Mood Board Monday: a jewel tone and teak living room

 

This week's design features a serendipitous combination of jewel tones. They complement the rich teak wood flooring. The art is by Rex Ray.

And I am telling you I'm not going...

It's been a long time since my last post about the pandemic. Almost a year, in fact. And since that time, I have been finding ways to keep myself busy doing the things that I can still do while social distancing. While not obsessing over productivity, I've been getting a lot done. It's been nice to have a distraction from the chaos of the world.

But on the occasions where I do engage with the rest of the world, I keep encountering people who are acting like the pandemic is over. They have brilliant plans like reopening offices and making their employees go back to working in them, or having events indoors with indoor dining. So this message is for them:

 

I'm not going. Nothing is compelling enough to risk getting COVID. There is no meal, sale, networking event, office party, reunion, wedding, book signing, craft fair, art show, trade show, comedy show, movie, play, concert, flight, or cruise that I feel is worth taking chances on at this point. I've put my life on hold before, so maybe I'm used to not getting to do everything I want when I want to do it. The difference is that now I'm being a lot more intentional about it, as opposed to waiting for a day that will never come. I don't see the point of spending time in enclosed spaces with a lot of strangers even with HEPA filters because I don't know how effectively they are filtering out viruses, or if they people are being dishonest about their vaccination or infection status, whether they will wear their masks correctly, or at all. Not to mention the new variants that keep appearing. Delta became prevalent in the US up a few weeks after my second vaccine kicked in and the discovery of Omicron was announced the day after I got my booster shot! It's no surprise that I still don't feel safe.

If you believe that we need to learn how to live with the virus, please don't include me in that "we." There certain risks that I'm just not willing to take right now. Death isn't the only negative outcome that concerns me. I'm worried about getting long COVID and ruining my life. I am in no hurry to get back to "normal." Besides, "normal" wasn't good enough anyway.

 

 

Mood Board Monday: an eccentric, eclectic, boho-chic bedroom

Bold floral folk art patterns take center stage in this offbeat, whimsical bedroom. It features a custom-made bedspread, colorful window treatments and a bright rug. The gold anaglypta wallpaper adds even more texture. The artwork features a colorfully costumed dancer who fits right in.

artwork by MarShelle Jacobs, TNM Past Perfect

Mood Board Monday: an iridescent jewel box half bath

A half bath can present an opportunity to splurge and take risks due to its small size. That was the concept here. Black fixtures provide a dramatic foil to the iridescent faucet and vessel basin I selected, which would be mounted on a sculptural pedestal. I imagine the mosaic tiles set with black grout.

Mood Board Monday: a floral and paisley study

I envision this as a space for someone who loves to read and also loves flowers. It's an eclectic update of a traditional study. The jewel tones add richness. The rhinestone button tufting in the chairs adds a hint of glamour. I selected gold-streaked velvet for window treatments and a textured wallpaper that picks up the colors of the desk, rug, and artwork. 

Speaking of the artwork, here are the artists' names and websites:

Yvonne Coleman-Burney

Bao Pham

Amrita Sher-Gil

Mood Board Monday: a black and white expressionist living room

This living room may be black and white, but it's definitely not boring. The black furniture and black and white décor are bold and dynamic. At the same time, they are the backdrop that allows the bright, expressionistic abstract art I selected to really shine.

Here is a larger view of each painting, along with a link to the artists' websites.

Alisa Burke

Andy Shaw

Ken Tate

 

Mood Board Monday: a kitchen in earth tones and semiprecious stones

This week's mood board features a kitchen in rich, warm earth tones. There are three different colors of wood for the cabinet doors. The floor looks like wood, but it's actually porcelain. And the countertop is made with semiprecious stones. 

This design features artwork by Jacques Leconte.

The return of Mood Board Monday: a silver and gray bedroom

It's been a long time, I know! I'm trying to get back into the habit of posting these every week. This week's mood board is for a bedroom in shades of gray and silver. 

The hues are soft, but the lines are crisp and modern. I wanted to create something that's both tranquil but also visually interesting. As always, if you like what you see but aren't sure how you could pull it off, feel free to hire me to design a real space just for you!

