I'm late to the Jonathan Adler party but I heart him

Sometimes in life you fail to see the beauty that is right in front of your face. This is the case for me with designer and bon vivant Jonathan Adler. I have been to his website many times. I have admired his classic talent and sense of humor so vividly on display in his interiors but I have failed to consider the man himself.



I am not of fan of design competition shows so I don't watch him on TV ( this must change) and I did not buy his book ( this also will be remedied ). Today, following up on a post from a random home dec email showcasing a patent leather JA chair, I took another look at his website and I went past the obvious to really explore it in depth. What I found was pure, hysterical, entertainment! Am I the last to know? Probably. Have you all seen this before? Probably. But for the sake of those few who have not had the pleasure here is what I found under the heading:

Our 10 Commandments for a Happy Home

Ok, is this available on a poster or wallpaper? I think I need to read it as a mantra every morning. What a fabulous way to look at interiors and design - it's not brain surgery - it's about creating a happy and harmonious environment in which to spend your days and nights along the journey of life. I just love his take on design.

Under the heading of "Musings" Mr. Adler exstoles his new found love for country music in a hilarious tribute that makes me want to run to the store and buy a Brad Paisley album.

After this I hit the button taking me to his blog for The Hufington Post. Another glimpse into the hysterical mind of this colorful and entertaining guy.

In a world where we take things so seriously it's nice to be reminded that we are supposed to be having fun here. Life is meant to be enjoyed and we can all use a dose of humor every once in a while. Thanks, JA for making my day a bit brighter.



On an unrelated topic - Blogger has a bug up it's ass today and won't format my text correctly. Sorry for the weirdness.

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Pop the Cork - I'm Done !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hallelujah and Hazah! After an entire year of drawing and coloring illustrations 24/7 for the new book I have just finished coloring the last picture! I can't tell you what a momentous occasion this is for me. These books are so time consuming that each project literally takes over every waking hour of my life. Now don't get me wrong - I enjoy doing it and I am passionate about the subject matter but anything can get old when you're doing it every day!

All that's left to do now is to pack up my original illustrations and ship them off to the publisher tomorrow to be scanned. This is the really scary part because if "god forbid", "knock on wood", etc. something should happen to them in transit there is no back-up! So please send out your kind thoughts and prayers to the mail god''s for their safe journey.



If you've ever wondered what it takes to put together a massive 585 page illustrated book, here is a glimpse. The camera does not do these binders justice as they are 5 inches wide and weigh about 10 pounds each!

There is one binder that contains all of my original, black and white line drawings. A second binder contains all of my original color illustrations and a third that holds the printed manuscript which is essentially a rough layout of the book with text and illustrations combined.



In all it's about thirty pounds of book! This will eventually condense down to the six pound, hard cover, finished product. I still have six months ahead of me working with my wonderful editor Madge (yes, that is her real name) and the book designer to finalize the layout and text so I'm not truly "finished" but the hard part is behind me.

I can't wait to be able to show all of you the finished book when it rolls of the presses next fall. I think it is better than the first one!

I was planning on slugging back a few champagne cocktails in celebration when I finished but my handsome husband is out of town, my darling daughter is off at college and my sweet sister just left for the beach. So it's just me and the dogs. Maybe I'll just get them drunk!

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Bargain Books

Those of you who know me well can attest to my overall "cheapness" - a quality that I embrace wholeheartedly! I love to hunt for bargains and one of my favorite things to look for are inexpensive design books.

Here are three new books that I bought yesterday at Tuesday Morning, a discount store here in the West ( I'm not sure of the scope of it's territory across the country but if you have one in your town go there immediately!)

I usually buy discounted home accessories there but every once in a while they will get a shipment of books. You never know what will be in the pile but it's fun to see what you can find and how much you can save. For example, these books were priced as follows:

The House in Bloom
Sold new for $19.99 + tax
Sold on Amazon for $5.00 + shipping
Bought at Tuesday Morning for $3.99 + tax

Living with the Seasons
Sold new for $27.50 +tax
On Amazon for $18.15 + shipping
Bought at Tuesday Morning for $3.99 + tax

The Fabric Style Book
Sold new for $ 17.95
On Amazon for $14.36
Bought at Tuesday Morning for $5.99 + tax

Total cost: $13.97 + tax ( That's just two trips to Starbucks Joni!)

I also buy discounted books regularly at ROSS, TJ MAXX, & Marshall's
Borders also has a great discount section where you can find larger, more expensive volumes deeply discounted.

Tip: Always ask for an additional discount if the book cover or sleeve is damaged or torn. I have never walked away without at least an additional 10% off!

Happy Hunting!

