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:




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

Shabby Chic Italian Library




Now that it is the new year doesn’t it make you want to clear everything out and start fresh?  Here is a job I did recently that is a good example of new beginnings.

Sometimes it is hard to paint over the dark wood especially in a library setting.

Here is the before shot.



First I painted the ceiling an antique rose.  I believe that painting the ceiling a color is way hip, especially here in Italy where the ceilings are often so high that it makes the space seem empty and cold.  Color above right away makes the space glow with warmth.


Then I painted the walls a creamy white that had a tiny hint of pink in it.  You can’t really see the pink on the wall, but I could see it in the paint bucket and once the walls dried it gave the effect that the ceiling was reflecting pink onto the walls.  Which it was, but I helped it along.



This room really shows the changing light of the day.  Under gray skies it has a splendid effect of tones of white and off white.  Then with the sun out a blush comes over the space.


the doors are almost an oyster off white
(not green tinted) it's the light
here I left the wood of the desk natural
I did the Shabby Chic effect on the bookshelves, this way the shelves looked more aged in this antique room.

the glass is definitely half full



I painted the bookshelves the same color as the walls only in acrylic paint with a satin finish.  I didn’t prime them since I wanted the wood to come through easily.  Here there is 4 coats of off-white, one to two coats of polyurethane. 

Then I sanded just the edges of the bookshelves, painted on some brown wax, waited a half an hour and rubbed it off with a piece of wool (an old sweater).  I left the wood of the desks as it was, touching it up some with Mordente (wood stain) and the white shelves ethereally rise above.
 
painting on the brown wax for Shabby Chic effect



I love this apricot color tile floor

Shabby Chic bookshelf

Shabby Chic distressing detail
This client was going relocate the hat collection and put the books back in, plus some colorful art on the walls.



Isn’t this Italian Library just reeking of a fresh start with hope permeating the air? I love the view of the secret garden ensconced inside our crazy city.



With affection,
Natalie
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Miss Mustard Seed


Pink Roses and Olive Leaves




I have a dark little secret and it is dark because this Diario di Design is supposed to be all about light and color and design of course and joy and if you remember 2014 =7 and that means it’s going to be a kick-ass year. I will not be one of those people who write kick-a**.  You have no idea how my profanity is in check on these posts.

My secret is I hate the darkness of this time of year.




I count the minutes of light that are arriving.  Here in Umbria this is the break down, we are gaining about 1 to 2 minutes of daylight a day.  This means that by January 20th we will have found 15 more minutes of “enlightenment”.  Right now the sun rises at 7:41 (way late) and sets at 4:50.  Any sunset that has a four in front is just wrong.



Yet when I have traveled to places in the world like Ecuador or Indonesia that are close to the equator, it is so strange to have an even 12 hours of light and 12 hours of dark all year round.  So my dark secret is that I'm a hypocrite, becasue actually I love the changing days and looking forward to the sun rising higher in the sky.

olive leave and pink roses - bliss

As of tomorrow school starts again and that means we start waking up at 6:30 a.m.

My solution and it truly helps, is to fill the house with flowers and candles.  I try to have the candles lit by the time the girls get to the kitchen table in the morning.  Get the coffee on and tea water to boil and then I sometimes even cheat and plug in a space heater for a few minutes.



What are your solutions to get through the dark days?

I love the idea of olives leaves (peace) and roses (love) together.  The bright pink roses and slate gray-blue of the olive leaves is a great color combination. 
Nature always has the answers for me.

peace and love all around

With affection,