Today marks the start of our latest giveaway!! Material Girls has teamed up with La Plates this month for an amazing giveaway that gives MG readers the chance to win a fab set of plates AND a matching platter valued at $350!!

If you haven’t heard of La Plates, they are an online boutique featuring personalized items from customized tabletop to monogrammed totes.

La Plates has been named “the best” by House Beautiful, and Elle Decor called them the “perfect hostess gift.” We couldn’t agree more! They are even collaborating with Quadrille Fabric for a limited edition collection of La Plates, which we cannot wait to see!! (See our post on Quadrille fabrics here)

Their plates and accessories make great gifts and the holidays are right around the corner so enter now to win a free set! Look at how cute these are-

Also, if you happen to live in the Kansas City area La Plates is opening a “pop up” shop for the holiday season! You can see more information on the La Plates website or on their Facebook page.

Be sure to enter HERE for your chance to win! The contest will end Monday November 7th at 12 pm ET and the winner will be announced on our blog Tuesday November 8th. Good luck to you all!

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For the past month, we’ve been hard at work on a vignette for Dwell with Dignity’s new Thrift Studio store which just opened up in the design district here in Dallas.  Five local designers were asked to plan out a room vignette using Dwell’s vintage furniture and accessories from their warehouse, as well as other donations from the design community.  We had so much fun on this project because it was different from any other project we had done before. We really had to stretch our creativity on this one! We had a really short time to complete it in, limited resources, and virtually no budget, but we were definitely up for the challenge!

Taking this lackluster space from this-

{Before}

To this- in just a couple of weeks was a little bit of a stretch for EJ Interiors but somehow we managed to pull it off!

{After- EJ Interiors’ dining room vignette for Dwell with Dignity’s Thrift Studio opening}

Our room centered around bold orange and turquoise. The inspiration? A pair of these adorable chairs that we managed to dig up in Dwell’s warehouse…

The process was so unique that I had to take some photos along the way to document our Dwell journey!

Phase 1- All of the designers meet at Dwell’s warehouse to grab the pieces they want to use for their vignette.  I put everything in my little pile that could be a possibility for the space.  Now the question is- what in the world am I going to do with it all?

Phase 2- There was a lot to do in a little amount of time.  Since most of the things in the warehouse were older items, I knew that re-upholstering and re-painting furniture had to happen..and quick!

I couldn’t believe my luck in finding these four matching chairs in the warehouse…

And  then I was even more shocked to find the perfect turquoise fabrics hidden in a corner…

It was meant to be!

M&M Upholstery donated the upholstery labor and Nicole Horne of Modern Relics donated the painting labor for the chairs…what a fantastic team they made!

Phase 3- Time to get the room painted!  Twenty five Neiman Marcus volunteers came out to help us get our rooms ready and I must say that I couldn’t have done it without them!  They quickly helped my vision come to life and did such a great job painting the walls and trim.

I loved our little team! If any of you are reading this, thank you again so much!

The Thrift Studio starts coming together…

Loved the entrance!

Ok we are making some progress..drapes are almost up!

Phase Four- Completion! Everything is in place for the sneak preview party and so now we just wait for people to shop, shop, shop!

For those of you that weren’t able to make it for the great deals at the preview party last Friday, not to worry because the Thrift Studio pop up shop is open from now until October 29th- Monday through Saturday 10-5:30 pm at 1616 Hi Line Drive in Dallas.

So many great deals to be had and such an amazing way to help out a good cause!

So many volunteers helped make the Dwell with Dignity event such a success.  Thank you again!  Some of the sources below..

