I'm Loving - Bell Jars

Recently I have developed an obsession with bell jars. Although I only own a few of my own I seem to be spotting them everywhere.
These three classic cloche jars are from Barreveld International and DK Living , one of my favorite sources. They are a, "to the trade only", source for glass, garden, and tabletop accessories as well as a myriad of other yummy do-dads. They offer a large variety of shapes and sizes.



Glass artist extraordinaire, Andy Paiko, produces fantastical creations under glass that redefine the lowly bell jar.

Artist Katherine Gray takes a whimsical approach to this classic element using shape and color to great effect.




On a more practical ( or should I say affordable) note, even West Elm has stepped it up a notch with these interestingly shaped cloche jars.



While these beauties are not truly bell jars but cheese or dessert plates they are still in the same vein. (Neiman Marcus)

Doesn't everything look better under glass? (Neiman Marcus)

Even the long reigning queen of chunky wrought iron, Jan Barboglio throws her hat in the glass topped ring with her line of serving dished avaialble at Neimen Marcus.

San Francisco Bound

Getting my daughter ready to move to college in San Francisco has been fun but it's also been a full time job for the past two months (one of the may reasons my posting has been so lacking ) . Shopping, shopping and more shopping for bedding, clothes, and lots of useless crap she doesn't really need! Did you have a TV and DVD player in your dorm? How about a pink laptop? I know I didn't. Worrying about every little detail and setting up all of the essentials for her new life on her own has been exhausting.

We are finally leaving on Wednesday and we have crammed some of her new belongings into four, very large, packing boxes which had to be pre-shipped, since we are flying, to the hotel where my husband and I are staying ( Thanks UPS) .



She has "severely limited" her collection of clothing to three, large, grotesquely overstuffed suitcases which threaten to explode at any minute. She has enough clothing to outfit the entire dorm and then some.

Thankfully we are flying on Southwest so we don't have to pay extra for her gargantuan luggage! Thank you Southwest - this means a lot to me.


We had to rent a min-van so we can schlep all of her junk from the airport to the hotel and then form the hotel to the dorm. I still have no idea how we are going to get her giant 68 pound boxes up to her room but then again that's my husbands problem! I didn't want to be "those parents" who let their spoiled kid bring way too much stuff, but I think I lost that battle about a month ago.

It is so exciting to see her having so much fun getting ready for school. I only hope she enjoys attending classes half as much. Living in a big city like San Francisco is going to be a big change for her but I think she will take to it. If not - sorry - but tough luck because I am not moving all of this stuff back home!

Best Book Buys for Fall

Even with high gas prices and a troubled economy I have to find a few bucks to spend on the new crop of design books coming out this fall. Here are a few on my wish list.











I can't decide which one is going to be my favorite, although I love the covers of a few of them. The giant airbrushed glamor shot of Barclay Butera is a bit disturbing - I'd rather look at photos of his two mini-dachshunds or his classic interiors.

Happy Reading!

Bedding Book - Sneek Peak

I'm working like a dog on my new bedding book and it's finally coming together. Writing and illustrating books like this is a herculean task to say the least with thousands of images and thousands more hours of research and drawing. I constantly wonder what I am trying to prove while I am coloring renderings of bed skirts at 2:00 in the morning! The drawings in this book are much more detailed and complicated than my window treatments book and they each take quite a bit more time to complete. Here is a sneak peak of some of the finished renderings. Hope you like them!





Have a Great Weekend.............................................

John Robshaw - Beautiful Bedding

I'm loving the Asian inspired bedding collection by John Robshaw. His fabrics are contemporary interpretations of classic motifs and they are stunning! Take a look.





Do these mirrored pillows look familiar? I've been seeing them in interiors everywhere. Love them !!!

Style Sisters ?

Is it just me or do all of these style icons look alike? I was browsing through my files and was struck by the resemblance.


