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{ Happy Monday }

You may notice a new wider format for my Blog and a few other tricks that I picked up this weekend from reading the Blogging "How To" posts hosted by Felicity at All Things Bright and Beautiful. Jo from Desire to Inspire provided the Html for making a table so that you can get pictures side by side. I had to change my Blog template to accomodate the wider format to Minimia stretch. I also learnt how to make a picture or link open in a new window by pasting a neat little macro in the Html code. This was all a little confusing for me (I am far from being a techie) but I am sure that it will soon become second nature.

So please let me know how you like the wider page format and the pictures side by side....if you can even remember what the old one was like.....Hmmm Happy Monday

Photo Credit Morgane Le Fay

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weekend update


: : it's been a wonderful weekend here in Boston! I've been doing some baking, spending lots of time with my Swedish friends and doing some work from home. and this morning we woke up to a few inches of fresh snow outside!! I love this city in the winter, and we've had so much more snow this year than last.

oh, and I've been meaning to share pics of the ornaments I made before christmas. a hot tip from .lauren and derek. on d*sponge's DIY section. super easy to make and they do so much for the room. we have a set of green and gold ones in another room. and I wanted to share this cute story. after I posted the link to the ornaments, my lovely friend .tina. in Sweden happened to send a link for red.house to her sister, who is a first grade teacher. her sister was looking for a project for her first year class, and ended up making these ornaments! to think that they made it all the way into a first year class room in Gothenburg Sweden. I love that!
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{ Campaign Beds }

What is the history of campaign furniture? The invention of campaign furniture – meaning furniture made for travel –was designed for military and naval use. It grew in tandem with the growth of the British Empire and its colonies in the second half of the eighteenth century. The Napoleonic era is probably the best know for examples of campaign furniture which were designed to be dismantled for travel and assembled at the end of the journey.

Ever wonder why these beds are so dreamy, maybe it is because they have their origins in travel to foreign and exotic destinations. I am imagining that the canopy held fabrics that helped to keep out all sort of bugs and protect somewhat against the elements.


Happy Weekend.....Happy dreaming

Reference Books:
The first English pattern book references to the subject occur in Ince and Mayhew’s book The Universal System of Household Furniture (1759–1762), with two designs for folding sofa-beds and a field bed. Chippendale’s The Gentleman and Cabinet Maker’s Director (1762) illustrates six designs for field beds with folding hinged slats, and Thomas Sheraton illustrates a design for a ‘sofa bed’ in The Cabinet Dictionary (1803).

Postscript Jan 30/08
An Aesthete's Lament has left a comment that I thought was so good I wanted to include it in the main post: "Some of the beds featured seem to be versions of the iron beds that were used in 18th-century France and moved from house to house by the nobility (obviously they could have been used in campaign or expeditionary situations as well). Such beds were considered less prone to insect infestation, et cetera. Typically, the light iron framework would be covered with curtains and fabric and folderol, rather in the manner of a lit à la polonaise; these could be moved and packed away should the owner decide to relocate from his city house to his country house, et cetera. The first time I ever saw one of these iron beds without its draperies was in the apartment of the French decorator Jacques Grange, where I once visited. In his bedroom, the lit à la polonaise just stood there, utterly stark, its ironwork frame like calligraphy written in the air. The company Oly makes a lovely version of these, called the Walker bed.
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{ The Art of Chic Flower Arranging }

These are some images of flower arrangements that caught my eye on my latest trip to LA and Dallas. I was attracted to these because of their simplicity and freshness. I always prefer flower arrangements to be showcased as a single variety and of the same color. And of course you can never go wrong with an all white flower arrangement. I keep an assortment of different sizes and shapes of clear glass containers in my pantry ready to put any length of fresh stems in. Make sure to cut the bottoms 1/2" off the stems before you put them in water. It will help to keep them fresher longer.

A simple bunch of lilies in a clear footed vase sitting on a bathroom countertop at Country Floors showroom on Melrose in LA.

Another arrangement at Bunches of Stocks in the Lobby of our Hotel in Dallas, simply tied and put in a vase on a base of charcoal.


Roses beside the elevator in our Hotel in Dallas. The bottom of the vase is filled with charcoal. The vases are stacked on top of each other with nothing holding them together other than their weight.


