oh and ......

Marimekko on my Mind

I've been wanting to insert some bold art into my ho-hum living room. I've got a big canvas that I'm kind of sick of looking at. I wish I were lucky enough to come across some great abstract art like Jenny scored, but haven't found any great finds yet. My friend Annie scored this on shopgoodwill.com:

Has anyone had luck at shopgoodwill.com? Looks like there might be some great steals if you take the time to keep looking. I had my eye on this, but just couldn't pull the trigger at $120. After I looked up the artist, it actually looked like a good deal, but chickened out.

I've been debating covering the large canvas that's currently on the wall with fabric of some sort. Thought about creating my own, and still might, but also thought a great Marimekko would be a nice choice. I think I can just stretch the fabric over my existing piece, and the original piece would stay in tact in case I decide to change it back.

I've loved Marimekko since my older sister got a Marimekko comforter in 7th grade, I think it was this one:

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Cute in a vintage 80s kind of way, right?

Love this vintage one...

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Really LOVE this one-- 

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Some more Marimekko inspiration, are you digging it?

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barbie nostalgia

Hope everyone had a nice Christmas! Whether you celebrate it or not, for most of you it was a day off work to spend time with your families--- hope everyone savored every moment! We had a sick little lady, so we were split up on Christmas night, but were able to dope up the girl enough to get out for Christmas Eve where we celebrated with my family.

For Christmas, my mom gave Phoebe my sister and I's old Barbies. I was in such a nostalgia shock! It really is a trip to have something brought back to you that you haven't seen in 30 years. Especially because I spent so many magical hours dreaming up glamourous Barbie scenarios. The clothes are hilarious and inspiring. Some of them hand made. Totally groovy and hip. Nostalgia is such a weird thing-- I kind of crave it. Takes me back to an innocent dreamy world. I suppose since my memory is extra horrible-- nostalgia takes over and it's more of a feeling than really an exact memory.

Anyhoo--- here's what I've been playing with the last few days! This is the case they came in-- white vinyl, complete with my name scribbled on the side. Isn't the picture lovely!?

Even my son and my nephews couldn't keep their hands off Ken!

If you want to take a walk down memory lane-- check out the whole gang complete with vintage yellow bicycle on Instagram. 

Have a groovy day!

HAPPY HABITAT GIFT CARDS!

It's not too late to give a Happy Habitat Gift Card for an iPhone case, Eco Throw or Eco Pillow....

Gift Cards can be emailed to you for instant last minute gifts! Find them all HERE.

Holiday Shipping for iPhone cases

It's not too late to order a Happy Habitat iPhone case as a gift for this holiday season--- but there's only ONE day left. Get it in by the 12th, and no extra shipping charges to arrive before Christmas.

I've also added a few new items to the shop:

Skinny Chevron-- a smaller, dizzier version of the original Zigzag.

And see the little letter there in the corner-- that's new too! Just a little more subtle than the larger, centered initial, this one comes in lowercase letters and just a simple circle. You can get this option on any pattern:

And if you don't get your order in by the 12th-- gift cards are always perfect.

The Boy's Room Update

Man it takes me forever to complete a project. I know I'm not the only one out there with design ADD. 5 projects happening at once, and NO time to complete any of them. I did manage to get Reece's bedding done. And I have to say, I love it. Not sure if I mentioned, but when Reece turned 8, I surprised him with a new room. Well-- he knew about some of it. He picked out patterns for his bedding, and colors. And picked out the color of his walls. No, he didn't specifically pick out Newburg Green, but he said dark blue, and I went with it. His favorite color is turquoise, so that was the other color, and I added grey. Because that's what moms do-- add the ugly boring color.

So the custom bedding was kind of a prototype, as I'm thinking of adding bedding to my shop. I designed the fabric, and made the duvet myself. I'm not a good seamstress, so I will definitely be looking for a professional manufacturer. I'm not sure how I feel about the duvet. I'm kind of thinking that it's just going to be a pain in the butt and wiggle around in there and become all lumpy and annoying--- as if a kids room with all their junk isn't annoying in itself-- don't want to add with bedding that bugs. So, we'll see how this works, and it might have to be changed to a 'comforter'-- and if that's the case, that's what I'll add in the shop. Here's what we came up with:

It reverses to look like this:

I think I like the honeycomb side better:

So we added a few other things besides paint and bedding, but just minor. A few things stayed, like his Tad Carpenter prints. The frames just got a coat of white spray paint. I do love these, but sometimes wonder if this is why he can't go to sleep at night when he wakes up all freaked out in the middle of the night.

