Monday's Mood Board Is Squeaky Clean!

Happy Monday everyone! I took a little break to work on an exciting project with a fantastic on-line shop, Shop Ten 25! Soon we'll be revealing all the fun details about that project. For now I'm back in my studio (finally) and it's time for another Monday Mood Board!

Today's MMB is inspired by the bathrooms I've been working on lately along with some terrific bath accessories from some of my favorite on-line shops! First up are these Nesting Jars from Restoration Hardware. What girl doesn't need more storage? Cotton balls, bath salts, you're all set. 

Maybe it's the sunny weather but I'm loving these Polka Dot Bath Towels from Garnet Hill. They just make me smile. Something else that makes me smile is this gorgeous Flora Mirror (that doubles as a piece of art - don't you think?) from Shop Ten 25. Also from Shop Ten 25 is this Faux Crocodile Skin Waste Basket. If anyone can make a Waste Basket look divine, it would be them! And who wouldn't love a cushy, white Polka Dot Rug from Layla Grayce? So fabulous! Last but not least, one can never have enough make-up bags. This one is by my friend, Lindsey, over at The Pleated Poppy. All her product are original and fresh. Love, love, love them!

So what's up with the ballet shoes? Some of you may know that I've been a dancer and a dance teacher for more years than I'll ever post (Eeeek!) and lately I've been messing around with painting dancers...and dance stuff... so I thought, what the heck? I'll throw in a little painting within a painting, just for fun!

1 Lollia Bath Salt Sachet from Layla Grayce 2 Silver Crocodile Waste Basket from Shop Ten 25 3 Flora Mirror from Shop Ten 25 4 White Polka Dot Bath Mat from Layla Grayce 5 Polka Dot Towels from Garnet Hill 6 Storage Jars from Restoration Hardware 7 Sweet Dots Zippered Pouch from The Pleated Poppy

Monday’s Mood Board – Taking Time To Smell The Roses!

Last week we launched our Vintage Rose Pillows and Fabric and ever since, it seems everywhere I look, I see Roses! We have several varieties lining our courtyard in the front of our home and they are all “just about” ready to take off. A few of the early bloomers are already cut and placed around my home.

Other than the typical places to have arranged flowers, I personally like to have flowers in every bathroom too. It offers a little element of thoughtfulness that one doesn’t usually expect. I add a small clipping of jasmine and it keeps the room smelling wonderful all day and night. Side note: I love Jasmine too and have it planted under all our bedroom windows. In spring the entire house smells divine.

This little, red vase inspired the design of our powder room, The Red Bathroom as everyone calls it. We built our house over nine years ago and I still love the color of this room.

Monday’s Mood Board is full of Rose Inspired décor for the home. I hope you’ll take time to stop and Smell The Roses this week!

1 Wall Decal 2 Place Setting 3 Rose Knobs ETSY 4 Melamine Plate ETSY 5 Vintage Rose Fabric 6 Rose Wall Paper 

Monday's Mood Board...Black & Yellow!

Monday’s Mood Board celebrates the launch of my new Vintage Rose Fabric and Pillows! Yay! I’ve always loved Black & Yellow together so it was really timely when a new client of mine told me her daughter wanted to do a yellow bedroom. Yellow is a tricky color, especially for a bedroom. You want to make sure the yellow is a warm yellow and avoid the bright yellows that have a green undertone to them. That type of yellow is an agitating color and not conducive to rest. Even the yellow in my watercolor is too bright (but fun for a watercolor) which is why I want to mention that to you.

I’ve included some fun finds in the room.  My client has a long window above her bed. Instead of covering it with a traditional window covering I wanted to treat it with something more unique. I saw the work of this ETSY artist and thought it would be terrific if they could create a wood cut-out that I could insert inside the window frame.

Another great find on ETSY were these chevron storage baskets. Tuck them inside a bench at the foot of the bed for extra storage.

By now you know I love the work of Jill Rosenwald and think her lamps are amazing. You can’t go wrong when searching for beautiful furniture and accessories when shopping at LaylaGrayce which is where the beautiful side tables and chandelier are from.

I couldn’t fit everything I wanted into today’s Mood Board so Wednesday I will post a follow up of some more ideas I want to  do in this room. Happy Monday everyone!

1 Vintage Rose Pouf & Pillow 2 Tufted Headboard from Amazon 3 Vintage Rose Fabric By The Yard 4 Newport Teardrop Lamp 5 Maura Daniel Chandelier From LaylaGrace.com 6 Bennett Nightstand From LaylaGrace.com 7 Elwoodworks On ETSY 8 Umbra Frama Mirrored Wall Décor Appliques

Monday's Mood Board! Chic Chairs & Kate Spade Love!

