It’s been a while since I last wrote anything here; but my life has been turned upside down and time has not been on my side. But I can not miss the beginning of one of my favorite seasons, Autumn. So what a better way to receive this time of year than with a sweet treat. Inspired by the colors and textures of Autumn, here I’ve made a carrot cupcake with a maple-cream cheese frosting and to adorn this cutie, I’ve added some roasted walnuts and a cinnamon sugar cookie in the form of a leaf. 
It is not a custom of mine to place a recipe in this blog, but I find Autumn so beautiful that I could not resist myself. For those of you interested in the recipe, here is the link for the cupcake and here for the frosting. As for the leaf cookie, it is a simple sugar cookie recipe that I added a hit of cinnamon. Hope you enjoy!

Elegant floor in Darcy Miller’s New York apartment as featured on Architectural Digest magazine. This contemporary entryway, as well as her apartment, were designed by David Mann from MR Architecture + Decor . 

For me, just like the saying goes: “Eyes are the windows to the soul”; the entryway of a home is an “access to the heart”. You see, this part of your house is were your visitors will feel most welcome. It is the first impression you give your guests of who lives there. I’ve come to an understanding that this area should be an echo of the owner, a mare representation of who he/she is.

Although, not everybody has a glittering or sparkling personality (I’m one of those), it is very important to have a certain knowledge when it comes to your entryway. For this reason, I have prepared a list of things to keep in mind when decorating or rearranging this area.

Use large mirrors: These can be placed either against the wall (if using the tall ones from the floor up), over a table leaning on the wall or the hanging type. The thing about mirrors is that they tend to make an area look bigger. This is because they double everything reflected or, if receiving a source of light, they can make the area look brighter. When guests arrive at your home, they’ll feel like entering a large room instead of a square long hallway. So, if dealing with an obscure entryway, opt for a mirror, but make the size count!

  

1. The tall mirror against the wall in this entryway design from McGill Designs, gives an elegant touch to the area. 2. The hanged mirrors help to elongate the wall giving more depth to the entryway. Space designed by Shirry Dolgin.

Use art: Not only does art makes one look interesting and intelligent, but is sure will make any wall stand out. You can use reproductions of real expensive works, or new up-coming artists. If having some great photos of your last vacation to Arabia, Bahamas or Christmas at your moms, try them too. You can even display your little ones’ pieces of art and say you are a proud mommy or daddy of a future Picasso. I’m in favor of putting large black and white photos of my kids. I like them to be close-ups since those cute little smiles grab everybody’s attention. Also, using black and white pictures will not distract the eye from the rest of the room’s decoration.

  

1. This amazing space from Architect Bill Ingram’s lakeside dwelling, is a good example on how to incorporate art in the walls. Here they helped the ceiling seemed higher because their horizontal placement. 2. Another example of great art positioning comes from Kerry Howard. Here the designer used the principle of symmetry for the placement of the framework. 3. In this entryway from the Mark Ruffalo’s home as featured in Domino Magazine, we can see how they used an interesting mix of art and photos. 

Prepare a cozy approach: If having the space, you can try placing an elegant or modern armchair with a side table. It can serve as a mini-living room or an extension of the real one.

Placed on the side of the stairs, this entryway from Connelli Interiors, is the definition of classic and elegant. The color of the chairs makes an excellent contrast against the pale walls. Love how they used a couple of round mirrors to compliment the area. This is a great transitional space.

Use color: For the conservative type, stay with the neutrals palette. Besides making everything look modern and sleek, these colors also bring a sense of warmth to the space. But if you are a daring type, I’ll say you can go with a bright color as long as you keep it to one wall. This way it will function as a focal point on the space. To balance this, you can paint the smallest wall with a bright color and the rest (the longest one) with a more muted hue. But keep in mind to not overcrowd the rest of the area (either with big furniture, lamps or art) because it can end-up making your guests feel overwhelmed. 

