recycling the past

this weekend i did one of my favorite things....hunting (not for animals) but for the "perfect find". i adore going to antique malls, flea markets, and salvage yards in search for some undiscovered jewel! if you are going w/ something in mind, you usually come home disappointed but if you go just to look, you come home with lots of goodies. you have to be in a mood to dig and not be scared to do this. i found a cool old military trunk and for $10 in was definitely my "perfect find".

when i got home from hunting, i was so excited about what all i saw, i wanted to look more. so i checked out some salvage yards online. i love recycling the past. it has a plethora of jewels at the click of your mouse. you don't even have to dig to find them! here are some of my favorites: these industrial carts have so many undiscovered uses- i think it would make a cool coffee table if you had a piece of glass cut for the top of it! this tudor style door is so amazing- if you were building a house, it is great to find a cool old door and have it incorporated into your home- this could make a cool side door or door to a pantry or powder room. i also love these beautiful, old tiles; this art nouveau tile is circa 1890's and would make a gorgeous backsplash in a kitchen- remember that you are not limited to just new tile when you are planning a backsplash, creating a truly unique backsplash from vintage tiles can make a kitchen or bathroom! these are just some teasers to share w/ y'all. this website is so wonderful and has so many possibilities if you are in search of a "perfect find".

my bro's airstream

my brother is definitely a drifter. as of now, his home is in the usa but we never know when that zip code might change. for the last 10 years, he has lived back and forth from thailand. you ask what he does over there...he drifts...he teaches english sometimes...he acts in commercials and movies (americans stand out there, especially a 6' light- brown haired guy)....and he owns a laundry mat/ bar (yea, weird combo but apparently it makes sense there). my fam has adjusted to the fact that my bro is a drifter.

so when he made the purchase of this 1959 airstream it just seemed to fit. he found it online...he is one of the people who can search the internet effortlessly...very unlike myself. if i have a problem w/ my computer, i immediately start cussing out geek squad (i always blame my computer problems on them...they set up my PC when i started my company (should have gotten a mac) and i think they put a curse on it that only "geeks" know how to fix). one day he called me and said, i bought an airstream and i want you to help me fix it up. and the next thing i know, it was delivered from somewhere across the country and was parked at our cabin. it lives there. the people who own airstreams are kind of like a cool cult...they all worship these vintage steel motor homes. and they rightfully should, it's definitely not your typical motor home....

i am so excited to help my bro w/ the renovations of this 1959 piece of coolness. it definitely needs a little TLC; it's taken some beating up in the last 50 years...the first purchase my brother made was carpet tiles from FLOR. we decided on a stripe pattern carpet that we are going to lay in a random pattern...i think it is going to look really cool when it's down! when i go home in a couple of weeks, i'll take pics of it and will fill you in as our renovations take place. it's a very slow process...b/c after all, my bro is a drifter.....

do i live in a bubble?

sometimes i feel like i live in this tiny bubble...like when i found steven gambrel- why have i not seen this guy's portfolio before yesterday? when i searched his site, i couldn't click the pictures fast enough. beautiful, colorful, interiors filled my computer screen. i got so excited and almost started writing my post at that very moment...but remembered that i was getting sick and that it was better to save it for today when i would feel less inspired to search for something "new" and "innovative". soooooooo, i love steven gambrel's interiors; he gracefully mixes traditional and modern (my cup of tea) and he is lucky enough to have a "town portfolio" and a "country portfolio". i also think that he is ahead of his time...using pops of orange and peacock blues in 2005. i am adding him to my "design heroes" b/c he makes me giddy and allows me to love what i do even more. i just get so excited when i discover a new designer (well new to me, i'm sure all of you design bloggers have known him for years). i feel like a little girl who just received her first cabbage patch kid. i just love what i do and am constantly inspired by the great designers in this industry!

