Design Crush: Kishani Perera

I can't remember how I came across designer Kishani Perera.. but I'm SO glad I did! She builds rooms that I naturally fall in love with.. but also makes things work that I never would have tried.

For example, this bedroom looks EXACTLY like something I'd dream up.. except for the purple walls. From the crisp white decor, to the dreamy bed and chandelier- definitely me. I'd just never have dared to do the purple walls. It's not a color I use a lot, boy, do I love it here!

I absolutely love this next room. What I love about it is the mix of modern and traditional- a lucite coffee table with ornate moldings and fireplace. The Zebra print rug with a velvet couch. Just magic.

This bedroom is a plain skeleton with white walls and no molding, but Kishani's touches make it fire! Take a hint, apartment dwellers!! How unexpected is that nightstand??

And, of course I have to compliment her taste in fabrics! Wreastler & Schumacher, I believe..

A few of my other favorites:

Oh nevermind.. I love them all. MAJOR design crush going on here..

No One Mentioned This..

Okay designers and decorators reading this blog.. no one told me I'd have to learn how to paint in this process. I open up my first package of supplies and workbooks for my interior design courses, and what do I find???

Uhmmmm... There's an awful lot I do with my hands.. but painting isn't one of them. Dear Lord, I'm gonna need some help with this one!!

Christmas Goodies

Santa was good to me this year! As you all know, I've been searching for the perfect pair of glass candlesticks for a while now. Well, I found them (thank you Z Gallerie!). And lucky for me, my mom picked me up a pair for Christmas. Aren't they gorgeous??

Ah! Love them! I tried to order another set yesterday, but they're out of stock until March. Boo!

I also received another little gem that I've had my eye on for a while- "I Married Adventure" by Osa Johnson. This book is both a literary and an interior design legend, and I am SO stoked to have my own copy!

You can even see the previous owner's name in the front. The book was published in 1940, so I imagine the name tag is from the same general time period.

The pages have a beautiful aged look (and not a faux-aged look- this book is almost 70 years old!).

Mucho thanks to my parents & sister-in-law for these gifts! I love them!

Merry Christmas!

Hope you're all enjoying a wonderful, relaxing day with your families today. I'm enjoying mine curled up in my new fuzzy bathrobe & indulging in a gooey cinnamon roll fresh out of the oven. My kind of day... ;)

Since today's Christmas, I figured it would be the perfect time to share a couple wreaths made by Project Pretty readers. Great job ladies!!

Ribbon Wreath by Katie (If this wreath doesn't make you want to go suck on a peppermint stick, I don't know what would!):

Pretty Evergreen Wreath by Stephanie (This only cost her $17!):

I can't wait to share some of the home decor goodies I received this year with you! Stay tuned for that tomorrow! :)

Need Tablescape Help?

Anyone have trouble picking out what decor to accessorize a mantle or table with? Well, Nate Berkus has come to your rescue. I just stumbled upon his line of tablescape collections on HSN. com, and they're not too shabby.

The Harbour

The Ahmad

The Athens

The Bali

The Harbour

Not a bad idea if you're in a decorating rut!

(HSN didn't compensate me to write this- I just love Nate's line)

Simple Stocking Stuffer

One of the holiday traditions at work is buying a small stocking stuffer for everyone in the office for under $1 each. So it could either mean it's time to get creative, or do the predictable. The predictable, I was told, is candy. So.. I tried to think of something a little more personal. I came up with personalized frosted votives. Here's how they turned out (I had the hardest time getting the lettering to show up in photos):

All it took was some party votives, painters tape, and scrapbooking sticker letters. I taped off a border on the top and bottom put my co-workers' initials in the middle with the stickers, and sprayed on frosting spray paint. Pulling the tape/stickers off as soon as the frosting starts to dry helps ensure that you'll get clean lines.

This stocking stuffer worked well because I work with a little over a dozen women, and one male physician. So... the ladies all got the votives, and he got Ferrero Rocher. :)

Official Land Owners

This past Thursday, Z and I closed on 54 acres of our own land. Woohoo!! It's a little bittersweet since we don't have a house on that land yet, but exciting just the same. Now that we own it, comes time that we think about what kind of house to put on it. We have a few requirements- open, 4+ bedrooms, full basement, big garage, etc. There are a few things I'd like- Laundy on the same floor as the bedrooms, cathedral ceiling great room, tray ceilings in the master bedroom, walk in closets, etc. Of course we won't be killing ourselves financially to have overly elaborate things- it's just fun to dream. We've slowly started looking at floor plans, and I must say, it's such a fun process! To let you all in on the fun, I'll be sharing with you some of our fave home styles as we go along. Today's feature is Lindal homes. Here's a little collection of some of their stunning homes.

Holiday Challenge: Wreaths

One of the easiest DIY projects to do around the holidays is to make your own wreath. Whether it's with shiny ornaments, pine cones, or real evergreen boughs, ANYONE can do it! So.. I want to see your wreaths! Email me with your DIY wreaths by this Saturday, December 19 and during the week before Christmas, I'll share them with all other Project Pretty readers. And, just to start us off, here's one I put together from some of our own Christmas tree trimmings.

I'm On My Way!

I'm so excited right now, I could go run a marathon.. well, maybe. Probably not, but I'm still super excited. I just enrolled in interior design courses. I've been waiting for things to slow down a bit, but a holiday tuition sale and a Christmas bonus at work put me over the edge.

{womak interiors}

Interior design has become such a huge passion of mine, and I'm SO thankful to finally get the opportunity to get some training and expertise in the field. It's just one step closer to living the dream! :) My job right now pays the bills, but the finance world leaves little room for creativity. I'm so looking forward to what the future holds, and I hope you'll come along for the ride!

{amanda nisbet}

A White & Gold Christmas

Almost all decorated.. just need the stockings!

DIY Sunburst Mirror

So remember when I said a had a couple saa-weet projects brewing?? This is number two. I've long been a fan of sunburst mirrors. They're seriously all over the design world the last few years. But.. they usually come with a price tag upwards of $300. So what do I do? DO IT MYSELF, Darnit! :) And it was actually pretty easy.

It started with this:


Which turned into this:


Combined those with a simple mirror left over from our wedding:



A little bit of planning:


A little sanding..


Slap on some yummy dark stain:


Cut out cardboard a wee bit smaller than the mirror


Attach it to the BACK side of the wood pieces (oh, liquid nails, how I love you..).


Flip it over, and use liquid nails to attach the mirror to the TOP side.


Add another layer of wood pieces, attaching with liquid nails, and overlapping the mirror by about 1/2".


A bit of a creative hanging apparatus: jumbo size paint stirrers cut into small pieces, liquid nailed to several pieces of the wood, anchored with short little screws. Two holes drilled & thin wire weaved through.


And, that's all folks!



Love! Oh yeah.. I didn't spend a dime. I had all this stuff just laying around.