I just love having three daughters. They absolutely keep me young. My 12 year old just turned me onto this site. www.Delias.com This bedding would be perfect with the latest banner I just painted...looks like I'll be re-doing yet another room in my house.
Trilogy Model Home!
I received a nice email from my designer friend, Shelly, over at Trilogy Central Coast. www.trilogylife.com Trilogy is a beautiful community in Nipomo, CA. I was fortunate to meet Shelly when she came into my showroom a couple months ago. She was decorating one of the new models at Trilogy and needed a few finishing touches for a little girls room. We used my Cheetah and White Tiger Signature Banners above the bed and I also created a custom piece of art by painting the letter "A" on the glass of a frame. I used the fabric from the pillow sham behind the glass. I also used the fabric to create a custom foot stool in the vanity area, trimmed with pom pom fringe....so cute. We hung 2 gorgeous chandeliers from my friends at www.ilite4u.com. Here is the link to a virtual tour of the house Shelly did. The last room is where I was fortunate to work with her. Thank you Shelly! Virtual Tour
Scrumptious Shades!
OK how fabulous are these shades? Completely functional and whimsical. I adore when form follows function. I think that's all I really have to say about that.... :-) Enjoy! www.deliashades.com
Lighting Resources!
I carry several different lighting companies in my showroom but not every design project I have going suits one of those lines. Fortunately, through the age of the internet we can shop effortlessly on-line. Of course I always try to shop locally first but if I can't find what I'm looking for here then one of my favorite websites for lighting is Lighting Universe and actually one of my clients sent me to Shades Of Light this morning. I found it to be nice and easy to navigate through. Remember, lighting is the jewelry of your house, it should reflect your style and personality! 
Buckets and Pails...Oh My!
I just got off the phone with my friend, Crystal, who reminded me of a great product. The MacBeth Collection are fabric covered buckets and pails similar (but different) to The Gifted Pail which I carry at my showroom. It's always nice to have options though and their designs are so colorful and fun. The perfect room accessory to tuck away all those paint brushes! http://www.themacbethcollection.com
On a personal note, I've been gearing up for the Strawberry Festival this weekend. I've heard 150,000 people come through the Village where my showroom is...needless to say, I'm just a little panicked about that. Have a great Tuesday everyone!
Terrific Textiles!
Can you tell I've been recovering from two back to back events? Minimal posts this week! I'm looking forward to playing with my kids this weekend and seeing the new Shreck!
But we still have to work and luckily my work is fun. I've been working on new paintings and my own textile designs as well. This is how I came across Clare Nicolson. Her work is so vibrant and alive plus her website is adorable. http://www.clarenicolson.com Definitely worth a cup of tea and browsing through. Happy Friday everyone. Have a terrific weekend!
You Are My Sunshine!
I was inspired by a client to create a new painting for her nursery. "You Are My Sunshine!" works well in a little boy or a little girl's nursery. It was the theme I used when my oldest was born and is still special to us to this day. Beneath the painting I used letters from http://damboisedesigns.blogspot.com to show how you can use her letters to customise them to your room. I chose "Shine", not only because it works with the painting, but because it's a special word we would say before our dance performances (back in the day) and is sentimental to me because it makes me think of my angel, Miss Pat!
I carry Deb's letters in my showroom and plan to be having a class with them soon. So let me know if you're interested!
Also, thank you so much all of you who came to my Mother's Day Trunk Show! It was a crazy, fun evening and once again, I was so busy that I didn't take any pictures! grrrrr! Julie's jewelry was a tremendous hit and it was so exciting to see the community support her and her art...so thank you, thank you my good friends! xoxox
Gorgeous Glass Art!
About a month ago a very lovely lady came in to talk to me about her art. Her name is Michelle and she does beautiful glass mosaic art. She has studied a technique that I had never seen before which I thought was beautiful! What she does is create a collage on her base material and then uses glass pieces to mosaic on top of that. Of course it's much more complicated than that but you get the idea. She does beautiful mirrors and frames....just about anything your heart desires. She is available to do commission work as well. Shelley brought in this beautiful cross for me just the other day. She has incorporated all the things I love, like butterflies and birds, as well as my logo in the center of this beautiful piece. I'm so flattered and proud to have it hanging in my showroom. This is a great wedding, baby shower, anniversary, or birthday gift. As soon as she gets her website up and running I will let you all know. Until then you can contact Shelley at mybathingbeauty@aol.com. Have a great weekend everyone!
Wild Wood Wall Decor!
I'm always looking for unusual wall finishes. The folks at http://www.beearo.com have come up with a unique and fun applique made from wood veneer. They are meant for wall surfaces that are smooth and not heavily textured an they can be removed quite easily. Gotta' love this fresh approach to wall decor!
A Little French Chataeu!
It's official! After many discussions, my husband and I, along with my parents, have agreed to build a secondary house on our property for my parents to live in. My parents who live the next city over have just sold their house so we are in a full-court-press to get this project underway. When Bill and I designed and built our house 4 years ago we went with a predominately French architectural style. So it would make sense that we build my parents an adjoining little French Chateau! One of my favorite sites I like to send my new design clients to is http://www.homeportfolio.com. It's a fantastic site for ideas and resources especially at the beginning of a new project such as this. I highly recommend book marking this site if you have an inclination towards building or remodeling.
