Hurricanes Are Emotionally Exhausting

image from picturephilly.com

So, Hurricane Irene hit us a little harder than I anticipated.  My God!  What an emotionally exhausting weekend!  Were you in harms way?  How did you fare during the storm?  We experienced lots and lots and lots of water.  High winds and tornado warnings.  Our home survived with very little damage, but other people in our area weren't so lucky.  Some of our friends lost power early on, and ended up with completely flooded basements (horrifying).  Other families in the Philadelphia area suffered major damage from floods and high winds.  I listen to their stories on the local news and my heart breaks.  It was a very scary night and I hope we never have to experience something like that again.


After this weekend, I learned a few things:

1.  We need a sump pump (and maybe a generator-- can't be too prepared!)
2.  We have way too much junk in our basement
3.  There's a leak near one of our chimneys
4.  My husband and I work very well together under pressure
5.  The Philadelphia news teams on ABC, CBS, and NBC are tremendous.  These people stayed on the air for 12+ hours straight, giving us the latest updates and weather reports.  They helped people stay connected and get prepared. 
6.  I'm so proud of my new city.


This storm has set me back a few days (let's put it this way: there are half a dozen storage bins in my office that were previously living in the basement).  The house is a total mess.  So, I need a take a quick little break from the blog this week to recover.  But, I promise to be back soon. 

Until then, I'm sending lots of love to you, my dear readers! 
Have a fabulous week!

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Come On, Irene

Everyone is talking about Irene!  Hurricane Irene...  she's threatening the Atlantic coastline with 110 mph winds and coastal flooding.  Are you in the path of the storm?  What have you done to prepare?  We're staying put in Philadelphia and hoping it doesn't hit us too hard. 

Today, I thought I would talk about a different Irene: Irene Suchocki.  She's a Montreal based photographer and her work is soooo dreamy.  I'm smitten with quite a few pieces.  Especially the cityscapes: New York, Paris, the Italian coastline... Check out her portfolio:

Isn't she so talented?

Contact Irene Suchocki for custom sizing (24" x 20" would be amazing, wouldn't it?), and visit her shop HERE.

Happy Weekend, everyone.  Hope you're staying dry wherever you are!

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Army Green

This Martha Stewart paint is the most perfect shade of army green:

Martha Stewart "Clove"

It's called "Clove".  And if you go to Home Depot (where Martha Stewart paint is sold) this paint looks more like "chocolate brown" under the flourescent lights.  But trust me.  This paint is ARMY GREEN.  And, it's an insane shade of army green.  The perfect amount of green, perfect amount of khaki.  I used it on a recent project (that I can't share with you yet-- but in a month or so, I will!) and I'm thrilled with the results. 


I think that army green is a splendid color for kitchen cabinets.  Nate Berkus used it in his Chicago kitchen...

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Steal This Idea: Same Fabric, Different Colorways

Yesterday, I posted some images of Tom Dolby & Drew Frist's home (featured in Lonny Magazine last year).  It's really a cool place and everytime I look at the shots, I see something new. 

Like these floor pillows in their living room:

Tom & Drew chose one of my favorite fabrics, "Betwixt" by Celerie Kemble.  But, instead of committing to one colorway, they went with two.  How unexpected and fun!

"betwixt" by Celerie Kemble for F. Schumacher.

I think that this concept works for the following reasons:

• The fabrics compliment each other rather than compete.  And, I love how one side reads almost as a solid, featuring two similar shades of blue.
• The print is simple.  Stick with a small, graphic, two-color print (rather than a crazy multi-colored fabric).
• They're used in a large scale.  While I'm sure this concept would be great on small throw pillows, I just LOVE the impact it creates on larger floor pillows.  It might also be fun to try this concept on Euro shams (and dog beds too!).

Off the top of my head, I think that these fabrics would make for some fun combinations:

Celerie Kemble for F. Schumacher

Zig Zag by Quadrille

Threads from Lee Jofa

Groundworkds from Lee Jofa
(the same colors, in reverse)

Saya Gata by Quadrille

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Stone Road Tag Sale- Sneak Peek!

Tomorrow morning, Stone Road Vintage will be hosting a Tastemaker Tag Sale on One Kings Lane.  The sale starts at 11am (EST), and you won't want to miss it.  Most items are under $100!  Here's a sneak peek...

Tom Dolby & Drew Frist are the owners of Stone Road Vintage.  They also have a shop in Southampton, New York... so if you're in the area, you should stop by and check it out.   The OKL Tastemaker Tag Sale starts tomorrow at 11am (EST).  Visit THIS LINK to shop the merchandise!