I was glad anything we had painted turquoise from his previous room still fit, so that all stayed the same. And I was able to custom match the color into his bedding. So the corner cabinet remained.

Hooks stayed:

And the turquoise toy chest stayed too:

By the way... the magnet board did not stay with the industrial strength velcro, not that it wouldn't hold it, but the sticky part wouldn't stay stuck to the wall. I had to poke a nail through with a hammer, then screw it in.

We brought up an old desk so he has somewhere to do his homework... so had to supply him with some cool office supplies. Added some task lighting that I scored from Ikea from my trip to Denver (yes, it is dented as the thing is freaking heavy and I dropped it down my stairs.)

and kind of cool that it can swing around and be used as lighting for his bed:

So with the exception of an art project that we were going to do together, his room is pretty much done. All in all HE is happy and loves hanging out in his room now with his friends and just by himself. I'm pretty happy with the bedding so far, and am going to look into manufacturing a few different patterns and color ways. 

Oh--- I feel it necessary to give a disclosure here that his bed will never again look like it does in these pictures. I do not have time to make his bed every day, and his version of 'making a bed' is well, not so pretty. And as I took these pictures, I had to clear out legos, hex bugs, nerf guns and other miscellaneous boys stuff to have a clean shot of whatever I was photographing. So yes, I have a regular messy boy, but hopefully it all look good even when it's messy!

**UPDATE** Reece's room has been included in Emily Clark's Kids Spaces Link Up and there's a Pottery Barn Kids Giveaway! Click below.

John Robshaw + Martyn Lawrence Bullard = Perfection.

I want to jump inside the December issue of Elle Decor. Just want to lay down with a good book on John Robshaw's block print sofa, or sip mojitos with friends in Martyn Lawrence Bullard's patio. All of it is so delicious. Indian and Moroccan inspiration--- my faves. 

Starting with Mr. Robshaw...

So that painting is his. Cool, right?. World traveler, textile designer and artist. Love everything about this space. 

Let's talk about that chair. It is sooooo sexy. Black leather, straps. It's like a manly corset. Okay, that just painted kind of a weird picture, but on the chair it works.

The shape of the headboard is fantastic. Love all the layered textiles and mix of patterns. 

Next up Mr. Bullard. Like Robshaw, his latest musings have been inspired by his travels to India, but everywhere I look, I see Moroccan tile motifs:

This is actually his fabric covering the walls and ceiling. Fabulous.

Again with the Moroccan tile motif on the floor.  The rug by his own design. Love those brass Indian lanterns.

Where do I begin? What an amazing oasis. 

PERFECTION.

Easy Magnet Board for the Boy's Room

 So the Newburg Green (blue) is up on the walls and it is awesome. I want to paint my bathroom, dining room and my own bedroom Newburg Green. Is it weird to paint 2 rooms in your house the same color? Probably not if it's something neutral, right? Well, this isn't neutral, but because it has a lot of grey in it, it almost feels neutral. I can't get enough of it. I hang out in Reece's room all the time because it feels so good! I'll take some more pics when his bedding is finished, but here's a little peak.

He needed somewhere to show off his photos, art projects, etc., and while the homasote bulletin board was fun, I thought tacks would be a pain. I bought this forEVER ago, just never put it up, so I can't remember exactly how much it was, but I think it was like 20 bucks or so. It's just plain sheet metal from Home-Depot. Take a magnet with you... not all sheet metal is magnetic. I put it up with industrial Velcro. (Guy at the store claimed it could hold a flat screen tv, so I went with it.) SO freaking easy. I can't even call this a DIY, because it's really just taping the thing to the wall. I thought about painting a frame edge around it, but thought it was just best left alone.

Love the way the turquoise looks with the grey/blue walls. And as you can see I ended up scoring a chevron rug from Rugs USA (75% OFF! They have killer sales on holidays, but act quick because the sales disappear before you know it.)