Last Friday I had back to back meetings and at the end of the day I was so happy to be home. I threw my purse on the chair and quickly went in to my room to change into some comfy lounge wear for the night. Later I looked at my purse on my dining chair and thought, "This would be a cute little vignette to paint!". Since I'm constantly looking for product for my clients and I'm stuck on this love affair with Macau and Bamboo Chairs, I picked a few of my favorites and paired them with different purses from Kate Spade...all of which I would Love to own! Four chic chairs, four chic purses, four little paintings that make me smile. I hope they make you smile too!

You can find three of the four chairs at one of my favorite sites, Zinc Door. The pink faux bamboo chair came from Craig's List of all places according to blogger, Pink Mohair. Just a reminder to always keep your eyes open. You just never know what you may find!

1 Striped Stevie Bag 2 Mount Perry Rumor Bag 3 Barclay Street Sera Bag 4 Westchester Treesh Bag 5 Faux Bamboo Chair 6 Zinc Door Ambrose Clove Arm Chair 7 Zinc Door Elise Clove Arm Chair 8 Zinc Door Regeant Arm Chair 

Posting this a little early because tomorrow is crazy busy! :-)

Just A Quick Mid-Week Mini MoodBoard!

This week’s Mid Week Mood Board is a quickie because I’m swimming in design projects right now, so I wanted to do something simple and fun. I’m obsessing over these Chloe Chairs from Bungalow 5 (and their case goods too!). You can purchase them at Layla Grayce on-line. I thought about putting a little Bulldog in my illustration when it dawned on me that my Bulldog Pillow would go great with this chair…so Viola! A quick and simple Mini Mood Board for this week’s continued design inspiration.

Monday's Mood Board - President's Day!

This Monday’s Mood Board is in honor of “President's Day” and depending on which State you live in you may be celebrating Washington, Lincoln and other notable Presidents…but for me it’s also a Celebration of this Country. We’ve been pretty beat up lately but I still believe in the USA!This great Spitfire Chair, 19^th Century Porthole Side Table and Counterpoise Task Floor Lamp are from Restoration Hardware. The Flag Pillow and Wall Art (made of USA License Plates) are from two very talented ETSY artists. The beautiful Horse Sculpture is from one of my favorite shops on the web, ShopTen 25 and the Fallon Zig Zag Federal Blue Rug is from another fantastic on-line shop, Zinc Door!

1 License Plate Flag Wall Art ETSY 2 Spitfire Chair from Restoration Hardware 3 Porthole Side Table From Restoration Hardware 4 Task Lamp from Restoration Hardware 5 Horse Sculpture from ShopTen 25 6 Vintage Flag Pillow from ETSY 7 Zig Zag Rug from Zinc Door

 Raise your flag, send good thoughts out for our Country, and enjoy your holiday!

Mid Week Mini Mood Board...Candle Love!

Some of you may know that I have two daughters that play Club Soccer. As much as I love being a soccer mom, the traveling can be exhausting. Recently we spent two weekends traveling to San Diego for State Cup. It’s a long drive from the Central Coast but we were lucky enough to be able to stay with my brother and his lovely wife instead of a hotel. After five hours of driving late at night we walked into their charming home with candles flickering and hugs all around. It made me realize how much I love candles and why don’t I light them more often? So when we got back I purchased some yummy candles for my home. Of course you need something pretty to put the candles in and I love lanterns. Places like Pottery Barn and World Market carry a large selection or you could be like Ohdeedoh contributor and DIY expert Katie Steuernagle (Courtesy of Design Sponge) and make your own out of spaghetti jars! Clever!! You can check it out here. It can also be as simple as making your own with a little sand and a tea light. Whatever your fancy, I recommend lighting a delicious candle or two this week and watch the atmosphere change in your home! You can buy delicious candles, I favor these by Zensual, at Stephen Patrick Design on Monterey St., downtown San Luis Obispo, right next door to the Bladerunner Salon & Spa.

1 Lantern available at Pottery Barn 2 Lantern available at Pottery Barn 3 DIY Sapghetti Jar Lanterns by Katie Steuernagle 4 Zensual Candles available at Stephen Patrick Design 5 DIY Mason Jar Candle holders

Monday Mood Board - Pink Love!

This week’s Monday Mood Board is inspired by Valentine’s Day and my favorite color of all time…PINK ! The inspiration started with this fabulous headboard from Posh Tots.  I paired it up with some new goodies from my shop, my Peacock Pillow and my Hot Pink Chaz Pillows. I’ve also been experimenting with Poufs! I posted on my FB Page if anyone thought it was a good idea and judging from the response I had I believe I will pursue creating them!

