IKEA Frame-Turned-Chalkboard

I've received a couple emails about my mom's chalkboard.



She simply used this IKEA frame, chalkboard paint on some sheet metal from Home Depot's roofing section, and a little turquoise paint to highlight the detail in the already-black frame.

I think it's adorable...

Hello Spring!

Well spring is finally here officially and it feels like one of the coldest days we have had in ages! I'm still surrounding myself with spring inspiration with these lovely images of flowers and outdoor areas! Looking forward to all that this new season has to bring! Tracey xx

images 1. Victoria Hagan, 2. Eric Kohler, 3. Content-Agency, 4. BHG

Hanging on to Summer

Doesn't this soap look refreshing? Ahhh... love summer!

Noah's White House with the Blue Shutters

Have you seen the movie The Notebook? Then you probably swooned over the house that Noah fixed up for his lost love Allie like the rest of us.

The real house used in the movie was Martin's Point Plantation on Wadmalaw Island (South Carolina). It was built in 1772. In this shot of the front porch you can see the water:

If you haven't seen the movie yet, here's a tip: be sure to have a box of tissues handy. Today I posted photos of Noah's house over at Hooked on Houses. Head over there if you want to see them! (You can see links to all of my movie posts here.)

Elegant city houses - with a country twist

Hi all! Sorry I've been MIA - I was packing to spend this next month visiting my parents - and then there was the whole moving and unpacking process - which I"d rather not think about. Well, now that I'm here in the country - listening to the crickets and birds - mixed in with the clickity clack of my keyboard - I thought a little reminder of civilization was in order.




The above is a one bedroom, one bath loft in Manhattan's NoHo neighborhood - "NoHo" meaning "North of Houston" - a name created by the real estate industry to give an area a trendy age and thus - up the edge on the prices.


The two images here are from the luxuriously renovated D.C. townhouse.


I adore this wide expanse of floor - a renovated Savannah townhouse.

via Metropolitan Home Sep. 2009

The All Modern Giveaway Winner

Congratulations to Struggler at Struggling to be Stylish! You have won the All Modern giveaway. Random.org selected lucky #9 from the 27 eligible comments.

Also, a big thank you to All Modern for sponsoring this contest! Please drop by and shop their amazing selection of high-quality, gorgeous modern furniture and home products. There is even a big sales event going on - 20% off until September 8th.

Focus in on Hanging Pendants

Hanging pendants are a great accent piece in so many spaces. Today groupings are replacing the traditional chandelier or can lighting, adding interest and character to dining rooms, kitchens, retail spaces, bathrooms, bedrooms and office spaces.

These fantastic pieces are from Lindsey Adelman the shapes are very organic and gorgeous!




The Brice Pendant on My Sparrow

Fun living room and kitchen with vintage industrial pendants.

Lotus pendant by Jamie Young on My Sparrow



Mercury glass pendants by Jamie Young available on My Sparrow

The vintage industrial Pendant in this dining room adds to the simple organic feeling.

Lindsy Adelman Knotty Bubbles


Clear glass Jamie Young pendants





These simple glass pendants at varied heights add interest and depth in these modern dining areas. In a small space you can get a huge impact from pendants with out the heaviness you might feel when using a chandelier.

photos from House Beautiful, Canadian house and home, Lindsey Adelman , My Sparrow and Maisons cote sud

Happy Monday

hand painted clock

(so cute, and i love the colors...)

bubbletub's body parfait

( i definitely need some of this!)

moss skirt

(how adorable... great colors and pattern)

starfish pendant with chain

( i heart anything beachy!!)

blue and green garden coasters

(beautiful designs...)

I hope everyone has a great start to the week!

Enjoy some of these great finds.

Serenite Designs

I am so glad I stumbled upon Serenité Designs. Serene brings you a collection of the loveliest handmade pieces, each inspired by nature, beautiful things and the small joys of every day living.

I love the heart locket!

peach rose pendant necklace

i love you heart locket

Happy Birthday Hayle!!!

Well another year has passed and today we celebrated Hayley's birthday in French style at Montrachet in Paddington (Brisbane)! It was delightful from the moment we walked in! The service was exceptional, the food was to die for and the decor made us feel like we had stepped off the sidewalk in Paris! What more could a girl want! Happy birthday sis - can't wait to do it all again next year! Tracey xx

Custom Ribbon Message Board for Tween Room

The girl's tween bedroom I am designing is not complete, but is coming together very nicely. To help keep my little client stylishly organized, I created a ribbon message board that will hang above her desk. Here was my thought process and how I did it.

