Lots of Catching Up, And a BIG ANNOUNCEMENT!

I've been MIA recently, I know. Wait until ya judge.... Wait until you hear how much we've had going on!

Fortunately, most of them are housey things I can pass on.  Like, how about this...

Yup. Packing. 

And Moving. 

We bought a house! After considering lots of areas and options, we found a great house in a really wonderful neighborhood... and somehow managed to list our condo for rent and sign a lease within a week-or-so of listing it. (With this market, there's just no way to come close to breaking even, so this seemed like the best plan for us, for now.)

We've been kind of pinching ourselves, even while we were knashing teeth at times, with all these changes!... 

And then, suddenly, one of the most important people in my life passed away. 

 

My grandfather, Papa, met the Lord last week. He was an inspiration to me and anyone who really knew him. Even after losing most of his sight (everything except some peripheral vision), he continued living life as fully as possible, finding ways to go about his daily life. He was active, mowed his lawn, walked, helped my Gran around the house. He was known for his stories, which got longer and more interesting with age. All full of amazingly accurate details.

He was a God-fearing, God-loving, World War II veteran who saw the flag raised at Iwo Jima! I planned on interviewing him this fall about his time in the war (and his incredible stories from those experiences), and will regret putting that off for the rest of my life.

Papa made me want to be a better person. He constantly made me strive to make him proud. And fortunately, I did. I could hardly get the words "I love you so much" out of my mouth because he would immediately start telling me how much they (he and my Gran) love me, and how proud they are. He left the most beautiful legacy of love and strong family.

It's been quite a mixed bag, this last week. The stress of packing and preparing to rent our condo. The excitement of moving. The sadness of this sudden loss. And especially worrying about my grandmother now.

These housey things seem a little silly right now. But then I think about my DIY grandfather, and think he would want me to continue pursuing my interests, hobbies and passions... just like he did his own (fishing being the first on the list).

So I will continue to chronicle our tales, progress, and obsessions as best I can. Stay tuned... :)

Fabric-adabra Crush! (Manuel Canovas Misia)

I've been fairly in love with a designer fabric for about a year...

Manuel Canovas Misia - via

In case you haven't seen it before, meet Misia, by Manuel Canovas.

 Here she is, used as the most adorable laundry room skirt.

home of Sarah Tarthill - via Design*Sponge

I first spotted it in the blog header of Bijou and Boheme... I emailed Christine (the writer) and she was very gracious to share the name of the fabric. She found a remnant on eBay if memory serves, and had it made into a pillow.

via Bijou and Boheme

But I couldn't find it anywhere! It's typically only available to the trade. BOO! And it's from overseas, making it more difficult to locate.

Here's another glimpse at the (pricey but beautiful) possibilities...

via Housetohome

 One last detail shot..

via fabrick.com

I finally found a source, and bought it online! The plan is to frame it as wall art. I love how well it plays with so many other colors, and is elegant but modern and vibrant all at the same time.

I will share the results soon.

Until then, I will Misia you. ;)

Happy Dance! Guess what's coming back?

When I was in middle school, a few close friends of mine had a very embarrassing, but entirely expressive "happy dance" whenever something exciting happened. I just busted out my moves again becaauuuuuuuseeee.... MILLION DOLLAR DECORATORS IS COMING BACK for a new season!

A couple of years ago I caught the season premiere of this reality show featuring designers Martyn Lawrence-Bullard, Mary McDonad, Kathryn Ireland and Jeffrey Allen Marks. Totally hooked. Gorgeous rooms, high-end (sometimes celebrity) clients, complete eye-candy combined with a glimpse of a luxurious world. Watching them deal with the same issues as many designers out there (declining budgets, surprise one-week deadlines, materials not being delivered). And on top of it: they were all friends! .None of them hated each other. No-drama, but lots of drama. You know, design draaaaamaaaaaa.....

For the last year, I've literally hoarded the last issue of MDD in my DVR because (a) It's amaze-balls and (b) I've been so scared it would be cancelled (maybe fewer high-end clients in our current economic environment?)

Season premiere TODAY, November 13th @ 10EST/9CST on BRAVO. Check them out on facebook here.

Happy dance!

Have you seen Million Dollar Decorators before? Watching the new season???