you know how i am
allo all! how’s your weekend going? liz came by early and we hit the flea before brunch. so many artists and collectors bring their goodies to miami beach and even though it’s small, it packs a punch. i’m still fascinated by the collections that show up. it’s such a direct link to the past and a veritable anthropological study on how the ultimate divas dressed, danced and dined.
we met alexandra hunt who’s taking old vintage jewels like pins and refurbishing them onto leather cuffs and xl cocktail rings. it’s the ultimate marriage for the modern woman who adores the past.
it wasn’t till i got home and looked at the pics that i discovered a theme in today’s shots: 20s and 30s flapper fashions. shocker!
i’ll never get over the pretty things they made, collected, and actually used
i couldn’t resist this bench
and although they’re nuts i love these nightstands. now i’m remembering a few other things that were pretty darn cute. it’s getting close to quitting time so i better head over and see what’s still there.
this little car was the cherry on top of my flapper afternoon. i’ve had the pics below on my desk for days from pinterest and just love looking at them for inspiration. the women who used these pieces were so damn glam and their era was delish!
here’s to you all who love to mix the old and new!
ok i better split before it’s too late. more soon~
miami’s vices
hi guys! it’s a very happening weekend here in miami with everything from friends in town to the wine and food festival. i should be heading out but instead am here blogging, my new-old favorite place to be. alas, i have to run but will be back tomorrow, hopefully with great memories of tonight! hope you have a good one too. happy saturday nite!
friday night special
image via pinterest.com/pin/6250336
bon soir everyone and happy friday! it’s 10pm and just about to go down with friends in town so i have to cut out. first wanted to wish you a great night and wonderful weekend!
the art of the dressing room
hello dear friends! it was a very productive day and things are winding down. we’ve been tackling our ‘to do list’ for the AD show and have been doing everything from icky home depot chores like getting baseboards for the show to the fun of shopping for wardrobe. liz is a stylist so it’s been great to have her eye and bRuTaL honesty!
when i got home i started thinking getting organized on every level.
why should closets be any different than an office or bedroom?
dressing rooms and closets are cousins of course but one’s a real room and one’s a plain old dinky closet.
but there’s a lot you can do in unexpected spaces.
create your own boutique and use tiny spaces to the max.
small spaces lend themselves to hyper decor
it’s practically an office. morning headquarters.
it doesn’t have to be much
or it could be a lot
it does have a bit to do with the clothes too
i could eat these
it helps to have a something great to put in a closet.
i don’t have much but what’s there should be the start of a good collection if i get tough.
of course i’d love to fill it with beautiful vintage pieces like this 1914 dress and live in shorts and flip flops! i’m about to step it up a bit though. no time like the present.
ok it’s midnight and i’m off, have a great nuit!
p.s.
i just found this. so random, so not!
all images from here: pinterest.com/parisapartment/dressing-rooms
creating a creative space
happy wednesday mes amis, i hope all is well in your world. today was a little different, we sort of took some time off to tool around and get into a new mindset. my guy and i have been working from our apartment in miami and it’s pretty tight quarters. liz and i scouted the hood today for a sort of office/showroom/creative space. it’s something i’ve always had since starting tpa and maybe it’s time to have that hub of activity again but reinvented.
of course, there are as many styles for offices as any other decor and choosing just the right style and function is going to be something to consider.
this is all i really need, a pretty desk and turquoise chair
a place to hang pretty things
and new ways to file my pile
these metal tray magnet boards are something i could have by my desk
of course there would have to be a place to entertain or crash
and organization would be key
so many options
organization has to be my mantra.
it’s hard to say whether it should be a fancy place to receive clients like this
or this
or something more hands on that can get good and messy. it would be fun doing photo shoots and laying out pages in a place like this. it’s all about shelves, right?
since it’s a brand new idea we’ll keep refining it
gathering ideas
and keep an eye out for good storage pieces to make organizing a pleasure
i have a feeling this new place will be filled with friends
well, good night for now, i’ll be keeping an eye out for that hot spot and for sure the right thing will show up!