* on a technical note, does anyone know how to post images that are on adobe flash player? there are so many beautiful interior shots that i want to share but i can't figure out how to get them? maybe that is the "user's" point...not to have them shared!

belvedere lighting...

so on my quest to keep sharing my mag tear outs, i found this store also in my random pile...belvedere! then i just read my comments and this was a place that things that inspire said to visit in atl....i will definitely be checking this place out. i am in love with the lamps...ok, check out the birch bark lamp. i love how they describe the beautifully, handmade Peter Lane lamp: park avenue meets the farm- how fantastic! their vintage collection has so many cool things like the six- point art pottery gourd lamp and the pagoda lamp (that bronze shade is killing me). i am also a sucker for acrylic so if you put it on anything, i am bound to like it. the store does more then just feature lamps...the have a heavy emphasis on mid-20th century furnishings and accessories. they have an amazing inventory that i can't wait to see in person!

vagabond vintage

beware, i think this week's post may consist of "finds" from my magazine tear outs...

this little gem, mothology, was found on a tear page that just listed "places you need to know". last night i searched a couple of the resources and came across this beautiful shop in atl. has anyone been here? the online store consists of beautiful, vintage inspired accents for your home and the prices are really great. I adore the canvas bordeaux buckets and can think of so many great uses for these and at $21 they definitely don't break the bank! the turquoise milk glass collection would look amazing displayed in a book shelf against a chocolate brown accent wall. but i have to say i'm a sucker for anything this color...its just gorgeous. and lastly, after reading the description of these french wine glasses it made me want them even more...the 23 stands for 23 francs which was the going rate for a glass of wine in France back in the day.

i am heading to atl the first weekend of Feb. and i might just have to stop by this little diddy. i am also going to ADAC and i cannot wait to visit "Pieces"...i have been dying to see what this place is all about. If you have any other suggestions of "must see" shopping in the atl, please let me know!

the adorable serial redecorator- amanda nisbet

this weekend i made an attempt to start cleaning my office of all of my "organized clutter"...i started w/ the best section, my magazine tear outs. i place all of my ripped pages in a manila folder to later be filed away in my inspiration binders. it was this huge pile where i ran across amanda nisbet, the actress turned self-trained new york decorator. i was so intrigued by the picture that i immediately got on my computer and googled her to see what her design looks like. amanda's design is anything from bland and is definitely not your typical calming "white" room. her general rules in design are making each home have a assuring color palette, choosing bold fabrics (she loves reverse toiles), and having big, comfortable upholstery mixed w/ crystal lamps or lucite tables. i found her interiors to be fun, daring, and as far from "white" as you can possibly be! amanda was most recently featured in O Home where she used some magnificent lucite bar stools and an awesome coral pink paint color against chocolate brown shelving...check out her website to see pics!

once i started googling, my office cleaning ceased and i am surrounded by torn magazine pages w/ no home and no attempt to be organized....what can i say, i get easily distracted!

reason # 437 of why i love jay jeffers...

FEARLESS...the man is not afraid! and for this, i confession my love (i don't think my husband will have a problem w/ me having a designer crush...i'm sure jay isn't into people like me!) i mean, that man can turn a room into a freakin' showcase in a sec. and his powerful design is just so daring yet sophisticated and never once would i describe his rooms as "understated". why don't these clients exist in c'town. not here, they are soooooooooooo traditional...people its okay to not have every room in your house how your great grandmother intended!

pink is my favorite color

i have a problem...i am obsessed by the color pink. i don't know exactly when this happened. i feel like when i was a little girl my favorite color was purple...isn't this when your love for pink is suppose to develop? well, mine hit probably right after i got married. i noticed all of my clothing was pink...a turtleneck (wow, that sounded so conservative), a patagonia jacket, a pair of pink cords, pink high heels, pink bum around pants, pink dresses...my husband started banning me from buying anything that was pink...he would say "one day you are going to hate this color and you will be looking in your closet and be so sad b/c that's all you own." i think that made me want the color even more (you know when someone tells you not to do something, it makes you crave it even more)...so i started my own company and what do i do? i have my logo designed...pink and chocolate brown...business cards, letterhead, and envelopes. next, i get pregnant and what do i find out- its a girl...so naturally, i fill the room w/ pink! i can't help it. finally, i start a blog...what's the name PINK wallpaper. so i confess...my name is shannon and i have a problem. i want to live in a sea of pink. just when i thought i could move on from this color, i found myself telling my husband last night "i think i want to paint my desk pink"...he rolled his eyes and said you have got to be kidding me......

no, don't worry this isn't turning into a baby blog!

i promise for all of you anti-baby peps, i am not turning this into a baby blog but i couldn't resist sharing these beautiful pieces. i was excited about the comments that people left about the love/hate relationship with PB and thought it would be fun to share some things that in my book would not be found in a mass produced catalog...so here are some amazing "anti- PB" pieces. and as many people stated, its not the pieces that you put in the room that make the space but rather the creative process that you go through to make it your own!