  

1. On the neutral side of the color charts, this entryway from designer Ned Marshalls, incorporates the Benjamin Moore Bittersweet Chocolate color in contrast with the lavender French sofa. 2. The color of the season, coral, was very well used in this natural illuminated entryway.

These tips might guide you to a really nice entryway, but remember to always try to bring out the very best of you, at the end… your true heart!

So, summer is here and with it, sand, sun and the beach. Although we like it when we get tan, it is a sure thing that at the end, the sun rays cause too much skin damage to risk ourselves. Before you go running to apply gallons of sunblock (of course you should apply some reasonable quantity) and pretend to look like “Powder” or worst, like Casper the friendly ghost; here are some great and stylish summer beach umbrellas to take to the beach. Keep in mind that for us, style and beauty always go hand in hand.

True blue: Just like the sea, this options are all in tone with its sorroundings. From the beautiful summery stripes, to the ones evoking fish’s skin.

  

Like a ray of sun: Like the sun rays but without suffering mayor damage and risking your skin, take a yellow umbrella to feel sun kiss!

  

Under the Indian sun: How many times have you fallen in love with everything Indian. This options are so gorgeous and stylish that you’ll want to ride the beach on top of an elephant or better yet, start dancing to the rhythm of an Hindi music.

  

Part of the process of Eskayel, her paintings. Source

With all this emotions and happenings, today I’ll present to you Shanan Campanro a great artist and founder of Eskayel, a Brooklyn based design studio focused on interior surface design. Her breathtaking wallpaper images consist on creating beautiful paintings and digitally transform them into patterns. Her new line called “The Poolside Collection” is so well-timed for Summer which is just around the corner. Campanro’s work is eco-friendly and a “visually inspiring option”. Here are some great examples of Eskayel’s wallpaper and its new line.

  

  

The Spring season seems to be inspiring a lot of us into making happy colorful things. This Friday I’ll have for you one of those Spring-y projects that will make even the  ”Grouchiest” one smile. Today I’ve decided that, although not colorful inspired; I’ll give a new look to my rattan planter. This accessory has been with me for years and it literally had ran from corner to corner around my house. Nevertheless, it has always fulfill each of those corners by adding an accent. But the time has come for it to transform into something a little more update.

Before I start I have some great ideas on how to transform any natural fiber basket (in my case, a planter) with just a little paint an a lot of creativity. Some examples are from well-know stores, but are here to spark your imagination.

  

Photo via West Elm

Photo via Martha Stewart

Photo via West Elm

Photo via Little Green Notebook

1.2.3 Photo via Connected Goods

From blagh to dang!!!

Originally, my rattan planter was a dark brown color. I’ve decided that it needed to add clarity wherever I put it so, in comes my preferred color “Dolphin Fin” from Behr. Because it was so dark, I gave it three coats of paint. I have to say that I left those crannies and nooks between each branch on purpose and ended up loving that look.

      

After all the paint was dried, I used ScotchBlue Painter’s tape to make my design. Because of its cylindrical form, the design was a simple one. The color used for this was the Martha Stewart chalkboard paint in gray. I love how this color goes with almost everything around my house.

  

The final touches were given with a soft sandpaper for an old look.

   

The extra

This planter has always carried some sort of branch or dried plant. The latest were from Ikea. I really loved their color and how they naturally twisted. So I decided to add a little something to give them a new look. For this, I used a thin rope twirled around each one of them with a E-6000 glue. The trick was to add spaces of rope to fill in blank spots on each branch. I did not want to cover long areas at once, so I varied how long I wanted each to be. Some ended up cover 5”, others 1”. You can play with this. The idea is to create a balanced look between the branches. To secured each end, I placed some needles and waited for the rope to be completely dried.

  

The completed new look deserves a spotlight corner in my house. I’m very happy with the end result! Have you painted lately any old item that’s been mingling around your house? If so, let us know. Visit my Facebook page and comment on this project and share with us yours. Hope to see you around.