Tuesday, 16 June 2009

Sunday, 14 June 2009

Inspirational Goods

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I'm always looking for inspiration for new designs, colors, trends, etc. Here are two fabulous sources that I am currently crushing on.




This beautiful line of fragrance products from Lollia Life, is designed by Margot Elena. She has designed products for Restoration Hardware, Disney and Red Envelope as well as for her own company Archive.


I am absolutely in love with the packaging. Her choice of motifs, patterns, and colors combine to create such a beautiful and soothing collection of images that makes me crave her products.





I particularly adore the collection of candles with their accompanying crystal embellishments. The peacock, bees, and florals are so delicate and refreshing - I love it.
These fantastic cuffs from Erickson Beamon are beautifully composed. Their colors are so crisp and happy. You can find them on Net-A-Porter.

These stunning pieces are made by Bijoux Heart - also available on Net-A-Porter. Every piece they design is more beautiful than the next.




Isn't this ring to die for? Delicious....





I'm also inspired by this collection of rings from Rings Eclectic and Roberto Cavalli.

And then there is this beauty !

I hope you find these as inspiring as I did. Enjoy!

Friday, 12 June 2009

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Rachel Ashwell - Grace Under Pressure

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No matter what you design aesthetic is there is probably something about Rachel Ashwell and her signature Shabby Chic look that inspires you. I bought her books and stopped by her flagship store in Santa Monica every time I was in town. I admired her for turning nothing into something by popularizing junking and re purposing almost anything.



She was my first introduction to slip covers as a cool design element and not just something your great grandmother used. I loved her do-it-yourself attitude, she was not afraid to get her hands dirty and encouraged her fans to try everything and to never be afraid of making mistakes as they were part of the beauty of the finished project. She made thrifting and yard sales into a new form of social experience.



I just ran across her blog the other day - I didn't even know she wrote one - and I was stunned at what I was reading. I had no idea that her company was going into chapter 11 or that her stores were closing. I began reading and was filled with overwhelming sadness as she recounted the sad journey her company and her life have taken over the past year. Throughout all of her posts documenting the loss of her beloved mother, the closing of her stores, her production facility and the loss of her employees, she has a resolutely positive and philosophical attitude. For someone who rose to such extreme heights of her industry to once again find herself with an uncertain future like the rest of us to remain so gracious and inspiring is a testament to her true nature.




She talks a bit about doors opening and closing, she mentions a new book , and she looks forward to an unplanned life. In this age of such uncertainty I am grateful to have read about her experiences. It reminds us to never take anything for granted and to always pay attention to the things we love most, family and friends.


I am sure we have not heard the last from Ms Ashwell. She is a formidable talent and I am sure she will rise from this setback to once again inspire the world.

Read her inspiring blog here

Monday, 8 June 2009

What a Great Idea! - Layered Roman Shade

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Super talented fabric wiz, Liz Ware of Details Pattern Company has produced a pattern for this truly innovative layered roman shade. Each scalloped layer is pulled up behind one another as the shade is raised creating a a great stacked effect at the bottom.




Looks like you would have to be very careful with your fabric selection but otherwise it seems to be a simple design. Isn't it crazy how something can seem so obvious once someone has done the hard work to figure it out! Thanks Liz, I'm sure we'll be seeing a lot of your design in the future.



Her pattern is available now on her website Details Pattern Company





Liz is most notable for her fine detailing and tailoring as seen in these designs. I've always loved these floral tiebacks and long to make some but I haven't had the time.




Loved this tacked back scalloped facing at the leading edge of this panel. Using buttons to hold the fabric in place is a great idea.




This very subtle and tailored version of the shirred cuff heading is wonderful.

Can't wait to see what you dream up next Liz, Keep it coming....

Friday, 5 June 2009

Wednesday, 3 June 2009

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I''ve Been Searching For You For So Long!!

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I love a skirted vanity table. There is nothing more feminine and indulgent to place in a bedroom or dressing room. Over the years I have had bases made by my carpenter or I have redressed antique bases but I have never been able to find a source for new table bases that are sturdy enough to withstand daily use.



Once a vanity is skirted it is very heavy and the weight of the fabric can buckle a cheap table base. What is the use of fabricating a beautiful table skirt if it is unusable?




Meet my new friend from Ready to Cover ! She is sturdy, made from furniture quality MDF, no cheap particle board here. She is finished, sanded, and ready to paint. The boxed base makes her sturdy and able to hold the weight of the most complex and multi-layered skirts. She comes with a knee hole that is hiding a storage shelf inside.
And what's that peaking out from under the table top - a drawer? Hallelujah... Available in four sizes from 30" wide to 40" wide.


