Think GREEN...on Joss and Main!

Happy St. Patrick's Day...a day late!

I mentioned in an earlier post that the Color of the Year was EMERALD GREEN.

So today when I opened up my Joss and Main email, 

https://www.jossandmain.com/Shamrock-%26-Shell~E3899.html?utm_source=daily&utm_medium=email&utm_content=&utm_campaign=,

and saw this photo, 

I thought it would be worth sharing because it is all about different shades of GREEN.

I am especially in love with this settee...the tufting and nailhead accents are amazing.  The actual love seat is in a neutral cream, but the fun pillows in the graphic green fabric really bring this room to life.  

Enjoy the St. Patrick's Day inspired GREEN eye candy!

40% off All CHRISTMAS Sale at 7 Gray!

SEVEN GRAY is cleaning house to make room for a ton of new goodies coming straight from the Dallas Market!  

40% off ALL CHRISTMAS items...

Think RIBBON....

Think BERRY BALLS, HAPPY NEW YEAR GARLAND, TOP HATS, GLITTERED CLOCKS...

Think WINE BAGS, DISH TOWEL AND SPOON HOSTESS GIFT SETS...

Think STAR WREATHS, TABLE RUNNERS, BERRY SPRAYS, AND PILLOWS...

Think BUYING THE ENTIRE LITTLE GIRL INSPIRED TREE...

Think BUNDLING ALL THE NEW YEAR'S TREE ORNAMENTS AND SPRAYS INTO ONE LOW PRICE..

Think ALL ORNAMENTS RED AND GREEN...

Think  FUR CUFFED BURLAP STOCKINGS, GARLAND, AND MERCURY DIPPED ELECTRIC CANDLE STRANDS...

Think ALL ORNAMENTS WOODLAND INSPIRED....

Think ALL ORNAMENTS DELICATE AND SPARKLY FROM THE HYDRANGEA TREE...

Go ahead...forward think...and BUY CHEAP all things beautiful and sparkly for Christmas 2013!

Happy New Year!

It's the MOST Wonderful Time of the Year!!!

Christmas is the MOST WONDERFUL time of the year!

It always has been and it always will be to me.

I am one of the "crazies" who gets up at the crack of dawn the day after Thanksgiving, not to shop on Black Friday, but to wake up my family by blasting the Christmas music and making a traditional Mack Daddy breakfast---coffee, OJ, bacon, eggs, and my famous french toast!  I stay in my jammies all day and just go to town decorating.  It is serious bliss!!!  (At least it is MY serious bliss--my husband?  Yeah, not so much!)

My home is a true reflection of my love of the holiday season.  Every room is touched in some small or BIG way with sparkly or glittery or twinkly holiday MAGIC.

My larger than life Santa greets you at my front door...


My foyer also blasts holiday cheer with garland and its' paper "Peace" birds, a reindeer decoupaged in Christmas music sits proudly on one of my most prized possessions...my best friend's Grandma Campbell's baby grande piano, a giant silver heart ornament hangs in my window, and my leather wing back chair with a tiny handmade candy cane pillow waits for Santa to take a seat!


My front living room proudly houses our Christmas tree...adorned with all of my favorite ornaments in the front and the not so favorite ones in the back!

All of the ornaments have a story behind them...a lot of them are from my childhood...which my kids love!


My dining room is sprinkled with decorations from memories past.  I showcase my Gaga's family silver and her prized red goblets proudly. They are beautiful in their simplicity. It was my Gaga who gave me my love for decorating.

Last year I zshuzshed up the inside of my dining room windows with these glittered ball wreaths and hung them with a simple burlap ribbon embellished with red buttons.  I added these dangly stars for the last bit of sparkly holiday punch!  Love them.

I

Again, I zshuzshed these star mirrors by adding these simple vintage looking paper dove "Peace" birds.  These birds are sprinkled though out this room...and my entire house.

My great room and kitchen is where we spend most of our time, so I want it to feel like Christmas although we do not have a tree in it.  So...I add flowers, lighted wreaths on the inside of the windows, pillows, a basket of Christmas books, cranberry garland, handmade stockings and garland above each doorway with ribbons streaming down each side to hang our holiday cards.

