one of those days
hey guys, happy sunday. how was your weekend? mine flew by and has been chock full every hour. yesterday was its own adventure that’s already dust in the wind. i figured i’d post a little right here right now before this day ends and becomes ether too! it was a great day of sunday shopping. this morning we went to the warehouse of a window display artist who’s been in the biz for decades. he’s in the process of emptying out after 30 years. it’s filled to the gills!
there was so much stuff there it was incomprehensible.
we couldn’t see half of it and we had flashlights!
i did make off with a couple things. now that i look thru the pics i want to go back…
here’s some of it~
anyway it’s supper time now, don’t want to miss that! have a great night!
my days with renee
bonjour everyone, how’s votre vie? lots of us are bracing for a big storm so i hope it’s just an excuse for a fun night in and there’s not too much drama!
it feels like forever since i’ve been here. i got caught up in a project i wasn’t expcting, but then, as they say, (wo)men plan, god laughs! i’ve been spending the past few days with renee finberg, a blogger bud turned friend in the flesh. you may know her from her blog, ‘renee finberg tells all’. she’s florida girl and has just taken the plunge, opening a showroom called ‘the trade’.
it’s going to be sort of a moderne salon where there’s lots of creative, custom design with clients, mostly as implied (or boldly stated), to the trade! she’s asked me to be a part of it and i’m of course thrilled.
except that i’m leaving for a month just as it’s ready to be filled. now the plan is to go to the maison objet and work with vendors and companies who will supply pieces that aren’t in the states yet.
the great news is our similar aesthetics and she is such a blast to hang out with. work is play!
i started bringing up some things…can you believe the places these chairs have been?! paris, ny, new orleans, miam and now boca.
it’s been a jolly good time playing with the fabrics, meeting with companies like holland and sherry and having access to all this gorgeous fabric at our fingertips. so of course this is the start of well, who knows what. but we know it will be fun, whatever it is. i’ll keep you posted on the progress. the big white chair from ‘that corner’ of my apartment is going in tomorrow.
the fabrics she has laying around are killing me! cut velvets, gold on linen, vintage patterns reworked. i could eat them! more soon on this nouvelle projet.
ah, now…as for the giveaway: the winner of the book is… drumroll…maybe it’s anticlimactic but it was actually number 1!
seemed weird but that’s random for you! number 1 is one of my first blog friends, amy of missamyscerra.blogspot.com. we met years ago when we were brand new to blogging and to tell the truth it’s been way too long since i’ve been to her fabulous blog. stopping by just now to choose a photo proved i’ve been missing a lot! check her out, there are great recipies, life lessons and photos. hey girl!
ok then, tout le monde, à demain!
quel difference a day makes
allo everybody! how is your summer going? it seems to be whizzing past and i’m still playing catch up with a lot of business stuff. even as i write this it’s fleeting cause i have a phone meeting in 15 minutes and have to prepare PDQ. i just wanted to say hello and give a quick update.
thanks to liz for putting together the new table/desk so she has a real workstation and even if it’s temporary, makes life more civilized. it’s been hard to commit to furniture but the one thing we seem to be doing is getting pieces that serve two functions like the table/desk, sofa/guestbeds, cocktail table/bench.
even with all the stuff we’ve amassed it still looks bare and a little pathetic but it’s home sweet home. chairs are next!
it’s been up and down around here from one day to the next in terms of what we’re accomplishing, and for the first time i almost gave up yesterday. but today’s a new day and it seems a bit brighter.
i don’t know if you remember liz’s house in surfside but she had some amazing pieces. she’s downsizing and has a couple of my personal faves on ebay. her auctions are ending tomorrow so in case you’re interested please take look at her stuff. actually i’d love to have some myself including the tufted stool and the mirrored chest behind it.
not to mention her collection of white hatboxes and suitcases!
finally, oh crud, the phone is ringing, 3 minutes early! this is a storefront that’s available here in miami. i’m seriously considering taking it with a couple of girlfriends and creating a salon/atelier. more on that tomorrow i guess, sweet dreams for now!