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Office Project - Making Slow Progress

I've been making very slow progress on my office remodel over the past two months. Finishing my bedding book and getting my daughter ready for college have take every waking minute of my time and this "quick" face lift, which I thought would take a few weeks, has turned into a never ending project. The progress that I have made has been well worth it. The space is bright and cheerful now and much more user friendly. I cut down the size of my huge desk and changed it's direction which helped with the flow. Here are some before and after photos to show you my slow progress towards a finished room.


So far I've managed to get the cabinets and new woodwork on the fireplace painted. This proved to be a much more complicated process than I could have imagined as my supposedly "legal" painter was arrested and deported mid-way through the job and I was left to do most of the work myself. It's amazing what a crisp new coat of white paint can do for cabinets. The "before" paint was a neutral light tan color that was perfect for my showroom but did not do anything for the cabinets when they were installed in my house.


The ugly china hutch was also painted white and now blends in well with the other cabinetry. I like the way it adds a unique outline to the otherwise plain cabinets. I hate to have everything look the same especially when dealing with lots of built-ins in one room. Nothing is as boring as walls and walls of identical cabinets and shelves. Mix it up a bit!


New can down lights have added a substantial amount of light to the room which was one of my main complaints that needed to be addressed. Two new hanging fixtures will eventually be hung over the desk. I hung one and ran into an electrical problem with the new wiring so I am now waiting for that to be resolved.

After the painting was finally finished the wallpaper was hung. Thankfully, my paper hanger is 100% American and did not have to flee the country mid- job. I love the paper - it is so bright and lively!!


The floor now consists of the chipboard paneling sub-floor until I can afford to put in the wood that I have installed in the rest of the house. My miniature dachshund Marty likes to use it as a scratching post! At least I got rid of the awful tan carpeting! Even ugly plywood is better than that was.

Hopefully I will be able to finish it soon. Window treatments still need to be designed and fabrics chosen. The hanging fixture problem needs to be resolved and the floors need to be completed. I also need to find the perfect upholstered desk chair which seems to be alluding me.

After over 20 years in this business I am still amazed how no project for my own home ever goes smoothly! Ce la Vie.!

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I'm Loving - Bell Jars

Recently I have developed an obsession with bell jars. Although I only own a few of my own I seem to be spotting them everywhere.
These three classic cloche jars are from Barreveld International and DK Living , one of my favorite sources. They are a, "to the trade only", source for glass, garden, and tabletop accessories as well as a myriad of other yummy do-dads. They offer a large variety of shapes and sizes.



Glass artist extraordinaire, Andy Paiko, produces fantastical creations under glass that redefine the lowly bell jar.

Artist Katherine Gray takes a whimsical approach to this classic element using shape and color to great effect.




On a more practical ( or should I say affordable) note, even West Elm has stepped it up a notch with these interestingly shaped cloche jars.



While these beauties are not truly bell jars but cheese or dessert plates they are still in the same vein. (Neiman Marcus)

Doesn't everything look better under glass? (Neiman Marcus)

Even the long reigning queen of chunky wrought iron, Jan Barboglio throws her hat in the glass topped ring with her line of serving dished avaialble at Neimen Marcus.

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San Francisco Bound

Getting my daughter ready to move to college in San Francisco has been fun but it's also been a full time job for the past two months (one of the may reasons my posting has been so lacking ) . Shopping, shopping and more shopping for bedding, clothes, and lots of useless crap she doesn't really need! Did you have a TV and DVD player in your dorm? How about a pink laptop? I know I didn't. Worrying about every little detail and setting up all of the essentials for her new life on her own has been exhausting.

We are finally leaving on Wednesday and we have crammed some of her new belongings into four, very large, packing boxes which had to be pre-shipped, since we are flying, to the hotel where my husband and I are staying ( Thanks UPS) .



She has "severely limited" her collection of clothing to three, large, grotesquely overstuffed suitcases which threaten to explode at any minute. She has enough clothing to outfit the entire dorm and then some.

Thankfully we are flying on Southwest so we don't have to pay extra for her gargantuan luggage! Thank you Southwest - this means a lot to me.


We had to rent a min-van so we can schlep all of her junk from the airport to the hotel and then form the hotel to the dorm. I still have no idea how we are going to get her giant 68 pound boxes up to her room but then again that's my husbands problem! I didn't want to be "those parents" who let their spoiled kid bring way too much stuff, but I think I lost that battle about a month ago.

It is so exciting to see her having so much fun getting ready for school. I only hope she enjoys attending classes half as much. Living in a big city like San Francisco is going to be a big change for her but I think she will take to it. If not - sorry - but tough luck because I am not moving all of this stuff back home!

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Best Book Buys for Fall

Even with high gas prices and a troubled economy I have to find a few bucks to spend on the new crop of design books coming out this fall. Here are a few on my wish list.











I can't decide which one is going to be my favorite, although I love the covers of a few of them. The giant airbrushed glamor shot of Barclay Butera is a bit disturbing - I'd rather look at photos of his two mini-dachshunds or his classic interiors.

Happy Reading!

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