Roaring the 20's Back Today!

A few weeks ago I sat in the quaint little cafe of RJ Julia in downtown Madison.  I shared a cup of steaming, hot, coffee and a freshly baked scone with my dear friend Ann Nyberg.  As conversations do with Ann, our dialog twisted and turned through a wide variety of topics and brainstorming ideas.  We talked about life, the direction of our respective industries, old fashion department stores, and lifestyles of days gone by. It is rare for me to leave an encounter with Ann and not be inspired in some way.  As I put the car in drive and zipped off to my next meeting, I tucked parts of our discussion into the back of my very busy brain.

Saturday night that little coffee klatch came rushing back as I sat in a movie theater and watched the previews for The Great Gatsby.

 The fashions, the architecture, the cars... Life in the roaring 20's.  Our country exploded with prosperity and was in the height of creativity. Music was fresh, a touch racey and starting to break away from tradition.  Automobiles were no longer for only the wealthy, mass production made these modern day marvels available to the middle class.  Fashion shed the severe, stiff, corsetted, Victorian styling and started to show more skin.

Art Deco also made its grand appearance. Art, architecture and interior design cast off overly ornate and heavily carved traditions for sleek, clean lines. I've often wondered what it would have been like to experience those exciting break throughs.

As I prepare for my trip to High Point Market next week, I'm finding I might not be the only one who is  taken by the The Great Gatsby craze!


I can't wait to check out these inspirational pieces in person......

ART Furniture Harper Sofa 

Sarried Shipping Trunk Chest of Drawers 

John Richard Beaded Elegance Lamp

Bernhardt Barnsley Table 60" round 

.... May 10th, The Great Gatsby premires in theaters .... I'll have a front row seat..

What do you say Ann, want to join me?

Taking Off Like Zingo ..... a tribute to Lilly Pulitzer

Lilly Pulitzer.... A fashion icon and brilliantly creative woman.

It all began with Lilly just trying to keep herself neat and fashionable while juicing oranges.  She designed 'shift dresses' with her seamstress that were fully lined for comfort and made in wildly bright colors that hid orange juice stains.  Her flair for this simple, but eccentric approach to fashion took off, and she began selling more of her shapeless shift dresses than juice!

Lilly quickly grabbed the attention of her dear friend, Jackie Kennedy, who loved the bold, vivacious, and playful designs so much that she was photographed with the family by Life Magazine ...... and well the rest is history!  After all,  Jackie was the trend setter of the 1960's! 

“It was made from kitchen curtain material and people went crazy,” Ms. Pulitzer said.

 “They took off like Zingo.”

Over the years, the Lilly Pulitzer name has been a mild blip on my radar, even though her line now includes handbags, sundresses, bathing suits, and even men's pajamas. Lilly's line expolded into a huge flashing "incoming beam" on that radar when in 2011, Lee Jofa introduced Lilly Pulitzer line of home fabrics...... WOWZA!!!

Check out some of my favorites....even the names are fun!!

Shell We Hotty Pink!

Heritage Floral Multi 

Lilly Lace Tide Blue

Well Connected Aqua Orange

Racey Lacey Lush Green

Lee Jofa did an amazing job capturing Lilly's spirit and flair in these fabrics.  

Yesterday we lost this beautiful, creative icon.  Her splash of personality, style and effervescence will be forever missed.

Here's to forever living life to the fullest, dressing with a purpose, and never, never, ever be afraid of color!

Lilly Pulitzer November 10, 1931 ~ April 7, 2013

Forcing Spring!

It was the perfect Holiday weekend. Warm sunshine kissed my cheeks, I visited my crocuses that smiled up at me, and brushed my hands across my daffodil and tulip sprouts asking for an appearance soon! Besides the crocuses and the spring bulb spouts little green has graced our landscape.  I still see barren trees out my Studio window and litterally not a single sign of springfilled life ready to explode!

For weeks now I have been willing spring.  Today I'm forcing it! Usually I'm doing this in late February or early March, but clearly Mother Nature has had other ideas!  With a little luke warm water and some Forsythia cuttings, Spring will arrive shortly in our studio!

I've forced various cuttings over the years. Forsythia is just about always a sure bloom! I like to dress my cuttings with some filler to give the presentation some dimension.

