Oly Oly Oly

I first fell in love with Oly when Cindy and Amber came back from Market in April and showed me their photographs.  The style, materials, rich textures, unique pieces of furniture are all put together in a stunning and simplistic color palette.  Their spaces are calming yet rich, elegant, sophisticated with a hint of childishness.

Here are some of their children's chairs! Petite and awesome! 

This armoire is made from pounded sheet metal and I couldn't help but think of the Wardrobe from Beauty and the Beast! 

Oly's new furniture for this market included case pieces with black and white images of animals printed on their fronts.   

This space shows an incredible mix of materials and textures- natural stones with man made acrylics, ceramic bowls and turtle shell sconces, sleek chrome chandelier with linen furnishings, a croc skull, driftwood lamp, steel chair and marble topped side table! 

Stay tuned for pics from Oly's Market party!

Chic-ness!

Christopher Guy has some of the snazziest furnishings around....they are exquisite, unique and nothing like you've ever seen before.  I used his pieces as inspiration in college courses and love that I can now spec these  amazing pieces for actual projects!

Amber and Cindy taking a quick break in some of the cutest little swivel chairs! 

Christopher Guy is really well known for his amazing mirrors; they're large in scale and make a bold statement.  All over Market, we encountered CG knock offs! 

I couldn't resist sliding into this shiny gold chair! 

Love it! 

Christopher Guy, along with Oly (who I will highlight tomorrow) has some of the most adorable children's furniture I have ever seen. 

Christopher Guy's furnishing might seem over-the-top elegant but a few piece here and a piece there are wonderful accents to a space!

Facebook, Twitter, and Website...Oh my!

Cindy, Amber and I were lucky to catch a panel discussion hosted by the ASID (American Society of Interior Designers) about social media and getting work published.  The discussion was excellent with design professionals from all facets of media--

Crystal Gentilello is the editor-in-chief of a new online design magazine, Rue. Being an online magazine, she covered both traditional forms of submitting content for publishing as well as the importance of using tools like Twitter and Facebook to get to know the design world.

Brad Ford is an interior designer and also the writer of Design Therapy, a blog that highlights some of his favorite designers and designs.  Design Therapy began as a journal and outlet for him to categorize design inspiration.  Brad is a huge advocate of using internet media tools to promote your business and brand.  

And Deborah Sanders was a long time editor for Veranda Magazine and now is a contributing editor as she is about to launch her own style insight guide.  These people had such great advice and insight to getting your name, styles and brand out into the world!

Super Cool Cyan

I have seen and enjoyed this showroom since the first time I experienced it at Dallas's Market in December.  Cyan has a creative line of lighting, furniture and accessories that I have been trying to get Adrienne to buy for months -mostly because I am on a spending freeze and can't buy any of it for myself!  I'm not going to say much here...just enjoy!

Market Awesomeness: Henkel Harris

My favorite showroom, by far, was Henkel Harris.  Henkel Harris is a high end, very traditional furniture manufacturer but their showroom was the anything but stuffy and old fashioned. 

Their combination of traditional furnishings with bright colors, textural fabrics, interesting accessories and modern art made their room scapes incredibly homey and absolutely beautiful!

The first thing I did after taking a million photos, was send mom a text urging her not to get rid of any of her furniture!

On top of being just plain awesome looking, Henkel Harris's furniture is perfectly made; every drawer slides open and close like a knife through butter!

And their attention to detail is unmatched.  I couldn't believe how awesome rich wood and glass furniture looked with bright pink walls, plush teal fabrics, brightly colored paper lanterns and Audrey Hepburn paintings!

I thought this was such a clever way of storing blankets- on an old ladder propped against a wall!

I think I'm in love!!!

Wisdom teeth are causing me pain!

Well helloooooo!!! Whew....time flies, especially when there's been so much going lately!  

Right before leaving for High Point Market, I got really sick with tonsillitis....it was really disgusting and I don't think I've ever been sick like that.  Luckily, I was able to get some antibiotics and pain killers and made it through Market like a champ.  No, seriously! I took over 800 photos over the course of 4 days, walked several miles and met some really incredible designers!

The bad news though, is that I have to get my wisdom teeth taken out.  I might feel all good and new right now, but I know if I don't get my wisdom teeth removed, I will only continue to get sick.  Tomorrow, I find out just when the extraction is going to be.  

I am not going to lie.... although I am not looking forward to the potential discomfort and pain, I am really looking forward to an all ice cream and Ramen noodle diet and a movie marathon on the couch!

In the meantime, I will highlight some of the best things about Market- which actually might take me a few weeks!  There was such terrific art, furniture, color combinations, fabrics, candles, bedding, you name it....it was at Market!  I am really tempted to buy these iron glasses frames- I think they look fantastic on me!

We're just a blogging family!

It used to be that parents would strive to create the next famous musical family, but I think my family has caught on to something a little different....blogging!  There are tons of blogs going on in my family and they each are unique, challenging, enlightening and have helped me learn so much about my family.  Click on the pics below to check out the family blogs!

The newest member of our blog family is my brother's blog, AlwaysOnBoard.  Adam spends most of week flying around US and wants to share his travel experiences.

Another new blog is my mom's! Her blog is total strength + courage!

Everyone knows about my sister's blog that shares the lives of her family and live-ins!

This little blog is about a little girl who is gathering some pretty big life experiences across the ocean in Spain.

My aunt, living over is Arizona is chronicling her life over in their semi-new state, house and jobs!