all images from pinterest
every girls’ dilema
hi dear friends! it’s a lovely night and i decided to free flow in keeping with the fun and lightness of my rediscovered passion for blogging. i love the playful way things come together when you’re just goofing around.
tonite’s roundup posed what are probably unanswerable questions, as old as time.
why do women always say we have nothing to wear? aren’t we constantly shopping? don’t we agonize over ever angle before we say yes to the dress?
is it a human condition or just women…
we have so many pretty things to choose from
they say what you wear is an expression of ourselves. obvious but it’s so easy to run out in sweats.
would it be worth it to clear out a little and curate the closet a bit? i think i may have to do that. keep the best of the best and donate the rest.
well it’s time to pick something so…
looks like tonight’s winner is a nightie! gotta run, sweet dreams!
ps all pics from pinterest.com/parisapartment
the beauty of blogging
allo gang! i’m taking a big fat hour to do my favorite thing, blog! yes, you’ve been more than gracious listening to me grumble about doing it, and i’m not sure why it became a bit of a burden for the past few posts. as fate would have it, a comment from a new visitor brought me around to thinking hard about why i’m doing this. i love blogging cause it’s freeing, fun and the pics are truly soul food. as you may know i’ve developed a pinterest obsession (all the photos are from there), and tonight i’m just going to indulge in a game called ‘decorate a dream house’ where you just put whatever pics together as you go. this is the kickoff, it’s my very own imaginary chateau in the forest. just putting it together was such a great meditation and fantastic way to change the focus of the day. come on in, stay for dinner. heck, spend the night!
it’s a very old place with lots of details and history
every door is a portal to a little world
take your shoes off
we’ll light the fire
and kick back
you have your choice of bedrooms
so relax and unwind
gentlemen have a dressing room
and nook for a nap
ladies have their own little suite
not sure what this is but it’s working for me in this little fantasy for me
and there are plenty of places for catnaps
when it’s time to work, the office is quiet
and each bedroom has a bath
with mixes of old and new elements
when it’s getting toward supper, we’ll gather in the kitchen
and get ready for an outdoor feast
all roads lead outside
to all the little nooks and crannies that beg to be used
dinner will be served on the balcony
and for breakfast we’ll rendezvous in the garden
of course you always need friends to share it with, whether it’s blog buds or virtual kittens! truth is one of this would be ANY fun without you and it is the cherry on the top of my day.
well, enjoy your night, i hope your grind is finished and you get to to enjoy the pastime we all love so much, being here with each other sharing our imaginations and dreams. bonne nuit!
the best laid plans
photo via flickr blackrose3485
funny that even with my specific goal of not blogging at the last minute, it’s suddenly 11:45 pm.
guess ideas are just that if you don’t make them reality.
i’ll plan better tomorrow. tonight, dreamland! bonne nuit!
let’s take it outside
hhmpf! seems i never get here till the last minute these days and this one is no different. well, i may try to change things up next week and truly spend time blogging. fact is that blogging has as much to do with my friends and their blogs as it does with my own.
i was just in the mood to get outside today, i’m sure after this winter you are too.
i think putting a certain time aside to blog, visit friends, respond to comments, read others’ posts…that’s all part of the experience. getting here just before midnight is such a disservice and that has to change!
which reminds me, the other half of blogging fun is connecting. if you’re not on my blogroll and want to exchange links, please let me know.
well, i’m glad we got some fresh air. suffice it to say it’s almost midnight on saturday and i’ve got to go. have wonderful weekend dear friends!
all photos from pinterest.
palm beach loot
hey all, happy friday! it’s 10 pm and as usual, i’m packing it in after a crazy busy day. the daily grind was already enough and now with the show it’s like taking on another full time job. so we’ve been putting it together in our heads and on the fly. liz cleaned up our goodies from yesterday when hit world thrift just before it closed. it’s a place i’ve been to twice before and just didn’t go in cause i was sure it was junk. liz insisted we go in and we came out with serious vintage collection for under $80 in 10 minutes!
not a chip on a single one.
and while i did paper work, liz busted out some ephemera that’s been tucked away and made these great mood board books for us at the show!
ok, time to curl up and watch a movie, bonne nuit!
it takes a long time to grow an old friend. ~John Leonard
hi all, it’s been a long day and i’m checking out cause it’s practically midnight and i love my eight hours of sleep.
liz and i went to west palm beach and spent the day working out details for the show. we tackled roadblocks i had creating line sheets, boards and organizing it all with real codes and everything! funny how right brain vs left brain people work. having help with the opposite hemisphere has been a godsend. working with a best friend is the cherry on top!
to all a good night!
