Accentuating With Brass

I have a tendency, like most others to focus on color when it comes to decor, and why wouldn't I? Color is affordable, the change can be big or small and you have a large selection of color to choose from to achieve the style and mood you want.  But lets face it, as great as changing the color of your walls can be or adding a color to accent the room it just doesn't achieve the kind of greatness using brass to accentuate can do. It will burn a hole in your pocket for sure but if you've got the funds and the budget why not go with something more unique and a little more fab.

Here are a choice images from an article Dwell Magazine did on brass in one family's home. It is... nothing less than awesommmme.

Read the full article in Dwell:

Minimalist Brooklyn Apartment, Top Brass

Inspirational Blue Rooms

Love the extra large crushed velvet royal blue L sofa. 

Loving the mixture of blue-toned teals in one room. 

Love the fact that you can use powder blue in other rooms other than a nursery. 

Love the way blue can look bold, brave yet soothing in a small space 

Love how printed blue wallpaper that is a risk of looking too busy can actually look beautifully unique. 

 Love the way the use of blue in this image is inspiring.

I Stand Behind: The Swiffer Sweeper

When I lived in a one bedroom apartment that had wood floors it was 100% do-able to get on my hands and knees and give the floors a good wipe down once a month or even twice a month! But in a three bedroom house? The amount of floor space was so intimidating I couldn't get myself to do it at all! Naturally our wood floors became dusty, dirty, a little bit grimy... quite disgusting to my standards. I'd walk around and try not to notice that the floors near the open windows felt as if they were layered with invisible dirt and grime, I tried to think that the dust bunnies that were poking out from underneath the sofa were cute.

My parents have a huge house with wooden floors and their floors are always so immaculate, I wasn't quite sure how they pulled this off until I went for a visit one day and saw my Dad pushing around a broom, a Swiffer Broom! I decided to give it a try.

My husband brought one home from Home Depot, he put it together and I tried it out, amazing! I love the damn thing! How is it that I get excited to clean the floors now?! Weird right? Well, the Swiffer makes it so easy. It's definitely one of those products that are cheap and just works. The broom is very light and very easy to maneuver underneath sofas, in corners and tight spaces as the flat end swivels in all kinds of directions.

The disposable dry cloth picks up all kinds of dust and debris, even dog hair (yay!) and best of all doesn't let go of it. The sweeper can also be used with a disposable wet cloth to shine your floors. And another great thing? The cloths don't keep coming off! Which is the aggravating problem I had with my previous sweeper broom.

On Amazon the Swiffer Sweeper is a mere $15.00, so if you've got wood floor cleaning problems I say give this a go, it just might be a permanent solution, I have a feeling it is for me. It's sheer enjoyment to clean the floors when it's so easy! So no more dirty feet here!

Check out the Swiffer Sweeper @ Amazon

Home Of: Will & Jada Pinkett Smith & family

Will & Jada Pinkett Smith & Family

Most famously known for music and film

*Pictures from Architectural Digest

Entry way 

Living room 

Living room 

Living room 

Sitting area 

Kitchen 

Dining room 

Dining room sitting area 

Breakfast room 

Lounge 

Pool room 

Screening room 

Willow's room 

Jaden's room 

Master bedroom 

Master bedroom closet 

Master bathroom tub 

Master bathroom shower 

Master bedroom private terrace 

Backyard

Read the full article at Architectural Digest:

Will And Jada Pinkett Smith's Malibu Home

Bathrooms With That Special Something

I find the funnest rooms to decorate are the rooms that you expect the least decoration from, rooms such as the mudroom, bathrooms, entryway etc. I always love walking into a bathroom with an unexpected design. Below are a few choice images of bathrooms with exceptionally unique decor that will hopefully open your eyes to a whole new way of thinking... about your restrooms.

The teal wood panelled walls and raised platform for the claw-foot tub caught my eye in this image. It's a prairie house bathroom gone chic!

The tile and tub of this restroom reminds me of the old restrooms in the older homes I've seen except usually the tiles I've seen in these homes are usually pink. I love the green tiles here and how they go so unexpectedly well with the marble sink counter top.

The accessories: plant, stool and wooden tub board plays on the vintage bathroom accessorizing it to maintain it's main feature of being... well, vintage.

It's almost comical that a painted portrait would sit where the mirror should be, aside from that the gold toned plumbing fixtures lends a certain air of sophistication to the otherwise "old" restroom.

The combination of off-white shower tiles and dark wooden floors is very hipster-ish while the combination of the wooden circular table and high back arm chair is country chic.

