This whole “outdoor space” thing has been on my mind since we have a yard for the first time. The fence has gone up, the patio table out (I got one I featured in a previous Favorite Friday…these posts are like “pre-shopping” for me! heehee), fireplace & benches are set up, but we still have a lot of work to go. Here’s a little inspiration for all of us!
#1- I love this one. I feel like I could sit out there for every meal! Something about a large light hanging to make it really feel like a room!

#2-I stole this one off the Ballard Designs Catalog. I love the curtains!

#3-How about this? Maybe someone can ship in some water for me! Can you imagine spending summer nights out there?

#4- More casual…those trees are pretty amazing!

#5-Is probably my favorite. All that green looks pretty inviting and makes me wishing summer would never end!

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.

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.

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:

Patti 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!

I know it’s a been a while since I’ve done a favorite friday, but I’ve been a busy girl and have been seeing some pretty rad stuff out there! So here are 5 of my finds that I’m going to share with you!

1 – Kmart’s Bunk Bed Yes, it isn’t extravagent or even really well made…but it is the best looking white bunk bed out there for those of us (that would be me!) on a budget. Besides, why really pay a lot of a piece of furnture you KNOW you’ll only need for a few years. I’d rather spend money on pieces of furniture I plan on keeping forever.

2 – Shabby Apple’s Watermelon Summer Dress It’s super sweet and the Amy Butler fabrics have me wanting more!

3 – Urban Outfitter’s Clear Bubble Umbrella The deep arch of this umbrella is so cute. Hopefully I’ll have a chance to grab one of these really soon.

4 – Elaine’s Quilting Block’s Etsy Shop I love these homemade quilts and this local  Salt Lake City shop has an etsy shop of goodies. I’m gearing up to start making a few quilts of my own and I love these inspirational pieces!

5 – Patio Furniture USA’s Cabo Collection I’m a bit obsessed with patio furniture right now. And I’m SUPER obessed with this set. Yes, it’s October, and yes, it did snow two days ago…but now’s the best time to get deals on outside furniture so I’m going to keep an eagle eye out for some deals!

Favorite 5 is going to be easy today. I’ve seen several things this week that I’ve been in love with! This first one, Crown Hooks, I saw at a Disney Store. It was sort of an Urban clothing store in Downtown Disney and they were using these hooks on the back wall. I loved them, but thought, “What a pain it’s going to be to find those on the Internet!” As luck would have it, I opened up my July House Bautiful just to glance through, and THERE THEY WERE! With webpage and all. Don’t you love it when that happens? (BTW, this picture doesn’t so the hooks justice! They are SOOO cute in person and come in silver too).

Last year, I bought some Strawberries and Cream Tulips from Brecks, so I get their catalog in the fall. The Strawberries and Cream Tulips were gorgeous, but these Ice Cream Tulips are to die for! The moment I buy a house, these are going in! The petals are so soft and beautiful! An appropriate name for such a sweet flower, don’t you think?

Back from House Beautiful (since it was my late night puruse last night as I waited for my husband to come home from work…like at midnight…I keep telling myself to just get use to it!), I wanted to share this bedroom and fabulous bedframe. there’s something really romantic and stately about this frame. I bit sparkely (a girl always likes a little sparkle) but the stripe kind of makes it masculine. I have to admit, these colors are not me, but I’d take that bedframe any day of the week.

Here’s the info on it:

The mirrored four-poster bed in this room was based on a 1940s Serge Roche bed. Designed by Jonathan Berger.

I’ve been eyeing this next one for a while, but it caught my notice this week because it’s on sale! It’s the Daily System from Pottery Barn. It’s a slick little system and an organizer’s dream. A couple of things are on sale from the grouping, but you know I’ll be keeping my eye’s peeled for when the entire system goes on sale!

My last one is something I was thinking about this morning as I untangled a couple of my necklaces. I’m always up for a little Urban Outfitters, but this necklace stand completely got my attention! It is absolutely adorable, and Josh, if you are reading this, I’d recommend this as a present sometime. I’m on to you! I know you sometimes search this blog for present ideas! Consider this one a freebie.

