Woman Cave.

Every man needs their own MAN space (aka the "MAN CAVE").  That grants that every woman needs their own "WOMAN CAVE", right?  After looking at numerous home decor blogs, I've been so inspired and wanted to take on a project of my own....a small one, of course!  My first attempt was to create a craft/work room using a former storage room (within our laundry room).  This little nook would be a place where I can store all my crafty items (wrapping paper, ribbons, scrapbooking supplies, etc.).  With just a little bit of fresh paint on the walls, furnishings and accessories, you will see the project unfold... 

Laundry Room

The soon to be "WOMAN CAVE"

Oh how I love Craigslist!!!  I have been searching for a small, basic wooden desk and one day stumbled upon this lovely desk...for a mere $25!  For some, it may look like a ratty hunk of junk, but with just a little TLC, I saw potential!

With just a little bit of sanding, a fresh coat of paint and a knob change, it felt brand new!

The base of the desk was painted with glossy white paint.  The shelf was painted cherry red....just enough pop to make this room cheerful!  The rusty knobs were easily replaced with mid-century inspired ones I purchased at a local hardware store.

On the RIGHT side of the room, I pulled together all the images from our engagement shoot (shot by Max Wanger).  I hung everything with some twine I had.  I also FINALLY found a home for the Paul Frank clock I purchased from the Paul Frank warehouse sale YEARS ago.  

On the LEFT side of the room, I housed my Dee & Lala wood prints that I purchased from the Unique LA show last year.  I have been searching for the right home for these two prints and was so excited when these finally went up on the wall.  Below, I hung two red shelving units to place my Jeero Uglydolls and miscellaneous items.  

Immediately under the red shelving unit, I hung up my Washi tape collection.  For those that understand Washi tape knows that they need to be properly displayed.  To be honest, I found it foolish to spend $40 for a washi tape dispenser.  Instead, I came up with the solution of using a curtain rod that I purchased for a mere $5.  I sorted the Washi tape by color, so as my collection grows, it'll soon be a rainbow of colors.  The great thing about using this curtain rod was that it extends up to 40", so I don't foresee any issues with limited space.  This is an affordable solution for those that have an ever-growing collection of Washi tape or perhaps wants to start one!

Like washi tape, I believe that wrapping paper should also be displayed.  With all the fun colors and patterns, it must not be neglected.  But the tricky thing is that you don't want to have them wadded up and get wrinkled.  I'm a nut for wrapping paper and find any occasion to use it.  My solution was to purchase a plastic trash can that was deep enough to keep the rolls from standing upright.   I wrapped each roll with a rubber band to avoid unraveling and the end result is a neat and tidy collection of wrapping paper tucked perfectly in the corner of the room.

On the CENTER of the wall, I hung two shelving units.  The red shelving unit houses books and photo albums, along with a trio of hat boxes (purchased from IKEA) filled with ribbons, bows and gift tags.  The blue shelving unit was painted blue (originally a birch color) that I purchased for under $5.  I LOVE IKEA for select items.  This shelf was the perfect size for storing my glass bottles of rubber bands, pins and paper clips.  

I utilized every square inch of this room, including the door.  I purchased a contraption that allows you to store an iron and the ironing board.  Iron not pictured below, but it is to be hung on top.

Within a matter of days, this neglected area of our house was transformed from a drab storage room to my own hidden "WOMAN CAVE".  Check out the before and after:

  

I'm ready to begin my next project.  I'd love to see what you've been doing around the house!

  

Sanrio: Small Gift, BIG Smile.

A flashback to the past.  The Sanrio's 50th celebration has arrived.  The event kicked off on November 11th at the Barker Hanger in Santa Monica, CA.  I had the pleasure to attend this event before the general public.  It was truly a flashback to the past and I was taking EVERY minute of it.  I LOVED IT ALL and I am sure if you went, you would too!

Great eats.

Joe Ledbetter x Sanrio

   

Buff Monster x Sanrio

Sanrio in oil

I would have loved to bring these home.

Keroppi + HK

Fun & quirky...just how I like it!

Here are some fun happenings during this event and you can find more details here.  Go on and smile!

New Living Spaces

  

Words can't describe how happy I am with our new addition of the sectional in our living space.  We went from a 3-seater sofa to now a 8-seater sectional.  Perfect, just in time for the holidays!  Of course, when you get new furniture, that involves rearranging and making sure it fits just right in the living space.  At times, it felt like I was playing a game of  LIVE Tetris (my favorite game), trying to rearrange and make pieces fit and score major points (design points, in this case!).  Here are some BEFORE and AFTER pictures, starting with the sofa itself:

BEFORE... 

