Happy New Year!

Blog Changes

I know, I know, the blog is changing AGAIN! This time it's because I was having some technical issues with the other look. There was something in the programming that I needed to change back to the original blogger way... :)

A Bonus Mood Board

Recently, I was challenged with creating a mood board for a small kitchen that has a door leading outside. I wanted to use the area by the door as a make-shift mudroom to hang an umbrella, jacket, bag, a place to take of your shoes real quick etc. The simple functions of a mudroom.

The space was to be young, fresh, mod, fun. All very good qualities of a room, don't you think? I pulled together some fun items to decorate the kitchen with mudroom area. My original intent was to paint the walls green. It's fresh, and lively. But it's also quite intense - not everyone can live with it. So I offered a 2nd option of a soft, dusty blue. In the end, I vote for the blue. A surprising choice for me.

The bench and hooks are for the mudroom area - a small sisal rug to place your shoes on and a chalkboard decal (soon to be in the shop, please feel free to contact me if you want one) to write lists and messages on.

The long strips of the white design on the left are our new Ironworks Mural decals. And you can see I also used our new Different Drummer text decal as well. I like this one with the art I found at Ikea. I think they make a nice collection to fill a large empty wall. The table is pub height and you can find those kinds of tables just about anywhere for less than $200 and the stools are Ikea - $50 each. An inexspensive way to spruce up a little kitchen with big color and design!

So, tell me, are you green or are you blue?

1. Bed - Value City Furniture - $300

2. Curtains - Overstock - $59/ panel

3. Bedding - Anthropologie - $250

4. Monogrammed Pillow Shams - Pottery Barn - $14

5. Art Decal - Single Stone Studios - $24

6. Lamp - Lamps Plus - $78

7. Steel Nightstand (for him) - Quasimodo Metal Works - $215

8. Mirrored Nightstand (for her) - Target - $80

9. Porcelain Bowl - Maggie Ames Handmade - $25

10. Cement Letter - Timeless Modern - $35

Check out this paint technique in this bathroom by Roeshel at The DIY Showoff. It's PERFECT for this bedroom. Modern, monochromatic, and a little unexepected. For details on how to do this and the paint colors she used go HERE!

New Art!

Get your Earth Art HERE!

New Art!

You can purchase this art HERE

Merry Christmas!

And the winner is...

MINDA!! This is what she wrote about Christmas... Happy Birthday! What I love about Christmas is my son's excitement and utter, unshakable belief in the magic of it all. And Judy Garland singing Have yourself a Merry little Christmas. Happy Holidays!-

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas!

Congratulations Minda and thanks so much for sharing a little bit of your holiday with all of us! Drop me an email at Shelley@SingleStoneStudios.com with your color choices and shipping info :)

We interupt the normal blogging for...

A CELEBRATION!

Today happens to be my birthday and I feel like celebrating!!

I woke up to LOTS of b-day wishes on Facebook and will get gifts and go to dinner with my family. Yes, I'm a lucky girl. So, to celerbrate Single Stone style on the blog I thought I would give away a gift to YOU!

Leave a message on the blog today and WIN!!

Tell me something you love about the holiday season. Traditions, family, your favorite sweet goodie you only get to eat this time of year...anything.

Nature's Longing is quickly becoming our hottest new design so that is my choice design to give away today. The winner will get to choose their colors. One for the branch and one for the birds.

You can't win if you don't enter!!

(I'll draw a winner tomorrow - the decal will ship AFTER Christmas)

Couch - La-Z-Boy - $1250

Chair - La-Z-Boy - $1500

Table - Modern Furniture Warehouse - $330

Rug - Modern Furniture Warehouse - $70

Lamp - Modern Furniture Warehouse - $270

Curtains - Walmart - $18/panel

Decals - Single Stone Studios - $65

Clock - Modern Furniture Warehouse - $220

A little playtime.

Got a chance to play in my studio last night. I didn't really know what I wanted to do, anything really. As I was thumbing through some Somerset art mags I found the image of the woman in an ad. I promptly cut her out and went to work. I love to work with paper. I don't get much playtime in my studio and I can always acheive something quick and fun with paper.

{Anticipation}

{Anticipation} - That's always a good word to me, and appropriate for this time of year. Christmas is upon us and the new year will come screeching in sooner than we can push away from the table of all the goodies we'll be consuming. (I know I'm not alone. ;)

I have some goals on my list I'll be carrying over to 2010. But having made good progress on them they are becoming clearer and closer than ever to being acheived. I get excited about that! New goals for the new year are being put on paper. I'm not always great with words. I'm such a visual person that my mind's eye sees things in pictures and sometimes forming those images to into words doesn't translate as well as I'd like. I'm getting better but this is a goal on my list. 

