Sherri Blum Designs Give-away!

Whew! We are back from a crazy week in Disney. All six of us had a great time and made it through with no crisis of any sort! I'm exhausted but thrilled that we had this wonderful week together!
I promise that there will be more posts on decorating very soon, as well as those photos of the wedding that I promised to share back in October! (Thanks to Pamela for mentioning the wedding...I had forgotten that I had promised to post photos!)
But for now, I'm going to host a giveaway. I've got plenty of items here in stock and so I'm going to offer the winner of this contest, a choice. Don't worry...if you have your eye on a particular Sherri Blum Designs product, it is very likely that it will be listed in a future giveaway. And don't be shy...feel free to tell me your favorite design and I'll be sure to offer it in the next couple of months. It is my goal to host a giveaway each month, so be sure to check back!
OK...here is how it goes...
If you post a comment, you receive ONE chance-
Become a "follower" and receive TWO chances-
Put my "blog button" on your own blog, or mention the contest along with a link, and receive THREE more chances! (Be sure to send me a quick comment or email telling me that the button or link is posted.)
Yes, you can feasibly receive SIX chances to win in this contest by doing all three!
Here are the three products from which the winner can choose...each one will be personalized with your choice of one initial as seen in the images. These gallery wrapped giclee canvases retailed for $100 and $140. The black canvas measures 16"x20" and will feature a black hand-painted initial, the pink and blue versions measure 18"x24" and will feature a brown hand-painted initial. There is no need for framing, as the museum quality canvas design wraps around the edges of the canvas.The staples are even neatly hidden, providing a top-quality canvas reproduction.  A sawtooth hanger is installed for easy hanging. These royal canvases look great in children's rooms and grown-ups alike. Who doesn't love a royal crest with the family monogram, hung proudly for all to see?!

Entry deadline is February 26. Good luck...and thanks for stopping by!

Mirror, Mirror, On the Wall...

Yes, I've got Disney on the brain...we leave tomorrow, in fact!  But no, I'm not the self-absorbed wicked step-mother who is obsessing over her beauty (or lack thereof) in the mirror, and scheming against her beautiful step-daughter! I do have two beautiful step-daughters, but I celebrate their beauty. I will, however, use this opportunity to brag a bit and show off my pretty little step-daughters- with a pic of us wearing our tiaras!

(This was taken last year on our way to a Medieval Times event...I highly recommend taking the family. We loved it!)

This post is actually about MIRRORS!
I love to add mirror to home decor, but in less expected ways. Most of us have mirrors on our walls, and if you do, take a moment now (yes, right now...I'll wait for you) to ensure that your mirrors are hung in an area where they reflect something attractive. If they don't, then you might want to consider finding a better location. If you've got something really special and beautiful in your room, wouldn't it be nice to see it twice? (In the reflection of your mirror, silly!)

While I like a few mirrors on the wall, I actually prefer to hang precious artwork on the walls and to use mirrors in more unique ways. (I am an artist, afterall and do need to support my trade!) So let's look at a few other ways in which to use mirrors, shall we?

 

Mirrored Backsplash (I love the pretty little accent rosettes at each point!)

 

Another beautiful mirrored kitchen backsplash from Canadian House and Home

 

Mirrored Chargers will add class and elegance to any dinner table!

 

Look at this beautiful wedding reception and notice how the mirrored chargers reflect the candlelight on the tables!

 

I go crazy over mirrored side tables like this one...I don't own one yet, though!

 

If you don't want a whole table, why not just a cute table topper like this one from Front Gate!

 

If you must hang more mirrors on the wall, consider these precious little shell mirrors in large doses to make a huge impact.

 

And this one is a surprise for my mother-in-law...she spotted similar hand mirrors  used in a showroom display and has been talking about them and trying to find them, ever since. Boy, and I going to score big ol' brownie points for finding them for her at Z Gallerie! When she reads this post, I'm sure she will share a comment about this great find! Wouldn't these be ADORABLE on a wall in a little girl's room? (I'm determined to use them in a future design plan!)

