Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Bowls of Treasures

The other day I had a friend over to my house and as we were moving from room to room she noticed that I have bowls of stuff, little collections of treasures throughout my home. I hadn't really thought about it before but I do tend to find little cool things and give them a home inside vessels made of wood, iron, enamel, ceramic and glass. I don't think of myself as a knick-knack person because I don't like clutter. But I do LOVE my bowls of stuff. They make me happy. Some people scrapbook to preserve their memories. I keep my memories in bowls. Here's what I have . . .

I love this natural, irregularly shaped wood bowl that sits on a table in my family room. It holds some tumbled glass, pieces of abalone, a seashell I bought in a yard sale in Pacific Grove that was actually found in Florida, a sterling silver shell, a cedar egg, a message in a bottle, an opal egg, driftwood from Bass Lake, a glass heart from my husband, and a red heart from Cost Plus.
This large iron leaf was a gift I gave to my mother. When she passed away I got it back. I keep my antique wood block stamps in this. These old blocks from India are like little pieces of art. I buy them whenever I come across them at estate sales and yard sales. I keep this on my large square coffee table in my living room.This wood bowl holds my hand painted Christmas stars that I purchased from a local artist, Bebe Long , a couple of years ago. They are so artsy I keep them out all year. I picked up the various orbs at Pier I, my favorite is the recycled paper ball. And I love the big blue iridescent glass star. There's a heart that I bought from artist Stephanie Lee that I gave to my husband for Valentine's day. It says, You are here...X. Very romantic!
These iron hands are fabulous. I am really intrigued by hands. These hands came from Urban Outfitters and they hold a silver wishbone given to us on our wedding day, along with a beautiful piece of abalone and a glass egg I bought when I was back in Austin, Texas, a couple years ago. These hands sit next to my stove so I can enjoy them everyday when I am cooking a yummy dinner.
My husband bought this ceramic bowl for me. Do you see the gold crown on the side of the dish? Inside this whimsical bowl are my beaded beads. My friend and I took a bead making class to learn to do this. I made two beads and she made many more. Every now and then she gives me a couple of hers because she knows I love them but have no patience for making them. Not to mention you can go blind trying to string the seed beads to make these. These beads are so colorful and tactile. The bright blue one reminds me of a sea urchin. This bowl is in the family room, too.
This is just one section of a long wood vessel that has about five sections to it. I tend to toss my jewelry into this when I am done wearing it for the day. I think I have an obsession with wood bowls! This is in my bedroom.Here's a wood bowl that I keep in the bathroom that holds some of the seashells that we've collected when we go to the coast. Treasures from the sea are one of my favorite things.

In my kitchen this tiny vintage enamel dish rest on the hands of three iron angels and hold various hearts. The pewter hearts came from a museum in Sacramento. The iron angels and the dish are yard sale finds. Hmmm.......yard sales. Now that's another blog entry altogether!

Friday, February 19, 2010

Alice in Wonderland

I have to say I am very excited for the March release of Tim Burton's remake of Alice in Wonderland. It's not so much the movie that I am anxious for - althought I am, I really am - it's all the whimsical, over-the-top influences that the film is having and will continue to have on designers and their inspired goods. Expect to see Alice-inspired design motifs like teacups, pocket watches, hearts, top hats, mushrooms and keyholes on everything from home décor pieces to clothing and jewelry. I love these pieces by Tom Binns........
Paris retailer, Printemps, salute fashion and whimsy with their store windows featuring Alice in Wonderland. Top designers, including the late Alexander McQueen, have done a fabulous job in making Alice current and oh, so chic.

Hey, is that a tie-dye dress? Hmmm..........get your dye products here and create your own Alice-inspired frock.

Friday, February 5, 2010

Sparkle & Lace Trends

I just finished a taped interview with the fabulous Tiffany Windsor (who, by the way, is the 2010 recipient of Plaid's New Horizons award!) talking about the trends featured this month at iLoveToCreate.com . I have two quick interviews per month that air on her call-in talk radio show, Inspired At Home. You can listen to our conversation about the trend in sparkly things on February 7, and on February 21, we are talking about the oh-so-chic lace trend. You'll be so inspired!

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Last week after returning from the CHA show I was busy playing 'catch-up' in my cube, emptying bags of literature from the show and going through my numerous unanswered emails. Our company often has guests visit us to discuss business dealings and to tour our facilities. On this particular day there were two guests from India who were spending the day at iLoveToCreate. One of our VPs came into my cube and told me that one of the women would like to meet me. Apparently, she reads my blog. Well, of course, I was probably more excited to meet her than she was to meet me! SOMEONE READS MY BLOG?! Really?! I mean, I know there are people who read what I write, but I don't usually get to meet them in person. I headed toward the conference room and was introduced to a beautiful woman who was actually excited to meet me! She encouraged me to be a more frequent blogger because she didn't like checking in on me only to find I had not updated my blog. We laughed about this. I feel the same way when I check in with my favorite bloggers. I feel like I am missing out on their lives when they fail to blog for a while. So, I am trying to be a better, more faithful blogger for those of you who actually read this blog and return to it for more.
More blog humor.............

Monday, February 1, 2010

P.S. I Made This with Tulip Fabric Spray Paint

DIYer Erica Domesek of P.S. I Made This is featured today in Who What Wear's daily email. She used our Tulip Fabric Sprays to make her version of the way cool Proenza Schouler spring collection. See, you really can have wear this look without paying the designer pricetag. Make it yourself!