Travel & Design: Peruvian Style

Buenos dias mis amigos! If you've been wondering why I've been MIA for the last couple of weeks, it's because I was down in Peru visiting Lima, Andahuaylas, and Cuzco. I went down with an organization called Kids Alive International to serve in an orphanage in the small mountain town of Andahuaylas, inland from Lima. I can't even begin to tell you what an amazing experience it was with the friendships made, the amazing children, beautiful landscape, fantastic shopping, and lives changed.

Aside from spending time with the children, one of my favorite moments was when the director of the orphanage found out that I love DIY furniture upcycling and asked if I could re-finish a table for them. Of course I said YES! The table was nice solid wood, but the finish was a bit out-dated so I decided to sand it down (by hand, which was the biggest part of the job, but I enlisted some helpers). Here's the original:

Instructables: Changing the World of DIY

I hope you all had a fantastic holiday weekend! Now for most of us it's back to reality, and for many that means going back to work, and for very few, that is an enjoyable feat. Who finds going to work enjoyable?? Well, I know for a fact that the people who work at Instructables fall into this category. I'm willing to bet that most of them probably don't even call it work--it's their passion and they love what they do, so they will never work a day in their life (sound familiar?). This is something that many strive for, but few achieve so major props to all you bots people!

What is Instructables? So glad you asked! As an avid DIY-er this online community is like Mecca. Here you will find tutorials on everything from fashion to technology to your new favorite dinner recipe. And the best part? Anyone can be a part of this creative community and grow as artists, designers, foodies, etc., share our ideas, learn from each other, meet new people, make new discoveries, and enrich our lives in ways we never thought possible.

Today I had the pleasure of taking a tour of their INCREDIBLE workshop located at Pier 9 in San Francisco. Anything you could possibly imagine can be created in this workshop--I'm not exaggerating. This state-of-the-art facility includes a cutting edge digital fabrication lab, a woodworking shop, a metalworking shop, a 3D printing lab, laser cutting and printing capabilities, an electronics workshop, a commercial test kitchen, and an industrial sewing center as well as smaller specialty project areas. Here's a little sneak peak:

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Ready to get to work? I sure am! Here are some of my favorite Instrucables so far:

The Honeycomb Pinboard:

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I think I'd use different colors, but this is definitely a contender for my wall above my desk! Black, white, and gold perhaps?

The Laser Cut Light Fixture:

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How cool is this? I love the pattern they chose, but it also gets my mind reeling with the infinite possibilities with this project as far as pattern, shape, color, texture....now I just need to get my hands on a laser cutter...more on that later ;)

Big and Beautiful Bed Headboard

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I've been wanting to make a tufted headboard for years now but for some reason just haven't gotten to it. This method, however, looks to be much easier and just as effective (if not more!) This one looks pretty modern, but if you just change up the fabric you could achieve any style or mood you want.

These are just a few selections from their thousands of tutorials, and it keeps growing every day! So if you are in need of a little creative outlet, spend some time checking out the amazing things you can make at home from Instructables and the creative community that surrounds it, come join!

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Stars and Stripes Forever

Happy "Friday" my friends! I hope you are looking forward to this long weekend as much as I am. This sounds weird to say, but I keep forgetting that it's summer because it's so cold and foggy here in San Francisco, especially where I live (near the ocean). Due to these misty mornings and cool evenings, this 4th of July holiday really snuck up on me!

When it comes to holidays, I always say, thank goodness for Pinterest (well I say thank goodness for Pinterest for almost anything) so I thought I'd share some of my favorite red white and blue pins with all of you...

Follow the jump to see more...

Featured Designer: Tord Boontje

Happy Friday! I'm so excited for the weekend, first of all it's a three day weekend for me which means more time for projects. Lately I have been fascinated by unique light fixtures, particularly pendant lights. As I was browsing Houzz (one of my absolute favorite resources for local designers, inspiration, products, and more!) and I came across this gorgeous brass garland pendant by Tord Boontje (don't ask me how to pronounce THAT one!). Take a look:

It was love at first sight, and I got even more excited when I discovered that you actually form it yourself so each one is unique. I will definitely be investing in one of these puppies as soon as my wallet allows. The best part is, they aren't that expensive! I found the one pictured above on Amazon for only $72 with free shipping!

