Spring Cleaning Tips: Making Your Closet Functional & Beautiful

Keeping a house clean is a year around task, however many bigger cleaning projects are saved for when the seasons change. Washing windows, cleaning upholstered furnishings and washing outdoor furniture many be some chores on your spring cleaning checklist. Getting your closet organized is also an important task as we go into spring and here are a few tips to help you get started:

Store. As you transition your wardrobe closet from cold-weather clothing to warm-weather clothing, make sure that you store sweaters, coats and pants away in zipped bags that protect your garments from moths and other pests. And before you store, make sure your garment is cleaned. The Container Store has some great storage options and a spring organization sale going on now.

Give. Donate clothing that you do not wear to a local charity. Don't know one in your area? Excess Access will match you with a charity organization in your zip code. They link each donation with the wish-lists of your nearby charities that can provide pick-ups or will accept drop-offs. And donors get tax-deductible receipts.

Organize. If you have a large or walk-in closet it's best to organize it into zones by season or garment type (i.e. work, casual, formal). Next arrange the clothing into sections for each category (i.e. blouses, dresses, pants, etc.). Then arrange the clothes in each section by color from left to right (i.e. black, blue, brown, red, orange, yellow, ivory and white). This makes it much easier to find outfits and is more pleasing to the eye. Wouldn't you agree?

Function & Style. To help keep shirts, shoes and sweaters arranged neatly I recommend stackable boxes with clear fronts like these tweed drop-front boxes. The clear drop-front allows you see what's inside and to access items without having to unstack them.

Plan. The Today Show recently highlighted Closet Lite, a high-tech clothing organization/planning application for your iPhone. It allows you to organize your clothing, create outfits, plan them for certain days and view them. This app can even create packing lists for any upcoming trips. Love this!

Speaking of trips - are you taking a vacation for spring break? If so, here are some more tips on packing for a trip.

Happy spring and happy organizing!

*images courtesy of House Beautiful, Martha Stewart, Canadian House & Home, Making it Lovely

More Designer Living Rooms in Green

This beautiful living room designed by Tobi Fairly of Little Rock, Arkansas recently featured here and on Odi et Amo had me thinking about one of my favorite colors, green. Last year, I featured a post on living rooms in the hue of green and wanted to share some more great examples.

Speaking of Tobi Fairly, she was recently interviewed on The Skirted Roundtable. Tobi is so talented and charming too.

Lauren Liess, an interior designer and fellow blogger of Pure Style Home features green in her own living room shown above. She bought {scored} the Lee Industries sofa off Craigslist and had it reupholstered in a bright green velvet {her favorite color}. The sofa looks amazing paired with her lucite coffee table, table lamp from Pottery Barn and mirrored reproduction French flea market nesting tables from Crate & Barrel.

In this living room the designer {unknown - let me know if you know!} a traditional sofa in green looks sharp with coordinating graphic pillows. The white shag rug and glass round coffee table provide modern elements. The beautiful yellow blossoms behind the sofa adds height and pulls the yellow accent from the middle throw pillow and books on the side table. Photography by Anna Williams.

Jonathan Adler creates a beautiful living room in a green, yellow and brown color scheme. The sofas are covered in kelly green which contrasts nicely with the yellow trim detail and white legs. Adler mixes vintage, modern and traditional styles with ease. I particularly like the dramatic floor length drapes, white lacquer coffee table and yellow and white geometric rug.

Interior designer, Pheobe Howard is known to use green throughout her creations. This gorgeous living room by Howard showcases green with both dark and light furnishings. The airy white upholstered sofa is beautifully contrasted with heavier dark wooden casegoods and carved chair. The pair of green and white geometric slipper chairs adds a fun contemporary element. I am also loving the natural bamboo stools!

The living room beautifully painted in leaf green by Billet Collins is reflected in a stunning over-sized mirror. To balance the color scheme, upholstered chairs and the rug are in a neutral white.

Do you love green too?

Friday Find: Stamps by Abstract Expressionists

Sometimes email just doesn't cut it and you need to send a good ol' fashion handwritten letter. Pretty stationary is a must, but what about the stamp? A colorful, fun stamp is also a nice touch.

So when I saw these beauties, I knew I needed to share them with you. Earlier this month, the USPS released a 44–cent, Abstract Expressionists commemorative stamp in ten beautiful designs. In the 1940s and 1950s abstract expressionists, based in NYC for the most part, pushed the US front and center of the international art scene.

In celebration of the abstract expressionist artists of the 20th Century, Art Director Ethel Kessler and noted Art Historian Jonathan Fineberg (Gutgsell Professor Art History, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign) selected the ten paintings featured. I thought it was so clever that the arrangement of the stamps suggests paintings hanging on a gallery wall.

The following artwork and artists are showcased:

•The Golden Wall (1961) — Hans Hofmann (1880–1966)
•Romanesque Façade (1949) — Adolph Gottlieb (1903–1974)
•Orange and Yellow (1956) — Mark Rothko (1903–1970)
•The Liver Is the Cock’s Comb (1944) — Arshile Gorky (1904–1948)
•1948–C (1948) — Clyfford Still (1904–1980)
•Asheville (1948) — Willem de Kooning (1904–1997)
•Achilles (1952) — Barnett Newman (1905–1970)
•Convergence (1952) — Jackson Pollock (1912–1956)
•Elegy to the Spanish Republic No. 34 (1953–1954) — Robert Motherwell (1915–1991)
•La Grande Vallée 0 (1983) — Joan Mitchell (1925–1992)

I picked up a sheet of these colorful stamps today. Do you like them too?