{Royal Old Fashioned Tumblers- Wisteria Outlet}

{Mirror- taken off from an old dresser and re purposed for the buffet.  Christian at Think Twice kindly helped us hang the mirror by decorative gold chain}

{Bust- Pettigrew Associates}

{Pedestal- Dwell with Dignity}

{Custom white drapes with turquoise band on leading edge- Stitches by Carmen; wood drapery rods- Williamson Supply}

{Crystal Sconce- Dwell with Dignity}

{Vintage Gucci bag- Dwell with Dignity}

{Painted brackets from Hobby Lobby, vintage New Orleans prints, wall sunbursts, antler horns- EJ Interiors}

{Chandelier- Visual Comfort, Taylors on Ten}

{Wall Color- Benjamin Moore paint}

{Flatware, dishes, wine glasses, decorative bowls- Dwell with Dignity}

{Dining table- Dwell with Dignity- base painted orange}

{Mercury glass vase- EJ Interiors}

{Sticks in vase- found in a pile of bulk trash-no kidding ;) EJ Interiors}

{Chaise lounge- Dwell with Dignity- repainted creamy white}

{Custom 18″ pillow- Trina Turk fabric; chaise upholstery- Childress leopard print fabric- EJ Interiors}

{6×9 Sisal rug- Dwell with Dignity}

Photos by: Fort Worth Real Estate Photography

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Garden Party!

Posted By Emily-Dallas | Apr 18, 2010 | Category: Dining Rooms, Home Exteriors

This entire weekend has been so dreary here in the big D <sigh>.  I am so looking forward to the weather becoming consistent and it actually looking like Spring around here!

One of my favorite pastimes when the weather is sunny and bright, is to have brunch outside.  The best day for this?  Sunday of course!

A girl can dream of brighter days ahead..but for now, I guess I will have to live vicariously through the magazines that showcase pretty garden parties with bright colors and sun-drenched terraces.

Traditional Home featured one this month in particular that really caught my eye.  Heather Christothoulou hosted a garden party outside her Seattle home complete with silver Chiavari chairs, white ginger jars, pink chandeliers and bright green accents.  What’s not to love?

I immediately recognized the Suzani dessert plates from Anthropologie on her table (I have the same set!)  Her color scheme is very close to my own dining room’s.  I am incredibly girly at heart so her garden party certainly struck a chord with me!

And all that fresh food looks so delish…

These photos are so uplifting that I almost forgot that I am still stuck in rainy and bleak Dallas weather.  How ironic is it that I am jealous of Heather’s Seattle weather right now?

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Being a residential designer is wonderful for the most part, but just like any job, it has its good days and bad.  I consider a “bad” day one where I end up spending all day looking for a certain piece and then end up leaving the showrooms empty-handed. (well, empty-handed of tear sheets at least)

Of course interior design has a lot to do with talent, but I also think that it has a lot to do with luck.  I may have the perfect size/shape/color/pattern/texture of an object in my mind, but alas, not one showroom’s inventory will seem to want to agree with my vision!  I usually end up being a bit of a perfectionist on my projects and refuse to give up looking for the perfect piece until I find it.  But the funny thing is, six months after the project ends, I will randomly stumble upon that perfect object- funny how it works that way?

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{House Beautiful}

So why do I bring this up now?  Well, I have been looking for a very particular large scale, wall-hung mirror for a client’s dining room for the past three weeks.  I’m not talking about casually browsing stores.  I’m referring to the kind of search where you obsess over it constantly- stalking every store’s catalog, internet site, and showroom for this object (often checking multiple times a week just to make sure that perfect piece didn’t arrive while you were sleeping the night before).  The never-ending search where you start to put social engagements and other work second to the quest for this object.  Any spare time is spent looking for it and even a trip to get gas in your car, ends up turning into a “let me just run in next door to see if they have something…”

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{House Beautiful}

It would be fine if we had the time to wait for a custom mirror or for new inventory to come in, but my client needed the mirror for a party on the 16th and as noon rolled around today, the hope of finding it in time was not looking good.  By this point, I had given up on finding the perfect sized mirror before Saturday night, so was willing to compromise for something a tad smaller, a mirror that could at least be a “stand-in” for the party.

