Blog Award & Thank you.....

I feel very honored to have been awarded the “Super Comments Award” by Mona from Providence ltd Design. Mona has been with me since my first day of blogging leaving wonderful comments for me along the way ever since, for that I truly thank her.

The way this works is you answer a series of questions about yourself and then pass it along to seven others who have left wonderful comments so without farther ado…..

1) Why do you blog?

I keep wondering that myself since I work ten plus hours a day and time has always been an issue for me but I can’t help myself. I only just discovered blogs last year. I mean I saw them listed but didn’t know what they were so always skipped over them. Last summer I opened one and I was enchanted. I mean here were all these people opening their worlds to us, sharing their homes. That first day I spent the entire day reading and after a month I wanted to be a part of that circle, so I took the plunge and dived in for better or worse.

2) Name your three best memories:

First is my Dad who’s gone now….riding around on my Dad’s foot when I was little. I remember plopping on that poor guys foot the moment he walked in the house and he never minded and always gave me a ride…remember doing that? He also taught me how to tie my shoes and ride a bike, it’s the little things that make me smile now that he’s gone.

Second was the day I moved from Phoenix, AZ to New York City, NY to be with my future husband. I loaded up a large truck and drove across country all by myself. If you’ve ever driven a 22-foot long truck you’ll know how much work it is coupled with the fact I was changing my entire life and leaving everything I knew. It was the scariest thing I’ve ever done but also the best. It showed me that I was capable of doing anything and from that moment on if I wanted to try something I did!

Third was the day we brought Dylan dog home four years ago. I hadn’t had a dog in thirty years, dating myself here, I’ve had Persian cats. My husband really wanted a golden so I said lets get one and I’ve never regretted it. Dylan’s great company, almost to smart for his own good, great to cuddle up next to and loyal beyond belief. But I think the best part about him is his eyes, you look into those golden brown eyes and you see love shining back!

3) Name four of the best fiction books you've ever read:

 

I don’t have four favorites, I read all the time and there are to many to name. Some favorites I like revisiting are:

Beauty by Susan Wilson 

 The ladies of Missalonghi by Colleen McCullough

I love mysteries by Mary Higgins Clark and Nora Roberts

I read a lot of textile, art and decorating books too but what I like reading is all over the place.

4) What are the five best movies ever made?

Again I don't have favorites because I watch everything under the sun but when I'm alone I like light hearted movies, nothing serious and never anything scary...hate scary movies.

5) Name five things you cannot live without:

My family and friends. My best friend Deb is the sister I never had so I feel very blessed.

My antique textiles, I feel like I’ve finally figured out what I’m supposed to be doing in my life. It gives me a great sense of peace!

My computer, I have my web site/business on here and it's easier to talk to my friends overseas.

My monthly facials, it's relaxing, keeps my face in place and one of the few things I actually do just for me.

Auctions! I love auctions, the thrill of the hunt, the adrenaline rush just before you bid and sometimes winning, it's very exciting!

6) If you could change your name what would it be?

Chase! I saw a movie once with Rene Russo in it and her characters name was Chase, it was a really cool name. I like my name, Debra, but I introduce myself as Debra and people always say "hi Debbie", I HATE BEING CALLED DEBBIE! Not that there's anything wrong with being called Debbie.....:)

7) Tell us a unique and interesting fact about yourself.

I can build! I decide one day to build a garden room in our side field and the first thing I needed were raised field stone garden beds. So I went out and bought a book, read it and went to work. See up in the far left corner my pile of rubble…these poker flowers are in a perfectly round garden bed that’s twelve feet wide, I built that. You’ll see better pictures in the spring, promise, now I’ll bore you with my ability to build!

8) What do you love best about yourself?

My ability to do whatever I set my mind too. I believe everyone can do anything just stop talking about it and go do it. I’ve accomplished everything I’ve set out to do in my life so far, yes, it really is that simple. Just do it!

9) If you had a freaky Friday experience, who would you change places with?

Honestly, nobody because I like who I’ve become as a person. I’ve worked dang hard to become who I am why would I want to give that up? I’d like to have past and present people to dinner to pick their minds but trade places with them…nah!

10) What is the best thing about being a woman?

The ability to multi-task if I didn’t I wouldn’t get half the things done that needed to be done.

Now it's time to pass this gracious award on to some of the people who have brightened my days:

Stacey at: Style Addicted Mom

Joan at: for the love of a house

Sharon at: My French Country Home

Jermaine at: French Kissed

Deborah at: Boxwood Terrace

Vanna at: lvroftiques better known as Delusions of Grandeur

Debra at: 5th and State


THANK YOU!

I can't believe I actually won something but I did and it's fabulous! I want to thank Debra over at 5th and State and her nephew who chose my name, for the wonderful dessert cookbook by Chef Alain Roby. I can't wait to try out one of the recipes this weekend!

Furniture Heaven....