Kitch With Class!
Sometimes it's fun to mix up a little kitch with little class...I like these light fixtures from http://www.gnr8.biz. Great site to find unique and distinctive home items. Have a great Friday all and a very Happy Easter!
Eye Candy!
Goodness, Gracious! What a busy week! Running two businesses certainly can be hectic at times. I really enjoy commercial design, like the children's rooms I do, there is a lot of creativity in designing restaurants. Tom Reay from Omni in San Luis Obispo, is a great architect that has been working with me on the remodel of a local restaurant. He shot this website over to me last night. Eye candy! Enjoy...
http://ultraglas.com
Felt Fun-tastic!
Well, I started off the week a little silly so I'm going have to end it that way. Check out these adorable felt dot garlands avaiable at http://www.fredflare.com. Makes you just want to throw a party! Have a fun weekend everyone!
PS I was just interviewed by The Telegram Tribune HOME. They are doing a feature article on a home that I designed. It should be coming out in the next few weeks. I'll keep you posted!
Prrrrrrrrrrr!
I was helping a client today find some yummy fabric for a chair she wants to slip cover. I told her about one of my favorite textile designers, Amy Butler. I adore her designs! Amy has a new line out (below)....prrrrrrrr....yummy.... She is an inspiration! http://www.amybutlerdesign.com
PS Thank you for the lovely comments. I wish I wasn't such a dork and could figure out how to add links to my site. There are so many wonderful blogs out there. It has been a real pleasure to be noticed by some of them. :-)
Christmas in March?
I got to my showroom today and my neighbor handed me a Fed Ex box....from who? I thought...As I opened the box I could see bright pink tissue and ribbon....Not my birthday? Not Christmas? and who the heck do I know that lives in New Hampshire? Then inside, a beautiful little business card that says; "Thank You" on one side and a darling picture of a cut out letter on the other side....it was from my friend, I have yet to meet, Deb Damboise, all the way from the other side of the country....inside each precious little package were samples of her cut letters.... Of Course I Will Have To Carry Her Letters In My Showroom! I'm feeling a fun class is in order as well. What an artistic inspiration!!! Thank you Deb!!! http://damboisedesigns.blogspot.com
Bella Notte Beautiful!
My grandmother was a textile designer, artist, and a master at knitting...I'm sure that is why I have such a passion for beautiful linens. I have been on a quest for years, to find the most beautiful linens out there. For a while I have had my eye on Bella Notte. I just contacted the rep. for my area to set up a meeting...I have to touch and learn more about these gorgeous pieces. Hopefully that will be soon! http://www.bellanottelinens.com
The Perfect Accessory!
I had a funny conversation with two architects that I'm working on a restaurant remodel with. We were talking about the lighting plan and due to the height of the ceilings there are some limitations placed on what we can select...OK, that's not the funny part...they both were obviously not thrilled to give me their input. They equally felt that they just really dreaded the task of finding appropriate lighting...I just had to chuckle at that. As a female designer, I shared with them that I see light fixtures as that perfect accessory. They either make or break the outfit...jewelry, if you will... They both look at me as if I was crazy... I think at our next meeting I should present these neon fixtures as my choice for our Italian restaurant make over...that would be hilarious! These are pretty fun though... http://litebriteneon.com
I Design
What a great website with excellent, contemporary design! I came across this site through http://www.idesigndistribution.com. They represent Israeli designers who make original, quality products. This is certainly worth a cup of coffee and looking around. I just loved the children's sofas at http://www.shanihay.com.
Cherry Blossoms In The Air!
I've been working on a lot of new art lately. In designing children's rooms with the House, Inc. bedding line, I started to realize that there is no existing wall decor that looks beautiful with it. One of my client's asked me to do a piece around the Cherry Blossom room that we designed, so I did, and here it is. I chose to do it 16" × 20" because this is a very nice size for a child's wall. It's on canvas and has tiny crystals glued inside each white blossom. Each piece can be personalized too! I carry all the House, Inc. line in my showroom and have been creating the wall decor to go with it. I'm leaning towards a more sophisticated graphic like the one I did here so that it can be a peice of art that will have the longevity to work even as the child grows. PS Cherry Blossoms are the symbol of a new beginning....I just love that. http://www.houseinc.com
Dash & Albert!
I received the new Dash & Albert catalog today and really liked what I saw. Dash and Albert is a rug manufacturer that I carry at the showroom. They compliment the Pine Cone Hill bedding. It's a casual line which is perfect for our little beach town. Kaffe Fasset (fabulous designer who designs for Pine Cone Hill and other manufacturers) has also designed rugs for this line. His colors are vibrant and fun! You can check it out here. http://www.dashandalbert.com
OK let's dish on Top Design....I think I'm done with this show. At least they left the PCDC for their shopping and went to... Peir 1...what is that? How about the funky garment district, not posh Pindler and Pindler for fabric? Girl, if you can't find the perfect fabric there, you are in the wrong business... Nothing negative about about P & P, they are divine, but where's the creativity in this show? Makes one wonder if it's more about the advertisers then actually about design. arrrrrgggggg....disappointing.