Wallpaper Collective. Yea, it's still in... (Via Made By Girl)

Wallpaper is still so "in" these days. The fact is, it's being designed with so many different types of patterns that it's HARD to find ones you DON'T like! I remember when wallpaper was starting it's come back & BLOGGERS started writing about it. I admit, at the time I was a bit hesitant. But companies like Graham & Brown restored MY FAITH in this 70's fad & it's been a healthy obsession since then!  


One company you must know about is Wallpaper Collective. This company has a ton of funky wallpaper many with bold graphics and gorgeous colors, you won't be disappointed.  These are a handful of the ones I really liked from their site, you can see more here.

Also (below) a NEW collection below by UK designer Louise Body. Louise Body is known in the UK for her FUN graphic & EARTH FRIENDLY design work..

images via wallpaper collective

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New Inspiration Gallery at Made By Girl...

Check out the inspiration gallery on my Made by Girl site. There you'll see some pics of customers displaying our designs in their homes!

 image via curfew bytes

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Designer Todd Yoggy ....(Via Made By Girl)

Todd Yoggy has a great sense of decor. He really knows how to put things together in an elegant yet comfortable way. He has a way of bringing history into a room and making it fit into today's lifestyle. 

The photos I chose were of MASCULINE style interiors, basically interiors decorated ideally for a man's taste. Even though I don't normally go for dark walls, these really sparked my interest. Have you noticed all the dark lamp shades floating around online?!?

Glad I made my own lamps for my bedroom, which you can see in this post.

images via todd yoggy

 

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My Mini-Cupcake Ordeal...(Via Made By Girl)

This past weekend I went on a baking RAMPAGE. I tried to bake mini-cupcakes for the FIRST time in my life!! First, I started off with baking cups from Bake it Pretty. I love their cup designs, especially for parties! However, I recommend ONLY baking white cake with these cups so that you can ACTUALLY SEE the designs. I tried some with chocolate & you could BARELY TELL tell how cute the cups really were! Duh.

Not sure what happened here (see below) , but the baking cups started coming away from the cake!! What the!?!? Does anyone know why this happened?!?

I was pretty surprised & it didn't happen once, it happened several times & ALL were minis! I was thinking it was probably this particular baking cup (the blue one with the pink flowers) because it was the ONLY cup that came apart from the cake!


All in all, I think I ended making about 70 mini-cakes because of this issue, so several were DUMPED or given to my dogs. They loved them & didn't COMPLAIN ....

I made 3 different flavors (banana, chocolate & white), below are the banana nut ones. How cute! Of course, I made them from a box, which means they weren't as tasty! 
I should have gotten baking tips from Sonja of Tied with a Bouw blog, she's pretty darn good at baking! My guy made the maple syrup FROSTING for these, he's such a great cook!

 

The mini cupcakes below were just plain CHOCOLATE flavored with a turquoise blue frosting & a piece of a gluten-free OREO cookie on top to adorn it!

images by jen ramos

After this experience, it's safe to say, I probably won't be baking mini-cupcakes again.....

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A Living Room By ZGallerie... (Via Made By Girl)

If I had to pick an entire living room from ZGallerie this is what it would look like. The Planters buffet is one of my favorite pieces, it's even better looking in person & pretty darn BIG as well! Have you see in it at ZGallerie yet?!?  For some of you, my picks may be lacking in color, I know. But, I was going for a fresh, clean mostly white look. 


In REAL life, I don't OWN any of these pieces but I'm tempted to get the twig lamps and the planters buffet. Many times I wish I could just BUY EVERYTHING all at once, know what I mean?? But that's wishful thinking for most of us & would probably run me thousands of DOLLARS!! 

So, I'll just follow the advice my mother gave me when I first moved out....she said, "don't worry, little by little you will put together a home". 

 images via zgallerie

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ART by Thomas Nozkowski .......(Via Made By Girl)

Elle Decor's October 2010 issue featured an artist named Thomas Nozkowski. Did you see this feature?? 

I'm a HUGE art lover, I find Nozkowski's work to be quite compelling! For me, the colors & the use of unusual shapes are what attracts me to his pieces.  Thomas has been painting for more than 30 years....but I REALLY hope his work will be talked and written about more.  Enjoy! 

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FLOR for my closet?... (Via Made By Girl)

I may be moving soon & with moving comes NEW PROJECTS! One of those projects will be my (BIG) closet. At this moment, I'm REALLY considering carpet tiles by FLOR.

For those of you who don't know about FLOR, they make design-inspired carpet squares that come in an array of vivid colors & and modern styles that coordinate together to create custom designs. They're basically SQUARES that ASSEMBLE together super easy....NO nails, No Padding or glue! YES, they're removable, YES, they are washable & YES, they are replaceable! So to me, the idea of having FLOR  carpet tiles in my closet is definitely something I'd like to consider. 

What do you think about these in a closet?? Have you used FLOR in your home? What has your experience been like so far?

In this post, you'll find a few of my FLOR FAVORITES, but I'm REALLY leaning toward the Martha Stewart Serengeti tiles.

  images via flor

FLOR also has a new blog, check it out here.

What do you think about these in a closet?? Have you used FLOR in your home? What has your experience been like so far?