Project Independence: Finished!

We finally put the finishing touches on our rooms for Project Independence!  Can't thank all of you enough for participating and helping out with this great cause!  There is no possible way all of this could have come together without the incredible help and tremendous amount of time and effort given by hundreds of volunteers!

Because a different designer was responsible for each room, they all turned out a little different with their own homey touches.  You can see the rest of the rooms by clicking here!

 

Its amazing what a fresh coat of paint can do for a space! With a new wall color, bedding, and accessories, the shelter can now help more women get their feet back on the ground.  

Cindy, Amber and I left little notes of encouragement for the first group of women who are going to live in these rooms first.

It feels so good to do something great for people who really deserve it!

Mums the word

I always talk about my boss Cindy....and more often than not, her boyfriend Scott, is hanging around close by.  Scott is just as awesome as Cindy- he is a high school teacher and football coach, taught me how to two-step and makes some of the best bbq ribs I've ever had!  So, after months of hearing about Texas's crazy love affair with high school football, I bit the bullet and earlier this month, attended a high school football game.  

It couldn't be just any game either, I went to Klein High School's Homecoming game.  Texas high schools have this crazy tradition for Homecoming- when a guy asks a girl to be his date, there is so much more involved than dinner and a dance partner.  On the Thursday night prior to the game, they exchange "mums" to be worn at school the next day.  What, I assume, began as a simple tradition has now grown to crazy proportions and can only be accurately and kindly described by pictures.  So take a gander below....

Yes! That gigantic thing growing on that girl's chest complete with feather boa, stuffed animals, ribbons galore and a necklace to tie it all together, is a "mum!"

   

While the mums were incredibly impressive, so were the Klein High School's cadets.  A group of 60 girls performing an impressive and completely synchronized routine of high kicks, pirouettes, and splits awed the crowd for 7 mesmerizing minutes.  They were, for lack of a better work, awesome!

Some more mums for you! I couldn't get enough of them! I tried, and simply couldn't never imagine myself being okay with putting one of these on for an entire day at school!  

In all good spirits, Klein High school won their homecoming game!

Danial Tosh...so hot right now!

In June, Adrienne and I purchased tickets to see one of our favorite comedians live. After waiting and waiting patiently, we packed Greg and Evan up in the car, had a nice dinner together and finally got to go to the show on October 2!

We chose a restaurant near the Verizon Wireless theater called "The Grove;" it was funky and eco-chic with acrylic chairs, bright colorful and strange artwork.  The food was delicious and every plate was squeaky clean by the end of the meal.

Danial Tosh is a stand-up comedian with his own show on Comedy Central which has soared to be the number 1 show on Comedy Central in just two short seasons!  Adrienne and I are hooked and are proud to say that we even got our mom addicted to the show.  It turns out, Comedy Central owed him some money and instead of paying him, asked him to make a pilot for a show.  Little did they know how popular his show about internet videos was going to be!

His two opening acts were hilarious as they touched upon race, women, relationships and jobs.  Finally, Danial got on stage and if I didn't have a big ol' crush on him before...I certainly do now! 

Click here to take a look at his blog some of clips from his TV show!  

Souper Time!

I am in love with this recipe! It is the perfect thing to make if you're feeling a little under the weather and you probably have all of the ingredients already!  You can make a little or make a lot- so I won't put quantities of the ingredients- that just depends on how you like your soup!

Creamy Chicken and Rice Soup

Ingredients:
*butter
*diced onion
*minced garlic
*parsley
*basil
*chives
*flour
*cooked chicken- cubed
*milk
*water- or chicken stock
*chicken bullion cubes
*rice- brown or white, instant or not
*salt and pepper

Directions:
1.  In a sauce pan, melt butter and add diced onion and minced garlic.  Sauté however long you like and add herbs for a few minutes.
2.  Add flour to sauté mix and use wooden spoon to mix together.  When it begins to brown, add the milk and water.  Continue stirring until smooth.
3.  Add bullion cubes and chicken and let simmer until bullion has completely dissolved.
4.  Add rice and let simmer until rice is fully cooked.  Season with salt and pepper and enjoy!

Souper easy! and souper delicious!

High Point Market

Today, I am heading to High Point, North Carolina to attend Market!  I have been waiting and waiting for this opportunity and am thrilled to finally be going!  Market is like sensory overload for designers- its where hundreds of vendors, manufacturers, and artists all come together to show off their latest and greatest!  I am expecting myself to take thousands of photos and hopefully not spend way too much money!

If you have anything you're looking for- Market is the place to find it!  Send me your orders and I'll make sure to see what I can find!

Check out a little more about market here!

I'm Sorry!

I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!  I really am! There have been a complete lack of blog posts lately and there are a few things I can blame it on.  

Work has been utterly crazy and the last thing I want to do each night is turn on my computer.  I have even been leaving my computer in my car to keep myself away from it! Unfortunately for all of you, that means no blogging.

I have also come down with a nasty bat of tonsillitis which has inadvertently made me fall in love with my bed but! also with a new soup recipe that I will share! (Its delicious and cooking on the stove as I type this!)  But increased sleepy time = decreased blogging time

A certain somebody might also be to blame....more time with this somebody means less time on the computer!  Which, I think, might be a healthier thing.  I'll leave you all on that cliffhanger! 

I promise to take the next few days to catch everyone up on the goings-on in my life.  The updates, the jobs, the photos, the food, and of course, the smiles!