• A Box Full of Love

    I have always loved birthdays, not just mine but the birthdays of all my dear friends and family too. It’s always a great day to have a party and to be surrounded with loved ones to celebrate life. But this year I was so sick on my birthday that I couldn’t even think about celebrating. Then… last week, I got the most amazing healing gift from my lovely family from Arizona: a box full of LOVE. I just had to share how creative and caring my sisters in-law and mother in-law are. I love all the details from the wrapping to all the gifts full of things that I love.…

  • Purple Reign

    Purple, mauve, lilac, lavender, plum, amethyst, grape, bordeaux, heather, or aubergine.  Purple is one of the most challenging color for any designer.  But lately, I’m falling in love with this jewel-tone color more and more. How about you? Is purple definitely a no-no color for you? Or are you daring enough to use it around your home? Here are some ideas from my inspiration board. How different and unique is this purple front door? And just because I loooove DIY, seeing the purple chandelier below makes me want to run to my local ReStore to buy one of those ugly gold chandeliers and transform it with a can of spray…

  • Reusing Paint Swatches

    Painting is always one of the cheapest ways to give any room a facelift. $20 in paint can transform a house into a home. We have tons of paint samples in drawers and design boxes, some that made it to the walls, some that never did. I’m amazed at the creative ways people have used them: gift tags, bookmarks, place cards, wallpaper, napkin rings and more. I loved the concept of housewarming invitations on a paint swatch. You can easily print out these invitations at home. Make a template using Word (or any other graphic or text editing program), set the paper dimensions and print it on the swatch.

  • Vespa: Romantic, Fun, Chic & Adventurous

    My latest obsession are Vespas. They seem to be everywhere I look, DC, NYC, and all over Europe. I’ve been thinking about how to be more environmentally friendly, and I love the idea of getting 90mpg on a Vespa, and all the better when it looks so stylish. Most of my driving is in the city, just within a few miles, and on slower roads that are perfectly suited for two-wheeled travel. In some states you don’t even need a license or registration on scooters with engines 50cc’s and under. Couple that with the ability to park it virtually anywhere that has something you can chain it to, getting a…