Delicious Designs

The crossroads I find myself in sends me traveling near to home and even nearer to my heart. I have the time right now and my love of architecture, design and antiques always sends my little heart all a flutter. It is likely that I enjoy the hunt more than the actual acquisition of things but if I could live in the design world every minute of every day, I'd have died and gone to decorating heaven.

My current fantasy is in carving out a niche for this fantastic Flatiron desk from Restoration Hardware and using it as a dining table.  The top is made from an old wooden door, and the iron legs satisfy my love of industrial-feel furnishings.  RH has a similar table slated strictly for dining but this one has a more interesting side detail to it and reflects better the size that I would need.  The best part about their new line and look is the price point, in my opinion, is affordable.  One can overdo the look that they inspire and it becomes cookie-cutter in an instant but pieces here and there are magnificent.  My only complaint about their furniture is most is sized for a castle, not a cottage.  A love seat, for example, in their Camelback sofa is 88 inches.  This size, in reality, is a normal sofa size.  But imagine this wonderful table as either a desk or, in my head, a very edgy and cool dining table.


While searching for finds, I came across a wonderful site which is new to me, however, not the design world...the site is called 1stdibs....with a tagline "the most beautiful things on earth"...isn't that a catchy name for an antique hunt?  The genius behind the site - Michael Bruno (who first cleaned up in the height of the real estate market, I'm told) makes me wish I had the idea first.  Instead...Mr. Bruno got first dibs.  If I had to lose out to someone, this would be the guy..  I digress.
http://www.1stdibs.com


The concept of this terrific source of goods is simple ...one stop shopping with the best dealers from all over....originally designed, I believe, to connect designers to dealers but there are also people of taste (one has to remain confident for one's own self-esteem, I think) who think discovering this site is like handing candy to babies.  Everything from folk art to mid-century wonders, jewelry and quilts to flea markets that stepped right out of Paris - one of my personal favorites is T.C. Donobedian's Paris Flea 
 (more on Mr. Donobedian in a later blog, I'm sure).  In the meantime, and to tease...see the meticulous showroom of Paris Flea in San Francisco.  His vast selection of interesting styles feeds the soul of the light-hearted and offers gorgeously delectable pieces de resistance....which keeps one coming back again for more.



For those designers out there, hunting for the perfect find for that difficult client, 1st dibs would be my store of choice.  Where else would you get mega selections of all types of furniture from every corner of the world, hand selected by discriminating and experienced eyes?  I personally enjoy owning those one-of-a-kind items from earlier times- those that have survived their pasts for decades or centuries...only to find their way to me.  Having extreme eclectic tastes myself, this is a haven for me.  While I may not buy (or I may), I certainly keep abreast of the current trends in design, as well as being educated about their relative costs.
And for those with more taste than money, it's a source to behold before heading out on that weekend jaunt to the local markets and day trips on never-ending HUNT.

How I found 1stdibs was through the August issue of Elle Decor and the article on interior designer James Huniford's weekend home.  My personal design taste is reflected in Ford's style, shown below - simple, straightforward and warm, yet unique and interesting:
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AND....





My searches always land me in interesting territory and this was, for me, like hitting paydirt!

It's all in the ATTITUDE....

Beyond beige...life for me is never dull.  Maybe never fully realized either but then the work-in-progress of my journey called life is ever-changing and probably not interesting to anyone but me.  But my ego is just developed enough to believe that someone, somewhere will perchance to happen upon this blog and decide that a book is in my future.  Dreamer you say?  Why you would be correct.

But do I want it to be?  Do I have enough to share that is worthy of print?  Probably not unless I'm dead and you're feeling nostalgic over something we may have shared together.  So many interesting people have touched my life that I continue to delight in the reality that I never know who will show up on my favorite list and that mysterious mist (or more to the point, fog) is what I live for.

In my overactive,and ridiculously over-thinking mind (notice I did not refer to my mind as brilliant or anything similar) I wonder time and again if my thoughts are unique to me or just run-of-the-mill, mundane and frivolous thoughts not worthy of brain space.   And unless you get down to brass tacks with someone, how do you know?  I guess, I guess.  I mean I guess, I think.  I'm the only person I know that can ramble on about nothing and everything and be less than expert on 99% of anything on any given day.  Some may consider this opinionated.  I, being perfectly honest, believe that there must be something of value in my opinions but all too often lack the confidence to argue my point.  If I do, consider yourself someone I've deemed my friend - someone with whom I risk total embarrassment.

