home » Her Daily Muse - The digital sketch book of designer Sierra Bailey

Art in the bedroom

Apr 042012

A few years ago I decided to invest in a collection of photography by various artists. I spent a few months selecting, buying and framing prints in matching frames and filled the walls of my bedroom with them. When I moved to my next apartment, the photos adorned that bedroom as well. But when I moved into this apartment, I for some reason held back from hanging them again as Adam and I kept discussing moving. However, this last week we decided to stay here for at least 6 more months (Yay, I don't have to move my studio!!!) and the first thing I did after signing the new lease was get out the hammer!

You can see how sad the room looked (well except for my awesome drapes which you can't see here) there was so much white! But now, oh it's so happy!! When Adam moved in here a month or so ago, I made part of my bedroom into a man cave for him. So when curating my photo collection, I made sure to put the more "manly" images in that part of the room which left bright flowers for the bed part. It actually helped create separate spaces and I'm really happy with how it all looks!

What a difference art makes! It looks like an entirely different room and only took part of the afternoon...I can't wait to wake up in the morning!

Ch ch ch ch ch changes…

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Jan 022012

At the flates on South Padre this past Thanksgiving**

I keep talking about how much change happened in 2011 but this being only the 2nd day of 2012, I already have to declare that 2011 had NOTHING on 2012! The wedding planning is starting to move full speed ahead and today we...ready for it...looked at the first two houses in our quest for a home!! I'm kind of terrified, I'll admit it...so much change...and soooo much commitment...but I'm dealing rather well with it all.

Speaking of commitment, Adam and I finally started our blog, She Says He Says. It has opened to rave reviews and if you want to know what all the fuss is about, you'll just have to go read it yourself!

**One of my goals for the year is to use my own photos (or photos taken for me) in the blog, except for of course the daily inspiration...so you get look forward to many random shots...ha!

Home Sweet Home…Round 1

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Sep 262011

I snapped a few photos of the new digs today...the bedroom is not done yet as I haven't hung the art yet, so more will come once I get around to it...so we'll call this Round 1. My favorite aspect is the ledge around the top of the main room...I think every home should build this in, its great to stash books up that high (at least until my red bookshelves arrive from NY!

Oh and yes, that is a fireplace. I've been told that there might be one or two days in January where this will come in handy, lol.

Book collections and big moves…I need your input

friends, home, life of a designer 4 Responses »

May 092011

I own a lot of books. Some might say an excessive amount. I hold onto every book I read, I collect art books and I still have all of my books from childhood. I realized when I was in college that I would drift to bookstores when I was stressed out and that reading the spines of books calmed me down. I replicated that vibe in my home and when I'm feeling overwhelmed, I find myself immediately soothed just by gazing at the bursting shelves. Last year I bought my books a wall full of glossy red shelves and I love, love, love them...it makes the soothing session that much more happy.

They are however a bitch to move. I've been moving boxes of books from apartment to apartment for years but last night while discussing my upcoming move, I had a stern talking to from a good friend of mine. My friend runs a publishing house and is a published author, if anyone understands my love of books, its him. Basically he shared his point of view...that no one cares what you have read, and that his own home once contained 10,000 books and now has only 500...and that he doesn't miss them one bit. The suggestion was that I was crazy to box them all up and move them over 1800 miles away with me.

Hmmm. Ok. I get it. I don't like it though. When I went through a divorce five years ago after four years of marriage, I threw out dumpsters worth of stuff. I was cleansing. I have had not one but two floods in my apartment/studio in the past five years and anything that was stored went in the trash. All of my drawings, most of my art supplies, a lot of clothes, all of my rugs, some furniture...all ruined. I was so very thankful that the books were spared. When I moved as a result of the second flood last February, I enlisted my two assistants to help purge my possessions. Dishes, shoes, toiletries, office supplies...you name it...if they had not seen me use it, out it went. But the books I kept.

So here I am...pricing moving trucks vs pods...getting ready to look for a new apartment, planning the next chapter and embarking on a new adventure. Is my friend right? Is it time to let go of at least all of the fiction and paper backs and keep only the art books and reference books? Is it silly to drag them half way across the country with me? Does is matter that I hold onto this one guilty pleasure?

The great pillow dilemma of 2011: part 2

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Feb 242011

If you missed part 1, you can catch up here. Basically, I am on a mission to replace the original pillows I bought with the couches...and maybe reduce them by a few. I love oodles of pillows, this couch has pillow perfection, but as I keep adding, its become a bit much. I have so far ordered one perfect pillow, which I was waiting for it to arrive from Australia so I could see how it worked before I decided which way I wanted to go. As you can see...

...the coffee sack pillow arrived!! I was so excited, the down form has been here for quite some time now, and I was getting antsy too fill it...but, it was so worth the wait! Its a beautiful pillow...incredibly well made...and the color of the sack goes so well with the room, that I'm tempted to just buy a bunch of these in different sizes and with different logos. They would be mixed in with the 3 solid pillows that are left, I think they would look fantastic, but would it be too much of one thing?

It looks so bare with 4 pillows gone...it will take a few days to get used to I'm sure. I also wonder if just the logos will be enough color with so much of the tan. Hmmmm, I am still thinking about that red was suggested, to use as a pop of color, instead of the yellow I was leaning towards. I agree that it would be a good match, so I'm still on the lookout for red too. Ah so much to consider! I'll let you know when the next pillows arrive...

