Poppy Seed Design Auction

Please visit Leslie at A Room Somewhere today for her heartfelt auction benefitting The Nielsen Family. Auction rules can be found here. There are tons of wonderful items up for bidding! 

Poppy Seed Design has donated one Blog Botox package to the highest bidder - please be generous - the cause is wonderful. I am looking forward to working with the winner!

Moving Pads...

Beautiful lily pads, originally uploaded by PhotoVirginia.com.

Hi folks! Today I'm taking a trip to IKEA for furniture and fun. The move is going great! Thanks for all your kind emails. The first floor is painted, and hopefully after today will be totally finished! Then, it's on to the second floor. I can't wait for y'all to see pictures during The Blogger's Home Tour!

Until then -

Krystal Sasso : Resort-Bohemian Jewelry

After high school, Palm Beach native Krystal Sasso, 25, faced a common dilemma; follow a dream, move to New York and attend fashion school, or get a "real" degree from a 4-year university. Despite a lifelong interest in fashion design, she took the safer path and attended the University of San Diego, where she graduated with a BBA in Business Administration.

Not content to sit on her druthers in California, she spent her junior year abroad studying design and language in Florence, Italy. "I was exposed to so many different forms of art." She says, "I walked by the Duomo everyday on the way to class. Sometimes I would pinch myself because I thought it wasn't true."

Krystal's Signature Koi hangs on a string of gem stones.

After graduation, Sasso took more time off to gallivant the world, visiting Tunisia, Egypt, Hong Kong, Thailand, and other foreign destinations. "When I finally came back to Palm Beach," Sasso said, "I asked myself, okay Krystal, you don't want a nine to fiver, so what can you do?"

Beautiful hand made hoops

During her travels, she carried jewelry that she would make for herself in idle time, and women began buying pieces off her neck. It occurred to Sasso that perhaps she could make a living at this. "I went to the gem supplier in Miami and bought a bunch of supplies. Then I sat down at my dining room table, laid it all out, and starting creating piece after piece." Two weeks later, shopping at Delray Beach boutique Love Shack, Sasso was asked who designed the jewelry she was wearing. When Sasso replied that the design was her own, the store placed an order with her.

After delivering her first order, Sasso returned to Italy for a planned stay of 6 months to soak up the culture. However, only 4 weeks into her stay, Love Shack called. "I started to get worried something broke," Sasso said, "but instead the store told me that they had sold out of all my jewelry and that they wanted to place another order!" Sasso took it as a sign to get back to the states and get her company off the ground.

A navy and pink koi combination dangles at a number of lengths that the customer can designate.

Sasso's designs are rooted in her travels, her signature golden koi necklaces, a sign of prosperity, were originally inspired by something she picked up at an antique market in Italy. All of her designs make use of precious stones, bold colors, and quality bead work. "Quality is extremely important to me" Sasso says. "I will always stand behind the quality of my work."

Sasso cites her muses; "I love seeing people experimenting with street style. I do a lot of traveling and a lot of people watching, I love to see the way people mix, match, and put things together." She continues, "Also, Phillipe Starck is to me, a genius. I would love to be able to translate his ability in interior design to jewelry. The way he mixes colors and textures is what I'm expanding on with my new collection."

Chunky, Palm Beach-esque pieces have become Krystal's signature

A huge hit in resort areas, surprisingly, catering to that market was never Sasso's intention. However, she says she thinks she "automatically leads to that", citing a lifetime spent by the sea. "It comes naturally" she adds. Her designs lend well to shops like C.Orrico in Palm Beach that specialize in resort contemporary, stocking designers like Milly, Tibi, and Trina Turk. C.Orrico co-owner Colleen Orrico adds that Sasso's jewelry encompasses the "urban gypsy meets simple chic style" that lends itself so well to her business. She goes on to talk about Krystal's wide-ranging line of punchy colored to smokey, standout stones. "That is our customer," Orrico says "simple in the day, but watch out for her at night."

As she expands her line, Sasso hopes to eventually penetrate larger markets and more stores worldwide. "Right now though," she says "I've just returned from Tokyo, so I'm excited to examine all the pictures I've taken and see what I can take from it."