Roses floating in vases at the Global Views Showroom in Dallas.
This is a close up of the Sun Ray Wall Sconce in the above Photo show here in Nickel.
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{ Vintage Children's Wallpaper }

This is a sample of a vingate wallpaper for a nursery I am doing for baby Inigo. It is printed by Design Your Wall. The first picture is a sample of the actual paper which is printed on a heavy canvas. The second picture
is the a picture of the full repeat from their web-site. It is always a good idea to request an actual sample before you order to make sure the colors are what you want and so you can match any paint before the paper is actually hung and to see the actual size of the pattern. As you can see the actual sample has a more yellow background, which I actually like better than the photo from their web-site.

Click the image to enlarge and see the texture of the canvas. This company prints on a shiny paper unless you request otherwise. For this "vintage" design I thought that the canvas showed it off better.

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{ Registry Bliss }

Anne from Perfect Bound Blog contacted me recently and asked me to contribute to a series of Posts she is doing on "Registry Bliss". Her instructions were: "to pick my Top Five Dream Registry items...she goes on to add: I'm not talking about a Crate and Barrel coffeemaker here. Instead, truly over the top items that are neither practical nor budget friendly in any way". Well did she ever ask the right person as I was left wide open to have some fun doing this. Although I do think that what I have chosen to present are all very practical, but I'll leave it up to your discretion whether they are budget friendly as budget is a very relative term. The following is my contribution.
Please check out the other posts on Perfect Bound on Registry Bliss
Enjoy
Classic Bride
Toast and Tables

(Reprinted from Perfect Bound)
"It's not everyday that you stumble upon a blog from an actual practicing interior designer." Such is the case with Patricia Gray Interior Design. I have recently been starting my day with visits to Patricia's blog and they have been brighter and better styled because of it. I was flattered when she agreed to contribute to this week's Registry Bliss. While many of us are happy to flip through magazines, Patricia Gray continues to be featured in several of them. I think we're all in for a treat.
1. Four Poster Steel Campaign Bed. A similar one a available through Niermann Weeks. Picture Mimmi O'Connell.
2. Philippe Starck Ghost Chairs & Knoll Saarinen Table with Carrera Marble Top are both classics and will make your kitchen the most stylish and talked about. Available at Design within Reach. $310 and $6603. A beautiful pair of Vintage Murano Glass table lamps. You will cherish these for a lifetime. Available through Swank Lighting. From from $1,800 to $6,000 per pair.4. A pair of matching Pratesi Bathrobes and the matching towels. These are made form the best Egyptian Cotton and are absolutely fabulous next to the skin. Available through Pratesi.5. Miele CVA4085SS Stainless Steel Espresso Machine & Coffee Maker. It does it all for you, grinds the beans, foams the milk, electronic display. It even has individualized setting for your coffee favorites. Available at Miele. $2749.
PS I would be interested to know what you would pick from this list to register for.....
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{ LA, Dallas, and Meeting Joni }

Dennis & Leen Showroom LA
Day 1 - LA We arrived to sheer Bliss - sunshine and 72 degree temperature, which was most welcome after leaving Vancouver at 8AM to darkness and the perpetual rain that makes the other 6 months of the year (May thru September) worth living here. Pick-up the rental car and hit the freeway to Santa Monica and spend a few hours at Fred Segal and walking Santa Monica Blvd before checking into our Hotel, Le Montrose, which I was happy to see is a stone's throw away from the Pacific Design Center. After a quick change we are off to see the sights: Beverly Center & Sunset Strip.
Day 2 - After getting copious directions from our Concierge we head off to the LA Mart. Only a scant one hour in traffic....relatively easy by LA standards. Heaven.

I visit the Jamie Young showroom and finally get to see these lamps in person. Heaven.

Jamie Young's most popular lamp right now

Sofa at the Kravet showroom covered in Lee Jofa Sassari Ikat

I saw a real yellow theme happening for the upcoming season. So fresh.


Python side tables on castors

Python X Benches

Then back in the car to head to the Pacific Design Center. It is now 11:00. Everything in LA revolves around the freeway and timing for traffic is crucial. I arrive at the PDC and have a scant 2 hours before I have to be back on the freeway to the Mart to pick-up my daughter. Okay now it is serious concentration and deciding what is absolutely essential to see. My first stop is Hollyhock, Susan Reinstein's store. I breathe, take it all in, am satiated...buy Albert Hadley's book: Drawings and the Design Process and 2 wonderful cast bronze planters and head off to the PDC, but first decide to stop at Nancy Corzine, Formations & Dennis and Leen. Then on to the PDC. There is so much to see that I can't do it all. So priorities: Janus et Cie, Edelman Leather, Ralph Pucci, Neirman Weeks, Donghia....and I am all out of time. That evening supper at a superb Italian restaurant sitting outside on the deck...weather warm...then on to The Grove for some power shopping.