*images courtesy of art.com, Hans Hofmann and USPS

If you'd like to use or publish any photos or material from this site, please contact me, credit Simplified Bee™ and kindly link back to this blog.

Gorgeous Hand Painted Designer Floors by Billet Collins

Do you remember this cover of Veranda January/February 2009? The sitting room features a stunning painted floor by Washington, DC's most influential decorative painting studios, Billet Collins.

Billet Collins is known for their innovative hand painted finishes and dramatic patterns as shown in the dining room above and previously featured in Designer Dining Rooms and Decorating Tips.

In addition to painting gorgeous murals and textiles, Billet Collins loves to create painted floors and it's one of their specialties. Kellie Hodges of Billet Collins explains, "The layout is extremely important to us so we use a lot of math and geometry to make it layout, and to make it perfect we practice a little illusion!" The foyer above is a beautiful example of one of Billet Collins' geometric painted floors.

They do not use stains, but use custom tinted glazes to coordinate with the wood tones that give the artists better control. This allows for the grain to still come through and a natural progression of colors.

In this foyer, Billet Collins painted the wood floor in vibrant colors that are also either sheer colors or opaque for a more painted effect.

The process is easy. First the floors are first "screened" {a light sanding} to provide some tooth. The the floors receive one coat of sealant to keep the glazes from running into the actual wood, which keeps the colors from bleeding and the pattern crisp. Next the pattern is applied {usually a couple of days} and then the top coats go on. Billet Collins also likes to use a water based urethane so our colors don't yellow.

I am loving this look. How about you?

If you'd like to use or publish any photos or material from this site, please contact me, credit Simplified Bee™ and kindly link back to this blog.

Giveaway winner...

The winner of these gorgeous earrings by Blydesign is lucky comment #28 - Gina. Congrats!

Gina is an aspiring interior designer and darling blogger - Bazaar of Serendipity. Below are some beautiful images from one of her recent posts featuring interior designs in the hue of green.

Congratulations Gina and many thanks to Blydesign for hosting such a wonderful giveaway. Be sure to drop by Blydesign to see more of her unique, hand-crafted jewelry.

Sweet Pink & Yellow Baby Girl Nursery by House of Ruby

Whimsical, chic and opulent. This darling nursery room was created by San Francisco Peninsula-based interior designer, Melodie Rubin of House of Ruby.

Starting with existing white on white polka dot window treatments, Rubin creates a bright and beautiful yellow, pink and white color palette that is not typical, but yet still feminine and shouts, "It's a girl!" The sunshine yellow wallpaper by Nina Campbell is a nice backdrop to the nursery's focal point and inspiration, a white Sutton Canopy Crib by Restoration Hardware. The crib with a four poster bed look converts to a toddler bed and is dressed in crib bedding custom made from Serena & Lily's Ruby/Sunshine Mosaic Fabric.

An antique, hand painted side table handed down from a proud grandmother was placed next to the custom glider - arm chair by Patricia Edwards {available through the trade or Posh Tots}. A throw pillow by Trina Turk pulls the color scheme together nicely and mixes in a modern touch.

The exquisite round tufted ottoman is worth a closer look. Like the chair, it is covered in solid bubblegum pink and contrasting pastel pink dot fabrics both by Designers Guild {available through the trade at Osborne & Little}. The cord and trim add a touch of whimsy and are both from Fabricut.

Here's another look at the darling ottoman. The diamond pattern area rug is made from 100% New Zealand Wool Berber and is by Masland Carpet Mills.
I love this nursery design by House of Ruby because it has range and can easily evolve into a toddler and little girl's room. What do you love about this sweet nursery room?

House of Ruby

*images courtesy of House of Ruby and Kira Shemano Photography

Friday Find: Gump's Spring Sale

Gump's of San Francisco is having a Spring sale and look what I found!

Hello sunshine! This illuminated sunburst sconce in matte gold finish would add light as well as visual interest to any room. The light bulb is mounted behind the fixture, creating an intriguing play of shadows and light on the wall. Was $395 - now $299.99.

Glossy luahnus shells make lovely decorative accents in vases, bowls or planters. Two pound bag now $9.99 {from $19}.

This elegant antiqued rosette mirror would make a beautiful focal point above a fireplace mantel. It is truly a work of art - each etched with flowers - surround the beveled central glass while burnished golden metal frames the rosette's handset pieces. Was $295 - now $154.99.

The Macao Settee is part of Gump's white ash collection and features handcrafted details that reflect the influence of the Chinese Chippendale style. The settee has lovely geometric fretwork backs and handwoven solehia seats. Was $995 - now $599.99.

Happy Friday and decorating to you!

Meet Trina Turk!

Trina Turk in Burlingame, California would also like you to extend a 10% discount on any purchase Saturday, March 20, 2010. To receive the discount, please print out this post and present it at check out.

Hope to see you there!

Just a few more days to enter to win some gorgeous earrings by Blydesign! Go here.

Irish Eyes are Smiling

May you always have

Walls for the winds,

A roof for the rain,

Tea beside the fire,

Laughter to cheer you,

Those you love near you,

And all your heart might desire!

~ Irish Blessing

Happy St. Patrick's Day to you!

*images courtesy of House Beautiful, Angie Hranowsky Design, Martha Stewart, Canadian House and Home, and Jennifer Jacobson Photography