Shabby Chic Flag Banners!

These whole fabric and paper flag banner things have become such a trend lately - I figured it was time to finally do a post on them. Here are some of my faves. I love this shabby chic style that can be customized for any event :) I am just wondering...is it overdone? Is it a trend that will die out?

I'm Back!!!

It has been FAR TOO LONG since I have been able to sit down and get to blogging! I have missed it so much! My little brother graduated college, we went on a family vacation, I went to a destination wedding in Cancun, moved to a new apartment, been busy at work...it's been nuts! But I am back now and ready to share a ton :)

Being that I just moved, I have been thinking a lot about decorating and furniture. One of my main challenges over the past few weeks has been figuring out the seating in my living room/dining room area. I only have enough room really for one main couch and a chair, so I have been trying to come up with some other ideas. I seem to be drawn to the idea of cute floor cushions or putting cushions in front of the fireplace. Today I came across these awesome retro {bean bag chairs} on Etsy and had to share! LOVE them!

Outdoor Essentials for Spring :)

With the weather warming up these days, I have been dreaming of having my own home with a beautiful backyard for entertaining and relaxing. What better place to go for furniture and other outdoor living essentials than {Crate&Barrel} One day...

Ya ya ya...I love me some GREEN!

Goldiehome ~ Eco-Conscious Homewares

I came across the home furnishing designs by {Goldiehome} on the {2Modern Blog}. Not only are the designs beautiful and sophisticated, but the products are also eco-conscious and inspired by the geometry and tactility of nature. Goldiehome has begun to set a whole new standard for luxurious organic modern design, all made from certified organic cotton.

Before & After (via D*S)

This Before & After was far too beautiful not to share, for those of you who don't follow {Design*Sponge} and haven't already seen it. It probably helped just a little that they used my favorite color green :)

LoBoheme ~ Vintage Inspired Hair Accessories

These elegant vintage inspired hair accessories are becoming more and more popular and I love them more each time I see them! Here is a collection from {LoBoheme}, a small design team in San Diego (wife, husband, and dog), Lauren (Lo), Josh, and Tank Christensen. Lo is the designer and takes care of the creative end of Lo Boheme, with the inspiration and technological savvy coming from her sweets, Josh and Tank. I guess it runs in the family, because her mom is also creative! She makes custom ties for weddings, as well as custom made vintage handkerchief ring bearer pillows sold at her Etsy.com shop {Tux & Tulle}.

Moufelt!

So here is another post about {felt}. I really like how clean cut and simple these coasters and trivets are. Also, the necklaces that incorporate the felt are pretty sweet too! Nicely done {Moufelt}. Felt, in my opinion has a very warm and vintage feel to them but the way they have designed and created these is quite contemporary.

Fabric Yo-Yo Mobil :)

Here is another one of my sewing projects! I decided to made a nursery mobile out of fabric yo-yos. I am not a huge fan of the mobiles with hanging plastic toys, so I wanted to come up with a shabby chic elegant option. These will soon be for sale on my {Etsy.com} shop - check back soon :)

London Townhouse

Check out Beth's amazing {townhouse} in London, found on {Apartment Therapy}. Her parents bought this townhouse in the 60s, 2 weeks before her birth. When Beth was given the opportunity to move back into the family home 4 years ago and she didn't hesitate. She was able to respectfully renovate, maintaining the building's aesthetic and an interior that is reminiscent of the time it was bought. I love the retro furnishings and accents throughout the place, along with the charming mix of contemporary and vintage style.

Dimmalimm

I don't know about everyone else, but I always seem to forget which glass of wine is mine after setting it down among others'. The slip-on coasters are not only functional as coasters and a way to known which one is yours, but are beautiful as well! {Dimmalimm} is a mother/daughter team from Iceland working independently with Los Angeles designers on fashion development. They are 3rd and 4th generation dressmakers and have been working together on things such as costumes, interior textiles, and high fashion since the early 90's. From time to time they are inspired to do their own projects and sell them, these being some of them. They are believers in ethical manufacturing and sustainable fabrics, so they make all of their products and fabrics are purchased from local vendors. I love these pillows as well!

Handmade Fabric Napkin Rings

This weekend was all about (much overdue) resting, sleeping in, enjoying downtown, and best of all catching up on some therapeutic craft time. I did some serious damage to my wallet at {The Cotton Ball} in Morro Bay as I have done before...and here is what I came up with for my first project using my new fabrics! Stay tuned for more to come :) These will be for sale soon when I get my {Etsy} shop up and running!

AND THE WINNER IS...

#4 - Lexsea Mann - CONGRATULATIONS!

The winner was selected using {Random.org}

Here is her selection and reason for picking it:
"I loved the {Alessi - Mediterraneo Kitchen Jar Collection} with the red coral pattern over the clear, crisp jars. I inherited my mom's sand collection (little jars filled with sand from all over the world) that I keep in the kitchen. I think these jars with the whole mediterranean, ocean-feel would look great next to these smaller glass sand-filled jars. Plus, I love keeping my kitchen looking neat and contained... and these would be perfect to keep something I use often in."

Here are some of the other items selected by readers:

Thanks for entering and thanks so much to {AllModern.com} for this opportunity!

AllModern.com GIVEAWAY!!!