1000 words
(pic found here)
hey guys, i hope your day is winding down. i’m home after a long work day and am about drop out in a minute. i’m cleaning up loose ends including what’s on my very messy desktop of saved images. i tried to post them all at once but it seemed to take away from them somehow tonight. maybe cause this pic is really speaking to me. reminding me that work should be fun and pretty, not just the daily grind. it just feels so good to enjoy a bit of beauty each day. maybe that’s why there are so many of us pinterest and tumblr lovers.
i haven’t had a mood board for awhile. maybe it’s time to start a new one. do you have one?
ok c’est tout, bonne nuit, mes chers amis!
the other side of the rainbow
allo mes amis, comment ca va c’est soir? it’s presque minuit and i wanted to drop by with something special but truth is i was completely unprepared. like it was my first time blogging and i had no idea what to post about. of course you can’t get too far contemplating with infinity at your fingertips so when manon gignoux popped up just now, i couldn’t resist giving in to my search so soon. if you need a pretty fix, check her out. finding her was like getting the gold on the other side of the keyboard.
well it’s officially late and i’m tres fatigue! sweet dreams!
a full cup must be carried steadily
via tinywhitedaisies/tumblr.com
hi guys. there’s still alotta night left of valentine’s 2011 so i’m going to jet, but just wanted to check in and send a cup o’ love your way. have a sweet night!
many splendored things
happy valentine’s day to you, my darling friends and family. today i’m in love with love and finally giving up the notion that valentine’s day is just commercialism. i love that as a nation we take a day to acknowledge l’amour, just like we take a day to give thanks once a year. that’s just good karma.
as they say, love is where you find it. i’ll be looking for it tomorrow…
maybe i’ll look every day from now on.
ok, well it’s 11 and i’m checking out. to all a good night, have a memorable monday!
ps: all pics came from here
pink vs blue
hi guys, happy saturday! i spent the past hour surfing and now and am late getting ready to go out. but it was almost worth giving up prep time for the eye candy on this delicious web. well, almost! i have to run but these pics were calling to come out and play (credits on my boards at pinterest).
i’m having a love affair with both pink and blue at the moment, kind of feeling like they balance each other out and are the perfect complements.
here’s wishing you a wonderful, playful, restful, joyful and love filled weekend filled with pretty pinks and baby blues.
there seems to be some magic in the air as our country gears up to celebrate an entire day devoted to LoVe.
you gotta love that. let’s enjoy it! have a great night!
bathed in blue
allo everyone! we made it through another week and now it’s smooth sailing straight into the weekend. it was a pretty productive week over here, having help from liz was just the boost i needed to propel me forward. thank god for friends, even if you have to pay them! truth is, liz is a clothing stylist and when she has big jobs i work with her and vice versa. anyway today we put together designs for 14 pieces for the a/d show, made a book detailing the different upholstery techniques, fabrics and piping. i was having a mental block getting organized but now am now serene instead of stressed.
i’m not sure how this post evolved, but all these pics are from pinterest once again (i’m sorry i didn’t label each one but you can find them on my boards at pinterest.com/parisapartment). there’s so much to play with, pair up and ponder that i let it free flow, kind of rolled the dice i guess, and of all things, came up with beautiful blue bathrooms.
of course in design, there’s truly something for everyone. pour moi, i love the old school stuff but get that the modern (especially in a bath), is pretty great too, especially if it’s got a touch of old and new.
i’m not sure if this ‘mod’ bath below is so much more advanced in style and design than, say, the one at the top but i give them an A for effort in originality. there’s a lot to be said for simplicity i guess and not having to clean the rock wall is an added bonus.
