PAPER + CUP DESIGN at Paper Source

Over the weekend, I visited the new Paper Source shop in Brooklyn (woot!) along with the lovely Kristin Appenbrink. We went to see PAPER+CUP founders Minhee and Truman Cho demonstrate how to make adorable paper balls from their new book, Paper + Design. (P.S. The book was styled by Randi Brookman Harris, whom I wrote about this summer. See that post here.)

I don't consider myself that crafty, but loved learning how to make this simple and chic decoration. It would look perfect hanging with several others at a party, or as a smart gift topper.

Kristin is going to be writing about how to make them over on her blog at RealSimple.com, so keep an eye out! **UPDATE: Kristin's post is up! See it here.

Minhee Cho

Kristin's fab navy and silver creation (so cute and so easy!)

Gretel's "Once & Again" Exhibit

My world is all pop-up, all the time. But this time I'm not talking about Real Simple's Pop-Up Shop (although that one is definitely high on my list). This go 'round I'm thinking about the Once & Again pop-up exhibition online and at the Bass Museum of Art in Miami Beach from one of my favorite shops of all time, Gretel.

I got to know Gretel's founder Abby Kellett through an interview I did with her over at HermanMiller.com (see it here), and she is just lovely lovely. (I even convinced her to get on Twitter. Follow her here!) Take a gander at some of the never-before-seen pieces and limited-edition items available at her charming shop, for a limited-time only. It's all gone in one big *poof* come midnight, December 5.

Photos by Claudia Uribe Touri

Do you dress like you decorate?

I don't. At least, not according to the piles of gray sweaters I recently uncovered while doing the big summer-to-fall closet switch-out.

It's almost astounding that one person can own so much of the same color. Very honestly, I don't actually own a ton-ton of clothes; yet somehow, when I'm out shopping, I have a brain blockage when it comes to remembering that I already have 14 shades of gray in my possession.

Strangely enough, my home is the opposite--so much so that I often wonder if I should tone it down (but don't worry; I won't). I am just not afraid of being bolder with color in my living space. Case in point:



Folding my sweaters, I wondered why this is. Is wearing gray a self-confidence issue--a need to blend in, to cover myself up? What does all the color in my house represent? Do I need a therapy session over this? Or, dude, do I just like to wear gray?

I don't have the answer--probably never will, knowing me. But what about you? Are you also monochromatically inclined? Does the way you dress your home reflect the way you dress your bod?

Three Coats of "Yellow Rain Coat" and Counting

I've been a little MIA for the past couple of days because of the below wooden stool and a paint color called "Yellow Rain Coat." (I mean, leave it to a piece of furniture and a cleverly written name to keep me overly occupied.)



I wrote about this project a few weeks back, when I was debating what color to paint my collection of letter As. And while I'm still battling THAT whole issue, I have really been noticing how tired I am of this boring old dark-stained Pottery Barn stool collecting dust in my bathroom. So, while snooping around my neighborhood hardware store over the weekend for some new light bulbs, I stumbled upon Benjamin Moore's color samples. And oh, the rainbow goodness!

I had recently received a great tip on Twitter (thanks, @Sophiedow) that these mini pots are a perfect for use in smaller paint projects like mine. So after eyeballing the yellow section (I was originally intending to use a tasteful canary yellow), I came upon "Yellow Rain Coat." And then it was on.



Now, I am lots of things. But I am not terribly crafty. So I just bought the items I thought I'd need for this project: two paint samples, a spongy paintbrush thingy, and also a sandpaper thingy. (Because wasn't I supposed to do that?)



(Well, it doesn't matter or not, because I did.)



And then I starting painting. And also remembering: Aren't you supposed to prime things before you paint them, particularly if they're dark to begin with, and you'd like them to be lighter?



Ahhh yes. And that's probably why there are dark spots immediately showing through the Yellow Rain Coat.



Here's the old girl after one coat. Dark spots and all.



Three coats later, she's shaping up nicely. There's still a few dark places I'd like to cover, so it looks like she'll be gettin' one more coat tonight. And for the record, it's been a fun being temporarily crafty. But I won't lie: I am still undecided whether this freshened-up piece of my apartment is looks chic, or if it just looks like it belongs in the designated children's area of a McDonald's restaurant. (French fries, anyone?)