Jeu de Paume Decorating

There is something very appealing to me about the jeu de paume style of decorating.

I've never been fortunate enough to own one of the beautiful Jeu de Paume books but I've seen them all over the Internet. I could spend hours looking through them.
They are published in Japan and the colorful style is beautifully photographed.

I am planning to redecorate the spare room on the third floor. It was my son's room and now I want to fix it up for the children so they can have their own space when they stay over. I can really do anything I want up there because it is completely separate from the rest of the house.

I am really looking forward to creating a space that can be fanciful and colorful and magic and that they will love.

So, here is some jeu de paume inspiration for your enjoyment, randomly picked out of the blogosphere. Click on each photo to go to the source.

There's also a Flickr group devoted to this style of decorating called Jeu de Paume Inspired.

Creative Solution: Inspiration Wall

As if this wallpaper wasn't a great idea all by itself!
Alenka Wagenaar (aka Kitty) took this already-great idea of picture-frame wallpaper (I found this paper at Kleurmijn Interieur) to the next level.
She painted the wall first with magnetic paint then covered it with this terrific wallpaper. This allows her to change her wall without harming the paper.
See her inspiration wall on flickr.
Visit her appropriately-named blog, she.likes.cute.

Paper Gown by Darla Teagarden

Wow!
Every once in a while I come across something amazingly different and creative. (Click on the photo to see it up close.)
Who thinks like this?
Darla Teagarden. Darla is a photographer and creator of this amazing gown called "Lover's Eyes Dolce Masquerade Gown."
On her MySpace page, about the gown: "different styles of ''lovers eyes'' focused into the center of hundreds of white paper cupcake ruffles...An asymmetric hem and organic-like
cascade.... A top Miss Evelynn's head, a glass glittered sculptured
( paper mâché) pink rabbit & bow".
Beautiful and inspiring.
You can see more of Darla's work on her MySpace page, Darla Teagarden's Cupcake Ruffle Lover's Eye Gown
Found via Ullabenulla (great find!)

From the Past Week

Since I'm doing some other things and don't have any of my own stuff to post about, I thought I would share a few more of my favorites from around Blogland this past week...

1. Miniature cuties from Atelier Sterre (via Daisy in lala Land)
2. Lovely egg basket from Marie Claire Idees Blog with complete how to.
3. Injured George by Make It Awesome via Softies Central. Poor bunny. (Cute!!)
4. Wool Butterfly Lampshade by MIXKO
5. Great idea for using an old book cover from Sweet Paul.

Bag Love

Love this bag found at Kase-Faz.

Ladder Love

One of the things I love about Be-House is the way Bertina uses and re-uses ordinary objects to make the most beautiful displays.
In a post back on October she used a pretty narly looking ladder to make this wonderful night-time display. She shows us how she wraps the wire around plain water tumblers to make tealight candle holders. Inspired!
Now Bertina uses the same ladder for a spring display. Terra cotta pots painted white and wrapped with doilies,  wreath (she also made) and potted violets. Just lovely!
The next time you see an older step ladder that's too risky to climb, you might want to try one of these ideas.
Read the full post on Be-House.

Spring Has Sprung

Apparently everyone's more than ready to welcome Spring. Here are some inspiring images I wanted to share with you:
From Ciel D'Orage

 

From Fils et Ficellles

From Fantastic Toys with downloadable pdf file

 

Spring Colors from Fee un Voeu

Fleur Fatale

 

Spring is the time of year when everyone starts to feel hopeful again. Flowers blooming, warm breezes, promise of warmer breezes, getting outside, knowing Summer is coming, seedlings bursting open, birds nesting and Spring Cleaning. Sorry, had to throw that one in there. We are doing some major spring cleaning around here and I will feel so much better when it's finished.

Do you have any spring projects? We'd love to know about them. Send me a link or leave me a comment; I love hearing about what you're doing.

Remodeled Bathroom

Those of you who know me personally (Cara!) will know that we did this bathroom a while back but I thought I would put some pictures up since I have not blogged about it.

It was our first real project in our 1850s house. I wish I had "before" pictures...

What we did:
Painted. It's hard to see in the picture but the blue has a white wash over it. It was a pretty blue but just too bright, so I put several layers of white wash (white paint mixed with glaze) over it.

Replaced the floor (it was a horrible, white sheet vinyl before). We used the laminate tongue-in-groove flooring and it is a huge improvement. The floor has withstood a lot of moisture and wear and still looks good.

