Recycled Money Bags

These money bags get a second life as a cushion cover and wallet.

Sliced bread note books

These notebooks designed by collaboraters Burak Kaynak and Cem Has are the best inventions since sliced bread. There are 12 notebooks in one pack and each one is numbered so you can assign one book per month. How fun is this?

It is amazing how much clever packaging can do to a product.

Portland General Store

Etsy store owner of Portland General Store, Lisa Brodar, makes a wide range of body care products ranging from skin creams to fragrances for men and women and designs the gorgeous packaging labels herself.

I am intrigued by the product above - a cigar box filled with old-fashioned goodies which includes one sample of aftershave splash, one sample of shaving jelly, one sample size of TABAC soap in a jar, one sample of WOOD ultra thick body creme, and two samples of eau de toilette.

This will definitely make a lovely and unique Father's Day Gift.

Alarm clock with electronic bird

I need an alarm clock and this might be it!

Secret doors and such

Specializing in building secret doors and passageways in your home, Creative Home Engineering is the perfect solution to creating that hidden Narnian/ Ann Frank world in your own home. The music in their website completes the picture. Wonder if it is difficult to DIY this.

Orla Kiely for Target

The previous post got me curious about Target so I checked into their online store today and found out that Orla Kiely now designs for Target! You can now get her gorgeous designs on housewares at the most affordable prices. You cannot believe how tempted I am to get these mugs for $11.99 for a set of 2 from Target right now.

And the serving tray above is going for $14.99 (in stores only). Gasp!

And the Orla Kiely Orange Flower Collection above is selling for $11.99!

Give me one good reason right now why I shouldn't get these, apart from the fact that I have no more space at home.

Stitching Sweatshirts

I can't believe Pam Garrison turned this budget Target sweatshirt into such a gorgeous work of art. This has me inspired and itching to start stitching bits of my old clothing away to give it a new lease of life.

Who Made It

Gorgeous one-of-a-kind jewellery catcher made from hand picked new and antique dishes by Etsy shop Who Made It . This unique handmade shop is run by two lovely sisters, Wendy and Andrea Ho. (image via Seven Eight)

Their mom runs a handmade paper shop (image above taken from her etsy shop). Talk about creativity running in the family!

Laissezfaire featured in Home & Decor

Thank you Home & Decor for choosing me as the blogger of the month! I am deeply honoured to have Laissezfaire featured in your June issue! (click on image above to enlarge)

A Love Affair with Coffee Filters

I simply love the romantic vintage hues of these garlands put together by Pam Garrison. Who would have thought these were made from coffee filters, sewing pattern paper, tissue paper and string! I am so inspired by these to make one and string in some pearls. She also made some gorgeous pom poms (below), also from coffee filters.

Kari Herer

I simply love the ephemeral quality of these magnolias placed on insect illustrations by Kari Herer. I think Magnolia is now my favourite flower, after Peonies in white cream.

Eastern Bluebird

Please please please restock this!

Oilcloth Lunchbags

Turn a cheap kitchy oil cloth you use to cover your kitchen table into these gorgeous lunch bags by following this tutorial by Martha Stewart.

twentywentyone

Love the colours of these plush chairs by twentywentyone.

Hair Salon in Paris

Welcome to La Nouvelle Athenes. Who would have guessed this would be a place to have your hair done? Stepping to this stunning hair salon is almost like stepping into someone's home. I love how the unassuming seats are placed to face a massive wall with a small mirror. Only in Paris...

Jessica Hische

What a lovely typography by Jessica Hische, a designer/illustrator based in Brooklyn who spends her days "drawing type and designing pretty things and her late nights working on everything from editorial illustration to hand-lettering for romance novel covers." Sounds like so much fun! (via ffffound)

Make it happen

via I can read

Aktipis Flower shop in Greece

I am drawn by the details of this flower shop designed by Athens studio Point Supreme Architects in Patras, Greece. Particularly the ornate iron grill entrance and display tables clad in white tiles which occupy the centre of the shop.

The tables are all different in proportions and sizes to relate to specific kinds and sizes of plants. You can rearrnge the modular tables in various ways to change the layout of the display. A simple and beautiful solution to a limited budget. And I simply love the plans, sections, elevation and even a model they did of this space. Magical!

I love that this shop appears to blur the boundary between what is inside and outside by including details such as a garden chair inside and sound of birds from speakers (nice!). It is like a box containing all that is beautiful about being outside. A part of the façade is also set back to offer a display space outside the shop. (via)

Everything I have

"Everything I have" by Simon Evans. I will never be able to fit all my things into a sheet of paper like this. (via Debi Van Zyl via Black Eiffel)

Cardboard House - Villa Julia

I would so like to place my desk in this and work out of this at home if I could fit inside. Or perhaps erect one of these at the corner of a busy street to sell pretty cupcakes and lemonade.

