Coveted: Handmade Batik Pillow Covers

I would say "How fabulous are these batik pillows from my etsy friend SisterBatik?" but that would be a completely rhetorical question--and not because you can't answer me. (Well, I guess you can via comments...but you get the point!) Because they're clearly individual works of art, for only $20 a piece. They're completely handmade, from each unique print to each individual stitch. Sigh. You can find them here.

Image via SisterBatik.etsy.com

Peek inside the new WSJ Magazine

When Domino magazine went away, it was a pretty big deal over in Magazineland (did you know I work there? Because I do. It's right near "PublishingIsDyingVille" and south of "PanicOpolis"). It was one of the earliest casualties of the shelter magazine folding epidemic of 2007-09. Admittedly, I had a soft spot for them since they kindly featured my old blog on their website, way back when. In 2006. Which makes me feel Internet Old. But because of that mention, I got to have a career in magazine writing, and for that I'm endlessly thankful.

I've since kept all of my issues, which I carefully read and sigh over.

But luckily, Deborah Needleman found a fabulous job as editor-in-chief at the new WSJ magazine. Above is a peek into the decor spread, a tour of Roxy Music front man Bryan Ferry's home. As you can expect, it's got that artsy-chic mix-and-match look that few can pull off. Like the above image of a paint-splattered chair, a gift to Ferry made by (and from) Rolf Sachs. If I had this in my home, my apartment would take on a Hoarders-like feel. In his house, with this photography...it looks artsy and fabulous.

Anyway, go look at WSJ and enjoy!

-B

Inspiration: Cozy Rustic Kitchen

It's been raining for about two days straight now. Actually, raining isn't the right word...It's more like a dreary blanket of mist that envelopes everything, yet magically lifts at night, only to return right when I wake up. But anyway, this sort of weather has me longing to be curled up in a cozy kitchen, like the one above from Coastal Living. I usually don't go for a strong rustic look, but what I like here is the way the architects gave the kitchen island re-interpreted cabriole legs, painted white. It offers a jolt of modern style that lightens up the entire room. And it would be so easy to adapt this look to your home--just paint the legs of a table in a contrasting color. I'd even do it to a pedestal table, like Ikea's Liatorp model.

Image via Coastal Living

Book love: Allure by Diana Vreeland

Some pretty images to get you through the day, courtesy of the reissued version of Allure by Diana Vreeland. I remember when it was previously published, it was a super-huge tome that ate up coffee table space, but this version is a chic, smaller-format red book...and it has a well-written forward written by Marc Jacobs. What I really like about the book is the selection of photos coupled with Vreeland's memories of each subject--it takes icons like Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn and renders them human. They seem like real people, as cliche as that sounds. I always keep it close by for a little bit of escapism into a much more glamorous world.

Anyway, you can get your own copy of the book at Chronicle Books.

-Brie

So impressed: Target's Merona Line

Target's Merona line (which was redesigned in a more fashion-forward, Kate Spade-ish direction about a year ago) consistently impresses me for knocking out really high-quality dresses for insane prices. I buy a ton of them, especially during the Fall/Winter months, and no one ever thinks they are from Target. Like, I have to physically show them the label before they believe me. See above, Merona's $40 Skylar Jacquard dress, which frustratingly sold out at my local Target in blink. How fabulous would it look styled with high black leather gloves, or a bunch of stacked cuffs?

-Brie

Favorite Source: Nonpareil Magazine

I know that it's for brides and wedding folk, but one of my favorite sources for crafty/entertaining stories is Nonpareil magazine. It's completely online and features all sorts of easy-ish projects (and there's printable downloads on its site!) along with table-setting ideas. The above photo is the cover of their current issue (#6). I was thinking of using some scraps leftover from my aprons to make the little flowers...it's pretty easy, just taking a strip of fabric, sewing a running stitch, pulling and then pinning to a Styrofoam ball...to do a little autumn centerpiece. (It's especially convenient since I'm working on a few aprons in an autumn color palette of orange, tan and gold.)

Go read it now!

-Brie

Photo from Nonpareil magazine: http://www.nonpareilmag.com/