this one below kind of brings together old, new, rustic and mod.
ultimately, it’s kind of like goldilocks, you know which one fits you best. this one fits me just right! what about you?
well, c’est tout chere friends, i’m closing up early and am suddenly in the mood for a hot bath. have a great night!
beauty now and then
via trouvais.com
bonsoir mes darlings! it’s officially almost friday and i hope you had a great week. liz has been working with me the past few days and it’s made a world of difference. i’ve always done the business stuff myself but lately it’s taking up most of my time and there’s not much of it left for being creative.
via umla.tumblr.com/post/724872237/evies-what-i-love-love-via-my-ear-trumpet
but, then, that’s why pinterest.com was invented! it’s the fast track to shed the serious and step into the infinite world of gorgeous images collected from all over the web. i’ve mentioned it a few hundred times, but it’s truly my go to place when i just want to reboot my mind and am hungry for beauty and soul food. i have a few boards, you can see them here: pinterest.com/parisapartment. sorry, the link thing isn’t working on my laptop tonite for some reason and i’m too tired to fight with it.
via everythingstyle.com
so these are just a smattering of pretty pics that flashed by today.
via etsy.com/listing/53297706/glorious-wardrobe-4-x-6
via suchprettythings.typepad.com/my_weblog
via vogue-blog.com/?p=599
i couldn’t resist this last one cause everything we’re fascinated with seems to start with these gals: the flappers, grandmas and old school marie antoinette lovers who were beyond over the top, they were legends, icons and trendsetters in fashion, dance and decor. long forgotten but they wore these pretty dresses accented with feathers and fans, they imported antique beds and weren’t afraid to stand up for what they believed in whether it was to flash an ankle or fight to vote.
well that’s it for tonite. it’s after midnight and this turned into a seinfeld post! bonne nuit chere cheries!
these walls can talk
(image: pauline de rothschild in her paris apartment bedroom, decorated in 18th century chinoiserie wallpaper)
hello mes amis! it’s 8pm and i’m about to have dinner and hope you’re winding down too, or at least refueling for the night shift if you’re anything like me :)
i got some great news today and couldn’t help but spill it right away. for the architectural digest show in march, gracie studio is going to collaborate with tpa and showcase their handmade wallpaper on our walls! i’ve known mike gracie for years and have always wanted to do something special and now the stars have aligned! i spent the last hour scouring the internet for images that feature their legendary wallpaper so we can sketch out the plan in detail tomorrow. there are so many options when it comes to this old school technique that i was first thinking yellow and liz loved the tangerine. then mike suggested silvery metallic with cream and my heart melted!
below are some of their many designs:
gracie wallpaper in elle decor
tory burch’s entry via elle decor
traditional home
gracie studio is a new york institution. it’s been a family owned business for generations that’s treasured and taken very seriously. you can read about their colorful history and family passion here: graciestudio.com and patricia gray did a great interview with mike here.
i just love the history! below are some of gracie’s metallics. it’s amazing how many homes they’ve touched in a century. may be cliche but well, everything old is new again. it’s a timeless look and a real indulgence to live with such exquisite hand painted paper. it’s versatile too cause you can use it on a large or small scale. for instance, between windows, you can always frame a panel and take with you if you move.
here: Thad Hayes had Gracie repaint the original 1930′s wallpaper. via habituallychic.blogspot.com/2009/03/thad-hayes-tailored-interior.html
everyone looks good in it, and it makes a great backdrop for a photo shoot!
maggie rizer
anna sui/w magazine
nylon magazine
gracie’s work is intense and infinite! i’m really looking forward to getting creative with mike and we’ll have a lot discuss tomorrow when we put it all together. i’ll keep you posted, but better yet, come to the show! ok, time to change gears and eat something yummy. more soon!
our digital age
oops i did it again! waited till the last minute to get here and uber tired at that. i’m starting to see a pattern that needs breaking. anyway i’m burned out for tonight, but i’m still in my street art aka, graffiti phase and thought you may enjoy this one. i sometimes wonder if the digital age is soooo advanced in some ways. victrolas worked whether they had electricity or not, just wind them up and get to dancing!