I also know that a great percentage of the people I've been fortunate to meet in my daily travels have brought me something of value and a few offering significantly more that I have taken to heart and held dearly.  I learn something new every day and hope to always find enthusiasm in doing so.  I sometimes have the attention span of a three-year old child and thankfully, occasionally, hold the wonder of it all as well.

What on earth am I trying to say?  Merely this...snatch a part of each day and find value in it...offer up appreciation for what you have and know on some very basic level that the people that cross your path are meant to teach you something....sometimes all that is required is that we listen.

My attempts to listen now are paramount to my future, I believe.  I was laid off in May of this year, which ultimately has been a very big blessing thus far - there always seems to be a silver lining.  I've taken time to hone my resume and learn something from it.  It reads better than I ever would have expected.  The trouble with resumes is that they can only tell a small fraction of the story.  Looking acceptable on paper is, of course, a necessary evil in a job hunt.  But I am looking for so much more than a job...I want a place to go...even if it is to my upstairs office..where I relish the hours that I spend.  And I want to be somewhere that I am valued for my contributions.  I'll let you know when I find it.

I've encountered a new friend in my search this weekend.  Someone whose life has taken so many wonderful twists and turns, chances and risks, I would imagine, to get where he is today - living a life he hoped for...my guess, without knowing him well at all, is that attitude played an enormous role in all of it.  Even having great talent does not promise that you will be revered and respected by your peers.  In fact, another designer I know fairly well has made quite a few enemies in the history of climbing the success ladder.

My hats off to someone I barely know.  Why give kudos to a relative stranger?  The answer is simple.

Because I can.

Marvelous Monday

I find ways to stretch the months in-between posts and normally when something noteworthy (at least to me) happens I always write about it somewhere.  Today is no different.  Today is special.  Why, you might ask?  Well, today, my new granddaughter is a week old and what a week it has been!  Easter Sunday, my oldest daughter went into labor and just an hour and a half after midnight the following day, delivered the world's most beautiful child.  Of course I'm biased but regardless, this is a child of grace and beauty.  She also has a set of lungs on her that will move a mountain, so even in her small, sweet state, I respect that about her and am not going to make her mad any time soon.  Besides, it gives me excuses to endlessly hold and rock her.

Her first day in this crazy world, she cried pretty much all day long - a test of patience on all around her but my poor daughter and son-in-law, exhausted from a long labor, were wondering what exactly they had gotten themselves into and where was the re-homing clause that one has with, say a cat?  Little sweet girl, wise obviously beyond her years, figured she had challenged the troops enough for a good while and the remainder of her first week, she was an angel.  I guess there is such a thing as a traumatic birth experience and baby Nora must have been working through that her first day with us.  She now does what any good little baby should - eats, sleeps, is in need of a diaper change or two and smiles what others say is just gas but Nana knows better.  This little genius baby girl is already smiling at me - you see, we already have our own language that we speak.  The language of sheer love and devotion and I already cannot imagine life without her.  I can hardly wait to bake cookies with her.  Isn't that what good grandmother's do?

I better start with my weight loss plan because I intend on eating plenty of cookie dough that little Nora makes...

The Day AFTER Valentine's Day

I have reasons for having never liking Valentine's Day but they aren't what you might think.  First, I despise the red/pink combinations that are ever-present in all stores and in all ways in the days leading up to that day.  Secondly and far more important to the topic, shouldn't there be 365 days of love in the world?  Instead of only one day dedicated to the ideal of love, let's work on the rest of the year starting with today - the day AFTER Valentine's Day.  And this way, nobody in one fell swoop can ever ruin it for you either. 

I believe that disappointments in life are a result of unrealized expectations.  I've learned to be simply surprised and then ultimately pleased when something good happens instead of always setting my sights too high.  It also allows me to be grateful for the experience, rather than disappointed that I didn't get what I somehow believed to be an entitled part of my life.  We create our experiences, and, as such, our disappointments.  But it takes fortitude to have the courage to give up on the expectation part of life. 

