3.31.2016

April 2016 iPhone + Desktop Wallpapers


Well, my friends? It appears that March has come and gone and tomorrow we'll say hello to April! Is anyone planning any good April fools pranks? I don't have anything up my sleeve, but I do appreciate a good prank as long as it's not too mean-spirited. ;)

For today, I've treat for you - new iPhone and desktop wallpapers! This month's round is full of punchy graphic hexagons in two different colorways.  They have a springy vibe (fingers crossed that April brings some more *consistent* spring weather!) with their lighter colors.

You can grab one with or without the April calendar. Click the link underneath the one you'd like to download. It will take you to Dropbox so you can download the full-size version.

Enjoy!











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3.28.2016

Favorite Gift Finds at UncommonGoods


*Note: This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of UncommonGoods. As always, opinions and words are mine - I only partner with brands that I love and that I think y'all would too! Thanks for supporting MRFB in this way. See my full disclosure notice at the bottom of the page.

I'm always on the hunt for new and unique sources for gifts for folks, so when I ran across UncommonGoods, I knew I had to come share some of my favorite finds with y'all. Considering we're entering a big gift giving season soon (Mother's/Father's Day, graduations, weddings, anyone?!), I'll bet you have some shopping to do in the coming months.

UncommonGoods certainly provides a great source for new and unique gifts, but what I really love about this company is that they're focused on being an online marketplace for emerging artisans, makers in low-income countries, and handmade pieces. Each item has a story behind it and they want to make sure you have a chance to hear it. Also, every time you make a purchase they donate $1 to your choice of one of their non-profit partners. Isn't that cool? You can read more about the company and its values here.

Alright, let's get to the good stuff! I've pulled together a list of my favorites from the UncommonGoods website, including a couple of items that they were kind enough to send me for this post!

1 | Layered Block Print Table Runner




This table runner caught my attention because of its funky mixed patterns, pom pom trim and modern-meets-boho vibe. It was one of my picks for our new dining table and I think it looks great in there!




This would make a great gift for someone who like me who loves to entertain. Perhaps it would even make a great wedding or Mother's Day gift? (P.S. if you're on the hunt for Mother's Day gifts, UncommonGoods has a great selection over here.)

2 | Gilded Branches Jewelry Tree


If you've got pretty jewelry, why not display it on something pretty? This jewelry tree certainly fits that bill.

3 | Succulent Living Wall Planter


I think y'all have probably figured out by now that I have this thing for succulents. They're easy to keep alive and pretty to look at. If I had a wall that got some great sun exposure, I'd be all over this wall planter!

4 | Coral Carved Hanging Planter


Speaking of plants, here's another planter I thought was very pretty. It would be perfect on a front porch.

5 | Free Form Bulletin Board


The organizer in me really liked this bulletin board for an entryway, command center or office.

6 | Neighborwoods Map Coasters


Local art gets my attention every time, and these wood coasters with snippets of city neighborhoods are awesome. They had Philadelphia on their list of available cities and I almost pulled the trigger on them, but realized that I already have three sets of coasters in our house. I probably don't need a fourth. :) I love when gifts have some sort of personalized element (there are more items like that here if you're in the market!).

7 | Woven Daily Crossbody Bag


This is the other item that came home with me. I love crossbody bags and this one goes with just about any casual outfit. I tend to bike a lot in the city and this kind of bag works perfectly for that. It holds the essentials, but has room for extras when needed.


8 | Whale Booties


Another kind of event I'm headed to often these days is baby showers. While it's always great to snag something for those off the mom-to-be's registry, unexpected, adorable little things (like the ones over here at UncommonGoods) are always fun too!


I hope these ideas have inspired you to think outside the box the next time you're in the market for a gift! Do you have a favorite source for unique gifts?

Have a great start to your week, friends!

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3.25.2016

DIY Large Scale Art & A Few Styling Tips

(Note: Modern Masters provided the Pale Gold metallic paint for this project, but I was not otherwise compensated. All opinions are my own, as always!)

Art. It's a key part of making a room look finished, adds style and personality, and can unfortunately cost a pretty penny for good, quality pieces. I'm all about investing in beautiful pieces that you love, but sometimes that's just not in the budget.

