bedding on a budget....

so as much as i wish i could make my bed up in leontine linens or matouk, its not really in my deck of cards right now. i was trying to think how i could get the look of these beautiful beds w/out the hefty price tag. to me, what really stands out in these beds are the beautiful monogram shams. so once again, you have to be creative and hunt to find them.

one of the best places to start is tuesday mornings, as erika let us in on. they carry a ton of high end name brand linens. the "hotel" style (white w/ a colored border) can be found at a lot of other discount stores too (tj maxx, marshalls) and mail order catalogs (restoration hardware, pottery barn). often you will find in the clearance section, shams marked way down. take the time and find two that you really love and then go to a local monogramming spot and add the creative part.

instead of doing a generic monogram, try doing one w/ a little more detail. print out the monogram page on leontine's website and see if your place can recreate the look (to even branch out more, try the monogram in an accent color). place the shams on your bed w/ a solid coverlet and add a pouch of color at the end of the bed w/ a blanket or duvet and you will have a custom look for a lot less....

getting the look for way less....

so during these times, we have to be smart on what we are spending our money on. and it's no news to me, that design might be taking a back seat. but i thought i could share w/ y'all some ways i try and beat the system....

thanks to my site meter (a site that lets me track where my readers are coming from), i was able to find my dream desk (well, part of it)!! i am so excited to show y'all my vintage chrome sawhorse legs...as i am sure y'all know, i have been longing for this desk forever. one day, i saw i was getting hits from craig's list and to my dismay these beauties were in the ad...but they were located in atlanta. so thankfully, my super sweet mother met up w/ the nice guy and the exchange happened making me the proud owner of my dream desk. i am now scouting out the local habitats for a glass top....but for $150, my desk is a lot easier to swallow than the 1st dibs price tag that i couldn't even begin to touch.

alternative ways to great design is definitely not a new concept but i think its fun to retouch on ways to be creative. in case y'all don't know or are just tuning in- i am a fanatic thrift store shopper/ habitat scourer/ yard sale junkie (as well as fellow bloggers like eddie and my design hero ruthie sommers). if you cringe going into these kinds of stores, this method is not for you...but if you are willing to get dirty, be patient, and look past really ugly fabric- you will be shocked at what you find. especially if you are a name dropper...hickory chair, baker, taylor king, dwell studio, circa lighting are just a few i have found in the past month. the only problem is, if you want it, you better buy it then. i am still sad about a camel back love seat i left last week...it had great lines and chippendale legs. i immediately envisioned the cover of the first domino (i adored that sofa). when i went back two days later to try and get it (thinking if it's there, it's meant to be), well it wasn't....

so don't get discourage when money is tight....you can get the "look"- whether's its craig's list, ebay, or thrift stores...it's out there- you just have to be willing to find it!

things that inspire me....

so i think in the tough times that we are facing and might continue to face in the future, a source of encouragement is much needed. as an interior designer, i think it is our job to be creative with how to address the future in design. high end/ luxury items that are offered in this business are a lot harder to swallow when the economy is like it is today. that is why i think we, as designers, have to be proactive to show how inspiration and good design can come in many forms.

by my nightstand, i have cottage living's sept issue. i am in love the the article on a 70's ranch redo by david and tyler colgan. instead of building their dream home from scratch, they recycled a rancher....not by bulldozing it but keeping the structure and adding a face lift. they did the labor themselves and recycled the materials from tear downs in their neighborhood (so green). the transformation totally speaks for itself. while you might long for a new home, why not think about how you can take what you already have and make it special?? or if you are house hunting, why not give those "not so beautiful" homes a second look and think outside the box on how it could be reborn? i know that the colgan's house has really inspired me....

i'm off....

to meet the girls that created the fantastic fabric line, of the young and the restless. charleston home magazine is sponsoring a trade show this weekend so if any of y'all are in town, you should pop by and see the amazing craftsmen and designers charleston has to offer....

