Catch Me in the Washington Post!

Friends, I'm so excited to share that The Washington Post recently asked me to weigh in on their Splurge or Save column...and it's available today!

I got to pick a subject of my choice so, naturally, I picked Chinoiserie.

Head on over to the online edition and see my picks for worthy splurges and smart savings for some of my favorite, classic Chinoiserie items.

And for locals, pick up the print edition and check out the Local Living section.

Special thanks to Megan McDonough for reaching out and including me.

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Northern Virginia Magazine

A big thank you to Northern Virginia Magazine for including me in their April issue! The feature profiles five area blogs - also including Young House Love, Pretty Handy Girl, JWS Interiors, Pure Style Home - and I'm thrilled to be in such great company.

You can read the little blurb on AO here... (seems to be a slightly different feature online).

This issue also features a craft beer trail from Northern Virginia to Richmond...double bonus.

I'm always so proud when I hear of recognition for my blog - I love writing it and knowing that others are enjoying it is such a reward. As always, thank you for reading :)

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Thank you Washingtonian

Thank you to Washingtonian magazine for naming Aesthetic Oiseau one of DC's best design blogs in the August issue. And I'm in great company with DC by Design and Department of the Interior. What a thrill!

Friday Crush (and Thank You)

Meet my new fabric friend...isn't she pretty? I rarely see a good orange floral, but boy this one is fabulous. She picks up many of the colors of my living room and is a nod to my alma mater, the University of Virginia - orange and blue never looked so good.

I nabbed this pretty piece of fabric from Jenny over at Little Green Notebook - she is selling much of her fabric stash that she has accumulated over time (I know that feeling!)...check out her blog's sidebar if you're looking for some great fabric.

I also wanted to share a BIG thank you this Friday to my friend Beth over at Chinoiserie Chic - Beth was interviewed by Washingtonian.com and was very nice to mention Aesthetic Oiseau as one of her favorite DC blogs. I was giddy to see a link to AO on Washingtonian.com this week - thanks Beth! Read her interview here...

And some belated, hearty thank yous to the ladies over at Chic Coles for giving me the Happy 101 blog award and to Catherine of The Shiny Pebble for giving AO her Favorite New Blog Award. Thank you all so, so much - it really means a lot to me to get such nice feedback.

I know the tradition of blog awards is to pass them on and the only reason I haven't is time! But, I'm planning a post with some of my favorite blogs to pass on these lovely awards, so stay tuned...

I'm pumped because I get to see Charlie, my nephew, this weekend - woohoo! So, I will be in Auntie mode all weekend and loving it! Hope you're looking forward to your weekend...

See you Monday!

Friday Crush

I know typically my Friday Crush is an interior, but when I saw this dinnerware posted by Chinoiserie Chic yesterday, I was SO in love. They are by home, james! - part of their Chinatown Collection. Perfection.

In other blogging news, there are some fun giveaways by some of my favorite bloggers so check them out:

- High-Heeled Foot in the Door is giving away 2 gallons of Olympic Paint for your next project! Click here for the giveaway

- Pemberley Style is giving away this beautiful linen guest towel with a pagoda motif - stunning! Click here for the giveaway

And a BIG thank you to Averill over at Odi et Amo for giving me the Sunshine Award this week as one of her favorite "new to me" blogs! It's my first blog award. I'm so proud! :)

Do you have any fun design plans for the weekend? I have a "honey-do" list that I have requested Mr. AO complete this weekend (with my assistance, of course) so we'll be tackling said list - hopefully our bedroom will get a couple of steps closer to completion!

Have a wonderful weekend...See you Monday!

Sassari Ikat and My Two Cents

As you might recall, I chose Lee Jofa's Sassari Ikat fabric to make my living room pillows. And I love them:

After I posted the pictures of my pillows, I got a little love from the folks over at Lee Jofa/Kravet, which I was very happy about :)

Recently, I got an email from Jennifer who works on Kravet's blog asking me to share some tidbits about why I like ikats...and so I did. Check out my two cents on ikats on Kravet's blog. Thanks for including me Jennifer!

The post has some great info on ikat (ee-kaht) prints...do you like ikats? Have you used them in your own home?

I actually chose an ikat print for my pillows because I was looking for something modern. I think the abstract quality of ikats gives them the feel of a modern painting on your couch. But I know they are also popular for providing that "exotic" quality to a room.

I had a hard time picking my hue of SI to use...there are lots to choose from and the colors are so rich and pretty. I decided on the green to go with my paint color.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I think many ikat prints, including SI, are reversible depending on how they are woven, which is a bonus. The flip side of the fabric reverses out the colors and they can be used either way. Check out this sofa that used the same fabric that I used on my pillows, just opposite:

I backed my pillows with a solid fabric, but thought about doing one side one way and the other side with the other way...might have looked neat.

Are there particular ikat prints that you love? I know I have a couple...do share!

Some Love from Lee Jofa

Friday evening, I was excited to come across some love for Aesthetic Oiseau on the Lee Jofa web site. Check out the What's New page of the site...those are my pillows at the bottom of the page (made using LJ's Sassari Ikat). You know, next to the picture of Kelly Wearstler.

And a little search found that the social networkers over at LJ also posted about the pillows on Facebook and Twitter (click on the images to see them bigger).

These are the things that excite a blogger (especially a new one), so I wanted to share with you. Thanks for the mention LJ...and any time you'd like to send me samples of your fabric to "test" for pillows and curtains, feel free.