the amazing lunar library is from growmodern and is something i want for my family room! i love the lattice inspired detail. dad & warren- can y'all make this for me?! the beautiful baby book is also found at growmodern...i wish i had gotten one of these for tay but instead i am the terrible mother who didn't record anything since she has been born...don't hate me for this. i have always adored this ducduc merino wool blanket...something about the massive letter just makes me smile! it's like BAM- i'm a girl. and lastly, i love the celery cribs...i think this is way too modern for PB to knock off....so if you are looking for a "different" piece for your nursery this could be it. i also think its quite clever that it has a chalkboard panel on the sides...much better then your kiddo writing on the wall.....gotta go, my baby just did a super flip and is half way hanging off of her bouncy seat..................

my love/hate relationship

i have to say to was a little POed when i opened the new pottery barn kids catalog. there on the glossy pages in front of me was an oval crib just like my daughter's....one that i searched long and hard for, going to another state to b.braithwaite in order to order a "unique" crib. i love my stokke crib and the unusual shape and the fact that only two companies offered oval sheets. i wanted to be slightly different, on the cutting edge b/c after all i am a designer and people expect things. pottery barn is a massive design source for the general public and a leader in design trends. it's even a style that my clients describe themselves as wanting..."the pottery barn look". i continued to flip through the magazine when i arrived to a giraffe propped against the wall...another sigh of disappointment. my husband and i spent hours painting this giraffe (we rented an overhead projector, i had the giraffe bodice printed onto clear projection paper, and we sat there at night and traced and painted it onto the wall). now there is a wooden cut out available... finally, i arrived to the fabric page, there sat all of my designer Hable fabrics now available on upholstery offered through pottery barn. i cannot compete with pottery barn prices and Hable fabric is in the upper $100 a yard w/ a minimum order of 3 yds. huge sigh....

so you are probably wondering what the "love" part is in my relationship w/ pb after all of the hates i just listed....well, i think it is a great source of ideas and they do a really good job of creating a look that appeals to the general public and designers alike. they just make my job a little harder at times when they pounce of something that is usually offered "to the trade" only. but that is my job, to be on the cutting edge and constantly searching for the latest and greatest...

atlanta homes and lifesyles

we spent new years in atlanta (football game...not my number one choice of ways to bring in the year but it was fun none the less). in our hotel there was a magazine of atlanta homes which somehow happened to make its way home w/ me (i justified it by thinking of it as if it were the toiletries they offer in the bathroom...just another friendly jester to welcome you). it's a very good magazine. i especially loved this one house which was featured in an article titled "the un-white house". the architecture was amazing. it was a contemporary house built in a traditional bungalow neighborhood. the architect used angular walls and windows that really make the house stand out. it has loads of light pouring into the house and the kitchen is beautiful. i love the limestone ann stacks tile they used in the backsplash, very modern- sleek and sophisticated. i was also pleased to find that the magazine had a great website. (i can now access the mag even if i am not staying in an atl hotel!)

welcoming 2008

i am so sorry that i have been away for so long (although it was kind of nice)! today starts back my "normal routine"...no more traveling, no more fatty eating, no more husband at home to enjoy the day with. it's sad that it's over but we had an amazing holiday. i cannot tell you how wonderful it is to have a sweet baby to share in the joy of Christmas. it made everything so much better...even though she is too young to know what is going on and she enjoyed the wrapping paper far more then any presents!

now it's time to face reality and start fresh in 2008. i didn't make any specific resolutions- although i did think of some general things i would like to do in 2008. i really just want to make this year happy, healthy, and as much as possible- stress free! so i an attempt to get things going right, i started my day off with The Firm- totally kicked my butt and i am sure that i looked hysterical doing it. my dog was very confused; he wanted to lick the resistance band and sit on my yoga pad w/ me. i am glad i did this in the privacy of my own home and that my husband is at work b/c he would totally be laughing at me! i am also going to try and read more (mom, doesn't this make you proud) and watch less tv. right now i am reading An Affair With a House (well its actually more of a design/coffee table book but it still counts). now that tax season is approaching, i want to be better at my books for 2008. i need to enlist someone to help me organize(any volunteers :)) . and lastly, i want to TRY and be less messy. i told my husband last night, that it's just really hard for me. but i was reading Shape mag and they suggest that a clean house makes for a happier person....i'll let you know how i do! Happy 2008...design post will begin again next week.