Hello all - I am happy to announce Traditionally Modern Design's first opportunity for a GIVEAWAY! The gracious people over at {AllModern.com} would like to give my readers(US and Canada residents only)an opportunity to win something from their site that is worth up to $70.

Here is what you need to do to enter the random drawing:
1. Check out {AllModern.com} and pick one item you would like that costs no more that $70.
2. Comment on this post with a link to the item you chose with a good explanation as to why
you chose it.
3. Post a link to this blog or specifically about the giveaway on any social networking sites you may be a part of and then comment here that you did so
4. Subscribe to the RSS fee of this blog and/or become a follower
5. Be sure to leave a valid email address with your comment or email me with your contact information - info.tmdesigns@gmail.com - so I can let you know if you win :) If you choose to email me with your contact information, please include the username that you left a comment with.

All those that I feel have a well thought out reason for choosing the item you chose will be entered into a random drawing which will be held in 10 days - October 5, 2009 and the winner will be announced that evening.

{AllModern.com} has a wide range of {contemporary furniture} and decor by hundreds of designers and well known brands,for any room of your house. Take a look around and I look forward to seeing what you all find!

Miss Ruby Sue

Lori, a 35 year old mother of 4, is the designer for {Miss Ruby Sue}. Her company first launched in 2008 and has immediately become a recognized national label - Small Magazine, Good Morning America, The View, and the Today Show have already featured her work, as well as celebrity clients like Tory Johnson, author of "Women For Hire", Courtney Love (no description needed), Joy Baher, co-host of 'The View', Letitia, CEO of Dujior Magazine, Kevin Laur from Etsy Administration, Elizabeth Kartchner, Sarah Miller, editor from the well know "The Knot" Magazine.

You can now find her "Angles Song' and 'Anthropology' necklaces (the first two designs above) in select Anthropologie stores in the United States.

Miss Ruby Sue creates beautifully charming designs in bold colors and artistic patterns, giving any woman who wears it a free spirit and making them stand out among a crowd. For those getting married, she creates high impact jewelry - which is currently making its way into the "wedding world". These pieces are specially made without striking colors if that is not your desire. She will work with you to create something that will help make your special day unforgettable.

Baby Shower! Cupcakes! Decorations! Sewing!

So, last weekend was my friend's baby shower - it was amazing! This was also my friend {Natalie} and my first attempt at doing a dessert spread - A few different kinds of beautifully decorated cupcakes, brownie pops, and fruit skewers. Many props go to our friend Tabitha, for her amazing decorating skills - it looked wonderful down to every little detail: the hanging onesies, the cute drink buckets, the appetizer table, the chalkboard, the small vases wrapped with beautiful ribbon, the stylish paper chains, the adorable "about to hatch" egg timer favors for everyone, and much, much more! Check out the handmade elephant stuffed animal and handmade flannel burp clothes made by our friend {Tricia}.

Below is the gift I sewed for the guest of honor ~ a nursing cover!

Felt good to sew again!

It had been far too long since I had last done a sewing project, so what better time than a baby's first birthday!? Here they are, the blanket and dressed I sewed for baby Tveen :) Check back soon for a picture of her wearing the dress!

The pattern for the dress is my own take on one from {Mani-Mina} on Etsy. The pattern for the flower was found on {Sew Ritzy Titzy}.

I was gonna just wrap it in a usual gift box, but I felt like using a plain brown bag instead and dressing it up with some paper and ribbon I picked up at {Paper Sky} here in {San Luis Obispo}.

Thread Reel Holder

This is a pretty cool DIY project I found on {Kootoyoo} made by Kirsty, from Melbourne. I always love finding creative storage ideas that look nice at the same time. Living in a pretty small apartment with very little storage space, finding room for my sewing machine, fabrics, thread and all the other supplies is quite difficult. Here is one way to solve my problem! Using an {IKEA} frame and some free pencils, she was able to create this space saving solution. She shaved the pencils down so the cotton reels would fit over them, then spacing the pencils evenly apart on the frame, she glued the ends down using PVA glue. For the most part she tried to match the pencil color to the thread color. This also serves as wall art for your creative space.

Lamp Sweaters

New EU regulations are aiming to prohibit the sale of non-CFL bulbs in Europe. In an effort to improve the quality of light emitted by CFL as well as the look of them, designer {Lise Lefebvre} from Amsterdam has been knitting these mohair covers using a seamless 3D knitting machine. She also knits a long tail that covers the ugly cables. Due to the low temperature of CFL bulbs, there is no risk of the covers catching fire. The cover comes in different sizes and patterns to accommodate many types of CFL bulbs.

Karen Barbé - Textile Designer

I love textile design, so imagine how happy I was to come across the work of {Karen Barbé} from Santiago, Chile. She is a very talented textile designer, printing her own designs as well as producing beautiful felted crafts. Once I am able to set aside some time to do some sewing, the project I want to start is a duvet cover similar to this one! Check out her {blog} for more of her work.

DIY Upholstered Toddler Bed

This is a great DIY project by Gabrielle Blair of {Design Mom} She is a designer/art director and mother of five in New York who posts on where design and motherhood intersect. This toddler bed was featured on {Design*Sponge} - check it out for detailed instructions.