My Santa collection...I add one new one every year.


I added the paper birds, the lights and the bow to these wreaths...


Giant peppermint sticks, plate and mug for Santa, and fresh cranberries add to the holiday spirit...


My friend, Noelle, made me this sweet pillow last year.  Again, it has a story...

Next up?

The outside of my house...

Happy Holidays!

7 Gray -- The Cutest New Shop in Webster Groves

Seven Gray.

This is the name of the newest shop in Webster Groves...and cutest, in my opinion. 

It is owned by my very dear friend, Kim Barnes.  She has worked endless hours to make her dream of opening her very own home accessories store come to life...and I am one of her biggest cheerleaders.  

I have had the pleasure of helping her, along with many other friends and family, get this party started!!!  It has been a true labor of love...so here are just a few photographs of the shop to give you an idea of what SEVEN GRAY is all about.

From the darling logo (thanks to the amazingly talented Beth Barr at Two Blue Doors) with its' chevron striping, bold colored number 7, and the navy blue bird perched on top...

...to its' coordinating chevron striped drum shade pendants and bold colored front door...not to mention the eye catching home accessories such as red and green bottles of varying sizes, colorful table clocks, retro nesting tables, and torqouise stool in the display windows...

...to its' fun and festive sidewalk planter adorned with glittery twigs, fresh magnolia leaves and bright red berries, custom-made holiday bow, and greenery picks with pinecones and bird nests...

...to its' second level display window that is filled with amazing POPS of brightly colored goodies such as this REfurbished coffee table and REpurposed antique wooded boxes, unique throw pillows, interesting clocks, lighted tree branches, and ornaments galore!

Kick off your holiday decorating with loads of sparkly and glittered Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's goods.  

I will be giving you peeks of what is INSIDE Seven Gray all week...so stay tuned.  

Or even better yet, come give Seven Gray a try yourself...it's a true eclectic mix of old and new.

And just in case you were wondering...Seven Gray is located at 7 Gray Avenue (it's a literal translation) right across from Bristol Elementary and on the side of The Block Restaurant in the heart of Downtown Webster Groves. 

Look what is in the July/August issue of House Beautiful!

You might remember reading about an email I received just a month ago from a client about her most current house "Design Dilemma"--she was BURIED IN BEIGE.  And, man, was she over it.  She was hoping to zhoozh up her living room with a new and fun color...but her only requirement was that the new color would showcase some pillows that she had recently had made for her couches and wingback chairs.  I assured her this would not be a problem...easy peasy, in fact. She wasn't as confident.  So, I chose a just few colors, but ultimately went for Benjamin Moore's "Florida Keys"...and the room was transformed beautifully.  My client was thrilled, as was I.  Design Dilemma solved...case closed.

And then I got this.

A new email and photo attachment from the same client....and it read:

In House Beautiful July/August issue....my living room color!!!!

Yes!!!  


LOVE the affirmation!  Isn't that primarily what everyone wants in life?...to be affirmed?


Thank you House Beautiful for affirming my client (and me!) that her living room color is just as GORGEOUS as we already knew it was.


Case closed...again.

Buried in Beige Design Dilemma Solved!!!

My friend, Benjamin Moore, came to the rescue again. 

This time Old Ben came through with a brilliant blue to bring out the the blue in the pillow that my client loves so much!  

"Florida Keys" is the name of this color we chose and, I must say, it is a pretty good descriptor.  If you have ever been to The Florida Keys...you know this color.  Vibrant, yet amazingly soothing.  

Now fast forward a day (maybe two) and I got an email entitled POP!!! from her on my phone.  When I opened the email this is what I saw...

LOVE. HER.

Apparently, my client does NOT mess around.  She got to work immediately...no joke.  What a thrill! Someone else out there is as crazy (in such an amazing way) as I am...just goes for it...shoving all the furniture into the center of a room...throwing plastic sheeting over it all...and gets the job done!  

