Great Idea: Drip Paint

This is great mod inspiration when you just don't know what to do with that old piece of college furniture or that fab thrift store find. The fun in this is that you're supposed to make a mess!

Monday Inspiration: Vintage Cool

I just love the vintage flea-market feel of this "small cool" place in Hong Kong--a wonderful blend of finds makes the space feel like there's a story to tell.

DI-Wednesday: Pendant Lights

I love the nifty idea of turning a bowl (in my case, a thrift store find) into an eclectic pendant lamp. I imagine testing the drilling process on a few test bowls would be prudent, but after that, the sky's the limit!

Monday Inspiration: Mixing Flower Prints

Spring brings about a desire to see more flowers in the home, but flowery prints have always seemed too formal for me. That's why I love the way this arrangement blends different flower prints without being overly frilly--the secret is the simplicity of the flowers, balances with the scale and color of the leaves.

Monday Inspiration: Kitchen Nook

I just love this functional and cozy kitchen nook--with the windows giving natural light and the blend of colorful chairs, this looks like a great place to grab a cup of coffee and tackle the crossword puzzle.

Monday Inspiration: The Landing Strip

Today starts another week of the home cure, centered around the creation of a landing strip--an area where you can leave the clutter of the day (such as mail, coats, shoes and bags) so it doesn't invade the home. I had previously set a space for "landing" when I arrive at home, but over time things began to build up and...over. So, today this image will be my inspiration for a pure, clean landing strip, complete with an area to hang that pesky laptop bag.

Great Resource: Design in a Bag

from Apartment Therapy

This is a great idea for the indecisive amongst us, like myself. Design in a Bag will send you material samples, resource lists and renderings of your complete kitchen or bath project. At only $109 for a bag, it's certainly cheaper than hiring a full-time designer, and the site itself is a source for inspiration.

Monday Inspiration: Pantry Perfection

How's this for inspiration? After a full weekend cleaning my kitchen from top to bottom (and removing an embarrassing amount of expired food) this gorgeous pantry is my next step--I'd love to get some vintage see-through containers to store bulk items like rice and flour--doesn't this look nicer than chip-clips on plastic bags?

Monday Inspiration: Home Cure

photo from Lillian Day

I'm finally working on the Apartment Therapy Cure this spring, after reading the book but never having the time or energy to get started. I'm going for the whole-house fix--getting things super-clean, and repairing all of those small, nagging things that are building up over time. If the opportunity presents itself, however, I would like to room-cure my office--right now it's a clutter or mismatched tables, chairs and shelves. Something like the setup above would be lovely--clean, with a definite flow around the desk and shelf...someday.