Medicine Bottles and Flowers

Do you ever have a simple little design obsession that just makes you so happy to think about it? O.k. you probably have a thousand little design ideas going around in your head and this is what makes life pretty when times get tough, escape into the world of gorgeous – for the moment, do not think about … all that troubles you.  Then once you have added a little “bellezza” to your home, things begin to improve.  I understand it all has to do with perspective.

8 Photos with Some Design Advice

The Simple Life

Living in design.

1. Blue is always fabulous!

2. Wherever you go look for pattern.

Flowers in a Box

Let's add come color!

Oh how I love flowers in a box.  I just put a couple jars of water in the box to not rot the wood and arranged the flowers from there.

Here is an arrangement I created by for the arrival of my niece, Rosalie I put them by her bedside table as a welcome. I did not make up her name just to fit this floral gone crazy blog post.  I collected the flowers on a bike ride to Spello, resting them in my bike basket on the return home.

Blood Red Orange Color Inspiration

 The Simple Life

Today, just a little color inspiration, I go crazy for the color of Blood Red Oranges.  I feel like it is almost impossible to duplicate for interiors.  I always have clients trying to find the right red.  Yes the juice is very good with Russian Vodka!

Antiquing a Table Gray Silver

This project came out so pretty.

I love how sophisticated yet distressed it is.

My Chaotic Studio

The Simple Life

Isn’t my studio pretty a mess.  Put a sepia tint on the space and it becomes uniform, just shape and light.

Today, just this photo and a quote from Georgia O’Keeffe.

“I found I could say things with color and shape that I couldn’t say any other way, things I had no words for.”

Un bacio, to all of you with a messy studio, or to those of you who want one.

Natalie

How to: Play with Glass Paint and Silver Leaf

I’m supposed to be working on my Painting E-Course and finishing up this gorgeous gray and silver table but instead I played hooky.  Hooky is what we call it in California you don’t go to school and instead go to the beach or to a café.   Of course, one can play hooky and not go to work also.  This Diario di Design is kind of like always playing hooky for me.

So I played hooky because I became inspired to do a vignette of tarnished silver and painted glass, then I thought it would be fun to just add silver leaf to encourage more reflection. 

7 Ideas To Make Your Home Pretty

    1.  Open your windows. 

      This is a very Italian action.  Italians love to air out their homes, even in the dead of winter, windows are always opened.  The extended light will make your home glow.

     2.  Cover your couch or a big chair with fresh white linens.

It is amazing how this will lighten up the room.  If you don’t have anything big enough you can use a curtain or sheets taped together in the back.

Purple Path

The Simple Life
Today just some inspiration.

If you are looking for your purple path,

it is just ahead waiting for you.

It may have topiaries dusted purple too

and a smooth stucco palazzo.

Or just a purple path waiting for you,

meandering along.

Shabby Chic Bed, Breakfast Crate

I’m going to keep it to few words today (do you believe me?), let the photos speak for themselves.

I do want to show you my Painting Techniques Course.  SOOOOO Fun.

I’ve been working hard and waking up early is painful and awesome I must say.  I am getting so much done, life feels blissful and full of hope.

Here is a bed I did in Shabby Chic distressed mode.  A good tutorial I did you can see just Click Here.  This tutorial of mine is crazy famous on Pinterest, it shows how obsessed people are with Shabby Chic. I used the same process only a different white.

Easter Decorations

I’m on to a new stint where I am going to try to wake up at 5:30 a.m. and see if I can’t kick it a bit more effectively.  I know, what you are thinking that I won’t be able to handle it, well maybe by confessing my plans to you my lovely readers I will be more committed.  “They” say if you want to save money, if you tell your friends, you actually save more money and your friends help and encourage you to do so.  Did you know that successful people wake up early and then get this, they exercise.  I have read studies about it. 

An Ancient Wall

The Simple Life

I found a spot in the sun on a wall to sit and write and think for a moment.  A friend came by and as usual he offered a bit of interesting information.  He said did you know that wall, pointing to the wall I was leaning against was build in the 1500’s.

Painting a Chair - Modern

I forgot to mention in my last post, not only am I giving a Painting Class in Umbria, Italy, but I am also creating an E-Course on Painting Techniques for Furniture, Walls and Art that can be sent to you where ever, you are in the world.  It will consist of little films, photographs and writing.  I think it is going to be pretty cool.  All I want to do is have fun and encourage others to have fun too.

