Effortless Style Blog

31 Jan

Treat yo self: K.Slademade

Posted on January 31, 2013 by effortless

I adore Kelsea from K.Slademade. K.Slademade is an online shop that carries classic leather goods of the handbag variety. All of the pieces are made in the U.S.A by Kelsea. I already own a couple of clutches, but you can never have too many of a good thing especially when they are at a great piece point.

One of the items that I have yet to purchase from K.Slademade is their tip pouches. The tip pouches are 8.5″ x 5.5″ so they will easily fit some cash, makeup, cellphone and your keys. Right now they are 35% off due to a People Style Watch deal.You will get the tip pouch, gold monogramming and coordinating tassel for only $45.50 (Org $70) with code PEOPLE35.

I’m trying to decide between the black and tan options, but that pretty teal number is also catching my eye for my top favorite.

What’s your favorite color? View all tip pouches here.Was just told that the polka dot tip pouches ARE included in the deal.

*In order to get promo deal go through with the check out process so after you put payment information, but before you hit confirm there is an area for you to put the promo code.

Posted in treat yo self | 3 Comments

30 Jan

Design Crush: Katie Rosenfeld

Posted on January 30, 2013 by effortless

As a designer myself I am always my worst clients. When I’m having those horrible I can’t decide moments on my personal design decisions I always like to think of what dream interior designer I would hire so that someone else could make me stick to a decision or better yet just make them for me. I have a short list of my dream team, but the other day I found another addition. I found the work of Katie Rosenfeld. Katie is a Southern at heart that has been a New Englander for some time. She floated around in a couple of careers and finally found herself where she was meant to be along…design.

Her portfolio is seriously jaw dropping, but here is a peek into some of my favorites:

Totally smitten! What about you? Who is on your short list of dream designers to work with?

You can see more of Katie’s work here.

Posted in design crush | 8 Comments

29 Jan

Etsy Spotlight: Belated Designs

Posted on January 29, 2013 by effortless

I love etsy, but I most admit it can be overwhelming. When your search inquiry leads to pages upon on upon pages of product you know are going to be in it for the long haul. So, whenever I find a new to me shop that I love I like to search with all of you and hopefully highlight a shop you’ve never heard of.

Latest shop on my radar with an amazing selection of vintage finds is Belated Designs. Shop owner Cheryl has a wonderful eye and she curates her shop with glamorous yet eclectic finds. Take a peek at some of my favorites:

Vintage Brass Chest of Drawers:

Vintage Brass Lamp:

Vintage Bamboo Chippendale Chair:

Vintage Chinoiserie Ginger Jar:

Vintage Lacquered End Tables:

Vintage Brass Tray:

Vintage Ceramic Elephant:

Any new to you etsy shops that you are currently crushing on?

Posted in etsy | 7 Comments

28 Jan

Scenes from my weekend…

Posted on January 28, 2013 by effortless

Hi All,

Hope you all had a lovely weekend.

My weekend started by receiving the most beautiful fabric samples:

{Chinois Palace by Mary McDonald for Schumacher}

If only it had been available last year I would have used the blush color in this nursery.

Shower time got a little interesting for Jon when Hudson decided almost everything should be thrown in the shower.

We then headed out to get Hudson signed up for some classes. We are going to start two classes so hopefully Hudson will meet some little friends and I’ll get to meet some Moms as well.

On our way home from that we stumbled upon an estate sale sign so we needed to follow the arrows and see if we could find any goodies.

Here are some of my finds:

Faux Bamboo floor length mirror:

Faux Bamboo Twin Headboard/Footboard:

Wrought iron bench:

All so pretty, right? I loved them, but everything would have been $150. I couldn’t do it. Hope someone else gave them a nice home.

What’s a Saturday night without a trip to Target for dog food. Woo-hoo! Of course I managed to seek a peek into the accessories area of Target. Such a bright and happy selection in the jewelry area.

On Sunday we headed out to Brooklyn to celebrate my sisters birthday!

I found a new color combo I’m obsessed with:

{Loving mocha, black, persimmon and turquoise together. I would love to do a room based on these colors.}

My main men rocked some black/white plaid:

{Ah! Can’t handle the cuteness!}

We ate at a place called Pies ‘n’ Thighs:

{ Amazing fried chicken and biscuits and great price points. Yum!}

Of course we had to indulge in some dessert:

When we returned back home we took care of some business and started cleaning up some vintage lamps for our OKL shop:

The night ended with us watching The Makeover (Cheesy Hallmark movie with Julia Stiles. Poor Jon.) and getting some work done. Of course I started to wander online and found some new finds I’m loving from Charles Emerson Designs:

{Pink chain link necklace,chain link necklace,and flower petal bracelet.}

Remember if you want to get an additional 10% off with your purchase use the code: PARTYWITHCAMILA.

What were you up to this weekend? Any scores? Something yummy that you cooked? Amazing movie/tv show I need to see? In between all of our activities I was hooked on the Big C and finished seeing seasons 1-3!

