My Current Obsession: Trays and Styling

Back when little man was still a baby, the forward-thinking mom in me took a look at our wooden coffee table with sharp corners and declared to the Mr. that we should replace it with something soft.  Seeing how babies who are learning to walk love to pull themselves up against furniture to walk around them, you can never be too cautious (especially with us being first time parents)!  For practical reasons, we decided to get an upholstered ottoman with ample storage inside for little man's toys (and our issues of unread magazines).  

Problem was, we needed a hard surface on which to place our TV snacks/ drinks.  That was what prompted us to make our first tray purchase, and the start of an obsession...

This was the large tray we got from Pottery Barn for our coffee table / ottoman in the family room.  We love keeping copies of the Restoration Hardware catalogue on the tray (we're always in awe and inspired by how they style the rooms).  Just in time to switch to the most recent copies we got in the mail!  

Ever since getting that first tray, we loved using trays to keep a large surface clutter free.  The tray is like a clutter boundary - keep your clutter in it, and makes the rest of the surface much neater...  or at least I try to keep it that way!

The tray in our office keeps our stationeries easily accessible, while keeping our workspace bright with that wooden lamp.  

Creating a tray vignette is a great way to add a little personality to a room.  Here in our home office, it makes working less dull with something pretty on the desk.

In addition to personalizing a space, trays also make cleaning much easier.  We have a long counter in our bathroom, and I found cleaning the counter much easier than my pre-tray days.  I just need to haul away the whole tray and give the counter an easy wipe-down.   No more moving individual canisters while I clean up.  

A sparkly mirror tray in the dressing room helps gather up bottles... 

... and free up some space for another mirror tray for some knick knacks - my ring holder, clock and oil diffuser.

Our tray obsession continued on our last trip and we brought home this faux shagreen tray from Z Gallerie.  We loved its color, and the stylish gold handles make it a perfect piece for entertaining.  It now sits nice and proud on our dining room console table.

I'm not sure why we've only been getting four-sided trays.  But we're now eyeing these beauties!

Sources:  1 / 2 / 3 / 4

Maybe one day, I'll ask the Mr. to attempt this DIY project also!  I love me a marble tray!

via Almost Makes Perfect

Now go on to get organized and beautify your space with trays!

Objets d'art for Our Office Built-in

I always knew it, but pretended to ignore it.  As I was looking through the photos of our office built-in for last week's post, I knew I had to face it.  The diagnosis - the shelves glaringly lacked some objet d'art.  We tried to be cost conscious and dared not venture into our favourite home accessories stores...  knowing us, we would go on a shopping rampage to fill up our book shelves!  To furnish the built-in shelves, we shopped around the house, and digged out from our office boxes packed from several years ago, for anything displayable.  But a picture is worth a thousand words, and our built-in is begging to be dressed up - it totally deserves it.   And so, here I go for some window and virtual shopping.

What I am on the look-out for...

1. BOOKENDS

I was the reader of the house (not anymore, been lazy) so I have a small collection of books.  The Mr., hmm...  I actually don't remember ever seeing him reading for more than 5 minutes, and if he did, that was most likely a picture-filled magazine of his hobbies.  Anywaysss...  Aside from their usefulness, bookends are the simplest way to add whimsical visual interest to balance the seriousness of a bunch of books on the shelves.  

Gold is all the rage these days.  This pair of gold aircraft and propeller bookends on chrome backing would bring some shininess to the shelves.  I really regretted not getting them!

I was at Target the other day and saw this pair of brass anchor bookends for their Coastal collection.  Again, why didn't I just grab them? (Click to view source)

Hubby loves anything with an equestrian theme.  He would be happy with this pair of brass horse bookends, and I love the marble base!

To keep with the equestrian theme, I've been seeing a lot of these vintage stone carved horse head bookeneds...  but have yet to find a pair in decent condition at a good (bargain) price.

Since we're on a natural stone path, how about a pair of agate geode bookends?  I love the variety of colours they're available in.  They add an instant colour pop on the shelves.  I think I used to have a pair of amethyst bookends.  Don't tell me I tossed them!

2. EARTHENWARE (vases)

If the boys can have their share of aircraft/ anchor/ equestrian  bookends, then I think we need something feminine to balance the masculinity.  I'm a vase hog and I know I have more than enough at home.  But they're easy to work with on shelves - either on a standalone basis or in groups.

I love anything girly, and the current trend of lace ceramic vases is just my cup of tea!  I saw similar lace vases at Homesense in irridescence...  again, you know what I'm gonna say...  WHY DIDN'T I JUST GRAB THEM??

This one from Target's Nake Berkus collection would be my touch of gold...  on clearance now!

This group of earth vases can be scattered in small groups through the shelves.  I like the toned down colours of the pieces against our dark neutral blue background.

3. BOXES

You can never have enough boxes in the office.  Knowing me, I'm bad with filing and can be messy with my mail, opened or unopened.  Large boxes would be great for hiding mail, while knick-knacks can reside in the smaller ones.  I love these stacks for a geometric design or a laquered color pop.

Sources:  1. / 2.

Just as the Mr. is a sucker for anything equestrian, I'm one for agate geodes (as I've introduced above).  These boxes would hold their own, looking all ready and dressed up!

Sources:  1. / 2.

4. MORE OBJETS D'ART ACCENTS

The hubby has a nice replica of "The Thinker" sculpture on the shelf.  Here are some more fancy stuff that I have my eyes on...