Enter DIY art: the affordable alternative that lets you flex your creative muscles as well! Making art can be totally fun and therapeutic even if you're not what you'd call, ahem, artistic. You can make some beautiful stuff for your home. Promise.

I talked about a bunch of options for DIY-able art here, so if you're ready to take a project like this on, try my idea below or check out the other ones in that post.

In our dining room update earlier this week, I mentioned that I created these two pieces of large scale art for one of the big ole blank walls in there. Here's where they are:


(*Side note: ugh, I just can't handle that brass chandelier - it's high on the list to replace!)

Let's take a closer look at those two pieces. They're super simple to make.



Here are the supplies I used if you'd like to try your hand at making some of your own:
  • Royal blue acrylic craft paint
  • Modern Masters Pale Gold paint from their Metallic Paint Collection
  • Craft paint brush - I used a fat round one
  • White poster board - yep, nothing fancy here! If you mess up, it'll only cost you about 25 cents to start over.
  • IKEA Ribba frame - these are the 24"x35 3/4" size and the poster board fits perfectly in it
I decided to make two patterns: one "U" pattern and one "V" pattern. I sketched these out on a smaller scale first to make sure I liked them and then just went right at it. I chose blue as the predominant color and gold as an accent color, adding it in randomly when it felt right. I was inspired by the mud cloth and shibori looks that are so popular right now and wanted the patterns to look more on the imperfect side. I think I achieved that! 

Plus, perfection is overrated sometimes. ;)

After the paint dried, I popped them in the frames, securing them to the mat with washi tape at each corner.


I like how these two complement each other in color and style, but that the patterns are still distinct from one another. Also, that Modern Masters Pale Gold paint was the perfect metallic touch - it ties the art into the nearby kitchen pendants and the overhead lighting in the living room, all of which helps make these rooms look cohesive, but not matchy matchy. The gold paint is such a dream to work with: it goes on smoothly and is a true metallic with beautiful reflective qualities. Open floor plans can be tricky sometimes!

I had a lot of fun figuring out how to style these pieces for photos - styling is always a trial and error process for me - and thought I'd share my process as a fun little bonus for this post! I even made a gif for it - I think that's a first for MRFB! If you can't see the gif, just scroll down. The photos are there individually too.


I started with two stacked stools from our bar area and topped them with a potted succulent (jade)...


Added a second potted succulent...


Brought in a dining room chair...


Then a pillow...


And finally, one more plant for good measure.


I'm not an expert styler by any means, but I've learned a few things that are important to make vignette look great:

  1. Always include something living - either a plant or flowers.
  2. Vary the textures. Here I've mixed in metal, wood and soft fabrics.
  3. Gather items in groups of threes.
  4. Mix up the height of objects.



I hope you'll try some DIY art! It's a fun project that can totally transform a space.

Have a great weekend, y'all!

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3.23.2016

"State of the Dining Room" Update


Hello friends! I hope you're having great weeks so far. Work has been keeping me quite busy lately and I'm ready for things to slow down a little bit! I'm popping in today to share a little update on our dining room. Though it's far from what I'd call "done," I'm ok with that and I figured y'all would like to see some of the progress and hear about the process. After all, real life makeovers don't happen overnight!

The last time you saw a full shot of our dining room, it looked like this:



Our petite, but lovely farm table (a family piece) lived here, and we were using a secretary for storage. We knew we wanted a larger dining table to host folks for the elaborate dinner parties we're planning - I kid, but seriously, we wanted to be able to have more than two people over at a time - and better storage for serving pieces, barware and china.

I hit the jackpot with a thrifted china hutch I found at my favorite local Philly spot, Uhuru, back in January, and that piece has become a workhorse. I wrote about it in this post if you want more details about it and the little DIY magic I worked on it. You'll see it a little later in this post.

Then, after months of hunting Craigslist for the perfect dining room table that my husband and I could both agree on, the Dylan table from CB2 popped up for nearly half off the retail price. It was the perfect mix between traditional farm table, mid-century modern and industrial, and we love it. Enough chit chat though, let's get to to the photos!


Can I just tell you how pretty this table is? It has a thick, solid wood top and iron hairpin-like legs. And yes, it does weigh approximately a thousand pounds (I'm exaggerating, but not by much). Like true city-dwellers who don't have a large car to pick up giant Craigslist finds, we called an UberXL to pick it up and bring it home. The driver was so awesome - he even helped us carry it into the house. It was quite a hilarious scene.


