Guest Blog: KiddoSafe Shades for your tots!

In our most recent color issue this month we featured some great designs for kids by designers Jeff Andrews, Mark Langos, and Joani Stewart-Georgi in our article about designing for children's rooms. (page 139).  After this article came out we were introduced to the talented Julie Houston who has created a fun line of window shades called KiddoSafe Shades that are designed with children's safety and whimsy in mind.  

We asked her to do a fun guest blog for us and here she is - enjoy!

KiddoSafe Shades: Where colorful prints and safety meet!

A child's room is a great place for color.  It's a private space where the use of interesting palettes is not only acceptable, but expected. Our brand-new patent pending fabric shades bring fun, colorful prints together with the ultimate concern of safety. KiddoSafe Shades are completely cordless and merely use two buttons and two loops to secure the shade in an upright position, thereby reducing all strangulation hazards and making them perfect for rooms where kids sleep and play.

Each shade is custom-made in your choice of nine in-stock fabrics and includes a black out liner for promoting better sleep.

If none of the in-stock fabrics coordinate with your décor, our child-safe blinds can be made in hundreds of special order fabrics for a small surcharge. You may view these fabrics and order swatches by following the link on our website to Premier Prints. The options, from subdued to wild, are fantastic. Designing for a little girl? With sweet styles like Dandelion, Buttercup and Wildflowers and colors like girly blue, candy pink, lipstick and wisteria, the screen printed fabric will not disappoint. Decorating for an animal lover? Check out Best Friends, Butterfly, Ele, Hooty and Stretch in numerous color options. Animal prints and sports themes in juvenile colors are also available. Premier Prints’ color selections and styles are always growing and evolving with new trends, making it fun to plan for rooms for children. These are some of my favorite selections:

My next project is decorating my own kids' rooms. My six year old chose a very grown up duvet and has also requested deep blue walls. With white furniture and plenty of sunlight, I think I can make it work. We plan to use the Summerland/Natural fabric from the Emma Collection for her KiddoSafe Shades.

We're using a neutral green for my preschooler, the car and truck aficionado. We'll probably do a stripe, but wouldn't stars be fun? We'll make final selections by June, when we move into our new home.

In the meantime, we invite you to visit our website at www.kiddosafeshades.com to learn about our cordless shades and to follow the link to Premier Prints, where hundreds of options are sure to excite! We offer designer discounts and believe in good customer service. Please contact us at admin@kiddosafeshades.com for help in ordering our shades or planning your next color adventure.

Julie Houston 

Owner/Creator 

KiddoSafe Shades

Holiday Decorating Guest Blog!

Toujours Magazine asked East Coast designer, Joanne Palumbo, to share her favorite decorating tips for the season.  Seeing as Joanne styles and stages homes professionally, we thought she would be the perfect person to get more great decorating advice from this week to assure a fabulously decorated homes this season!  We hope you enjoy her great ideas and make sure to check out her blog for year round styling advice:

With Thanksgiving behind us, the time has arrived to tackle the task of holiday decorating. While nothing gives me more of a thrill than a string of bright lights, as an Interior Decorator, the act of decorating for the holidays is the equivalent of walking a tight rope between the tiny twig from the Charlie Brown tale or the over-lit home of the Griswalds. So, as I stare down the boxes upon boxes of my own holiday decorations, here are a few tips to keep the décor tasteful through the season.

1. Pick your vignettes. The first step in keeping holiday decorations tasteful is to use them thoughtfully. Try to refrain from throwing a ceramic Santa or tin reindeer on every table in your home. Instead, select several spots in your house where you would like to create a holiday focal point. Some examples of this might be a piano, coffee table, entry table, bookshelves, or a fireplace mantle. Pick several places throughout your home so visitors can feel the warmth of the holidays as they move from room to room.

2. Edit your space. This might be the most important step in decorating. Edit the vignette you wish to decorate. Don’t try to squeeze the menorah in with your collection of photos and tcha chakes. Pack up some of your year-round accessories and make some room for your special holiday trinkets. Keep the accessories that are either neutral or work in the color scheme of your holiday decorations and pack the rest up!