Of course I get all kinds of inspiration from Pinterest and this is where I found these great Vintage Lamps from ETSY. (Always trying to support those small businesses) The fantastic side table is from Shop Ten25. This watermelon rug is divine from Madeline Weinrib and what I really love is this frame from John Murphy. You must check out his photography in his shop. So fresh!

You can always find my picks for my Mood Board Illustrations and where to get these items (plus a few more that didn’t make it to my final illustration) by following me on Pinterest.

I hope you like some of these ideas. Happy Valentine’s Day!1 Hot Pink Chaz Pillow in my Shop 2 Peacock Pillow in my Shop 3 Vintage Hollywood Regency Lamps from ETSY 4 Hot Pink Frame from John Murphy 5 Peacock Pouf Coming Soon to my Shop 6 Watermelon Rug from Madeline Weinrib 7 White Lacquer Oriental Chest from Shop Ten25 and 8 Hot Pink Headboard from Posh Tots

Mid Week Mini Mood Board!

It’s Wednesday, so how about a Mid-Week, Mini Mood Board? (That’s just fun to say!) Continuing on with this week’s theme colors, blue and yellow, it makes me think of beautiful blue and white vases. I found this one at Amazon of all places. I also have on my “someday wish list” Red Macau Chairs. Although I didn’t quite find a red one yet, Ballard Designs has these in black and white. I would cover the seat cushion with a blue and white Ikat fabric to keep with my color palette and then finish the vignette with a sweet, little side table from Shop Ten25…a wonderful place to find designer goodies! Hope this little pop of color brightens your week. Check back every week for more of my Mood Board Inspirations, Resources, and Paintings!

1 Macau Chair From Ballard Designs 2 Blue & White Vase at Amazon 3 Side Table from Shop Ten25 4 Ikat Fabric 

Introducing Our First Monday Mood Board!

Well Hello Monday! Welcome to my very first Monday Mood Board!

The idea came to me as I was photographing my products for my shop. I was wishing I had all the money in the world so that I could create beautiful room photographs that would show case my products…since buckets of money didn’t just drop from the heavens, I got a little creative instead and dusted off my watercolors and paint brushes from Waaaaay back In the day when I illustrated children’s books and greeting cards.

Not that I don’t do sketches all the time for my design clients but that’s what they are…for my clients. When I design for them I’m designing what they want and helping them to bring their vision to fruition. Instead, this is an opportunity to just paint and put together a room design how I would want to do it…no budget…no limitation to color palette…just fun, little whimsical rooms.

Another passion of mine is supporting independent artists so when I can, I will be including their wonderful work as well. All of these links are from companies in the US. My product is sewn right here on the Central Coast by incredibly talented seamstresses who had their facility shut down when production moved over seas. That said, yes, it costs a little more to make it here but I believe it’s worth it. I think if we can all do a little bit, then it will collectively make a big difference.

Last of all we have to include some DIY projects in here and today I’ve included two projects from the very talented blogger, Miss Jackie over at her blog, Teal & Lime. The lampshade in the center of the room is made with stencils she created (I know, now that’s talent) and the shelf in the room is made from Stair Treads! How clever is that? The full tutorials are over at her blog along with lost of other inspiration. Thank you Jackie!!!

And one more thing…yes, that adorable dog was up for adoption…since I started this last week, she has found a lovely home!!! Yay! But there are many more waiting, and if you're local, you can find a little furry friend for yourself at Woods Humane Society.

So that’s it! You can follow my Mood Boards on Pinterest they contain all the links and a few other options that may have not made it into my Mood Board Illustration. (For instance there are some inexpensive options for some of the items shown here) Like this upholstered headboard from Ballard Designs vs a $40 decal headboard from What Is Blik.

I’d love to know what you think and of course I would love it if you “Liked” my FB page. If you have a favorite piece of furniture or home décor product you would like me to design a room around, shoot me an email!

1 Suzani Throw at end of the bed from ETSY artist, Hollie Milne . 2 Jonathan Adler Book ends. 3 Mirror from Rosenberry Rooms. 4 Fabric for window treatment from Contemporary Cloth. 5 Trunk from Rhino Trunk and Case. 6 Lamps from Mottega 7 DIY Shelves from Teal and Lime. 8 Chair from Wanelo. 9 Bulldog Chevron Print from Mari Robeson. 10 DIY Lampshade from Teal and Lime. 11 Striped Rug from Zinc Door. 12 Lab Lovin' and Chevron Pillow from Mari Robeson 13 Adorable Rescue Doggy from Woods Humane Society

Meet Marly!