Charlotte Moss


Nancy Corzine



Miss Martha


Bunny Williams


Carolina Herrera


I wonder if they are all channeling the spirit of the great Elsie de Wolfe? She seems to have started the trend.


Elsie de Wolfe



If I cut my hair short and sweep it back will I miraculously have more design talent? Will the celebrity clients start calling? Of course I'd have to drop a few (more than a few) pounds and buy some embroidered silk kaftans, Tods flats and a strand of vintage pearls. Then I'll get myself down to glamor shots to pose for my designer power photos. Perhaps I'll break out the leopard throw like Elsie did. I'm going to assume she was wearing a red dress in her B&W photo, that vixen! I think I like the Charlotte Moss pose the best. It reeks of power.

They all have that - yes I am perky and smiling but I can take you out in a second with my little pinkie so don't mess with me look.

Sweet Dreams Has a New Website

The undisputed leader in opulent, over the top, luxury bedding ensembles, Sweet Dreams has a new website ! It is a vast improvement over their original site and shows the majority of their line in large, high res images.



I am just finishing up two bedrooms done with Sweet Dreams product. I will post pictures as soon as they are completed.


No one can combine fabrics and trims the way they do. They've made pillows an art form by utilizing fabrics and trim in new and innovative ways.



Hold on to your wallet though - it's not cheap! To find their products wholesale to the trade see their website. For sale at retail online go to Horchow Collection or Neiman Marcus.

ASID - This is a MUST READ !!!!!!!!!!

My talented buddy Joni of Cote de Texas is not just a gifted designer with fabulous taste she has the brains to back it up!


You must tread the post she has written detailing the strong arm tactics of the ASID in the State in Florida and around the country. If you are not a member of ASID you should be outraged by their thinly veiled propaganda and cash backed lobbying to put themselves in the position to gain financial control of our industry. If you are a member of ASID you should be concerned where your dues are going and what effect the actions of this organization are having on the industry and your own ability to practice your chosen profession.

Summer Swap - I Suwannee Style

The fabulously funny and inspiring Jamie of isuwannee is hosting a summer swap. Here are the details:

Submit your vital info
get paired up with another swapper
put together a little package that you'll mail to them of goodies. nothing you have to spend money on. you can make fun stuff - crafty items, you can send your favorite summer recipes, pretty shells that remind you of the beach, etc. etc.

Vital Info

-email address
-name and mailing address
-blog (if you have one - its fine if you don't!)
-and how about you include a little something about yourself you want to pass along to your swap partner? fave things about summer, stuff you're looking forward to, things you want to try out this summer, etc.

If you're interested in participating visit her blog here and sign up. The deadline is Monday so get on it!!!!

New Toys - AHHHHHHHHHHHH

I've been so lazy in posting these last few weeks because I am feeling the pressure of my September deadline for my new book. With over 1000 illustrations to color I have my hands full! One of the best things for me about the process is breaking out my colored pencils. It takes me back to my younger days when my sisters and I would spend the day coloring in our Abbey Press coloring books. Above is my lazy susan pencil caddy which is chock full of every pencil under the sun. However, one can never have too many colored pencils. No matter how many colors you have there is never just the one you're looking for. So, in honor of my new book I plunked down some serious bucks for two new sets.



Now this is a set for the seriously obsessed pencil addict. 120 beautiful colors!!! And just look at that fabulous wooden box (too bad they will never remain in it ) This brand is Derwent which is one of my favs. They have great colors and the pencils are smooth and soft. Who needs designer shoes or jewelry when you can indulge yourself with these!!!!!!


The second set is also Derwent but these are pastel pencils. A much softer chalky lead. Only 90 colors in this set.



My colored pencil investment to date with all of my sets (only my favorite colors are kept in the lazy susan) amounts to a staggering $1100 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Who knew you could spend so much on coloring sticks??

I have to go now and put these babies to good use. I promise to try to keep up my posts but I might be a bit sporadic for the next few months until I turn in my book.