Seasons Greetings

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Jan Showers Blog ~ Who Knew

Why am I always the last to know??? I think I have an idea of what's going on in the world around me but really I have no clue!

I just stumbled on to Jan Showers blog! I had no idea she had one and for over a year already. You'd think I would be paying attention but no.After all she is one of my all time favorite designers because she is a master fabric manipulation and bedroom design. Her bedrooms are light and airy yet cozy and welcoming. Her wonderfully tailored half testers are the inspiration for many of the designs in my book, The Design Directory of Bedding.



Everything she does has a fabulous crispness to it. Her furniture designs are amazing and her window treatments, perfection.



I am in awe of her new book Glamorous Rooms. The photos are stellar.



But what really blows me away is the back cover ~ animal print with no text! Oh, to have a publisher that would let me get away with that! How fabulous.


I intend to become a regular blog stalker and if you didn't know about her blog you can join me stalking her here.

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Happy Coincidence

I was surprised to learn earlier this week that I had won a prize from Paris Hotel Boutique one of my favorite online stores. It arrived yesterday and contained two lovely little candle pots from Voluspa. I don't know what is cuter the candle pot or the packaging. They take the phrase "good things come in small packages" literally. I just adore the colors and the labeling. Thank you Lynn, I will put them to good use!



Coincidentally in the same batch of mail was my travel documents and itinerary for my trip to Germany and Germany & Paris!!!! So not only was I going to be able to smell some yummy Parisian goodness from my new candles but I had my tickets to Paris in my hot little hands. It seems my planets were aligning.


Then today one of my best friends, Danette, gave me this fabulous Tori Burch makeup bag which will be perfect for my trip. It was a day of happy coincidences.

I hope you have some wonderful moments of your own this weekend!!

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Las Vegas Goes Literary

Looks who's come to town at the new Crystals mall at City Center in Las Vegas ~ famed bookseller and publisher Assouline. I can hear my library shelves quivering with excitement as we speak.

A tiny portion of their vintage book selection ~ I swoon!

It's hard to even browse in this store without feeling that your literary collection is woefully inadequate. I could have bought everything on the shelves. Assouline is among the select few publishers that still look at a book as a piece of art. From the quality of the construction of their books to the images on the covers and the superior content of the writing itself, they are keeping the art of publishing alive.



One of the only problems that I find with their titles is that the cover and presentation is usually so stellar that you don't want to store your books in as mundane a setting as a mere bookshelf. They need to be shown so every inch can be seen in all of it's glory. Publishers of their caliber such as Rizzoli and Taschen are struggling due to economic and technological developments beyond their control but I am sure there will always be a market for their beautiful books. It would be a very sad world without them.


Wait ~ Who is this rakishly handsome book reader? Perhaps he is purchasing a load of new titles for his beloved wife for Christmas? Oh, I forgot he is already sending me to Europe. Damn.... My bookshelves will have to groan a bit longer.

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Turqoise ~ Pantone Color of the Year 2110

The Pantone Color of the Year for 2010 is Turquoise. For the last few years various shades of aqua, cerulean, teal, and ultramarine have been tremendously popular so this color choice doesn't seem to be much of a stretch. The true turquoise shade that they have chosen does seem to have more depth and a higher concentration of green than the icy aquas we have been seeing. Here are a few of my favs.

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Same Fabulous Bed ~ Different Room

I love this bed ~ so I was thrilled to see another interpretation of it the other day. In the photo above of room number one I like the rustic natural feel of the stone walls and aged floor. I'm also a huge fan of how they drapes a simple muslin canopy over the back!




Room number two has a slicker fell to it. The glossy floor makes it look as if the bed is floating there. The canopy seems to be an afterthought or it's just lumpy in the middle otherwise I would have liked it.

Looks as if this room was not professionally staged. Could there be more stuff on that table? Still I love the bed and the red bed cover is full of punch.

My favorite would have to be the first room though. It's just balanced to perfection.

Which one do you prefer?

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I Can't Believe It's December

I can't believe that is already December ~ where did the rest of the year go? Time always seems to fly by unless you're waiting for something special and then it dribbles slowly. This is what my house looked like last December (might have been January ~ but it's sometime in winter anyway) I had a lot of fun just sitting at my desk in my kitchen watching the snow fall for a whole week straight. Very unusual for Vegas ~ Global warming????


The local weather man says there is a chance of snow tomorrow and I am so hoping he is right! I love to pretend that we have winter here. We get to have a bit of fun with a few snowflakes but don't have to shovel anything. The only drawback is that unusually cold temps drive the scorpions out of their hiding places. My husband had to squish one just the other night at 3:00 am while walking to the bathroom. We never had a problem with them until last year ( more global warming? )

When winter rolls around I always look up The National Gingerbread Competition at The Grove Park Inn in Asheville NC. This years entries, while beautiful, seem a bit conservative and almost somber. Maybe it's a sign of the times. What do you think?

Grand Prize Winner

First Prize Winner

Second Prize Winner

Third Prize Winner



It seems the housing crisis has even hit the Gingerbread world! Bummer........

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