Last, but not least...this princess does enjoy being swept off her feet by the prince once in a while. In my fairytale, my prince would be riding a large white steed (I did grow up on a horse farm, afterall) but realistically, I'm better off hoping he at least picks me up in a super cool limo. And since pink is my favorite color, I'd like it to be in this cool pink limo with, of course, lots of fun mirrors inside to reflect the big smile on my face! Just hoping my dear princely hubby finds that reflection to be one of beauty! Afterall, it's HIS opinion that matters most.

Birds of a Feather...

I had the best shopping weekend with my new mother-in-law and sister-in-law. It was long overdue...we had been talking about it for quite some time and just hadn't found the time in our crazy schedules. We spent most of our time browsing furniture stores searching for some key accessories for my sister-in-law, Christa's beautiful home in McLean, Virginia and were very successful in finding her some chic new lamps and wall art.

During our outing, we began noticing quite a theme...feathers were everywhere! Peacock feathers, pheasant feathers...you name it- it was sticking out of the plants, floral arrangements, topiaries and just about anything and everything they could stick them into! We spotted some really cool round place mats made of pheasant feathers.  It really became the joke of the day for us and by the end of the trip, we had racked up quite a few feather sightings!

Most of the arrangements were tastefully done, but a few were just plain tacky. I will admit though, by the end of the day, I ended up purchasing a feathered item myself...a cute little ball covered in feathers that looks perfect on one of the the mantles of my new log home. I figured that if I couldn't beat them, I might as well join them!
 While this outing was mostly to assist Christa in accessorizing her home, at one point I spotted a super cute veggie bin for my kitchen and started rummaging through my over-sized purse for my tape measure. Much to my delight, as I glance up, I see my new mom and sister had just each whipped out their own tape measures from their purses...one prettier than the next! Now, I already knew that these were classy ladies, but seeing them standing their with their pretty floral tape measures in hand, I knew that we were always meant to be my family! We were three "birds of a feather", for sure!


Feathered Placemat : Kevins Catalog
Pretty Floral Tape Meaures can be found at: Ladies Tools Online
Feathered Ball was purchased at York Wallcoverings

Eco-Friendly Nursery Wall Art and Kids Decor

While we're on the subject of eco-friendly nursery design, I wanted to share with you what we are doing personally to make our nursery wall hangings and kids decor more environmentally friendly.
Prior to signing on with my licensing partner, my kids' decor and nursery wall art was printed overseas and I finished them here with hand painted personalization. I worked only with a fair trade factory and we performed regular, unannounced inspections (at my expense) to ensure such. We paid higher prices for these goods, but we wanted to ensure we were not encouraging unethical practices. I used the least amount of packaging I could in shipping, while still ensuring the artwork arrived safely to my customers. We used boxes and fill paper made of recycled paper.  We recycled anything and everything in our office. I was taking baby steps, but with the goal of consistent improvement. Let's be realistic, it simply doesn't happen overnight that businesses become fully environmentally friendly!

However, now that I have signed on with Oopsy Daisy Art, we're taking things several steps further than I had even hoped to do within a year.

Now, all of our products are proudly made in the USA. Each delightfully detailed painting is an original design, reproduced onto museum-archival-quality canvas using the giclée method of fine art printing. This environmentally friendly process utilizes water-based, non-toxic organic inks to recreate original renderings with amazing clarity, tonality, and color fidelity.

Like I said in my recent post, I believe that it's important for each of us to evaluate our impact on Mother Earth and to do what we can now, and to continue to  improve with ongoing efforts to lessen our impact on the earth. I am happy to say that I've continued to be conscientious and am thrilled to be working with Oopsy Daisy. They are manufacturing my artwork in a way that I can be proud of and that my customers can feel comfortable with placing in their baby nursery or kids room.

