From the monthly archives:

August 2008

Inspiration: Mantelscapes

August 21, 2008

Loving this funky mantelscape… not totally my taste, but awesome none the less. Scanned from my files, from Elle Decor (I think!).

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Chalk Drawings

August 20, 2008

This image from Martha Stewart Weddings has been on my mind recently  — I love love love the chalk chandelier and am thinking of drawing something similar in our kitchen, since we have a loooooong wall (below) that just needs something .  And a chalk drawing would be basically free.

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A Lot Can Happen In A Year

August 20, 2008

Today marks what I consider the one year anniversary of Abbey Goes Design Scouting! I’ve loved every single day and every single post, every single comment, and getting to know so many of you in the process. Thank you, thank you, thank you for visiting, reading and returning month after month. It’s a wonderful blog world we’re a part of, isn’t it?

As I think about the coming year a quote has been on my mind “When you don’t create things, you become defined by your tastes rather than ability. Your tastes only narrow & exclude people. So create.”

My favorite blog posts (and I hope yours too) are ones where I’ve created something — a bouquet of fresh flowers, a water garden, a pretty trash can. Creativity seems to be like a muscle, the more you use it, the stronger it is. So, while I always post about vintage finds and beautiful homes [my obsessions!] this next year my goal is to share more of my own creativity which I hope will keep this blog fresh and fun to visit. And hopefully strengthen my own creativity in the process.

Since there is no time like the present, I thought (while feeling shy) that I’d kick year two off with some landscape collages I made in Montana last month.

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Everyone loved the silhouette cookies so much I looked into it a bit more. The very nice folks at Victor Trading Co. will create custom cookie cutters using your silhouette (from a photo you provide) for $30.  They also do custom pet cookies which even though we don’t have a pet, I think would be a great gift for someone.

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Cookie Silhouettes!

August 19, 2008

Cookie Silhouettes! Scanned from Martha Stewart Weddings.

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Kitchen Adorenment

August 18, 2008

The husband found this image via Terramia. Not only does it have my fantasy sink (that appears at least 10 times in my inspiration journals in various pictures) but it also has those fabulous prints.

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Perfect Shaker Kitchen

August 18, 2008

From Martha Stewart Living

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Year of Flowers: 20

August 15, 2008

A little fall like, this one!  All of them here.

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Some fresh blogs

August 15, 2008

I’ve come across some great new blogs recently and wanted to share with you too.

Party Perfect : Who found these delicious Hermes scarves!

Katy Elliott : Who wrote the $1 design finds over at Domino (genius!)

Even Cleveland : Loving these awesome space photos

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This is my father’s take on the New Yorker’s weekly cartoon contest — I love it!

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Playing on repeat

August 14, 2008

and my new favorite song: “It’s Only Love” found here.

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So, just as I hit “post” on my gallery wall round up I get an marketing email from West Elm touting their gallery frames. They’ve made the whole hanging process seemingly idiot proof which is just what I needed because I have to admit that the measuring-to- get-the-right-amount-of-space-between-each-frame part of the whole gallery wall thing is part of why I haven’t just done one already. They have a easy step by step process that has figured out all of the measuring (if you use their frames, of course). It seems so easy that it feels a little bit like cheating.

Now, of course I sort of feel that this means that gallery walls have been co-opted by the big boxes… but I guess that if you use personal items, it would still be authentic.

Let’s get real for a moment: Framing anything is expensive. I calculated the cost of making the gallery wall above at West Elm as around $300. Seems a little pricey until you consider that I’ve had to pay $300 just to frame one 8×10 painting. So, while $300 is not insubstantial, it’s not much for 10 frames given the going rate at my local frame shop. However, just for giggles I priced out the same size frames as above at IKEA (in unpainted wood, with plastic instead of glass) and it cost a whooping $30 dollars. If you use the IKEA “Ribba” line which is a brown frame with real glass, 10 frames of various sizes costs $118. I guess that leaves us at no matter your budget, you could do a gallery wall. God bless Ikea.

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Hello, Gallery Walls

August 14, 2008

I’ve been thinking about gallery walls… and seeing them everywhere recently. Here are 28 in fact! The top three are my favorites. I’m thinking about putting a gallery wall above my desk. I have some egg prints, some sheets of old stamps and some art that will be a beginning!

Anything without a hyperlink was scanned from my inspiration files.

via Desire to Inspire, Ann Linberg

Marie Claire Home, French Edition

via Please Sir!

via Desire to Inspire

via Domino

via Desire to Inspire

via Desire to Inspire

via Remodelista (best blog name ever!)

via Desire to inspire

Elle Decor

via Design*Sponge

via Desire to inspire

via Habitually Chic

Elle Decor

via Decorno, via Michelle Adams

via Martha Stewart Living

via Habitually Chic

via Habitually Chic

]

via Martha Stewart Living

via Elle Decor

via Cookie Magazine

via Apartment Therapy

via Elle Decor

via The Selby

Via Inside the Loop

via Indian By Design

via Apartment Therapy

Boligtorvet – Kort, via Desire to Inspire


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On Tina Fey’s Greatness

August 14, 2008

Have I mentioned the Tina Fey makes me proud to be a woman? I heart her and can’t wait for 30 Rock to come back! And how awesome is this ad and her sweet daughter?

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