It’s In The Mail – The Gift of Designing Christmas Greetings!

Now that Thanksgiving dinner has settled, one of the first things I like to address . . . no pun intended . . . is the stack of greeting cards I’ve carefully selected to send to family, friends, and clients.  I don’t have a one-size-fits-all approach as to how I design an interior, so selecting cards shouldn’t be any different.  I’ve got a mad passion for beautiful paper, patterns, and lettering.  Email cards can be fun and fast but I love to send salutations which can be held in the hand.  (It’s one of the reasons, if it were up to me, bookstores would still be thriving, too.)

If you need inspiration for your Christmas card list, all you have to do is log-on to the website, Etsy.  I could spend hours searching through all of the designs!  There is something to fit everyone.

Sweet Letter Press displays a peaceful image in current colors.  There is a fab fabric from Lee Jofa and designer, Eric Cohler, which captures a similar, graphic aesthetic.

A fresh interpretation of the lodge look.  I keep hoping to use one of these patterns for a client!

This fun card, from dodeline design, brought to mind a fabulous wall display I saw, below, in the Halo Styles Showroom at the High Point Market. 

Almost hard to believe they all didn’t end up in the landfill!  (Image courtesy of the Kandrac and Kole blog.)

Sentiments expressed, en Francais, always take on certain je ne sais quoi .  I have a wish to someday make it to the Maison & Objet, in Paris, the city of lights.  It’s a trade show of magnifique proportions.  (Wonder what the French would think of my southern accent?)

One Etsy vendor, petitepear, enthralled me with breadth of her designs.  I especially heart her gift tags, as shown below:

When I saw the fine examples of papeterie, above, it reminded me of tagging along with Eddie Ross, during one of our recent antiques’ shows.  He shared a great tidbit about silver in the video I recorded, below:

A friend of mine, Beth Swanson, has a darling antiques shop, Olde Tyme Marketplace, located in the old mercantile building where the “The Color Purple” was filmed, in Marshville, NC.  These gift cards would be right up her store’s alley!

Beth is the consummate recycler.  Just look at what she’s done to this old pail!

The dog lover couldn’t help but to be won over by the little black pup with the wreath collar.  Another friend, Tammy Taylor, is “owned” by her sweet black lab, Reagan.  I just know she would share a big “AW!” if she opened this card.

Tammy is also a talented interior designer in the Charlotte area.  She just recently created a room at the Southern Christmas show.  She was recommended, by the folks at the show, to appear on a “Charlotte Today” segment.  (Smart people, they are!) Tammy was so calm and cool and offered a lot of great tips for trimming the tree!

Any Eames enthusiast would be gaga over the “tree” of DCW plywood chairs!  Santa can still get these from your Herman Miller dealer. 

A design classic!

The card above, is reminiscent of English Transferware.  It’s done in letterpress printed on antique presses using soy-based ink and 100 percent cotton paper - tree free and made from recycled fibers.  Wouldn’t it be a lovely accompaniment to this? . . . .

The relief pattern, around the border of this charger, makes it extra special.  At under $60, I think it’s a gorgeous buy!

Yes, I could find a whole universe of cards for, well, the whole universe on Etsy! . . . 

Let’s hope you’re on a first name basis, if you decide to try the magic powers of the Mistletoe card!  (Smile!)

I live not too far from the barbeque capitol of North Carolina - Lexington.  As long-winded as we southerners can sometimes be, when we’re spinning a tale, we can also oddly enough assign a short nickname to a food which requires hours of cooking over a hot pit! 

I hope you’ve had fun with me while browsing through the “card section” on Etsy!  By now you might be able to tell, I love connecting the dots of design.  A card is not just a card.  It’s about the detail and thought which went into the design.  It’s about the unique quality being shared with an individual.  It’s about a gift from the heart!

From my heart to yours . . . All my best! ~ Wanda

Final Contest Alert!  I’ll be giving away an autographed copy of Vicente Wolf’s “Lifting the Curtain On Design”!  All you have to do to enter is to leave a comment on any two of my posts, beginning with the 2010 High Point Furniture Finds – Post 1 thru November 30th – Ends November 30, 2010.

I’ll announce the winner the first week of December 2010.  I hope you’ll enjoy a festive month!

Minimalist House Design For Young Couples

Minimalist Home Designs

This is a minimalist home design choice for newly married young couples, because it does not require a large space for both. Minimalist is a pattern of thinking, working, and way of life. This is a new perspective in viewing design as a reflection of urban life is simple really practical, lightweight, efficient, and management. I thought it would seem useful to you young couples who want to create family harmony.

