You know what's really funny? We are moving. Well, the moving part isn't funny...it's everything that goes with it that is funny. You see...my family has lived in this neighborhood for 16 years. We've remodeled two houses.

I've had babies. Dogs. Dwarf hamsters.  Deocrated. Made cakes.

Ridden bikes. Redecorated. Cried. Laughed. Redecorated. 

So, it isn't easy to leave. It's not easy for my neighbors to see me go, either.

A lot of things have happened on this hill. It all started with an epic New Year's party made up of a young band of proud professors and...us...fueled mostly by French Chardonnay with a little stolen Ritalin thrown in. Fast forward to now.

We're moving, I nervously tell them. I can sense my shiftiness. My friends were immediately grief stricken at the thought. You can't. You musn't. The neighborhood will be devastated. I was flattered. Then their sadness quickly turned to anger. My two best pals on the hill stopped speaking to me. How could you, they spat? Which quickly turned to...who can we get to buy your house? Which led to that conversation...WHO is looking at it? You can't possibly sell it to THEM! "they don't drink!" or "she doesn't give her kids SUGAR?"or "they'll put raised beds on the parking strip!". In all honesty, these are excellent points. Let's just hope the highest offer comes in from a pre-rehab family of four who still believes in the Oreo reward system and still buys their vegetables at the market. In Eugene...that's a stretch.

Neighbor A. My Chloe clad reiki master is finally beginning to speak to me again but I'm sure it's only due to the fact that she is trying to accumulate pencils and papers to give to the kids on her pilgrammage to Africa. She has promised me a house cleanse but who knows what is really up her Chloe puffed sleeve? She could plant evil spirits. Spirits who rattle chains when I pour the Lillet or wilt my new hydrangeas with their evil breath.

Neighbor B. She sniffs that she isn't mad and will certainly come visit...when I put in a pool. That said, she takes her Gucci bag and goes home. Let me say that she can't stay mad. It seems to expire at 8:00 sharp when her son goes to bed when she continues to rendezvous with me on the rock wall between our houses at 9:00 for a late night greyhound and a French import.

Wendy's House

My friend Wendy had already taken a classic ranch house and updated it with

some great finishes...carrera marble, subway tiles, seagrass, etc...

She's good like that...but she needed some stuff. Correction. Some tough stuff.

Wendy has three boys.

So, we started with the entry. I had an old runner in my storage unit. Of course.

I found this gorgeous dusty blue chest from Legends of Asia

and had a custom bamboo framed mirror made.

Next came this West Elm lacquer tray and these adorable

old Chinese lamps from Pewter Rabbit Antiques.

New shades and finials were a must.

Wendy had this little built-in and custom carrera table already

(I told you she was good). I just had a cushion made, found these

111 Navy chairs (made from recycled coke bottles)...

...and added a few pillows in Rose Tarlow's Medici. Easy.

The dining room. Millbrook pendants from Currey & Co. LOVE these.

Pillows in Lee Jofa's Twister and a linen bench cushion.

Limed gray oak table by Zentique.

Plus, two Eames Molded Plastic chairs in Java. Done.

Living room. New slipcover for the ottoman in Peter Dunham's Ikat in

Peacock. Trim used around the bottom was cut from the pillow fabric.

I spent awhile figuring this out. I know it looks obvious but I was briefly tortured.

 Jasper's Indian Flower.

Inlaid tray from the wonder bunnies in India via Wunderley. Of course.

Scribble bench.

Recovered in velvet from Econo Sales. $12.99/yd.

See people? I can be frugal. Not often but it happens.

Plus, Wendy's gorgeous paintings from Catherine Maize.

And it's a wrap.

Punchy Mexican

I couldn't pass up this Mexican punched tin headboard...

...'cause that's how I roll.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY. TO. ME.

I first saw the Shoji glasses by Imperial Glass in Aerin Lauder's house.

Then again in Claire Weiss' incredible home in February's Architectural Digest.

Truly stunning and I had to have them. Fortunately, though, I didn't

have to wait around for an elderly relative to hand me down her

hard earned collection or trudge through antique stores for 30 years.

It only took ebay, a few weeks and some dough.

And voila. Happy Birthday. To. Me.

MORE IS MORE

THIS KIND OF THING EXCITES ME

ROAR

Chalk It Up To Good Taste

I just had this little blackboard made...

using this little gold bamboo frame...

for my cutest little fancy pants client.

I'M CRUSHED

LOWBALLS BY IMPERIAL GLASS. MY NEW VINTAGE CRUSH. 

The Sectional

I had a vision of this Kravet sectional.

In this sexy Lee Jofa velvet zig zag.

Until the Kravet showroom sent me this drawing.

Oops. Zig zags are no bueno on a sectional so...

Plan B. I went with a neutral grainy linen. Safe but gorgeous.

Add a Baltic Lantern by John Rosselli for Circa Lighting

and some Fiji/Barley grass shades from Smith & Noble.

Mix in a few pink Christopher Spitzmiller medium Hann lamps in

blush and an acrylic framed hidden stitch silk panel.

Throw in a few pillows made from an old ikat robe

from Uzbekistan and John Robshaw's Lanka.

Now the room just needs one of these overdyed Turkish rugs.

They take vintage rugs and bleach them and dye them kooky colors. 

Who knows? Maybe I'll try it myself.

I'm already doing that every 5 weeks anyhoo.

BIZZY

I have been very, very busy.