Monday, January 31, 2011

Shopbop on Sale and $100 Giveaway!

** Update: Nikki - You are the winner! Congrats **
You can never have too many shoes - from edgy military inspired boots to the classic black pump. Shopbop, a premier online shopping destination for fashion forward women, is giving one lucky BB&B reader $100 to shop for whatever style your heart (and feet) desires.
To stay stylish and comfortable during the day, Shopbop offers flats from designers like Tory Burch and Jil Sander. For a night out, swap out your regular heels in favor of some edgy thigh high boots or a wedge boot from Shopbop’s collection of Tapeet shoes. If you want some trendy clothes from your favorite designers to go with your new shoes, check out what’s on sale at Shopbop.
To qualify, visit Shopbop and leave a comment below.
and click on the Facebook "like" button (right above the comments)

Winner will be announced on Friday!
Giveaways every Monday on BB&B
** Interested in hosting a giveaway? Contact me here **

Monday Inspiration and Blogging Success Tips

I have seen so many inspirational blog posts that have come from attending the
Alt Design Summit. I think I better join the forces and attend one of these amazing conferences soon!
I love these tips from Tina of SwissMiss via Design for Mankind
1. Nobody can tell you what’s best for you.
2. Surrounding yourself with smart people is key.
3. Don’t just talk; do it. (If it fails, move on.)
4. Be kind and generous. It comes back to you.
5. Your enthusiasm and integrity are your biggest assets.
6. It is possible.
This list from Erin of Apartment34 is just as thought provoking!
1. Collaborate, collaborate, collaborate
2. Hold regular kickin' resource parties
3. Aspire to be uber-nice (like Erin Loechner, aka the human sparkler)
– it’s so much better than the alternative

... and one more list (too long to copy and paste, but definitely worth the read)
is by Marisa on Creative Thursday.

A fantastic list of resources on Not Martha that you don't want to miss!
I hope this inspires you today! Have a super week, and
stay tuned for a fabulous giveaway!
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Next newsletter out tomorrow, February 1st.
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Sunday, January 30, 2011

The red Bathroom

After a turquoise bathroom, a wild Vietri tile mix bathroom, a green bathroom and a tiny overhanging bathroom we now also can offer a red bathroom:

a WC in a cosy niche

the shower is in another niche, a space that was taken way from the bedroom to get a full bathroom out of the former restroom - between shower and sink comes a radiator (also for towels)

what about a rectangular mirror mounted upright ?


You see, the bathroom is not finished yet, but I cannot wait, I have to post these pictures to show the progress, since it's the guest bathroom and guests have booked their flights....

This standing WC has apparently no mounting height level problem. The shower will be - I forgot - one of those we bought in China (while living in Beijing). The red mosaic was chosen by my creative husband after I had run out of ideas. Also the flooring. He said he does not want just green and blue bathrooms (!)

Some previous posted pictures of the red bathroom can be found here - the name and source of the tiles as well as some old BEFORE pictures here.

Entertainment News: Super Bowl XLV Sunday Game Day Commercials

Are you ready for Super Bowl XLV? I have to admit that I am just as excited to view the commercials as the actual game, how about you? I heard that Justin Bieber and the Osbournes are teaming up in a commercial... interesting combination!
Christina Aguilera will sing the national Anthem and the Black Eyed Peas will be performing at half-time. Oh yes, and there is some football to watch in between. What do you think? Packers or Steelers?
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Modern Elegance ~ Armonia Decors

I found Emily Ruddo, the designer behind Armonia Decors via a new blog find,
Coco Pearl. Strikingly handsome interiors with bold color ~ which I love!
Check out Emily's blog too.
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What you have to know about WC mounting

When I was discussing with Angelo via mail about the appropriate size for a sink in the tiny bathroom, I asked him whether one could sit on the toilet without having a knee squeezed by the sink in front.

My calculation went kind of sort of like this: "Assuming the sink is mounted at 85 cm height, the sink bowl itself is 19 cm (according to manufacturer technical data sheet) and the toilet is mounted at 40 cm we have 26 cm minus toilet seat for the knee. This should be okay."

The next email that I received from Angelo was no good news and he sounded furious. Why? After having checked the tiny bathroom he found that the WC can only be mounted at 38 cm height, which is perfect for this case, he also had found that in two other bathrooms the plumber had prepared the toilet pipes far too low and that we would need to reopen the walls for adjustment!
However, one of the bathroom is already completely tiled!

technical data (by Duravit) for our WC

Bad News: toilet pipe installation too low !

You even can see from the picture that the toilet installation on the wall is low. In fact the mounting height would be only 35 cm. (With the recommended 40 cm you have 8 cm between floor and the toilet for cleaning, see technical data picture).

How this could have happened? It's the floor level that had changed tremendously in some of the bathrooms. I think in the green bathroom we raised the floor around 20 cm. Same happened in the bathroom in the basement. Apparently the plumber was not informed about the exact floor level - or the floor level was raised too much ? I think in the basement the later happened since we also planed to have a rain shower in a niche, that all in a sudden became a very low niche ... different story.

This coming week, Angelo will have a word with our plumber and architect. I am curious how to solve the problem. In the basement where the walls are still concrete, it should be no big intervention. And for the green bathroom I hope we do not have to demolish the wall with the SICIS (!) mosaic... If it is only for the cleaning and not for the function, I would probably leave it at 35 cm.

Since I am talking dirty, I mean, toilets, I would like to mention how important some centimeters / inches of a whole in the wall can be regarding WC seating height and comfort! Very important for comfort! In my first renovation back in Germany I had one toilet mounted at 43 cm height. For me it was quiet uncomfortable, since you sit at about 45 cm (including the seat). With the second renovation back in Germany I worked with the same plumber and told him right away for my new WC that I want to have it at 38 or 39 cm. (With the result, that my mob did not go fully underneath anymore. Just a few mm were missing.) So one would think with the 3rd renovation I should have known !!