every little thing
hi guys, i hope you’re having a great weekend! it’s really early sunday morning and i’m about to head out for a road trip but wanted to post this real quick. we were busy yesterday building a wardrobe from ikea and painting the headboard. i was going for the gold but liz was totally against it and besides, i already had white high gloss. i was in an easy mood so like many decorating decisions, it was chosen by default which is sometimes best. anyway everything in florida things should be light and airy, n’est pas?
now with the armoire there’s tons of storage with shelves and drawers. and the cream glossy lacquer doors thrill me!
well this was about as un-memorial day a post i could have done so before i go, want to thank all those who serve or have served in our military. come home safe and soon! have a great day everyone!
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~
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!
never too old to play dress up
hi guys, i have about 5 minutes cause i just booked a last minute trip to paris for the maison et objet and am leaving at the crack of dawn. i’ll only be going for the weekend so packing will be light but still, gotta find the passport, do the laundry and try to pull it together. i just wanted to share a couple shots from last night with you. joseph introduced me to two of his friends who are legends here in miami who will be part of the new book on gentleman’s apartments. we had dinner in keni’s chi chi chic apartment and they insisted i try on the vintage couture they found ‘thrifting’ in palm beach. the pics are bad but we had a ball. like 3 fairy godfathers they flitted and fluffed me in a bill blass 60s gown and a halston crepe de chine.
keni’s apartment was the most delicious setting for an impromptu photo shoot. we were being very silly and only had our phones so these are blurry but you get the gist.
jeff said this would be the perfect dress for a 40s divorce in reno!
anyway when i get back we’ll start shooting and that should be a rollicking good time. i can’t wait to see jeff’s place next, he says he gets to be jungle boy in the middle of miami, i can only imagine what’s in store with his place. well, more soon, have a great night!
my heart is at home
bon soir guys, hope you’re having a great saturday night. i am happily home alone and can’t tell you how much life has changed because my apartment has. it’s amazing to be living with constant inspiration.
i have to thank you again for pushing and encouraging all this. not sure why i got obsessed with the contest, maybe just wanted to see if i could do it. and apparently needed to.
guess whatever it takes, right? well neither liz or i know how to do anything more than shoot a video, forget editing it with music and story line in 3 minutes. but it just so happened that the guy who came to build the ikea cabinet for the printer (below left corner)! said he could edit if we shot it so we gave it a whirl. but i had it set to high hi res and it can only be 10 mb and it’s 20. if they don’t accept it i’ll post it here cause you’ll get a kick out of it!
anyway i just wanted to share some shots and the couple new additions i got cause of you!
you were so right about the desk. it was basically custom made for the place. and by the by it was a steal at the sugar chest antique mall in pompano.
so now i’m home and for the first time in awhile i don’t have wanderlust. i have the impossible: apartment lust! what a difference to walk through the door now. it’s like an altered universe and didn’t take much. and it was worth it all just to get the wires off the floor. what an aesthetic relief! ok well, it’s that magic hour so i’m off to chill awhile. hope you have a fabulous night where ever you are!
change of plans
hey guys happy friday! i had big plans for the weekend reno but just got a call that my guy is surprising me for the weekend so i’m scrambling to clean and touch up. i guess it will be good to share the changes with him but really wish the corner unit was built so he could put all his stuff in it. i should make him put it together! ;p
i was about to head upstairs to play with these chartreuse silk shams liz found but that will have to wait. instead, i’m replacing the kitchen fixture with an antique bulb, dug out the cozy blankets now that i have a basket! and do the boring stuff like paint white high gloss white on the front door and table tops.
so i have to get cleaned up, i look like a hausfrau and that’s being kind!
hope you get some of your own projects done. even one feels good. bon weekend mes chers amis!
what a view
hey guys, just a quick note to share a little of the love my house is showing me. i can’t get a bulb in with the way the chandelier’s wired so i put a candle on a saucer instead. the shadow’s effect now that it’s getting late is even more dramatic. i feel transported! ok well andy cohen in on so i’m gonna go enjoy languishing under this little star… bonne nuit!
