Green Grass Design & Happy Friday!

Happy Friday! I have some pretty little things to share with you on this Friday. I hope it will be a beautiful beginning to your weekend. I was browsing through Green Grass Design, and I have quite an extensive wish list there already. One could get lost on this site for hours, and do some serious damage there.  Here are some of the things on my wish list. They are so simple, vibrant and fun.

Zig Zag Bag - now you with this bag you are ready for grocery shopping, I bet you'll be going grocery without even needing to. So practical and stylish - perfect combo.

The Organic Cotton Flower Bag is so young and fun, and that's what I love about it. I think it's important to sometimes have things that remind us of the little girl/boy in us, especially in our very serious adult lives.

Portland Melamine Dinner Plates

Babushkups by Jason Amendolara and Christina Scuillo. I think my inner child is definitely helping me out, and I thank her. These tumblers are beyond adorable, this will be perfect in our estrogen filled house.

Kamoi Kakoshi Masking Tape

Scissors Orange by Anything. They have it in yellow too, and I want both :-).

Pear Memo Pad, love love this.

Thorsten Van Elten Pigeon Light. I love the use of the clothspin, and that bold color. I would put this in my girls room in a minute.

Coral by David Trubridge

Acquamiki Gold Pendant by Michele de Lucchi. This gold light is brilliant!

Have a lovely weekend!

(All images via Green Grass Design)

Suffering from Wanderlust

With the cool crisp air and long grey days, my need for travel to a sunny part of the world keeps growing stronger. I have to use all my might to stop daydreaming about all the wonderful places on my travel list. I dream about the day when I can trek the globe, go to all the exotic local markets, buy art from local vendors, eat some delicious food,and most of all meet the people. In my dream home everything will be personally bought from all over the world from family travels. I would love to have a story behind each piece. There will be a wonderful memory connected to a time and place.  My top five destinations rotate on a daily basis, if only I could be at different places at the same time that would make it easier to decide. Turkey, Morroco, Paris, Spain, Zanzibar, Argentina and Seychelles, so thats more than five, but I really tried. :-)

But for now a girl can dream and troll travel sites. You know how the saying goes, misery loves company, sweet misery - so here we go, you get to share this journey with me.

Pongwe Beach, Zanzibar

 via Pongwe Beach, Zanzibar. That sand and water is unbelievable!

via My Marrakesh

via Discover Adventures at a Morocan souk. The colors are so gorgeous and vibrant.

via Beautiful Places to Visit Santorini, Greece

via Beautiful Places to Visit Santorini, Greece

via  Beautiful Places to Visit Machu Picchu, Peru
I would be a very happy Llama here too. :-) I wanted to go to Peru ever since I saw Motorcycle Diaries.

via Mandina Lodge, Gambia (aka the smiling coast/my homeland)

via Mandina Lodge, Gambia

Going Local

Happy hump day! Half way through the week I hope everyone is having a lovely one.  I have quite a treat for you today, and I didn't have to "travel" far for this one.  Jessica Helgerson Interior Design is a Portland, OR based firm and they have some of the most beautiful interiors.  I am inspired and wowed every time I see them. I think you'll like these too.

That red pop of color is brilliant!

That chandelier is to die for! 

What drew me to this room is that fabulous coffee table and armoire. Check out the legs on that thing!

That glass chandelier is my favorite aspect of this room. It looks like huge water drops.

This room has so many good things going on, from the white walls the dark hard wood floors the rustic coffee table I could go on and on. Oh and those glass vases with the branches, beautiful!

"Our mission is to create beautiful, livable spaces that meet our clients' aesthetic, functional, and economic goals, while respecting the environment."
Judging by these photos I would have to say mission accomplished, cheesy I know but I couldn't help it...hehe. The spaces are so clean, yet full of interesting little things one could pick out in an instant. 

(All images JHID)

Marian Kihogo

Marian Kihogo, super fashion blogger, celebrity stylist, editor and my good friend of the fabulous, award winning blog Marian Kihogo did a feature of my lil ole blog, and I am beyond ecstatic. I have been going full force since I decided to take the plunge into blogland, but I still have my nervousness. However little by little with loved ones' love and assurance I am slowly letting go.
You know when something is right and there are too many things happening to show me that this is the right step for me.
I am feeling very grateful, overwhelmed and truly humbled. Thank you so much Marian!!!
You can check out the feature here.

(Image: Dawda Bah)

Little Pink Hands

Okay so they really aren't pink hands, but I really liked that title so I had to stick with it :-). I got the inspiration for this project after seeing all these word arts everywhere. I really do like them, but I've been thinking of doing something with the same feel but more personal. I got this idea last week and I already had bought a frame from the local Goodwill store for $7.99 for a different project that never happened, so this was really meant to be.

I have to confess that things didn't turn out exactly as I pictured, but I am really happy with how it turned out, imperfections and all. I think it turned out beautifully, and really how can it not with my babies as the subjects :-).

First I thought I'd dip their hands in paint, and have them on the frame, but after careful consideration I had several holes in that plan. One, Zahra is 8 months, has her hands in fists most of the time, especially when you prompt her to open them up.  Then there's the safety issue, cleaning up, and I know I can't have her do it without having paint all over the board.

I used matte finish for the pink background and a high gloss white that I had left over from a previous project. I wanted the hand print to have a "wet" look effect, and it does, even though it doesn't really translate in the pictures.

So my solution was to do a tracing of their palms, cut it out, then paint the trace on the board.
It was a longer project than anticipated, but you know things don't always go as planned, and thats okay too. The old me would have gotten frustrated that things weren't as perfect as I planned, but I've learned that letting things be just as they were supposed to, is even better than whatever master plan we might have.

So...

via artylicious

 I kept calm and wished I had a cupcake :-).

(Images by Fatou Bah except as noted)

Dipped Please!

Oh where do I start with these cutie pies!

The Dipped Side Tables from West Elm are beyond adorable. I would love it in a chair too, dining chairs maybe…ooo I’m getting myself excited just thinking about it. The nice thing about these chairs too, is that it can be a fun DIY project. You can buy chairs at a local thrift store, Craigslist, eBay etc., and use whatever color you want. How about prints, argyle keeps coming up in my mind. Oh I think this can be carried into a kids room too using those little kids play tables. It would be so darling, I actually might try that who knows.

Anyway I hope you enjoyed these little lovelies.  Have a beautiful day!

(Images via West Elm)

This is for the Birds

I used to strongly dislike owls and was very scared of them. I've never seen one in real life but growing up I heard all kinds of stories about how they were associated with evil things. Something about witches turning into owls and what not, I know even as I type this I know how silly it sounds. But hey I guess no one is perfect.

Fast forward to now and I am on the other spectrum at least when it comes to any kind of owl decorative piece. I really don't know how and why it happened but I'm happy it did. It is not just owls but all bird decorative items. I already have a mini collection going and I'm constantly spotting more I can add to my happy home.

Check out these little pretty things.

I have a serious crush on this pink beauty from ClassicByNature on Etsy

This darling lamp from Anthropology would be so gorgeous in my workspace.  It will add whimsy to any space, I love adding a playful piece in a space, because after all design shouldn't be too serious.

via West Elm

Talk about fun, I love this wallpaper from The Wallpaper Collective- I think it would look great in a kids room, or a home office.

(Images via listed websites, first image by Fatou Bah)