Etsy Find of the Day: LinenMe Textiles

Beautiful, understated bed, bath, and table linens from Etsy seller LinenMe (aka Lithuanian-by-way-of-U.K. textiles designer Inga Lukauskiene). Above: French Linen Tablecloth, $40

Luxury Wool Throw, $50

Satin Linen Bed Set, $100

Linen Cotton Cushion Cover, $12

Linen Basket, $9

Linen Cotton Dish Towel, $9

Blue Striped Linen Cotton Napkins, $15 for four

Soft Linen Huckaback Bath and Beach Towel, $30

Huckaback Bath Towel in Jazz Blue, $16

Linen Guest Towels, $6 each

Handmade Lavender Bags, $8 for two

See all of LinenMe's Etsy offerings right here.

Cool Stuff: New from India Rose

Brand-new goodies from India Rose (the Bay Area-based company that brought us the oh-so-covetable White Devil Shower Curtain):

Fabric Lanterns, $35 to $43 each

Large Pillar Candles, $89 each

Simple Pillar Candles, $69 each

Canggu Duvet, $260, and Lucy Pillowcases, $27 and $55 each

See all of India Rose's pretty, feminine products right here.

Inspiration: Making the Bed

Face it: We could all stand to have a little more fun in bed. (And, yes, feel free to read that any way you want.)

I spotted this great Flickr set called "Making the Bed" by jek in the box (aka the L.A. craft blogger behind Scrumdillydilly) on Shelterrific awhile back and have been meaning to share it here ever since.

Especially on these cold, dreary, mid-winter mornings, who wouldn't want to wake up to such bright and cheerful bedding?

Admittedly, I've always been a white sheets and nothing-but-white sheets kind of gal. But these delightful jolts of color are inspiring me to be a bit ... wilder in the bedroom.

How about you?

Deal of the Day: DwellStudio Clover Blossom Crib Set

Have you heard about undrgrnd?

Every day, the San Francisco-based site features deep, deep discounts on one or more items -- mostly bedding and wallpaper -- from hip companies such as DwellStudio, Inhabit, Area, Unison, and Graham & Brown. The discounted items are floor samples, overstocks, and like-new returns. The deals last one day only, and only while supplies last.

Today's score is DwellStudio's really lovely Clover Blossom Crib Set. Normally retailing for $350, it's $140. If there's a baby girl in your future, get on this.

For heads up on future deals, subscribe to undrgrnd's newsfeed.

Cool Stuff: Third Drawer Down

Last week, when I was researching my post on Sarajo Frieden, I followed a link on Frieden's site that led me to Third Drawer Down, an Australian company selling limited-edition textiles screenprinted with images from noteworthy contemporary artists from around the world.

Abigail Crompton, the woman behind Third Drawer Down, believes that "placing art into domestic environments ... creates an accessibility, affordability, and functionality that does not exist within the traditional art world." Hey, I'm all for that.

Some of the TDD designs going on my wish list:

Crumbs in Beard Tea Towel by Katherine Brickman, $40 Australian (about $28 American)

Hairy Lady Tea Towel by Camilla Engman, $40 AUD ($28 USD)

Tuart Cottage Tea Towel by Holly Story, $40 AUD ($28 USD)

Attention Tea Towel by Allyson Mellberg Taylor, $40 AUD ($28 USD)

Untitled (Hair) Pillowcase by Irana Douer, $30 AUD ($21 USD)

Here I Am Still Waiting Pillowcase by Camilla Engman, $35 AUD ($24 USD)

Sweet Dreams and Good Night Pillowcases by Kat Macleod, $45 AUD ($31 USD) each

Some Demons "Artpron" by Andrew Nicholls, $75 AUD ($52 USD)

(By the way, ask me how much it kills me that these two gorgeous Lost in the Woods towels by Sarajo Frieden are out of print, and thus forever unattainable. Answer: Completely dead.)

Check out all of Third Drawer Down's artful textiles right here. International shipping starts at $10 AUD ($6.90 USD) for a single item.

Deal of the Day: Half Price Plus 30% Off at Akasha

Online retailer Akasha (previously blogged here) is having a huge sale right now, with all of its handcrafted bedding and other textiles discounted by more than half.

What's more, the company is offering an additional 30 percent off of sale prices to More Ways to Waste Time readers. To take advantage of the extra savings, enter coupon code "FALL" at checkout. The offer is good through November 15.

Check out Akasha's goods right here.

Cool Stuff: Orla Kiely for Heals

London-based design darling Orla Kiely's brand-new furniture pieces for UK home furnishings chain Heal's have been making their way around the blogosphere over the last few days. And for good reason -- Kiely's femmed-up, midcentury-inspired chairs, tables, and sideboards are seriously cute.

Unfortunately, with the current exchange rate they're also seriously out of reach. The Cupboard at top, for instance is 1,395 pounds (or about $2,474), while the Dining Chair and Occasional Table above are 250 and 495 pounds ($443 and $878).

