Summer Favorite Friday

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It’s been a long time since I’ve done a Favorite Friday, but I need to get back to it because I’ve seen so many things that I love, love, love recently. Never read a Favorite Friday before? You can check them out here.

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What’s Fav Friday all about? It’s stuff I’ve found, oggled over, loved, or bought. Things that have been designed well or things that make life a little more beautiful. Here’s my five for the week:

1-Custom Decorative Tile by ioanab on etsy. I’ve been searching etsy alot recently…even bought a few goodies for my studio. This one is so sweet!

2-Hi. I’m in love with you. ok. by adamcohn249 on etsy. I’m always a sucker for these bold graphic prints. This one is so…honest. Okay, I’m in love with you too!

3-Colefax Chair in Green Geo from Ballard Designs. I’ve been trying to decide on living room chairs for, well, since we moved in. These have been at the top of my list forever. I might have to take the plunge soon because the more me seeie, the more me likie.

4-Battery Paper Lanterns from Pier 1 Imports. I just bought these for a summer night party in our backyard (for which I still have not planned). I saw them displayed in the store on the edges of the umbrella over a dining table. It was too cute.

5-Lonny Magazine is a digital magazine that I’ve mentioned before. It’s my replacement for Domino Mag which tanked when the recession hit. It has a youthfulness and style that my other magazines haven’t been able to give me. A new issue is up (thank goodness!).

Hope you have a wonderful 4th of July this weekend! We are going out of town for a little r&r.

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MeadowLark Giveaway Winner Announced and A Bit of Favorite Friday

I haven’t had a Favorite Friday post in an age, but I thought I would give you a little Favorite Friday today by sharing my never-fail, absolutely-easy, dessert-of-choice for parties I throw. What is it? It seems ridiculous that I by-pass the best pastry shops and go straight to Costco for their chocolate cake. It’s affordable, rich, and feeds a crowd! After serving and preparing a big dinner, I always try to opt out of cooking dessert, and this is the way to do it! I served it at my Annual Chinese New Year Party this year (which I STILL haven’t gotten around to posting photos of!) and it fed 20 people (with left-overs to spare). I like to serve it with fresh strawberries. It’s such a treat and perhaps even better because I didn’t slave over a hot stove to make it !

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OKay, enough Favorite Friday! I’m sure you are itching to know who the winner of MeadowLark™ is! First, thank you to everyone who made comments about MeadowLark! It was fun to read what you might use the collection for! I get a kick out of reading your comments and the more comments this blog gets, the more fun it is to post giveaways and freebies! Let people know so I can continue to do so! And the winner for this giveaway by random.org was:

Screen shot 2010-05-14 at 4.51.47 PMPatti Hutchinson says: I just love the idea of a neutral black and white line for all of my spring and summer flower pictures. I also think it would make a great mini album for just about anything!
Thanks Patti for your comment and I’m excited to see those photos! I just need you to email me at info@carinagardner.com and I’ll get this lovely collection shipped out to you right away! Not a bad way to end the week, huh?

As for me, I’ve got some serious designing to do this weekend because I’m gearing up for Quilt Market next week in my home-of-six years, Minneapolis! My first line Coquette™ will be premiering there. I’ll be sure to give you all a report and LOTS of pictures!
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The Sofa Post

It’s Favorite Friday, but I couldn’t limit myself to 5 on this one. It’s my sofa post. Yes, sofa’s I love and links to find them:). It’s taken me two weeks to consolidate this post:).

I’m a little ga-ga over these sofas, and although I won’t be buying one anytime soon, it’s always good to know what’s out there for the day you decide to remake your living room. So these are my top picks from what I have filtered through over the last couple of weeks, these oh so yummy sofas that are on my wish list! Now, I will have to be honest, this is by no means a comprehensive list. In fact, I feel like I have just scrapped the surface and will have many more sofa posts to come. And, to be completely honest, I don’t think any of these are the perfect one for me. I’m still looking. But that’s part of the fun, isn’t it. So here we go…

http-_leathercraft-furniturecom_indexphp_upholstery_sofas_2730_sofaI’ve never considered myself a “leather” girl, but recently I’ve been looking into leather sofas because of their sophistication and kid-friendliness. My friend Brooke in Minnesota went from Pottery Barn slipcovered sofa to World Market leather sofa and loved the change. She said she was able to wipe up the kid-mess easily.

