Let it Rain

I know that winter and cooler weather will soon be upon us – but right now we are having an Indian summer. It usually starts really cooling off at the end of October, yesterday it was 100 degrees in San Jose and since my kids have the week off we hit the pool. I do...

Fun with Fabric

It’s always fun when we get fabric samples at the office but it is even more fun when some of our crafty friends make things with our fabric. I think we’ve mentioned before that we are staple gun and iron-on sewing experts but we’ve never mastered...

Dreamy chandeliers

While in NYC for the Stationery Show/Surtex, I lucked out and found myself outside of ABC Carpet and Home store. The storefront was vintagey-cool and the window displays were works of art. I spent a couple of hours soaking in the one-of-a-kind home decor collections...

the new nuetral – gray

So dreamy… Grey or gray is an achromatic or neutral color. The first recorded use of grey as a color name in the English language was in AD 700. Grey is the British, Canadian, Australian, Irish, New Zealand and South African spelling, although gray remained in...

the shops at target

Target has a great new concept that they just launched. They’ve taken items from some popular stores and have curated and collected them for Target shoppers into The Shop. Much like their designer lines that they carry now, these items are available online and...

before and after: rocking chair

When I graduated from college and moved out on my own (a really long time ago!) my mom bought me an antique armoire for my bedroom. I decided several years ago to paint it white and loved how it turned out. I also had an antique rocking chair that I recently decided...

my womancave

My little “work room” had become a place to put crap so I decided to reorganize. I took all of the furniture out so I could get a fresh perspective on the space. Then I noticed that I hate the carpet that’s been in there for 10 years. So I tore it...

home improvement or total destruction?

I haven’t even finished my super sassy pink home office project (it’s 90% done, stay tuned!) and I started another really awesome/shitty home improvement project. It’s awesome because when it’s done I will have new floors throughout my house....

eye candy

I know you were expecting a picture of David Beckham! Hah! I wish. The eye candy I am referring to are the wonderful ways to use color. There are some great color trends this year and you can easily adapt them to your home decor, clothes and jewelry. I’ve...

The fun part of my frickin' project

I still need to paint the ceiling in my little home office because I can’t possibly live with the current color (cream). I started to paint it last night with a color I picked out solely because it was called “Burlap” and I had fantasies of burlap...

new quilt patterns

We have several fabrics (In the Meadow, Nesting and Juicy Blossoms) out right now through Quilting Treasures. It is always exciting to see what beautiful projects people make with our fabric. For each line we design, we also design a quilt pattern. Quilting Treasures...

add a pop of color

I just recently joined Pinterest. I know I am way behind but I don’t know how people have time to keep up with all of these new social sites popping up. It is hard enough doing a few blog posts a week, twitter and facebook, plus running Simon+Kabuki and our...

throw a vintage holiday party

  What’s not to love about the holidays – traffic, people fighting over the last Tickle Me Elmo doll, Grandma’s fruitcake, Uncle Joe’s drunken slurring – I digress. I love the holidays and can’t wait each year for them to arrive. Almost...

what's new wednesday – sneak peak

We are almost done with Holiday cards here at Simon+Kabuki. Just doing some last minute additions to fill in some holes on some of the sites that carry our line. One thing that we’ve learned with licensing our artwork is that it is a very long process. Not at...

sassy pumpkins for fall

So my friend Linda brought me this totally hot pumpkin because she said the black and white fabric reminded her of me. I already loved it and then she told me she made it for me so now I love it even more. What an awesome hostess gift, teacher gift, or fall decoration...

decorating with white

I love the look of an all white room. Especially shabby chic and comfy with just a couple of pops of color, if any. This probably won’t happen at my house during my life time. With 3 kids, a husband, 2 dogs and a cat, I’m lucky if I can get the chocolate...

Vintage Baby

Right now I am loving all of the vintage looks that are in home decor. Mixing burlap and lots of white  is beautiful and really brightens the room. Since I always design my kids birthdays around a theme, I thought it would be fun to decorate a baby room in similar...

things to love: type and time

I am about to geek out on my type obsession and my thing for clocks, you have been warned. I have posted before about how I have a clock in every room of my house. I am always looking for more ideas on how to incorporate type into my surroundings. I am also on a...

trendwatch: formal comfort

Comfortable meets formal with soothing colors: not your grandmother’s living room. I am totally inspired by these photos I found while online shopping for an entryway rug. It’s amazing what you can find when you are not looking. I am now on high alert for...

huesday – backyard color

As you may be noticing, I’m a project girl. I love taking old things and making them new, but in a simple way that won’t take up too much time. I recently did a little DIY project for my backyard with tons of color. I’ve really gotten into spray...

huesday: DIY with paint

I’ve been in the DIY mood lately and dig anything that has to do with paint. If feels good to do a project yourself, but I want to see speedy results. I lose patience if a project takes more than 2 days. I live in an Eichler that we’ve furnished with both...

huesday: black & white with a splash

Someone recently told me that often a woman’s home is decorated in the colors that she prefers to wear. I had to respectfully disagree. My home is in earthtones, comfy colors that don’t scream at me when I get home from the studio. My wardrobe, on the...

surf's up! beachy kids rooms

Yay for nice weather! It’s the countdown to the summer soltice, which is the longest day of the year on June 21st. Time for beach trips and late bbqs on hot nights. I have mentioned before that the change of seasons always makes me want to redecorate. There is...

color huesday: pretty appliances

Can appliances make you happy? If they last longer than a year, then the answer is yes (I will post about my dead vacuum cleaner later when I feel ranty). But they can also make you happy if they can be a fun pop of color in your kitchen. I personally am in love with...

houzz inspirations

Today I wanted to talk about one of my new favorite sites, www.houzz.com. For anyone that is remodeling, moving or just likes to update with the seasons this is a great place to peruse. You can search by room, style and even by city (just in case you want to snoop on...