House Beautiful

Cleaning House

Published on February 4, 2013 in Decor. 3 Comments

I have invested in some pretty cool stuff over the years that, for whatever reason (probably because I redecorate 7 times / year), is no longer getting put to good use, despite being totally glorious.  So in the spirit of Spring cleaning, I’m shamelessly using my blog to pimp out some of my long-time favorites for sale after the cleaning services dublin came to my place.  Shoot me an email if you’re interested, or just want 1 instead of the set of ’em, and I’ll shoot you a PayPal invoice:

LULU DK “MADISON” PILLOWS COVERS – EURO SIZE – Set of 3 for $130 or $50 each

I had these custom-made with Lulu DK Madison fabric in chocolate/cream, purchased from GDC in Charleston.  The welt is a really fresh, linen apple green, and the back is chocolate velvet.  Hidden zip.  Literally used for 2.2 seconds (shame shame) – but I had 3 made because I needed them to go on a sectional sofa.  Super soft and they go with literally anything/everything.  See eBay listing HERE for additional details.

MERCURY GLASS PENDANTS – Set of 3 – $180

I bought these for my house in Charleston to have installed over the kitchen island, but then moved to Chicago shortly thereafter.  They are each in their original packaging and have sadly never seen the light of day.  Have a great Industrial Glam feel and would look awesome in a kitchen as a set of 3, as a pair (or a single) hanging over a bathroom mirror…  as a single over a kitchen sink…  even as a pair hanging over nightstands.

(check out those matching socks…  what-whaaaaaaaat)

PALE BLUSH PINK SILK DUPIONI CURTAIN PANELS – LINED WITH BLOCKOUT FABRIC – $200 per pair

This one hurts me a little.  I made like, 8 of these panels for my massive living / dining room in my house in Charleston, because that area was so stark and almost virile, and I wanted to soften it up with the most feminine thing I could find – blush-hued silk.  I lined these in block-out fabric to keep the scorching summer sun out (and the A/C bills down).  These would be ABSOLUTELY. FREAKING. PRECIOUS. in a little girl’s room or baby’s nursery.  Or any girl’s room for that matter.  Each is about 47″ wide and 96″ long (give or take a 1/2 inch) – I’m not a pro seamstress, but I think I did aight (see 2nd pic).  eBay listing HERE for additional details.

Designer Tia Zoldan’s little girl’s room

DELIA SHADES – 3 Moorish Panels – $100 for the large, $50 each for the small

I used these for a designer showhouse I did a room in back in 2010, and then had the good fortune of using ’em in my Chicago apartment for a few years after.  Obviously they were custom-made for the windows in that historic Evanston home, but it never kept me from using them in other places as well.  It’s a white background with a Moorish design in slate grey, and they are outstanding.  The best and most surprising part about Delia Shades is that they don’t keep light from coming in – you can see through them and see everything outdoors – but from the street, you can’t see inside the house.  It’s mmmmagic.  The smaller ones are 23″ wide x 62.5″ long…  Big guy is 41″ wide x 62.5″ long.  Despite the length, when I needed them to be shorter, I just rolled the bottom and secured them with (wait for it…) paper clips on either side.  Ghetto, but it worked and you couldn’t even see ’em.

Image via Design*Sponge | Design by Jessica Helgerson

Image via Martha Stewart

The actual shades, installed in the Evanston Designer Showhouse

My bathroom in Chicago

‘S all I got for now!  Give me a holler at stephanie.m.ballard@gmail.com if you’re interested or have any questions!

xoxo,

3 Comments

DAD OR ALIVE – Aka Sex, Fights, Body Piercing and Being A Stay At Home Dad

Published on January 27, 2013 in Shout-outs and Stuff We Love. 6 Comments Tags: , , , , .

Ladies and gents, it’s not every day we pirate hookers at Covet Living can toot the horn of a friend who’s just written their first book… but toot is what we’re about to do.

You know that friend you have as an adult who you just know would’ve gotten you kicked out of 8th grade History class by making you laugh uncontrollably?  Well this is my friend Adrian, the blogger behind Dad Or Alive, a hilarious and brutally honest blog about his hell-raising adventure of becoming a dad – a stay-at-home one to boot.

The dad and his two chitlins, Charlie and Ava

A father to a 3- and a 1-year-old, his posts (like “Dad’s In Deep Shit” or “Ava Full of Grace“) are so funny (especially when you know the inane, at-times inappropriate, mind of the person behind them), that I consistently find myself cackling thru his tales of utter chaos.  And you know, they just might make you or someone you know feel a little better about your parenting skills.

Adrian.

Come May 7th (*ahem*, perfect for Father’s Day!), his tales will be available in book form.  All you need to do to pre-order is click riiight here.  Personally I think this would be fab gift for any newish parents you know.  Or any parent in general who remembers the days and nights of tending to your little rugrats!

But don’t take my word for it – from the mouth of Adrian himself:

“This thing is a girthy 254 pages.  It’s small enough to fit in your bag, but thick enough to make your friends think you’re a real academic.  It’s got a normal, grown-up adult font, not that abnormally large shit they use in children’s books.

It’s a journey people. A slice of life from the parenting pie.

Sex, fights, body piercing, exposed breasts, cursing, excessive drinking, state troopers and some occasional filler about trying to raise a kid as a stay-at-home dad.

It’s truly got something for everyone.  But at it’s core, it remains a heartfelt (yet funny) journey of an unexpected stay-at-home dad, finding his way through life while taking care of his daughter.”

Thank you, Adrian.  I seriously can’t wait to witness the journey you’ve begun, my friend.

Oh – and check out his Twitter for more – you won’t be sorry.

Here’s to good parents out there so we don’t have to be (yet),

6 Comments