Oct 31, 2009

happy halloween

here's a look at what i'll be handing out this year:
i made about 50 of them..hope it's enough!


i know these pennant banners are everywhere, but i still think they are adorable.
i made this one last week, and it makes me smile.


Oct 30, 2009

eddie ross does it again

first of all, i realize that it is too late to decorate for halloween. but i couldn't resist posting these cute ideas from eddie ross. if you don't watch top design, then you probably don't know who he is.  and if that is the case, you are really missing out. he is (and i am pretty sure he would readily admit to this), pretty fabulous.



those bat napkin rings are made from felt.
so cute.
for instructions, click here



Oct 29, 2009

table setting


photo via country living
love the ticking look of the table cloth.
and isn't that little broom adorable?
it would be easy to make with raffia, twine and a little branch.

2002 symphony house


under construction.


a watercolor i did of the final house.

in 2001, allen was approached and asked if he would be the general contractor for the 2002 knoxville symphony showcase house. needless to say, we were thrilled. we worked together to assist the owners with the "basic" selections of the house...everything from the brick to the flooring, including these:


they have an oak border, and the interior is walnut and maple. if you can't tell, i have a thing for checkerboards! i have put some form of checkerboard in every house we have built or remodeled.


about halfway through the construction, the homeowners found out that they were expecting their first child. so, i volunteered to design their nursery and adjacent bath for them. we didn't know if it was going to be a boy of a girl, so i went with a gender-neutral space that i felt still had a lot of personality. here is the inspiration board i presented to the symphony design committee:



here are a few in progress shots, as well as a picture of the vintage armoire "before":



and, here is the after:








here is the bathroom:



 I had so much fun designing this nursery! even though it may look very expensive, it was actually done on a pretty tight budget. in fact, a lot of that furniture ...the rocking horse, small table/chair set, shelf, and ALL of the accessories are mine. ( the room only needed to be staged during the symohony open house, and the homeoweners didn't want to spend too much money...)  the crib belonged to the homeowners and was painted black. the vintage armoire was around $150, and we bought many of the fabrics on ebay, including the window fabric--called "bangalore" from schumacher. it is discontinued, but  i love that fabric so much, that i still search for it on ebay.
the bumpers are made from a vintage popcorn chenille spread. 
the shower curtain was designed by me, and made by a talented seamstress that i worked with often. the shower curtain is actually hung from the soffit of the shower entry by a simple bamboo rod.
i used the same detail for these window treatments as i did in olivia's first bedroom. i love the sawtooth detail, and the crystals hung at the ends add a sense of whimsy.
i designed the "boxes" around the window treatments as well. the valances were simply attached to the inside of the box with velcro.
the stamped stars on the ceiling were a pain to do, but really added to the room.
you can't see the chandelier in the room, but there were 5 shades that i painted in that darker green (the color inside the armoire) with polka dots in the same yellow-y color on the ceiling. ugh. i really wish that i had taken more pictures.


the paint colors are: 
bedroom walls:
white sage
bedroom ceiling/bathroom walls:
lions mane
i think these are sherwin williams colors.


I love the unusual mix of colors. the fabric was the inspiration behind the palette. 


I also have a thing for stripes. as if you couldn't tell.


oh, and here's a look at the completed study with the checker board floors. i believe the designer's name is stephen bishop.  his room (besides the one i did) was my favorite. 





Oct 28, 2009

charleston: i'on

one of the things that allen and i love to do is to take drives in beautiful, well planned communities. one such community lies just outside of charleston and is called i'on. they used traditional southern elevations, but the floor plans are suited for modern living.

Oct 27, 2009

non traditional halloween decor


photo via country living
i love the soft lavender against the black and white
with the pops of orange.

easy & cheap


photo via country living
aren't these cute?
and would be super easy to make.
empty pickle jar...moss...spray-painted twigs and faux crow.

halloween decor


photo via country living

simple & fun



remebering: charleston

one year for our anniversary, allen and i went to charleston, south carolina.  i had been to charleston several times as a child, but this was my first time "back" as an adult. it is such an enchanting place, and is on the top of my list of places for gorgeous architecture.




i fell in love with charleston again on this visit, and have been back many times since.
the beauty of charleston:
classic, traditional GORGEOUS architecture.
brick and cobblestone walks and roads
lovely doors and entryways
courtyards!
beautiful iron gates 
amazing churches