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Thanks to 'House & Home'.....(Via Made by Girl)

It's Monday...again. I had a great weekend & you?? As for the mini-cupcakes...well, baking those mini's were more of a CHALLENGE then I thought it would be! Oh boy! I have NEVER had that much TROUBLE with baking anything in my life!! But, I did manage to make a few good ones & I'll post about it soon! 


In the meanwhile, check out Canadian House & Home magazine's homepage...I'm featured in their photo gallery & there you'll find me talking about "my favorite interiors".  Talk to you in bit...!!

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Your Weekend.....(Via Made By Girl)

image by jen ramos

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Looking to Shop?? ...(Via Made by Girl)

Here are some items you may find totally pretty...and I SWEAR, some of them may EVEN be climbing onto my own wish-list! Oh yeah! Enjoy!

Above: Porter Teleo hand printed wall covering

Above: Je t'aime - I love you 30x30 Photograph on Canvas via Rebecca Plotnick

 Above: God Will Make A Way print via Teezy

Above: Atoll Mirror via Ballard Designs 

image above by Shelter Design Blog

 

Above: All white Tassimo Espresso Machine

Above: Gray Naughty Monkey Detective Boot via Endless $99

Above: Gold Crown Candle holder via Timeless Settings

 Above: Natural Leather Cord Bangles via Marie Belle Campa

Above: Sideways Cross Pendant Necklace 14K Gold Filled via Kiska Style $26

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Most Amazing Hot Chocolate at Marie Belle... (Via Made By Girl)

I went back home to NYC a few years ago to visit my family & I visited a little cafe called Marie Belle on Broome Street in Manhattan. I had NO IDEA what this place was about, but my experience was quite a PLEASANT one! I met one of the managers & they served my best friend and I Aztec hot chocolate in a small espresso cup. I looooove chocolate (especially dark) but when I saw this hot chocolate in that tiny espresso cup, I realized it was VERY thick!!

I had NEVER seen hot chocolate that thick & smooth looking in my life! I was anxious and curious to taste it....so I sipped it and it was AMAZING! I got instant chocolate EUPHORIA (which I get from really great chocolate) I felt so relaxed...

Do you know that feeling?? A Chocolate high some people like to call it...ever felt that??!?

Well, ever since I arrived back home from the NYC, I regretted not buying a container of Marie Belle's Aztec Hot Chocolate. I had been contemplating buying it online but never did....finally I walked into William Sonoma yesterday & to my surprise, there it was sitting on the shelf with my name on it. (Not really) So, I went for it even though it's $25 for a 20 oz container, the taste is worth it.

As for making it, I make mine European Style...its thick and you can even top it off with a bit of whipped cream!

images by jen ramos

image above via pretty little mess

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Promote Your Business/Blog...(Via Made by Girl)

The HOLIDAYS are quickly approaching....so whether you run an ETSY or an online shop...OR if you just want to promote your own blog, this is a great opportunity to get you seen!  My blog attracts LOTS of readers from all over the world & every so often I HIGHLIGHT my sponsors within my postings!   

Take advantage of 'one of our lowest advertising rates ever' before the rest of the slots fill up!  If interested, please email me at: jen@madebygirl.com

We also have rates for textual links if you're interested.  Email me: jen (at) madebygirl.com if interested!

*(button ads must be 120x120 in size)*

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Baking Mini-Cupcakes This Wknd...(Via Made By Girl)

This weekend I'm going to try & make mini-CUPCAKES for the FIRST TIME EVER!! I've gathered lots of pics for inspiration & I can't wait to start!  I heard that mini-cupcakes tend to get dry quicker than standard sized cupcakes, anyone else heard this??!? 

OMG! I hope this isn't the case, but please leave your comments & any tips you have. I've got 3 flavors I'm going to be making: chocolate, banana & carrot (minus raisins)....can't stand raisins in cake, YUCK!! 

Let's see here...I bought the baking pan, the mix & I also bought several of these amazing baking cups via Bake It Pretty, aren't they gorgeous!? Hope they arrive in time for my cupcakes, if not....I'm DOOMED!  Well, not really...they just won't look as pretty! 

images via: country living, bakerella, annie'e eats, bake it pretty and thomas fahey

*Again, if you've made mini-cupcakes and have any TIPS for me, please leave a comment! 


 

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Interested in Exchanging Links??... (Via Made By Girl)

Looking to exchange links with established Design Bloggers who maintain their blogs & have a decent readership. You can email me at: Jen(at)MadeByGirl.com. I'm looking to ADD more interesting blogs, especially international blogs to my links page here.  Blogs must be interior design related ONLY.  

Looking forward to hearing from you!

 

NOTE: I'm only accepting blogs that update 'at least' 4 times a week'.

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Sonja's High-Rise Tour.... (Via Made By Girl)

After seeing Sonja's home, from Tied With A Bouw blog, I knew I had to share it with all of you! Her HIGH-RISE apartment is located in MALAYSIA which both her & her husband share.  She's also currently expecting a little one soon and she keeps us updated on her blog with pics of her belly!


I KNOW what you're thinking....how is she going to keep her home so CLEAN with a BABY on the way ?!?! Well, we'll just have to see how things go & how she handles it...who knows she may just keep things as pretty & clean as they are now, or close to it!

My FAVORITE pieces in Sonja's home are her white chesterfield sofas along with the large scale artwork near the dining area....oh!.... and let's not forget that FURRY cushion on the ground, I SWEAR I want one of those! Enjoy!

images via tied with a bouw

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