Urchin

Here is a quick shot of the Urchin project I just finished up! I love the end result, I have been so busy I haven't really had the opportunity to really think about where I want these to go, or how to style them. I think of a stack of books would be great, although there are many ways it may be done! Yesterday was so gloomy I just wanted to curl up and sleep all day(which I did the second I got home!!) Have a lovely day, sun is on the horizon I am told!!

Check out all you need for the project here.

Laura Collins Design will provide you with insight and guidance on how you can turn your home or office into a stylish reflection of your unique personality. Please contact me if you are interested in discussing the different design services I offer.

Always Stay Graceful,

L.

Bon Weekend

Happy Friday Everyone! I am so happy friday is here! One of my really good friends is coming up this weekend from Montreal. I am so excited for Brunch, Movie Watching, and I am sure lots of laughs! Here is a pic of my Sweetheart Bruce, behind him is the makings of what will be a fabulous Sea Urchin! I made two- if you recall I posted about them earlier this week. Sadly as I was spray painting them it ran out so I had to stop midway ;(!!! I am really happy with the result, it too about 15mins to make them, they are sculptural and retro-modern pieces and I think they fit into the space really well! make them, so easy!

Have a Great Weekend, I will See you Monday! xoxo

Laura Collins Design will provide you with insight and guidance on how you can turn your home or office into a stylish reflection of your unique personality. Please contact me if you are interested in discussing the different design services I offer.

Always Stay Graceful,

L.

Sea Urchin

Skewers/ Gold Glitter/ Gold Spray Paint/ Paintbrush/ Glue/ Foam Balls/ Inspiration Pic

Gold Urchin Sculpture

Hey all- Yesterday I feeling a case of the Mondays. Uninspired, grey rainy day, needed to do laundry kind of day, Tuesday is a new day, I wanted to share a really fun DIY this morning. For a few years I have been a big fan of the Jonathan Adler Urchin Sculpture, so the other day when I was on the Glitter Guide and found this fab DIY I had to share. I can't wait to make this. This is such an inexpensive, fun craft to create, I love gold accents in my home, I would love to make a few in different height and cut in half as suggested(to mount on the wall) or to display on my side tables on a stack of books. I will show you when I make some!!

I hope you all have a fabulous day- I am off to do my homework!!

xoxo

Laura Collins Design will provide you with insight and guidance on how you can turn your home or office into a stylish reflection of your unique personality. Please contact me if you are interested in discussing the different design services I offer.

Always Stay Graceful,

L.

Turquoise & Gold

This weekend my boyfriend and I got away to shoot a wedding in Muskoka. The scenery was stunning, the weather gorgeous, and the food fabulous. Although it was a very quick trip I think that it is a memory that will stay with me. I love getting away to fresh air, lots of greenery and a beautiful lake as a backdrop. Ontario has so much to offer, as someone who lives in Toronto it is so unreal to know that we are only a very short drive away to some of the most beautiful scenery in the world. Of course it is always great to get home and see our little Bruce, I am always thinking about that little cuttie while we are away. Such a great start to the week, hope you all enjoyed your weekends. I will share picture of Muskoka with you later this week. 

Unrelated to our mini-vacay here are some picks of the front console, I am so pleased with all of the light and airiness this piece brings to our entrance. It is fun and modern and sets a perfect backdrop for all of the aquas and natural hues I so love.  With the addition of the new prints I feel it balances out the pieces and creates the height I was looking for. xoxo

Laura Collins Design will provide you with insight and guidance on how you can turn your home or office into a stylish reflection of your unique personality. Please contact me if you are interested in discussing the different design services I offer.

Always Stay Graceful,

L.

Glitter

Yesterday my sister and I got to some crafting- basically it is one of our favorite activities. Turn on a great movie, and bust out the glitter! For some time I wanted to add a little sparkle to our space, so at my local dollar store I purchased some letters to spell out "PARIS"- and for under $10 we made a really beautiful piece!

What you will need:

-Block Letters,I purchased these block letters at my local dollar store for $1.25 a piece( the same ones I used for our gallery wall in our kitchen)- to spell out your preferred word

- Gold spray paint

- A variety of glitter- I used a combination of white glitter, gold & silver to get this look

- White Glue

- Paint brushes

- Little dishes for the glitter and glue

Directions:

- Very simple, all you must due is spray all of the letters in what ever paint color you desire(I think that aqua would look great with the same combination of glitter I used)

- Wait for the spray paint to dry

- When the letter have finished drying, begin to add hte glue with a paint bursh in small increments, add dust on the glitter. To make sure the most minimal amount of glitter falls off, gently tap the letter so that all of the excess leaves.