How often do we expect the perfect holiday, only to be disappointed when it did not happen, not only in the way we imagined, but in ways beyond our belief?  Wouldn't we all be better served to plan well, keep our mouths shut and learn to have gratitude the size of Mount Everest?  I work hard at attitude....sometimes not the positive kind but my resolutions have led me to believe that what won't kill you will truly make you stronger, learning from the experience is the only answer and moving forward - knowing that the past cannot be changed and regrets are a waste of time are our only choices. 

We get no do-overs in this life. 

Black Friday....Ughh...

I've always wondered what the big deal is with Black Friday.  Is it really enjoyable to camp out in line (actually, I did this once for a house but we were warm and comfy on a conference room floor in a hotel, thank you and the result was a new house and pick of our lot) in below comfortable temperatures just to save a dime?  Truthfully the only reason I'd consider this is if my child had sat wide-eyed and giddy on that jolly old fella's lap and asked innocently for some toy that couldn't be found anywhere.  Only then would I brave the cold and the fearless. 

I remember back in high school, there was a once-yearly sale that would have landed me a suede coat at an amazing bargain price.  It turned out that my mother dragged my brother and me to my aunt's house for the weekend so we wouldn't be there on sale day and to surprise me, my boyfriend-turned husband-now ex after 24 years, chose to go, for me, as a surprise.  He barely came out alive with all the women and girls fighting him for the coat.  His mother ended up with it because after the vicious attacks, he was left with a size 12 - and I was more like a 2 so even though I tried hard to love it, you couldn't find me in it...The gesture was lovely and it certainly prepared me for later years and bargain hunting.  To this day, I won't go in for the kill. 
Today, against my will, I was dragged to Walmart, almost convinced that the pet crate I was about to purchase at Petsmart was going to be such a better price there.  Black Friday and WalMart are two words one should be placed in jail for even saying.  I knew we were in for trouble, just driving in circles in the parking lot.  Eventually, I got out and we did a Chinese firedrill of sorts, and my friend drove my car around while I went in.  He did find a space and joined me later but not soon enough to curb my bad attitude.  You couldn't manuever a cart, much less your body and finally making our way to the pet department, the items in question were more, not less, expensive than Petsmart's.  I shook my head in disgust because it goes against my religion in the first place to even step foot in Walmart and here I was, in the place of disdain, on Black Friday.

Needless to say, we left without purchase, which means we also left without incident.  I got out of there in the nick of time - before I embarrassed myself or him.  I truly hate that place.  I'm convinced they are not cheaper, just a perception they've marketed for nicely for themselves and there may be that one item that has been advertised to draw you in but once there you are in their tangled web of deceipt.  Prices are not cheaper...and many of the folks that shop there are not educated enough to realize that they might do okay on a few items but overall it is no great bargain.  Like I said, they have mastered marketing 101 and have convinced the American public they are the best game in town.

I say, with pride, that even if they were found to be cheaper, I'd avoid them anyway.  I'd rather pay more and stear clear of that place than get a bargain and come out hating life. 

Have I mentioned I hate Walmart and Black Friday?

Saturday...oh the rain of it.

Rain always brings about in me a huge desire to stay cocooned in my cozy place - curled up with either a good book I've been dying to find time for, with my dogs and a hot cup of something (coffee in the morning and tea at night) or cooking a nice pot of something that smells far better than ultimately it tastes.

I always find humor in being snuggled under an afghan with the air conditioning on in the midst of a summer's rain and now it just feels normal to do so since the temps have dropped as we find ourselves in Fall's peak. With the drop in Fahrenheit, I've learned what the experts feel brings about flu season. The desire for this knowledge came about from a conversation with my daughter, who is expecting her first child and currently fighting the H1N1 flu virus that the mainstream media is hell-bent on causing near hysteria over. I'm not suggesting the fear isn't real, I merely want to point out that the power of suggestion has always been a factor in mental and physical health and believing you are going to catch something pretty much sums up that the final result will be yes, you will.

