To celebrate the triumphant return of “Living In” from our two week hiatus, I bring you what may be my favorite post in the series so far, National Velvet. Perhaps you may not geek out about old children’s movies as much as I do, but it’s a proven fact you cannot go wrong with horses, cute dresses and little Liz Taylor. Pop some popcorn and your heart will melt. Promise.

[image above, clockwise from top left: wool blanket $158,horse show ribbons $3.35 each, Lover sailor dress $580, cup and saucer $14, pears, needlepoint pillow $98, vintages breyer horse, yellow beret $12.99]

Set in the late 1920s in Sussex, National Velvet follows the story of Velvet Brown who trains her wild and wonderful stable horse to ride in the Grand National Steeplechase. (and can we all just pause for a moment and appreciate how adorable the name Velvet is?) Flannels, plaids, berets, barns, sweet dresses, riding boots, rosy cheeks and hair ribbons- this movie is truly and sincerely my holy grail of inspiration. -amy m.

PS- I would like to dedicate this post to all of us who wished and hoped and prayed for a pony for Christmas but never got one. Grace Bonney and design*sponge are happy to announce that, Oprah style, we will be hand delivering ponies to each and every reader this holiday season.

[image above, clockwise from top left: winner’s circle necklace $14.99,vintage saddle bag $62, wool blanket $158, felt headband $4, riding boots $189, plaid belt $90, antique carved bookends $650, henning sofa $3998]

today i’m finishing up the final sequencing for all 400+ pages of the design*sponge book so tomorrow i’m going to be taking a very, very needed day off. so today i’ll be posting diy projects that would normally go up tomorrow. up first- a great upcycling project from amy merrick. amy turned her collection of vintage crates into beautiful rustic shelves just waiting to become cubby holes for special objects. can’t find vintage crates? try asking your local wine shop if they have any leftover crates from new shipments- you can always distress your crates or paint them to suit your personal style.

CLICK HERE for the project instructions post after the jump!

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Continuing in the Halloween spirit, Rosemary’s Baby is my favorite kind of scary movie- suspenseful, chilling and eerie without any gore. I’m a big wuss when it comes to horror movies and continually hold my hands over my eyes, so an adorable Mia Farrow makes the whole thing much more manageable.

[image above, clockwise from top left: Arredoluce floor lamp $3600,coat of arms mirror $198, silk dress with lace collar $240, flokati rug $159, wool beret $13, mango radio $198, Thonet bistro chair $361, Kensington pram $1995, pearl earrings $22]

In addition to the well-known fact that Rosemary’s Baby is a bit of cinema heaven, it also contains the most pitch perfect on screen house renovation of any movie I’ve seen. When Rosemary and her husband buy an apartment in the fictionalized upper west side Dakota building, it’s dark, stuffy and terrifyingly creepy. As Rosemary’s pregnancy progresses, she spends her days painting and wallpapering until the house is unrecognizably bright and cheerful. A charming mix of uptown traditional and feminine 1960s mod, she’s inspired me to kick into high gear with my own projects around the house. Spawn of satan not required. -amy m.

[image above, clockwise from top left: vintage wallpaper $57,flight base lamp $88, vintage nightgown, sputnik flower chandelier $2500, shearling throw , vase $40, coat rack $68, diamond necklace $542, tufted bench $1800, Repetto ballet flats $220]

Kitchen counter space is in short supply in my apartment (I have about 10” total!) so I’ve been taking every opportunity to maximize wall space for storage. On the design*sponge team’s recent trip to Boston, I found an old wall mounted letter holder to store my kitchen utensils. While I loved the shape (and the little trim around the top) I was less enamored of the new yet dingy aqua paint job. While we all love to do to a good old-fashioned glossy paint job to hide a multitude of sins, sometimes it’s a refreshing change to instead reveal metal’s patina lurking underneath all that paint. -amy m.

CLICK HERE for the full how-to after the jump!

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As Halloween inches closer, I can’t get Edward Scissorhands off my mind. It’s one of those movies that bewitched me as a kid and still makes me turn to mush. Hands down- the most gentle, imaginative and magical movie ever. I can’t even form proper sentences to describe how wonderful it is. Not like I have to, though. You already know.

[image above, clockwise from top left: doma biker jacket $630,keychain $12, oliver table lamp $895, mannequin hand $21 each, zinc industrial table $2200, riveter’s stool $185, circle bracket $12, cookie cutters $6, birdcage $86]

The world that genius director Tim Burton creates in Edward Scissorhands is split right down the middle, with both sides as surreal as the other. Edward’s abandoned industrial mansion is as dark and creepy as can be while the neighboring suburbia is a dizzying grid of cookie cutter homes painted in colors Burton described as “sea-foam green, dirty flesh, butter and dirty blue”. Not exactly homey. But beyond the ick factor, Burton injects tenderness and humanity into not only his characters but their environments as well. Having a young Johnny Depp around doesn’t hurt things, either. -amy m.

[image above, clockwise from top left: coal flower lamp $88, calligraphy bed $2498, velvet pouf $32, boxwood topiary $210, moss bunny $9, vintage hedge shears $195, restored telephone $198, pink lipstick $16, Minnie stool $229]

This past week I tried my hand at wallpapering a room for the first time and let’s just say it’s a lot like wrapping up a big, slimy Christmas present but with higher stakes. I only had one single roll of 1940s wallpaper (purchased from this amazing store) so I had to be extra careful to ensure I’d have enough to cover the whole room. If you’re not ready to take the plunge and paper a room, a great alternative is to paper your kitchen or bathroom cabinet doors. Less mess, less money, less time! Also- if you landlord is a stickler for rules, this project could easily be done on mountable pieces of thick cardstock and attached with removable adhesive strips. -amy m.

CLICK HERE for the full project after the jump!

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Some girls are rabid Audrey Hepburn fans. They dress up like Holly Golightly every year for Halloween and watch Breakfast at Tiffany’s once a week. Perhaps I’m going to get crucified far and wide across the internet for saying this but, um, I tried to watch Breakfast at Tiffany’s for the first time last year and I just couldn’t get into it. To each their own. I’d rather watch Two for the Road over and over again, anyways. Few movies show the true nature of relationships so honestly; happiness, heartbreak, boredom, jealousy, misery and all. Plus, the story is told over a serious of different road trip flashbacks. All road trips, all movie long. It’s amazing.

[image above, clockwise from top left: headband $12,Diana f+ camera $103, passport cover $20, suitcase set $395, fermob bistro table $337, espresso cup and saucer $60/ set of four, classic MG rental, cashmere sweater $95, fermob bistro chair $189/set of two]

What could be more painfully charming and utterly adorable than Audrey on a lifetimes’s worth of road trips through France? Ummm… nothing. Highwaisted jeans, classic convertibles, striped shirts, kerchiefs and suitcase sets. So maybe renting the MG is a little, ahem, impractical for your average weekend getaway, but a girl can dream and dream she will. -amy m.

[image above, clockwise from top left: suitcase set $395, hermes scarf $375, clown hat $13, striped top $22, dresser $798, canvas rucksack $8, schoolhouse clock $128, Corrigan chair $1998]