Monday, Bloody Monday - Again!

Hi! Happy Monday, funday! So this week is going to be nuts-o. NYIGF is going on and I got a ticket to ride. In addition to some major client decisions needing to be made, I am going to be MIA for a bit. This week I actually called upon some bloggy friends to help me keep the blog exciting! These girls are all so different, and unique and I am sure you are going to fall in love if you haven't already! Please welcome these bloggers with open arms:

Cristin from Simplified Bee

Emily from Merry Pad

Roeshel from The DIY Showoff

Kirsten from Simply Grove

I am a long time semi-stalker fan of all of them and am so excited they have come to my rescue this week. Cristin will make you want to drop everything and organize your life. Emily will inspire you to pick up and drill and conquer that DIY project you are too scared to do. Roeshel will light the fire in you to DIY your decor chic and cheap. And Kirsten will make you rethink your whole house. She's a pretty mama with perfect taste. So go stalk them not and prepare for a week of greatness! 

On another note, I finally made it to CWonder this week! They opened one in The Westchester Mall.

So, I am going to be super honest in my review because that's how I feel information should be. Honest. I had super high expectations. I won't lie. Look at those doors. Don't you expect what's beyond them to be magical?

There were some cute trinkets, like these totally affordable $6 mugs. I am tempted to get some simply because they make me smile. 

I was also really into these horse locket necklaces. They were $100something each. I guess I was confused because I heard they were a threat to anthropologie if you mashed that up with Kate Spade. The inside does resemble something a Kate Spade lover would like, but some of the merch was confusing... 

These charms were super cute. Some of the close were cute (and affordable, especially with the 25% off already discounted items sale going on now), but then a Brookstone moment happened.

Piggy with sunglass speaker eyes. Confusing. But at the same time they had some super cute home accessories, like this monkey dish.

I wound up trying on some clothes, and walked out with two shirts for $50. I was tempted to get these pink pants, but Joey talked me out of it. 

I guess over all I am confused what they are going for. It's decorated like a Kate Spade, it boasts stuff you would find at a Brookstone. They defiantly have some cute stuff, and 1/2 the store price points are awesome, while the other half is questionable. The branding is awesome. I will go back for sure, and I am curious to see how they edit in the future.

If you love looking at photos, check out our instagram! @makingahouseahome - we have more photos of the inside of CWonder posted from this weekend!

10 Questions with Orlando Soria

Oh, happy day lovies! I am so excited about today's "10 Questions With..."! You probably recognize this handsome fella from Secrets from a Stylist! What you probably don't know is that Orlando is way more entertaining than HGTV will allow for. Over the past six months this man has made me laugh so much, I thought it only fair you get in on the giggles and start reading his blog too. HommeMaker.com is packed with both pretty pictures and humorous chatter. Before you pop over there, get a taste below!

1. What's Your Name and URL: Orlando Soria, Hommemaker.com

2. When did you start blogging? What drove you to blog?: I started blogging in 2007 when I worked as a graphic designer. Because I was an entry-level designer, I had no creative control over what I was creating. Blogging was something I did completely for myself, where I could maintain creative control.

3. What has been your favorite post?: I did a post about gay pool parties which was pretty hilarious and fun to write. Sometimes I go back and read it when I'm feeling bored and it makes me happy. 

4. Where do you go to for inspiration? Dish blogs/stores/locations/etc: The most inspirational places in the world are art museums. I go to LACMA (LA County Museum of Art) on a regular basis and stare at the Richard Serra pieces, the Barbara Kruger's elevator installation, the Chris Burden streetlamps out front, etc. Like interior design, art is a form of expression. But unlike interior design, art isn't bogged down by practicality or useability. In designing spaces, art provides uninhibited visual inspiration.

5. Every dweller should: Fill their home with books and art. These two things make me happy because they provide endless information, entertainment, and beauty. They also provide perfect design elements because they don't just feel like random crapola sitting around. They have a useful function (which is to make life fun).

6. If you had unlimited funds you would buy: A huge art collection with work by Hedi Slimane, Yoshitomo Nara, and David Hockney.

7.Where would you buy a second home/rent a second apartment and why?: I have done my time in New York and probably will never live there full time again, but it's always been my dream to own a whole brownstone on either 21st or 22nd street between 9th and 10th avenues. I've lived in this part of the city and loved it. And the idea of living in one of those gorgeous old brownstones and having the whole thing to myself is the most extravagant and delightful fantasy.

8. What's your favorite piece of furniture in your home?: Right now I'm really into my bedside table, which is this old farmhouse piece with a lot of little drawers that I got a Wertz Brothers. It's one of the first things I see every morning and it's got a ton of age and character.

9. Your homes style is: Modern-Antique-Japanese-Grandpa-Rustic-Urban-Artist. I like everything, so my style kind of reflects that. I love paintings and photographs, but I also love furniture pieces with history, age and character. I don't like houses that look too themey, so my space tends to be an eclectic collection of stuff I love.

10. Three words to describe your personal taste: Fun, Found, Frugal.

Sofa Sourcing

Ahhhh....sofa's. A touchy subject around here. Our house is a traditional tutor and we have respected that, for the most part. We always pictures getting a big 'ol chesterfield couch, but that doesn't mean I haven't been day dreaming of something more....fun. 

                  

This blue belle is a perfect combo of Joey and myself. I hope we can find it in reality. Searching online is all well and good for pictures, but this specific one has been hard to come by. Oh soft and cozy-non-frumpy-couch, come to mama. 

    

This Restoration Hardware staple has been another one we agree on, but I worry about puppies and future babies smearing unthinkables on this linen covered masterpiece. We have matching wingbacks and that can get a little dull and matchy-matchy, but I still think she's worth looking at. 

This extra long bad boy is also from Restoration Hardware and is the one we agree on for sensible reasons. It's baby and pet friendly. It's deep and cozy, and it works with the over all voice of the house. 

Now this pretty Anthropologie piece is not a main couch by any streatch, but how pretty are those birds on the fabric of this couch? Swoon!

 

There is just something about this couch that gets my wheels turning! It's like Ikat meetc chevron with doily details. How sweet? Joey wouldn't go for it. But, remember, I am dreaming.