#BeachBum

I must be in serious need of a vacation....

I've been fantasizing about living in a van like 

this and becoming a beach bum.  

I know, it's crazy!

Working the night shift I start to feel like I live 

on re-run: work, sleep all day, repeat.  

The summer is slipping away and I haven't done 

anything yet!  I know plenty of people working 

regular hours feel the same way. 

Let's be beach bums for a few minutes....

Our hair will always look awesome from 

the salt water!

We can wear cool hats and bags. 

Drink fresh coconut water!

Surf all day!

Have a comfy beach chair.

Get a cool tattoo...just kidding. 

And wear chic cover-ups all day long. 

See beautiful sunsets every night!

Do you want a spot in my van?

~~christine~~

pics from pinterest..

How much space do you need to live in?

Interior and textile designer Peter Dunham (one of my faves) recently sold his 3500 square foot house and moved into a mere 550 square feet after a rough personal time.  House Beautiful just did a a beautiful spread on his 1920's Tudor style cottage. It got me thinking about the question; 

How much space do we really need to live in?

Dunham's style is so laid back but chic. He uses his own textiles here and they really make the room so eclectic. There is a great mix of new and vintage furniture and the pink walls are unexpected. 

High up shelves are a great idea in a small space. 

The bedroom walls are covered in one of Dunham's colorful textiles. The room appears larger because the canopy bed draws the eyes upward. 

No need to use smaller furniture. Just the right amount of 

regular sized furniture actually makes a small space feel larger.  

Small stylish, functional kitchen.  I love the open shelves and photographs above the counter space. 

An outdoor courtyard adds needed space to entertain.  

I could easily live in this small space. I find most "new" houses built today are too big and lack style and character.  Everyone with families seem to need their own space. I grew up with less space and survived.;) If a space is well styled and planned out most people could live smaller!

What do you think about this subject??

~~christine~~

pics from House Beautiful

Summer or Fall Shopping?

www.hm.com/us/department/HOME

H&M Home is having an end of season sale. Yes, I know it is only mid-summer.  Does it drive anyone else crazy that retailers already have the fall merchandise out? I still haven't bought a pair of shorts or a new T-shirt and they have the ankle boots and puffy vests with faux fur collars displayed!

The prices are great and the stuff is fun! In the above picture the linen palm pillow and turquoise beach towel are only $10 each. The rollup picnic blanket in the same trendy pattern is $12 and the cute paper products are $2 for 10 for the plates and are $1 for 10 for the cups . 

Pineapple bag $4

Green cotton table runner $5

Butterfly mug $4

Organic cotton tablecloth, $10
The products are very Anthropology/Urban Outfitters/Crate and Barrel in design but much cheaper. There is something for everybody! These are just some of the Summer sale items. They already have the Fall collection online but I can't think about Fall just yet. How about you?
Are you in a Summer or a Fall mood?
~~christine~~
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satisfaction

Last night I watched USA's new summer drama Satisfaction. You know the one they've been advertising like crazy since March? Since I expected it to be awful, it was actually ok. It's about a marriage in mid-life crisis and a couple who have it all.  (yawn) I know it sounds boring but the writing is a bit better then usual. Plus, Matt Passmore (Australian actor, formerly on The Glades) ain't bad to watch. 

The real reason I'm writing about it here though is that the house they live in is incredible! It's a mid-century modern with a cool pool in the backyard.  These pics just don't do it justice. I couldn't find any interior shots online so you have to watch it just to see the house....and Matt. 

Here's some houses similar to the 

Satisfaction house...

Pinterest

Dwell

HomeAdore.com

Domainehome.com

Have a great weekend!

~~christine~~

Pics from USA Network

a bed without a headboard

Large artwork.

You don't have a headboard, so what! 

Here's some ideas for stylish alternatives.  

A large piece of artwork can make a huge impact in your bedroom. It can be the design element that takes you in a color or style direction. Make sure the proportions are right for your bed, walls and ceiling. 

Casual photo gallery. 

A photo or art gallery wall are great behind beds as headboards too. They have a beautiful visual impact and can be used in many different interior styles. 

Artwork gallery. 

A wall sized photo mural. 
I love these wall sized photo and painted murals! With simple white bedding and accessories a mural really takes me someplace else. 

Painted mural. 

Center below a window. 

Hang a wall sized macrame.

Centering the bed under a window is so pretty. Beautiful window and bed textiles make this alternative to a headboard really pop...and the sunshine in the morning doesn't hurt either. 

Hanging macrame textiles was popular in the 1970's but they are making a huge comeback now. They look best hung on darker colored walls. 

A reclaimed wood wall. 

A reclaimed wood wall adds texture and warmth to any bedroom. Try this DIY as a stylish alternative to a headboard.

Hanging textiles. 

A beautiful kilim or suzani hanging behind the bed is great to use as a headboard. It will bring color and texture to your bedroom. 

~~christine~~

Pics from Pinterest, Apartment Therapy, Domaine Home.

stylish magazine storage

Storage baskets to keep magazines out of site.

I'm a magazine hoarder! There I said it. 

 It's hard for me to throw out a home design magazine because

 I may just want to read it again.  

Even if everything is online now, I still like to flip through the pages of a good magazine. 

The problem is they start to pile up everywhere and then where do I put them? 

Domainehome.com did a post about this very subject and

 I looked around and found other ideas too. 

Old crate on wheels. 

A console or low bookcase. 

A corner nook of shelves. 

An unused mantle or fireplace. 

Diagonal bookshelf.

Magazine storage as furniture.

So far my magazine habit has been kept under control with shelves.
How do you store your mags?
~~christine~~

Hand, Foot and Mouth-The Beauty Edition

This week at work, as an ER nurse, I've seen a lot of the above! There has been the usual summer outbreak of hand, foot and mouth disease, otherwise known as coxsackie virus.  The poor babies and parents are miserable, fortunately all will recover and have a fun summer. 

Here's my Summer Beauty Edition 

Hand, Foot and Mouth for you to ENJOY!

This summer the color trends for manicures are really fabulous! There are pastels, teals, nudes and neons. Some advice I found while reading about these trends was to layer a coat of white polish under the new neons for a more saturated color. And, to add a high gloss clear coat over the pastels to keep them from looking chalky. 

Really pretty Pastels. 

Teal is the new aqua.

Nudes for every skin tone. 

Not your 80's Neons. 

Pedicures are a true luxury and necessity in the summer! With all the great sandal styles this summer, how can you not show off your toes? You can go with a neutral or 
coordinate with your sandals. 

How do you pick your pedi color?

Bright Orange

White.

Aqua

Baby pink.

Coral.

Gold.

All over the runway for summer 2014 was the orange lip! I don't know about you but I can't pull off anything orange on my face.  I found some orange alternatives though. Coral can be a beautiful substitute for orange and has 

many tones that look great on everyone.  My favorite is Burt's Bees lip products, just a hint of color
 and super moisturizing. 

What do you wear on you lips?

Orange lipstick

Shades of coral. 

Burt's Bees Tinted Lip Balm-My Favorite!!

Coral lip done pretty. 

This is a much better version of HFMD, don't you think??

~~christine~~

Pics from Pinterest, Glamour.com, Instyle.com, rachelzoe.com, Bertsbees.com