of peppermint bliss revealed her first design project on la dolce vita...

daniella of dress, design & decor posted pictures of a timeless beauty...

christina of down and out chic introduced me to bhalo, a shop with a great mission and pretty prints...

sarah of haute design piqued my interest with glimpses into a very glamorous italian hotel...

jessica of the love list profiled the dashing cece colhoun...

joi of nuestra vida dulce revealed her father-in-law's work on her kitchen...

and mrs. lillien declared her love for poodles with design darling favorites elva fields and jonathan adler!

what a big week! i got a little tour of jonathan and simon's amazing apartment, scheduled my upcoming blog makeover with jessica from the love list, and made a new blog friend in dagny of scandinavian chic. here's what else went down this week on a few of my favorite blogs:

scott of the sartorialist delighted with bicycle eye candy...

bailey of peppermint bliss revealed her first design project on la dolce vita...

daniella of dress, design & decor posted pictures of a timeless beauty...

christina of down and out chic introduced me to bhalo, a shop with a great mission and pretty prints...

sarah of haute design piqued my interest with glimpses into a very glamorous italian hotel...

jessica of the love list profiled the dashing cece colhoun...

joi of nuestra vida dulce revealed her father-in-law's work on her kitchen...

and mrs. lillien declared her love for poodles with design darling favorites elva fields and jonathan adler!

trend report {trays}

you need only click through the last few editions of lonny to realize the rising popularity of trays of all shapes and sizes. they're a fabulous means of bringing color or texture to a space and a brilliant way to organize jewelry and trinkets.

{dabney lee lucite tray, $130 for large}

{iomoi coral orange tray, $100+}

{fontaine maury strawberry tray, $45}

{overstock fiesta oval tangerine tray, $23}

{jonathan adler pink lacquer tray, $150}

{dabney lee square lucite tray, $120}

{ikea rationell variera tray, $7}

{target pink melamine serving tray, $13}

{jonathan adler orange lacquer hexagon tray, $175}

what's your take on the tray trend?

you need only click through the last few editions of lonny to realize the rising popularity of trays of all shapes and sizes. they're a fabulous means of bringing color or texture to a space and a brilliant way to organize jewelry and trinkets.

{dabney lee lucite tray, $130 for large}

{iomoi coral orange tray, $100+}

{fontaine maury strawberry tray, $45}

{overstock fiesta oval tangerine tray, $23}

{jonathan adler pink lacquer tray, $150}

{dabney lee square lucite tray, $120}

{ikea rationell variera tray, $7}

{target pink melamine serving tray, $13}

{jonathan adler orange lacquer hexagon tray, $175}

what's your take on the tray trend?

before and after {pin collection}

my sister, reilly, has been collecting pins for as long as i can remember. whenever someone is unsure what to gift her, an assortment of pins is an easy fallback and her collection has expanded accordingly. one day while snooping around the house for potential design projects, i decided i wanted to help my sister display her collection since her habit of pinning new finds onto an old lime green fleece jacket in her closet was hardly doing her hundreds of pins justice.

so i stealthily removed the offending jacket from her closet...

removed the pins with the help of our little brother, camden...

painted unfinished scrapbooking frames from michael's (around $8 a pop)...

artfully arranged the pins on pieces of white felt ($1 per piece) cut to fit the frames...

set the felt in the frames...

and — voilà! — a pretty display for her bedroom and a tidy way to flaunt her impressive collection.

my sister, reilly, has been collecting pins for as long as i can remember. whenever someone is unsure what to gift her, an assortment of pins is an easy fallback and her collection has expanded accordingly. one day while snooping around the house for potential design projects, i decided i wanted to help my sister display her collection since her habit of pinning new finds onto an old lime green fleece jacket in her closet was hardly doing her hundreds of pins justice.

so i stealthily removed the offending jacket from her closet...

removed the pins with the help of our little brother, camden...

painted unfinished scrapbooking frames from michael's (around $8 a pop)...

artfully arranged the pins on pieces of white felt ($1 per piece) cut to fit the frames...

set the felt in the frames...

and — voilà! — a pretty display for her bedroom and a tidy way to flaunt her impressive collection.