But I was clicking around on the Heal's site admiring them, anyway, when I saw that Kiely has also designed some great bedding, bath linens, and office storage items for the British retailer. And those wares, at least, are actually reasonably affordable:

Flower Blossom Print Bedding, 28 to 85 pounds ($50 to $151)

Large Storage Box, 40 pounds ($71)

Multi Stem Embroidered Towels, 6 to 26 pounds ($11 to $46)

Scribble Stem Print Bedding, 24 to 85 pounds ($43 to $151)

Sadly, Heal's won't ship outside of the UK. But maybe you have an extra-nice British friend who could post a packet off to you or smuggle over a bit of Orla goodness on his or her next visit? (Jo-Anne, David, and Amanda: Yes, I'm talking to you.)

Check out the entire Orla Kiely collection for Heal's right here.

Cool Stuff: Raksha Bella Organic Bedding

Speaking of bedrooms, scrolling through images of these new textiles from Raksha Bella is making me very, very sleepy ...

Seriously, who wouldn't want to go back to bed and curl up in this beautiful bedding? Founded by Berkeley, California designer Carrie Peters, Raksha Bella just introduced a lovely collection of organic duvet covers, quilts, and pillowcases and shams.

Each piece, handmade by fair-trade workers in India from Indian-grown, certified-organic cotton, is subtly pattered using hand-carved blockprints of traditional Indian motifs and printed with low-impact dyes.

And if knowing that doesn't help you rest easier, I don't know what will.

Of course, sustainably produced products like these don't come cheap: Prices start at $89 to $123 for pillow- and sham-cover sets and go up to $311 to $439 for duvet covers and $442 to $491 for quilts.

See the entire Raksha Bella collection right here. (And if you're in the Bay Area, you can check out the bedding in person at these local shops.)

Design Dilemma: What's Black and White and Blue All Over?

More Ways to Waste Time reader Jacqui writes, "When my husband and I bought our first house last fall, we painted nearly every room before moving in -- we figured that was easier than having to 'move out' of rooms later in order to paint. But painting before establishing a design plan has left me unsure about how to really finish our bedroom.

We love the wall color and the contrast with the black and white bedding and furniture. But I'm stuck on finding a rug, curtains, and something to go in that weird little corner next to the bathroom door. Do I stick with black and white for the textiles, or is that overkill? Do I find an accent color or are the three colors enough already?

Finally, please settle a long-running debate in our house: What do you think of the enormous IKEA artwork over the bed? Any other suggestions you have are most appreciated!"

I know you really like it, Jacqui -- but to be honest, all that dark blue and black together looks a bit dreary and dated to me. You can cheer up the scheme a lot -- but still retain the high-contrast black, white, and blue look you prefer -- simply by replacing some of the black elements with white ones.

Photo from House to Home

See how all the white and other light-toned pieces in the pictures above and below pop against the inky blues and make the wall colors even more dramatic? To follow suit in your room, you could keep the patterned blanket at the foot of the bed, for instance, but switch out that black duvet cover and sheet set for snowy white ones.

Photos via Rearranged Design and HGTV

Add a white drum shade on the bedside lamp and clean white curtain panels to the window to cover the bland mini-blinds and inject even more brightness into the space. (IKEA sells great white linen curtains for next to nothing.) And though you might not want to go this far, I'd consider painting the metal bed frame and the leaning bookshelf next to the bed white as well.

Photo from Domino

Speaking of the bookshelf, I'd move it to the wall to the right of the door, lose the small metal table that's there now, and look for a substantial bedside table or small dresser to balance the one you have on the other side of the bed. I do like the black on that piece -- it looks dramatic and sophisticated. And with a mostly blue-and-white color scheme, a few black pieces will help ground the space -- as the black bedside table does in the otherwise light and airy room above.

Top photo via Nibs

A white or light-colored rug will make the room feel extra dreamy, while a faux zebra hide (you can find them pretty inexpensively on eBay) or other black-and-white-patterned rug, like these two options from IKEA, will inject some fun pattern in a way that's not overwhelming.

Photos from Domino (top), HGTV (middle), and Apartment Therapy (bottom)

Once you've scaled back the black, you could add in one or two colorful accents. As shown here, yellow or orange both compliment blue beautifully, and add energy and zing to these spaces.

Photos from House to Home

Red, as shown at top, is another classic compliment to blue -- just use it sparingly. Apple green would make a deliciously crisp foil to the particular shade of blue you've chosen for your walls. And even a rich lavender, as shown in the bottom photo, can work with blue.

Photo from the Sex and the City movie (please don't bitch-slap me!)

As for the picture currently above your bed, well -- it does sort of scream "generic IKEA artwork." Even when your budget is small, I think it's important to find art that's more unique and personal -- especially in a spot you look at every day. Blow up one of your own photographs and hang it above the bed; stretch a piece of fabric that you love over a canvas; visit Etsy and other sites to stock up on inexpensive prints from artists whose work you admire, and then hang a bunch of them in a grouping similar to the one shown above; or display found objects -- a vintage sign, an assemblage of pressed leaves, even a gnarled piece of driftwood you found on your last trip to the beach -- in place of the boring IKEA print.

Readers, what's your take on Jacqui's blue-and-black bedroom? What would you keep, what would you lose, and what would you change? Please chime in with your advice for her!

(P.S. Have a design dilemma of your own? Send it in, along with a photo or two, and I'll put it up here for a communal brainstorming session.)