BTW, in our former home in Beijing and now in Bangkok we have WCs by American Standard (stand alone pieces, not wall mounted) and they have seating height between 37 and 40 cm. Very comfortable. And thinking of the squat toilets, popular around Asia, which my Chinese doctor considers to be more healthy than the Western toilets (he thought digestion wise not hygiene), one should have a WC mounted as low as feasible.

Bright Finds: The Kindle

Guess what I just purchased? Yes, the Kindle! Kindle Wireless Reading Device, Wi-Fi, Graphite, 6" Display with New E Ink Pearl Technology "Smaller, Lighter, Faster, with 50% better contrast"... I might be behind the rest of you, but I am excited none the less - woo hoo! and of course I had to get the cool leather cover ~ Kindle Lighted Leather Cover, Burgundy Red (Fits 6" Display, Latest Generation Kindle) I guess you know what I will be doing today, since it is cold and rainy outside... Enjoy your Sunday!

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Saturday, January 29, 2011

Subscribe to the BB&B Newsletter

Sign up for the Bright Bold and Beautiful newsletter ~ for free! The next issue comes out Tuesday, February 1st. I cannot believe that it is almost February, the New Year is flying by. Anyway, you can subscribe by entering your e-mail in the box (center column) to the right. After signing up, be sure to confirm your subscription by clicking the link in the follow up e-mail.

** a winner will be chosen from the subscription list to receive a $50.00 certificate to Watercolors by Laura Trevey **
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Best of the Week on BB&B

Happy weekend to everyone! In case you missed anything, here is the week wrap up and a few extra links from around the web.
and if you are already tired of the cold winter - think sun!

I just took advantage of this awesome sale at Sephora: Get 10 free samples of our BEST skincare, all in one bag – FREE with any online order. Enter code SPLURGE at checkout. While supplies last! The items come in an airplane friendly bag too!

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Follow Bright Bold and Beautiful with bloglovin to enter for a free original watercolor by Laura Trevey! The winner will be chosen from my Bloglovin followers on January 31st ~ Good Luck!
photo: audrey hepburn via pinterest

Inspiration on the Skirted Roundtable This Week!

 

The latest trend in magazines is online publishing.   Even trendier is starting your own online magazine – no paper issues, just digital issues.   Fueled by all the print magazines that have folded during this economic downturn, everybody it seems is taking the plunge to digital.     Some of the new online-only magazines are just a few pages long with not much content or effort put into them, while others rival the best of the print versions.   Armed with professional photographers and stylists, these editors fly from coast to coast taking pictures of unique houses and shops.  On the whole, the digital versions are hipper and fresher than most print magazines and target the X and Y generations.   Most appealing is their immediacy and clickable links, along with being environmentally friendly.   The first big online splash was made by Lonny, which was favorably compared to domino magazine.  Last year, Twitter was busy spreading the word about a new online magazine’s release: RUE.   And soon, another promising blogger driven magazine, Houston –based High Gloss, will be released.  

 

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Singer Alison Sudol is featured on this Rue’s cover this month.

The newest mag, Rue, is just three issues old.  It is filled with page after page of décor and fashion.   The editors of Rue are keenly tech savvy:  they used social networking to spread the word and their first issue was a smash hit.   There were so many subscribers they were able to attract high class advertisers.    Last week, we welcomed the two founders of Rue to the Skirted Roundtable.   These girls are driven, smart, energetic and talented.   They are going places and so is Rue.   Their zest is infectious.   If you are stuck in a rut or bored or just listless, listen to these two for some much needed stimulation.  I felt like an old, worthless slug after talking with them!   The third issue of Rue has just arrived this week and it is filled with story after story; the issue is impressively huge at 267 pages!    How they put this together and kept up their daily blogs, I will never understand!    Here are a few of my favorite photos from the new Rue:

 

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My favorite story is about Brooke Giannetti from Velvet and Linen.  Here, in a picture from Brooke and Steve’s shop Giannetti Home,  is a chair from their furniture line which Steve and Brooke design.  I LOVE, LOVE this chair!!!!!!  Velvet and Linen is one of my favorite blogs, a daily must for me.

 

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Another great story centers around entertainer and photo stylist’s Annette Joseph’s aesthetic.  Loved this tablescape in her Atlanta home.

 

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Tarama Kaye-Honey’s house is innovative and fresh.   Cute dog!

 

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It’s not all about house décor in Rue.  There’s a lot of fashion.   Beautiful photograph. 

 

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Another favorite story is about Susanna Salk’s lakeside house.  Here, her breakfast room caught my eye with that great island and orange and white upholstered furniture.

 

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I love  Susanna’s kitchen with its Shaws sink and marble countertops.

 

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Her bedroom is  casual trendy.   Love the headboard and the long console doubling as a desk.

 

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The two founders of Rue, Crystal Gentilello and Anne Sage, were both bloggers when they decided to launch Rue.  They had never even met face-to-face until several weeks into their partnership.    A true story of the new century, it’s all about high tech and social networking.  To listen to this inspiring interview, go HERE.  To read the latest Rue, go HERE.

 

Friday, January 28, 2011

Beautiful Home Living: Using Lemons for Decoration

When using arrangements to add a pop of color to your room, think fruit in addition to flowers. A vase of bright yellow lemons or limes will add zest and energy to your space! See Color Inspiration: Citrus for more ideas if you missed it!
Slightly Retro eclectic kitchenLiving Room eclectic living room
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photos: houzz

** still time to enter the giveaway. Winner announced 5pmEST today.