practical and pretty vessels

I like to keep all of my office materials at arm's reach. The problem is that things like pens, sticky notes, stationary, staplers, and paperclips are not really that attractive and can quickly become clutter, or go missing in action during day to day use. What I do is store these items in cute catch-alls to disguise their mundane appearances and keep them organized.


A set of driftwood boxes my dad made for me contain blank cards, envelopes, sticky notes and a votive holder which keeps pens, pencils and scissors at the ready.



A pretty little plate from Anthropologie holds my business cards, and my cell phone while I work at my desk. Lately though, I have noticed the contents of my husband's pockets creeping into the dish: coins, receipts, fuzz. (Maybe he needs his own depository.)



An unsuspecting cache pot I grabbed at TJ Maxx hides uglies like my calculator, phone charger, pencil sharpener, and tape measures.




My Ikea drawers store tacks, paper clips, staplers, markers and other items I don't necessarily use every single day. On top of it I set a simple wire "in-basket" where I keep my blog ideas in an expanding file, 2 brainstorming notebooks, and my daily planner.



In the kitchen and living room I stock sweet little flower pots with writing utensils so I am never searching for a pen when I need one. I use a small, scrolly white jewelery tray to set keys in, on a table next to the door.

Using decorative vessels in this way creates order and beauty. Ditch the boring, traditional and predictable organizers from office big box stores and hunt for vases, plates, trays, pots and baskets at antique malls and second-hand stores for variety. These unique finds will surely give your office a dash of creative, attractive order!

aimee's deck re-deco

Aimee's hip urban dwelling in Chicago's up and coming Roger's Park neighborhood has a6'X 8'6 deck that needs a little TLC to ready it for summer. She needs color, plant life, privacy and shade. Lets start with the color palette. I would paint the door a brilliant, snappy red like Benjamin Moore's "Geranium" (#1307) or "Moroccan Red" (#1309). Use high gloss exterior latex based paint for the most durable finish. To counter the heat and intensity of the red, spray paint your existing chairs with Krylon's Indoor/Outdoor paint in Bahama Sea (a rich deep blue) or Peekaboo Blue ( a perky and saturated light blue). Pop a couple of Ikea's "Hedda" ($6.99) or "Unni" ($14.99)cushions on the chairs to soften them and add pattern. Ground all of this with Ikea's "Lavaro" ($39.99)outdoor friendly rug.

For margarita and tapas parties I would suggest bunching two of Ikea's "Bollo" tables ($39.99 ea.) together. When you are not entertaining, you can fold one up and store it out of the way. The "Bollo" folding chairs($19.99 ea.) offer the same stylish convenience. Or, simply drag a couple of your dining room chairs out to the deck for additional seating as necessary. Hanging Target's capiz shell light strings ($9.99 ea.)from the banister of the deck will add subtle ambiance.



A couple of suggestions for privacy: a climbing vine and some casual curtains. Plant "Ernest Markham" clematis in 2 large red pots. Its gorgeous crimson blooms in summer will support the color scheme. Create a grid for the plants to climb using fishing line and screw eyes along one of the patio's sides. Keep the pots moist with well draining soil, and plant a shallow rooted ground cover on top to protect the roots from the sun. Monrovia's website can educate you further on proper plant care.


On the other side of the patio, use Ikea's "Deka" curtain hanging system ($4.99) with clips included, and several white "Annolill"($4.99 ea.) curtain panels to screen your space from peeping neighbors and block the sun. Tie curtains back with wide red ribbon when you don't need the privacy. Use this image as inspiration. I found it, along with many others on myhomeideas.com


Pot some bright red geraniums and deep purple petunias with sweet potato vine and ornamental grasses to add more color and plant texture. Place these in groups on the small tables you already have,which you could paint red like you door. Tuck the tables into the corners of your porch! These are just my suggestions... Stay tuned to see what Aimee actually does to transform her outdoor space into a private, shady,and color infused refuge!

design files

I subscribe to ten different home and garden publications. I am like a kid at Christmas when a new issue arrives in the mail. I read each one from cover to cover trying to absorb all of the ideas and images. How wonderful it is to be surrounded by so many beautiful things! The only drawback is down the road I might recall an image of a room I saw in one of them, but can't remember which issue it was in. When this happens, I end up spending an hour or more trying to locate it, getting distracted by other articles and images along the way. If you are like me,I have some advice for you to consider: when you are looking through magazines and find inspiring design ideas, color pallets, or tips for upcoming projects, rip the pages out immediately and file them away.

I have devised a couple of ways to keep these pages organized. One is an expanding desktop file. In here, I keep general design ideas I like and might refer to when helping friends and clients or use for myself in the future. I categorize the tear outs by room (dining, kitchen, bedroom) or topic (green living, design concepts, wall or window treatments etc.). Each gets its own manila file folder.

The other tactic I use is a binder with a section for each of the rooms in my house. This is for ideas I want to replicate or use in my home. Plastic sleeves keep the inspiring magazine pages neat and tidy and also contain the paint chips and fabric swatches I used in the space. Each section begins with a drawing of the room's floor plan. I use loose leaf paper to record details such as window dimensions and to list materials I might have used in an update or ideas I have yet to implement.


I used to think that I should preserve each issue of my favorite design mags, with all pages in tact. Now I am retraining myself to rip out pictures I like with reckless abandon, the minute I see them. However, some are so chock full of ideas I just can't edit them. They get moved to the safe zone on my bookshelves. In these issues, I might just mark the best pages with sticky notes for quick reference.

