Pink and Brown(ies)

When it comes to color combinations, the partnering of pink and brown is one of my favorites. There must be a thousand different ways to combine the many shades of both colors and, in my opinion, most of them turn out to please the eye. I love the really subtle combos but I've fallen for some of the more vibrant pairings as well. Pink and brown are great enough so when you throw in some fancy caramel brownies well... my heart just beats a little faster. Or maybe it's my dieter's guilty conscience--for those who don't know, I've been known to indulge on occasion. I mean, after all, a girl's gotta live!

The Absence of Color

I don't know about you but... Sometimes, I get bored. It's not that I don't have something to do--just nothing stimulating. When the urge to do something interesting extends to the decor on the inside of my house, I have to remind myself not to go too overboard with the reinvention. It's not that I'm afraid of change because I'm really not (at least not that I'm admitting here); it's just that my favorites are still the same old things. Yes, I may fall madly in love with the latest looks but the crush won't last and I know that about myself. I like lots of things and am tempted to try new designs for awhile but, just like in a relationship, dating it and living with it are not the same kind of experience. Life parallels aside, you really don't even want to get me started.

So I may occasionally have the urge to throw in a strong color or try a totally different type of furniture but I keep coming back. I love neutral and that's all there is to it. I guess I know what soothes me and gives me comfort. I work with color. Having tons of it in my house isn't what I want. I've heard comments for years about neutral being for the design timid souls of the world but I, for one, want to clearly state my dissenting opinion. Neutral doesn't have to be unadventurous--at least, not if it's done right and it isn't necessarily a "playing it safe" choice. Just today, I was thinking of taking a walk on the wild side... perhaps I'll change some slipcovers from white cotton duck to homespun linen and then really liven things up with some natural ribbon trim on the edges of my curtains.

Brown Paper Packages

Something about this picture makes me think of "The Princess and the Pea." Except, of course, that in this case, the item that doesn't belong in the guest bed is on top instead of under ten mattresses. And except that I can't remember how that story even ended. And... except the gift wasn't intended to tell me anything about my guest; I only wanted to show how special their visit was to me. I placed it on a pillow at the foot of the bed and kind of fell in love with the way it looked. No planning at all. Love when that happens. I used silk ribbon which I hand-dye for my business (Brown Paper Packages) and naturally, a brown paper covered box. I don't think it even mattered what was inside...

Oddly Fascinating

A large department store chain holds a fixture and prop sale about once a year in my town. The worn out, damaged or just no-longer-loved stuff of display teams is hauled to a huge open blacktop area surrounded by a chain-link fence. This goes on for several weeks before the actual day of the sale. Though there is an open sided tent for anything requiring special handling, most of it sits out exposed to the elements--bright sun, heat, rain, wind etc. Since the sale's location is nearby, I can see some of the recent additions whenever I go past during this oh-so-enticing accumulation phase.
Anyway, people line up for hours before it opens. There are usually even a number of people who camp out the whole night before--I guess they get some kind of a memo telling them the world will stop spinning if they are not the first ones through the gate. I'm a pretty dedicated finder-of-things but I just can't see the pajama party angle. There's plenty for everyone so... at least, so far, I've only been crazy enough to show up an hour or two prior to the opening stampede. My friends and I make the most of this unusual get-together time and have alot of fun talking, eating breakfast and cracking open our first diet coke of the day. In other words, it's not all work.

No matter what the arrival time...Very few walk away empty handed.

Generally, I like older fabric dressforms but, on this day, for some mystical reason, I found the surreal-ness of these manequins and form parts almost other-worldly. My gut instincts couldn't decide whether to file this under cool or creepy OR both!

Cameo Appearance

I haven't actually ever worn a cameo but, hey, that's no reason not to dress up a

thing or two. These are plaster relief cameos that have the finish of unfired bisque. I wasn't sure what the results would be when I decided to try and make them but their unfinished look makes me like them even more than the originals.

Oh, the ideas these things have given me!

Just Because

It's hot here. I mean, REALLY hot!

And, to make matters worse, it's so humid that everything is in a constant state of "damp." That said, outdoor entertaining at this time of year is hardly the stuff dreams are made of. Winter is an unrecognized season/word where I live--it just doesn't exist except in our dreams. And Fall is threatening to join the list of the "gone missing." Even so, each year when the temperature starts to dip, however infrequently, to anything below 95 degrees, I start thinking about hosting an

outdoor get-together. Some times, I've even gotten around to doing it.

Last year, my friend Elizabeth and I hatched this idea to turn her porte cochere (that's a carport to most of us) into an outdoor dining room. We didn't have a special event or reason ... it was just because! Spurred on by each other's enthusiasm, we actually did set it up. Now, carports are NOT generally beautiful places but her home is "older" and, architecturally speaking, we could probably have held a lovely dinner just doing nothing more than putting a table and chairs in the middle of it. We, however, had bigger plans. So, we hoisted out an oriental carpet, hung a chandelier and brought out the "good stuff." Oh yes, and to create an intimate atmosphere, we draped some fabric panels as a curtained entrance. This definitely was NOT your typical Sunday barbeque.

Starting with the basics, we gathered our supplies. The idea was to make our celebration simple but special and to use what nature was making readily available.

The table turned out great but it was the food that stole the show. I, for one, am all about the appetizers. If I had to choose one food to live on the rest of my life, it would be a savory vs. a sweet dessert. But on this day, there was something for everyone.

For those who think chocolate is a cure for almost anything, there was this....

It might be dark and rich but it was simple and it still had such "presence."

The table settings were inspired by fall plants from a local store.

Ornamental kale!
I think it is just about the most interesting vegetable-- color and texture wise, that is. At least that's what I thought that day. Then...shrub clippings for the individual settings!

This year, if I can find the time, who knows?

Loving Stuff

I love beautiful things, extraorodinary things AND most of all ordinary things used in unexpected and exceptional ways. I spend alot of my time creating. And I'd be the first to plead guilty to also spending an unbelievable number of hours un-earthing these things and giving them new life. I do it because, like many people, I can see the absolute exquisiteness and beauty in the most simple things. The plain and simple truth is...I appreciate stuff in it's everyday form! This little, shall we say, "ability" of mine has me bursting out of the walls.

And... unfortunately, it also keeps me from getting to the things which I keep saying I intend to get done if (yes, it's a big IF) I can just find the time. After months and months of saying I was going to do this... finally!!! I've allowed it to bubble up to the top of my "to-do" list--I am starting a blog . I will most certainly keep it to myself for a while until I've figured out a bit more about how this all works. But, for today, I am thrilled to be starting.