Follow me on Twitter!

I finally got round to signing up on Twitter and oh it is soo much fun! Almost additive. If you would like to follow this Twitter newbie, click here! I will mostly be using this to post the latest on my baby online store and update more frequently on day-to-day (and sometimes banal) events that keep me busy and inspired.

Currently inspired by

Rose and Grey

I love this "Birds on a Wire" decal and graphic cushions from Rose and Grey. The round mirror next to the bed looks super lovely too. Wonder where you can find this...

(above) Birdcage Cushion

Eggshell Flowerpots

I love this idea by Martha Stewart Crafts that teaches you how to turn egg shells into flower pots. So simple and beautiful. This will make such a meaningful Easter gift that celebrates the hope of new life. If only I had the green fingers to make seeds sprout like this!

Cat Mansion

If you have a cat and feel like pampering him/her with what you may dream of living in, you may like this tutorial that teaches you how to turn cardboard boxes into a mansion. This makes me wish I were a cat!

My favourite quote from "Under the Tuscan Sun"

It has been a hectic week and my husband and I unwinded by watching "Under the Tuscan Sun" on DVD for the second time together after dinner. We really love this movie and it inspired us to take our honeymoon in Tuscany when we first saw it 5 years ago. Here is my favourite quote from the film:

"Signora, between Austria and Italy, there is a section of the Alps called the Semmering. It is an impossibly steep, very high part of the mountains. They built a train track over these Alps to connect Vienna and Venice. They built these tracks even before there was a train in existence that could make the trip. They built it because they knew some day, the train would come."

Martini from "Under the Tuscan Sun"

How I long to own a villa in Tuscany!

Decorating on a budget

Money is tight now-a-days for most of people, but that doesn’t mean that you should avoid home improvements. Modern furniture and decorations can be expensive. People tend to think that a modern looking decor is simply out of their price range. Luckily, there are several projects you can do yourself to help give your home a little more style on a budget.

Rather than buy new furniture, consider doing some renovations on your existing pieces. In the bedroom for example, you could spruce up the décor in your room by adding some style to your existing headboard. Find a fabric color or pattern that you like and use it to create a padded headboard. All you need is some fabric, some stuffing, and a staple gun. Attach the fabric to the headboard; add the stuffing material for some added padding, and then staple it closed. Creating your own padded headboard instead of buying one from a furniture store can save you hundreds of dollars.

Here is a neat tutorial from Charissa that will teach you how to make your own tufted headboard.

(above) Ultra modern look achieved by just attaching 2 large closet doors together with metal brackets. Feels kinda like a chic boutique hotel, doesn't it?(via)

What to do about those drabby walls at home? Adding wall art to the home is a good way to cover up those bland walls, but it can really drain your budget. Splurging on expensive modern pieces may not be the best way to decorate on a budget. Rather, wall flats are a great way to cover up those walls while simultaneously providing a modern, futuristic look. Wall flats produce deliberate,modern patterns to complete that simple, yet contemporary look to your room. Not only that, but it is an easy, fun project with very rewarding results. These modern wall flats I found at All Modern are a great way to add some texture and breathe life into an old wall.

(above) Inhabit - Braille Wall Flats available at All Modern. Designed to expand in any direction with an automatic pattern repeat, the Braille Wall Flats - Set of Ten can be used to cover an existing wall, help disguise a not-so-smooth wall or add a modern pattern to any room setting

(above) Inhabit - Seesaw Wall Flats available at All Modern

Unique center pieces and sculptures don’t need to be purchased at an art auction. You’d be surprised by the number of great looking pieces you can find and flea markets and garage sales, such as these cool looking orange reconditioned phones. What was one persons junk could easily become a decorative accent piece for your home. Do a little leg work and you can probably find some interesting pieces at a fraction of what it may be worth!

Design is...

"Design is 70% dealing with people, 3% the idea, 2% selling the idea, 2% the brief, 2% being pig headed, 1% printing, 3% eye for detail, .6% invoices, 2% coffee, .7% tracking, .1% warm glow, .6% panic, 1% 4am, .6% staring, .2% checking, 1% letting go, .8% keeping hold, .7% estimates, .3% checking, .4% proofs, .1% colour, .9% understanding, .4% marketing, 1% checking, .8% beach ball, .5% mice, .3% keynotes, .4% persuasion, .2% bragging, .5% smiling, 2% knowing when to stop.

Duane King (via viafrank)

Perfect shade of turquoise

Gorgeous pictures of Chinatown (LA) taken by A Field Journal here. I just love the turquoise shade of the sky and the yellow lanterns.