How are you doing your part to lessen your footprint on our environment? Please share!

Eco Friendly Nursery Design

Now, I tend to be more of a "traditional" girl when it comes to my designs, however as I get older I find myself trying to simplify my life and my surroundings and so the clean lines of modern design are becoming more attractive to me. I also find myself becoming even more aware of my own footprint on the environment and am trying to be more conscientious of the impact that products I recommend to my nursery design clients, might also have on the environment. Ideally all of our products in the nursery would be environmentally safe, however it's difficult to always ensure such. So I believe that at the very least, we should take baby steps and build upon those selections over time. The basic items such as your baby's crib, flooring and walls are a great start! So today I bring you some beautiful modern and environmentally friendly products for the nursery. Enjoy!


The Eicho crib has an iconic, minimalistic look with an affordable price tag to match. Spot On Square, worked some magic to offer parents an amazing value while still providing them with a US made product that is both modern and eco-friendly. The Eicho collection, made of 100% recycled/reclaimed, formaldehyde-free MDF, is offered in a bright white non-toxic finish. The crib has three adjustable positions for the mattress platform allowing you to adjust the height to grow with your baby.

Designed by: Bob and Nicole Springer
Features:

• Eicho collection
• Three adjustable positions for the mattress platform
• Made from locally sourced Walnut
• MDF offered in a bright white non - toxic finish
• Glues used in MDF contain no formaldehyde

Purchase at All Modern Baby





Don't forget the paint in your new eco-friendly nursery! Not only should you not be breathing toxic fumes during your pregnancy, but traditional paint is not as healthy for your new baby, too.

Consider using low VOC paints in the baby's room.

Conventional paints are made from petrochemical-based solvents, which off-gas toxic indoor air pollutants called volatile organic compounds that have a strong odor and may lead to long-term problems over time. Olympic brand now offers zero VOC formula in many colors. Olympic can be found at Lowe's.

And don't forget the flooring in your baby's nursery. It's well known that carpeting harbors dust, allergens and is often made of synthetic materials that are not good for the environment, as well as your baby who will likely spend years playing on his/her floor. I believe cork flooring is the perfect solution for not only a stylish nursery, but for it's environmentally friendly nature. Cork is naturally anti-allergenic and insect repellant.
Cork flooring is durable and provides excellent insulation. You can choose from a wide range of colors and styles to best suite your design. Not only is it comfortable to walk on, but also offers high noise absorption as well. This could come in handy when you're creeping around at night soothing a crying baby and don't want to wake the rest of the house, as well as in later years when your little angel is banging pots and pans on the floor, and even still in those teen years when the drum set arrives! (In fact one should also consider extra insulation in the bedroom walls...something I wish I had thought of prior to my 16 year old purchasing his electric guitar and amp!)

Child Wall Art Special for the Artsy Type!

Purchase a “nonpersonalized” 16” square by 2” deep canvas name plaque for only $20 (free ship!) and paint in the name yourself or ask a creative friend to do so for you! the artwork design is complete…but the center is left blank for you to fill in your own name or phrase. See the wide array of selections available at Sherri Blum Designs and select your design today before they’re all gone!

Choose from various themes such as cowboy, nautical, ballerina, princess, prince, pink argyle, blue argyle, rock star, skull and crossbones, pirate, train engineer, and more!

14 Biggest Parenting Trends of 2010!

I was recently interviewed by a writer for iVillage and asked what my predictions were for nursery color trends of 2010. I guess she liked my response, as my prediction was listed as #1 of the top 14 trends. I'm honored...and hoping that I was correct in my prediction, too, of course! ;)

Check it out here: 14 Biggest Parenting Trends of 2010

Brand New Design Services! Cyber Designs!

Brand new year and brand new service by Sherri Blum, CID! Now you can have a celebrity nursery designer complete your child's room no matter where you live! Click on the image above for more details!