Posted in weekend recap | 2 Comments

25 Jan

Design Dish: Rug over carpets

Posted on January 25, 2013 by effortless

Over the weekend I installed a rug over my parents wall to wall carpeting.

{ Totally not staged iphone picture}

When I told Jon and my sisters what I planned on doing they looked at me like I was crazy. I understand why they were hesitant. If a room already has carpet and your have a cushy spot to rest on you don’t really need a rug always, but there are certain times where when is helpful in the overall design of a space. Once we laid it out all of my naysayers agreed with me and were happy with the end result.

Here are some tips for achieving this look in your space.

1. If you have a big space like a huge room or an open floor plan layout with wall to wall carpeting use a rug to designate different areas of the room.

{Interior Design by Diane Bergeron}

2. Only layer a rug over carpeting if you have a low pile carpet. You want the rug to lay flat on the carpeting to add pattern/color not a tripping hazard. Luckily most renters which typically have wall to wall carpeting have industrial grade carpeting which is low pile.

{Joy from Oh Joy’s living room designed by Emily Henderson.}

3. Make sure the wall to wall carpeting is neutral and solid in color. You don’t want anything to distract from the rug you are using.

{ Room design by Maivia Made by Girl}

4. When in doubt go with a vintage Persian rug. Vintage rugs typically come in odd sizes so in order to still use them in your space it’s best to layer them over wall to wall carpeting or even a larger sisal rug.

{Image via Elle Decor}

5. Pick a rug with texture to add some interest to a room. Designers love layering Moroccan rugs over sisal carpeting.

{ Hotel Room from The Parker Palm Springs}

6. When in doubt go with a hide of some sort. They always look best layered over wall to wall carpeting and help give a room a focal point.

{Image via Elle Decor}

7. When layering a rug pay attention to rug size. Depending on what it is going on under ie: a coffee table, sofa, bed, etc you will want it to be large enough to have at least a 2 ft border underneath the space. You don’t want to put a rug under a bed and then only have 5″ peeking out. Need help on rug sizes for bedrooms? Check out this rug guide.

{ Image via Lonny}

Check out other design dish topics here.

What are your thoughts on rugs over carpeting? Are you daring enough to try it?

*Don’t forget to check out yesterdays treat yo self itemto get 10% off your order with the code: PARTYWITHCAMILA

Posted in decorators' handbook, Design Dish | 9 Comments

24 Jan

Treat yo self: Charles Emerson Designs

Posted on January 24, 2013 by effortless

Don’t you love jewelry? Now most times people lust after jewels that come in robin eggs blue boxes, but I love a good piece of costume jewelry. I pick them up at all sort of different stores and lately I’ve been getting my fix online.

My latest obsession is Charles Emerson Designs which is the online boutique of Erin from the Richmond Thrifter. A huge amount of her inventory is $20 or less and I didn’t find anything over $38 on the site.

Here are some of my favorites:

No.1: The Lindsay necklace and earring set for $38

No.2: The Kelly available in red, blue, black and white for $14 and the Rubyfor $12.

No.3: The Stella for $28.

No.4: The Adele for $25.

The best part of today’s Treat yo self item is that if you want to treat yo self you can get 10% off of Erin’s already low prices by using the code: PARTYWITHCAMILA.

So head on over and let me know what piece you want to treat yo self with. Do you have a favorite? Have another fab costume jewelry store I should know about?

Posted in treat yo self | 3 Comments

23 Jan

My Dirty Laundry: Hamper Guide

Posted on January 23, 2013 by effortless

Every household needs some sort of dirty laundry keeper aka a hamper, but often times I find it very difficult to find a hamper that is stylish and not utilitarian looking. Here is a round up of some stylish hampers currently on the market.

1. An updated take on the traditional wicker hamper with this stylish hamper.
2. I always love those large industrial looking hampers, but they are always pricey. This find is only $53!
3. Short on space? Not an issue with this hamper from Land of Nod.It can fold close when you are not using it.
4. I have this beauty myself in orange. I love the rope detailing.
5. This contemporary number is the perfect footprint for a small space. Only a 13″ diameter.
6. Handwoven African baskets are always a great hamper solution.
7. Love the basketweave wood face to this hamper along with the dark stain. So glamorous looking. Well as glamorous as a hamper can be.
8. For kids hampers I love this sweet Ellie.
9. If you are an apartment dweller that sends their laundry out I love this laundry box solution with the draw string closure.

Posted in great buy | 1 Comment

22 Jan

To & From Valentine’s Day Edition!

Posted on January 22, 2013 by effortless

Have you guys heard of To & From magazine? It was started by Katie from Modern Eve and Meg from The Edit. The second I heard the concept behind it I had a total, “I wish I had thought of that” moment. They came up with the idea of having a massive gift guide for practically everyone in your circle of family and friends that was curated by tastemakers made up of our favorite bloggers. Not only do you get to check out gift suggestions that you might not know about from people that are beyond obsessed with good design, but many times I find a new blog by checking out all of the curators.

