NEXT......

I am doing three of these capiz shell globes in a clients beach house right now, in their kids / family room.  We are going to do them in three different sizes and hang them at different heights.  I think it will be really fun.  Don't you!  I love a little bit of whimsy in every home.  And isn't the rule to do groupings in odd numbers.....well once they are hung I will show you the results. 

Here is another fun installation of the capiz shell globe.....I am so excited to get to use them! And how cool are those gold metal X backed chairs, yummy, I could own those......

"Without deviation from the norm progress is not possible."

— Frank Zappa

Ok so here are the first pictures of the new house......foundation going in and lots of little helpers around.  They truly plan on building the house themselves.  Really cute.  It is exciting but still seems surreal.  And overwhelming too.  I have been working on so many other projects I feel like I have hardly spent any time on our house.  Maybe I need to hire someone to help me, hee hee.  Luckily I have had 5 yrs to think about it.  Ideas have changed some but the basic design had remained the same.
 

 

Working and digging....digging and working.....I hope they will always remember when we built our house.  I remember playing in the dirt when my parents built ours.  Fond memories of growing up. 

We have a floor!  Yippie

Oh we are starting to have some walls!  Yippie, yippie

Oh my we have a first floor!  Yippie, yippie, yippie.....it's happening fast...

"If the bones don’t work, you’ve got a pile of skin."

— Samuel Antupit

Jay's grandfather, Jay-daddy gave him his first tool belt so he could get in on the action....what a thrill for the boy to feel like he is building our house.....man and he loves that tool belt....I want one!

Now that is so stinkin' cute....

What about this duck tape.  Isn't it great.  We are using it for everything.  It is especially fun to wrap a present in recycled newspaper and doctor it up with some yellow and black flame duck tape!  Or if you need a fake cast on your pretend broken arm.....this tape is the perfect way to achieve the most decorative, groovy, fun fake cast in the neighborhood.  My kids just love tape.  We got ours at Michael's arts and craft store but you can also find it on line at www.duckbrand.com.  Lots more colors and patterns too!

I purchased one set of these French doors over 4yrs ago....they were for the new house but we were not able to sell the house so they sat in my garage for years......I moved into a new office and said what the heck, I will install them there as my office doors.....they look really great at my office but it looks like they will be coming out....we have the perfect spot for them at the new house and they are in pristine condition.  One of my favorite things about them is that they have the word "Paris" stamped in the bronze hinge.  The french oak is lovely, the arch is wonderful and they are 9 feet tall....they are totally romantic......I have been back to see if the other 3 sets were still available but they are long gone.....so glad I have my set.

Like I have said before, once you have kids you never have to buy art again.  This is Jay's piece from Wee Little Arts.  I am so proud of him.  Check out his color blocking skills....this one will definitely get framed.  Maybe he will be an artist.  He can be anything he wants to be....... 

"Life beats down and crushes the soul, and art reminds you that you have one."

— Stella Adler

 So here are the first images of the house I was working on at Kiawah Island.  You can see the French Canal wheel light that was such a bear to install and I just think the whole kitchen came out fantastic.  I really love this house.  Sophisticated Beachy, is what I would call it.  It has a relaxed feel too but with fun pops of color.  Enjoy, I have a few more pics below.......let me know what you think

It is not finished yet, but I have another delivery out there this week.  I can't wait to have the rest of the spaces photographed to show you.  The master bedroom is my favorite but we are still waiting on art and a few other things.  I don't want to show you till it is perfect!  That final layer can take a while because those are the pieces that need to be extra special.  But it is fresh and light and best of all I think the clients love it!  And at the end of the day is all I could ever hope for. 

So I had a long week, last week and by Friday I decided I needed some shopping therapy .....I ventured out to King Street and randomly ended up at a trunk show with the designers from Nahm.  They were so cute and I loved meeting them.  They were here from NYC and were just having such a fun time in Charleston.  So of course I had to buy something.  There line has a vintage feel and they seem to like to mix textures and colors.  Lots of fun dressmaker details too.  Classic lines but totally funked up.  And half the fun was meeting them......she even gave me a hand written thank you note right there on the spot.  There is something to say for that......

This is not the dress I bought but isn't this one cute.  Oh and don't you just love that green umbrella, who would have thought.....Well, at the show they had sold all but one of these and it was not in my size.  No big deal because I loved everything.  The dress I purchased is in the print from the skirt of this dress.  And it is the most comfortable thing I have ever put on.  It has this great detail where the back is a little longer than the front and it has POCKETS!  Pockets just add to the comfort and I love them.  It makes me excited about the spring, although, it has felt like spring all winter here this year....amazing weather. 

So I went by one of my client’s house earlier in the week just to check on a few things.  They are a wonderful young couple and have a great bunch of kids.  They do not live here full time but come in on most weekends.  The whole family is very busy so we are doing the job a little at a time but it is the perfect beach house for them.  So I had not been by in a while and what did I find.  Well we all know how much I love Rock and Roll photography and this image had appeared in their house!  This might be the pinnacle of R&R photos for me.  I have the COOLEST clients!  This one might have to make it into our collection too.  So great!  Black vs. White.....what do you think they are talking about?......wow, what a party.....