Digging into the new CB2 and Lenny Kravitz collaboration

"Once you dig in
You'll find it coming out the other side
And once you dig in
You'll find you'll have yourself a good time" 

—Lenny Kravitz, "Dig in"

I really like the new furniture and home décor that Kravitz Design has made for CB2. As someone who has been enjoying Lenny Kravitz's music since the 90s, I was curious to see how he would apply his creative vision to furniture. This isn't his first collaboration. He designed a very impressive grand piano for Steinway not long ago. His new line of furniture has a similar aesthetic. I like the bold geometric shapes, warm colors, and angular textures he has chosen to bring his vision to life. On the intro page, he's quoted as saying, "The new collection is based on a mélange of places, things and people I’ve encountered through my travels." You can really see that in each piece.

Apparently, I'm not the only one because many of these pieces are already sold out! You can see the whole collection here on CB2.

New products in my Zazzle store

It's been a long time since I've added new designs to my Zazzle store. I'm excited to announce that I finally uploaded some designs I made over the summer and am selling them on a wide variety of products, including phone cases, keychains, magnets, and even chocolate covered Oreos!

I still have the original mini collages. 

If you've been following me for a while, you probably know that I only sell my mini artworks at in-person events, but with things being as uncertain as they are, I have no idea when my next in-person art show will be. In the meantime, if you like the designs, treat yourself to a magnet or a paperweight! Click here to see the full collection.

New in my Etsy shop: handmade earrings

 

If you're familiar with my blog, you know that I love to coordinate. And that's why I had to make earrings that go with my handmade bracelets. I just added them to my Etsy shop and they ship for free to customers in the USA.

 

My newest interior design project: an Afro Blue bedroom

 

 

In my most recent project, I worked with my client remotely. The aesthetic is Afro-boho. The space is serene and sophisticated. We started with the bedding, which was handmade with a West African geometric pattered fabric in blue, black and white. It set the tone for the rest of the room.

 

I'm very happy with the way it all turned out and enjoyed the remote design process. If you want to work with me remotely, email me to get started.

New in my Etsy shop: handmade bracelets

 I've been posting a few sneak peeks of my latest Etsy product for a while, but now I am really excited to officially announce that I'm selling handmade jewelry now!

I make them with safety pins and beads in a few different sizes to accommodate different hand/wrist sizes.

Right now there are 16 different styles to choose from. I ship them for free to customers in the United States and they're fun to wear.

This is only the beginning of my new line of handmade wearable art, so stay tuned to this blog for updates. In the meantime, please visit this link to order your bracelet today.

Saturday Solutions: display ideas for vendor fairs

* I wrote this before the pandemic began, with the intention of posting it Memorial Day weekend 2020. Some of the items in this post may be discontinued now, but maybe you can find them on eBay.

 

 

 

As the weather warms up and the days get longer, the season of outdoor vendor fairs is here. As I wrote in my post about creative art displays for gallery shows, many times the traditional options are overpriced. And after paying to rent space at an event, you might not have much money left to invest in displaying your wares.

Here are a few items that could be useful for displaying all types of merchandise:

IKEA VIGGJA Tray stand

Design Ideas Franklin Desk Riser

IKEA NISSAFORS Utility cart

Here are some more specialized displays:

For Book Fairs:

IKEA VIVALLA Tablet stand

Mind Reader Brown & Green Edition Five-Shelf Bookcase

IKEA ISBERGET Tablet stand

IKEA  BRÄDA Laptop support

For Jewelry Display:

Umbra Prisma Jewelry Stand

Trigem Jewelry Stand

Umbra Poise Two-Tiered Tray

IKEA KVITTERA Serving stand, 3 tiers

IKEA  GARNERA Serving stand, two tiers

Yamazaki Tosca Accessory Trays with Mirror

Yamazaki Tosca Accessory Stand

Yamazaki Tower Earring Stand

For Clothes:

IKEA MULIG Clothes Rack

IKEA RIGGA Clothes Rack

For Pop-Up Shops:

Design Ideas MeshWorks Utility Grid Unit

IKEA NIKKEBY Clothes Rack

Pro tip: to save money on these fixtures, whenever possible, contact the manufacturers to see if they will sell them to you wholesale if you send them a copy of your resale license. You should be able to save at least 20%.