well i’m winding down, have a wonderful night!
ps just found this:
everythingstyle.com by shae acopian detar
the writing’s on the wall
bonsoir dear friends. it’s once again approaching midnight and i hope you’re winding down. i’m about to tune out and just knowing that feels so good. i’d like to visit chez vous but am on my last few drops of adrenaline just getting here. it’s like from the moment our feet touch the floor in the morning it’s a race to the finish.
i’m finally going thru pics on my phone and this one jumped out at me. it’s prolific graffiti from my very own street. i’m gonna take the sign and shut down the flurry for tonight. lots of love and sweet dreams!
antique weekend
how does it get so late so fast? i feel like a broken record cause every post seems to be made at the 11th hour, close to midnight every single day.
jw is packing for an early flight so i’m about to shut down and lend a hand. in the meantime, i’m posting pics of the antique show at the miami beach convention center. it’s a block away from where i live so it was easy to check it out and stroll through. i was going to blow it off but thought better of it, after all, who knows what ever lies behind convention center doors? it was so worth it!
it would have been easy to create my perfect suite in one fell swoop. sorry for the blurry phone pics.
believe it or not it was mainly jewelry but there was plenty of frenchy candy too tucked in between some FaNtAsTiC jewels.
i wouldn’t mind this little lingerie chest for myself.
even some of the home decor was bejeweled like this sapphire frame. florida ladies sure were fabulous.
below is one of a few favorite booths. this one was run by a woman from buenos aires, and she had gorgeous stuff. everything from this baroque headboard to fortuny antique shoes. www.sp-antiques.com.
(le aforementioned fortuny shoes)
i became obsessed with sonny ideker’s collection of rare and antique books. he let me dig in and really study them all. it was heaven spending time with these precious gems. some were from the 1600s! (email: rekedi@aol.com)
i guess the white sets were calling to me
i may go back tomorrow and get this one if the fates align and it’s still there.
ok that’s my cue to scram, have a great night!
the perfect portrait
standing by your mantle, being photographed as has long been tradition. but this time not like the days in gowns and jewels but ready to rock and roll. who knows what she’s about to do next. and this is one wall. for me the anticipation is better than the outcome! anyway i just came across her and couldn’t resist her charms.
if anyone knows who she is (there’s a name on the image and there’s a www in the bottom right corner. i’d look it up but we’re having guests in 1/2 an hour so i better split! have a fabulous saturday night!
rose colored glasses
hi all! i hope you made it through your week with minimal drama and lots of plans to chill this weekend. i’m still in my pink phase from yesterday. i only knew when image after pink image kept popping up today. still, i think i’m moving into a blue period but for tonight, here’s another dose of pink obsession. i’m being physically dragged out so i have to go! have a great weekend!
scrapbook-melissah.blogspot.com
soft-atlas.tumblr.com/post/1547658814/by-kiss-the-groom
parisian powder puff party at my place
bonsoir tout le monde! i hope you’re warm and cozy this winter night. i kind of took it easy today, feeling a little rundown and not terribly productive. but then, as they say at tara, tomorrow’s another day.
for now i just wanted to share a bit of fluff. nothing could be more insignificant in this day and age than powder puffs, but they’re something i happen to love and collect. the other day i was messing around at home, shooting my antique flapper’s fluffy powder puff and compact from a paris flea market. it’s tiny, the size of a 50 cent piece if that. it’s got a well worn leather cover, a mirror and little screen, an entire world on a key chain. the cherry on top is the goosedown puff that was still with it. i often wonder who she was and where she went in her doubtlessly fabulous life en paris in the 20′s when it was new.
i’m sure my pics of the puff would have ended up in a folder if this shipment hadn’t come in today. it started with house beautiful’s march issue which hails the power of all things pink. (you can imagine the color i was tickled when they called to include my powder puffs from paris).
look hard, squint if need be.
so i made an order to the tiny factory in france where they’ve been making these for many years. coincidentally, the shipment came in today. it was the first time to see them all together and it made my kind of crabby day a little lighter. (powder puffs cancel out negativity, apparently).