Krystal Sasso can be reached for order inquires at Krystal.Sasso@gmail.com. For stores that carry her line, please visit krystalsasso.com. Krystal's pieces can be seen on the cover of Ocean Drive Magazine and on the runways at the most recent Ed Hardy swimwear show.

Being as I am 22 years old and beginning my career, The Love List likes to give people in the design world making a name for themselves at an early age an extra little bit of, well, love! We like to call them our Young Guns. To read about more Young Guns, check out posts on Michelle Adams of Rubie Green, LA Designer Kyle Schuneman and Reagan & Emmy of Southern Proper.

Cheeky and Fun: Micheal Sowa

Who wouldn't get a chuckle out of this? "Fowl with Pearls" by Micheal Sowa

Thanks Scarlett Lillian!

Talented wedding photographer and uber-girl Scarlett Lillian did a post about Poppy Seed Design that sent me a slew of great new clients. As a thank you, I want any of you brides to be out there to have a look at her photography and her adorable blog - my favorites are her "Trash the Dress" shoots! Have a great Monday y'all! I'll leave you with a few of my favorite recent Scarlett photos.

Pillow Love!

How cool are these John Robshaw for Anthropologie 'Phulkari' Euro shams? They are online only and a bit more affordable at 68.00. I bought 2 for use as oversize cushions on my couch (I know, bending the rules a little..) I think they will look great with a citrine Imperial Trellis pillow on my creamy white couch with my heather gray cashmere throw!

Room du Jour: Mary McGee

Image via House Beautiful April 2008

This beautiful Mary McGee room serves as inspiration for my own workspace. I'm off to Jacksonville to finish moving out of my old apartment, drop of my Macbook for some aesthetic repairs (don't worry, I'll still have posts for you next week!), and to go by West Elm to pick up a Parsons desk (just like the one pictured here) of my very own! It will look great with my Ghost chair, don't you think?

Glug Jug Love

Glug jugs, gurgle pitchers, or simply koi vases - whatever you call them, not only are these classic British housewarming gifts pretty to look at, but they make a delightfully distinct gurgle as they pour. They were first produced by potters in Dartmouth, Devonshire. When Queen Elizabeth was gifted with one in the 1950's, they became quite sought after and enjoy popularity to this day.

This great-looking guy can be found at Pieces in Atlanta.

Shreve, Crump, and Lowe have offered these distinct colorful koi for years. They specialize in traditional, anatomically correct pitchers in a variety of colors.


Signals offers the trademakred and decidedly more modern GurglePot. They say the distinct sound comes from air trapped in the tail being released when the pitcher is tilted.


VirtualTea offers authentic Devonshire glug glug jugs to the US in a variety of sizes and colors.


Long's also offers a nice selection of beautiful jugs.

And finally, my charming little guy, yet another ebay find.

Hump Day Inspiration from Gemma Comas

Gemma just shot me an email and I wanted to share some of her new work for Anthropologie and Martha Stewart Weddings. Hopefully it will serve as some much needed mid-week inspiration for you.

Photo credits to Gemma Comas.

Ask Kyle: Old Chair, New Outlook

I received a question from Meredith, a blogger who is in mid-project with two worn out old chairs and wants to know how to pump new life into them. (You can check out her original posting of her "Ugly Chairs" here.)

When I got this query I thought it was perfect, as I just had an original 1950's Sears and Roebuck lounge chair redone and updated with a fresh new look. I found the chair for only $50 on Craigslist and fell in love with it's lines. By looking past it's flaws and breathing new life into it, the chair transformed into a classic, tailored seat that will stand the test of time.

Kyle's vintage chair, before reupholstering.

Kyle's chair with fresh fabric.

Meredith had two chairs in question - one a navy leather wrapped wing chair and another bulky floral print side chair that her husband loves )I am assuming because of the comfort factor.) Her first question was if should she spend the money to recover it. My answer is YES. Find a great upholsterer and it will save you money in the long run from having to buy a brand new chair- especially if it has great lines or you have a personal attachment to it. The lines of a wingback chair especially will never go out of style, and with a bit of tweaking I think we can get it looking modern again.

Meredith's "ugly" chairs in question.