The wooden sink counter top lends a very "natural" element to the restroom and also a thumbs up to the sink fixtures on the walls!

The large furniture cabinet piece for storage creates a comfortable and welcoming atmosphere to the fully tiled bathroom.

Mis-matched mirrors for the dual sink restroom makes for an eccentric vibe.

The vintage bell fixture holds the bathroom together.

What is there NOT TO mention in this restroom. Everything is unique in this restroom from the claw shower stall, to the brightly colored arm chair and the baby blue towel hanger, one may say it's a bit over the top- but that's exactly why it's so great.

cb2 Dinnerware, sometimes affordability isn't everything

Like the next person I can easily be coaxed into thinking a purchase is a great deal and therefore awesome when the price is low enough, but of course, this isn't the case... No matter how low the price tag is. Do you know the saying, "you get what you pay for?"- well, this is exactly the case with cb2.

I have so often excitedly walked into cb2 thinking how much I loved the store, in fact I loved the store because it was so mod and hip but not only that, I can afford things here and more! I took home throw pillow cases, dinnerware, dinner serving pieces, bought eight drinking glasses to fill up my kitchen cabinet! Only to later realize, sometimes months later what a great deal! it wasn't. Hah! How's that for irony.

Why was it that the identical drinking glasses weren't the same weight, some were remarkably lighter than others although they were supposed to exactly the same, some of the glass was thicker others thinner. Why was it that the cute, colored square serving plates were peeling! Why was it that the flat rectangular serving plate seemed so fragile? Well, I got what I paid for.

The lesson learned was that there are some things in life worth saving on, and then there are things such as kitchenware that one should not.

I Stand Behind: Simba Rotary Sponge Bottle Brush with Nipple Brush

Not knowing how to properly wash my baby bottles and bottle nipples I would soak them in very hot soapy water and then rinse them out- this proved to be not too helpful although they looked clean enough, but looking clean enough isn't what you really want for your baby is it? I took a trip through Amazon (my new favorite place to shop these days as I'm home-tied with little baby and all) and perused through all the bottle and more specifically baby bottle cleaners, read the reviews, looked at the pictures and all. Many of the other bottle brushes were too large to be inserted into a baby bottle and then I came upon the Simba Rotary Sponge Bottle Brush that also comes with a nipple brush as well, I read a review in which one of the writers stated that it fit into 5oz. baby bottle and at an affordable eight dollars I was willing to give the Simba a try.

The sponge is pretty durable and upon first look you may not think it can't fit into a 5oz baby bottle but it does, it is a sponge after all and can compress into rather tight spaces. Needless to say, my bottles are shiny and clean and so are the bottle nipples. I have to admit that after having cleaned them with the Simba rotary which simply works as it should, amazing! That I was beating up myself for having fed my child with such dirty bottles and nipples! I've also found that the nipple brush is a very useful tool for cleaning other things as well, such as my breast pump parts!

The Simba Rotary is one of those purchase items that you rave about, a simple design, an affordable price and just works as it should, I'm absolutely in love with it and can see me holding onto the Simba rotary for quite a long time as it can be used to clean other bottles and small items as well.

More about the Simba Rotary Sponge Bottle Brush & Nipple Brush here

I Stand Behind: Taking Advantage of West Elm Sales

We all love a good sale. When we shop a sale we feel good that we saved that extra dollar or two that can be used to buy yet even more cool stuff. But lets face it, sometimes we can shop a sale and still not get our dollars worth. Sometimes sale items can still be too expensive for our budget and sometimes we purchase sale items and realize that they should have been marked at even lower prices, this brings me to my I Stand Behind post today, Taking Advantage of West Elm Sales.

I love West Elm. I find almost all of their furnishings on the rather expensive side considering the quality (and so, honestly, would never think of purchasing furniture there) but everything else: dinnerware, curtains, hardware, lighting, pillows, baskets and etc. I find to be tasteful and well made. I have as of late noticed that I only purchase West Elm products when they are on sale, and it is because it is so easy to do so, West Elm always has one sale or another going on and they are very good sales too.  So while they may have been fairly priced beforehand they become, on sale, very affordable well made and well styled home products. Below are a few notable things that I found on sale at West Elm.

$8.99 for a Brook dinner plate!

$14.99 for the Pueblo shower curtains!

$249 for a 5' x 8' Sweater Wool Rug! 

$104 for the Zigzag layered bed set!

Which includes duvet cover, flat & fitted sheet & two pillow cases!

Check out the West Elm Sales