Liberty of London for Target . . . but, not for me

Too young to remember the British Invasion? You know . . . the Beatles on Ed Sullivan and all that? Me, too, but not to worry because there's a new wave of British goodness coming your way. The famous and fabulous Liberty of London has arrived!
That's right, the iconic designs and fabrics that made Liberty famous on both sides of the Atlantic are now available in the US. The flagship London store, seen below, is a wonderful mix of modern and classic - offering everything from designer clothes to antique arts and crafts furniture, and, of course, their beautiful Tana Lawn fabrics which I always coveted during my smocking days!

Having been a huge fan of Liberty for years, I was really excited to learn that Target was going to carry a line of Liberty items. Classic Liberty designs have been used to create bedding, lingerie, and all types of housewares. And apparently this line has been quite a hit because most items are sold out in the local Target stores and online. I've visited four different locations (sadly, to no avail) looking for this teapot:
That's not as drastic as it sounds, I was close to the different stores for other reasons (really!). The quality of the clothing/fabric items may not be a high as items purchased at Liberty - but, then again, the price isn't as high either. If you'd like to add a little Liberty to your home or wardrobe, check out the whole Liberty of London collection here and visit your local Target for items not seen online - the garden and storage items are especially appealing!

And Liberty's British Invasion doesn't stop with Target - M A C Cosmetics is also collaborating with them on a fun range of makeup and accessories inspired by those classic Liberty designs. Check out the collection here.

The lipgloss is especially fun, although it hardly compares to the teapot!

Hope your week is off to a great start . . . and maybe I'll see you at Target!

No Space? Not to Worry . . .

Wondering how to make the most of a small space? This article in the New York Times is sure to inspire you! It's the story of one man's apartment - all 178 square feet of it.

From clever storage solutions like this bed,

to the tightly organized kitchen,

the owner/designer, Zach Motl, proves that good design isn't exclusively for large spaces.

There are lots more photos in the original article, so enjoy! I'm off to look at my small spaces . . .

Look, Sally. Look, Jane. Laundry!

Do you remember Sally, Dick, and Jane? How about their cat Puff? If you learned to read during the '50s, '60s, or '70s, you probably do. Despite having fallen out of favor with educators, many people (including this blogger) have fond memories of these books and characters. Consequently Sally, Dick, and Jane have become quite collectible.

My grandmother was an elementary school teacher and, therefore, had many teacher's editions, including this one:

I remember this exact book being on her desk - it was much larger than the student book and had extra illustrations and, of course, notes for each lesson. I loved to play school with it (I think it was an out-of-date edition and so okay for me to use); I wish I had a copy of it now (and not just because it's worth $200+).

So, what does this trip down memory lane have to do with laundry? We recently spruced up our laundry room and after painting the walls a yummy butter color (from Restoration Hardware - we highly recommend their paints!), the shelf above the washer and dryer needed a facelift as well. It's a big, sturdy shelf covered in dark gray Formica (chosen by the previous owner . . .).

Rather than replace the shelf, I covered it with this super-cheery Sally, Dick, and Jane fabric. It's unbelievably cute! I used a plain, heavy shower curtain liner to cover the fabric. If you're interested in this technique you can put the shower curtain in the dryer on medium with a damp towel to remove the fold lines (2-3 minutes . . . check often for obvious reasons!). You'll need about 30 minutes and a staple gun, and you can give any shelf a whole new look. I've done this in closets as well and it's really nice to open a closet door and see your towels or sweaters resting on beautiful fabrics . . .

Look, Sally, look.

See Leah wash.

Wash, wash, wash.

Funny, funny Leah.