Gallery Wall

 Organic gallery walls are a great way to add a dynamic way to add interest to a room. Personally, I think the best gallery walls are made up of varying styles of art and 3D objects which combine to give someone a sense of who you are. I made this gallery wall so that the TV felt incorporated into the room without doing anything too drastic to it (like covering it with something, because I don't know about you, but our TV is on too frequently to make that practical!). Awesome as gallery walls are, they are also tough to lay out without putting a million holes in your walls. This is how I did mine without turning my walls into swiss cheese. First, I traced the pieces of art and objects I was planning to use onto large pieces of inexpensive sketch paper and then cut them out. I also marked on the paper where the hanging hardware was so that I would know where to put the nails. I then moved them around on the floor until I felt like they were in a configuration I liked. With painters tape, I attached them to the wall and played with them a bit until I felt like they all related to each other. Then, I put the nails directly though the paper where I had marked earlier. Once you take down the paper, you are good to hang your art on the walls!

Weekend Wardrobe: Easter Egg Hunt

1. Mint Blazer 2. Marina Pump 3. Scallop Dress 4. Multi Color Necklace 5. Radio Bag

I've been thinking of adding a little fashion section to the blog, hence, "Weekend Wardrobe". Throughout the week I tend to "web shop", I fill up carts in various online stores so I feel like I'm getting pretty things, and then I look at the total amount I'd be spending and almost always X-out of the screen to ward off temptation. It's satisfying and depressing at the same time. So, to make it seem like I'm browsing for a reason, every Friday I'll put together a little dream outfit for some weekend activity. This weekend it's the perfect outfit for an easter egg hunt! Spring has sprung so it's time to pull out the fun colors!

Wishing for Time

 Recently I have been wishing for more time in the day and more time in the night. Basically I need more time to do everything I want and have to do and more time to sleep so I can actually have the energy to do all these things. I haven't had as much time as I would like to work on all my various personal projects and design endeavors. Here are two perfect examples, the cabinet above, would be a perfect for for our entry way, and it seems like it would be pretty simple to make. I've been searching for scalloped/ fish scale shingles, they are harder to find then you would think. I'm dying to make this. Another project I've wanted to do is inspired by the image below. When we moved into our new house, I built a makeshift tabletop to cover our dog Truman's MASSIVE crate. I want to make it a bit more interesting and saw this, I think I would like it better with clean dowels cut to various lengths, and maybe painting the ends a color for a little something extra. Hopefully I will have time to tackle some things my list of projects soon!

Living Room Shopping List

 As I was planning out what our new living room would look like, I put together this board of things I was loving. I bought this piece of art by Michelle Armas who I love, her use of color is amazing, and this canvas print was huge 3ftx3ft which was perfect for the space. That became the pallet driver for the rest of the room. These were other items I found that I thought could have happy furniture lives in our livingroom. The blue velvet couch (because who DOESN'T LOVE blue velvet?), chair from CB2 (which unfortunatly they don't have in that color any more), the pouf from Urban Outfitters which also is no longer in stock, but they are popping up everywhere, even target has one for only $50 which is by far the cheapest I've found. The Curtains, AMAZING flocked beauties. The moose, because faux taxidermy is a must, this was also from west elm but is no longer in stock, there is still another similar one though. The chairs and sign were from random sites and I can't for the life of me remember where I found them, but I wanted a nice marquee letter for the walls! Last but not least, to ground the room, a lovely rug. As soon as I'm home when the sun it out, I'll take pictures of what we ended up with, and how I set up our gallery wall.

Potato Time

Ever get that feeling that you can do anything and everything? I've felt that way for about three weeks, going non stop, working full time designing shoes, working another full time job in the hours not spent in the office with Wouldn't it be Lovely, blogging, working on the house, tearing apart the kitchen and putting it back together, painting and designing other rooms in the house, not to mention spending time with Chris, the dogs, family and friends. I haven't wavered, tired, or even felt the need rest.... until about 6pm this evening. I handed off some save the dates and a second draft of a birth announcement  and all of a sudden it hit me. I'm exhausted. No working for me tonight, I'm planning to sit in front of the TV like a potato. Hoping to feel rejuvenated and ready to go again tomorrow!
Photo

Sneak Peek

Here is a sneak peek of the save the dates I just finished! The big reveal will be after they are sent out in a week or so! I've wanted to do a graphic black print design for quite a while and lucky for me, Elaine and Steve wanted just that!

Process to Perfection

 I thought I would share one of my favorite wedding invitations from last summer. The bride and groom were super easy to work with and very open to doing something fun and different. They were getting married on a beautiful farm in New Hampshire, full of beautiful colors and wildflowers. We wanted to incorporate that feeling into their invitation. Above are a bunch of the flower options I worked up to choose from. I hand painted these wildflowers in a loose carefree style and hand lettered parts of each element of the invitation suite. We then chose elements we loved and worked them together to make the final product! Instead of packaging the invites in a traditional enclosure, we kept it informal and tied them together with some metallic bakers twine and a little tag with extra information for the guests.

Here is the invite as it came in the mail! All pretty tied up with string.

 Here is the suite all laid out, invitation card, an invitation card to the pre-wedding celebration, and the RSVP postcard.

 Above are some other items designed for their wedding. To see more elements that went into their event check out their page on my website.

