New Keyboard & Colorful Fabric Combinations

Hi, I'm finally back in business!!!

I've been crippled for the past couple of months by a worn out keyboard on my laptop. Not to mention my procrastination in replacing it. My Letter N broke months ago and I managed to repair it ( thanks to advice from my buddy Joni) but it was just never the same. It either skipped completely or registered multiple N's at the same time. You would never believe how many N's there are in the average sentence!!! I had to type my text and then go back and add in the N's painstakingly by hitting the N key about a hundred times to produce one single freaking N. I took my computer into the Sony service center to have them replace the keyboard and they told me that I had to buy the replacement part online and then bring it back to be installed. HUH?????? What the heck! I cannot believe how hard it is to get anything done these days.

Anyway, of course this led to more procrastination in ordering the part, and total inaction on my part. Finally I ordered the part online convinced I was buying some weird generic keyboard that would not fit and could not be returned. To my surprise it arrived and looked like my old keyboard only white and clean unlike my old one which is now stained a nice creamy dirt color.

So, here I was last night with my shiny new keyboard and the prospect of having to schelp back down to the Sony store to have it installed for another $100 bucks and I decided to figure it out on my own ( with technical support from my husband of course) I had been assured months earlier when my N key first gave out by Joni, of Cote de Texas that I could fix it myself - so armed with that confidence I dove in. I looked up instructions given by some random guy who claimed to have the secret ( didn't get his name) on the internet and began removing the 185 screws that held the back plate in place. I swear every screw was a different shape and size and I had no idea how I would be able to put this thing back together. I tried to make a crude diagram of the back plate and tape each screw down to its approximate location so I would have a slim chance of getting them back in their appropriate location.

Half way through the screw removal surgery my husband suggested that I should probably look up an official site for instruction to which I said - I don't need to do that I know exactly what I'm doing! So when he came back two minutes later with his laptop and the official instructions that showed that I had just removed 50 extra screws that I shouldn't have he was victorious! I put back the unnecessarily removed screws as best as I could according to my non-official diagram and the removed the ones that the official instruction page told me to.

Okay, I know this is getting boring but I am just so happy to be able to type all of this effortlessly that I am running on. Anyway, I finally figured it all out and got the case open, popped out the old keyboard, put in the new one, and put the back plate back on along with the numerous screws.

Only two problems arose. I dropped a minuscule screw into a crevice while trying to put it in it's hole and it is now inside my laptop in an inappropriate place that I cannot get to and it will surely cause my laptop to catch on fire or explode in days to come. Secondly, I got all of the screws back into the back plate until the last one for which I had only 1 screw left and it does not fit? What the hell! I will hold on to it so when the screw rolling around inside ( by the way I don't know where that one is supposed to go either) breaks something that I have to be repaired by professionals, maybe they can find a home for it.

Bottom line: Yes my new laptop keyboard is working beautifully but that may end at any moment due to faulty screw application or the metal time bomb that I let fall into my computers guts. There are some things that are perhaps best left to the professionals!



Colorful Combinations Check out these fabulously upholstered beds by the UK company Belle Maison.


They use a lot of Tricia Guild fabrics and have such a great eye for matching patterns that you would never think could blend together.

These pictures make me want to paint my entire house white and throw in bright colors. Maybe once the recession is over!

I love this colorway! Delicious.


This is the tame version. Personally I like the more vibrant beds.

Thanks for sticking with me during my blogging lag. Now that my keyboard is working I hope to be posting regularly again. Stay Tuned!!!!

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March Madness

The month of March is ussually a busy one for me but this year is off the charts!



First , I want to say Happy Birthday to my sister Julie. Julie is a sewing fanatic and she loves to make quilts and clothes for her daughter. This picture is a cake believe it or not! ( couldn't find the source but it is amazing!) Julie and I learned how to sew on an ancient pedal machine that looked a lot like this one. We have spent some great times together over the years shopping for fabrics and looking for bargains. She was my inspiration when it came to learning how to sew and we still have a great time sharing projects with each other.