Tord is a designer from the Netherlands who has worked with a range of international companies such as Shiseido, Yamaha, Hewlett Packard, Bisazza, Target, Philips, Kvadrat, Alexander McQueen, Perrier-Jouët, Nanimarquina, Artecnica, Authentics, Meta and has continued his work with Swarovski, Moroso, and Habitat. In addition to his beautiful lighting designs, he also has an array of tableware, jewelry, fashion, accessories, stationary, and books. Check out his online store here. 

All of his work is very whimsical and enchanting. Here are a few of my other favorite things by him:

Lake platter in ocean:

Transglass, made from recycled bottles:

Table Stories: a collection of porcelain and glass tableware filled with drawings of flowers, deer, squirrel, birds, bear, butterflies, horses, bunnies and a peacock:

Have a fantastic weekend, until next time!!

xo

Design Dish with Michaela Warner

Happy hump day my friends! Today I will be sharing my interview with the beautiful and talented interior designer Michaela Warner of Michaela Noelle Designs. As I develop as a designer, I find that learning from others is imperative--whether they are decades ahead of me in their career or just a few years, there is always something to learn and I get to have fun in the process!

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Like me, Michaela was born and raised in the beautiful San Francisco bay area. How lucky we are to live in a place that is so diverse and inspiring! After discovering her blog and falling in love with her aesthetic and approach, I reached out to see if she would be willing to answer a few questions for my blog and she very kindly accepted! Yay! Since she is now living in Michigan, she agreed to a virtual interview. Take a peek:

When did your passion for interiors begin?

 I've always loved decorating, being creative, and crafting things for my room or house (or my parent's house!) It wasn't until freshman year of high school when I realized I could ACTUALLY do this for a living and go to school to become a designer. The passion for interiors and homes has always been there, though. I used to draw floor plans on scratch paper and then come home and build the floor plans out of block all across my bedroom floor!

follow the jump to read more!

Etsy Stores Worth Visiting

Etsy is one of my favorite sites to scour for treasures. It is jam-packed with talented DIY-ers selling their products. It can be so exciting to find something you love for your home as well as support independent business owners. You are also more likely to get unique pieces that few others will have, which is always a plus in my book! Here are some of my latest discoveries from this amazing online marketplace...

DendroCo

If you are a fan of reclaimed wood and wrought iron hairpin legs (which I LOVE), then this is the store for you. Based out of Chicago, Il, they make everything from reclaimed wood dining tables, to benches, bar stools, coffee tables, wine racks, media stands, chairs, kitchen counters, and much more! And their prices aren't bad either, the console table pictured below is only $180.

Sukan

I'm crazy into tribal patterns/kilim rugs right now and this store has some incredible throw pillows I've been drooling over... With over 70 pages of inventory, you are bound to find something you'll love!

mahzerandvee

"Home accessories in Color" is how this husband and wife team describSes their store. They are obsessed with 

color and you can tell by looking at their pieces! Usually you see busts in white or grey, natural stone tones. 

But mahzerandvee takes it to a whole new level...take a look:

Antique Collection India

You may recall that I'm a big fan of textiles from India from this post. Kantha quilts are so beautiful and are made from old sari scraps so each one is unique. They are fantastic to fold up at the end of your bed to add a punch of color, or to throw on the couch for a cozy evening in. I selected this Etsy shop in particular due to their amazingly low prices!

Panselinos

This shop based out of Thessaloniki, Greece boasts beautiful geometric light fixtures and organically shaped paper mache bowls in beautiful pastels and metallic shades:

Next week I will be interviewing a special guest, so stay tuned!!!!

Bohemian Birthday Party

Hello friends!

Its been way too long since my last post, things have been crazy! This weekend I had the opportunity to host my sister's 25th birthday party. We decided on a bohemian backyard theme, and of course I ran with it. She and I scoured our grandparents and parents garage for supplies--including everything from rugs to chandeliers and everything in between. I even ended up creating a DIY pvc pipe cabana which my little niece decided was her 'castle'. It was a beautiful and intimate gathering, take a look....