It fits six to eight people, and clearly we are in need of more seating! We're contemplating doing four chairs and a bench - do y'all have thoughts on a bench? I think it would look less crowded visually than having six chairs since our space isn't huge, but I worry a little bit about comfort for the folks sitting at a bench for long periods of time.


I can't get over how thick and beautiful the table top is.



If you're paying very close attention, you might notice that the china hutch swapped walls and I added some large-scale art to the wall where that piece used to be.


I'll share a little more about that art in another post, but I will let you in on a little secret: it was a DIY I put together with some acrylic craft paint and some Modern Masters Pale Gold from the Metallic Paint Collection. They're super simple and add a nice graphic focal point to the room.


I'd say the dining room is coming right along!

What's left to do in here? A few things:

  • Change out that unfortunate shiny brass chandelier for something awesome. Jury's out on what that will be, but I talked about some recent favorites last week in this post.
  • Figure out the seating. I'd like to get four of these white Eiffel style dining chairs (*affiliate link) and a bench. My husband isn't sold on those chairs though.
  • Paint the radiator white.
  • Maybe add a rug? 
So that's the "State of the Dining Room" update. Do y'all like these "in-process" posts?

Like I said above, I'll be sharing more about that DIY art in another post!

*Don't forget to enter the giveaway for a FREE e-design package if you're in the Philly or DC areas. All the info on how to enter is here.



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3.16.2016

E-Design Services Giveaway!


Do you live in the Philadelphia, PA or Washington, DC metro areas?

Want to win some free design services? 

If you answered "yes" to those two questions, you're in luck! I'm excited to announce that Mix & Match Design Company (my e-design business) is giving away a free full room design package to one lucky person. So if you've been dreaming of transforming a space in your house - be it a bedroom, living room, nursery, etc. - and need a little bit of help making that happen, now may be your chance! Interested? Read on to make sure you qualify and how to enter your space.

The winner will receive a full room design board package. Here's what's included:
  • A consultation about the space via phone, email and/or Skype/Facetime
  • A design board with a visual representation of the items needed for the space 
  • A source list with item prices and links to purchase
What might your design board look like? Check out these examples:



In order to be considered, you must meet the below requirements and agree to the following:
  • Live in the Philadelphia, PA or Washington, DC metro areas
  • Be willing to have photos (before and after images) and information about your space featured on the Mix & Match Design Company website portfolio
  • Assume the cost of any furniture purchases and make those purchases by a mutually agreed upon deadline on or around August 1, 2016
  • Allow me to visit, style and photograph the finished space in your home
How to enter: 
The survey will close on April 15th, 2016 and a winner will be selected after that date. I can't wait to work with one of you!!


P.S. I would love it if you would help spread the word about the giveaway to your Philly and DC-area friends. The more the merrier!

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3.14.2016

Favorite Finds | Modern Dining Room Light Fixtures

We've been slowly chipping away at pulling our dining room together (can't wait to share some progress soon!), and one item we haven't figured out yet is the light fixture. I've heard it said before that light fixtures are like the jewelry of the room and I think I have to agree. They can add such spunk and personality to a room.

Since we just forked over a significant chunk of change for a new-to-us dining room table, I'm a bit reluctant to purchase a light fixture at the moment, but that hasn't stopped me from window shopping my way through Google, Etsy and Pinterest. If you're in the market for a new modern chandelier, I've found some really awesome options for you to check out! Or, if you're like me and not quite ready to make that purchase, but appreciate great lighting design, you can just ooo and ahh over the ones below like I have. You'll notice I have a tremendous affinity for brass and black fixtures - I make no apologies for that, ha!

Here are my favorite finds:


1 | 5 Orb Chandelier by Lucent Light Shop via Etsy
2 | Vega 5 Chandelier by Schoolhouse Electric
4 | Pelle Chandelier Gooseneck by West Elm
5 | Vintage Metal Large Chandelier* by Unitary via Amazon
6 | Cabildo Chandelier by Sazerac Stitches
7 | George Kovacs Pontil Chandelier* by Kovacs via Amazon

Which one is your favorite?


* Denotes affiliate links. When you purchase an item using my link, I receive a small commission at no cost to you. Thanks for helping support this little blog!

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