From My Stack of Magazines: April 2010

Not many favorites this month. Elle Decor featured a beautiful feminine drawing room with a huge navy blue upholstered ottoman, a bold pink damask sofa, and pale pink walls. Pastel perfect for spring were featured in Elle Decor including lacquer boxes that were also in the December 2009 issue of Real Simple.



Photograph courtesy of the April 2010 issue of Elle Decor.








Photographs courtesy of the April 2010 issue of Elle Decor.



This scanned page from the April issue of Real Simple doesn't do the color of these green chairs justice. Simply gorgeous.


Photographs courtesy of the April 2010 issue of Real Simple.



Country Living had instructions for creating decoupaged office accessories; I especially like the little dish for scissors.


Photograph courtesy of the April 2010 issue of Country Living.



House Beautiful was by far my favorite magazine this month. I liked the white terrycloth bath vanity tool from Ballard. However, my favorite was the new Houston home with the look of a rustic Italian villa which included 1850s Italian oak front doors, rustic stone hallway and brick arches, wood beams, warm terracotta colored walls in the dining room, and an antique Italian iron window grille over mirror in the powder room.







Photographs courtesy of the April 2010 issue of House Beautiful.














Photographs courtesy of the April 2010 issue of House Beautiful.



I loved the luxurious dining room with striped drapes, striped chair backs, and massive amounts of moulding in Better Homes and Gardens this month. It was so elegant and bright.



Photographs courtesy of the April 2010 issue of Better Homes and Gardens.



The anklet heel trend was prominent in the April issue of Elle including pale pink Lanvin heels that also appeared in the March 2010 issue of Elle.






Photographs courtesy of the April 2010 issue of Elle.

Look-A-Likes for Less: Fleur-de-Lys Glassware

I adore these fleur de lys glasses. I think having the taller glasses in one color and a smaller size in another color would look great mixed together. The glasses from both Anthropologie and World Market are imported, glass, and come in a variety of colors; though not all of the colors are available in all the sizes. However, not only are the World Market glasses cheaper, but they also come in three sizes as opposed to Anthropologies two (both small) sizes. The Anthropologie glasses have to be hand washed, whereas, the World Market glasses are supposedly dishwasher safe, though I should also point out that many of the reviews suggest hand washing the glasses from World Market.



Fleur De Lys Glasses $32 for a set of four, available in Yellow, Amber, Clear, Pink, Red, and Green at Anthropologie.




Noble Morn Glasses $6.00 each, available in Dark Yellow, Clear, Pink, and Green at Anthropologie.






Fleur de Lys Barware, Sets of 4, $11.96 - $15.96, available in Clear, Green, and Blue at World Market.




Pink Fleur de Lys Barware $2.99 each for highball or double old fashioned 10 oz. sizes at World Market (in stores only).

Look-A-Likes for Less: Slanted Decanters

Lenox "Tuscany Classics" Pitcher $54.00 (currently on sale for $39.99) at Macy's.




Duck Decanter $21.99 at World Market.

Look-A-Likes for Less: Crown Doormats

Crown Doormat $34 at Wisteria.




Coco Crown Door Mat (available in plum, violet, and periwinkle) $24 at Modern Chic Home.

Look-A-Likes for Less: Pierced Pitchers

Lenox "Tuscany Classics" Pierced Pitcher $54 (48 oz.) at Macy's.





Ona Pitchers $16.95 (17 oz.)- $26.95 (46 oz.) at Crate and Barrel.




Clear Hole Glass Decanter $26.95 (53 oz.) at Pier 1 Imports.

From My Stack of Magazines: March 2010

In my stack of March magazines I saw many of the same trends that had popped up in the previous three months magazines. In the January and February fashion magazines it was all about ballerina tutu inspired tulle confections, ruffles, and crystal embellishments as well as some accessories that combined chain links with more feminine materials and colors. Large clamshells and metallic shells showed up in the pages of the March issues of Elle Decor and House Beautiful, a trend that appeared in the December 2009 issue of Southern Living.

The March issue of House Beautiful was devoted to the color blue; my favorite. I found at least half a dozen different blue paints in this issue that I'd like to use in my own home.


Photograph courtesy of the March 2010 issue of House Beautiful.






Photograph courtesy of the March 2010 issue of House Beautiful.



The designers of this home must really like mirrored furniture. The mirrored dining table and the to die for antiqued mirrored bathroom vanity are both stunning and add the feeling of reflective water in this beach house. The bathroom fits the style of the beach house without going with the typical kitschy nautical look. Instead, the large clamshell sink, mother of pearl wall tile, and coral and seashell framed mirror are reminiscent of a precious pearl enclosed in a clamshell rather than lighthouses and sailboats.