There is one major consequence for not keeping up with my design files: clutter creation. If I am lazy, I can quickly become surrounded by stacks and stacks of magazines, which in all honesty, I won't have time to pour over again. I suppose I can take comfort in the fact that these issues will eventually enjoy a second life at the recycling center or in the homes of family and friends who might enjoy them.

garage sale heaven

Well, as I mentioned last week, garage sale season is really starting to warm up! I just checked the kitsapsun.com listings, and found at least 30 that are going on right now and this weekend! Using their website is an easy way to check out listings in Kitsap County, and you can click on each one for more details.

To inspire you to get out there and take advantage of the deals, I'll let you in on a few of my finds from last weekends Rotary Annual Garage Sale. I spent a total of $17 and got: a nice solid oak swivel desk chair, an upholstered queen headboard, and an old art book with prints in it. Not bad, right? Well now, of course each of these purchases beg for a little redesigning. The chair, I painted light blue to match the decor of my newly painted office. It looked fine on its own, it just needed an injection of personality.

The headboard is going to be a bigger project than I expected, as the lining on the back was slightly mildewed. I will have to remove all of the soft coverings and invest a little more money on purchasing new foam and padding. This headboard symbolizes both the beauty and the beast of garage sales: the beautiful low price of $5, and the beastly water damage that I did not see upon purchasing. My advice to you: look at the pieces carefully for damage that is either irreparable or too expensive to undertake. That bargain of deal may just not be worth it. In the case of my headboard , I can still salvage the wood frame, which will jump start a project I have been wanting to do for quite some time.

The little art book will be useful in augmenting my stash of pieces for a gallery wall I am planning in the office. I have already marked the pages I intend to rip out and mat in inexpensive frames. They will add some much need depth and breadth to the collection I am going to hang.


There were three other pieces that I thought were deserving of good homes, but would have put me over my $20 limit for the day. All of these pieces had nice lines and were in very solid condition. The desk, while modern, would be a style statement in any home office. The small upholstered chair cries out for a new, fresh fabric and painted legs. The wooden captain's chair would be great in shiny black with a graphic fabric seat cushion. Place it at the head of the dining table, at your desk, or in your bedroom.

Just a few ideas to stimulate your creativity. Keep an open mind when garage sale-ing. Once you get that steal of a deal at home, the possibilities to give it a new life that reflects your decor are virtually endless!

fraiche cup

An unexpected place to find sweet little treasures ( of the inedible variety) is the Fraiche Cup coffee shop in downtown Bremerton. Close to the ferry terminal and the beautiful new waterfront park, Fraiche Cup offers several design surprises. Aside from their wonderfully delicious pastries and Torrefazione Italia coffee drinks, you will find a seasonal mix of melamine dinnerware, gift/decor items and a rotating gallery of artwork to purchase. There are even few good design magazines to browse through while you sip your drink of choice in comfy leather club chairs.

The original artwork currently featured at the shop is by local artist, Jenna. More of her edgy work and her contact information can be found at soopajdelux.com.

I was also really inspired by the lighting! They have the cutest collection of pendants hanging over the coffee bar. A take on this concpet would really cozy up a dining room, eat in kitchen, or reading nook.





Fraiche Cup is a joint effort by Jennifer Kreifels and Kim Beckett. Next time you are in need of a fun hostess gift, stop in and see what's new! You can also find Fraiche Cup's yummy drinks at the Sun Prairie Trading Company , a great gift store in the Silverdale Mall.

fancy watch tower

Every cat needs a watch tower. A post from which to view the goings-on outside: especially in our back yard. It is like the Get-Along-Gang out there. A small family of Raccoons: Rocky, Roger, Rodney and Rachel. Several stray cats: Heathcliff, Calamity, Jane, Cheetarah, Panthro, Scratchy, Marbles and Trashy. And of course, the squirrels(Rocket and Randall) and birds (Rebecca and Old Blue).

There is no need, however, for this "pride rock" of the house to be ugly. For three years our cats, Max and Basie, have used that stool to observe the world which they dare not venture out in. From Colorado to Washington, this stool has seen it all. It was high time for a makeover.

Light blue paint ties it in with the decor in the dining room, but sets it off from the apricot colored walls. The damask stencil in black adds a little graphic punch and a nod to the black lacquered wine cabinet nearby. It only took two light coats of paint to get the job done, and now the cats are watching in style.

art gallery wall

domino magazine


I have always wanted to do this. Something about the mixing of related but unique works of art, collected over time, on one common wall says home to me. Seeing these two photographs on dominomag.com, along with the feature on Drew Barrymore's film studio offices the April issue, has inspired me. Although I am not quite ready to undertake it, I have decided to dedicate a wall in my office to this salon style art hanging.

If you don't have enough pieces to create a cohesive collection, scour antique and second-hand stores,keeping an open mind. Look for works whose subject matter are related, such as landscapes or portraits, or for pieces that simply have a pleasing color palette. No need to worry about the varying frames; either go with the eclectic look or paint them all the same color to unify the group. Consider old postcards and photographs, which can usally be found for a buck or two a piece. I found a small art history book at the RAGS sale for $2. It contains nice color prints, for which I'll purchase used frames to put my favorites in.

Properly hanging them might seem like a daunting task, however, there are ways to simplify and reduce the number of mistakes. Trace the outline of each piece on craft or butcher paper. Tape the shapes to the wall with painter's tape until you get the right configuration. For a more formal arrangement, create a grid pattern with the templates. If you want a more casual cozy feel, be random with your spacing. While doing this, don't forget to consider the furniture that will be below it, be sure to hang items at least 10" above the top of the piece.

Displaying art work in numbers is a sure way to provide visual impact. Doing it on the cheap makes it painless to rotate pieces out when the seasons change or the mood strikes you. I'll let you know when I've get mine done!

Shops to try in the Puget Sound area:
The Anne Bonny in Seattle
Simply Renewed in downtown Bremerton
Olde Central Antique Mall in Port Orchard