**update: i'm back from the show (it was kind of small)...i was glad to finally meet courtney and pearce (after many emails back and forth) and see the fabulous fabrics first hand. they did not disappoint. i am in love w/ all of the patterns (and the fact that they are printed on a linen background) but my favs are thorny rose- honeymoon and birdhouse- colonial. fyi- they are now at travis and co. for any designers that go to ADAC!

PB & J + Thomas O' Brien...

Dear Mr. PB & J,

Hello, so we meet again...i just thought i would take this time to write and let you know that i am ok w/ eating you 365 days a year if i can buy things like the thomas o'brien vendome sconce and not have a guilty conscience. i am the first to admit that i have an addiction of thrift store shopping and buying "things" that i just cannot pass up even though i have no home for them. so i am making a deal w/ you...we will continue to meet everyday at 12:00 and i will eat you w/ a smile on my face...b/c after all, you allow me to feel better about myself (even though you have 16 grams of fat per serving and i go way overboard on my serving size) and you justify my need, no- i take that back, my longing desire to buy things that i just can't say no to.....

See you tomorrow (same time, same place)- pink

other people's trash is my treasure....

well, here are the two things that caught my eye in the mountains...an old, aqua phone and a floral, iron chandelier. i know, you are probably thinking i have lost my mind- my husband sure thinks so. but i think that the aqua phone totally says "shannon darby design"...i think it's so fun to answer my work calls on this!! right when i saw it, i remember these. and thanks to my wonderful husband and father in-law, they got the ol' beaut back working. now i just have to figure out how to hook it up to my fax machine and it can move into my office.

as for the chandelier, it still needs some TLC. i have no idea if it works still but hopefully my dad can rescue her if she doesn't. i haven't decided the perfect place for her yet (but i can see her in tay's room, my office, or a powder room). and i have no problem letting her sit in the garage until i decide (i am sure warren will love this). and for $30 why not?? she could resemble ruthie's kitchen light w/ a little white paint....

**isn't barron's face classic??!! that is exactly what warren's face looked like when he opened the trunk and saw her...ha!! guys, they just don't understand :)

my favorite kind of shopping....

you know the best part about the mountains....antiquing!! i love going to my in-law's mountain house b/c it has such great antique stores nearby. we had a wedding in black mountain, nc and on the way to the wedding, my mom and i hit up some antique stores (and the best part, stumbled upon a barn sale)!!! i could have bought a lot of stuff there (but i feel semi guilty buying unnecessary items during these times)...however, there were two things i couldn't pass up. i'll show you those tomorrow.

what does your door say??

well right now, my door says charleston green and kind of boring....but if i ever move, i hope it says "helloooo" or "welcome to my kick butt house"....that's what i think these doors are saying...i have door envy....door #1, #2, #3 (my personal fav...love the hardware and the color), and #4 (even ruthie's back door makes a statement...my poor back door has no love- just white with dog scratches all over the glass). have a great weekend!

add a little chalk to your kitchen.....

so this is probably the first of many series of images from my deco file. several of my kitchen pictures had chalkboards in them, so i thought i would share some cute ideas for kitchen creativity....i love the first two images from cottage living. the second pic is one of my all time favorite kitchens (read more about it here). i think it's the perfect combination of vintage in an updated kitchen. the third image is so cute w/ the sign letter added to the top (i love old letters so that one got me right away). and the last one just fits the space nicely....who doesn't need somewhere to write in the kitchen?? trade your notepad in for the wall....sounds fun to me and if you have children, they will think it's great to actually be able to write on the wall w/out getting in trouble!!

marston & langinger

when i discovered marston and langinger (thanks domino), i was so happy to see this beautiful selection of rise and fall pendants. everything about this light seems vintage even though it's brand new- the ceramic shade, the antique bronze fittings, and the braided electrical cord make this a fantastic light. and the color selection just puts a smile on my face...so which color would you choose? i think i am going w/ jade b/c it reminds me of my mom's jadeite collection...