Photographs courtesy of the March 2010 issue of House Beautiful.






Photographs courtesy of the March 2010 issue of House Beautiful.




Photograph courtesy of the March 2010 issue of House Beautiful.



My favorite things in this house are the aged chipped blue paint finishes on some of the furniture and doors and the duchess satin curtains in subdued colors. I like Julie Watkins Baker's (one homes designers) description of the curtains which she compares to "a ball gown that's slightly rumpled". The settee in the last photo would look amazing in my living room...a girl can dream.









Photographs courtesy of the March 2010 issue of House Beautiful.



I like the overscale damask wallpaper; a trend that made an earlier appearance in the February issue of House Beautiful. However, in this two story stair hall with it's angled ceiling the bold pattern is too MUCH for my taste. However, the glamorous dining room looks like a great space to entertain in with it's dramatic chandelier and inviting tufted banquette.






Photographs courtesy of the March 2010 issue of House Beautiful.



I would love to make my own metallic shells like the ones in the March issue of Elle Decor. It seems to be an easy enough DIY project. Just silver leaf paint (silver works better than gold with my decor), seashells, and a paint brush. Now that my Easter decorations have been packed away until next year, I have an empty bowl mercury glass bowl on my kitchen table that would look great with a mix of silver leafed and regular unpainted shells.




Photograph courtesy of the March 2010 issue of Elle Decor.




Photograph courtesy of the March 2010 issue of Elle Decor.



I adore this dressing room. It's bright, spacious, and the table and chandelier add personality to the otherwise all white room.






Photographs courtesy of the March 2010 issue of Elle Decor.





Photographs courtesy of the March 2010 issue of Elle Decor.




Photograph courtesy of the March 2010 issue of Elle Decor.



Both Real Simple and Country Living both touched on the ruffle trend in their March issues.






Photographs courtesy of the March 2010 issue of Real Simple.





Photographs courtesy of the March 2010 issue of Country Living.



Turning a closet into an office is a great use of space. When the office is not in use the chair can be pushed in and the doors closed to hide any office clutter. The small space is also an excellent place to use a bold patterned wallpaper since just a little wallpaper can make a big impact and it serves as the jumping off point for the paint colors used in this space.



Photographs courtesy of the March 2010 issue of Country Living.





Photographs courtesy of the March 2010 issue of Country Living.






Photographs courtesy of the March 2010 issue of Country Living.



I've posted about tea set inspired lighting before in my blog (see part one and two), so I was glad to see the instructions for how to make your own tea set lamp and candle holder in the March issue of Country Living. If you have mismatched teacups and saucers just collecting dust in your china cabinet this is a creative way to get more use out of them. You can also find teacups and saucers at antique stores if you don't have any already.


Photograph courtesy of the March 2010 issue of Country Living.




Photograph courtesy of Country Living.





Photographs courtesy of the March 2010 issue of Better Homes and Gardens.






Photographs courtesy of the March 2010 issue of Midwest Living.



This sideboard fulfills so many functions; buffet, bar, storage for entertaining supplies, and it brings the indoors out while the weathered finish makes it suitable for the porch.


Photograph courtesy of the March 2010 issue of Southern Living.



Lucite bangles appeared in Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire and Elle. Denim tops paired with ruffled skirts were in both Marie Claire and Cosmopolitan. Dresses with clear cut outs were in the March issues of Elle, Cosmopolitan, and the February issue of Marie Claire. Elle, Glamour, and Marie Claire all featured some form of over the top crystal embellishment. And layers upon layers of tulle were shown in Marie Claire, Glamour, and Elle.



Photographs courtesy of the March 2010 issue of Marie Claire.




Photograph courtesy of the March 2010 issue of Marie Claire.




Photograph courtesy of the March 2010 issue of Marie Claire.






Photographs courtesy of the March 2010 issue of Marie Claire.






Photographs courtesy of the March 2010 issue of Marie Claire.









Photographs courtesy of the March 2010 issue of Glamour.





Photograph courtesy of the March 2010 issue of Elle.




Photograph courtesy of the March 2010 issue of Elle.




Photograph courtesy of the March 2010 issue of Elle.




Photograph courtesy of the March 2010 issue of Elle.










Photographs courtesy of the March 2010 issue of Elle.








Photographs courtesy of the March 2010 issue of Cosmopolitan.




A similar dress (also Michael Kors) to the one in the March issue of Cosmopolitan showed up in the February 2010 issue of Marie Claire.