Getting back to the reasons for a flu virus's thriving in cooler temps, my nickel research told me that the virus requires more humidity to grow and the fact that we lock ourselves up during the winter months with no fresh air to speak of in our homes makes our germs more air-borne and hence easier to transmit from one person to another. And there is all that hand-shaking that takes place as well. You've got to love the art of bowing as a greeting. Keeps those germs at bay.

I've even gotten a chuckle over the little jar of hand-sanitizer I now carry with me. I sat looking at it the other day perched on my desk and was planning on using it when I realized that I was going to be handling it with dirty hands - meaning the outside would be germ ridden after I was done and I'd use it and then have to handle the container again. Made me wonder if it was all a waste of time. But then I often wonder about things. My kids call it quieting the little people who must be responsible for my thoughts since they don't think mine are normal!!

Anyway, back to rainy days and weekends, in particular, where it is hard to find energy for simple tasks that are on my to-do lists and this rainy day is no exception. Instead of doing lists, I've read blogs and newspaper articles, researched the flu, decided what to knit for my upcoming grandchild, found a new recipe for a wonderful merlot sauce, untangled the new ball of yarn that my dog unwound and dragged out into the rain and mud (thanks Henry) and realized that another day has bitten the dust and I still have that broken closet rod that fell a week ago to deal with and all those odd-sized clothes that need bagging and giving away. Basically I've concluded that I've totally enjoyed the day by doing exactly as I pleased with no one to give me grief for doing so. Okay, so Jonas nagged me a bit earlier wanting to give me help with the attic that I've been meaning to tackle f-o-r-e-v-e-r. Jonas claims he has never met anyone like me. I am thinking he didn't mean it as a compliment.

What's another day anyway in the big scheme of things? If I stall long enough, the Christmas decorations in boxes, still sitting in the hallway upstairs from last year, will be handy to pull out this year. It reminds me of the age-old question, why do we make our beds when we are only going to get in them again that evening? My daughter may have had it right when, as a child, she would make her bed and sleep on top so as not to mess it up. Begs the question....who made all these societal rules anyway?

Etiquette and societal norms - a man once asked me why women wanted their car doors opened for them when they were perfectly capable of doing it themselves. How do you explain this rationally?

Guess I want the man who understands my need for him to open my car door and what makes that special. But my rational mind says it is silly. But so are diamonds if that is the logic. And I'm not giving up on the notion that diamonds are my friend.

How did I go from rain to car doors? It is easy to explain. My mind wanders. I wonder, as I get older, if my mind will calm some as I age or if the degeneration of cells will cause some neuroblastic transformation and I'll be able to light rockets with the spark. That is a debate for another time, I'm sure.

Enjoy the rain, DC'ers...I'm grateful to be alive, able to see, hear and smell it. And, if I'm honest, very thankful that I can use it as an excuse to stay home.

Tintalating Tales

Wow, it has been a long time since my last post. And as is surprising to me always, I managed to capture the essence of what I was feeling in that last entry in a way that honored the experience. I continue to be grateful for many gifts I've been blessed with and many people in my life who love and respect me. Sometimes, like most, I wonder why.

I digress. How many times in our lives do we feel we are not deserving of the blessings we've been given? I know I am not a lone wolf in this feeling and yet am overwhelmed sometimes in the feeling that often represents itself in guilt. For what I do not know. I know I try my hardest at life and sometimes I fall so miserable short of where I want to land yet know that it is the journey that really is the goal. In that goal mirrors our paths whether or not taken willingly or pushed along by some force of nature (or a good friend who knows us better than we know ourselves) and we have no choice but to learn the lesson.


Or do we? How many times must we fail, fall, our bounce back from ourselves? I have long surpassed the nine lives theory and must be on my fifty-second effort toward fixing the same tired problem, at least. When do we learn our lessons? I am one that needs to be hard hit over and over to finally realize that I am the problem. Darned if I don't follow myself everywhere I go. I can move to a new house, find that fabulous new coat or get a trendy haircut and I'm still the same underneath. So I'd better enjoy my own company and respect myself enough to do the right things for the right reasons. In the long run, only I lose if I fail to act appropriately.

The lesson for me is to stay the course. And if necessary, make that mid-course correction to get back on track. Action works. Wallowing has not yet served me well.