I’m sure the reason I have strayed away from leather sofas is because most of the models on the market tend to be overstuffed (comfortable, but unsightly) and too big for most modest-sized rooms. I like this one from Leathercraft because the lines are SO clean and contemporary. The 2730 Sofa has my thumbs up for looking modern but not confining. Don’t you think it would look beautiful in a dark chocolate leather. Ummmm…

http-_leathercraft-furniturecom_indexphp_upholstery_sofas_902_00_3_sofaI maybe was able to make the transition to leather because Domino featured a couple who had TWO leather sofas facing each other in their living room. I loved the look SO much I wish I could feature it here (but unfortuately there is no Domino anymore). This other sofa I’m into is the 902-00 Leathercraft.

Yesterday, I received an email from Room and Board entitled, “We’ve Created the Perfect Sofa.” Of course, my interest was piqued and I opened the email.

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While this really isn’t the sofa for me, there are plenty of things I like about it. I like the lines and it still looks comfortable but not overstuffed. It’s maybe a bit too…masculine? (I’m not sure what the right word is) for me.

On to slipcovered sofas: I thought that these where the perfect kid solution. Just yank them off and throw them in the laundry or send the dry cleaners, right? Right now, my Ikea green sofa is covered by a makeshift white slipcover. It’s a tight slipcover with cushion covers and all. It is SO dirty and I can probably count on one had the number of times I have taken it off and laundered it. Because of this unfortunate experience with slipcovers, I’m not going to show any here. However, while looking at the slipcovered sofas on PotteryBarn, I saw this beauty: The Greenwich Sofa.

img96mI just love the lines on this one! The arms somehow make this a little more feminine. The color wouldn’t work for the kids in the least bit at our house. But it’s beautiful in the photo, isn’t it?

This next one is from Johnathan Adler. I love all of his stuff, and actually my FAVORITE sofa from him is no longer in circulation. So sad:(. But this one is one of my favorites on his site. Something very old school and preppy about it. It’s called the Lampert Sofa.

I think when you are looking for a sofa, there is a fine line between comfort and style. Heaven knows that no one likes to sit in a sofa with a stiff back. This Johnathan Adler version hits the mark for me on both. It also sort of meets the criteria of masculine AND feminine. Strong clean lines with those sweet tufts. Yummy!

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prod2630065_fall07-461It is amazing to me that the subtle in design changes in a couch really do give it a whole different feeling. Take this one from Restoration Hardware. It’s really NOT that different from the pottery barn one, but the lines make it even more feminine in my opinion. I love the spindle legs on this one too.

How about this romantic soaf from Urban Outfitters. It’s called the Antoinette Fainting Sofa. I think the name fits. The style is really romantique.

Okay, I think I’m about done for this week! But, because I didn’t find my perfect sofa yet, I will continue to be on the lookout! Ahh, the joys of window shopping!

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It is Favorite Friday, but…

Usually I would be posting my favorite things that I have seen this week, but it’s been such a busy week that I haven’t had a chance to blog or, well, just about do anything! The Collection Team calls have been streaming in (I’ve been so flattered by the entries!). Thank you to everyone has been applying! I’ll be announcing the team early next week! It’s blessed Friday, because also managed to get my digi kits in to 2peas this week this morning….no late Saturday night craziness for me this week, thank you. I’m hoping for a family filled weekend of biking (my new Madsen bike is coming any day now!), dance recitals, and swimming. A bonfire too (my favorite) if I can work it in! lol. Check back for peeks of my new collection that will hit in a couple more weeks. It’s super grungy and in yummy, yummy colors! It’s called Garden Vignettes. Hope you all have a happy Friday!

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In Place of Favorite 5 Friday…

In place of Favorite 5 Friday, I am going to show you what’s coming up at 2peas next week! This is my new Paradise Line…it’s so very bright and happy!:) 

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And of course the party pack:

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I’m not finished with the line and you’ll see these two come out the following Tuesday with a few others:

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My creative team has been putting together some great layouts that I will post next Monday!

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Crate and Barrel Placecard Holders

The UPS truck showed up at our door today and dropped off a Crate and Barrel package. I asked Josh (jokingly) what he bought from Crate and Barrel (he laughed…I don’t think he’s ever ordered anything from there…me on the other hand, well, that’s a different story). So I open the little box and on the top is a card from my darling friend Jen and her new husband Spencer! The card was SO sweet (the gift was a thank you for helping with her wedding), and I couldn’t believe it when I saw THESE:

cbplacecards1If you’ve been reading my blog, you know I’ve been searching for these little darlings since this Favorite Friday post! They are even MORE beautiful in person! What a FANTASTIC bride!!!! Thank you, thank you Jen and Spencer!!!! I can’t wait to use them!!! What a great surprise!

If you are looking for these same place card holders, you can pick them at Crate and Barrel here.

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