Needed some more magnets, and for some reason had some plain round magnet discs-- glued gunned those to the back of some Lego minifigures (I got permission to use the lame ones) to use for more magnets. Kind of fun, right?

More to come on the room as it get finished up-- almost there!

Anthology Magazine + Happy Habitat

Have you checked out Anthology Magazine before? It's a fancy super hip magazine that you can get at Anthropologie and a few other select stores (no where in Kansas or Missouri, only at Anthropologie.) It has beautiful photography and thick pages to thumb through. Every year they put out a digital Holiday Gift Guide, and this year the Happy Habitat Ikat Throw was included! There's some fantastic stuff in there, I'm happy to be among so many thoughtful products, let alone part of such a beautifully designed magazine (how great is that cover!?)

Thanks to the kind folks at Anthology! You made my day!

On a coincidental side note (because there's ALWAYS a coincidental side note with me): as I was looking through Flora Grubb's lovely shop, I came across a birthday gift I just received that I'm in LOVE with-- this glass terrarium. She shows them with air plants and it can hang, but mine is a bit heavy as it's filled with cactuses that were taken from the gift givers personal stash (well, her mother's cactus collection). Pretty cool to pass that along, I hope I can keep them alive--  it LOVES my south window though, so I think my thumb is looking green!

Winter Eco Throws

I designed some new stuff, and it's in the shop now.

I can't stop.

I already have more designs coming in and I've hardly gotten to sell these!

So look. And buy.

And then there will be more. 

Oh, and if you like, you may want to check out Facebook.

New Holiday Eco Pillows and Throws in the SHOP!

Happy Habitat has new Recycled Cotton Eco Throws and Pillow Covers 

in the shop just in time for winter! 

In neutral colors: Linen and Pewter

And in Holiday Brights!

Check out the Holiday Section in the shop for more!

And if you like what you see--- "like" Happy Habitat on Facebook for a special offer coming soon! 

Grey Stained Furniture

I've got grey on the mind after being at Emily's house. She painted her walls a soft grey, grey sectional from West Elm, might do a grey chevron rug, grey fabric. I know it sounds like a lot, but it's so soooooothing. Neutral, but not tan (ewwww!) EVERYthing looks good with grey-- yellow, red, navy, turquoise. I want to makeover my whole house in greys. But on my mind now is my kitchen table. It's always been too big for the space, and I took the top off the pedestal bottom because at some point my mom chopped the kitchen table to make it coffee table. When I took it, I bought an icky wrought iron base, and stuck the thing on top. It's kind of cool because I guess someone owed my grandfather money, and that's how he paid him-- with a handmade table. As it is a bit too large for our kitchen, I'd love to make it back into the coffee table, and stain it GREY! The lacquer is coming off, and it needs to be refinished anyway. This will totally create a snowball affect of having to buy this table for the kitchen, then a new TV and console for the TV room (the huge armoir won't fit with the coffee table!),  and while I'm at it, might as well get new kitchen chairs for the new table. I'm thinking these.

I'm loving the grey wash I'm seeing on wood. This is about how I picture what the pedestal table would look like, but shorter as a coffee table.

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They call this grey wash... not sure what the difference between stain and wash is, but nice.

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West Elm's Blog: Front & Main

Did you know West Elm has a blog!? I LOVE West Elm, probably as much as Anthropologie. I want to live in their catalogs. The colors, the earthy, handmade feel. They have really nailed it the last few years. Had such a great experience in Denver, and have been scouring their website lately, and came across their blog: Front & Main. What I love about it: 1) they feature real artisans, found on Etsy, and elsewhere. I love that a large corporate company is making an effort to get in touch with individual designers-- it's a great connection. 2) Your Open House- Home Run. This is genius marketing on their part, they show homes of everyday people and how they used their West Elm products. And lucky for them, their products are so outstanding that ALL the photos are actually great. I kind of expected some crap in there, but they really make it look like you can't mess it up with their pieces. Great inspiration.

Okay, so here comes the plug. As I was looking through, I about shat my pants when I saw this: 

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A Happy Habitat Eco Throw featured with a West Elm headboard! So cool to be on their blog, and I love what Sheena did with the Fretwork Throw. 
If you have photos of your Eco Throws in your house--- I'd LOVE to see them!
Send them my way at happyhabitat@att.net.