We saw a similar spindizzy at Homesense and the little man couldn't get enough of it!

This pair of gold antlers look very luxe rustic.  Or maybe I should keep it in our dressing room for hanging bracelets?

And lastly, remember my love of natural geodes, need I say more?  This piece is absolutely stunning!  How can I not love it when it's even gold-dipped on the back?

The best objets d'art of our shelves right now?  They're undoubtedly the trophies that the Mr. had proudly displayed.  Those I will not (and cannot) touch =)

Personal momentos are by far the best objects to be displayed on shelves.  But all shelves need some focal interest to complement our personal collections.  Let's take a look at the results of my virtual shopping spree!

Hoping to gradually transform our built-in with these objet d'art!  What was your most recent purchase of objet d'art?  What's your favourite item on display at home right now?

My Current Obsession - Notebooks

Ever since receiving my first diary with a lock, jotting down bits and pieces of my everyday life has been a part of me.  It probably started with the urge to write down something secretive, to justify having a lock on my diary.  Maybe I rode my bike on the road when my mom specifically urged me not to, or bought bags of chips and hid them under the bed...  I got busier at school, so the entries were less frequent but more dramatic, or so I thought at the time. Then I got busy dating, getting married, having a kid...  yup, blame it all on the hubs.  Eventually my full-blown storylined journal turned into a pregnancy log, consisting of a sentence or 2 of how I felt that day.  Through my pregnancy and the first year of little man's life, I had the ugliest business looking agenda to keep a log - how much he ate, how long he napped for, poopy diaper or not. Then I got some nicer agendas to jot down some notable events through his daycare years.  

But wait, suddenly he started talking and was saying the funniest things!  We love documenting the progress of our home projects, but we're parents to this cute little monster foremost.  We definitely can't miss taking note of HIS progress!  I figured I needed something nicer than agendas to jot down his sayings and our conversations.  Something that would be worthy as keepsakes.  This was when my obsession with notebooks started...

I wanted to keep the notebooks in my purse to record our funny conversations whenever I have a moment.  My mission was to hunt down notebooks that were small and light.  I found my agendas too heavy to lug around, so I would forget those funny moments when I got home!  I also looked for notebooks with a somewhat durable cover, since I would be carrying the notebooks in my purse.  Of course, I wanted the notebooks to have nice, keepsake-worthy designs.  

Sources:  1. / 2. fuchsia/ gold polka dots / 3. diamond/ green wave/ letters / 4. 

The popular notebook brands that I came across through my search include Kate Spade, Lilly Pulitzer, and Jonathan Adler, just to name a few.  I love Kate Spade home decor accessories, so naturally I've also come to love the gold foil designs on her journals.  The artistic and summery patterns of Lilly Pulitzer and the bold graphics of Jonathan Adler are all apple of my eye...  but the notebooks were too big.  They would look great in an office vignette though!

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Some of my lunch hours were spent at Indigo or Papyrus.  Who doesn't feel like they're at a candy store at their stationery sections?  I always get a boost from checking out some beautiful stationery.  And then I saw these...

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How incredibly cute is this notebook?  5 years in one place!  And it would look so cute at my bedside table or on my desk at the home office...  Then again, I realized it looks nicer ON THE TABLE, but too bulky in my purse.  Mission failed... 

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There's of course Moleskine, but I'm looking for something more than just notebooks.  But then I found out they make a set of 12 monthly notebooks.  However, I didn't like how half of the notebook were of conversion charts and whatnots that take up too much space.  So I had to forgo that idea.  Though they would look so cute yet sohpisticated on open bookshelves.

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And through some more searching, I found FIELD NOTES.  They're exactly what I'm looking for. Small sized notebooks with somewhat durable covers.  I liked the fact that they offer different designs and themes for each quarter of the year, totally made for suckers like me.  Their notebooks usually come in a set of 3 in a series of quarterly designs, which work out to be around one per month for my light entries.  Just perfect, and I have about half a year's worth of silliness in these notebooks now!  Check out their latest designs here!

Even though my quest has seemingly ended, I'm still constantly infatuated by cute notebook designs.  I couldn't believe that I didn't know about May Designs sooner!  Their notebook covers are so on trend and sophisticated.  Better yet, they can be personalized with monograms or emblemed titles.

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All of their agendas and notebooks are one size of 5"x8".  They're also quite thin, so it's suitable to be carried in the purse.  Yet, just an agenda a year isn't enough to satisfy my want of their beautiful designs!  I love the Nantucket collection, and I think the whole suite would be nice for journaling through the summer!

I would love to get little man to start on a journaling habit when he gets older.  This would be a perfect choice for him.  

Sources:  1./ 2.

I got his daddy the Darth Vader and Son hardcover book.  The two Star Wars fans had a blast going through the pages of parenting jokes together.

Kids grow up too fast (though admittedly, sometimes not fast enough), and there are too many things worth noting.  Keeping a notebook handy in my purse has helped me quickly make these minor events a part of our memories.  Mother's Day is coming up, these notebooks would be a perfect idea for those moms who are keen on memory keeping.  In the purse or on the table, they're all beautiful and durable.

I love flipping through these notebooks (and agendas), and I hope little man will learn to treasure them in time.  You never know, I may need these notebooks in the future to remind me of these cute moments...  like The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks. 

Do you document your child's progress and funnies?  How is it working out for you?