Daily Muse: 2.20.11

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Feb 202011

image from Red Magazine

I'm still working on the great pillow redo project in my living room. Stuck until the Coffee Sack pillow arrives. Here's a bit of inspiration for myself...once again makes me want to cover my couches with white denim slipcovers.

The great pillow dilemma of 2011

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Feb 092011

I've been itching to redo the throw pillows on my couches recently, as I have been living in my apartment for about a year, I’m getting restless…change is necessary. There are right now 13 20x20 pillows, and as the backs of the couches are even larger pillows, I’m not sure if I want to keep that many. My friends, mainly the males are always giving me a hard time about the over abundance of pillows, so I know I could stand to loose a few. I do however, like that when only a few people are sitting on the massive couch, that the pillows kind of fill some of the negative space.

In checking out the apartment, I have realized how much turquoise there is, with a dash of sunflower yellow creeping its way in. All of the paintings in the living room are turquoise/aqua…I swear I paint with more then this palette, it just somehow ended up that all of these went on the wall. I’ve started wondering how bright spring colors would work on pillows and am getting more and more intrigued.

I want to keep three of the current pillows, the two ivory and one taupe velvety ones, I heart them, but all the rest can go. I would prefer to stick with all in 20x20, but now I’m thinking a few 26x26 tossed in and I could drastically reduce the numbers of pillows. I also prefer hidden zippers for easily removable inserts, as I have a dog. I started looking at Pottery Barn, Anthropologie, Restoration Hardware, Ballard Designs and finally Etsy for what was out there right now and I made a little mock up of the big couch with mainly yellow designs. I LOVE that coffee bag pillow in the corner, it’s 26 x26 and so awesome, that I already ordered it on Etsy from New Zealand. Not sure how it will really look, so I think I may wait until I get it before I shop for anything else.

I like the yellow pillows, but not sure about them with the rest of the decor. Truthfully, I went through this a few years ago with the idea of using vintage silk scarves as covers, but I never could make up my mind. I also didn't want 10 different designs with the scarves, and the thought of a hodge pogde of patterns is still overwhelming to me. I think I'm nervous to abandon how neutral it is right now, but I am still craving bright color. While thinking about this today, I did become a tad bit obsessed with the stashes of both vintage table clothes (some have stains and holes so they are perfect to cut up for pillows) and my pile of tapestries from college. I actually think the tapestries would be gorgeous, but I am hesitant to cut them up, I would have to sew them, and as pillows they may look a bit too Urban Outfitters for me.

In going through my textiles stash, I did come across a beautiful robins egg blue embroidered table cloth, that I believe once ironed will be great on the table. I am concerned about the rug and tablecloth clashing, so still on the fence about that. I LOVE the rug, I actually gaze lovingly at it often, so that will stay. If the pillows can pick up some of the hues from the rug, I think it would be more successful. Many of the yellow pillows I found have gray, and at first I thought I would need to have brown and taupe as the neutral but maybe gray will draw in the rug? This is quickly becoming an obsessive endeavor.

By the way, I am totally enjoying the green tapestry on the pillows, it looks great with the paintings...not as much into the navy blue one. Oh and there are new pillows on Etsy every 5 minutes…not helping.

Any advice, wise words or opinions on this?

The Do’s & Don’ts of Blizzard Survival

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Feb 022011

Faye wishing all that snow would just go away already

I have learned a few things about blizzards and working from home this winter, as well…we have had one every week for over a month. Here are my snow day guidelines:

Do make sure you have the necessities on hand. If any of the following run out, I have a panic attack: apples, tea, movies and what I like to call “legal candy” i.e. dried fruit, crystallized ginger and other sweet treats that are NOT candy and therefore I may eat them without guilt that I am a sugar junky.
Do break some of the rules on snow days…such as having movies on in the studio during daytime hours.
Don’t let being cooped up get the best of you. Cabin fever is not a made up concept (hello, did you not see The Shining?) and you need to make sure you at least talk to other people on the phone.
Do bribe yourself to not become a sloth. If you do an exercise video during the day, you can put jammies back on after you shower.
Do shovel often. Do not think the snow and ice that has accumulated will just go away. A wooden stairway quickly becomes a luge run and will take much more effort to make them safe a week later than if you just did it as it snowed.
Don’t drive from Baltimore, MD to Millbrook, NY in a blizzard. It will take you a looong time and be so stressful that you will get a cold after wards.
Do make sure that on non snow days, you get the heck out of your studio for a few hours...you’ll feel amazingly refreshed by the time the next blizzard hits...you know, three days later.
Do realize that if you have a dog that they too are cooped up…try to engage them in a bit of indoor activity so their boredom does not backfire and result in the chewing of your favorite possessions.
Don’t forget that when you go outside its not ok to forget to wear boots, hats, gloves and perhaps a blanket to prevent freezing to death.
Don’t put off cleaning the snow from you car and the space behind it until you need to be somewhere right now. It will not happen.

Stay warm my pretties, here in the Northeast we’re due for more snow...Saturday…and Tuesday and Wednesday…

I spy something that is…Silver or Gold!

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Jan 212011

Today is the last day of Winter Colours Week...I had so much fun doing this! I really enjoyed being part of the project and seeing what else everyone was snapping. I used it mainly as an exercise to practice taking relevant photographs for the blog. I loved having an assignment and that I restricted myself to using my apartment as my canvas so to speak. It was incredibly stimulating creativity wise!

So for the final day of the week...here are the Silver & Gold things I found around my home!