They have even designed fabulously clever arms to which the skirt is attached. These arms swing out to easily expose the drawer and storage beneath for quick access. Fantastic!!!


The finished product is not only beautiful but sturdy, durable and functional..I am so impressed with this table I can't wait to try one out. Ready to Cover also sells the glass tabletop protectors to fit all of their tables.



The vanity table has some siblings which include ready to cover round table bases in two styles; the standard four legged table (I've never been a fan of this design as they can be unstable on carpet and the legs can loosen over time)



The big sister of the four legged table is this sturdy, well built, MDF, box style table with storage shelves. This table will carry considerable weight and will be as stable as any traditional wood bedside table. I love this !!! It's available in a multitude of sizes from 18" to 36" round.

On top of great design and construction, all of these items are extremely well priced.

They also offer premade upholstered screen bases a, headboard bases, and cornice forms.



Update: Just received this email from Ready to Cover

Hi Jackie, I just stumbled across your wonderful post…thank you so much for mentioning us!

I wanted to let you know we have a free TRADE membership for interior designers / decorators which includes discounted pricing and a nice printed brochure (in progress!) as well the ability to order cornice boards (cornices aren’t available to consumers)

Those were some nice skirted photos you found, I really like that first one and am trying to work with a local upholster to get one made so we can put photos on our site.

In the blog post I noticed in the description you mentioned “Meet my new friend from Ready to Cover ! She is sturdy, made from furniture quality MDF, no cheap particle board here. She is finished, sanded, and ready to paint. The boxed base makes her sturdy and able to hold the weight of the most complex and multi-layered skirts. She comes with a knee hole that is hiding a storage shelf inside.”

Our vanity tables are actually made from cabinet grade plywood – which is actually even stronger than MDF! I believe quality is important which as you mentioned is a big factor when skirting a table as well and that’s why we use the heavy duty stuff on all our tables (except the MDF kit you have pictured at the bottom)

Thanks for the Update!

Wednesday, 27 May 2009

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Unsung Heros - Thanks a Zillion

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When I travel and meet with people who have my books it is such a thrill for me to hear how much they have enjoyed them and how they are making their jobs a bit easier. I always think about all of the work that goes into writing a book and what it takes to bring it to market.

My Fabulous Editor - Madge Baird

When you first decide to write a book, especially one that is going to end up being almost 600 pages with thousands of illustrations, charts, graphs, etc, you really have no idea how much work it is going to require. You also don't know that it would be an impossible goal to achieve without the help of a very talented and hard working team of people who actually know what they are doing to help you along the way. My main miracle worker at Gibbs Smith Publisher is my editor Madge Baird.
Yes, her name is Madge - isn't that perfect?!! If you looked up the word editor in an encyclopedia I think you would find her picture. I love telling people that my editors' name is Madge - it sounds so literary! She is an amazing women who has put together my two books so beautifully from the raw (sometimes very raw) materials that I have given her. I am so excited for you to see what she has done with the Bedding book - it's fabulous. Anyway, thank you Madge from the bottom of my heart for making my dreams come true. I hope we can create more beautiful books together soon.


The Adorable Melissa Dymock


My next hero is Melissa Dymock, she's the one holding the "We Work for Books" bag! She has the unpleasant task of keeping all of my illustrations and other content for the book in order. This is no small task. For each book there are about 2600 drawings, half in color, half in black and white. They have to be number separately for the manuscript and then re-numbered for the CD-Rom. She is the poor soul that has to hound me to find or re-draw missing images that I swear I had included but of course I have not! I don't envy her task because it drives me crazy doing it on my end and I think I know where everything is. For her it must be like putting together a giant jigsaw puzzle. Thanks Melissa! I'll be mailing that surprise I promised you soon...

I also appreciate the support and encouragement I have received from Suzanne Taylor and Christopher Robbins, two of the big wigs at GS. I think they took quite a chance on me in the beginning as my book was definitely not the norm for them. It had no beautiful glossy photographs or fancy prose. Just hundreds of drawings of window treatments. I am so thankful that they had the vision to see that there just might be something there.

There are many others at Gibbs Smith whom I have never met that contribute to putting my books together and I would like them all to know how grateful I am.

Writing and illustrating my books has been such a fabulous experience for me and it has opened so many doors and allowed me to meet so many wonderful people that I would never have encountered without it.

If you have a dream - don't be afraid to follow it - it could just lead you into a whole new world full of fun.........