Last year, the day after Christmas, I was writing. On the blog. And I was really impressed that Ephesians 3:20 should be my scripture for the year. I always like a word of some sort to kind of define my year. Or at least define my intentions and focus for the year. If you don't know Ephesians 3:20 by heart this is what is says - Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us. I can't seem to let go of that as we move into the new year. My heart is still gripped by it. But still each new year comes with new expectations, goals and motivation. So much of what I am doing is building new things in my life so this scripture will remain as a big part of my direction for the new year but will be added to.

At the beginning of the month, Dec 1 to be exact, I wrote a post titled Be Audacious. This will be added to my word for 2010. My focus.

Audacious: adj. - extremely original; without restriction to prior ideas; lively; unrestrained; uninhibited.

Can you live audasiously? Would you even want to? I wonder if this is a season for me or maybe it's something I am just now learning and will live this way for the rest of my life.


I feel so energized by the possibilities that run through my mind, again, I struggle to put my thoughts into words. Most likely they will be interpreted into new art as the year unfolds, as well as, being realized in the actual. I always love to see what my visions/ideas look like in the actual. That translation is always so cool to me. Whether in art or in life. What I tought it would look like, the process that it takes when it manifests and then to see what it looks/feels like in the actual. Rarely is it the way you imagined it. I find it's usually much greater than my own thoughts, which brings us back to Eph. 3:20 - immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine...

New Art!

You can find listing for this new art HERE.

Great Customer Photo!

Here's another great customer photo! This designer used 2 sets of our Spheres in lime. You can see them in the kitchen.

LOVE THIS SPACE!

journaling.

A little journal entry I recently made. Although I am thinking I'd like to frame this one instead of tucking it in my book.

Today I am off to Lowe's to get a paint bucket so I can mix the perfect shade of light blue. I got a blue but it's a bit darker than I want. They really need to make those little chips just a tad bigger ;) I might even get a chance to run through Ikea for a few items I need for this project. Look forward to sharing some progress soon!!

1. Chair - Modern Furniture Warehouse - $216 for 2

2. Table - West Elm - $400

3. Light - Etsy - $48 each

4. Decals - Single Stone Studios - $18

5. Paintings - Etsy - $15 each

6. Curtains - Ikea - $15 per pair

7. Polka Dot Dish - Etsy - $24

8. Bookcase with Glass Doors - Ikea - $250

9. Rug - Lamps Plus - $270

10. Decorative Table - Etsy - $85

11. Dishes - Crate and Barrel - $14-$55

$10 and a can of spray paint!

At a blog I recently found called Better After I found this lovely little make-over! The mirror was bought for $10 and sprayed with a can of white spray paint. Check out how FABULOUS it looks in the after photo!! It's not a $10 mirror any more!

A $5 Change

I found this fun project today at Living Life Creatively. For less than $5 she made a dramatic feature of her staircase. A little wrapping paper and some decoupage medium - she reccomends Collage Pauge. Take a look at the difference!

Chair Makeovers

A while back I posted a couple of photos of my garage sale chairs. I was reupohlstering and painting. I picked up 2 chairs and have only made progress on one. I've been looking for some inspiration for the other and came across some fun ideas. I love the easy kind of upohlstering that does not requre sewing - I'm more of a staple and hot glue gun kind of girl. But I could resist adding the last chair to this post. I LOVE it! You couldn't pay me enough to ever sew piping again but it's a fabulous touch on this chair and it wouldn't be complete with out it. The fabric is really fun too. A great modern twist on a traditional chair.

Mood Board Monday

1. 
   
   Bedding - AllModernBaby.com $459
   
   
   
2. 
   
   Spheres Vinyl Wall Decals - SingleStoneStudios.com - $175
   
   
   
3. 
   
   Dresser - Target.com - $330
   
   
   
4. 
   
   Rocking Chair - InteriorExpress.com - $168
   
   
   
5. 
   
   Sheepskin Rug - Ikea.com - $25-$40
   
   
   
6. 
   
   Hanging Light - Ikea.com - $40
   
   
   
7. 
   
   Pillow - PBTeen.com - $24 (on sale)
   
   
   
8. 
   
   O'Ball Rattle - Toysrus.com - $8
   
   
   

What is Mood Board Monday (MBM)? Well, I'm trying something new :) With MBM I hope to bring you inspiration with full room designs. They are not necessarily meant to be taken piece by piece and made into a room but as a place to start. A flexible design to add your personal style to. I hope along the way I will show you new pieces, new ideas and new sources for your home decor!

So tell me what you think. Would you like to see more mood boards? Do you have specific styles or rooms you would like to see?

Customer Photo!

A few months ago we did some decals for a school library and I just got a photo back! It's so cute and fun!

6 Great Handmade Gifts for Under $20!!

Inspire decal - Single Stone Studios

Crochet Lariat - Vikki0908

Scrabble Tile Pendant - HomeStudio

Wire Flower - Bird From a Wire

Raven Mini Triptych - Johnwgolden

Faith Burlap Pillow - HeidiDevlin

Great Customer Photo!