I was lucky enough to get asked to be part of the Valentine’s day edition that launches today! I got asked to give some picks for your single girlfriends. I got engaged at 24 and married at 25, which was really early in my circle so I’ve always been surrounded by many single ladies. I knew I could come up with a fab selection. I tried to stick with a good budget and most of my picks are way below $100. All items were selected to make those single ladies in your life happy and hopefully that their certain someone was right around the corner and regardless they rocked!

Hope you enjoyed my picks (pg 86)! Have any favorites? I tried sticking to mainly small businesses and two of my favorite picks from my picks happen to be the Bouquet print from my pal Sarah’s print shop which I would gift with these You are my superhero notecards.

Posted in gift guide | 1 Comment

21 Jan

Scenes from my weekend…

Posted on January 21, 2013 by effortless

This weekend started out with a little window shopping while I helped my sister run some errands at the mall.

How fun are these sparkly bow heels. Only $89.95!

Don’t they remind you of these Kate Spade Charm slingbacks?

I also had to run some of my own errands with my main side kick:

We picked up some fabrics for a color palette we working on:

{We were a bit inspired by all of the pastel shades that have been popping up in fashion.Oh course I had to add a bold poppy/coral red.}

I also saw a lot of this:

Hudson hates to hold my hand so it’s a lot of him running ahead of me and me chasing after him.

We also worked on some work projects due to the nice weather we were having and then decided to go out on a double date later that evening.

In high school I remember hearing that I a bunch of people would hang out at this coffee shop called Witches Brew. I never went in H.S. and then after H.S. I felt lame going because I figured I would be the oldest person there. So long story longer I had never gone to it.

Well I guess as I now 31 year old I didn’t care If I was going to be the oldest person amongst a sea of teenagers so we went and lounged in their cool vintage couches and had some yummy treats.

{P.S. I was not the oldest person there at all by a long shot. }

Then on Sunday morning I went to drop off a rug at my parents house. I’ve been working on updating their master bedroom since Christmas and I think we have made some good strides. My parents having a matching set of furniture! I know shocking and such a no-no in the design world, but I think many people have them. So I’ve been trying to add different elements to break things up a bit. The latest addition was the rug. People have mixed views on a rug onto of a carpet, but I think depending on the situation it can work and in this situation it works. They have a massive room and the room helps make the bed are a focal point and add some color/pattern to the typical beige wall to wall carpeting.

The rest of my day was spend helping my sister with a photoshoot. She is starting an editing business so we did a couple of different styled desk set ups for the different packages she offers.

Here is what we did for the package geared to small business owners:

I did manage to sneak out of the house for a little in the early evening to catch the 50% sale at a local thrift store where I picked up a handful of lamps and chair for $25! Here is my favorite lamp:

What were you up to this weekend?

Posted in Uncategorized, weekend recap | 6 Comments

18 Jan

Design Dish: Paint & Primer

Posted on January 18, 2013 by effortless

{Our first paint decision in our new home.}

For this weeks design dish I’ve decided to tackle a question I’m asked a lot and most times I’m met with resistance when I give my response. The question I get asked a lot by family and friend is what paint they should use when tackling a paint job on their own. They don’t want to know a specific brand they want to know my thoughts on paint & primer.

{ Then after the brown I got the itch for pink and we re-painted. By we I mean I hired a painter so Jon wouldn’t divorce we for changing my mind and repainting so soon.}

These last couple of years we have been bombarded with paint company after paint company coming out with a paint and primer line. They swear the coverage is amazing and that you’ll be skipping one step. I fell for it a couple of years ago and purchased a paint & primer by Behr. I’ve used Behr on many occasions and love their normal paint so I figured why not try it.

{ The white below the chair rail took 7 coats with paint & primer!}

Worst experience of my life. The paint and primer took 7 coats to get full and even coverage. I couldn’t believe it. I wasn’t even covering over a dark color with a light color. I was covering a light color with a shade of white. I reached out to Behr and they very nicely refunded my money and I continue to use their normal paint line from time to time.

{ A bamboo armoire we painted for a client.}

We paint a lot of furniture for clients, our own home and for selling purposes and on occasion I have picked additional paint & primers from other companies when they have been in the Oops section and I’ve liked the color. I’ve continued to have the same experience with it and I no longer buy it from any brand.

{ Hudson’s nursery when we had just finished painting. We used Mythic for this job and we really liked it.}

To be honest I don’t always prime, but when I do I go for Kilz. For my paint I’m not brand loyal to one brand. I like testing out all different brands and my latest favorite is Harmony by Sherwin Williams. It’s zero VOC and is odor free. Now a lot of paints say they are odor free, but this is the first one I’ve used where I’ve actually not smelled a thing and was able to sleep in the room the very same day with no issues. Win, win. I also found an amazing roller during my last paint job and I’m now obsessed with using red mohair rollers.

How do you feel about Paint & Primer? Do you have luck with it? You now know my thoughts on out so if you ever ask for my advice at the paint counter I will passionately try to talk you out of it every time.

*In my research it looks like some painters have used and like Aura by Benjamin Moore, which is there version of paint/primer that promises no more than 2 coats for every color.

Posted in Design Dish | 19 Comments

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