Happy Friday!

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…

I’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…

I 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.

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.

I 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!

It 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!

]]> http://www.carinagardner.com/2009/07/17/the-sofa-post/feed/ 0 http://www.carinagardner.com/2009/06/19/favorite-5-friday%e2%80%94centerpieces/ http://www.carinagardner.com/2009/06/19/favorite-5-friday%e2%80%94centerpieces/#comments Fri, 19 Jun 2009 08:00:03 +0000 carina http://www.carinagardner.com/?p=1537 This week I’ve been looking for centerpiece ideas for a large event I am planning. That led me to stumble upon the favorite 5 this week. Oddly enough, it wasn’t always always the centerpieces I fell in love with, but the rooms themselves. So my favorite 5 this week is an assortment of pretty rooms and tables—an omage to the hours spent planning events this week. As always, click on the image to go to the original link.

This was an accidental “pretty-in-pink” find this week! I’m obsessed with the vase and the chairs! Yummmy!

Check this out! Those are different types of chandeliers in that room. Beautiful! The picture isn’t half bad either:).

I like how bright and colorful this one is. The vintage cans of flowers are a nice touch.

I ran into those blog that I was pretty impressed with so I’m sending you to the blog post since it has so many great ideas. This is such a unique idea:

Alright, here’s my final piece of eye candy for the day! Flowers in water…oh how lovely!

Happy Friday and be sure and enter the Collections giveaway below:)!

I also found this darling etsy shop this week from an artist called greentrikepress. I’m really impressed by her book making work. It’s unique, practical, and beautiful all at once. Check out the darling stitching on this beauty!

My next is a dresser from Pier 1 Imports. While I’m a modern girl at heart, I really love the mixing and matching of things that feel old and traditional with things that are clean and modern. This would definately be a piece I would add into my home for character and warmth. It’s called the Alani 2-Door Chest. I like how feminine it is.

Okay, next up is maybe a little ridiculous to add to the favorite 5, but it’s been on my mind this last week so it must go on! Number four on the list today is the fabulous Airstream. The link will take you to the DWR 2009 airstream. Um, I’m not posting the price tag here.

It is has been on my mind because our next door neighbor (I will name him intellectual-fix-it-guy) has been working on an old airstream for the past several months. And with summer here, it’s hard not imagine all the adventures to be had in that thing:). Getting an older Airstream (apparently) is quite a deal and won’t cause you to commit a bank robbery like the brand new version.

Okay, the final favorite 5 may be a cliche at this point (I’ve seen it on SO many blogs for the giveaway), but I can’t help it. My new Madsen bike is the belle of the ball in our family. Yesterday, I even rode it in the rain to pick up Siri from a playdate. In all it’s light blue glory, I’m more than ever impressed with the design. As far as I’m concerned, it’s the Eames chair of bikes for mom’s and I’m SO happy to own one.

And that is the end of Favorite Friday for me this week! I had originally planned camping with my family this weekend, but the rain put a stop to it:(. So now I’m working on the contingency plan…tents in the living room and hot dogs via microwave anyone?

So this favorite friday is an ode to my catalog reading and the current color trends. The first is this mustard purse I picked up from Target yesterday. It’s the right price AND the right color! It fits both my large sketchbook AND my laptop. It’s a girl’s dream!

The next two are from the CB2. I got the catalog this week. I wasn’t overly impressed with the catalog with the exception of these two items: The acrylic box and the chopstick clothespin.

Completely ADORE these little clothespins. I’ve never seen any like this before and I’ll be ordering them SOON! I really believe it is the beautiful little things that make us the happiest. One of the little things on my desk I adore is my font card set. When I see that little red box it makes me SO happy. 

Alright, my last two items are from crate and barrel (it’s cb day apparently). With June around the corner, these struck me. They are called Zest Plates.

And the last one of the day is also a summer find from CB. Couldn’t you see using this on a bright rainy day with that beautiful stormy smell? This umbrella is called the Coby Eco. Hope you like! Happy Friday!