I’m working hard on the E-Course, but it isn’t done yet, soon I hope.  In the mean while I am still have to work and be a Mama and right now, as I write to you in my peripheral view there is a couch full of clean laundry to fold.  The mound is getting bigger it might be a mountain soon and the volcanic type.  The Italians are freaker’s for ironed clothes.  I can’t get to folding let alone ironing.  They actually iron underwear.  Freakers I tell you.  To all my Italian readers, you look gorgeous, I know.

Paint Class in Umbria, Italy

Today I am complete thrilled and enthralled with two things. The first is last night we moved our clocks ahead one hour Daylight Savings Time has begun.  Yahhhhh!  You know what the means one hour more to paint in good light and one our more to sit in outdoor cafes.

The second thing is I have finally organized my Painting Class in Umbria (click here).  It is going to be such fun.  You can read all about it above this post, below the Sette Design sign there is a section titled Painting Class in Umbria click on it. 

Party Decorations/Temporary Art

I’m always impressed by the people who create temporary art, like stones piled high on the beach only for the waves to crash them down, or building furniture in the forest out of twigs, drawings on the street.  Here in Umbria we have the flower festival in Spello after the designs are complete there is a religious procession that literally walks over them (Here is the link to the Flower Festival, it's amazing).  At the Flower Festival I always leave before the procession, so maybe I’m still learning to love and understand the concept temporary art, maybe I romanticize it.

It's Spring Dream Big and Little

The Simple Life.

It's Spring!
It is going to get sweet.

Cuteness Power

The Simple Life

Cuteness Power is when something is so adorable and cute that it makes you just stop and exclaim how wonderful life is.  It gives you that giddy feeling like life is full of hope.

 

Sette Design

Having this little guy in our home for just 24 hours did that.  Everyone who came over said ooohh and owww and then got that melted expression of love on their face.

Painted Bohemian Side Table

I must admit that I never liked this little piece of 1950’s furniture that I found on the street.  But we needed it and the girls liked it.

Recently it had been a bit discarded and I thought I’d give it a new look.  I think now I almost love it!  I work so much here in Italy painting stores and homes for clients often in the tones of white, cream, taupe, gray, which I understand is calming to the eye.  Yet, it is making me crave some color and motif.

California Cottage - Gothic Italian Palazzo

My heart is in two places at all times in Italy and in California.  Like a nagging mother I need to remind myself one is not better then the other- both are stupendous.  As for architecture here are some photos I took this morning of our Gothic Italian Palazzo, you can take special note that the chaos and mess of our lives is hidden from these photos and yes it has been a crazy week, but I have been able to work on my Feel Good Homework from the previous post (Here is the Link) if you want to feel good about yourself.  I wanted you to get an idea of the doors and windows and the thickness of the walls.  This is what makes the space so Gothic and Italian.

A Feel Good List

The Simple Life

Good Morning

It’s  March and Monday in Umbria Italy, presently the day is bright and sunny. I’m going to give you some feel good homework for the week.  I love lists and I love to check things off my list.  Last week I had 27 things to do on my list.  I actually accomplished 17 of those.  It was a joy to check 17 boxes off.

Painting My Floor Kiwi Green

Sette Design

I want to ask you to take a deep breath before you continue on, now try not to judge me on the hideousness, the profoundly abusive, ugliness of the before shot my linoleum floors.  If it hurts you to look at for a moment on the Internet, think what it has done to me and my family, all these years.  O.k I’m being silly…kind of.

Sette Design

Sette Design power

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I can paint flowers freehand all over a wall in a couple of hours, but I will not confess how long it took me to get the Social Media icons on this Diario di Design.  Lucky for me, I don't really know long it took, I'm pretty sure there were naps and cappuccinos involved and insecurity and days if not weeks passing by.

The Magic of Spello

The Simple Life

Here in Umbria if you don’t like the weather wait 20 minutes.  That’s what they say I think in the Northeast of America too.  We do not say that in California, so it pisses me off.  I’m always getting fooled.

This week in Umbria Spring has sprung with glorious green fields and pink and white budding fruit trees, Mimosa galore puffy and brilliant, shocking yellow.  The birds are going crazy, chatting away, they have so much to sing about.  We all have so much to sing about!

