happy to help

Thanks to Sarah for sending me this great pic of her living room with (drum roll) Color Coordinated Books!!

Here's a pic:

Sarah - I love it!

more purple birds

I decided after 1+ years of changing Little Peanut's two crib sheets from her usual Martha Stewart green with white stripes and just plain cream, to purchase some I-enjoy-looking-at-her-crib-more-than-she-does sheets. And what a difference they make! Fitted sheet is by DwellStudio for Target, about $10. Super soft and pretty - and I think pretty cool, too!

Here's a snap of them...

and wuddya know?...lots of purple birds (not at all on purpose, promise)

a wallpaper wonderland

Wallpaper lovers get ready to ooh and aaah. I was warmly welcomed to take some snaps of this truly gorgeous dining room. The pictures speak for themselves--check it out:

Three questions for Rachel:

one. Did you have a particular vision in mind before decorating?
I did not have a vision for the dining room. It started out with the wallpaper and it was not really about the color scheme but about which paper I liked the most.

two. What drew you to the wallpaper?
I liked it because it was traditional but with a modern touch. After the wallpaper was chosen, everything was built on that.

three. At what point did the room feel complete?
For me, the moment the whole thing came together was when we chose the light fixtures. We brought in samples of the wallpaper and curtain fabric and explained the feeling of the room and the lady designed them for me on the spot, complete with drawings and color scheme included! It was actually a really cool experience.

A couple cool facts worth mentioning...

* wondering about the magnificent art on the console? it's a one-of-a-kind and painted by the owner's mother, an artist!

* take a close look at the ceiling and you'll notice it's textured wallpaper - so elegant!

Rachel, thanks so much for welcoming me into your lovely home.

coffee tables and coffee tables

I was recently searching the web for a cool, refreshing coffee table - here were my requirements for the perfect table:

1. table must not be ugly
2. table should not look like a place to throw junk on - rather a functional, yet respectable piece of furniture
3. table must be kid-friendly
4. table cannot be rectangular (aka resemble my old one)

and just for extra credit....

1. table can be used as conversation starter with guests
2. table can receive oodles and oodles of compliments...from my husband (this one made me giggle)
3. table can magically transform into homemaker when I'm too busy (well, it was worth a shot!)

Because I purchased our last coffee table thoughtlessly quick, I am much more inclined to take my time and find the perfect table.

I stumbled upon allcoffeetables.com and was immediately pleased with their broad range of shapes, colors, sizes, textures and so on.

Innovations IRock Collection is ultra bright and ultra modern. Legs are metal chrome. Choose from white, red, orange, yellow and black (below).

Retails from about $150 to about $250 depending on size and height. Pick and choose your color and size combo. I absolutely love these!

If you like the minimalist look and want something very simple and less trendy (because you would like to keep your furniture around for at least a couple of weeks) check out Square Cross Table by Furniture FX, for $280. Available in black or white.

If you've got little ones, or just aren't a fan of the sqaure, FX makes a round version as well! For something a little more substantial, check out this one, below:

The Tema Tokyo Square High Table is available in beech, cherry, walnut, wenge, and white finishes. Retails for about $490.

You can never go wrong with a simple glass table - it will last a while in both style and durability. I happen to love this one from justmyshopping.com:


RTA Home and Office Coffee Table has an aluminum base and a durable 8mm clear tempered glass - very easy clean and very affordable at $99! plus use coupon code 3purplebirds5x and receive an extra 5% off at checkout - that's a good deal!

curtain call!

I recently ventured off to my childhood friends' lovely abode and couldn't help but notice her adorably white shabby chic shower curtain. Here's the thing, she told me it was from Anthropologie maybe a few years back, so when I went to check it out on their site, only but one was left and it in fresh tropical shades of blue and green. Check it out:

100% cotton, machine washable (as all curtains shown here are) and ever so frilly! retails for $118. anthropologie.com

If the color fading look isn't your thing, but you're liking the layering idea, check out The Ruffled Shower Curtain By India Rose at burkedecor.com:

I'm loving her bright colors! Choose from white, persimmon, avocado and magenta. Retails for $96 with free shipping! burkedecor.com. Have a low window in your home? try using two shower curtains instead of drapes!

If you're not looking to make such a bold statement (why you wouldn't want to? I don't know!) check these ones out:


I adore the delicate rows of ruffles. Snow Field shower curtain retails for $98 at anthropologie.com.

Love the look but not the $$$? Ditto, so check out this one, above, from target.com. 100% Polyester, so no need to worry about it shrinking in the wash. Retails for about $30.

personalized gifts

here's a way to give a gift with a little more thought....personalize it! Check out these great soaps at potterybarn.com:

On sale now for $29 with free shipping. So pretty!

Adorable online store worth checking out: threehipchicks.com! Check out their Personalized Wooden Oval Pendant and Necklace. So great for summer. Retails for $45.50. Choose from nice variety of shapes, fonts and necklace colors - you can also purchase just the pendant.

Love the Monogrammed Large Oval Shell Pendant too! Retails for $21 - check out their gorgeous silk string too!