A Tisket, A Tasket, A Perfect Easter Basket

There is nothing that drives me more crazy than walking through the stores this time of year and seeing all of the disposable decorations. Why buy something cheap and then throw it out because it's not nice enough to make it worth holding onto when for a few extra dollars you can get something that will last for years and years to come? So here are a few Easter baskets that will happily hold your beautiful eggs and chocolates for years to come, starting with the Natural Easter Baskets by Pottery Barn (above).

For another natural look, you can customize your own by making one with synthetic flowers as Martha Stewart does here.

Pottery Barn Kids has an adorable collection of wicker baskets and liners that are made to last and can be personalized. These would also be an adorable baby gift for any new babies arriving in the next few weeks.

And I just love these bunny baskets on wheels from Wisteria. You might even be able to find a place to keep these on display year round. Can't you just picture a bunch of fresh carrots from the farmer's market resting in this basket on your counter?

And of course, baskets abound on Etsy like the bunny fabric one above by seller Twenty Little Toes. Or search here for more on Etsy.

No matter which style basket you like, just try to find one that will last beyond next month.

Restoration Revived

While I've always generally liked Restoration Hardware , it's been a long time since anything in it has been really exciting...that is until now. The new look is a perfect balance of vintage, classic, european, and modern, although a little more color would be really nice-just about every item seems to be linen or grey. Here are a few of my favorite looks and items from their latest selection. Above is the Kensington Upholstered Grand Sofa which I just love because oversize sofas make such a statement.
Weathered Zinc Triple Fez Mirror and Versailles Chairs

Salvaged Trestle Dining Extension Table

This is my kind of wine rack, Salvaged Wood Vinter's Wine Rack.

Vintage French Linen Pillows

Corbel Glass Console

Shutter Weathered Oak 4 Bin Entry Locker

Leagrave Outdoor Furniture Collection

Armillary

Greenwich Urn

Their garden collection is particularly exciting since Smith & Hawken is no longer around. Whether you actually need anything from Restoration Hardware or not I would strongly encourage you to peruse the catalog or web site if only to look at the lovely images. Hopefully they will keep up this style, but I do hope they add a little more color!

Etsy Pick of the Week: Gone to Pot

Today was my first trip into the garden, and it appears I have a LOT of work ahead of me, but this is my favorite time of year in the yard. There is something about getting out in the sunshine, the promise of bright orange lillies, brilliant pink peonies, giant hydrangea blossoms, and everything being freshly mulched that is so exciting. It usually takes me until mid-June to get everything just how I want it...and then the beach weather hits and I completely ignore it until the weeds get too far ahead of me (but let's not dwell on that). Inevitably, I will buy more plants and veggies than I have room for in my gardens so I always find myself scrambling to find more pots in the corners of the garage and then get annoyed when I run out of nice terra cotta ones and have to put my precious plants in plastic pots. So I figured now would be a good time to share some great pots from Etsy for my pick of the week. Dancing with Clay handthrows the Starfish Pot (above) as well as the Sand Dollar one (below).

If a coastal theme isn't your thing, they also do a lovely Pear Pot. One of the things I love most about these pots...

is how nicely they will transition back inside the house if the fall air gets too cool from time to time, but your plants are still thriving. Happy planting!

Hands On

I have never generally been one to capture my children's handprints, footprints or any other prints on a particularly regular basis, but lately I've been getting all sentimental about the idea that they will never be this little again. Maybe it's because my baby is turning one in a few short weeks and this MAY mean that the baby days in our house are over, but whatever the reason it's hard to find ways to capture these things that aren't overly cheesy. I actually really like this customizable canvas from Wisteria. It's colorful and big and at $39 you can't really go wrong. Even if you don't have any little hand or foot prints you want to preserve until the end of time, you could easily purchase it and make your very own masterpiece via grade school art project ideas (i.e. stamping apples, starfruit or any other object you love).

18th Century Colonial Renovation: Part II

Progress is being made at the 18th Century Colonial Renovation we've been following ( click here if you need a refresher on the before, or shall I say the in the beginning pics since we're not quite to the after pics yet). As you can see above, the south side has been reshingled and is looking great.

It's never great to see a main post rotted at the base, but it was easily fixable and now the house is nice and sturdy with a replacement piece.

These are the bricks from the center chimney that was taken down. They will be re-used for a yet to be determined project-probably a walkway, patio, or garden border. It's always better for your budget and the environment if you can find a new use for this sort of thing in your project or find someone else who can instead of just trashing them since they are still perfectly useful.

The upstairs hallway is framed out so now noone will have to pass through anyone else's bedroom to get to another room in the house. It looks a little dark in this picture but will actually be plenty bright as there are windows on either end of the space.

The 8' sliding door has been installed in the dining room and makes a huge difference to the amount of light in the space and really connects the indoor and outdoor living space now.

There are still many decisions to be made in the kitchen. The layout of the cabinets and appliances has been decided, but what they will look like has not. Also, the doorway into the kitchen has been shifted from the right side over to the left side so that it is in alignment with the door from the laundry room to the yard. Both of these doors will be glass so as to maximize the amount of light into the kitchen.

The pellet stove vent isn't exactly the loveliest picture, but I included it because it's an area where a design decision needs to be made. It is right behind where the wet bar will be installed, and takes up a bit more space than anyone was really envisioning so now there is a question as to how to maximize the shelving above the bar and not have it look awkward at the same time.

