All Knit Everything...

It's no secret that we are embarking on my FAVORITE time: September to December.  The best four months of the entire calendar year!!!!  Hey, I like to be cold.  Messengers have lived in New England since 1637, so I think the cold Northeast air is in my bones.

There is almost nothing I love more than sweater weather.  And speaking of sweaters, I was perusing the October issue of Country Living Magazine which showed up in my mailbox yesterday, and they featured a red, knit inspired teapot from Yedi Housewares.   And that got me thinking about all the things I have loved over the years that are knit or cable knit inspired.

Their Red collection is entitled "Sweater" and I adore all of it:  It turns out it also comes in Blue, White, and Taupe so there is something for everyone's color taste.

Yedi Housewares Sweater Collection

And then, after I looked up the red teapot, I found all of this!  I wish that cake plate especially would find its way into one of my cupboards.  (Cake Platter, $49.99)   This collection is entitled "Matte Sweater" and it's a bit daintier and is featured in Baby Blue or Eggshell White.

Yedi Housewares Matte Sweater Collection



http://yedihouseware.com/products/footed-cake-platter-28cm-2

On my lengthy cold weather to do list is to make a few sweater throw pillow covers.  I love the idea of putting out sweater pillows for fall to winter, because they are sort of generically winter themed and won't need to be put away at Christmas.  Plus they would be comfortable: Micah is not a fan of some of my twill decorative pillow covers because he likes to use a soft pillow.  I plan to mine our thrift shop and maybe Goodwill for some fun finds to accomplish this.  But in the meantime, here is some inspiration for you.  Winter is coming!  Get your home ready.

I think this woman's tutorial for sewing sweater pillows is excellent, plus her tip for lining the pillows with another fabric so they hold their shape and don't look all wonky and squooshed seems genius.  I could have seen myself making that same mistake initially if I hadn't read her post.  Cami blogs at Tidbits, and I found her tutorial via Pinterest (of course).  Follow the link to her website in the caption! 

Repurposed Sweater Pillow Tutorial, Tidbits blog

This votive pair from Partylite has always been a favorite of mine, but for some reason, I just never got around to buying it.  Probably because my home is already overflowing with candle stuff and I have to get rid of some before I can get more.  But I just got the newsletter in my email from my candle lady Julie, and noticed that this pair is in their Clearance Outlet (marked down from $30 original price to $8.10, which is an insane steal!  The link to buy this from my candle lady Julie is under the photo.   If you are interested, hurry, because these will disappear soon.

Partylite Cable Knit Pair

I found these coasters on Pinterest, and it took me awhile to find the original maker, but I did it.  Her name is Alyssa Ettinger, and unfortunately her shop is closed for now, but she still maintains a website with a link to her knitware line!  It's gorgeous: I hope she starts making it again in the near future.  

Alyssa Ettinger Design

Alyssa Ettinger Design

 

This spread in Country Living caught my eye a long time ago.  I can't remember what issue it was featured in (maybe their winter white issue in 2014) but they still feature this on the website.  So, I tracked down the artist who creates this line, and it is Danielle Spector of Reshape Studio...



http://www.countryliving.com/shopping/g1253/white-knitted-home-decorations/?slide=3

Now technically, these look woven, but Country Living included them as part of their knit home décor article, so I am going to say they count!  I love this idea for storing wood next to the fireplace, or for kindling/newspaper next to the fireplace.  I am toying with the idea of crocheting some large baskets like this for that exact purpose.  Apparently these were originally sold as part of the Robert Ogden for Lostine line, but they are no longer for sale on their website that I can find.

http://www.countryliving.com/shopping/g1253/white-knitted-home-decorations/?slide=5

Last, but certainly not least, why not cozy up your fall decorations by trying your hand at this awesome Finger Knit Wreath (follow the link to get the pattern) or this fabulous idea to repurpose old sweaters into home décor pumpkins. 

Old Fashioned Living Finger Knit Wreath Pattern

Homeward Found Decor Sweet Sweater Pumpkin Tutorial
 

I think these pumpkins are so cute.  They are the product of a woman named Deb at Homeward Found Décor, so follow the link in the caption above for her instructions / tutorial.  It's a great tutorial with many pictures.  I may give it a try myself. 

Weekend Pinterest Picks: Future Farmhouse Glam

I am a woman with a bad habit.  And that habit, is visualizing the future.  This has been a problem since I was a child: I like to look ahead!  Pinterest, is, unfortunately, the haven for those of us who spend our time planning for later.  It's an addiction!

Well, anyway, I spend way too much time thinking about the house I want to have when I have a house again.  I miss being a homeowner!  That last house (and life) was just not meant to be.  But the future looks pretty bright!  (On my Pinterest page!)  haha.

I don't want anything grandiose.  I've never been the person who wanted a veritable mansion.  I prefer cozy and intimate.  To me a "big" house is like the 2500+ square foot Craftsman I was living in with my family most recently.  The house I owned with my ex-husband was a 1500 square foot three bedroom and that was perfectly sufficient.   I'm into the bungalow, I'm especially into New England style farmhouses.  That is what I am envisioning.  I want a home that combines my love of french country and rustic decor WITH bright colors and a slightly glamorous feminine style.  (P.S. Take this HomeGoods quiz:  you won't regret it.  It's a fun way to figure out how to define your personal style.)

http://www.homegoods.com/stylescope/

My results are "Farmhouse Glam with a touch of Classic."  That sounds about right!  Except, I have these ultra modern inclinations thrown in with the bright, bold color palette I gravitate toward.  I'm not as into the whites, browns, and neutrals that seem to typify this style, however, I really appreciate the beauty of simple, white shabby chic homes that I run across constantly on design blogs.