Next, I'm off to San Diego, my old college town, for the weekend with my husband and some friends. Yes, it's shocking! I'm taking a couple of days off for some actual fun!! I haven't had any time off for quite awhile which is my own fault since I am a total workaholic. I'm hoping the weather will cooperate but they are predicting rain! YUK. Oh, well I will just have to do more shopping then.


When I get home it will be time for my adorable daughter to arrive home from San Francisco for Spring Break... Can't wait to see her and hang out together. I miss her so much, but luckily I am so busy the time between visits goes by quickly.


Then I'm off to the east coast to teach my first two-day course on window treatment design at The Custom Home Furnishings Academy in Charlotte, NC.

I'm so excited to finally begin teaching here. The Academy is the destination for hands on education in the field of soft furnishing design and construction. If you have any interest in learning more about design or how to construct professional soft treatments you should look into the courses offered. My class is being held on March 20 and 21 and you can learn more about it here. There is still time to enroll in my class, if you are interested please contact the school.


I'll be home in time to catch the International Textiles Expo which, thankfully, is being held here in Las Vegas!



Last but certainly not least, March 31 is a huge event in my life - the launch of the Jackie Von Tobel modules for Minutes Matter & Studio. We've been working on this one for a year and it's finally ready to launch. Please join us for our big online party, but be sure to pre-register here at www.minutesmatter.com.

I won't bore you with the million other things I have to accomplish before the month is over... but if you are wondering why I am not posting very often lately, now you know why!!!!

Have a great March!

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I got Mail

I got a fantastic surprise in the mail today - the first test strike offs of my fabric designs from Adaptive Textiles. It is amazing how quickly they can produce the finished product once they receive the art work. These are very rough - first test efforts printed on a fine cotton sateen. They don't look half bad if I do say so myself.



Now, I will be working on color variations and backgrounds. I have to say, this is the most fun I have ever had at work. I'm hooked!

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Fabric Design - More Lessons Learned

I've been working 24 -7 on my signature fabric designs for Adaptive Textiles for the past two weeks. It has taken some serious research and experimentation that I am sure will continue for some time before I really figure this out. I've been having a blast though as this is one of those great projects that lets you be truly creative with no boundaries ( okay just a few boundaries - but no bitchy client) .



My first step was to decide what medium to use to produce the original art. Not being much of a painter I was reluctant to go for tubed paints and instead figured out a way to put my giant collection of colored pencils to work. I separated all of my water soluble pencils and made a color reference chart. This was essential to keep myself from going crazy trying to relocate a pencil once I had used it as the wet colors are very different from the dry pencil colors. Each pencil was charted and referenced with its number. ( I am awaiting delivery of a now justified - new 120 color set of watercolor pencils - Yummmyyyyy !!!)



The first set of designs is representative of the patterns that I used in illustrating the window treatments in my first book. They are tentatively named after my daughter ( Angelica) and my sisters. I haven't thought of a name for the whole collection yet - any ideas?
The collage shown above is put together to show how the mock ups of the first patterns correspond to the illustration that inspired them. This one is the cover of my book.


Here several individual motifs are combined together to form a stripe. Backgrounds will be added later. ( once I figure out how to produce them!)




I really like this geometric pattern.

One of the biggest challenges is to design motifs that can be linked together or grouped effectively in repeats on the face of the fabric. This one was particularly challenging and took quite a few tries before I got it right.




This collection is inspired by the design that will be in the first set of workroom instructions produced by Minutes Matter.
I am already seeing a trend in the shapes and motifs that I am drawn to, I tend to group things symmetrically which is a hard habit to break. I have to work hard to fight my basic impulses or everything will turn out looking exactly the same.

This is a fun damask pattern. I have to figure out how to produce a washy looking background. That is my next challenge. Ink Jet printing is very different from silk screening or hand blocking ad I am trying to produce patterns that are uniquely suited to the process.


Here are some of my original watercolor motifs ready to be shipped of to Adaptive. The images look so much brighter on the computer screen - I am hoping that they will end up much more subtle and sophisticated once they are printed on fabrics. Thank God for Photoshop!!!

