Landscape Designer Spotlight: Jamie Durie

Have you ever dreamed of a gorgeous garden of your own where you can calm down and relax?

In honor of Earth Day, I'd like to share some amazing outdoors, designed by Jamie Durie. This Australian is able to transform simple, ordinary spaces into beautiful gardens and patios, giving us exteriors of true inspiration.

Wanna know which one is my favorite? This last Italian garden is perfect for me!

What do you say?

Images: Jamie Durie

Earth Day

There are plenty of things we can do from home everyday to take care of our Earth.

What are you doing today?

image by Casa Haus

Easy and Quick -Baby Shower Favors

A couple of days ago, I made some Baby Shower favors for a dear friend of mine having a baby. We organized with little time, and if you add up my job and my daily mother and household duties... well, you do the math. Since I didn't buy them, and had no chance of doing anything too elaborate, I decided to use what I had at home. The result was simply sweet.

Making these cuties is really simple:

Baby Shower Favors

You need:

Craft foam

Precision cutter

Glue gun

Ribbons

Safety-pins

Beads, decor shapes, etc.

(for this project, I used flower shapes from the headband project)

How-to:

 (smaller favor)

Cut the foam with the cutter, making a trapezoid shape.

Fold the flat corner up.

Use your glue gun to glue corner.

Now glue the other two ends together in the center.

Make a little bow and glue it as a little decoration.

Don't forget to glue the pin.

¡This is how they turn out!

(Sorry for the little glue "threads" but I was in a little hurry ;)

Larger favor:

Start with a rectangle shape to make the mom-to-be's favor.

Fold two corners, just as if you were folding a fabric diaper.

From this step on, it's very similar to the smaller favor process.

Use your glue gun to keep the corners in place.

This is how the diaper looks like. Now it's time to embelish!

I used two baby-pins to make it look like a real fabric diaper.

Glue your beads, decor shapes and so on... it's ready to go!

As you can see, these little favors were made with materials I already had at home, and in less than an hour. They are REALLY simple to do. If you have more materials and/or time, you can get great things to decorate them... the outcome will be gorgeous!

Sharing with these wonderful ladies:

My Backyard Eden

The Thrifty Home

Creations by Kara

Got Space?

Sometimes I find myself complaining about my lack of space at home, so I really enjoy great small places showing creative solutions to our common issues. They're fascinating to me.

Here are some ingenious ideas I found at Dwell I'd like to share with you.

via Dwell

Brand Spotlight: Shine Labs

I have a confession to make: I've got a huge, huge crush on lighting accesories. I'm apparently drawn to everything that glows, especially when it is in the inside of a glorious lamp, pendant, lantern... you name it.

So I'd like to share with you my newest discovery, Shine Labs. They've got the most amazing lighting and home accesories... which can really turn me head over heals. 

So here we go... enjoy!

My! Aren't they gorgeous? 'Cause you know, I'm still drooling!

All images from:

 Shine Labs

Tiles for Modern Kitchens

I couldn't wrap up the tile talking without speaking about kitchens. There are soooo many options out there, waiting to be shared... so let's say nothing else. Ready to drool? ;) 

Mosaic

Mosaics are once again a perfect, modern option for the space. There are infinite posibilities on colors and materials, so the choice is up to you!

Take a look at these lovely glass tiles. They look so classy!

I love blue mosaics, they keep reminding me of summer childhood memories in bathing suits.

But then again, the sand option is also perfect.

Rectified Tile

Rectified tiles work great with decorative lines. They give a very neutral and beautiful background for this kitchen.

In this case, mosaics are used in combination with rectified tiles for a fresh and modern look.

What do you say? Do you have a favorite?

images:

coastal living

interceramic

porcelanosa

sunset magazine

tile shop

Tiles -Suggestions

A few days ago, I showed you many inspirational images on bathroom tiling. I hope they work for you, or at least inspire you.

If you're tiling, or considering tiling, here are a few words of advice for you, from my personal experience:

Consider Your Space Size

As inspiring as they may be, rooms in magazines, catalogs, and showrooms are created to shine. Most of them are large spaces, or they have enough light to make the tiles look great. If your space is small, try using light colors to make it look bigger. This is especially true in powder rooms. If you want to try with a contrasting color, I'd suggest you do it on one wall but not the whole room.

Is it a long-term / short-term investment

Unlike wall-paper, tile is more lasting. Sure you can bring it down and tile again (or paint, or wall-paper, you know what I mean), but be honest to yourself: how long are you willing to have it at home? Is it a timeless tile, or just a fashion? If you think the color or pattern in a tile might get you tired, then it's probably not the best choice. Look for balance: modern and classic works best when tiling.

A Few Words on Floors

Most sales people won't tell you, but there are good floor tiles and bad floor tiles. Trust me, you don't want to mess around with the bad ones. When you're looking for a floor tile, look closely and touch. Smooth isn't enough. Some tiles are apparently smooth, but they have some kind of "pores" (just like the one's on your skin). Beware! Those are the worst tiles. The pores make the floor get really dirty with EVERYTHING. Learn from my mistake. There may be gorgeous floors, but if they have the pores, turn away!

Tips When Visiting Tile Stores

When going to the shops, try asking for less expensive options and talk about your budget. This will help the sales people to give you good advice. There are many gorgeous and budget-friendly options. 

Remember: look for materials that express your style and personality.

images:

bisazza

interceramic

porcelanosa