Thursday, December 30, 2010

Thank You!

Wow, I feel so special! I want to say thank you to Joy over at Savvy City Farmer who was kind enough to feature my blog for the month of January.

THANK YOU JOY!


Joy is one busy lady, she’s a free-lance designer, fellow blogger who has not one but two blogs, Savvy City Farmer and Stuff. in the. Burbs


As if that wasn’t enough she also runs a home-based business from her potting shed along with her husband Don. Twice a year they throw open the doors for a selling event in their backyard. Luckily if you don’t want to wait for one of her sales you can always pop on over to her Etsy shop.


So thank you Joy and I hope when you find time everyone pops on over to Savvy City Farmer and tell Joy, Debra sent you!

Sunday, December 26, 2010

Snow!

Oak Leaves

I hope everyone had a wonderful and blissful holiday yesterday I know my family did but today is a whole other story!


We're in for a little snow although this mild looking canopy of snow is beautiful


It starts off innocent enough and looks absolutely stunning!


Then the snowflakes start to invite their best friends...


Before you know it there's a raging party of snowflakes going on trying to out race one another to the ground!


The weathermen have predicted major snowfall amounts for today into tonight, a total of 18 inches in all for one snowy day!

So I think I'll go grab my book and go hang out in front of the fireplace and enjoy the peace and beauty of the day.

I hope everyone has a relaxing Sunday!

Friday, December 24, 2010

A candle.....

During this Season of light...

We would like to wish everyone
A very Happy and Joyous Holiday!
May all your wishes come true!

Thank you for your friendship & May
There be peace on earth for all!

Debra, Rick and Dylan Dog!

Monday, December 20, 2010

Christmas Time.....


Dylan and I were going to walk over to our neighbors to take them some holiday cookies and Mom came up with an idea......

Oh the things we do to our pets huh?

Happy Holidays!

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Women Behind the Men.......


Have you ever given thought to the women behind the men during this holiday season? First we have the Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus whose birthday it is we’re celebrating. If not for Mary we wouldn’t have this wonderful holiday to celebrate. Happy Birthday Jesus!


How about Santa’s reindeer did you know that the reindeer are actually all females? That’s right, those lovely animals seen pulling Santa’s sleigh are female. Only the female reindeer have their antlers when Christmas arrives and have the energy required for pulling a sleigh.    (Think sex when it comes to the males but we won’t go there right now.)

She looks happy huh?

So lets all give thanks to the women in our lives this holiday season because chances are she too is also the woman behind a man!

Happy Holidays!

Saturday, December 11, 2010

Baby It's Cold Out There!

image via David Southwick

Ole Jack Frost has been hard at work. We’ve had an arctic blast coming through here this past week meaning its been COLD! Temps in the single digit and blowing wind makes for some really brutal hiking weather for our dog…and Mom!


The lawn is hard and crunchy and the frost makes it a tad slippery.



I hope you're enjoying a bit more of warmth!

But how can you hate it when it leaves such beautiful artistry and touches everything with a glistening frost of white!

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Something Shiny.......

Stacy Kunstel, a friend and fabulous stylist/Home editor for New England Home Magazine asked an interesting question on her blog stacystyle, what would you wish for Christmas if money wasn’t an object and you know at the time I had a problem coming up with something because I don't need anything (WHO OF US DOES). But I've had time to really think about it and I could do some real damage to our bank account:


How about a four-ply cashmere cardigan sweater knitted in Italy? I mean pure cashmere not the stuff they sell for $69 and has cotton and wool as fillers. Cameron Diaz wore this exact same sweater in ivory in the movie "The Holiday", took me forever to track this sweater down. If you've ever worn 4-ply cashmere trust me it's pure heaven! Only: $798


I love sapphires and this ring looks just like my engagement ring only BIGGER! At a mere 8.04 karat weight just for the sapphire you just know it's going to say something! Only: $25,000


I know I’m redundant about textiles but hey I love them, collect them and that’s why I deal in them so this amazing piece is definitely on my wish list. It’s a stunning 16th century Spanish Dalmatic in amazing condition but unless I suddenly win the lottery I only have this picture to drool over. Only: $20,000



Something I collect are antique frames and I’ve got my eye on this frame, actually I’ve had my eye on it for two years now. It’s a 16th century Italian Cassetta frame, honey if you need ideas here you go! Only: $10,000

Getting to spend the day with my men....PRICELESS!

This was a total self-indulgent wish list to see for myself what I might truly dream about. To be honest if I just get a nice relaxing Christmas Day with my men, minus the ear flaps on the husband, a roaring fire, hanging out in my pajamas and the husband serving me cappuccino’s…now that would be a Christmas Day!

So tell me what’s on your Christmas wish list if money was no object?

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Christmas Inspiration Guest Post

I hope you’ll find time in your busy day to pop on over to Providence Ltd. Mona was kind enough to invite me over for a guest post on Christmas inspiration where she’s doing a wonderful series every Tuesday and Thursday with our wonderful world of design bloggers for the month of December.


