Get your bedroom ready for winter

It's amazing how quickly it has cooled down here in NYC. Gone are the nights where I can leave my bedroom window. It also means it's time to launder the flannel sheets and pajamas, and layout the fuzzy rug. Here is some cool-weather gear I've been eyeing...




What wouldn't I do for one of these gorgeous velvet quilts from Pottery Barn? The colors are so gorgeous.




Some cozy rugs from West Elm, a classic flokati, and these braided wool rugs which look like a sweater for your floor.



The indian inspired colors will help warm up your room, these are John Robshaw, available at Garnett Hill.

I love this bedding set from Pottery Barn. The rouched bedding is so pretty, and the sweater pillows are so inviting!

I love these simple flannel sheets by Potterybarn


If you're into the new "jewel tone" craze, this quilt from Gaiam is for you.



Pretty organic flannel sheets, also from Gaiam. (Two images above also from Gaiam)


I love the symmetry of this dwell bedding...


oh my, how did he get in here...

Maybe a bit vulgar...but satin and velvet bedding? I'd be able to tolerate it I think. From Victoria's Secret

Modern cozy flannel pajamas from Victoria's Secret
Pretty slippers from Haringer, at onlineshoes.com

After the flowers are gone...

...you can still enjoy the seed heads!

Clematis are one of my favorite flowers, I love their bright colors and sheets of bloom. But their beauty is not over when the summer is gone as their unusual seed heads continue to add interest long after the blossoms have faded. Just as the flowers come in a variety of forms, so do the seed heads.

Clematis tangutica 'Radar Love' reminds me of the seven dwarfs' beards. Clematis 'Dr. Ruppel' has an exotic swirled form that looks more like a sculpture than a flower leftover.

All the clematis seem to have their own unique form of seed head. A word of caution to the garden obsessed, though; you'll find you want to start collecting them all!



This Garden Inspiration was written by Brenda ("Gottagarden") in USDA Zone 5, western New York

Who says print is dead?

I know as a blogger and web designer it's blasphemous for me to say this, but sometimes I just want it on paper - a magazine or a book to get cozier with. This is why I still subscribe to several of my favorite magazines, and still get excited to see them in my mailbox. Here are a few of my favorite pages scanned from more recent issues of Domino. Enjoy!

I love how these books are displayed on the shelves, really gives the room an antiquated look.


The two above images are from a spread of the same room. Though I usually like cleaner spaces, I sort of like the stacks of books and other objects in the room. The giant collection of Polaroids is creative too.


The two images above are of the same room, which I really love. It's feminine but not too girly.

modern, eco-concious, and affordable goodies for you and your home

I couldn't believe I hadn't found this shop earlier, but I'm glad I finally did. With a focus on sustainable design, you can feel awesome about shopping at ReForm School. Other than being recycled, your purchase will be gorgeously designed!




Though they're in the kids section, I love these pillows. Cuddle Pillow by Binth
$72.00


Numbers by Binth $55.00


I definitely plan on adding this print to my collection. Cosmic Forest Limited Edition Print $12.00 By Lart C. Berliner for Little Otsu


I would love to get a peek inside this book, "Treehouses of the World" $35


David Shrigley polite cards, $6.50. No words- I just love it.


gorgeous knitwear bowl, $65


recycled tile coasters, $7.50


$20 will get you this recycled bottle carafe






Hello! Where have you been all my life...
Vintage Shopper by Showpony $24.00

Go to http://www.reformschoolrules.com to see more AWESOME stuff!

Check out my deco book!

So, I'm sure a lot of you have heard that Domino launched a new feature recently titles, "My Deco File." It's a pretty nifty tool that allows you to organize all of your inspirational photos, even those that aren't from Domino. You can create "books," or albums to organize your concepts. Below is a book I created called "Living rooms," which contains shots I found inspiring.



You can try finding more of my images by searching "Decorology" after signing up, or go straight to my profile.

You'll never guess where this stuff is from!

I have a much younger sister who is 18, and in a moment of boredom I flipped through her Delia*s catalog. I was surprised to see they had a "Room" section, and even more surprised that they had a few cute things for us "grownups". Even better, a lot of their stuff is priced for those who make a living by babysitting alone.


I love these curtains, they'd look cute in a bathroom too, I think


I could see this bedding costing a lot more at CB2

Technology: Using a Worksheet for Garden Records

NOTE: If you have trouble viewing the spreadsheet, use your mouse to move the slider bar at the bottom of the chart. Thanks.

Keeping records of perennials, annuals, seeds and bulbs can be easier for gardeners if you use a computer and software. With a background in technology, I often use computer tools and software as aids for my garden planning and records. The worksheet is a list of the seeds and bulbs that I ordered recently. I included information about the color, height and sowing/planting time. I also added columns to indicate the garden where I will plant the seeds and bulbs as well as some notes about possible companions.

I embedded the hyperlink to the website catalog where the plants were ordered. This gives me more information and sometimes photos of the plants. The links work unless the company changes the url address. On my local computer, every plant had a working hyperlink. Once I uploaded the worksheet to use here, hyperlinks to Swallowtail Seeds didn't carry over for some reason. The underlined plants have working links to Diane's Seeds and John Scheepers catalog pages.

While I used spreadsheet software installed locally on my computer, Google Docs is available for free online.

As I plant the seeds and bulbs this fall and next spring, I can come back to my spreadsheet and edit the information. When the plants begin emerging, I can add columns to indicate the dates they were visible as well as the dates that the plants bloomed.