Desk Chair Redo

Here is another reupholstery project I did not too long ago. We needed a comfy desk chair and I stumbled upon this flesh colored beauty at Brimfield. This chair was mid century modern design at it's best, it was a VERY simple project. I chose a suiting fabric with a subtle herringbone pattern. When you can, it's almost always cheeper to buy apparel fabric as opposed to upholstery fabric. After pulling out a few screws, ripping off the icky old leather, cutting some new foam to size, it was only a matter of stretching the new fabric over the foam and wood holding it all together with my trusty staple gun and it was done in no time!

Desaturated Color Pallet

Now that the guest room walls are painted (in all their white polka-dot glory), the rest of the colors are starting to come together. I made this board for some color inspiration. I'll need to make some items, like a headboard and some throw pillows to bring it all together. Below are some of the things I've purchased thus far.

I saw these cards from Rifle Paper Co. and have been building my color pallet around them, I'll put them in some little frames for the walls. I bought a couple of things from urban outfitters, an ombre duvet cover , a circle shelf and these basic curtains which I am thinking about embellishing with this pom-pom trim to give them a little something special. I also bought a mirror from Ikea, and it's screaming to be spray painted, I'm thinking either peach, coral, or a greenish yellow. I think all these items mixed with some of our existing furniture will make the room quite lovely for all of our future guests!

Polka-Dot Love

Black & White,  Moon Phases, Matte & Shine

Polka-dots and I have a long history. I really can't remember a time when I haven't loved them. They are so classic and wonderfully graphic, they just never get old. Our guest room has remained unchanged since we moved in, and I finally reached the breaking point this weekend. After much researching and debate (with myself that is, the hubby could give two figs what I do when it comes to decor) I decided on white on white polka-dots. Below is a sneak peek of the polka-dot guest room coming together. The full reveal is will be coming soon!

Happy Hearts Day

Happy Valentines Day!
Valentines from: Owly Shadow Puppets

DIY Shelves

This is a little DIY project I did when we moved into our house. I've always loved big built in shelves, but I wanted something a little more industrial and custom to our taste. When it comes to furniture and design, I'm all about modern and clean, but when it comes to curating bookshelves, I agree with Mae West, "too much of a good thing can be wonderful".

This was an inexpensive project that I did in a day with the help of my Dad. All in all, it cost about $200 in materials and a day of sweat. You will definitely need a second set of hands to put it together. Below is a description of the process and what you'll need.

 Tools:
- Power Screwdriver
- Stud Finder
- 1" Hole Saw
- Circular Saw/ Hand Saw/ Table Saw (or some other way to cut the boards to length)

Materials:
- black pre-threaded pipe (I got mine at Home depot) I bought the following lengths for this shelf:
          - 9 of 12 inch
          - 9 of 18 inch
          - 11 of 8 inch
- 14 elbows
- 12 three-joint connectors
- 6 wall brackets
- 4 boards of pine 6 1/2ft x 1ft x 1in one cut to 3 1/2 ft
- wood stain
- 3in wood screws

Directions:
- Using the Stud-Finder, find the Studs in your walls that are best spaced for the shelf & mark them.
- Mark where the corresponding holes will need to be on the pine, drill hole 1inch in from outside edge
  of board. NOTE: You will only need holes in the front.
- Stain the wood & let dry according to stain directions.
- Mark on floor where the bottom brackets will be, make sure they line up with the studs in the wall
  where you will be connecting the top wall brackets. Do not screw into floor yet.
- Start building from the bottom up, screwing the pipe into the brackets and joints as far as they will go,
  adding the boards as you go. NOTE: the backs of the shelves are resting on the elbow joint, it's very
  sturdy and does not need to be attached in any other way than through the one pipe in front. Once
  assembled, make sure everything is level and lines up before you screw the brackets into the floor and
  the wall.

Work in Progress

Here is a sketch in progress of a project I am currently working on to welcome a new human to the world. Hello baby Connor! I recently stumbled upon some awesome new paper that I can't wait to use on this project, the big reveal will be in about two weeks! In the mean time, check out the birth announcement that I made not too long ago for his big sister!

Brimfield Refresh

Something that can completely transform a piece of furniture is some new fabric. I found this classic design icon at the Brimfield Antique fair a couple years ago. The ancient icky colored leather hid how awesome this chair really was. Luckily, mid-century furniture is often the easiest to reupholster because it was built with longevity and ease of assembly in mind. The only part of this project that required a sewing machine was the arms, the rest was done with some sweat and a good old staple gun. With a light sanding and a fresh coat of stain, it was ready to go!

Guest Room Color Pallet

Since we moved in to our house, the two guest rooms have been untouched. They are the dumping grounds for things without a home. That being said, I think it's time to have a nice guest room so that we can actually invite someone to come stay with us! I'm loving these variations of coral, tangerine and teal, maybe this will be the color pallet I use for the room.

Welcome Lovelies!

Hello! My name is Caitlin Spaulding, and this is a blog about all the wonderful things I love about design. I am an event designer with a focus on weddings and all that makes them memorable and lovely. My husband and I are also new home owners, which means I am always working to make our home a place we love to spend time in. This blog is a place to share inspiration, process, projects and ideas. Here you will also find snippets from fashion, home decor, DIY projects, doggie delights and more. Come on in and enjoy!