i could cry....

i was having the best time until about 5 minutes ago....

this afternoon i created a deco file on domino (you should totally do this...its so much fun to have all of you favorite pics right there; you can store things from your favorite magazines and blogs, and you find out so much about your range of style...it's addictive). so i was searching my "daily reads" for some cool pics and i stumbled upon this.....

chapman radcliff is closing.......i can't take it........one of our friends is getting married in LA (next oct.) and i was so excited to FINALLY be able to get to that town and see none other than the legend herself...to drool in her store, to express to her how much her design has inspired me, to take pictures of us together.....my heart hurts.....

**i have until the end of oct. if my husband wants to surprise me with a plane ticket...we could knock out a lot of things at one time: go see ruthie, hangout w/ LC and Brody, celebrity stalk, dance at the clubs...warren, you are sooooo LA (ha, if you know my husband, he is so far from this it's super funny)...maybe this should be a surprise girl's trip......hey BFF's??!!

bravo reality....

my parents are on vacation so i can't make my AM call to my mother to talk bravo reality so i thought i would ask y'all....

what did you think about the final 3 in project runway?? i am not a kenley fan but she did bring it for the runway show (i really liked her bridesmaid's dress). i was disappointed in jerell. i was not a fan of that bridesmaid's dress or the whole chain thing he was feeling in his collection. but i am sad to see him go. i think i am going to have to pull for leanne for the winner; i really like the architectural elements she puts in her garments and her bridesmaid's dress was so pretty...whose your pick??

as for the top design (which i unfortunately snoozed a little during...i mean it was for like 5 minutes), congrats to eddie for his win!! you go!! however, i so thought you should have won the floral arrangement...

alright, i am going to be late taking my daughter to school....pitiful- i need a life!!

let's go shopping....

so i don't know about y'all but watching the news is totally depressing....constantly being reminded that we are in a major financial crisis makes me so sad. so i decided to do something to cheer up- going window shopping via 1st dibs- a one stop shop where i could spend all of my make believe money....

i think that this vintage NY subway sign is great and it will look fantastic playing off of my 1970 lucite and chrome barstools (some funky fabric and these would be bananas- ha, i had to do that for the zoe camp)!! and i can't go shopping and not buy something from lee, so in honor of that fab store pieces, i'm going w/ this tuxedo style, white leather, tufted sofa. oh man, i just found these fantastic 1960's auction paddles...those are so fun, i'll put those in my cart too.... wow, these green enamel lamps would look awesome on either side of my sofa and add a pop of color to my make believe shopping trip. oh and last but not least, i am buying this vintage sawhorse table...b/c if any of y'all need reminding, i want it so badly as my desk.....

WOW, its amazing how much better that makes me feel...if you are getting depressed from all of this crisis talk, take my advise and go window online shopping...so much fun to spend all of that make believe money!! now i just need to buy KW's imperial trellis for my walls and my day will be perfection!!

heavenly is a good word for it....

i am sorry i haven't been doing a lot of posts lately. life has been very busy. last week was filled w/ getting ready for one of our good friend's wedding. (i had no idea how long it takes just to find a dress...a friend and i devoted about 4 days to it!) we had such a wonderful weekend and loved being able to spend time w/ friends that we don't get to see that often.

but one thing that really sticks out in my mind right now (and mostly b/c my daughter and i are nursing a cold) is that Westin bed. i want to be back in it. why do hotel beds just suck you in? and no matter what, you can't recreate it. so that's why i googled that heavenly bed and if any one wants to give me $3,000, it can be mine....

so do you think its the double sheeting that makes you feel so good?? i think it also is having the bed made perfectly everyday. i am not good at making the bed (yep, unless you call and say you are coming over, my bed isn't made...terrible thing to admit, especially in my business)!