Anyway, I cannot stop pinning inspiration to my Future Dream Rustic Farmhouse Board.   Here are my favorites of the day.  Think of it as a virtual tour of my future home.

ENTRYWAY:

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/56295064066222219/

Apartment Therapy

Better Homes and Gardens

 

KITCHEN:

http://bucketsofburlap.blogspot.com/p/farmhouse-tour.html

Tilly's Cottage link

Lauren Liess Pure Style Home

http://www.pandashouse.com/country-kitchen-decorating-ideas

DINING ROOM: 

http://homeimprovementpin.com/2013/02/28/hutch/

House to Home

 

Miss Mustard Seed (my favorite home decor blogger!)

http://rosysf.com/interiors

LIVING ROOM:

http://thegraphicsfairy.com/my-house-the-living-room/

Real Simple

 

The Yellow Cape Cod Family room (another fave blogger!)

Vero Russo

Hooked on Houses

BEDROOM:

http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/originals/2a/5b/d3/2a5bd3fd95157fda629f7c4ceabaf6a9.jpg

http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/e6/69/42/e66942a4ec715d6dcb47f056f636c771.jpg

Designer Tobi Tobin's home tour on House Beautiful

BATHROOM:

Beneath my Heart

Country Living via Primitive and Proper

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/56295064066023745/

Does Jay Gatsby Live Here?

Right before Christmas I was wandering through the local Ocean State Job lot.  (If you live in New England, you know what that is) and I found myself perusing the nail polishes.  Because, well, you can never have enough nail polish.  It is clearly a necessity for someone such as myself, who only sporadically paints my nails, to own at least 30 colors I will hardly ever wear.  But I digress.

I am seeing this black and gold thing everywhere and it intrigues me.  I had to buy this.  Because, why not.  I wore it on New Years Eve.

And it definitely has me thinking about this obvious trend.   I get it: "The Great Gatsby" has inspired an art deco resurgence.  For the record I liked art deco before it was cool!  Actually, I mostly liked art deco jewelry.  Leave it to Leo DiCaprio to bring back 20's opulence during a recession.

So, it's not surprising that I'm seeing this pop up everywhere: pinterest, the blogsophere, the red carpet, wedding magazines and even in drug store nail polish displays.  But will this trend have any sort of longevity?  It's forcing me to reconsider gold.  I thought gold was long since gone, by way of the 90's, along with brass fixtures and jewel-toned carpeting.  But like other recent trends (leggings, off one shoulder shirts, and tapered leg jeans) it is back but better.  Still, I can't help but be a little reluctant to embrace this trend in home decor, because I'm not convinced it has staying power.  I'm leaning a little more traditional these days (gasp, at 30+ I might finally be channeling my mother.)

Still, with my love of black I can't help but appreciate these recent Pinterest Picks.

Oh, and mini rant.  I hate it when pinterest images don't seem to link to the original.  It's not cool to not give credit to the originators.  Come on pinterest pinners!  Get your acts together!  I try to attribute all photos I share on here to the original source IF I can find it.  If not, by default, I give the pin link. 

http://zsazsabellagio.blogspot.com/2012/05/gorgeous-day-to-you.html

http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/originals/ae/40/4e/ae404e4a2be1eb96799b3a0449138728.jpg

http://iheartshabbychic.blogspot.com/

                     I could not find the above image on that blog link, so here is the pin link: Pinterest

http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/originals/cf/a3/5b/cfa35ba884eebbe7182e67f7b36d4155.jpg

Hello French Provincial Meets Art Deco!  Love it. 

http://zsazsabellagio.blogspot.com/2012/04/house-beautiful_28.html

Fresh Bedroom Inspiration: Pinterest Picks

I haven't disappeared!  Just lost in a post-holiday funk.  Taking down the holiday decorations is always anti-climatic for me.  And the house ends up looking so bare afterward.  Not to worry, I got right to work on making some Valentine's Day decorations.  On the one hand, my entire house is red or pink next to black and white so it's almost like I have a V-Day themed apartment year round.  But no matter, I will share a few of the little touches with you next week.

In the meantime, I have been thinking about bedroom design and how I'm so bored of seeing the same color schemes and ideas over again.  Here's a few ideas from Pinterest that stood out to me as being a bit more interesting and fresh right now.  None of these are in my comfort zone, none of them represent my go-to color schemes.  All of them are visually interesting.  I am seeing a real trend with bohemian inspired fabrics, or in the case of the metal bed (third picture) a modern take on soft, vintage, romantic farmhouse style.  Loving the coral/aqua and coral/navy inspiration as well.  I would never think to use coral normally.  Enjoy!

Rate My Space, HGTV

Nordstrom bedding set

Pinterest

 

Pottery Barn Kids

Asian Inspired Purple Bedroom

Colorful Bohemian Bedroom

Pinterest Bohemian Inspired Bedroom