14 November 2011

My Current Read: Design Sponge at Home


Hooray and Happy Monday!

I bet many of you already know about
Design Sponge, a splendid design blog
created by Grace Bonney.

Now, the blog is already a book!
{Cue applause}

I was one of the excited fans who pre-ordered it online and tore off the plastic packaging once it arrived my doorstep.

I breathed in the scent of the freshly printed pages and soaked in all the genius ideas for the home.

And how lucky that Grace gets to have a book tour all over the US & Canada! And it's not just any old boring book tour...there are partnerships with cool stores like West Elm and Anthropologie where she does the book signing, complete with craft sessions, food & drinks and pretty vignettes/backdrops created by Poppies and Posies. Let me show you:

The New York City book signing at West Elm

A lovely vignette showcasing Design Sponge style
using West Elm furniture & accessories

Detail of the photo booth backdrop; guests could pose with
funny cut-outs of hats, glasses & mustaches and then keep
the photo as a souvenir!

The crafting session during the New Jersey book signing

Grace taught eager guests how to customize
cloth items like these napkins

Grace Bonney, signing my book

It's beautifully written and is a wonderful resource
for inspiration. It's divided into 5 sections:

Sneak Peeks is one of my favorite parts of the blog and book...

...offering house/apartment tours
{Isn't there a voyeur in each one of us?!}

DIY Basics provides tutorials on sewing and
updating furniture

Learning to make a curtain panel or slip cover
would be a cool skill to master

Fresh flowers always enliven a room and
suggestions on how to make an arrangement is
the highlight in the chapter, Flower Workshop

I really like how old vessels are
turned from blah to TADA!
with just a few blooms

Before and After reassures you that it's alright
to rescue that chair from the curb or that
frame from the trash...

...because they can be brought back to
life with paint and a new purpose

And there's also DIY Projects which is my theme
for this week. Beginning tomorrow, I'll make some
crafts inspired by the ones from the book.
See you then!


6 comments:

  1. Thanks for visiting Sandra! It's filled with many ideas :)

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  2. I love the section about upholstering.. that is one thing I have yet to try. And its such a great money saver

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  3. Hi Henzy! Thanks for your comment :) I also want to begin some upholstering projects!

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  4. Oh, I need to have this book... is it too late to put it on Santa's list?

    Thank you for sharing Clare. You were in heaven, weren't you?

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  5. Hi Teresa! I know you've been a good girl so Santa better put this book in your stocking :)
    Yes, this is a dreamy book! I love!

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