Peacock Bloom

Peacock feathers have bloomed in my Villa Sibi, a lovely backdrop for some modern miniatures by Carol, also known as Pinch of Pepper, who blogs at MitchyMoo Miniatures. Have you seen her great tutorials?? There is one on wiring your own chic LED lights and how to fashion a simple, yet ingenious S chair, and she recently posted on modern wallpapers. Welcome, Mitchy Moo! Keep it up!

I had the fun task of trying out some of Carol's creations: LED lights; a credenza; and a coffee table. It is clear that Carol is talented and is a nimble operator when it comes to the very tiny parts of the lights, and the smooth, precise edges of the credenza.

I rarely use electrified lights, but Carol makes it pretty easy. See the lovely African boxwood column lamp? It's a cool, versatile piece, like modern sculpture. The coffee table reminds me of vintage Bodo Hennig. Made of solid zebrano, it is a sturdy complement to my Paul MacAlister sofas and holds its own against the (yes) zebra print carpet.

This is how it all lights up! I really should use electrical tape, but this did the trick for the photos

The credenza is fun, with its single sliding door in accent purple; the wood is magnolia.

The other light did not make it into this scene--it is an industrial-looking black hanging fixture...would look great in a "tough" modern space. Hope to use it soon!!

I am really impressed with Carol's work, and I have encouraged her to please keep up her involvement with modern minis. At this time, she cannot devote herself to creating and selling modern minis, BUT she is adding new content to her blog all the time and welcomes your suggestions for tutorials, projects, etc! To see more pictures of Carol's work, check out her Flickr stream.

Thanks, Carol!

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Credits: Couches by Paul MacAlister; coffee table, lamp, and credenza by MitchyMoo Miniatures; light base is an AMAC box; shelving unit is a dollhouse store find; rug is scrapbook paper from Michaels; peacock wallpaper is from the Paper Source;  plant and wastebasket are AG Minis; vase on table is a bead made of recycled paper, purchased as part of a Bead for Life sale at a friend's house -- Bead for Life is a great organization that provides "sustainable opportunities for women to lift their families out of extreme poverty." These enterprising women create the beads by hand and fashion them into jewelry. They are beautiful!! Accessories are AG Minis, Re-ment, Playmobil, Manor House Miniatures, ELF Miniatures, and Crailsheimer.

The time it took me: 1 hour, 10 minutes

Seeing Stripes

I've seen some chic interiors as of late with bold stripes on the wall, either painted on or papered. They add visual interest and an elegant boldness, and the possibilities are pretty endless. Apartment Therapy did a roundup post of some striped interiors last year that demonstrates the range; a few pictures from the story:

Both images from Apartment Therapy

Lovely, right? What do you think of the stripe approach? A while ago, I did up my Lundby Stockholm with origami stripes:

I again attempted my own striped interior in the upper level of my A-Frame, this time with some lovely 1:1 scale, violet raw silk wallpaper from my sister-in-law. This paper is currently on the walls in one room of their apartment, and there is some interesting pedigree here. The room was used for a Vogue Living photo shoot featuring actress Rachel Weisz back in 2008, before they owned the place.

I realize that it looks quite different here...! I was not even sure this was going to work, but I liked the contrast of the somewhat gritty house and the more delicate textured paper. For the window, I used a Chilewich place mat for some coverage.

When I review the scene I realize that the space reminds me of our summer cabin growing up, now long sold, which had a tiny nook of a attic space. I loved going up there to read and daydream while looking out the window. Perhaps I am longing for summer??!

Credits: Bed and chair are vintage German; table is LISA of Denmark; night table is Concord Miniarures; footstool and flowered pillow are by minimodernistas; striped pillows and book are by The Shopping Sherpa; light is Lil' Bratz; coverlet is AG Minis; planter is Manor House Miniatures; flooring is scrapbook paper; window covering is a Chilewich place mat. Accessories are from the Tiny Doll House Shop, Tynies, and random finds.

The time it took me: 1 hour, 45 minutes