I heart decor8 and Ikea!

Holly from decor8 posted this link recently (though I'm not sure when because I'm so behind on my blog reading!) and I had to pass it on to those of you who don't read decor8. Plus, I just went to Ikea today!

hehe click here!

Mind you, I don't understand a word, but still cool none the less... when are we getting a US site? I think its a fabulous idea and a great marketing tool for them! I always want to see how folks use different pieces of furniture/accessories and colors in their own places - people are so creative!!

In the meantime, if you're handy and not aware of the cool blog Ikeahacker you should check it out! Not related to the Ikea tv site in any way, I just figured while I was on the topic of Ikea I might as well share!

One last Ikea note, if you haven't seen it or received it in the mail yet, the Ikea 2009 catalogue is out! If I find anything interesting for any of your projects I know about, I'll be sure to post images/links this weekend! You can view the online version here or by clicking the image of it above. Like I said, I heart Ikea.

West Elm: How to create a gallery wall at home

I got my latest West Elm e-mail with a link to some of their new frames and art. The cool thing is that they have a link to a pdf that gives some cool instructions on how to create a gallery wall like the one in the picture above! The method they've posted can be used with their artwork alone or combined with your own pictures or artwork that you may have purchased via Etsy.

Click here for the pdf.

Warning, in their instructions they specifically say you have to buy their artwork and frames because they've include "patterns" with each frame. These patterns are basically a piece of paper the size of the frame. You can use any frame at home along with the blank side of some paper to create your own "pattern" and layout on the wall.

If what I'm saying makes no sense, try the following instructions:

1. take any frame you have and lay it over some paper (wrapping paper if its a big frame).

2. trace around the frame and cut that piece out.

3. then turn your frame over to show the back, and lay the cut piece of paper over it to make a mark where the nails have to be.

4. tape this piece of paper on the wall (with painters tape) where you want it.

5. nail through the mark you made on your paper.

Now you could do this with several different frames and pieces of paper to create a layout on the wall and just hook your pictures on and you're good to go with that gallery feel! I happen to like some of their art stuff and I know some of my Brooklyn peeps will like the Brooklyn print!

If you have a wall at home where you've displayed a collage of artwork like the one above, please share a picture or add a comment on how you curated your wall, where you found the artwork and how you hung it up!

$1 finds from Domino Magazine

Quicky post! Check out Domino Magazine's site to see their new $1 gallery!

Click here!

Ahhhh to blog

So I've been feeling design deficient lately. I guess its because I'm doing a million other things, and trying to learn photography at the same time. Anyway let's get back to basics for a minute shall we?

Blogs I've been following, click the pic to get to the blog:

Rang Decor: Ideas Predominantly Indian

Archana of Rang Decor has it right. This is one of my most favorite blogs to follow, she's always very inspiring, and in fact it was one of the few blogs that inspired me to start my own. Not to mention, hellloooooo - its all about Indian design!! How cool that someone has chosen to focus on the beautiful patterns, colors, and views of India.

Simply Photo

Jen from Simply Photo does exactly what I'd like to be diligent and creative enough to do every single day! And that is, share beautiful pictures with her readers. I love this blog for the beautiful images and her great eye.

Design is Mine

Summer from Design is Mine is another one of my faves. This blog is a must-visit as well, she includes all aspects of design from decorating to fashion to food!!! She even has another blog dedicated to food called Bread and Honey, which is filled with beautiful images and great recipe ideas!

I encourage you to visit these blogs to get your daily dose of inspiration! Trust me, you'll thank me!!

Mission: Breakfast

This morning I woke up with a mission in mind. My mission: Make a frittata. I looked up a few recipes and realized that the base is pretty much the same and I could make any kind of frittata I wanted! Here is the base I used:

6 eggs
1 cup of milk
2 tbsp butter (melted)

In the fridge (which has pretty much been empty for a few weeks) I had an onion, a tomato, a red pepper that had gone bad (and thus unusable), sliced chorizo, a tiny bit of leftover shredded cheese and a block of jalapeño jack cheese. And that is ALL i had in my fridge after I removed the milk, eggs and butter!!

Onion
Tomato
Sliced Chorizo
Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Jalapeño Jack Cheese
Parmesan Cheese


I shredded the sliced chorizo and then sauteed it with diced onions and a diced tomato. I poured this mixture into the egg base and whisked it a bit with some parmesan cheese. I poured this concoction into a greased baking dish then topped it with diced jalapeño jack cheese, shredded cheddar cheese (about 2 tbsp), and more thinly sliced chorizo. This stuff appeared to sink, but when the thing came out of the oven it definitely helped to form a crust on top. Then I baked it at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. WA-LA, out came this beautifully golden crusted tasty creation... I know, I impressed myself. I highly recommend this as a brunchy type meal, or a "now i feel guilty for eating that" meal. It is mighty tasty!

Wordle

Liz from 20somethingknowitall recently posted about a cool site called wordle. She posted what her resume looked like all wordled, so I thought it'd be interesting to try it myself!! This is what happened when I put my blog into wordle!

image from http://wordle.net/

Thanks for sharing Liz! I love the way this looks, and the options to change the layout and colors are so cool and convenient! Try it and post links to your own wordle!

Now, off to opening night of johnpaulgeorgeringo, a one man show about the fab four that I've been involved with! If you are a beatles fan or would like to attend, tickets are available on ticketweb for $15 or through the FringeNYC website as it is part of the New York International Fringe Festival.

Decision 2008

So the big question was... "How will we find a photographer?" Wade can attest to the fact that the search has been hard because I consider photography to be one of my favorite hobbies.

A little over a week ago, I met with the lovely Jen Huang. I've posted a few of her pictures on A Bella Life before, but she has just launched a gorgeous website so you should check it out here. You can see Jen's latest photos on her blog as well. If you enjoy her work, you'll be able to tell her yourself at our wedding, woo hoo! I'm so relieved!! She is bright, energetic, super talented and as you can tell I'm really excited that she will be shooting the wedding!