best pillow ever

I have blogged about the LAMA Dia de Los Muertos pillow in the past (a few times), but was never able to justify buying it.  When it went on super sale two weeks ago, I jumped on it.  I love it, so, so much.  So much that I even made up my bed this morning, just to have a place to put it.

looking at in bedding

I don't know when I became so capricious in my bedding selections.  Actually, it was probably right around the same time I realized that I had three black-haired animals who all use my bed at one point or another in the course of the day.  I love my yellow-stripe duvet, but it really doesn't get along with my pet hair.  At ALL.  Luckily, spring styles are coming to the rescue!

Again with the corals.  I'm really loving pinks and oranges!

Bonus:

This quilt makes me want to have a baby right now.

from the top: Lilly Pulitzer Treasure Chest Quilt, Ruffled Circle Quilt, Bambridge Check Bedlinen, Cross Stitch Bedlinen, Circle 'Round Sheet Set, Solar System Quilt

sheet envy

I finally decided on my new duvet cover this past fall, and I adore it, but now none of my sheets match.  I am of the opinion that one's sheets should not be boring.  Like underwear, they stay covered up most of the time (if you're a good little munchkin and make your bed), so why waste your time on serious, plain sheets?  Rita Konig's bed is my inspiration.  I love, love, love those hearts!

I couldn't find any exact matches, but here are a few options I like:

clockwise, from top left: arrowhead sheet set from anthro, novelty pastel sets by tommy hilfiger (I like the heart and scottie prints best), snowflakes sheet set from anthro, polka-dot sheet set from target

scrappy owls

Once, when I was quite small, I heard an owl outside my window.  We were at our house in the mountains (long since sold and heartily missed), and my mother came into my room to wake me up.  It felt like the middle of the night, but was probably closer to 9 pm.  She had an air of excitement about her as she sat on the bed next to me and told me to listen.  I remember it keenly, the hush of night, the quivering stillness of the room, and the solemn "hoo hoo hoo" from the trees outside.  I never saw that owl, but I imagine he looked something like this:

Artist Ann Wood makes these creatures using wonderfully varied pieces of found fabric, from Victorian waistcoats to World War I army blankets.  They each have a name (Iago, above, and Chillingworth, below, are my favs) and stand about 9" tall.  Her blog also includes photos of works in progress.

via beachbungalow8

welsh blankets

So I have a thing about Wales.  Yes, I am of Welsh descent.  I am also of French, English, Irish, and Scottish descent.  I've only been there once, for one day.  It was a rainy, dreary Sunday in Cardiff (which was all I could spare from the London study trip which I'd claimed was the real reason I wanted to go to the UK), and I loved it.  I wanted to hug the whole place to me, tuck it up in my pocket and keep it with me forever.

I also have a thing about plaid.  It's always sort of been there, simmering just underneath the surface, but this past year it has erupted into being, fully formed and ravenous.  New this fall: stripes.  I'm loving 'em.  So it is with great drooling joy that I share this with you: Blankets.  From Wales.  They are plaid, and striped, and perfect.

These and more available here, found via Katy Elliot, who also loves plaid and stripes and is considerably less insane about it.

cross stitch crazy

My grandmother was an expert cross stitcher, which was something I admired in her. However, it also caused me to associate all cross stitching with my Nanny. Don't get me wrong, I adored the woman, but our personal styles don't exactly jibe. So when I started seeing little cross stitch pictures in pretty little embroidery hoops pop up hung on walls in photos, I didn't pay them much mind. A conversation with a friend made me decide to pick up a little kit and give the actual cross stitching a try, to see if I liked the process even though I didn't like the result. I love it. I whipped that pattern up so fast, I couldn't believe it. I cross stitched on the Metro, in class, while watching TV. I find it so relaxing. That said, I still wasn't about to hang anything I made on my wall. Until I saw these:I am so in love with this idea. Made by Etsy seller MiniatureRhino, each hoop holds a stitch of a different constellation. The colors, the simplicity, even the choice of hoops to use--they're perfect. Safe to say, I would hang dozens of these on my walls.On my own stitching front, I bought the pattern for this little guy yesterday and started stitching last night . My colors are a little different and I'm not sure how much I like them, so I might do a few variations until I hit on a palette I like. And that's okay! In fact, it's great! Because I am in love with cross stitching, y'all, and never wish to be parted from it again.

Constellations found via Double Takes

rockin'

One of the recurring design themes this summer seems to be bringing the outside in. I've got no beef with that, I love the outdoors, I love being indoors, let's combine! Mostly this shows itself in various kinds of greenery (am I the only one not growing succulents in my shower?). But why not other outdoor things? Ronel Jordaan makes these fantastic rocks (well, very large pebbles) out of wool felt. I love 'em!You can get an idea of interior scale from Jennifer Carpenter's home as seen in the recent O At Home. If you don't have room for those big guys, Jordaan also makes smaller cusions or, my favourite, a pebble rug resembling a creek or riverbed.via poppytalk

help?

This is a fairly young blog, but I am already fortunate to have some readers (other than you, Mom). It is to you stylish folk that I turn with a vital plea: Help me find curtains?The latest issue of Domino ran a story in which they took the outfit of stylist Tina Chai and turned it into a room (see top). I read that magazine two weeks ago and have had those curtains on the brain ever since. Help.The curtain fabric is Hawaii by Scandinavian designer Josef Frank. So I did some research and discovered that I love Frank's designs. They're full of color without being overwhelming, fun without being cutesy, and wisely tempered by the use of that lovely white space.Hawaii is very pink. I'm looking for a design with a dark blue basis on top of the white (like Gröna Fåglar and Us Tree, above) but have no desire to incinerate my wallet. I checked around. The only thing I liked at Marimekko was this (too much green, too much money) and everything at Ikea was either too busy or too full (not enough white space--I might just have to drag myself out to Woodbridge and dig through the bins by hand).

So: Help. Obviously I'm liking the Scandanavian patterns, but I'm very open to suggestions. If anyone has any ideas, please leave a comment! And yes, that includes you, Mom.

angela adams rugs

One thing I am not thinking about in redecorating my room is the rug. There's a carpet, but I've also got an inherited red Oriental-type rug that's lived all over the place with me. Then Velocity sends me an e-mail about Angela Adams rugs being on sale (coupon code ADAMS2008 for 10% off) and of course I go and fall in love with rugs I don't already own.

fashion philanthropy

The most recent stop in Bloesem's World Tour? Melbourne, Australia, courtesy of Lucy of blog The Design Files. Lucy's post today covered her favourite Aussie fashion label: Caravana. Design duo Cathy Braid and Kirsten Ainsworth have found a way to do what they love and give aid to women in areas of the world where women are generally overlooked, all at the same time.

"The pair recognised early on that they could not achieve their goals from a distance, so in 2003 they saved up some money, got on a plane to north-western Pakistan, and took up residence in a remote community in the Himalayan mountains.

The result has been amazingly successful. After facing some significant opposition initially, Cathy and Kirsten teamed up with a locally run NGO, and were able to establish work centres managed by local craftspeople. In the last few years Caravana’s beautiful designs have steadily gained popularity and international interest, and the pair now employ over 500 women across India and Pakistan, in the arts of weaving, embroidering, dying and piecing together the most beautiful, detailed garments for the Western market. The women Caravana employs are proud of their work, and are able to provide for their families in a way their culture deems acceptable. These women’s work has come to be highly valued by their families and community."

Now that's fashion forward.