A great book for all my girly girls out there

The aptly titled "Hers," by Jacqueline deMontravel is a treasure trove of inspiration and ideas to feminize your space, no matter what your style.   The book starts off with the "queen" of all feminine rooms, the bedroom.  The bedroom section was definitely may favorite, and helps you narrow down colors, details, fabrics, and layering.

I love this bedroom, and the balance between masculine and feminine. I'm also crazy about the delicate lace trimmed sheet paired with the chocolate brown coverlet. Perfect.

Like I said before, this book isn't just about glitzy glam rooms.  It doesn't matter what your style, you can still apply the suggested methods.

The bedroom section was my favorite, but the book also covers other rooms in other chapters, like home offices, outside spaces, creating your own personal space, accommodating guests, and accessorizing. 

If this book sounds like just the motivation you've been needing for your home, you can buy it online here.

No time like the beginning of a new year for a fresh start!

First off, I hope everyone had an amazing holiday, and happy New Year!  Usually, I don't get caught up in the New Year's traditions like setting resolutions.  This year however, I am determined to get really, really, organized.  I'm usually an organized person, but the last half of 2011 I started to really fall behind on a lot of my filing, exercise routine, and many other things.  So, it sort of seemed like fate when, just a couple of weeks before New Years, I received three books from organizing guru Jennifer Ford Berry.  The books are "Organize Now!," "Organize Now! Your Money, Business, & Career," and "Organize Now! 12 Month Home & Activity Planner."

There's nothing quite as inspiring and exciting as a new organizing book that really speaks to you, and I think these definitely will.  The "Organize Now!"  and "Organize Now! Your Money, Business, & Career"  books literally break down the year into weeks, and assigns you tasks for each week that ultimately get your entire space in order.  I also like that, not only does she focus on the tangible things - like organizing your cupboards, entryway, social profiles, and email contact, but she also goes into a lot of depth and care to express the importance of taking time out for yourself, and streamlining your lifestyle to increase efficiency (therefore creating more time for yourself).

Table of contents in "Organize Now!"

I've already started the "Organize Now!" book.  The beginning is dedicated to the psychology of clutter, how it impacts us mentally and physically, and all the rewards one can reap by eradicating clutter.  Weeks 1- 4 are titled "Organize Yourself," with week 1 being broken down further to "Organize your Mind & Life Vision.    Each week has a checklist of weekly goals (which helps keeps the ultimate goal of complete organization from being overwhelming), and a "Stay Organized" checklist that gives you tips to maintain your newly achieved organization goal of the week.  The "Stay Organized" checklist is broken down into what you should do once a month, every 3-6 months, and once a year.

Several pages are dedicated to the psychology of clutter.

Week 1's "This Week's Goal's" checklist

I've also already filled out my first week of the "Organize Now! 12 Month Home & Activity Planner."  It give ample room to jot down to-dos for each day.  The beginning of each month features a list for holidays, bill due dates, and monthly events.  Each month also starts out with a monthly "focus," tips, and a space to list goals for the month.

The beginning of each month starts out with space to list the month's events, due dates, and holidays.

Lots of space for jotting your to-do's!

I haven't started the "Organize Now! Your Money, Business, & Career," book yet, but I hope to dive into it a bit tonight, as it undoubtedly covers the aspects of my life that need the most organizing.

"Organize Now! Your Money, Business, & Career" table of contents

The books can all be purchased on Amazon.
Organize Now!
Organize Now! Your Money, Business, and Career
Organize Now! 12 Month Home and Activity Planner
You can check out Jennifer Ford Berry's website and blog here
Do you usually feel inspired to start new projects or regimens on New Years?  What are your goals and wishes for 2012? Can't wait to hear about them!

*disclosure:  I received Organize Now!, Organize Now! Your Money, Business, and Career, and Organize Now! 12 Month Home and Activity Planner as a sample

Book Review: The new book from Decor8's Holly Becker and Joanna Copestick

I'm sure many of you here have heard of Decor8, but have you heard that it's creator, Holly Becker, along with Joanna Copestick - have come out with a book?!  Well, the book, titled "Decorate, 1000 Professional Ideas for Every Room in Your Home" does not disappoint.

The book definitely focuses on ideas instead of achieving a specific look/or style - which I prefer anyway because it means there is a little something for everyone. It does tend to feature interiors with more of a Scandinavian chic aesthetic though, so if that's your style - it's an added bonus.

adore the color scheme here - the yellow, light blues, and gray is perfect.

The book also features tasty tidbits of interior design genius from Nate Berkus, Jonathon Adler, Amy Butler, and Maxwell Gillingham Ryan.

' "Start thinking about how you live, then plan a layout of rooms and furniture to suit your lifestyle before you get on the details about what style to follow" - Rita Konig, writer/interior designer" '

The book also features some helpful arrangements for different types of floor plans.

All in all, Decorate definitely has something for everyone and anyone. You can purchase it on here on Amazon. If you pick it up or already own it please share what you think!

A happy Friday to you and gorgeous book giveaway

The weekend never comes soon enough - except when I have a Friday deadline. So I figured there is no better time to do a book giveaway.

This is a unique one - "Classic Swedish Interiors," by Lars Sjoberg. The poetic photos are by Ingalill Snitt.

