Can I borrow your brain?

In typical Amy fashion, I recently bought something that I didn't really need but just had to have because it was such a bargain.

Our company had a "swag sale" last Friday, which came at the end of a two-week promotion encouraging employees to clean out their offices and then donate the stuff they didn't want to the sale (a "your trash could be somebody's treasure" sort of idea--a good thing, if you ask me). Proceeds went to charity.

I got some of the normal goodies you can occasionally get for a steal when you work at a big media company: DVDs, books, decent beauty products. But my sweetest score was the above two rolls of wallpaper. (Ain't they lover-ly?)

Now, I do not own my apartment, so there is no way I can hang this paper anywhere in my home. Ditto for the office, natch. And I have no idea who made it or where it came from; but, from my limited wallpaper knowledge, it seems to be some good stuff.

At first I thought I could use it as funky-fun gift-wrapping paper. But then I decided that, no! I shall post it to M-Dashing and see if you guys could brainstorm with me to figure out a better alternative! So help a sister out. What the heck would you do with two rando rolls of wallpaper?

Hit me up. I'm open-minded...

In the Moment

Yesterday I told you about François Chambard of UM Project, who talked to me about the "moment" he created within the kitchen table he installed in the townhouse project featured on the latest cover of Interior Design mag.

Today I want to tell you that François just sent me a few photos of that smart, small screw detail.



See what I mean? It's that small touch--that moment--that knocks a simple white table up a notch on the chic scale.

God is in the details, I tell ya. And moments are the thing. And if I've learned anything after this week, it's that I need more of them. (And maybe even a townhouse. Or perhaps just a kitchen table.)

Thanks, François!

P.S. See more pictures of the AMAZING townhouse project here (much better than yesterday's iPhone sitch). Happy Friday...

Photos by Francis Dzikowski

Interior Design Magazine’s “NY” Launch Party

You know those weeks where you feel amazingly inspired? I'm having one of those.

My dear friend Glenn--always creative and brilliant--has been in town celebrating the release of his new book (along with the book's partnership with YouTube). And last night, I attended a party for the launch of Interior Design magazine's "New York: In Living Color" issue.

The event was held in one of the issue's features: the Tribeca townhouse designed by Ghislaine Viñas. I was invited by the also-always-creative-and-brilliant François Chambard of Brooklyn-based UM Project, who I've featured here at M-Dashing and a couple times at HermanMiller.com.

I am a big fan of François', and he has always been tremendously appreciative of any of coverage I've given him. It was great to chat with him and his wife at the party, and he showed me some of the work he did for the townhouse project.

And you want to know my favorite part? A small detail on the kitchen table he created. Now, this table was photographed for the issue's cover, but you won't be able to see this particular that I'm referring to. And that's because it concerns the screws that join the legs to the top of the table. François slightly widened the "hole area" (no better way to describe it) around where the screw joins the wood and painted the inside a fire-engine red. It's a nice, bold surprise--a touch that seems very smart and very "UM."

When he pointed it out, he told me, "It's a moment. I like to create moments like this in my work."

If I had been able to take a photo, I would have--but crowd around the table was entirely too thick. So you'll just have to trust me. But it was definitely an inspiring moment. And for a second, it was all mine.

All these pics were taken with my iPhone, so pardon the fuzziness. See the real deal in the September issue of Interior Design.

Framed! An Artistic Exposé

Tess is back for another guest post! You might remember her as my writing-partner-in-crime at work (and here she is, covering me AGAIN. Sorry, friend!) I LOVE this post on the things she frames at home--so clever, and so Tess. Thanks for your help, T. I owe you one, as always!

Confession: I am obsessed with framing. Photos, yes, but see also: cards, fortunes, coasters, book jackets, ticket stubs, and pretty much anything I can fit under glass—or onto a bulletin board. (Which brings me to obsession no. 2: framed bulletin boards made with designer fabrics, but that’s a blog post for another day).

Below, a look at my favorite everyday items as framable art, and why I love them so:

Children’s Book Jacket

Nothing says smart family entertainment better than a room decorated with our literary alter egos. After a dear friend gave me this children’s book as a birthday gift, it got me to wondering if there were books out there featuring characters named after all of us. Turns out, there are…and a new adventure in home décor followed.

Cookie’s Fortune

I make a living off the power of words, so it’s no surprise that one of my greatest-ever sources of inspiration came from Charlie Mom’s Chinese takeout. Five years ago, I quit my full-time job with two huge goals in mind: 1) start a successful freelance business and 2) have a baby. It took about a day for the excitement to wear off and the terror to set in, but these pieces of paper promising “Your current plans are going to succeed,” “Patience is the remedy for every trouble,” and “Your path is arduous but will be amply rewarding” were always there assuring me that they would. And they did. I like to believe it’s thanks to Charlie Mom.

Coasters
When my friend Andrea gave me these fabric coasters from our favorite NYC decorating source, Hable Construction, as a housewarming gift, I’m sure even she felt a pang of sadness imagining their fate. This way, my guests can drink in their printed perfection without worries of spoiling them in the process.

Calendar
It’s so hard to say goodbye to each eye-popping month on my SusyJack* Deluxe Wall Calendar. That’s why I’m only too happy to recycle every page as bold n' beautiful artwork (that also makes for a unique and inexpensive gift). Since Susy is committed to eco-friendliness, I’m sure she would approve.

Spoons
The highlight of my trip to Paris was not the Louvre, or the Left Bank, or even the butter. It was finding La Vaissellerie, a little piece of Fish’s Eddy fabulousness meets Parisian sophistication. I knew I had to have this rainbow collection of demitasse spoons, but it took a few years to decide the best way to utilize them—tacked to, of all things, a “jewelry display board” I found at Pottery Barn Teen. Magnifique!