Gifted Inspiration and a big thank you!

Okay so I don't want to end the year with any unfinished business on my plate...

I NEED to say Thank you to the ladies who participated in my series on Gifted Inspiration! We need a good dose of inspiration everyday to keep us fresh and happy!! So a big thank you to Stefanie at Brooklyn Limestone, Jessica at The Wife of an Artist, Lisa at The Lisa Porter Collection and Deb at Dumbwit Tellher for taking the time to share with me and with you! And thank you for all of the wonderful inspiration- I am looking forward to the New Year with all of you!



On another note, the ladies over at Chic Coles were nice enough to give me The Fabulous Sugar Doll blogger award.

Many Thanks!

So now for the hard part... 10 things about me...

1. I am in love with Paris
2. I love things that are handmade and I love to make things for people.
3. My Babies make me smile even when they are driving me crazy!
4. I dream of writing a book someday.
5. I have a stack of approximately 20 books that I bought this past year and did not get around to reading. (My husband asked me if I knew what the Library was)
6. I love design- deeply, passionately and will forever!
7. I think live plants are essential to any interior.
8. I love to chat with my Mom on the phone everyday- sometimes more than once a day.
9. I love Pottery Barn Organic sheets- they are the softest and just yummy to sleep on.
10. I have big plans for an edible garden in the coming year.

So now I need to send this onto some other bloggers...

Annechovie
Adventures in Renovating a Brooklyn Limestone
Backroads and Barstools
Dress Design Decor

Happy New Year!

Lisa at The Lisa Porter Collection - Gifted Inspiration

Being that Lisa at The Lisa Porter Collection was one of my first blog friends.. I am so excited to share some of her gifted inspiration with you. She is the sweetest and super supportive. Please enjoy!

Where do you find inspiration? I am inspired by the people around me. At my age, it's all about faith, wisdom, happiness & doing what is right for myself, my family & my friends. It's about feeding my soul. I take special care to surround myself with people that are good for Lisa. What I mean by this is that I accept & appreciate what makes us all different, but I am most comfortable around and inspired by those who are true to themselves & make a difference in everyday life..

What is your favorite or Dream Vacation Destination? I have many favorite destinations like San Francisco, Lake Tahoe, & New York City. My dream destination would be to take a drive along the Amalfi coast with the MR. & check in to Hotel Santa Caterina!

Why did you start your blog? I started blogging quite by accident. It was a dark, cold November night & I was missing old friends out west. I was trying to remember the name of a small boutique in California. So I googled Santa Barbara Interiors & I ran smack dab into Velvet & Linen! It was all over after that. Through Brooke's blog I came across many other wonderful blogs like Absolutely Beautiful Things, Patricia Gray, and Cote de Texas. They are responsible for leading me down the long & winding path to Blog Land! I got so hooked & soon realized that I had found a place where I could organize & share all the "stuff" that had been floating around in my head, in my files, and on my bedside table.

In Blog Land I could, in one afternoon, talk to a hundred women around the world who completely understood my obsession over boxwoods and crown molding! I had come home!

That was about a year ago and here I am, still finding new paths & new ideas & wonderful people, like Christina & My Sparrow!

An item that is on your wish list for your home or yourself.

A VW Bus for driving up & down & up & down the California coast to visit those friends that I miss.

And still waiting for that giant white porcelain farmhouse sink....

Deborah from Dumbwit Tellher - Gifted Inspiration

We are so lucky to be surrounded by family and friends this holiday season. I hope you are enjoying the start of the Christmas season! A woman after my own heart Deb from Dumbwit Tellher really sums it up in her answers! Please enjoy!

Where do you find inspiration? Sounds typical but it's true when I say, everywhere that draws the eye. I am the girl who notices if you moved your sofa or if you shaved off that mustache. I have always been very visual. I am not as much a nature girl (I have never been camping, how sad right?) as I am one to be thrilled with architecture. Don't get me wrong, I so appreciate the beauty of nature, but it's truly a thrill to set eyes on the great design of a structure; with it's rigid materials of steel, glass, and concrete that are transformed into something that is breathtaking. I love to touch surfaces, paying close attention to materials, textures, trims, utilized on interior finishes. That to me is the equivalent to what 'shoe shopping' may be to many. That combined with history, color, and the interior design, and I am in the zone.

What is your favorite or Dream vacation destination? My husband hails from Scotland and he will not be pleased to know that I will tell you Ireland. My father was the musical director for a high school in Washington State. In 1996 his SHS marching band was invited to perform in Dublin for the St. Patrick's Day Parade. My eldest daughter was a student in dad's band & I decided this was an experience of a lifetime & I volunteered as a chaperon.

There were so many reasons as to why Ireland captured my heart. The SHS band took first-place from over 1000+ entrants from around the world was a huge thrill. Having a trophy made of Irish crystal presented to my father by the Lord Mayor of Dublin, at the Lord Mayors Ball, was another. But as the trip unfolded it was all about the beauty; the beauty of it's kind people, the sea, and all the remarkable scenery. I have never seen green so vivid & have never seen faces that told such a story. It's Ireland's history, it's architecture, it's food, the beer, the hot-toddies and the incredible music. Talented musical artists on every corner of the city center. I was hooked on landing & I will never get enough. Have you ever tried keeping your feet still while listening to Celtic music? Enough said! Not to be considered as second best, Scotland is no doubt is #2.