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Tozai Home & Tony Duquette

I spent most of the day at the World Market Center in Las Vegas looking for new trends and captivating new products. This seasons show was markedly toned down due to the economy but one standout was the Tozai Home showroom.



Dressed up in what I can only assume is an homage to designer Tony Duquette the showroom was a rich collage of color and texture highlighted by malachite wallpaper and faux coral everywhere.


Brightly colored pottery mixed with blue and white porcelain set the tone throughout the showroom.

A fabulous set of chairs covered in velvet leopard print where the focal point of the main window.



While Tozai does not carry any products designed by Duquette they are certainly in love with his aesthetic. They are the distributor on the West Coast for designer John Derian one of my fav's.




Here a table is set with one of Duquettes signature malachite patterned table cloths. His love of richly colored and textured surfaces prompted him to master the art of eclecticism. Mixing almost any material, pattern, period, etc. to great effect. His interiors where at once complicated yet at the same time comforting.



Over his long career he designed theatrical costumes, jewelry, movie sets, hotels and just about everything else you could think of. Here is a beautiful brooch he designed in his signature colors.


Duquettes own residence "Dawnridge" in Beverly Hills was a testament to style and dramatics. I've always loved this view looking down a long hallway to a somewhat satirical mural of a manservant at the end, ready to cater to the viewers every need. Fantasy seemed to be a way of life for the designer.


The design of his Malibu, California Ranch showed his deep love for Chinoiserie and high drama. Sadly it was destroyed by fire in 1993.




The recently released, self titled biography of Duquette, written by his long time creative partner Hutton Wilkinson, has been a rousing success. It's influence has been seen across the board in the design and retail marketplace with many a shop window styled to reflect his designs.




He says his objective in writing the book, which he also says was very difficult to get published due to an overall lack of interest by many publishing houses, was to chronicle the genius of his mentor and to show his talents to the world. While these kinds of books inspire many creative individuals and help to mold their own design signature, one famous design icon has taken it a bit too far. Apparently, Wilkinson is suing fashion designer Michael Kors for using Duqettes name and images from the book without permission to promote Kors new line of resort wear. It will be very interesting to see what the outcome of this lawsuit is.

I don't know the details but it is an age old question. Where does inspiration end and plagiarism begin?

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Beautiful Beds from Jacqueline Adams

I love to stalk 1st dibbs on a regular basis looking for new beds and furniture that I can lust after. One of my favorite vendors is Jacqueline Adams Antiques in Atlanta. They have a fabulous selection of both painted and upholstered beds that I love!!!


I adore the painted finish and decorative scenes painted on this lovely bed frame. The aged finish is fantastic.
This style is the precursor to today's upholstered, arm chair style headboards.




The caning on this bed is beautiful and looks to be in great condition. I love the distressed finish and patina.




This one is my favorite. It looks like it should be placed in one of Brooke Giannetti 's beautifully designed bedrooms shown on Velvet & Linen. I would love to design bedding for all of these gorgeous beds but for now I'll just have to dream about them.

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Designing Fabric - Lessons Learned

Lesson Number One: Everything is always harder to do than it looks.

Anytime I have ever said to myself, "I can do that", has lead to a long and very laborious learining process.

Here are my first attempts at creating interchangeable motifs for my new line of fabric for Adaptive Textiles. To me they are obvious, bunchy, and crowded but I have no objectivity when it comes to my own work!Lesson Number Two: It takes at least 10 or 15 try's at creating different color combination's in Photoshop before you find one you don't absolutely hate.


While the final renderings will be done in ink and watercolor, I decided to form the color palette in photoshop first as a guide - Smart move! I think it will save a lot of time and several levels of frustration.

This Studio 3.0 rendering of one of my drapery designs using the rough fabric mock up was made by the super talented Casey Green of Minutes Matter. It is great to be able to visualize the pattern in use as you are designing it.


Lesson Number Three: Drawings look completely different in black and white than when they are colored in.



Lesson Number Four: This process may take me some serious time and effort before I figure out what I am doing! But it looks like it's going to be fun........

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