Other cutting you can force are...

Crabapple

Dogwood

Willow..... although it's a little late for these!

Soon my conference room table will be ablaze with color! Sunshine will pour through the studio and Spring will be demanded to make her appearance.....not just a teaser, but to stay for good.

Happy Monday Folks...... here's to Forcing Spring!

check.....mate?

I love chess.  I love the thrill of victory and watching my opponent squirm.  Although, according to Garry Kasparvo, Russian World Chess Champion, "Women, by their nature, are not exceptional chess players: they are not great fighters."  Mr. Kasparvo, my husband would strongly disagree with you while I may not be a Chess Champion, I do adore the game filled with strategy and skill.  Furthermore, I'm a feisty one at that, and definitely go for the jugular when playing!

Truth be known, I tend to be the exception to the rule, for the most part Chess is a mans game.  Being Friday and all about the Guys, I thought we'd explore some wild chess sets!

love this made from recycled auto parts! check out the bishop....spark plugs!!!

This 3D chess set adds another layer to the game!

Caliber .223 Chess Set This amazing chess set is made from bullet shell casings.
Uniquely decorated with various cuts for different pieces. 

OK... so this one might prove Mr. Kasparvo absolutely right!
I dont' know if I could keep the pieces straight AND think strategy!
These Refraction Crystal pieces are works of art!

Have a great weekend Guys!

Friday For the Guys: Apple Watch Coming Soon??

My Husband loves his watches, and he is very particular about them. He has his work watches, his dress watches, and even watches that he only wears while doing yard work!! 

So will he be able to wear a watch that is made by Apple and works with his iPhone by the end of this year? If you believe Bloomberg’s latest report, the answer is yes.

Take a look at the concepts that are floating around out there!

According to Apple,  the watch will sync with an iPad or iPhone on the iOS software. 

Very cool! I'm just thinking I've already replaced an iPad due to damage.....how many iWatches will we be replacing? Hopefully they are durable!

Happy Friday Guys...... 

Willing Spring

Friday we had 18" of wet heavy snow.
Saturday & Sunday it was in the mid 50's sunny and simply beautiful.
Monday was an acceptable day over all.
Yesterday the rain and wind hammered at my windows.
Today, I awoke to an icy walk and a balmy 31 degrees.
As it goes March in New England.

I believe in Vision Boards, which are based on the law of attraction. They illustrate your goal by literally surrounding you with the images of who you want to become, what you want to have, where you want to live, or where you want to vacation, and thus, your life changes to match those images and those desires. These boards were made wildly popular when the book the Secret was released, if you create it and see it you will it to happen!

So I'm willing Spring..... and what better way to help the warm weather along then to envision living outdoors! I've created a Pinterest board entitled exactly that, where I dream of lush green lawns, entertaining family and friends, and warm breezes... Living Outdoors.

Today let's explore dressing your patio, deck, or back yard for the warm weather! Here's a few of my favorites!

                       

Century Andalusia Collection 

Lane Venture Spinnaker Collection
All I need is a good book and drink with an umbrella in it!!

Summer Classics Aqua Collection

Baldwin Furniture I enjoy this swing April thru September

Brown Jordan Veranda ..... Simply a Classic!

Can you smell the lilacs? Can you hear the spring peepers serenading you? Can you feel the warm sunshine on your face?  Join in the fun, and relax in some additional great outdoor furnishing in my Open Air Pinterest Board.

Now I'm off to make some sweet tea!

Mad about Mad Men

So, I've been down for the count this past week with the flu. Laying on the sofa bored out of my skull, I opened up Netflix for some mindless entertainment. Having caught a few episodes of Mad Men in the past, I decided to start from the beginning.




Being a designer, I instantly fell in love with the authentic set design. The way that Don Draper lounged across a mid-century modern sofa, swirling his scotch, set my heart aflutter. Of course, I was more focused on the sofa.

These sofas, chairs, coffee tables, and lamps gave me flashbacks to my childhood, making me almost as giddy as a child riding on daddy's lap "driving" the car.

Here are some of my top picks from furniture designer Dorothy Knoll.

As much as I love Man Men and the enviroment that the designers created, I wouldn't want to be subjected to those gender roles!