An item that is on your wish list for your home or yourself. The list is so vast. If I could have 'one' thing it would be to have my 9 ft. 50's sofa that we purchased in a vintage shop in Seattle (only to drag this mega- heavy lovely with us on our move to Houston), custom rebuilt & upholstered with a sumptuous wool velvet. It's long clean lines and the fact you can seat the entire party on one couch, makes it a cherished family item. Oddly enough, we didn't realize until we moved it that it had a custom label on the underside and it was made in Houston. Karma!



Why did you start your blog? You'd think that would be a quick answer. Why I began and where I am now seems to have evolved. I started with one mission. It began through my frustration with my adoration of designer, high-end products. Whether it be for the home or fashion. With one or more kids in college at the same time since 1997 (without a break thus far), my 'appreciation' of haute design is, let's just say, 'cooled off'. It was my intent to bring to light to as many as possible that good taste does not always equate spending massive amounts of money. I wanted to stop the self-discrimination.

Now that 12 mos. of blogging has passed, I have found my niche, found the dearest people I would of never imagined, and have had the thrill of a life-time to connect and have conversations (although online) with people I have only dreamt about exchanging words with. Individuals whose talents constantly amaze me; professional and novices a like. How fabulous would it be to write full-time and make a living at it? But with or without an income, I have been truly blessed to be part of this world called 'blogging'.

Jessica at The Wife of an Artist - Gifted Inspiration

Inspiration is an amazing thing.. the most amazing thing is that it is different for everyone! I am so excited to have Jessica from The Wife on an Artist as my next guest blogger! I just love the chairs I also wanted a pair for my dining room! One day!! Please enjoy and have a wonderful Thanksgiving week!

Where do you find inspiration?

I am a very visual person so I'm constantly observing the world around me for inspiration. From walks through the city to my ever expanding blog roll to the galleries I frequent, there are so many inspiring and creative things to take in. Thank god for camera phones, my trusty Canon and the star function on Google Reader. Obviously, we are all drawn to a particular style or time period and I am no exception. I love the mid century modern design aesthetic, art that arose out of or is influenced by the Constructivist movement, and anything and everything having to do with typography.

What is your favorite or Dream vacation destination?

Barcelona has been my favorite city that I've visited thus far. I felt unbelievably at home there and found inspiration in everything. My first night in the city, I stumbled upon a public performance by trapeze artists that were protesting the closure of a building that artists had been squatting in for years and the lack of affordable housing for artists. I immediately fell in love with the energy of the city then and there. I can't wait to go back with my husband....perhaps for an extended stay!

Why did you start your blog?

I had been looking for some sort of daily creative outlet for sometime (I tried knitting, but it just didn't do it for me...no offense to knitters). After I built a website for my husband (the artist), I realized a blog might be the way to go. I originally thought I would create a more engaging online presence for his art, but it really turned into a place for me to share what inspires me with others. And it's forced me to pick up my camera more often which is always a good thing. I'm still surprised that I even have any readers and that it's opened so many doors. I would never be writing for Apartment Therapy now if it weren't for this silly blog.

An item that is on your wish list for your home or yourself.

Currently, I'm seriously lusting after a Cherner Armchair. If I had one, I don't know if I would ever even sit in it. I'd probably just stare at it for hours on end. It's absolute plywood perfection.

Stefanie at Brooklyn Limestone - Gifted Inspiration

If you haven't noticed lately I have been focused on Inspiration... I often find myself wondering why am I doing this?? What gets me inspired and keeps me inspired? Well, in my short blogging career I have been encouraged and inspired by seeing great things on blogs everyday- so Thank You ladies and gentlemen for all of your inspiring words and pictures!! I thought it might be fun to see who else is out their inspiring people.. So our first guest blogger in Gifted Inspiration Series is Stefanie from Brooklyn Limestone! I am so excited I am sure if you don't know her already you will be following along with her very very soon! She is an amazing photographer, refinisher, designer, world traveler etc... Love love her stuff! I asked a few questions and got a few answers...

Where do you find inspiration?

I wish I could give you some really coherent and clear answer to this but I don't have one. I don't really have any light bulb moments of inspiration. I generally get a little sprout of an idea in my head and then I'll refine it somewhat in my brain before trying it in real life. Sometimes it works, often times it doesn't.

What is your favorite or Dream vacation destination?

I have a very long list of dream vacation destinations that change on a regular basis. But right now, I think I'd like to try another location in Africa. Our trip to South Africa was so amazing its hard to imagine it could get better but I'd have to try. Kenya? Tanzania? Botswana? Do I really have to pick just one?

Why did you start your blog?

I started it mostly to document the renovation. I was never good about written diaries so I thought a public blog would keep me honest about updating regularly. The plan was to take the posts and put them in a bound book on my shelf. I never expected many people to read my blog nor did I expect to have it contain anything but renovation stuff. But its morphed into something different. It keeps me motivated to keep working on my little projects, to keep improving my photography skills, to share a few fun experiences in New York, etc. And guess what? I never did get around to making that renovation book. You know what they say about the best laid plans.

An item that is on your wish list for your home or yourself.

Right now, I'm really loving white ceramic novelty stuff like this monkey vase and this boot umbrella stand - Not very high brow, I just think they are fun yet beautiful.

Images from Stefanie of Brooklyn Limestone, Z. Gallerie and Bellacor


My Sparrow - stylish responsibility