Southland in the Springtime

 I remember as well as if it was yesterday listening to The Indigo Girls on the way to high school in the mornings.  My older sister loooooooooooooooved them.  LOVED.  So, naturally, I did too.  I can recall every word from their early albums.  They are brilliant lyricists.  They are beautiful poets.  They interweave history, legend, folklore, mythology, fiction.  And then there are the melodies.  Dig out your old Nomads, Saints, & Indians album and listen to Southland in the Sprintime.  If that doesn't make your heart soften toward this old place we call home, nothing will.

So I was in the yard today enjoying a spring day with my three chickens, listening to the roar of the lawn mower as Hubs' logged row after row in the yard.  I caught myself singing Southland in the Springtime.  And then I ran in, grabbed my camera, and realized that quite literally, every day should be springtime in my world.  Look at this amazing, beautiful life.  She IS spring....and she is mine.  

Praise God from whom all blessings flow.

Some like it HOT

I've been working on a little design project during my hiatus.  I know I frequently disappear from writing, but one always returns to their first love, right?  My sister purchased HOT YOGA NASHVILLE in December and tasked me with a studio redesign.  

(Have you tried hot yoga?  OH. MY.  It will killlllllllllll you.  And then you'll be born again.  Pun intented.  It will quite literally change your life.  As they say, go every day for two weeks and you'll go for the rest of your life.  It's that good.  Man up.  Mat down.)

But, I'm rambling.  Back to the subject...

A few "befores".  I can hardly post these pictures....they hurt my feelings.

 NOT ONE OUNCE of Zen.  The colors are so emotionally charged that I could not even think about relaxing when I walked in, let alone meditate on my mat or find peace in my practice.

AAAAAAAAAAND, now....here we are.  April 2011.  AH....bliss.  

No sugar and spice for the yogis, but love and light and everything nice:

Serenity.  Tranquility.  Happiness.  

 Porcelain tile.  NOT vinyl.  (Who do you think I am?)  

 In considering a redesign, keep in mind that all things reflective, even irridescent tiles (over which I was MUCH doubted!), add depth and dimension.

Up next?  A restaurant on 12th!  I'm not at liberty to elaborate.  

Well....actually....I could tell you, but I'd have to kill you.  

But you're going to LOVE it.  And want to eat there often.  Stay tuned - coming September 2011.

Happy Easter and happy spring to all!  (Get outside in the dirt and plant something.)

Green living is clean living

There are very few things in life for which I'll pay a premium.  VERY. FEW.  Art, occasionally a piece of furniture, a good dessert at a restaurant, and skin care.  As my make-up artist at Private Edition says, "You only have one face.  If you take good care of it, anything will look good on it.  It will not require name brand make-up."  That brings me to today's post...

Let me introduce Warren Naturals.  Warren is allergic to beeswax.  In searching for an organic chap stick, he discovered that there weren't any on the market (that he liked or could find) that did not contain beeswax.  Hence, the birth of Warren Naturals.  Let me just say, HOOOOLLLLLLLAAAAA!  

I am smitten, SMITTEN with his products.  Top selling points?

1.  ORGANIC, all natural.  Shelf life is 3-4 months.

2.  Made-to-order.  He literally whips up your order as soon as you place it, so it's 100% fresh.

3.  The Complete Moisture with green tea added is the only thing I've found that even remotely threatens my KP.  The prescription my dermatologist gave me does not do what this lotion has done for me.  (Disclaimer: No promises, but I would almost swear by it!)

4.  The lotion makes a GREAT hostess gift.  Let's be honest...we're big girls (and boys), i.e. we can buy our own bottle of our fave vino.

Check out his entire line.  You'll love it.  The masks are wonderful.  What's good for the body is good for the soul.  Snag his products before they're priced at a premium on the shelves of local retailers, farmer's markets, mom-and-pop shops, etc.  

(Disclaimer #2: No promises yet again, but I predict he'll land in a certain retailer with the intials WF (wink, wink).)  You may also peruse and subscribe to his blog here.

Oh, and please do tell him I sent you his way. 

The Man, if not my man....

www.endhits.portlandmercury.com

Look at this face (sigh).  I could study it for ages.  FABULOUS photograph.  Each line tells a story, many of which are recorded in his music.  Perhaps my favorite, or ONE of my favorites, of all times is "Isis".  

Slight detour:  Hubs actually wanted me to consider naming our daughter after her.  No lie.  

"Um, babe....seriously?  Isis?  I mean, I love Dylan too, but ISIS??????  Don't you know people will call her Iz and Izie and Iz-Iz?  People can be idiots.  I don't know how many fans of mythology there are out there.  Who will get it correct..."ee-set".  
Pretty sure I'm going to vote NO to that one.  

Anyway....he's the inspiration behind a commissioned work from Lamar Sorrento that I gave Hubs for Christmas a couple of years ago.  Typically, Sorrento paints Dylan with a keyboard, but I asked for a guitar because his older music is Hubs' first love.  (Ok, second love....I come first, right?).  Isn't this just rocking?!?!

And, the inspiration, donning hat and guitar.  