Built the sink cabinet from an old dresser. This was tricky (for Herby). We still had to have the drawers so we had to cut around the piping to make it work. I painted it white and added vintage hardware. I did a white mosaic tile on the top since it had to withstand being wet.

Replaced the sink, faucet and handles.

I made the backsplash with white tiles. This was to hide some ugliness in the wall behind the sink and also to allow for splashing (thus the term "backsplash").

New window shade and shower curtain.

The little black table has since been replaced with another white dresser to hold bathroom items and clothing.

Much improved!

Dreamiest Dream Catchers Ever!

I just had to show a picture of this dream catcher made by Lulu Carter. Just gorgeous! She calls this one "Little Boy Dreaming". Love the bird, the butterflies, the buttons, the colors, everything! This is one she made with a boy in mind but she has some other colors with names like "Sweet Dreaming", "Pretty Bird" and "Butterfly Wishes". Too sweet!
Lulu's blog is one I follow because she has such great ideas - like this one!
Little Boy Dreaming Dreamcatcher: $65 at Lulu's shop at Big Cartel

Fairy Tale Dream Nursery DIY

I just had to post some pictures of this adorable nursery. I know it's impractical for most people but you can still get some good ideas here. I just love the dreamy effect of the colors and the lighting. Want to build it yourself? At du cote de chez vous you can download a .pdf file with instructions on how to build it. You gotta love the internet!

How Sweet

More loveliness from Be-House.

Loveliness

Eucalyptus and chestnut garland. Simple. Aromatic. Lovely. From Be-House.

Amazing Paper Cut

Elsa Mora, aka Elsita, has a new blog, All About Papercutting, devoted to her amazing paper cuts. This is just one example of the intricate work she does. From what I have read on her other blog, Elsita, also amazing, she doesn't draw a pattern first. She just cuts what she thinks in her head.
She is one of my favorite artists and one of my favorite bloggers.
Enjoy!

Japanese Miniature Dollhouse

I wish I could tell you where I got this picture but I don't remember.
It is from a Japanese craft book.
This is an entire room done in miniature! Absolutely amazing!

Sewing Skills Envy

How beautiful is this quilt!?
Some lucky little girl has the good fortune to be the daughter of Kellie from Don't Look Now. Her sewing skills are amazing. I wish I had a 10th of her talent. Of course having the right machine helps but you need to be naturally creative to come up with a design like this.

She also made this pillow with the help of her daughter's class. Truly amazing work. She appliqued around each petal and leaf!

Bramble Mushroom Nightlight

How much do you love this little night light?
It's from White Rabbit England. The original Bramble nightlight is available with either a red or blue top. You know I love red polka dots. There's Bramble the Elf with his friends, lizard hedgehog and mole. Look out for the little white rabbit hiding somewhere amongst the foliage! (You can just barely see it in this photo.)

Bramble Toadstool Nightlight: $45 Euros

Art Collage: Paper Scissors Fabric and Talent

It's a-mazing what one can do with some paper, fabric, scissors and a lot of talent and imagination.
Blaze Danielle, in collaboration with a fellow artist needed a class project. The class was assigned to create something narrative, and they designed this charming way to portray the four seasons within books.
Play the video! It is awesome. You should also visit Blaze's blog.

Fun T Shirt

"Love you long time". I think this shirt is fun. This is a kid's T shirt but they also print this cute little graphic on tanks and women's cap-sleeve Ts over at cafepress. This is a merchant site where you can "shop, sell or create what's on your mind", according to them.

Gallery: Birds, Babies and Other Pretties

Hope you'll enjoy looking at these images of some things that caught my eye. Like this cute, hand made top sewn for a baby girl from Danish Casalinga



Very sweetly decorated children's bedroom for two from Katarina's World.



Interesting wood and metal hand made bird house from Harmony.



What kid wouldn't love these adorable animal utensils for children from Huset.





It's a clock; it's a birdhouse. "Klokke" birdhouse from DesignTorget.



A couple of adorable handmade mobiles. This cute bunny softy fabric one from Milda Maranger...





...and this cute bird softy, recycled fabric one from ReFound Objects.



Love the expressions on the faces and bold colors of this fun baby animal toy from Sprell.

Papier Mache

Ann Wood, an artist from Brooklyn, makes these gorgeous papier mache boats. She is probably more well known for her birds and cake toppers, but I love her ships. She does wonderful things with both paper and fabric. Besides her shop, she has a great blog.