
Thanks to Kelly over at BussBuss for the very kind mention in the BussBuss Hearts section, I really appreciate it!
(image from buss buss)

I was just thinking about Chinese design the other day, so the link to China Sprout from reader Kristi came at the perfect time. I want to plan a dinner party around an Asian theme with lots of teal, white, turquoise, pink, and white (vs. the traditional red) and this may be the perfect place to start scouting for decorative finds.

Here are some of the things I would use at my party. And of course, it would be take-out because I’d want to put all the thought into the decorating and it would need to be somewhat of a ‘party in a box’, I could just pull out my Chinese things, set up, order take-out, and call over my friends. And lots of Arizona tea bottles (because they are so pretty), and a few bottles of sake of course. Actually wait a minute. Our friends are coming down from Montreal this weekend…. Hmm. Maybe an outdoor party in my backyard? What do you think? Could I pull this off in only a few days?

Oh, and I was just thinking about take-out boxes and how cute they are, but imagine if they had them in colors? And so I googled it and viola! Chinese take-out boxes in colors and patterns, including pink! It would be fun to use these to serve desserts from the Chinese bakery. White for food, pink for desserts and fresh lychee. Yum.


Or I could go with these tin plates from Mottahedeh. So pretty and $45 a set for plates that won’t break sounds good to me.
And of course, a party wouldn’t be a party without a pretty tablecloth. I’d like a patchwork tablecloth in these Amy Butler prints from Purl for the table. (I love Purl.) And of course, flowers spilling out of simple glass jars tied with ribbon in your accent colors. Keep it simple, ya know?
Psst: The Oriental Trading Company is another great one, I’ve been ordering from them since I was 15 years old and they have great stuff, but mostly in bulk… Just search under keyword “chinese” to find things to fit this particular theme.
Thanks Kristi for the China Sprout tip.
(images from china sprout)

I had a few readers write in today to show me their fabulous art walls (yay!) either DIY projects or affordable art finds on etsy. This one is from reader Elizabeth, “I love your blog and visit it several times a day, so I wanted to send you my own art wall. These are little canvas paintings I did myself. I’m in the process of making several small paintings, bags, aprons, and home goods to start an Etsy shop, but it’s not quite up yet. I thought I’d send you this anyway.” – Elizabeth B.


And this terrific wall arrived in my inbox from creative reader Kristi, “My absolute favorite art wall in our home is in our daughters’ room. We purchased these peasant paintings in China and had them framed when we came home. Each one is an original, hand-painted piece and depicts the same scene in a different season. I hung them starting with Winter since that’s when my girls were born. Peasant paintings, or folk paintings, are readily available on the web. China Sprout is one good source.” – Kristi T. (Details on room design and additional images here.)

K Studio recently launched matching His and Hers pillows for Fall, all are available in either organic cotton or hemp, some in white, others in gray. K Studio has such a delicate touch, each pillow seems to carry some emotion, and I love the lines and pale color palette she’s using for Fall – very natural and clean.
In the Fall and Winter, most turn to deep, rich colors and although they are beautiful, in certain regions saturating a home in these tones is a bit draining. I live in the northeast and like to keep my color palette light and bright. These pillows are perfect for me, but despite how cute they are, my favorite will always be the woodland creatures pillow.
(images from 2modern)

Have you checked out the new lighting collection by Thomaspaul? Although I really like it, the prices will keep me away from some of them as I think $500+ is a hefty price for a basic floor lamp. But that’s just me. I do love the bases – great shapes, and the shades are spectacular, I especially like the bold modern pendants.

My favorite is the Flora Aqua priced at $231 and for a pendant (top left), I would pay this so the price is right within my budget. And that pattern is great.
(images from 2modern)
