I’ve only had one dog in my life and she was incredible. When I brought home Marly, a scruffy, tiny, rescue dog from the pound, my husband thought I lost my mind. I hadn’t a clue what to do with her but thankfully Bill did. She was our first baby and one of the sweetest souls to grace this earth. When she passed away, it was years before I could even talk about her without crying….even now…it’s really hard. Seems silly to most I suppose but we really loved that little four legged lab.

So meet Marly….the inspiration behind my Lab Lovin’ Collection! (Oh...and that cute little Bulldog...that's Tank!)

One of the things I miss the most about my little boutique was working with other independent artists, having trunk shows for them, and watching them Shine! So when I met Brett over at I AM THE LAB and realized he too had a similar vision to help other artists, it was a no brainer that I wanted to work with him. As it always seems to go, when you do something with the intention of helping others, one always seems to benefit. When Brett asked if I wanted to be “part of” what he was doing, I felt very honored. Now I was on the receiving end of being supported. Thank you Brett!

And as a little bonus for you, if you check out Brett’s shop, not only will you see many lovely goodies but I’ve added a special discount on my new collection of Lab Lovin’!

From all of us independent artists out there we appreciate your support as you are the ones that help us raise our families, buy new soccer cleats, put food on our table…you get the picture…we Really appreciate you!

Inexpensive Table Decor...My Challenge!

I love entertaining and decorating for a party...any day! So when my husband asked if I would do the table decorations for an office retirement party, I was all on board. It's going to be at one of our favorite local wineries too, so yes, very excited! But then he said, "It's for 10 tables...you only have $50." ummmmmmmm, Ok...let's see what I can do. Eeesh! Of course I went to my favorite inspiration website, Pinterest, to get ideas. Here are some of my favorites. I'm hoping the dollar store will have some vases and candles that will work for me. The party is this Saturday. I'll let you know if I meet his challenge!

First image is from SouthernHospitalityBlog. I figure, I have hydrangeas in my garden and they like to be submerged in water...just have to find the vases and the candles....

I love the simple elegance of both of these. Courtesy of Busybeemn.com and StemFloral.com

Last of all I really liked this table setting for a winery. I have tons of pine cones on our property...hmmm my wheels are ticking. Table setting from 100LayerCake.com

I'm open to your ideas too! Please share!

Pinning Love!

I can honestly say that I have never been this busy in my entire life. This is a good thing, I think...I just finished designing a new restaurant in Morro Bay, several home remodels going on, licensing deals with my lovely partner in New York (so exciting! but can't talk about yet), and of course, my three beautiful daughters who keep me endlessly driving to and fro... so finding time to blog lately, is kind of like finding time to read a good novel...I miss it! My latest distraction has been Pinterest. If you don't know what it is, it's a great place to create pin boards of all the fabulous things you find on the internet. Being an Interior Designer, I'm constantly researching and looking for inspiration and now I have one place where I can keep it all organized. The fun part of it is you can follow those with like interest...it just opens up a whole new world of friendships! Follow me! :-)

Featured On Pizzazzerie!!! Thank you!!!

I'm leaving in a little bit to be a judge for the California Mid State Fair Pageant today and I'm really excited to meet all the talented ladies as well as hang out with two of my dear friends who are also judges. As if today wasn't going to be fun enough, I just found out I've been featured on one of my absolute most favorite entertaining sites, Pizzazzerie! This is a sneak peak of a little of what I've been up to with a big launch coming this fall and some even bigger projects along theses lines, in the works...so I'm feeling really excited and blessed right now. Please hop over to Courtney's blog and check it but, plan on being there a while because she has so much inspiration and entertaining tips to share with you!! Have a great Tuesday everyone!

Look for an all new Table Top Collection in my shop this Fall!

Our Latest Visitor...

Today I'm getting ready for a photo shoot of some of my new products but of course, there are endless distractions at my house and studio. All week we've been hearing this crazy cry until we figured out that it was a peacock...well guess who decided to hang out at the Robeson house? First he made his way into our driveway...then he decided to perch himself on my mother's porch for a while...
after he felt we had enough pictures of him he decided to make it over to my house...where he decided to chill for a while before exiting with a grand shout out! A typical day at the Robeson house.... :-)

Stencil Love!

One of my favorite little tricks in making a room have some unique character is using stencils. I'm not talking about grapes and ivy here, stencils have come a very long way. I love this simple Moroccan stencil from Royal Design Studio.  (Looks great with my Mod Moroccan Collection!) This is a fantastic and inexpensive way to update your space...and besides, when you get tired of it, it's just paint!