3. Choose your color scheme. Many people default to red and green or blue and white but if you are thoughtful in your planning, you can be more adventurous and change things up a bit. Why not try fuchsia and chartreuse? Green and brown? And almost every color can be coordinated with a metallic: pink and silver, red and gold. You get the idea. If you have boxes of accessories already, try to draw the color inspiration from the decorations you would like to use. Trail the colors throughout the room. And the color doesn’t need to exist specifically in the holiday décor alone. Incorporate a throw, a picture frame, some candles or books with jackets all in your selected colors and you’ll have an effortless looking jazzed up space. (Toujours Agrees!  Check out the Holiday Guide for more great ideas for color!)

4. Get the eyes moving! When considering the placement of your holiday décor, try to vary the heights of the objects. Don’t throw everything on the table top in your vignette. Try to hang a wreath or some stockings above the vignette and maybe add some potted plants or statues on the floor. Varying the placement of your beloved items is what keeps the holiday decorating warm and inviting. This picture shows a great example of that…I imagine that if you zoomed out, there would be a beautiful wreath on those amazing windows, too!

5. Unexpected décor always pleases! Besides decorating your main vignettes, perhaps drop a few coordinated decorations in unexpected places: a wreath in the bathroom, some garland over the master bed or scented candles in the hall to keep the holiday spirit flowing!

Enough of my babbling about how to decorate for the holidays- now it is time to get out there and tackle your décor. With a little mindful planning, you are sure to have a warm, inviting and tasteful holiday-ready home.

A little bit about Joanne:

Joanne Palumbo is the owner of Homestyling101, LLC, a boutique Interior Decorating firm in Westchester, New York. Joanne is a Certified Interior Decorator and expert in Home Staging, whose quest is to find simplicity in the decorating process. She is also the author of the Homestyling101 blog where she chronicles her experiences and tips as a decorator.

Jordana Silver's Wish List

Toujours Mag asked designer Jordana Silver to forward us her Christmas wish list this year…it was so good we just had to share it!  Check out Jordana's 12 gifts of Christmas.  Better get to shopping!  

Enjoy! The Toujours Team

Dearest Santa,

It is that time of year where I write and share all my wants for this holiday season. No need to ask... I have been very good this year! I stuck to my one croissant a day policy while in Paris. I refrained from my weekly shopping jaunts. I even had a few good weeks of dedication to the gym.

Let me cut to the chase... I have listed below my most coveted presents for this holiday season. I should mention that I listed 12 to be symbolic for the 12 Days of Christmas but as a Jewess and there being only 8 days of Hanukkah, I would be totally content receiving your favorite 8 presents from the list.

Lots of love, Jordana

(In no particular order) 

1. Cardigan by Lynne Hiriak - Anyone will dazzle in this sweater. Shhh...it’s on sale so please order before it sells out! 

2. Jonathan Adler Brass Muse Bottle Opener - Such a great gift for myself and anyone throwing a holiday party. 

3. Fresh Mini Sugar Kissing Trio - Love Fresh and these moisturizing sticks always keep my lips in tip top shape during the winter months. 

4. Balenciaga Arena Giant First Bag -  I have been eyeing this bag for years and still heart it. (Please make it one of the eight presents!) The antiqued rose gold hardware is amazing. Plus it is so functional. My Mac laptop can definitely fit in it!

5. J Crew Snood - Love a snood! Takes the guesswork out of tying a scarf properly. I have a few but can always use more especially in classic black. 

6. Jonathan Adler Playing Cards - My father and I love to play gin rummy for hours. He always beats me. I wish I could say I let him but he is just a better player. We could play in style if we had these. 

7.  Laura Merkin iPad Pouch - After I was stuck on a plane for 6+ hours with no tv this year, I learned that it is imperative to always travel with my ipad. This case is perfect for when I am on the go.

8. Teuscher Champagne Truffles - My most favorite chocolates. 

9. Sisteron Wool Throws - Curling up and enjoying a cup of delicious tea is almost a nightly occurrence. Would love this throw to use for my nightly downtime. 

10. Byredo Gypsy Water - This is the only perfume I have bought multiple bottles of. I can always use more! 

11. Super Edition Scrabble - My mom and I enjoy this classic game. Need my own set. 

12. Michael Kors Aviators - Everyone needs these classics to complete their wardrobe. Mine got squashed last year. Need a new pair. 

Happy Shopping!!  Drink some eggnog and enjoy!