scenespiration: big ben, london

photo credit | design by tdm

In honor of the 2012 Summer Olympics, I've chosen a picture that highlights one of London's most famous places - Big Ben.  A lot of big decisions are made at the home of the parliament and that's one of my points of inspiration, along with traveling to this great place.  See my picks after the break!

-mollika

School of Restoration No. 7: DIY Chalk Paint

Hello and welcome to another class in the School of Restoration here on The Divine Minimalist. In case this is your first class, my name is Jesse and I post monthly tutorials that teach different techniques you can use on your furniture.  Today, I am so excited to be sharing the long awaited DIY Chalk Paint tutorial.  You've probably heard a lot about chalk paint lately, and if you haven't then you're about to.  It took me a long time to finally try this stuff, for no other reason than sheer laziness. If you have the same problem I had, then I'm here to motivate you to get to it.  This paint was easy, fun & is soo soft!  It sticks to almost everything which is why I knew it would be perfect for this roll top desk a friend gave to me.  Enough talking, let's get to it!

isabel marant: etoile's collection spring-summer 2012

isabel marant: etoile's collection spring-summer 2012

I have always loved the work of Isabel Marant, her clothing definitely pushes boundaries but is still wearable for the everyday gal.  This collection has me gushing over prints (which I rarely wear).  Not only is this impeccably styled - roller skates, bikes and patterns; but the photography and direction is wonderful too!  This has me wanting to change it up and put some funky prints on!

-mollika

diy wednesday: fellow blogger {love}

clockwise: design love fest | green wedding shoes | oh happy day | design*sponge

Betsy and I are working on a few projects that aren't ready just yet, so in the meantime, we thought we'd share some great diy's on the blogosphere.

DesignLoveFest:  Bri's always coming up with amazing ideas and bringing them to life - these painted shelves are genius, right?  We especially love the color combo!  See how to make these here.

Green Wedding Shoes:  This is such a smart and easy idea - making your own customized cake stand with whatever you've got around the house!  We'll definitely be trying this one out, see how to make one, here.

Oh Happy Day:  We've got a few party planning jobs in the works, so this struck out to us; it's such a cute and easy way to personalize an event or good for everyday use too.  See how to make this, here.

Design*Sponge:  We're constantly pinning things from this site and this was one of them.  Who knew a few strips of Balsa Wood would make such a unique lampshade?!  See how to make this, here.

Let us know if you decide to make any of these and show us how they turned out!  If anything, hopefully these ideas get your DIY wheels spinning!

-mollika

scenespiration: new zealand {back roads}

courtesy of: wayfare magazine | photo by: rachel thurston

This beautiful picture is in the summer edition of wayfare magazine, for a story about family road trips.  Rachel Thurston and her family got into their yellow VW (which can be rented here) and went where the wind took them--through the back roads of New Zealand.  Romantic, right?  And, they did it with a new born baby in tow (bowing down to them)!  Someday I hope to be able to do the same, just get into a car and be free! So, I've imagined all of the things I would need for a VW adventure; see my picks below the break! 

reflections

There is a long path leading up to the doors of my very corporate office building (blah).  Everyday I walk the same path, usually with millions of things on my mind.  Today, for the first time, I noticed the reflections on this very same pathway - light purple, peach and yellow hues emanated from the glass ceiling.  It made me stop and stare. 

Have a wonderful weekend and take some time to just stop.

-mollika

tdm tunes #1

photo source | design by tdm

Happy Friday everyone!  I'm excited to introduce a new series called 'tdm tunes,' where we'll share a playlist via spotify with all of you.  Sometimes it will be themed and at other times it will be a mash-up of whatever we like.  We really feel like music makes a difference - in the way you feel, your creativity, etc.  Ultimately, we hope you enjoy some of these tunes and also share the tunes you love with us.

tdm tunes #1 playlist

Andrew Bird – A Nervous tic
The Avett Brothers – And It Spread
Van Hunt – Dust
First Aid Kit – Emmylou
Eli 'Paperboy' Reed – Explosion
Marina and The Diamonds – I Am Not A Robot
Josh Ritter – Mind's Eye
Beirut – Nantes
Jack White – Sixteen Saltines
Portugal. The Man – Sleep Forever

If you want to listen to this playlist click here!

-mollika

p.s. we'd LOVE to hear what you think of this series and if it's something you want to see again and again.