For visual interest, I like to to repeat a pattern here and there in the room. I selected a cotton twill fabric with trellis pattern in coral and thought it worked perfectly with the new Serena & Lily Aqua Trellis Sheet Set shown above.

It is a fairly easy DIY project, but does take some time. First, I staple-gunned the coral trellis fabric with a thin layer of batting under it to a stretched painter's canvas.

Baby blue grosgrain ribbon was laid out in a criss-cross diamond pattern and then staple-gunned to the back of the canvas. Clear floral buttons were sewn where the ribbons crossed. The buttons are darling and add just the right touch of sparkle.

Here's a view of the finished product. It turned out great and I hope my little client loves it as much as I do!

*images from Serena & Lily, Simplified Bee, PBK, Posh Tots

Cabin + Cub

"Little Bird" is too cute for words...

Cabin + Cub has adorable woodburned wall art panels!

Bdoodlez

"Little Pumpkin" (8 Gift Tags)

I need to buy some of these in advance. Gift tags are the kind of accessory you wish you had on the spot.

These little pumpkin tags are the perfect accent to any gift or package.

Visit Bdoodlez for seasonal tags, greeting and note cards.

100th Post!!!

I noticed this morning that this is my hundredth post! What a wonderful ride this has been- new friends, information and ideas flowing through cyberspace. I have been blessed to make incredible personal connections both near and far, which I have come to value and treasure. I am excited to keep posting about all the things that inspire me in home decor and design both here in the US, and internationally. I hope Willow Decor continues to evolve and change as I continue to grow and learn. I know exciting things are just around the bend!

I thank you for reading and commenting, and sharing this journey with me. It has been a gift beyond my greatest imagination.

xxx-Gina

.

Photos: 1, 2 - Shannon Bowers/Veranda, 4- Real Gustavian

Vanishing Art: The disappearance of Art in Transit's "Permanent" installations

The View From Here by Ellen Driscoll.  Photo by Frippy

In early May of this year I was surprised to see a Metro work crew dismantling the art installation at the Forest Park - Debaliviere MetroLink station. The work entitled: The View From Here by artist Ellen Driscoll was installed on the south concrete retaining wall of the station in 2006. The station, while open since 1993 for the first MetroLink line was reconstructed and expanded for the opening of the Cross County extension in August 2006.


I emailed David Allen, Director of Metro's Arts In Transit, and he said that the installation was being removed at the artist's request due to problems with the installation. He said that they were discussions with the artist about a possible replacement piece. Indeed there were a few of the mirrored tiles that had fallen off from the concrete wall and presumably were destroyed upon impact below. Of the hundreds of tiles that made up the piece however these appeared to be isolated. It seems like it would have been quite feasible to fabricate replacement pieces rather than to destroy the entire work. The process of removal of the work involved chiseling what had intended to be permanently installed tiles glued to the concrete. From the photos of the removal, it is clear that nothing of the work survived.

Removal of The View From Here in May 2009

I always liked this piece for its interesting geometric patterns and the varied reflections that one could see in the mirrored surfaces. Without The View, the big blank concrete retaining walls give the Forest Park station a drab and lifeless feel. Hopefully an equally interesting work of art will be installed in its absence. With Metro struggling to keep basic Metro Bus and MetroLink service up and running, it is likely that this will not take place anytime soon.


Farther east, in the tunnel under Kingashighway and the WU-BJC Medical Center, another Arts in Transit installation appears to still exist, but has not functioned in quite some time. The work by artist Olafur Eliasson installed in 2000 consisted of 60 tubes, containing different colored lights ranging across the color spectrum, mounted to the tunnel wall in a pattern of gentle horizontal waves. Unfortunately, the lights have been out on the work for at least a year. Arts in Transit's web site says that the work was made possible "through the generous support of BJC Health Systems and the special coordination of the St. Louis Art Museum". I find it interesting that work is coming to completion on the new $235 million (just $15m short of a $1/4 billion) BJC institute of Health at Washington University directly over the MetroLink tunnel just east of Eliasson's work and yet nothing seems to be done to fix what is probably a simple electrical problem to make the art work function again. Once again as seems typical here in St. Louis public art takes a back seat.

Photos from Arts in Transit