AFTER...

 

Shopping never looked so good.

Let's face it....we're STILL in a recession and YES, the retail world is a challenging one!  As a former Buyer, I know that no matter how great the product is, there are other alternatives to get those registers ringin'!  Perhaps there's one major solution...BAGS!  One word for these...BRILLIANT.

my fave(s).  via Lost at E Minor

NAUGHTY, but quite brilliant!  via Lost at E Minor

Imagine how many strange looks you'd get carrying these ones.  But you would just LOVE the attention, wouldn't you?

love.  via Lost at E Minor

Bloomingdale's x Marc by Marc Jacobs via Bag Bunch

FYI.  Bloomingdale's is collaborating with some of the handbag designers including Tory Burch, Marc Jacobs, Zac Posen, Elie Tahari and Michael Kors.  As part of Bloomingdale's new CHECK IT OUT campaign, this is an attempt for Bloomingdale's to promote their new stores and give a lift to the established ones.  Good job, Bloomingdale's!

If you had a retail store, what would your bag look like?  

Sanrio. Small Gift Big Smile.

I remember as a little girl, after a hard core crying session, my mom would give me the biggest hug and whisper "Hello Kitty".  Instead of bribing me to cheer up with candy, mine was going to the Sanrio store and buying a few new things.  That instantly put a smile on my face.  I grew up with Hello Kitty and friends!  So when I heard that Sanrio turns 50 this year, I knew I had to get in on the action!  Lucky for me, I have a friend that is bringing me in on the VIP event next week, so I'll report back on the actual event.  I'll be counting down!  But good news is that it's an event open to the public beginning on Friday, so don't fret!  For the LA event, you can find the 411 here. 

Here are some prints from my FAVE artists, that I hope to buy at the show (if I'm lucky enough)!

Gary Baseman.

Buff Monster.

There are PLENTY more artists that will be featured at the art show....thanks to Japan LA, you can find more information on their blog here.  

If you're in the LA area, make sure this is on your agenda...it's an event great for all ages!  Besides, don't YOU remember how much of a smile walking into a Sanrio store would bring you?

SAY CHEESE: The Photobooth.

Every wedding needs a photobooth. Instead of a traditional guest book, we opted to have guests create a scrapbook page with their photobooth pictures It was quite a task compiling all the props to be used for the photobooth, but well worth all the time! Bunny ears, HUGE glasses, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle masks, mustaches...oh my! Props make all the difference, so get creative! We rented our photobooth from Photobooth Love. Here is a peek of the photobooth table I prepared for our guests to enjoy!

Richard + I

Props GA-LORE!

Grab a 'stache from the Mustache Tree

Paper, pens, crayons, stickers, scrapbook pages for guest to create their page.

Guests put their "guestbook" pages in the suitcase.

Here are some pictures of some of the printouts. 

These boys are the bomb-diggity and will make your party one to remember!

The Photobooth Love boys.

RSVP: Our Wedding Invites.

Sooooo....last month, my husband (Richard) and I tied the knot.  It has been 13 years in the making! Now that all wedding preparations are behind us, I wanted to share with everyone some of the vendors I've worked with to make the day UBER special.  I'll start it all out with the wedding invitations, created by Erin Jang.

If there was one (or a few things) I wanted to splurge on, one of them had to be the invitations.  I am a geek when it comes to stationary...love it! After searching on numerous wedding blogs, I stumbled across Erin Jang's work.  Oh, was I in for a treat!  She is a creative genius.  She truly delivered something that was unique to us as a couple.  Mid-century modern design, patterns (I'm a nut for houndstooth), cherry red and vintage blue and a picture of us was all we gave Erin to work with, and here was the masterpiece she created for us:

The invitations....what a package!

Houndstooth smiley face lining...fresh!

You can check out more about our invite's on Erin's Jang's personal blog called  The Indigo Bunting.  The invitations were also featured on some of my favorite blogs, including  Black*Eiffel, SeeSaw Design and Oh So Beautiful Paper.  Erin also told me that these invitations will be in the upcoming Fall/Holiday 2011 issue of New York Weddings magazine....how exciting!  I will be sure to snatch a copy!