(Thank you, LSorrento for a great piece!  We love it.):

AP Photo

Live a little, people.  Unbutton that top button.  Maybe even throw your head back and take a deep breath.  Art imitates life.  Let me say again...ART IMITATES LIFE.  Now as you go to sleep tonight, think about how many people there are in the world.  That's a lot of LIFE for art to imitate.  Let THAT thought inspire your next painting purchase and maybe have a little fun.  Don't take yourself SOOOooooo seriously.  Mix it up.  (Don't forget to check The Man's art, while you're on the hunt for fabuloso pieces.)  

AND, one last thought...I hope you grow old gracefully and embrace those fine lines and wrinkles.  You've earned them.  They tell your life's story.  HOW BEAUTIFUL is that?!  

Stay tuned...

I'm tuned out for a blog redesign.  

(Woo Hooooooo!)  

I promise it won't disappoint.  

Hold your breath with me....

Deep breaths

I know. It's been a while. Truth be told, I got completely overwhelmed with work and buried myself in the THRILL of looking for the perfect design for each house I've been working on. And, well, life got in the way....children, hubs, a cancer diagnosis for my favorite woman in the world (sweet, beautiful MUTH)....you know, NO BIG DEAL - just the small things that make up life .....so this afternoon as I was working on placing furniture in a school classroom for rising 4 year olds (believe me, there is MUCH psychology behind where each station is placed!), I received the text from my mother, and I quote, 

"You are stuck with me a bit longer, apparently. Kidney tests came back clean. Some tumor left in the spine that will most likely be treated by radiation. Thanks be to God."  

And there it is: a moment of complete clarity when time stands still, all nerve endings in my body send chills to every inch of my skin, a deep breath, and a prayer of praise to God our Father.

I can't elaborate much further than that, but suffice it to say that I am now able emotionally to climb back up the hill and look out over the valley, take it all in, outstretch arms, close my eyes, breath deeply, and smile as largely as my face will allow. God is good and life is good and I feel some inspiration once again!

Here's my muse for tonight. Isn't she beautiful? Peaceful, simple, clean, crispy, but packed with well-thought-out details. Mirrored hearth? BRILLIANT way to reflect light. Easy to clean. Blue pillows in the window seat? Gorgeous way to tie together the outdoors and indoors. All the elements are here....earth, air, wind, and fire. I'd say this is pretty much PERFECT. Enjoy this eye candy.  Sweet dreams. 

 To view larger, click here.

Les Fleurs

I don't like this picture. The yellow backdrop washes out the cross and casts a less than desirable tone on the arrangement. BUT I wanted to post it anyway. My sweet friend, Lindsay, asked me to arrange flowers for her grandfather's memorial service. Her relationship with him really encourages me to foster a relationship between my children and their three living grandparents, ALL OF WHOM LIVE IN NASHVILLE. Am I not blessed?!

LLJ, I was so honored to give back to you. Blessings on you, friend.

I need a quilt!

It's a chilly night in Nashvegas and I keep thinking about my previous post. That led me to a search for all things vintage and cozy. Lookee here what was under a couple of rocks! Great finds.
Vintage inspiration #1

Vintage inspiration #2

Word to the wise: check in to having any iron furniture sandblasted before you paint over the old paint. In many cases, it's lead paint. Pretty sure you don't want your children cutting their teeth on THAT!

Wanna be Herman Miller - wanna glee price

I took last week off. No time to browse, peruse, dig, waste time....just kidding. It's never a waste of time to dream! Between two new interiors jobs (yay!) and a flower job (yay again), and my three chickens, I was SWAMPED. In fact, I was SO busy that I missed out on a long-planned girls' trip to the beach. A moment of silence here, please. And many apologies to my dear friends for bailing at the last minute.

So....moving right along....aren't these fabulous? Each is Herman Miller's molded plastic armchair with eiffel tower base. Who knew plastic could be so FOXY?

Moderately priced (yeah, right) at $349 each

Molded plastic chair with eiffel tower base, $249/ea.

(So I put in the picture below just for a little "credit credit"...please note previous post from a year ago(!) here.)

I was all kinds of fired up to point you in the direction of overstock.com to find replicas of these chairs. But, dahlings, I've done better for you! Look at this DEAL OF THE DAY. HELLLLLLOOOOO... EIGHT of these babies?!

Someone should thank me after purchasing.

Oh, P.S., And before I forget - all images from www.hermanmiller.com

IRONing out the details

In short, I'm nostalgic. I LOVE an old iron bed. L-O-V-E. They tell stories of old times, back when people rocked on their front porches in a Mississippi July, the background a hum of window units running, a sweating glass of sweet tea in one hand and a paper fan in the other. (Said image is forever imprinted in my mind of pulling up to my grandparents' house in Brandon, MS.) The beds below are from various mags...Cottage Living, House Beautiful, etc. Sorry not to give proper credit where it's due. I'm working on that.

Pictures of these beds give me warm fuzzies.
They make me pine away for a beach retreat, a cottage somewhere in Maine where I can read and sip hot tea all day long, or the long-gone MS days of sweltering heat and lessons on how to grow "veh-behna" from Grandmother.

