some polka dots i spotted...

I adoooore this chalkboard wall of polka dots! I wouldn't survive without a real mirror, but I have to say that that chalk-drawn mirror is incredibly pretty! Oh, and that toothbrush holder made me smile.

I can imagine changing the dots into stripes after a few weeks. Then maybe chevron after? And back to polka dots. Absolutely adorable!    
 

Photo from pinkwallpaper.

 

Click here for previous posts from the Some Polka Dots I Spotted series. Click here for a previous post about chalkboard walls.

Whimsical Wednesday!

It's the middle of the workweek once again. Time to inject some color & creativity into your workplace. I love this idea of coloring outdoor tiles with chalk.

Primarily because I don't draw very well. If I were armed with colored chalk, it will probably take me several minutes just thinking of something my meager drawing skills could produce. With the defined shape of the tiles, all I need to do is pick up a chalk and color! Instantly, I would be able to inject color & creativity into my day.

This would be a fun weekend activity for a playdate. I love that it would work for any age - from 2 to 92 - because it's simply coloring in the shapes on the ground.

And voila! Isn't the end result so colorful & pretty?

So go ahead. Pull out some colored markers. And color in between the lines of your work notebook and create a pretty striped pattern. This color & creativity will surely recharge your brain (and spirits!) for the rest of the workweek ahead!

Have a whimsical Wednesday! And maybe even a whimsical weekend with your kids with this chalk floors idea!

Photos from nyctaughtme.

Click here for previous posts from the Whimsical Wednesday series.

some polka dots i spotted...

Patricia of patricialoves is right! Washi tape is happiness. I was so thrilled when a friend of mine gave me a polka-dotted roll a few months ago. But I haven't used it because I'm afraid to use up my one and only roll.

Though I've been wanting to "waste" them on this adorable DIY racetrack.

It would be perfect for family vacations (like the one I was just on, hence the absence of posts the past week) so I don't need to pack Noah's whole toychest! Just a couple of toycars & these Japanese tapes and I can transform our hotel room into a playplace for hours of fun! 

Patricia was just partially right. One washi tape is not enough. Loads of them would be utter happiness! Thanks to Patricia, I discovered Hey Kessy, a site that puts these happiness tapes within reach in Manila! Now I can stop wishing I knew someone from Japan. I can hardly wait to get my rolls of the chalkboard numbers, the gingham ones and of course, the dotted ones! 

Soon, I can use them for anything. To adorn wooden clothespins or boxes or jars. To make pretty flags with a toothpick to decorate cupcakes or dress up twist ties to package baked goodies like eyecandy suggests. Click on the many photo sources of this previous post on washi tapes for photos of these washi tape uses. 

Or make pretty invitations - and without the need for glue at that!

And if I'm too busy (or lazy) for all the crafty possibilities, I can use different tapes to quickly personalize water goblets or wine glasses during dinner parties at home. Even easier to do than attach those tiny wineglass rings. Or I can use them to color/pattern-code my kids things. Blue washi tapes for Noah's pens & crayons and pink for Isabella's. No need to write or type their names anymore since as long as they know their color, they won't end up using their sibling's things. Or simply just use them to tack things prettily on the wall!

I am soooo excited to get my hands on bundles of these happy tapes!

Photos from patricialoves, acupofjo and here. My source of this last photo should be found on my first washi tape post here.

Click here for previous posts from the Some Polka Dots I Spotted series. Click here for previous posts on washi tapes and here for previous posts on chalkboard things.

some polka dots i spotted...

I'm obviously still smitten with the wall decal idea in my whimsical windows post here. But beyond polka-dotted ones, am also attracted to these black or white decals...

The care symbols would look adorable in a laundry room (and there's that blue-gray color again! See related post here.). And I love the idea of using a wall decal for a headboard-less bed.

Finally, these ones just made me smile...

Yes, I was born during the times of Atari Pong and Pacman (see previous Pacman post here). But I can still play a mean game of Tetris! (I know, still an old game! Eep, down in the dots moment!) The graphic decals of things you shouldn't forget before leaving the house is also quite endearing. Reminds me of Patricialoves' chalkboard door here. The racetrack decals with a few actual toy cars hanging on the wall would be awesome in my son's room! And the chalkboard animals... yes, am still obsessed with chalkboard walls (see previous post here)... Imagine! The giraffe can be spotted one day and striped the next! Plus, I adooore the elephants!

Photos via Google images (sorry, too many images. couldn't track all the links to my sources. you should find them via google images by typing these keywords: wall decals/polka-dot wall decals/pacman wall decals/pong wall decals/tetris wall decals. or email me for the sitenames. btw, you can also google space invaders wall decal which i thought was cool but since i didn't really play that game much in the 80's, i decided against including it here.). The first photo of polka-dotted walls was purchased from Fotolia by a dear follower (Thanks N.E.!).

Click here for previous posts from the some polka dots i spotted series.

Whimsical Wednesday!

 

I've always been attracted to chalkboard walls (see somewhat related post here). There is something so whimsical about a wall ready to be drawn on.

But I have never gotten around to actually putting up such a wall. I think it's because I'm worried that the blank canvas will be too daunting... That I will end up having nothing pretty on my wall or worse, ugly graffiti.

Until I saw these whimsical chalkboard sketches...

This I can imagine on an accent wall of the bedroom of my daughter Isabella, who dreams of becoming a fashion designer someday.

This doodle (minus the garland) I can imagine in my kitchen.

This (and that scribbled "dog" with an arrow pointing to the dog's water bowl in the photo above) just makes me smile!

I love these whimsical chalkboard sketches! Have a whimsical Wednesday!

Photos from heritage, fromainsleywithlove, becausei'maddicted and lushlee.

Click here for other posts from the Whimsical Wednesday series.

office supplies = home decor

Who would have thought that masking tape could be a rug?

Or that chalk could serve as wall moulding?

Imagine what these tapes and (dustless) chalks could do to your home!

Photos from heritage and thediplomaticwife.

Today, I am loving...

Today, I am delighted by... these creative doors. I looove Patricialoves' chalkboard-covered front door which they use to remind them to always lock their door. Reminds me of the magna-doodle on Joey and Chandler's door on Friends. Great for phone messages, reminders and random drawings!

The open-pane door is from an old Martha Stewart Kids issue. A door with a window but no glass is perfect for a kid's room. It lets Mom peek in to check what her kid is up to and converts into a puppet theater... or a lemonade stand... or anything an imaginative kid can think of. The possibilities are endless! 

The door bumper also came from an old MSK issue. It's perfect for toddlers curious about doors. Keeps their little fingers from getting pinched. It's so clever because it's really just a tiny pillow with hair elastics on the sides to hook to the doorknobs and keep the pillow in place. And the polka-dotted fabric just makes it even more cute! :)

I love that creativity can transform something as ordinary as a door into something so delightfully extraordinary. Hope this opens the door for creativity today for you! Have a fun Thursday!