I received my new copy of Atlanta Homes & Life Styles magazine in the mail this week and about flipped when I saw the cover. Pictured on the cover was this amazing dining room but what I was most after were the circa 1780 urns in iron armatures on the pedestals. They’re from Bobby McAlpine’s shop called AD Antiquity in Birmingham that I was told is now closed. The designer of this room is the very talented Susan Ferrier.

image via House Beautiful

I'm in love with these urns! Armature simply means a framework, in this case the iron, serving as a supporting core for the material used to make, in this case the URNS! There are actually a pair of these used in that dining room...FABULOUS!

image via A. Tyner Antiques

I came upon these 19th century painted Swedish grotto chairs offered by A. Tyner Antiques when I was looking at Swedish benches. Aren't the scallop shell backs amazing? I thought the chairs were very reasonably priced too at $820 per chair.

One of the chairs was shown in Atlanta Home magazine this month as well in a bedroom designed by Liz Williams. The chair looks even better in a room just look at that detail!

I love anything with scallops as evidenced by this architectural piece above that suits in my studio.

Or how about this chair in my studio.....

It has a small lovely sort of scallop shell on top too.

There are scallops on the underside of those urns, scallops on the chairs and scallops on several things in my studio. I'm quite taken with anything that has a smooth sculpted flow. So what sort of architectural detail rocks your boat?

Ice House Anyone?

It’s official, we have just enough snow and ice to build one of these…an igloo! We now have over three feet of ice-covered snow down since yesterday and it’s still snowing. We were lucky and received a half inch of ice on top of our snow last night. So if we can’t beat it might as well see if we could do something with this mess. Igloo hotel anyone?

First stop is the igloo lobby!

After checking in how about a cocktail at the igloo bar?

You could sit on this igloo bar stool to rest your weary bones.

This is the honeymoon suite, doesn't all that snow and ice make you want to rip your clothes off? I don't care how much champagne I've had I'm so not going there!

This is called the big room in the igloo. Look at that you can make your own furniture in a nice neutral color. 

Believe it or not but a lot of engineering skills go into creating an igloo although that igloo, there on the right looks a little scary, the blocks look to be coming down.

Or how about a dip in the igloo jacuzzi? I think the heat of the water is melting the ceiling.

Actually igloo villages and hotels do exist in Switzerland and Germany for those who are willing to give it a try but book quickly because come April they’re closed for obvious reasons.

Again....Really?

I’m freezing! We woke up to our thermometer outside flat lining it was ZERO degrees! So visions on warmth wafted through my head. Just look at that image, tropical breeze, sun, surf and sand!

 

Last week we had a snowstorm that dumped nearly two feet of snow on us. See those sticks sticking up out of the snow that would be our Forsythia shrubs. Buried right up to the tops and look at that sky, could it get any grayer? (Actually I wish I could copy that gray color for my dining room walls.)

We had to snow blow paths just so Dylan dog could get out and unfortunately tomorrow isn’t going to be any better for us. They’re predicting another foot of snow and to make it even more fun Mother Nature is tossing in a little sleet. HELP! I hope you're enjoying some warmth! 



Barely there.........

image via cote de texas

I love settings such as these there’s something about them that draws me into them. These rooms look so calm, so relaxed, so perfect……..

image via a perfect gray

I noticed something about these settings, notice the high ceilings, not just the ceilings but notice the details.....

image via ?

The amazing flooring, the perfect European furniture.....

image via greige

image via voorhaven 7

image via Italian Style



Without architectural elements you would simply have a room devoid of personally. I love how these rooms don't have a lot of furniture but they lead your eye around the room, they say look at me. What do you think, do you like rooms that are simple but elegant?

Seating Pleasure.....

Every year I like to wander about my home and see what it’s lacking or needs in the form of furniture and accessories. Over the holidays I noticed I definitely need more lighting but for a couple of years now I’ve been coveting a Swedish settee.

image from An Angel at my Table

They look amazing in pairs, love this image with the dark burlap dress forms. But an antique settee, even a reproduction can cost in the thousands. And to be honest a Swedish settee wouldn't really go well with my other furniture in my home but it would in my studio.  

Painted French sofa from A. Tyner Antiques

At first I was considering a solid back settee to use in my studio for photography but then I started seriously looking around.

Reproduction settee from French Garden House 

circa 1900 Gustavian style settee from Alhambra Antiques

rare, small settee, circa 1850, Cupboards & Roses Swedish Antiques

I love this small settee at only 52" long, they're typically 70" plus in length but you pay for that smaller rare size. Love the faces on the arms.

image from I Vassalletti

This settee has a solid back with open arms

circa 1810 gray painted settee from Judy Frankel Antiques

Then I discovered the gray painted settee's with the burlap seat cushions and fell in love! But I'm a tad worried it might be to matchy with my French chair below.

My French 19th century Louis XVI style cane armchair

The similarity you often see between French and Swedish furniture came from the Swedes traveling to France and soaking up the styles of Louis in 1770 at Versailles.

So what's your opinion, do you think an open back settee is too matchy for my chair? What's your favorite style of Swedish settee?

Happy New Year!

Wishing each and every one of you the very best for the coming year!

May life give you everything you dream!

Happy 2011 my friends!