So here's today's find: iron bed.

Just needs a new paint job, a great quilt, and some little ones on top of it for whom you're making tactile memories.

This house keeps me up at night

This is my home some day. DREAM DESIGN I am in love with every single inch of it. There isn't anything I can add or say about it; it speaks for itself.

Please note that this house was featured in Cookie Magazine as of late. But my SUPER HOT FOXY MAMA friend, Katy Snow, sent it to me in 2009. CREDIT, CREDIT, Katy.

CREDIT, CREDIT

For any of you who know our family of five girls, you'll know that we're all credit mongers. I'm sure that stems from vying for attention growing up. You be the shrink. At any rate, in my previous house we used stainless steel subway tiles as the backsplash in the entire kitchen. MANY were unsure about this when I told them I was going to do it, but it turned out to be rock star fabulous! And finally, for my credit that's long overdue, lookee what is now on the scene in the world of tile:

Stainless Steel subway tile

http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/Somertile-Stainless-Steel-Subway-Porcelain-Mosaic-Tiles/4211247/product.html

Now that we've gotten that out of the way, here are others that J'ADOREEEEE!

http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/SomerTile-Penny-Marine-Porcelain-Mosaic-Tile-Sheets-Case-of-10/4564743/product.html?rcmndsrc=2

LOVE this for a beach home or kitchen with lots and lots of white.

http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/SomerTile-Samoan-Subway-Antique-Copper-Porcelain-Tiles-Case-of-10/4564890/product.html?rcmndsrc=2

Copper tile - think fireplace or gentelman's bathroom

http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/SomerTile-Penny-Lite-Green-Porcelain-Mosaic-Tile-Sheets-Case-of-10/4564996/product.html

I just can't get enough of these penny tiles. Again, I'd use in a beach cottage, a crisy bathroom, or kitchen.

http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/SomerTile-Square-Lantern-White-Glazed-Porcelain-Floor-and-Wall-Mosaic-Tile-Sheet-Case-of-10/4798935/product.html

This is super funky cool. I'd LOVE to do a bathroom floor in this.

And before I leave, for the benefit of my four sisters, may I say one last time, "CREDIT, CREDIT!"

Mod, mod baby

While looking for a fabulous coffee table for a friend, I ran across this one:http://nashville.craigslist.org/fuo/1722954732.html. It looks hum-drum here.

But then look at it in the bottom left-hand photo here (stylecarrot.com). It sings quite a different tune in this setting!

And as Brandon would say, "That's the way I roll."

A love letter to my daughter

My girl, Pallas.

Sweet girl, I want you ALWAYS to believe this about yourself. Please be F.R.E.E. from self-image issues. You have been created beautifully and perfectly. And you have the eyes and soul of an artist. I pray blessings on your life.

-----------

I LOVE this paiting for it's simplicity. And for its message that so many women can't believe about themselves. Thank you, Cathy Nichols. www.cathynichols.com

Copy cat

My fabulous, style-savvy friend, Becky, sent me these chairs:

http://nashville.craigslist.org/fuo/1717208557.html

I told her they're a no-brainer. Because look at these:

http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/Sal-Leather-Side-Chairs-Set-of-2/4423904/product.html?rcmndsrc=5

Think Cottage Living/Pottery Barn

$40? Are you kidding me? Painted white, pale pink, or mint green for a girl's room. Love the idea here of using a quilt on top.

http://nashville.craigslist.org/fuo/1719857920.html

A MARBLEous piece

The description alone makes me want to live somewhere in France and channel my inner Julia Child!

This is a one of a kind custom Italian Marble Bakers table. It was build for a high profile family in LA a number of years ago and would be a great addition to any home or commercial kitchen for baking fudge, bread, cakes; you name it.

http://nashville.craigslist.org/fuo/1711071089.html

If I were building a house today, I'd build my entire kitchen around this gorgeous piece. One can always dream...

A love-hate relationship

So I found these...I don't know if I should call them heinous or fabulous...tables. At first glance, I thought they were horrific. But I found myself thinking on them over the course of the next couple of hours. I've decided that if they were painted a lacquer white (or a bright pop of color like a lemon yellow), they would be SO very modern and would make THE statement of the entire room, if paired with just the right furnishings. They are completely random and sort of ugly, but I still sort of love them. I love-hate them, actually. Aren't they so very Warholesque?

http://nashville.craigslist.org/fuo/1719014325.html

P.S. Never, ever should they be used in the same room. Or even the same house. One could be fabulous. Two would be a completely unforgivable interiors catastrophe.

Rockabye Baby

A MUST for your nursery. Get it and just wait for the compliments to roll off your friends' tongues. Teach little one early, literally from the crib, to love great design! Here t'is:

http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/Vinnie-Cradle-Chair-Blue/4040634/product.html

After a long winter's nap...

I'm back from my hiatus, per the request of a couple of friends. Ah, I feel loved! So here's what I scouted today. The lines on this sofa are classic, timeless. A STEAL OF A PRICE! They would be worth the expense of recovering. A pair at this price is a rare find.

http://nashville.craigslist.org/fuo/1717824493.html