A day after I received the plastic sheeting---room in progress photo--I got these next few photos.  Try not to laugh at the commentary she added to the BEFORE AND AFTER shots.  I laughed out loud when I saw her very sad son in the all beige room.  But, if you notice, in the newly painted room, he is sad no more!!!  The new blue has literally taken his blues away.

Next, we realized that the large expanse of the beige/buff/tan/bisque wall needed something more than just a new shade of color to make it become more of a focal point in the room.  After all, it would be holding this insanely giant TV that everyone would be sitting and staring at for hours on end.

This wall needed something custom built. 

It need this...


KaPOW... as my client so eloquently put it! 

As I mentioned before...color changes everything.  It is an easy fix.  It is fairly inexpensive.  And, it really has the power to transform the most boring of beige living rooms and bring them back to life.  Florida Keys was the WOW factor that my client was looking for...vibrant and soothing at the same time.  

Beige no more...phew!

Buried in BEIGE Design Dilemma Solved!  

Next Design Dilemma?   Old chairs in need of a face lift.  

Kitchen Nook Design Dilemma

Kitchen Nook Design Dilemma...

Below is an email I received from one of my latest clients:

So....we built the nook in the kitchen, and rushed to have a cushion made. I thought I did not want any window treatment on the bay window. Cut to a year later...I want the window treatment, but don't necessarily want to re-do the entire cushion fabric. Help! I am not good at coordinating fabrics - especially when one is already set!! I like simple, clean lines and nothing frilly.

Kitchen Nook/Window Seat

Indoor/Outdoor Fabric

Better Picture of Existing Darling Window Seat Fabric

My response to her was simple.


"This is NOT a dilemma....this is going to be so easy and fun!  Relax...don't worry!  You do not need a new cushion...it just need to be REworked...add some batting over the foam to tighten up the look of the fabric.   Give me one hour at the fabric store with you and you will have an amazingly REfreshed look.  The new fabrics we will choose will make your current window seat fabric look even better than it does now.  The new valances and REfreshed throw pillows are going to really finish off this space.  You will LOVE it, I promise."


She trusted me. 


We met again at the fabric store.  And in less than 30 minutes, we had all the coordinating fabrics chosen, cut, and paid for...ready for the seamstress to pick them up that night.  We were both thrilled!


Bam! 


Can't wait to see how the Kitchen Nook REdesign turns out!!!


Stay tuned for the finished look....

How to properly make a bed.

Lesson of the day.

https://www.onekingslane.com/sales/ 13581

www.onekingslane.com

Pillows!

I just returned from a four day "business" trip to NYC with one of my besties. I must say it was downright fabulous. I mean really, how could it not be, right?

We were there to check out a Home Decor and Accessories Show because she is going to be opening a new "business" in Old Webster that will specialize in selling all things amazingly beautiful for your home.

We were supposed to be focusing on all types home accessories...tableware, candles, rugs, ornaments, wreaths, and on and on. However, all I could focus on were the incredible PILLOWS that were everywhere I turned!

Seriously everywhere. I was obsessed. And, I must admit that, I still am.

I think I am so obsessed because I need a change...a change in SEASONS. And, if you all haven't noticed, SPRING is riiiiiiiight around the corner! That means change. Yippee!!!

Let me tell you that one of the easiest ways to change your living space is to change your pillows. I am not joking at all when I say that pillows can change mood, the feel, and the entire look of any space and make you so very happy!!!

Here are a few of the Spring 2012 pillows that I got to admire while doing "business" in NYC.

Ummm...ok!!!

Gorgeous colors!

Makes you want to jump in a pool, doesn't it?

Hilarious animal pillows...!

I wanna sleep here!

Outdoor pillows!

Think of a lime green, tangerine, or hot pink monogrammed initial in the center of this circle!

This hand stitched pillow was only $700...beautiful, but it could be made for cheaper!
If you have $700 in your pocket, hire me instead, I'll change your life.

Loved C. Wonder...everything in this store looked like this...pillows to sweaters to jewelry! Love.