Tin Can Planters

I like to joke with myself sometimes and say “Oh I just had an old idea”.  We are supposed to be coming up with new ideas no?

Valentines and Some Quotes on Love

bejeweled foil heart-thorns and all - sette design

Happy Valentines my darlings.

Here are some great quotes about love.  

Want To Make Your Life Easier?

The Simple Life

Want to make your life easier?  I know is that a trick question? 

This last week I created this Vanilla Raisin Brown Bread and believe me it has changed my life.  I’m a single Mom and I work for myself, so it becomes pertinent to have easy snacks for school, something quick to grab to give me enough energy to keep painting a ceiling or having something around incase “someone”(tall, big BF) wants a midnight “mirenda”.

A Simple Valentines Idea

Valentines is just around the corner.  I love to make valentines for the ones I love.  In America it can be a message of love for anyone who might be important to you.  In Italy Valentines is viewed as something you do just for the “one” you love, not your mother or child or best friend.

A Lesion in Paintbrushes

The Simple Life

I have a friend and mentor who is a master painter, she recently gave me all these gorgeous paintbrushes.  She is in her 80’s and is still going strong with a passion and love of life that is not found often.

Soon it will be Summer

summer in Italy

Soon it will be SUMMER

It will be so hot that you will walk around barefoot.

The streets will be empty because you could fry an egg on the pavement.  YOU WILL SEARCH FOR SHADE.

The idea of turning on the oven will disgust you.

You might decide to eat only ice cream for dinner.

Imagine, you will come home from work and instantly want to take all your clothes off and pour yourself a cool cocktail.

You will be so suffocating hot that you will look forward to winter, to see your breath in the air and wrap your hands around a mug of hot chocolate smothered in whipped cream.

You will be begging for the cold blue air of Winter and think it will never arrive.  

Well guess what it has arrived!

storm clouds

With affection,

Natalie

Architectural Elements - Corbels

I love the idea of architectural elements lying around in interiors and in the garden.  Rome is full of them with ancient Rome present in daily life.  You might be walking down the street and come across a dirt space and a huge Roman head or column just there – gorgeous and shocking.

 

architectural elements in interiors

I once drove over the boarder to Mexico from California with girlfriends to go shopping and what did I come back with but a huge concrete ball.  I kept it for years lying around my various apartments.  I wish I still had it now here in Italy.  If you put a piece architecture in your space it makes the space look interesting instantly.  Corbels, columns, architraves, pieces of stairs, a newel or chunk of a banister, capitals, arches, leave them on a beautiful floor or lean them up against a wall, put a bowl of floating flowers and candles and there you have a scene of tranquility and antiquity.

 

the writing desk is from the 1700's Italian (certo!)

If these Corbels were for me I would have painted them a great color like sapphire blue or ruby red.  In San Francisco I had a pair that were attached as a true architectural support under a square archway and I painted them a chalky rich pink. Man did they look great! In this situation I must do what the client wants alas.

There were previously messed up in an electrical fire blacken with smoke, but no real damage done.  They are made out of terra cotta.

Corbels before shot

I painted them taupe in acrylic and then dry brushed over them in oil color (raw umber).

The project took a few days for drying time, but the actually working time was minimal.  It was fun because it was such a quick transformation.

Corbels as book supports

I am wishing a Happy Sunday to all my lovely readers around the world.

Kind regards,

Natalie

I'm linking with these fun parties:

Between Naps on the Porch 

Cozy Little House

French Country Cottage

Savvy Southern Style
Ivy and Elephants

Above Splendid

The Simple Life

I just go crazy for a cappuccino in a jar.  Then I can take it to the job site or move it around my big Gothic apartment.  If I get a phone call or distracted I can just close the lid and come back to it.

Also above splendid is:

The fog in deep and riding on our bikes with our bike lights glowing in the grayness.

this is not me, but I wish my bike was this red

Sleeping with a hot water bottle at the bottom of my bed.

A tower of blood red oranges on our kitchen counter.

Going for a run with my black gloves and cashmere hat on.

Having a moment to freely put down some ideas.

coffee, charcoal pencil and a paint brush  - heaven

A presto,

can you see the sideways hidden heart?

Natalie