I love a great statement ring and these custom-made crystal rings by Specimental certainly fit the bill!

Find all of Specimental’s

jewelry here.

I have posted about the brilliance of Jane Mount’s paintings of favorite bookshelves before (here).  Her custom paintings of people through spines of their favorite books are on my wish list and one of the coolest gifts I think you could ever give anyone…anytime of year!

Since it’s likely Santa won’t be bringing me a customized painting of my favorite books, I’m going to settle on buying Jane Mount’s recently published book, My Ideal Bookshelf.  You know…a little present for myself!  We all do it, right?

This is the perfect coffee table book for anyone who loves to read or the writer in your life!  One hundred leading cultural figures reveal the books that matter to them most!  I can’t wait to

pour myself a little hot chocolate and dive into this book over the holidays!

I can’t wait to show you my gorgeous new custom headboard that I’ll be picking up soon from Marroquin Upholstery!  It’s perfect and, along with my gorgeous Peacock Alley linens, will make a beautiful luxurious bed just for me!

This Wednesday through Friday, Marroquin Custom Upholstery will be having a sample sale at their warehouse from 10 to 5 each day.  Don’t miss this opportunity to take advantage of some great deals on handmade pieces that no one else will have!

Stay tuned for my fully dressed bed to make it’s debut soon!

I’m loving these custom silhouettes in Jennifer Alexis’ etsy shop!  You choose the chevron and provide a picture and she’ll send you a work of art!

I almost feel like I have a “bun in the oven” and I’m getting a sonogram image!   OK…I know this is no where near the thrill of giving birth, but this custom headboard is pretty exciting in my world right now!  I just received a few photos of the headboard progress!

Jesus, the owner of Marroquin Custom Upholstery, and Ivan, his son, carefully made the grid that allowed them to build a headboard that has all of the components I loved in my inspiration photos!

It’s amazing how they transformed this wood into the shape of the headboard that was in my head!  They make it look so easy!

Amazing, right?  It’s exactly what I wanted!!   Now they will use the cream colored velvet that I supplied (I bought it at Childress Fabrics, by the way…) and continue to work their magic!

Jesus, Ivan, and the rest of the craftsmen at Marroquin, are true perfectionist!  They inspect every inch of the products that they produce and are not happy until the client is completely satisfied!  I can’t wait to see the next photos of my new headboard and I can’t wait to show you!

Thanks, Jesus and Ivan, for your unparalleled attention to detail!  The quality of your product is like no other!

Since I’ve decided to commit to building the bed of my dreams, this requires an equally dreamy headboard, right?  I knew I wanted an upholstered lightly-tufted look and couldn’t seem to find one anywhere with all the right curves…

I liked the curves of this headboard…

with the tufted touch of this one…plus I wanted a nailhead trim approximately 2.5 inches from the edge…oh, and I’d like that in a soft creamy velvet!  Is anyone having visions of the scene in “When Harry Met Sally” where Sally is ordering at the restaurant?

A custom headboard seemed to be the solution for what I want and Marroquin Custom Upholstery in Dallas is THE place for quality custom-made furniture!  Jesus Marroquin, the owner, has 40 years experience in exclusive upholstery and old world craftsmanship.  His attention to detail is beyond compare, as he personally inspects each piece before it moves out the door.

When I brought in my inspiration photos for my headboard, Ivan, Jesus’ son, gave me the grand tour of their large production facility.  This operation is packed with some of the finest craftsmen around.  Each custom-made frame is built in-house to ensure a quality foundation.

They hand-turn all of the feet and legs…

and standard construction features old world 8-way hand-tied springs individually placed to provide the highest level of quality and durability.

You don’t find this type of dedication to quality of detail anywhere else!

I observed Jesus’ brother studying the fabric design and carefully laying it over each piece to make sure that the pattern is cut and matched perfectly.  Here’s an example of the perfection in the end.

Amazing, right?  I’m so excited to work with them to make my headboard!  Ivan listened carefully to the details of what I had in mind and began to sketch and take notes…

I’m confident that he knows exactly what I want and will make sure that every detail is considered during the construction process.  He’s even promised to take pictures during the stages of construction so that I can watch it being built and share with you!

The next time you need a custom piece or the finest quality upholstery available, contact them here.  They will assist in getting the information needed to put together the headboard, chair, couch, etc. that will last a lifetime!  Marroquin has clients all over the world, so you don’t have to be in Dallas to work with this amazing company.

Don’t forget…today’s the last day to leave a comment to win the resort throw from Peacock Alley!  Hurry!!

My new obsession is Deborah Bowness wallpaper.  Take a look at some of my favorites!

Check out some of her custom work.  Seriously amazing!

Find Deborah Bowness site here.

The calligraphy choices on these custom-made return address stamps are exceptional!

Wouldn’t this make a great wedding gift?

Find these custom-made stamps at Paperfinger’s etsy shop.

Much like snow in Texas, it only happens once a year, so this is an opportunity that you don’t want to miss!  The oh, so talented and adorable milliner and creator of House of MacGregor, Cassie McGregor, will put her Winter ’09 and Spring’10 hats on sale at 50% off.

Cassie has been creating hats using traditional millinery techniques since 2002.  While taking classes at NYC’s Fashion Institute of Technology for fun, she found her passion and spent the next five years with theatrical milliners on Broadway making hats on a custom basis.

Selling to one of the best hat stores in Manhattan, she developed a devoted following of brides, opera singers and other hat enthusiast for her one-of-a-kind cocktail hats.  Her work has been featured in W, Italian Vogue and other regional magazines.

I’m so so glad that she decided to come back home to Dallas in 2008 to open her own atelier in the historic Bishop Arts District over the popular restaurant, Bolsa!  This is truly a craftsman-based business maintaining traditional high quality service.  Don’t miss this opportunity to visit Cassie in her studio and receive 50% off these incredible creations.

Find all of the details about the sale on the House of MacGregor facebook page here and check out her website here.  See you at the sale!!

These modern family trees are magnificent!  Simply chose your design (clearly the hardest part!), fill out the genealogy form and eagerly await your custom-made family tree!