There are so many small decisions that to make in a project like this, but everyone of them needs to be carefully thought through or else what seems like the littlest thing become your biggest daily annoyance. More to come soon!

Etsy Pick of the Week: Have a Ball

These colorful wool felt balls by Krita are what I like to call a smile inducing object. String them together into garland, fill a glass bowl or jar with them or you can buy them already turned into a rug (below). Various sizes available and a great way to add a splash of color to any room in the house.

Knot Nice

As I am sure most of you have noticed, there is no shortage of nautical rope and knots on the pages of your favorite catalogs and web sites this spring. From headbands, necklaces and belts to shirts with rope prints, it is everywhere. While it may be trendy to wear, and while nautical knots and rope aren't exactly commonplace in most house, they are still a pretty classic element in coastal decor. Here are a few of my favorite items to incorporate it into your decor whether you are living in the city or sitting by the seaside.
If you are ready to make a commitment to this style, you can't go wrong with Jonathan Adler's Rope Wallpaper .

Or you can go for a more subtle look with the Ralph Lauren Lautrec Silver Rope Frame .

This pillow from Dransfield & Ross' Flagship Collection is always there to help when you forgot how to tie that essential knot.

Add just a small touch of knotwork or transform a dresser or cabinet by changing out the existing knobs with Anthropologie's Coiled Rope Knobs .

This Rope Towel Ring from Stonk Knots in the UK is a perfect touch for a nautical loo.

Let the sea breezes in with the Marseille Knot Door Stopper from Two's Company.

Or protect your table with these Rope Coasters by Shelling Sailfish on Etsy.

Nothing makes me happier than uncommon uses for common products, and I love these hanging beds featured in Coastal Living .

Another great ucommon use is as a banister railing like this installation by Outhwaite Ropemakers...I'm thinking of doing this one in my house.

They make a great tieback as well like this application from Stonk Knots .

Or you can do it yourself like I did here in with the curtains in my son's room. I simply went to my local nautical supply store and bought two cleats and the appropriate amount of rope (very inexpensive, by the way), ran the rope through the rod pocket and looped around the cleat to hold it securely. I also plan to put rope up as molding in this room.

Going With the (gros)Grain

Today is one of those days when I have the feeling that there is a higher power trying to tell me something. For months, actually probably years, I have been designing products in my head that focus on the use of grosgrain ribbon. Newport is pretty much a grosgrain world- CK Bradley , Vineyard Vines , J. Crew -so it's not unusual to dream in grosgrain around here. This morning I finally went and bought several yards of ribbon to start playing with and turn these designs into reality, but before I could start, I wanted to get the day's blog post up. I was busily researching another topic when lo and behold I came across this grosgrain chair and pillow by Dransfield & Ross. There were many other great grosgrain pillow designs as well. Oddly enough, while digging through the ribbons this morning I came across a navy blue and kelly green one that matched my dining room perfectly. The thought crossed my mind to pick it up because I need to recover the chairs in there, but how I would do it with ribbon wasn't coming to me quickly enough (as my 11 month old was unraveling a roll of ribbon across the entire store). Anyway, I'm not sure if the powers above are trying to tell me that the ideas rolling around in my head for years are indeed genius or that someone else is already doing something similar (I think I'll go with genius!), but either way, I think my dining room chairs are going to look awesome with their new grosgrain upholstery.

Timeless Color

I was so pleasantly surprised to happen upon this wonderful new fabric house today called Thatchers' Fine Timeless Fabric . Upon first look, their patterns could almost be mistaken as Lilly Pulitzer , and for good reason; the three artists/designers have many years experience working for the lovely Lilly back in the early years of the brand. However, there is an inherent elegance in this whimsical 100% cotton chintz fabric which with a little browsing of their web site I learned is because it is made in France (even "French" fabric isn't manufactured in France in most cases anymore) in one of the finest mills.

My affinity for the ocean draws me most strongly towards two of the first four patterns released in this line which are Le Melange des Princesses (top) and Les Trois Princesses de la Mer (above), however the two floral patterns are equally as gorgeous. It is always so nice to see designers who are not afraid of bold colors, and I love that owner Becky Smith is making it her goal to create a high quality product that can be passed down through generations. What better lessons can we pass down to our children than to live a colorful life. I am so looking forward to seeing future collections from this fabulous company.

Etsy Pick of the Week: Nature's Rigid Beauty

I have to admit that when I started this "Etsy Pick of the Week" feature I thought it was going to be a breeze. There are so many cool things on Etsy, right? Well that's true, but there are SO many things that sometimes it's overwhelming to weed through it all to find something that really strikes me as incredible. Just as I thought to myself, "Man, what did I get myself into here?" I literally had my breath taken away as I laid my eyes on the tiles by Element Clay Studio. The detail in each wall tile is incredible and the artist's ability to create the illusion of nature in motion out of a rigid form is truly beautiful. These are wall tiles that come in two sizes and are meant to be hung as art. They come in patterns such as Reef (above), Magnolia (below), Hydrangea, Fungi, Barnacle and other beautiful textures of nature. I think it would be absolutely amazing to hang an entire wall of them (or at least a good 3' x 5' space) really tightly in an entryway.

And the talent here doesn't just lie in tiles, but also in bowls (like the Tiny Scallop ones below) and other serving pieces.

Even if you aren't in the market for this sort of thing, I encourage you to check out this Etsy shop just to experience and appreciate the talent of the artist.