Here's a great customer photo I got today! Decals are a great way to jazz up furniture and personalize your space at the same time. How cute is this? I just did a quick little change up to the text of our Bistro decal found HERE.  You can go HERE for the rest of the details and more photos of this fun little project ;)

A Glam Christmas

Really cool clock make-over!

I posted some black and white inspiration the other day. Love black and white! Then today, I find this gem! Check out the amazing before and after photos. LOVE IT!

{project by: My Trashy Treasures}

{Be Audacious}

So I was doing my daily blog hop to check out my artist and decorating friends latest projects and found THIS. It was actually a link from the post Jenny wrote today. She is the Editor for Somerset Magazines. If you're an artist you know these mags and how absolutely incredible and inspiring they are. Jenny does amazing work - these magazines are her art.

Anyway, the post she wrote is about the movie Castaway with Tom Hanks. She describes the movie a bit and is personally inspired by his fortitude to stay hopeful for YEARS and never giving up. YEARS! She keeps stressing that. Then she explains how the piece of the port-a-potty comes floating up on shore and how he is audacious enough to take the chance to bring the change into his life.

A couple of things hit me about this - first the word she used was audacious. This word has crept itself into my life a couple of times lately, so, I found that very interesting.

Audacious: adj. - extremely original; without restriction to prior ideas; lively; unrestrained; uninhibited.

Don't you love that?!

Also, the other thing that struck me as I was reading her description of the movie was that the "thing" he used to rescue himself was part of a toilet. Seriously. When you are audacious and allow yourself to act in an audacious manner what you see as opportunity is usually a tad unconventional. Ok, it's down right crazy to the people who are watching you. But do it anyway. Be audacious!

More Inspiration!

I'm always a fan of black and white decorating.

It's clean, it's classic, it's bold.

I love it!

CUSTOM Holiday Orders

Hey Everyone, I just wanted to drop a note about custom orders that need to be received by Christmas. My inbox is currently full of new requests as well as a few projects I am wrapping up. If I have not already received your request then I CANNOT guarantee it before Christmas. The new requests

I'm answering today will be taken on a case-by-case basis.

Thanks so much to all of your for your patience

and loyalty to Single Stone!

{just a little eye-candy}

{Christmas Inspiration}

{Happy Thanksgiving}

Blog Features Today!!

I have made some bloggy friends over the last 18 mos or so that I've been a blogger and they are some of the coolest people I know!! They too, are creative and do lots of fun projects and now they are featuring mine ;)

Roeshel is a the author of The DIY Showoff. If you've got it, flaunt it! And Roeshel's GOT IT! Her home is amazing and she and her husband have done everything themselves. And who's name did I see on page 6 of my advance copy of 100 Decorating Ideas for Under $100? Yes, it would be her! Check out her blog and all her great projects and tutorials and try something fun for yourself.

We're also featured on The Shabby Nest today. Wendy is also a DIYer with a blog full of beautiful inspiration. As you might suspect from the name she has a shabby chic kind of style. If you like that style take a look around her Etsy shop and add something special, handmade and shabby to your home!

Custom Design

A while back I worked with a designer on a custom branch with birds. Today I received the results of that project, and let me tell you, they are phenomenal!

For more inspiration visit their website - Two Plus Three Design. It's worth your time!

EXCITING ANNOUNCEMENT!!!

A couple of weeks ago I announced that Single Stone Studios will be in Cleveland at the Great Big Home and Garden Expo in Feb. The 6th through the 14th to be exact. The show is in the IX Center and now under the management of MarketPlace Events.

We were invited to be in the show after the shows producer found our work in the Lake County YMCA Dream Home Giveaway. Ame West of West Interiors sourced us in the marketing materials as well as a local magazine.

I didn't even know this big home show existed but apparently everyone else did. (I must be living under a rock) The show has been around for 66 yrs in the same location and draws nearly 200,000 attendees. WOW!

Since the invitation to get a booth in the show Billy and I have been asked to design and decorate the main stage!! This is the stage where all the demos happen all week and most exciting where Ty Pennington will perform the opening ceremonies!!! We are so thrilled to be asked to do this project! The contract has been signed for weeks but not until this morning, when the art for the Ty Pennington logo found it's way to my inbox, did the project become real.

We were always excited. We knew the whole time that Ty was opening the show on this stage but having a tangible piece of the project made the whole thing feel really amazing! And made me feel like I could finally share the project with all of you. If you're in the area come out and see us!! We'd love to meet you.

So much fun!

You've gotta go to Polyvore.com and try this! It's a terrible time waster but much fun :)

Eclectic Chic

Items in this set:
Jacvanek.com t shirt, $24
Joe's Jeans jeans, $178
UGG Australia boots, 125 GBP
kate spade tote bag, $425
KING BABY ring, $184

stuff.

i like stuff.

i like THIS stuff.

feeling a little vintage this morning.