funny how puffs were de rigueur on any self respecting vamp’s vanity for decades. now they’re nostalgic but still so much fun, there’s something inherently playful about them. they bring out the diva and child in everyone.
of course it’s a great issue cause it’s loaded with pretty pink things. i indulged and shot these totally blatantly and probably completely illegally hey who’s watching?
pink just lights up a room, even if it’s just flowers.
even one pink piece adds a freshness
yum~
the issue has lots of great little images tucked throughout.
ticking!
ok well i’ve been messing with this for way too long. i’m going to cut out while there’s still some enchantment left to the evening. have a great nuit and think pink!
it’s about that time
hi dear friends! i hope all’s well. it’s super late and i’m not feeling prolific but am rallying to post these before the stroke of midnight. this is about all i can conjure so i bid thee farewell…
(they’re a random collection and have nothing in common except that they were saved to my desktop).
design-shimmer.blogspot.com/2010/11/bohemian.html
ralf-bohnenkamp.tumblr.com/post/2467626734
sometimes less is more, n’est pas? anyway, bonne nuit and suite dreams. i’ll be back in action tomorrow :)
corners of the world
erin fetherston’s paris apartment
you can really do a lot with a corner.
bonjour everybody. Ça va?
how’s your week going?
i’d like to talk to my subscribers for a sec. i hope it’s not too intrusive that i’m posting every day, but i realize it may be a bit much. it’s part of a wordpress challenge to blog every day for a year. i thought it would be cool to try it and see where the year goes. but if you don’t want to deal with it, i won’t be offended if you unsubscribe. (brokenhearted but i understand)! i get way too much mail in a day and am sure you’re overloaded too.
so i guess, that said, i’m gonna get guilt free and just dance like no one is watching and enjoy my daily posts since i do love having a creative outlet. tonite i’m into posting the weekend’s decor clips instead of storing them in folders as usual. use ‘em or lose ‘em, mostly but i’d like to enjoy ‘em. like the good china.
it was totally random that they’re all corners. ok this is not a full corner but still, it’s a vignette with a whole lot going on. love the feathers!
now this is a corner!
not to change the subject but this i’m sending a big shout out to shabbyblogs.com. these talented and generous girls give away their wonderful work to use for free. i just added their icons to freshen up my sidebar:
they have tons of great buttons so if you’re looking for a lift, check them out.
i love this badge of theirs below. it would be fun to give out as a blog award.
finally, i also wanted to thank the selfless graphics fairy who had this on her site:.
which i used for this:
thank you so much for your generosity ladies, you make the world more fun!
ok well i’m actually going to sign off and head out for a late dinner. have a great night and thanks for all your love and support. it means everything to me!
floor to ceiling walls
hi all, how’s life tonight? darn, it’s already late again. i’m ready to tune out and turn in but wanted to post a couple pics from the maison objet show. i’m honing in on the pieces that are on my wishlist to bring for the a/d show, but of course not everything happens like we want so i’ll put a few hooks out there and see what ends up in the mix.
these were some of my favorite lighting fixtures and would be happy to have any one of them center stage. they’re radical in person, all handmade with clear or opaque glass beads.
phone pics, sorry so blurry
it was random to find this one with such a nutty display but it was a beauty made of superfine metal mesh. it reminds me of something from the 30s, they used to make something with this but i’m not sure what…it’s like teeny chains. you see it on the bottom of antique purses sometimes.
these by the bed or vanity
and for the walls, i’m working with koziel who is sending some great architectural pieces. at least that’s the trompe l’oeil effect that they achieve with their images on fabric, like this door. it’s a quick change for a a plain box. i was into this last year and am glad to see it being done on a really fun level.
they have wallpapers too.
and these fabulous decals of window guards from old french architectural renderings.
and this is not from the maison but i’m throwing it in as the floor cause i need to start from the ground up. anyway thanks for indulging me, it’s good to come here and lay it out or at least throw it out there and see what comes together. we’ll see is right~for now, good night!