Another Fabulous E-Magazine For Party Inspiration!

I can't believe March is almost over...there is so much going on at our studio, it's hard to find time to rest! If you've read a little of my blog background, I'm a designer by day and home decor product designer by night...add to the mix some new styling projects and a "green" table top collection coming soon, three amazing daughters, a fabulous hubby, well, you get the idea... so the day goes minute by minute...thankfully there are amazing inspirational people all around the internet to keep me inspired! Via twitter, (follow me!) I just discovered, yet another fabulous on-line magazine, created by the very talented Victoria Hudgins. If you like to entertain like we do at the Robeson house then you will love her magazine! Her blog is called A Subtle Revelry and loaded with beautiful pictures and entertaining ideas. I mean, look at this...yummy!

Guilty Pleasures!

It’s true…I have taken quite some time off. I literally have been going non-stop for over a month now, designing new product lines….so excited to share about this soon…and working on some large Interior Design projects. Couple that, with the fact that my two younger daughters have had soccer tournaments every weekend…they are in the top 4 finals for State Cup!!!…which means I haven’t even had one day to catch up on laundry or cleaning and my poor gardens are all over grown! Did I mention that I also started to teach a new Dance Class that I'm in love with…Dance Boot Camp! Oh Ya! At least, I’m still working out!

In the tiny moments in between…in moments of procrastination…I have, however, indulged in some guilty pleasures. It’s these beautiful on-line magazines that are popping up left and right. (These images are from High Gloss Magazine) My latest guilty pleasure is High Gloss Magazine….purrrrrrrrr! Of course I love Lonny Magazine, Nesting Newbies, and I just stumbled upon Matchbook Magazine. A lovely way to enjoy a cup of coffee and some design inspiration!

My 2011 Calendar Is Here And Fun New Wrapping Paper Too!

A couple weeks ago I was asked by Central Coast Printing to design their Annual Wrapping Paper. Since I already designed a 2011 Calendar I said, Sure!, and we printed away. They are now here and just stunning! The color is brighter than I could capture on my camera so just keep that in mind. The calendar is 8 1/2" by 14" and the wrapping paper is 24" x 36". The wrapping paper is printed on both sides on a deliciously heavy paper...I almost felt bad cutting it to wrap my presents...I think I'd rather hang it on my studio wall! I'm seeing these as great hostess or teacher gifts. They can be purchased here or just shoot me an email. Happy Holidays Everyone!!!

My Bedroom Makeover! Finally....

At the beginning of this year I gave myself a project...to Thoughtfully Design my "own" home. I started in my garden, which hopefully we'll be able to tackle again this weekend, with soccer tournaments and a lot of California rain, my garden project has been slow going. So I turned my efforts inside...to my bedroom. It's challenging being a designer because there are so many choices. What is so simple for me to see for others, can sometimes be the opposite for myself. I'll tell you what though, when you get an email from the editor of a fantastic magazine and they say they'd like to see some room shots with your product in it...well, you figure it out real quick!

I literally had about 2 weeks to re-design my bedroom, which meant I had to work with what I had. There was no time to order new furniture etc. but much to my liking, I'm pretty happy with how I reinvented what I already had. To start with was this dresser. Yikes! A throw back to college days. But when looking at it, I really still liked the shape of it, so a new coat of paint to match the coral in my Mod Morrocan fabric and, well, I'm pretty happy with the results!Some of you may remember an old screen I had found at an antique shop. I actually had it in my boutique window for a little while. At first I was going to paint the dresser white and the wall behind my bed coral but decided to switch that at the last minute and paint the wall black... You know I tell my husband, "Honey, I'm painting the wall black." and he doesn't say a word, he just comes in and paints it for me. Then we added the white trim from good ole' Home Desperate, I'm mean Home Depo...one of my clients told me that. :-)

The really fun thing was that weekend my niece, Shaunah, was visiting and we collaborated on what to put on the black wall, the wings or the screen from my window??? You can see what won below.

So last week the amazingly talented Jenny Mallot of Live Artfully Productions took some fantastic photos of 3 of the rooms that I've designed with my new fabric (not even in my shop yet!) and we sent the pictures off to the editor...fingers crossed, hopefully they'll want to use a few of them. Until then it was a fun project that I'm happy to cross off my list for 2010!

Also, I have to give a big Thank You to Nina Taylor, who sewed a tons of pillows and these drapes for me just in time for the shoot! More to come on the fantastic Sewing Atelier soon!!!!

BeforeAfter

Viola'!