Stone Road Vintage

(at Flowers & Company Antiques Center, Southampton, NY)

Tom & Drew are also the owners of this marvelous home (featured in Lonny Magazine last year), they're two of the nicest people you could ever hope to meet, and they have great taste too!  This particular shot of their backyard is one of my all time favorites.  I would like to copy it EXACTLY (I still need the pool, hardscaping, umbrellas and lounge chairs...  but, I'll get there one day).

Happy Friday, everyone!

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Vintage Color Scheme: Navy + Magenta + Green

Last weekend, I found this vintage handkerchief at a local flea market (the Golden Nugget in Lambertville, New Jersey to be exact).  It was only a dollar, and even though I have roughly no use for it, I had to have it.  Just look at that amazing color scheme!

Wouldn't this color scheme translate beautifully into a bedroom design?  I thought so.  So, here's what I came up with...

From left to right:

Serena & Lily navy stitched bedding,  Alan Campbell zig zag pillows, Colette bed, Benjamin Moore "Van Deusen Blue" paint, Jayson Home & Garden "Barrymore" cabinet, Williams-Sonoma Home grasscloth nightstand,  Wisteria Geometric mirror, mercury glass table lamp from Circa Lighting, Madeline Weinrib "Chi Chi Kari" rug, vintage hanky.

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NY Gift Show 2011: Jonathan Adler

This weekend, I ran up to New York City to attend the NY Gift Show.  While there were many exciting things to see, the Jonathan Adler booth completely knocked my socks off.  It's always a "happy chic" place (as his slogan accurately states), but this year, it seemed to be a little more on the chic side.  I couldn't get enough...

(adorable desk set up...  love that blue lamp)

(yellow & blue, white lacquered desk, yellow and pale blue area rug!)

(amazing marble and nickel table, blue tufted sofa)

(polished gold side tables, gorgeous planter full of succulents)

(white ceramic pieces in the most stunning matte glaze)

(hello AMAZING faceted box)

(shell lamps and burl wood with lucite!  oh, and that wallpaper too)

(and a "peace candle" in the most amazing studded silver container.  How fun is this?)

If you're a Philadelphia local, you should drop by the Jonathan Adler store in Old City sometime.  It's fabulous, and I bet you won't leave empty handed.  :)

Happy Monday!

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Riding Bikes in 1949

My mother's mother.  Her name is Alice, and we call her Gammy.  That's her on the left, in the all white ensemble.  And that's Evelyn, her best friend, on the right.  They're still friends, in fact!  Aren't they so beautiful?  This picture was taken somewhere outside of Chicago in the summer of 1949 (or was it 1950?).  It makes me so happy.  I think that my Papa snapped the photo.

Happy Weekend my dear friends.

xoxo,

Kelly

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Clearing The Way For A Carriage House

Besides installing new windows on the 3rd floor, we haven't done much with our home renovation over the last few months.  We've mostly been saving our money for a carriage house.  And, building a structure like that is EXPENSIVE.  But we're determined to get one up within the next year or so.  Recently, we had a survey done on the property and from there, we'll be able to draw up the plans and apply for building permits. 

When we bought this house a year and a half ago, the landscape was completely overgrown.  We've battled it here and there, but there's still a large part of our backyard that's overrun with vines and mangled trees.  And that's the spot where we want to build the carriage house.  So, little by little, with our own two hands, we've been breaking it up.  Dave and I have rented industrial wood chippers, we've cut through vines, and cleared nasty brush.  We had a brief run in with poison ivy (well, Dave did, not me) and overall, we've made a dent in the landscape.  When we got to the point where we needed help, we called a local tree service. 

Today was the day that the tree service arrived.  Four guys worked in the yard, grinding out stumps and bringing down a few trees.  This is what I watched from my office window:

Is there anything better than watching other people do the work?  It's amazing what four grown men can do in a few hours.  I wish I had buckets of money.  Buckets and buckets of money.  I could do this all day.

So, more about the carriage house.  Similar to my inspiration images, we're shooting for a 2-story structure with enough room for two cars.  I would also like dormer windows.  And, we'll need to pave a decent driveway.  To give you an idea, I played around in Photoshop and came up with this:

 

Also, my perfectionist husband just reminded me that the "Photoshopped garage" should be over the to left about 8 more feet, but you get the idea.

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Inspired By: Blue Trim

Simply Seleta blog

Burnham Design

Steven Gambrel

Simply Seleta blog

unknown source

Steven Gambrel

Jeffrey Alan Marks

Amy Meier

Thinking about boosting the look of your trim (or ceilings, or doors, or panelling...)?  Try some of these fabulous shades of blue:

Farrow & Ball "green blue"

Benjamin Moore "Palladian Blue"

Benjamin Moore "sea star"

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