Enter- Home Goods.  I randomly made my bi-monthly stop at Home Goods today and guess what I found?  A mirror!  And not just any mirror- a mirror for $150!  One that would work perfectly for the time being and not only that, it looks EXACTLY like the Mosaic Mirror currently on Horchow’s website that I’ve always loved (but is currently back-ordered until March and retails for $450)

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{Home Goods Mirror}

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{Horchow Mosaic Mirror}

Who would have thought that the best mirror we’ve seen thus far would be from Home Goods of all places! I guess you just never know.  All’s well that ends well, I suppose, and if my client ends up loving it, hey, you never know, we just might keep it as more than a party prop!

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House Beautiful came in the mail yesterday and what a pleasant surprise!  Our friend and fellow blogger Julia (Chicago) was asked to participate in the monthly “Send Us a Picture Of…” article.  Be sure to check it out!  Julia was asked “what change in her house has made the most difference?”

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To vote for Valorie’s Modern Creole room in the 5th annual Apartment Therapy Room for Color 2009 Contest.

Valorie, our friend over at the Visual Vamp blog, is definitely no stranger to color.  Her bold and vivacious home in New Orleans is filled with lots of colorful Southern charm.

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Click here to vote!

Good luck Valorie- we are all rooting for ya!

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I can honestly say I am the worst hostess/cook in the entire world.  I was once assigned to bringing a dessert to a pot luck dinner with my girlfriends and brought over a box of uncooked chocolate chip muffin mix instead (which are actually quite delicious!)  But needless to say, no one asks me to bring dessert anymore.  It has become the joke among our group of friends that I can’t cook at all, nor am I the best hostess.

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But this week I was faced with a challenge- to host a small, casual dinner at my place for a group of girlfriends in celebration of this weekend’s big OU/TX game here in Dallas.  I was supposed to cook an edible meal (oh the horror!) and make my tablescape coincide with the Red River Shootout “scheme”.

Aside from the cooking part, my other challenge was that these girls are all Texas fans (and I went to OU).  In the end, I decided that burnt orange and a splash of turquoise was a more fun color scheme than inserting any crimson and cream…(OU people, don’t hate me) and as always, Tarjay came to the rescue with inexpensive and outdoor friendly plates.

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I may be rooting for Texas’ color scheme, but I can’t say that I will be cheering for UT during the big game (much to my boyfriend’s disapproval).  Boomer Sooner!

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Simply Chic

Posted By Emily-Dallas | Aug 09, 2009 | Category: Color, Dining Rooms, Kitchens

I came across the most simple but lovely photograph today…

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{House Beautiful}

All it consisted of was white ironstone and reliefware pitchers set against a background of Benjamin Moore’s Rural Earth paint color.  As basic as this photo was, I completely fell in love with it.  The display just felt so clean, graphic, and organized.  There’s such a nice contrast between the light vases and the dark background.

Sometimes it’s the littlest things that get me.  And what a difference an accent paint color makes here! Such drama in this photo- loves!

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What do Tori Spelling, the Kardashians, the Barefoot Contessa, and the Jonas Brothers all have in common?

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They heart La Plates!

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These monogrammed dinner plates are the cutest things I’ve seen in a while!  Kris K. looks pretty giddy above with her K La Plate.

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Cheryl Hines’ daughter’s name is Catherine Rose (so pretty- love this name)- the rosy pink plate fits her name to a tee.

Here are some more patterns they offer- you can change out the background color, font, font color, and personalize it any way you like!

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If I were designing a La Plate for myself, I would do the pattern above in chocolate/white with an orange colored font. This is honestly too much fun!

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Just some of the plates that La Plates did for celeb tots-

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A toolshed is used for…..storing tools? In some cases maybe, but not at Laura McGuire’s M street home in Dallas.

She turned her rundown toolshed into The Dinner Cottage.

D Home featured it as one of their top ten dining rooms.

What a wonderful retreat and such a great place to spend time with friends and family.

Wonder if her tools are under the tableskirt? Not such a bad idea!

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