- Wait a few minutes for it to dry, and then hang in your desired location.

- Voila instant sparkle and glamour to add to your decor!

I love it, it added sparkle and prettiness to the entrance of our kitchen!

Blayre looked at in in slight horror- but I know he will grow to love it!

Let me know if you try it out.

Je t'aime!

Always Stay Graceful,

L.

Navy & Gold

Trying to add more color and polish to my wardrobe

Do you ever feel like you need to add more "Grown Up" pieces to your wardrobe? Well, that's me on a daily basis. I see people that are perfectly groomed, polished and dressed and I wonder "What time does one get up in the morning to achieve this?", "What products are they using?", "Where are they shopping", and the list goes on and on. Well I suppose it is baby steps, one piece at a time I am trying to add pretty pieces of jewelry, pretty flats, scarves, and textures to add more polish and sophistication to my wardrobe. It is crazy how much time I spend wondering if I will be under dressed, what others will be wearing, and what my next purchase should be- that will take my wardrobe to the "Next level"

I am so excited to meet all kinds of bloggers tomorrow at Blog Podium! Wonder what they'll be wearing...

Here are some fun things I picked up today.

Do you ever feel like this??

Funky ankle zip

Loved this zip element

Chunky bracelet, kind of like some of the ones I have seen at J. Crew

I spied these at Zara today

Ta-Da! Incredible sale- so exciting, another purchase for Japan! Can't wait to wear then when all of the slush is gone.

Up close & Personal

Always Stay Graceful,

L.

All That Glitters

I am feeling inspired by these images from the Glitter Guide. If you have yet to check it out you are in for a treat! Full of fun DIY projects, gorgeous decor, and fabulous style, I am finding myself on that site more and more! Through it I also have discovered some of my favorite blogs!

Beautiful Turkish Rug- Love the layering

Great Gallery Wall

Fabulous DIY- Wood Blocks covered in Jewels. Easy, inexpensive, and highly stylish

Such Vibrant Colors- So pretty, maybe something to think about for my upcoming Brazil Trip?? Yep going to Brazil, Woo Hoo!!

Here are the fab blogs I discovered through Glitter Guide:

Could I Have That?

Live Creating Yourself

Always Stay Graceful,

L.

Metallic Moment

Hey! So I was looking on Craigslist the other day(one of my favorite place to find unique finds- just about everything we own is a craigslist find) and I came across these two brass and glass side tables for $25 TOGETHER.... Amazing!!! So less than an hour later we picked them up, loaded them into our car and brought them to their new home!

I love them, they definitely added a lot of polish and flare to the room. I love how they mimic the shape of the coffee table, a perfect space to create beautiful vignettes on.

One of my favorite things about craigslist is that you might be on the hunt for one kind of piece but then another will totally knock your socks off- like these tables.... But I mean who could say no to that price!

Score!

Always Stay Graceful,

L.

Golden Age

I love this large gold mirror. It really makes a statement without being too loud!! Oooh yes and plaid chair is devine!

Gotta love plaid -Right hipstas??

Always Stay Graceful,

L.

Bed Side Tables- A Work in Progress

For a while now I have been trying to decide what I should do to the bedside tables I purchased earlier this summer on Craigslist. Today while at the Paper Place I was really inspired to do a découpage treatment to them, I wasn't sure what color scheme to do as the bedroom is a jumble of prints and colors at the moment, so I settled on midnight blue and gold. By the way- If you live in Toronto and have yet to visit the Paper Place, DO IT!! It is a beautiful little shop in my neighbourhood full of character, bold color, and lots of other stuff besides paper to look at.

Back to the bed side table- I am very happy with the result thus far, I still need to buy a little more paper to cover the top of one of the tables, but otherwise I think it looks great and definitely adds a lot of character to the piece! I will show you the finished product when it is bright out so I can take a good picture/buy more paper to finish! I hope this inspires someone to take something you are tired of and give it an inexpensive facelift!

On another note: I also want to buy a variety of paper to make place mats to liven up the dinning room table!! Love it!!

Always Stay Graceful,

L.

Golden Girl

Goodbye Pink lamp, I decided to just go for it and spray paint the lamp Gold- Pink wasn't working for me anymore- although I am still a very big fan of pink, it was time for something new!! I think I will just continue to spray paint this every time I get bored!! What do you think?? I love it!

Always Stay Graceful,

L.