Happy Halloween

via, Gemma Comas photography

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Put A Cork On It

I've always been a fan of the cork / ribbon board. I love to look at what people put up as inspiration and their personal mementos. Here are some great examples of using them as a focal point.

This is an awesome application in formal panels above the breakfast table. What a great way to communicate with your family. Every member could have their own section.

Allesandra Branca - a fan of the ribbon board

Another Branca board

Love these alternatives to cork - clipboards and chicken wire and clothes pins , Who knew!

The top board is made from actual corks! You'd certainly have fun drinking all the bottles of wine you'd need to make this one.

How many of us grew up sticking pictures and notes to our vanity mirror? Here's a grown up version. I love it.

Wall pockets are a new trend. Very tailored and great for the neat freak who cannot tolerate the chaos of a conventional board.

No matter how you pull it off, inspiration, message or memento boards are a great personal touch to any interior.

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More Things I'm Grateful For - Cheese

Recently, I posted a list of things I was grateful for now that our country is broke. I’ve received so many emails and messages regarding this post that I thought I would share some of my thoughts about it.

I was surprised to see that, like me, although people are very nervous about their financial certainty, there is a pervading sense of deep relief among those who sent me messages. Many people are finding that they have been living a life that has been dictated by their peers. They shop, primp, eat and socialize not for themselves but to keep from being trampled under the stiletto clad, manicured feet of the millions of other wannabe’s they are racing against. In a society where the brand of your purse and sunglasses has become more important than your intellect or personality, the pressure of keeping up with the Jones’s has left us ready to blow! Now, impending financial doom has made it ok and even stylish to throw aside some of our materials trappings and focus on - dare I say it – living within our means!!!!!

Margie Boulé a columnist for The Oregonia, the daily paper in Portland, Oregon wrote me to say she read my post and was inspired to write this column in which she fondly remembers leaner times in her life.

She writes, “When my Volkswagen bug broke down, it sat parked in front of my tiny apartment for months, because I couldn't afford to have it repaired. I once ate cheese for two days because it was the only thing left in my refrigerator. It was one of the happiest times of my life. My friends and I spent a lot of time together. We had spontaneous, outlandishly creative parties. We shared food. We laughed all the time.”

I think we Americans have been falling down drunk on excess and materialism and we are just now beginning to sober up and see what fools we made of ourselves dancing on the table at the office party.

We are joining together in a collective sigh of relief that the constant pressure to have more, buy more, get more, is finally easing up. Now we can look forward to getting back to life as it should be, guided by a bit of sober reality that will keep us in check and hopefully prevent us from reverting back to our old ways when things pick up.

Thanks Margie...

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Window of the Week

I love this cornice and balloon shade. They are the perfect adornment for this beautiful bathtub view. Makes you want to add bubbles and soak.

Update: I am so excited to learn from a reader, The Collettes, that her mother is the artisan who made this treatment! It's much easier to identify the designer at times than the workroom that actually makes these designs come to life. Without a talented workroom good design would be impossible.

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Cascade Coil - New Age Drapery

Over the past few years I have seen many applications of , wire fabrics, chain mail or beaded string draperies or room dividers in stark modern interiors of restaurants or nightclubs. Recently I ran across these installations from Cascade Coil that use the product in an almost warm and cozy way.



The soft draping of these long panels surrounds each booth providing the hint of privacy and intimacy without isolation.




I love the way the product has been used in this residential application. Separate panels are juxtaposed to provide separation while maintaining an open feel to the loft space.


The creative mind never ceases to amaze me. Just when you think you have a particular product figured out someone will come up with a whole new way to use it.

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Bedroom of the Week

Great use of contrast - even down to the slippers!

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Which Blue Will Do?

Ok my bloggers, I need help!!! I'm trying to decide which Robert Allen fabric to use as the background on the cover of my new book. I've narrowed it down to eight choices all in various shades of blue. ( Yes, I know they are sort of boring but the idea is to be classic and timeless and to not detract from the illustrations and look similar to the first book - Ugh) The illustrations and graphics on these mock ups will be changed so this is not the final cover design. I will draw a main image that will coordinate and contrast with the background once it is selected.

Please, please, please, comment and give me your opinions, which one do you like?

Choice #1

Choice #2

Choice #3

Choice #4

Choice #5

Choice #6

Choice #7

Choice #8

Here is a side by side comparison.

Thanks for your help................

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