fess up friday - mimosa lane

Today for Fess Up Friday we have the beautiful and talented Albertina from Mimosa Lane. My friend Albertina really needs no introduction, but in case you've been living under a rock, Albertina has more style in her pinkie than most of us have put together. She's a painter, photographer and designs her own fabric which she sells in the form of pillows and pouches on her Etsy shop. And our mutual love of color has made this fellow blogger a friend. Now let's see what she has to fess up...

I'm so happy Elizabeth asked me to participate in this fun 'Fess Up' series.  I love following The Little Black Door because I think Elizabeth is so talented and creative.  There is always something new and exciting happening here.  As I look around my house I wonder how much the blogs I read have influenced my decor and even my home accessory purchases.  There has been plenty of influence for sure. But, at the same time, I want my home to be original and don't want to compromise my aesthetic in order to stay true to what I love and feel represents 'me'.  I mean really, how many times have you seen something on the Internet that you don't like, but after the 100th time you see it you start warming up to it.  So, is your true taste that first impression of something where you love it or hate it right away? or is it that which you have learned to love or hate through time?  This is what I'm trying to come to terms with lately.  So, for today, I'm presenting you with unscripted, unstyled, and impromptu iPhotos of different vignettes around my house that scream "she is a blogger.....and she has been influenced". Here is the tour-

I got this poster when I started reading blogs.  It was my first 'blog influenced' purchase.  I didn't even have a blog back then or even knew I wanted to write one!

I also got my brass pencil holder before I knew I wanted to blog.  You see it in all the blogger's desks...I know....but I really love this one.  Boy do I need to sharpen those pencils.

I adore this marblelized tray.  My sweet friend gave it to me because she saw it on my blog so she knew I would love it.  This is a nice perk of having a blog- friends who read it will always give you the perfect gift!  And, of course, added to this vignette is the Nate Berkus for Target sea urchin (sold out, exactly, because who doesn't have it?).

The infamous Ikea sheepskin.  This is one trend I didn't like. At all. The Nordic decorating style is not much to my taste.  But it kept growing on me after seeing it over, and over, and over again. And now....I adore it.  We fight for this chair because it is so cozy to have breakfast in with that nice wool warming your back.

More Nate Berkus for Target (the brass bowl and the snake box).  I wasn't into snakes before and now I can't get enough of them.  They were too edgy for me....but I have started embracing that darker side.  The box is just so good and for the price it was a no-brainer.  And of course there are hundreds of DIYs now around my house...like those faux malachite boxes inspired by The Aestate.  Love them as if they were real.  Being inspired by a blog usually ends up with me DYing something or cooking something.  So, yes more blog influence here.

What blogger does not have some sort of gallery wall?  I think we all do.  This one above is on a bookshelf and the one below is in my daughter's room. It's rare we see a home nowadays in magazines and decor blogs that does not have a gallery wall.  It's almost a requirement.

Through my blog reading I am constantly being to introduced wonderful artists, a positive thing for sure.   As a result, there are many 'blogger' pieces in my home so you can say these are blog influenced as well.  Above you will see an example with prints from The Aestate and the Pink Pagoda.

Here is another DIY inspired by Jamie from Furbish.  Cute for a kid's playroom.  It's so great to be inspired by others.  You take an idea and then make-it your own.  I have some friends who saw my little creation and went off to do theirs.  This is exciting stuff.

See? more marblelized things....I bet you all have seen these boxes....well I was obsessed with them so my husband surprised me with them for Valentine's.  I love the color, the texture...EVERYTHING about them.

And can you believe I never knew what Staffordshire dogs were before I started blogging?  I had no idea.  The more I saw them the more in love I would fall.  So I asked for these for my last birthday.  They look like my husband which makes me so happy.  They are perfect.

I'm so happy to be introduced to so many wonderful and beautiful new things, fabulous trends and genius ideas and solutions through my blog reading, but at the same time, I don't want to fall prey to the lemming syndrome. It's quite a balance we need to strike- being 'of the time' without losing our identity. So, fess up- Are you influenced by what you see on blogs and pinterest?  Or do you hold your own strongly and whistle your own tune?  or is it a mix like me?