Her second question was how she should approach the new fabric, and how does she make everything blend together, as they already have a beige linen sofa. My answer is think outside the box and unify your theme without making everything match. For example, the wingback chair has a great nailhead trim - why not have that repeated on the arms of the other chair when you have it re-covered? These are the details that make a difference and won't cost you much more. Also, think about welting or piping as it is more commonly referred. It is such an overlooked detail and a great way to add interest and definition to an otherwise shapeless chair.

Kyle loves these fabrics because they have complimentary patterns in a similar color family.

I don't think that Meredith should match the fabric on her two odd and end chairs, but by coordinating the same piping all around the cushions (and even on the top and bottom edges of both) it will unify the items. A bright white would make everything crisp, or think about incorporating the sofa's existing linen color into the two ch>airs. Look online at different hotels or design showrooms for inspiration.

Beautiful piped upholstery is pulled off effortlessly by designer Anna Spiro of Black + Spiro

Another way to have fun with the chair is to mix up the seat cushion fabrics. Have the two chairs flip flop fabrics when it comes to the cushions to give a more bohemian and whimsical look. When approaching the fabric, my eye always goes to more bold and graphic prints personally. Mix a stripe and a bold geometric in the same color family, then bring those fabrics into your throw pillows on the sofa to really create a designer look.

This bench by Oly Studio from Maison Luxe has a contrasting seat cushion, another upholstery trick Kyle suggests for a more bohemian feel. Picture via All Things Bright and Beautiful.

When you are having your chairs reupholstered, there will usually be extra fabric and your upholsterer can whip up some extra throw pillows in no time. In Meredith's case her couch pillows have some shag detailing - it would be great to incorporate that extra texture throughout the room with some shag floor pillows or some smaller shag pillows for her "new" chairs.

Most importantly - have fun with design!
- Kyle

["Ask Kyle" is a new feature on The Love List, appearing the first Wednesday of every month. Kyle Schuneman is a professional designer who has worked in not only resedential design but also on the sets of many of your favorite design shows. To learn more about Kyle and see pictures of his work, click here. If you have a question for Kyle, e-mail Kyle@thelovelist.net, and you may see it answered on The Love List!]

New Dauphine Press Studio Line

The graphic design junkie in me is dying to tell you about this. The very kind and gracious Tracy at Dauphine Press shared some exciting news with me last week - the debut of Dauphine Press' studio line. Their gorgeous letterpress creations have graced many a magazine page and include correspondence, wedding inviations, and baby announcements. Though they have many custom items available, the studio line is just as beautiful and a bit more affordable. It includes boxed invitations, place cards, and folding notes in Dauphine's signature blue packaging.

Each item is packaged in sets onf ten and includes matching colored envelopes

Vintage tapestry invitation

Bloom notes

Cascading waves place card

To order any of the items you see here, please call Dauphine Press at 888-869-0659

Ebay Finds galore: Chinese Chippendale Chairs and Hermes boxes

Ah, The moving continues! I apologize for the light posting, but on the up side, I can finally start buying furniture and sharing it with y'all!

As anyone who has been reading this blog knows, I have long been lusting after a set of Chinese Chippendale chairs for my dining room, however I was unwilling to shell out a 1st dibs premium (hovering around 5 grand a set) or pay for Jonathan Adler's lacquer version (500.00 bucks apiece), so I kept my eyes peeled at vintage shops, thrift stores, antique malls, and yes, ebay. Even on ebay a set was going for hundreds more than I could pay. I had all but given up!

Jonathan Adler's pricey version. Image courtesy of jonathanadler.com

Another great chippendale chair from Houndstooth Home, priced affordably at 995.00 (ack)

Then, last night, on a whim, I was perusing ebay.. and there they were, listed mere minutes before. A beautiful, sturdy set of 4 for 199.99. God bless this ebay seller. I bought them then and there!


Ok, so not the world's prettiest photo... but you get it. I'm so excited! I'm thinking navy cushions with white piping, inspired by this beautiful room:

Room by Windsor Smith, Thanks Allie!

I'll leave you with another ebay score from last week, this pair of Hermes boxes, found for only 30.00. Ebay is an amazing source if you are patient.

Don't you love the times we live in? It is an age of blogs, ebay, and a thriving online design community - it is truly amazing.