Furniture guides - Side & End Tables

Here we are, on the road to Canada, so today you will get a "Best Of". Makes me think of radio DJ's when they are on vacation. Now we have bought the major couch from Room & Board, so end tables are next. Still loving the lucite nesting tables from CB2, but so many great choices out there.

Grace at Design*Sponge always puts together really great furniture guides, with price points of all ranges. Most of these tables in her side + end table roundup I recognize, but she and her "wintern" have included 65, so there are quite a few that are new to me.

Of course, I am hopelessly torn between the sexy lacquer finish of the Foley table, or an Eileen table (the real one, not this Target version), the colorful Circollo tables, or the look of distressed wood.

So many choices, but you can never have to many little tables around, as they are easy to move, and in some cases, can double as extra seating. Multi-tasking furniture is always a plus when you are trying to live a more minimal lifestyle.

Strawberry Season - 20 More Ways to Love Them

Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie

During summer, there is not a week that goes by, where I don't come home from the store with at least 4 different kinds of fruit. Blueberries, cherries, strawberries, nectarines and more.

Strawberries usually need to be eaten as soon as possible, so I am always trying to find ways to use them quickly. Here are 20 great strawberry recipes from Sunset magazine that look absolutely delicious. Or, if you have a great abundance, consider making strawberry jam to eat and give away.

Strawberry Zinfandel Trifle

Merlot Strawberries with Vanilla Cream

Strawberry-Nectarine Almond Tart

Rosy Strawberry Sorbet

Photo credits:
1. James Carrier
2. Valerie Martin
3. James Carrier
4. James Carrier
5. Annabelle Breakey

How to...Maximize your decorating budget

Most times when I mention that I have a decorating blog, I always get comments about how people need help, or advice, or both! It can be overwhelming, even for those in the business, according to editorial posts.

For me personally, I struggle with big-ticket purchases, and having way too many ideas for just one house! Hence, how this blog came into existence. Trying to corral all my great ideas into one place and keep the clutter to a minimum (OK, not there yet, but trying)!

In addition to inspiring you, I hope to share practical advice that I find from various sources. Before you begin decorating, you need to set a budget. Good advice for me to follow too. I have a rough budget in my mind, but putting it on paper will really help. Here's how to maximize your decorating budget from HGTV.

Alright, you now have a budget, here is a compilation all about home decor from Style at Home magazine. Basic rules and guidelines about decorating to give you a foundation from which to build upon. Have fun reading!


Photo credit: Styleathome.com

Baby Birth Posters

Jumped over to Apartment Therapy, to look at layouts, and get some inspiration. They are by far, one of the big names in the world of design blogs, so I check in there quite often.

Absolutely fell in love with this roundup of Baby Birth Posters on ohdeedoh (AT's blog for all things kids). How adorable are these posters! I am showing a few, but for the full post, prices and pictures, go visit them.

I have completely lost count of the number of baby showers and baby gifts I have given, seriously, it might be in the triple digits. I look forward to the day, when some of that love will be returned. In the meantime, I am happy to shower my friends with joy, and gifts to celebrate their new arrivals.

Shesham Wall Mount-Stacking Wine Rack

Thumbing through the Crate & Barrel Best Buys catalog and came across some great looking items.

Love the clean lines of the Porthole-style wine cellar which stacks up handsomely in handcrafted sustainable solid shesham wood. Five-bottle rack can also wall mount, which makes this wine rack very versatile (picture above shows 3 racks).

Thoughts on Decorating: My Thoughts

Today I feel a little like Sally Field at her Oscar speech in 1985.

"I haven't had an orthodox career, and I've wanted more than anything to have your respect. The first time, I didn't feel it, but this time I feel it, and I can't deny the fact that right now, you like me, you really like me!"

Blogging has been a hobby, born out of creative overflow, after I left the corporate world. In my opinion, I thought I was pretty good; my friends and family said I was good, but I often wondered if anyone else was reading this and whether or not I was wasting my time. So, to be recognized by a magazine such as House Beautiful online, in "Sites We Love", was such a validation to me.

Before I created my new banner, I had a tag-line that read: Resources for Real Life. This is where I think my niche lies. My experience has included high-end retailers, department stores and all sorts of product lines in-between. I understand longing for beautiful items, but balancing that with multiple children (my friends' experiences & soon to be ours), shedding dogs, and more.

So, I hope you find inspiration, examples and other practical ideas here. My readership is still growing, so please take this opportunity to tell me what you like and what you want to read about, at mydomicilestyle@gmail.com. a

Top Living Room Color Palettes

I think everyone needs assistance in choosing color palettes from time to time, as the choices and combinations can be overwhelming.

How fortunate that the Internet provides such great information and examples for us. I saw on HGTV's website top living room color palettes and am showing 3 out of the 6 examples. There are more subdued color palettes, but I loved how these really stood out for color, texture, etc. If you love great pictures, then you need to look at an earlier post, Painted Rooms. It is a montage of great colors from the archives of Domino, in slide show format.



Photos:
1. Rate My Space user merskine
2. Shelly Riehl David
3. RMS user mcandela

9 Gadgets to Crave

Transport bed

This article made me laugh this morning, 9 Gadgets We Covet. Of course, no one needs anything, but I do love our Roomba (and my own "personal technician" that cleans it out every day). If you have dogs that shed, it is worthwhile to have a little happy place when that carpet is clean.

Now, I am now the proud owner of a Pre, as my Treo bit the dust last week. Any questions or comments regarding the merits of the iPhone, will be directed to my husband (AKA my personal technician), who loves that the Pre runs Linux and will soon be writing all sorts of silly applications, that you too can download, once the software developer kit is available.

Roomba pet series

Flip Ultra HD

Greener Pastures - Hudson Valley Farmhouse

{Photo credits: Lucas Allen}

Some days, my husband and I dream of chucking it all, and running away to live far from others. When we were on our grand Yellowstone road trip last year (17 days on the road), we fell in love with the wide open spaces of Wyoming and Montana, and the beauty of it all. We still keep talking about building a modern home in the country, a juxtaposition. In reality, we could move, since he works at home and just needs an airport close by. However, it probably won't happen, we are quite happy here.

So, as an armchair traveler, I like to live vicariously through those who have done the unthinkable. Former TV and film producer Paige Smith Orloff and her family left Los Angeles, and moved to a 15-acre farm in New York's Hudson Valley.

My 2 favorite quotes in her article: "We live in a place that astonishes us with its loveliness every day, and where we can take time to appreciate it." And about the author who is tending her first vegetable garden, "As God is my witness, I'll never buy $8 arugula again,"'

For more photos of their idyllic retreat.