I'm going to quote Amazon as they describe the book better than me -

"Lars Sjöberg has made it his life's work to understand and preserve the Swedish manor houses of the 17th and 18th centuries. Here, exquisitely photographed by Ingalill Snitt, are the eight houses (and one church) that he has acquired over more than 40 years. The book focuses on Sjöberg's first, most complex project: the manor of Regnaholm. Unoccupied for about 40 years when Sjöberg arrived in 1966, it allowed him to experiment with interior decoration and refurnishing, copying old furniture, reweaving, and reprinting old fabric patterns.

His other projects include Ekensberg, a three-story Italianate villa near Lake Mälaren, built in 1788-90, and Salaholm in Västergötland with a garden laid out in the first half of the 17th century. Odenslunda, a small manor from the 1770s with a panelled exterior and a säteritak or manor-house roof, is his family home, while Sörby, a scaled-down early 17th-century manor house, was reproduced in its entirety for an exhibition in Stockholm. Full of insight and inspiration, this is a deeply personal summary of everything Lars Sjöberg has learned in his years of working and living with classic Swedish interiors." - via Amazon.com

Here are some of my favorite photos from the book -


One day I will have an antique Swedish grandfather clock!








As usual, all you have to do to enter the drawing is leave a comment! To comment on this post (scroll to the bottom of this post and right above "Labels" you will see a number followed by the word "comments." Click on the word "Comments." Or, you will see a link, "Post a Comment," which you click on to comment.

If you receive posts in your email feel free to respond to the email noting that you'd like to be entered in the drawing.

Contest closes Friday July 1st at 5pm. Good luck!

And the lucky winner of "Downtown Chic" is...

Megs723
Congratulations! Please contact me at ashley [at] decorologyblog [dot] com with your shipping address and I will get your lovely prize, "Downtown Chic" off to you in a jiffy. Thanks to all who entered. If you didn't win, you'll have another chance at a great book giveaway next week, so stay tuned!

Winner selected at random by Random Number Generator.

I simply count the number of entries and plug that number into the generator. Once it generates a number I count in order from the first to last comment, and the entry who matches with the number generated wins.

A truly special book giveaway - Stealing Magnolias

The cover alone would be wonderful to have. But you have a chance to win the whole book just by commenting on this post. You have until January 3, 5PM EST to leave a comment. The winner will be chosen by a random draw and announced the next day. Good luck!

Here's the editorial review: Debra Shriver tells the story of finding and restoring a house in the French Quarter of New Orleans in the wake of Katrina. Part love letter, part scrapbook; readers are given a rare tour of this enigmatic city. The book is a cultural guidebook and historical reference of America's most European city, featuring the work of more than 20 photographers and artists. Chapters highlight food and entertaining, decorating, gardens, landscapes, local traditions, interiors, and architecture. via Amazon

The gorgeous aforementioned cover

so chic



perfect


We had a huge magnolia tree on the farm where I grew up and just looking at this picture I can literally smell the blossoms.

The book can be purchased here.

All photos from Stealing Magnolias by Debra Shriver, copyright © 2010, published by Glitterati Incorporated. www.Glitteratiincorporated.com.

And the winner of Country Living's "Aged to Perfection" is...

Tori! Happy Friday to you! Please email me with your shipping address and I will get your book out to you asap!

As promised - another beautiful book giveaway!

Lucky you guys! I'm reviewing two amazing books recently released by Country Living, Restore. Recycle. Repurpose and Aged to Perfection And one of you will win Aged to Perfection! All you have to do for your chance to win is leave a comment on this post. The chance to enter ends on 12/16, at 5PM EST. I will draw a winner at random and announce the results the next day.

PLEASE leave a way to contact you on your comment-an email address will work, or link your name with a way to contact you.


So, here are some lovely pics from Aged to Perfection which one of you will win. This book is great for the shabby chic and wabi sabi enthusiast. It features many white interiors, wonderful patinas, antiqued linens, and creative texture combination ideas.

The back jacket reads "Create a New 'Old' House. New houses offer modern conveniences, spacious rooms, and efficient infrastructures. Yet they often lack the charm that makes older homes so much more appealing. Now, through hundreds of photographs, ideas, and tips, Aged to Perfection shows how easy it is to give any contemporary home a gracious, rustic feeling."


I adore this living room! Unfortunately my dogs think that they're doing me a favor by letting me sit on "their" couch, and this couch would not be white very long.


Love this chest of drawers.


What a great collection of canisters.

One of the dreamiest bathrooms
Aged to Perfection can be purchased here on Amazon.

The second book is Restore, Recycle, Repurpose. Here's a description: "

Renovation that’s eco-friendly…AND economically smart. From Country Living contributing editor Randy Florke (Your House, Your Home) comes a gorgeous guide to decorating sustainably and inexpensively. Providing inspiration as well as instruction, Florke shows how everyone can achieve a look that’s both harmonious with the environment and beautiful.

Color photographs show examples of rooms, all radiating country charm, created on a budget, and designed with the three “R”s in mind: restore, reuse, and repurpose. Florke clearly explains why going green is so important, how to use what’s already there, find a focus for every space, and determine what makes something environmentally friendly. Anyone hoping to transform a home from ordinary to extraordinary will find eco-friendly, thrifty, and stylish ideas." via Amazon

I can't get enough of the couch upholstery - the pattern is illustrations of old furniture. You can click on the photo for a closer look.




A good mix of patterns is achieved here through a unified color scheme.

This book also has a great section in the back full of green and eco resources. It can be purchased here on Amazon.

Comment away for your chance to win!

disclosure: I received these books as a sample