"Real art has the capacity to make us nervous."
— Susan Sontag

so true.......

I have total food clarity.  It is such an amazing feeling.  I have been reading some books about elimination diets and cleanses and after the holidays I felt like I needed to make a few changes in my diet.  I could not commit to a full fledged cleanse so I cut a few things out.  I stopped eating wheat just to see how I felt and I feel like a new person.   I feel so ripped off that for all these years we were told that whole wheat is so good for you.  Come to find out it can cause so many issues.  I have so much more energy and I really feel great.  Maybe it is the gluten, who knows but the amazing thing is that I have not really missed eating it.  Yes fellas this means beer too, although I cannot honestly say I will never drink another beer......thank goodness I can still drink wine! no gluten there.  Even if you just tried it for a short time, no pressure, you might find clarity like me.  Let me know how it goes.....

My little princess and my handsome prince.  What a lovely fall day that was. 

I cannot believe my baby will be 4 on March 5th.  Flying by.......happy birthday little one...

“Instead of finding inspiration, find someone to inspire”

Back in BLACK........but never really gone.....

Who wants it?.....Who needs it?.....who loves it?......ME!  man oh man....I could not live without my Black.......

"Without black, no color has any depth. But if you mix black with everything, suddenly there's shadow - no, not just shadow, but fullness. You've got to be willing to mix black into your palette if you want to create something that's real."

 Amy Grant

 I have always wanted to black lacquer cabinets or walls.  In the photo above I read that it took 10 coats of custom lacquer to get the walls to look like this.  Well it sure was worth it......now that is special!

 "No, Watson, this was not done by accident, but by design."

— Sherlock Holmes

 And black tile is the coolest too......really makes this amazing hood just pop right off the screen....

 This would be my dream for my little black dress.....the perfect amount of lace, feathers, sparkle and sass.....it is sexy,  in the perfect playful kind of way!  I really want to wear this dress.....

Every woman need and deserves a super cool, large black hobo bag......just think of all the stuff you can loose in there......at least when you can't find your phone, you know it is safe in a bag that will never go out of style!......so go get one right now!

Love a black and white chevron striped rug.....so graphic and bold

And we have all probably seen this nursery before but who would thing to do a black accent wall in your nursery......oh and that chest, well I could own it!

 The black accent wall is a great idea for a small bedroom trimmed in white.....all the accent colors in the room stand out against the black wall and the pink really makes a statement.

These black pumps of mine make me want to be a shoe designer.  They are perfect in so many ways, color, comfort and just look at the lines.....This shoe is the definition of line......oh and the slight platform is not overdone.....they are graceful and gorgeous!

"A drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts."

— William Strunk Jr.

 Aren't they the coolest.......these two guys, the only members of The Black Keys, sure can make a lot of racket!  They rock and are looking pretty smooth on that Black leather sofa.  

 

I discovered this light fixture when playing around on the Lumens web-site.  I love the matte black with the polished chrome.  And the Edison bulb finishes it off. Great fixture.  

We talked about headdresses for women and girls last post.  Well, in my research for this blog I ran across this black and whit photograph.  It is a great pic and I just love that headdress.  Don't know him but he is a pretty cool customer and cute too!  Who says guys should not wear headdresses.

Sally Mann is one of my favorite black and white photographers.  Her early work is quite controversial, but she did a book for landscapes from the Southeast and the images are breath taking.  There is a darkness, and almost a fairytale-like, sense about them.  I feel like Harry Potter could be riding his broom through the landscape below.  It is this magical element that I love about her photography. 

She became controversial because she did a series of photos of her children.  As much as I like child photography I don't think you should exploit children.  Many of photos of her children are beautiful. The two I am showing here are quite subdued compared to some.  If you do a little research you can see some photos of her children, that you might think to be disturbing.  But it is art and everyone sees it differently.  I will let you be your own judge on this one. 

This might be the most beautiful thing I have ever seen......besides my children of course......LOVE!

 

I don't really think you wake up one morning and set out to find the perfect black boot.....but the morning that you do, well here you go.  And if you feel guilty about spending to much, it won't matter when you get your moneys worth, because you wear them everyday!  That is what happened to me when I bought these Dior black granny boots.  They belong in that closet up there.  I hope they last forever.

Doesn't she look good in Black.

"Successful people do what unsuccessful people won't even attempt."- anonymous

Ok I did this just for you all.....I have never had black toes before, so goth....feels kind of good.  This color is called "Liquid Leather".  Now I I know what I am going to name my band.  "Ladies and Gentleman, I am happy to present, Liquid Leather".  Yes......

 Really?????  Although, it is dramatic....

 Our boy Grady is as black as night........

 

"Be a first rate version of yourself, not a second rate version of someone else." — Judy Garland