You'll find inspiring ways to decorate with all natural, simple items found just outside your door! Be sure to leave a comment and tell us what you think, will you be using the great outdoors in your holiday scheme?

Thank you Mona for inviting me over!
&
Happy Holidays Everyone!

Friday, December 3, 2010

I Made it.....

Image via Cote Sud

Have you ever had one of those weeks where you say to yourself I'll be fine come Friday? Well it's Friday and I made it through....what a week!

I hope your weekend is warm and relaxing!

Saturday, November 27, 2010

European Visions.......part one!

image via House Beautiful

Have you ever noticed that when you renovate or change a room all the other rooms off your “new” room seem to be lacking? Well it was no different for my husband and I, once our kitchen was done we decided the downstairs bathroom needed major help. Yes unfortunately there’s a bathroom right off the kitchen, not my favorite place in the world for one but it’s a 220+-year-old house and when bathrooms came into vogue it seemed the best place to put them was off a kitchen.


Since our newly renovated kitchen has a slight European flavor that can be seen here I had visions of old world European dancing in my head.

image via Maisons Cote Sud

At one point along the way someone had taken what looked like a closet in our bathroom and put in a nasty plastic shower insert that had to go! So dreams of stone wafted through my head. Hey, I can dream! I would also love a stone floor but that's an option I KNOW won't happen.


A rain shower head is one of my first choices!


I love the antique mirror with sconces but usually mirrors like that cost $2000 and up and isn’t in my budget…still dreaming here. And I know the husband doesn't like vessels sinks, sigh, must we always think of them too?

image via Relics they have some wonderful old stone and marble sinks

Since the husband hates vessel sinks I showed him some examples of marble sinks on decorative bases but he wasn't impressed.

image via Bobby McAlpine in House Beautiful

So maybe something unique like an urn.......

image via Barry Dixon

or semi vessel sinks, aren't those iron stands stunning?

image via Phoebe Howard

or a single marble sink on a chrome stand? That isn't reaching to far out there is it?


I was vetoed on every sink but one, the sink that's still in there from when the bathroom was originally put in circa 1925! Yep, that sink is from 1925, a good ole American Standard sink, still has the original brass tag with date underneath and the original faucet handles.  If you look real close under the sink and to the right you can see the bottom part of the water pressure gauge, it has this huge round gauge on it that Mister Man, aka the husband, wants to keep. He doesn't understand the words EUROPEAN, WORK WITH ME HERE!

Stay tuned, up next the finished results! (I hope)

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Amazing Achievements

I’m showing you bits and pieces of homes because my best friend Deb’s company Village Interiors Inc. made some or most of the furnishings. I am so incredibly honored to be able to call her my friend but also I’m so incredibly proud of her and her achievements. She has worked so hard through the years in the background of others that I thought I would give her a little of her due credit here.

The "Pierre" French for rock, designed by Tom Kundig of Olson Kundig Architects

This home in Washington state is amazing, it was built within an outcropping of rocks up on a peak to capture the views, hence the name "Pierre".


While the custom furniture was designed by Olson Kundig Architects’ interiors studio, it was Village Interiors that had to make those dreams a reality.



Hong Kong Villa designed by Jim Olson of Olson Kundig Architects

This house was also designed by the same architectural firm of Olson Kundig Architects by Jim Olson who also designed the interiors, two very talented men in that architectural firm. This home is located in Hong Kong overlooking the South China Sea.


Village made all the furniture in this residence too! Isn't that view something out that wall?



Auckland, New Zealand Architecture by Pip Cheshire, Interiors by Terry Hunziker

"Visually the house is intended to be seen as a piece of constructed jewelry amid a natural landscape,” architect Pip Cheshire says of the seaside Auckland residence he built for Sue and Peter Cooper. He collaborated closely on the project with interior designer Terry Hunziker."


While modern house design is not typically my thing I just love this house and all the elements, that fireplace surround is zinc clad! Yep, more sofas and chairs by Village, they ship far and wide!



Furniture by Village Interiors for projects of designer Holly McKinley





Deb does so much more then make furniture she also owns Storage By Design better known as SBD, a high end white lab coat, white glove storage facility for antiques, furniture and specialty furniture installations.


She also owns a pillow business called Olde World Pillows and is in the process of opening a well-anticipated shop next month. (Nope, no competition between us and our businesses since we don't really sell the same pillows, besides we're best friends!) 



It always amazes me what goes on behind the scenes, like the people who have to take a drawing and create what they see and not get any credit for their efforts such as Village. If you’re a designer and live in the Pacific Northwest then Village and SBD is for you but Olde World Pillows will be open to everyone and wait until you see her shop, think jewel box! Be sure to check out some of the homes listed here they’re freaking amazing!




Located in Seattle Washington, conveniently just two blocks from the Seattle Design Center. 
Village Interiors Inc.
217 S. Findlay
Seattle, Washington 98108
(206) 768-9601
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