tamara mogendorff

It was a brief mention in this post on design*sponge, that brought me to the site of Tamar Mogendorff. I have been working on some birdhouse designs so when I saw this I was instantly in love. I want that whole wall of them above my bed.

She sews all these fantastic little things, from birds to sea horses to mushrooms. Everything is just gorgeous. Unfortunately her site only mentions her sales rep and not where the average consumer can actually buy her wares. If anyone knows of any stores that carry her goodies, please post them here. Thanks.

my vintage yet modern bar

Several months ago Grace had a little DIY contest at design*sponge. I wasn't among one of the winners but thought I would post my entry here any. Of course I am biased and think my project was overlooked. ;)

I started with a vintage dresser that I had purchased at a thrift store for $18. It had a dark cherry stain and the veneer on the top of the dresser was missing completely.

First I refinished the dresser in a satin black finish. For the top I did a distressed blue-gray color. Then I built a lip around the sides and back so nothing would slide off.

For the wine storage, I measured the second drawer and built a thin box with zig-zag supports. The box is a tight fit but could be removed without damage to the dresser. The zig-zags are where the wine bottles go of course.

The rest of the drawers are perfect for storing anything related to entertaining... candles, tablecloths, place mats etc. It keeps everything neat and tidy and easy to find.

I wanted to keep the middle drawer so I turned it on its side and hung it on the wall above the bar. I decoupaged the inside with some vintage images I printed out. Now I have a perfect shelf for some of the prettier glasses and things. It is hard to tell from the photo, but the drawer pull (which is a decorative ring) hangs down and becomes the perfect place to hang a towel for the bar. Add some little lights and you are good to go.

d*s shop for january

fyi... the design*sponge shop will now officially open next monday, featuring the cards below. we are anxious but i am sure the shop will be worth the wait. hope to see you there.

a sneak peek

Just wanted to give everyone a sneak peak at the new cards that will be a part of the January design*sponge shop. During the month of January, this is the only place where you can buy the cards. They are a limited edition so get em while their hot. It is a box set of 6 cards, 2 of each 3 designs. The cards are each 2 color letterpress on a super soft 100% cotton (no trees!) paper with coordinating sage green envelopes. I think these are ultra cute and am so pleased with the results.

time to spare

My plans to post more of the things that I have been looking at lately, have been somewhat derailed. This past Friday, Grace over at design*sponge did a super little feature about paper stories and our bittersweet cards. Since then, orders have gone through the roof (oh how I have always wanted a skylight) and I have been contacted by so many people. I spent time today talking with the senior editor at Martha Stewart's new Blueprint magazine about an upcoming feature. I wont go into details in case it doesn't come to fruition. I am just excited for any possibilities that may come up. Of course with the extreme highs, soon afterwards comes the anxiety and nervousness involved with running what has pretty much been a one-person venture. How do you "take it to the next level" (don't you hate that phrase? It's like when people in the 80's would always talk about 'the danger zone'. What?)? Ideally, I need an accountant, an office manager, more designers, more printers, more presses, a warehouse, a maid, a personal chef, a helipad... Am I getting ahead of myself? Perhaps just an extra set of hands would do for now. (but they must be cheap hands... I'm not really raking in the dough yet.... Just breaking even) Sometimes I just want to say....