Nancy Corzine

Traditional Moroccan carpet

Chandelier at Donghia

Janus et Cie




Ceramic Coral Lamp at Nierman Weeks

Artwork at Nierman Weeks

Day 3 - We fly to Dallas at 5:00 PM and we need to buy an extra suitcase for all our purchases at The Grove last night. Then there is time to visit the hip Kitson Botique on Robertson Blvd for some funky zebra print scarves, Sak's for a new pair of Tory Burch Randy Flats, Anne Fontaine for wonderful double color white blouses, and we walk the Rodeo Drive strip and have lunch on the sidewalk at The Luxe Hotel on Rodeo Drive before we head off to LAX. A quick lunch and a rearranging of our suitcases to accommodate all the shopping purchases. I am so excited to be going to Dallas because I will finally be meeting Joni of Cote de Texas blogging fame. I feel like I already know her through emails and reading her Blog. She is flying in from Houston and staying at the same Hotel as us. Charmaine and I arrive at our Hotel in Dallas at 10:00 PM, only to find that they have given us a room with a one Double Bed when 2 beds were requested and paid in advance two months ago. We sit in the Lobby and moan and complain while I am finally getting to meet Joni. We are all tired by now and we (my daughter is a little crusty about the mix-up). They put a roll away cot in the room and we fall into bed exhausted. But I have finally met Joni and we plan to meet up for Breakfast in the morning.


Day 4 - Breakfast with Joni and we are off to a good start. We compare what our favorite coffees are: I am a double shot Latte gal and Joni has a coffee drink that totally intrigues me - a coffee with foam on top and a shot of Vanilla. She tries my Latte and we are instant comrades. Then we head off to the Dallas Mart using the GPS Navigation lady to get us there. After a few "re-calculating" maneuvers we arrive to filled parking lots and Joni expertly lands us a parking spot by seeing someone leaving and driving them to their car and getting their spot. I am impressed!! Way to go Joni. We then register (which is another task of mammoth proportion that Joni again breezes us through like a pro) and we then proceed to maneuver our way through the Mart. We focus and develop a game plan because it is so huge and there is so much to see that you can't do it all. We visit my daughter's showroom that carries her line of greeting cards and hit some showrooms. Joni and I find that we have very similar tastes, we get excited about the same things, and it is easy to navigate through the maze of showrooms together. These are some of the things we get excited about.............

This mirror would be great on either side of a fireplace


Crystal Candlestick

Chinoiserie inspired side table


A good looking Classic Brass and marble table

We have lunch, talk, laugh, get to know each other. And I can hardly believe we are finally talking face to face. Heaven. We both agree that this would make a great little chair in a Bedroom

A Ruthie Summers look alike chair
We go back to the Hotel with the GPS Lady navigating...by this time we are having conversations with her like she is the annoying but lovable "back seat driver". We rest up and Joni and I get our second wind and sit on the bed in her room like teenagers talking and surfing the Internet and Blogs on her laptop. Heaven. It is 1:30 AM and we can't stop talking.

Day 5 - Our last day in Dallas. We decide to visit the Highland Village Mall and do some fun browsing. Joni's daughter Elizabeth has just gotten her report card and has done quite well and Mom wants to buy her a gift at Tory Burch and my daughter loves Tory Burch, so we have a consensus.....Tory Burch it is. We tell our GPS Lady where we want to go, but unbeknowst to her there is major construction on the road we need to use, so after "re-calculating" and driving in circles, Joni takes the upper hand and ignores the GPS and gets us there on her own. Joni and I end up falling in love with the same scarf at Tory and we each buy the same one (now we are true girlfriends).
Joni at Troy Burch with her purchases...That is yellow scarf that we both had to have!!!

We have an absolute ball at this store. It is fun, colorful, trendy and the staff are so great. We have just a few minutes left before we need to head to the airport and for the finale we head over to Anne Fontaine and again we each buy the same white shirt and find out that we also have the same tastes in clothes. We are not wanting our time together to end, but alas all good things end and we say our farewells and I get Joni to promise me that she will think about a trip to Paris together.....soon, very soon!!!!!!!!!!!!
To be continued in Paris.

Okay, Joni has also done a post on our meeting....go to her Blog to read it.

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