But keep in mind because it is too minimalist would be boring. For that we need a few tricks to design a minimalist home to keep your room look warm. Furniture selection model should also be considered, you must be able to choose the right furniture and of course accessories for your minimalist house with elements of practical and functional which is the basic key in designing a minimalist home.

plant design in the house

Entrance to the garage minimalist home

Multifunctional space design-Living room

Some tips for designing a minimalist home is not easily bored:

1. Selecting the right material to thicken the minimalist concept will be presented. For example, glass furniture combined with aluminum or wrought iron can you attach it in the room. This is a simple form and can make your room look chic.
2. The selection of minimalist furniture curtain capable of supporting the impression you want to display in your room. You can try to choose a light novel blind and able to give the impression of dynamic in a minimalist room.
3. Furniture design company with a precision which is also characteristic of minimalist architecture and furnishings. Therefore, select a table or chair is simple and without ornament. With minimal ornament, we can simplify maintenance and the room will feel more spacious.
4. Color Selection of minimalist design and stylish furniture should be cautious, the pattern of flowers or colors that are too crowded or less suitable when combined in a minimalist home. Keep the color tone each time to add or replace furniture and furniture accessories in one room.
5. Whether all the accessories and furniture carefully, but make sure that the room did not impress too full because it can confirm the impression of a minimalist who wants to create. For example you can set the photo frame is bigger, but in small amounts to accent the room.
   

Kitchen design minimalist home

Staircase design minimalist home

Living room design

Minimalist can also be combined with colored wood furnishings such as furniture dark brown or reddish brown.

Happy Thanksgivingmas!

Sometimes it seems as if there is no real divide between the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.  I’m already seeing Christmas lights and exterior decor popping up on homes!  While Christmas does seem to be approaching at warp speed, I wonder . . .  Are we Americans rolling the two holidays into one huge event? 

I totally understand how tightly we are scheduled, these days.  There are essentially only three weekends available, between Thanksgiving and Christmas, to squeeze in holiday gatherings.  For my Jewish friends, all I can say is “Oiy!”, as Hanukkah is December 1st-9th! 

If you are feeling a bit done in with the notion of swapping one seasonal decor for the other, perhaps I can share some ideas of how to extend your investment and the celebrations!

Better Homes and Gardens exhibits this lovely copper container, filled with simple, seasonal delights.  So easy to go from the harvest table through the Winter Solstice.

Canadian House and Home features a door wreath of preserved textures.  With the warm tones, it would easily transition from fall to winter with the compliment of the potted and wrapped evergreen additions.  In the spring, the plants can be placed in the yard for many years of enjoyment.  Adding some luminaries, up the stairs, will create a glow for your guests to follow to the party!

Real Simple showcased a landscape of potted paperwhites.  I love how they left a few bulbs at the base to add a woodland warmth.  Neutral palette items are an effortless way to carry from one holiday to the next.  Keep in mind, some flowers do carry a strong fragrance.  Be sure to place any of these in an area where the scent is not overpowering – especially where food will be served.

So clever and fun!  Pairing some non-traditional holiday colors, and a little whimsy, will keep you smiling all winter long.  Some clementines, jingle bells, ribbon, and a few tools truly keep it Real Simple!

My friend, Linda Marshall, is the owner of a fabulous candle company, Imageglow.  Her lantern candle series allows for the pattern to be imbedded in the wax, and then backlit from within.  It’s a safe way to share the magic of candlelight.  The blue toile series would be lovely mixed with traditional greens, or they could be fabulously displayed on a silver tray with crystal accents.

(As a holiday offering, Linda has shared the gift of special pricing for her beautiful candles!  When you go to checkout, enter in the initials - ‘WSH’- for the discount code, and you’ll receive a 20% savings!  Thank you, Linda!)

However you choose to celebrate the holidays, be it a small, quiet celebration, or in the midst of a lively crowd, my wish is that you share it with your special people and in a home that you love!

Happy Thanksgivingmas to you!  I’ll see you somewhere in between!

Wanda

PS - Contest Alert!  I’ll be giving away an autographed copy of Vicente Wolf’s “Lifting the Curtain On Design”!  All you have to do to enter is to leave a comment on any two of my posts, beginning with the 2010 High Point Furniture Finds – Post 1, and by November 30, 2010.

I’ll announce the winner the first week of December 2010.  I hope you’ll enjoy a festive month!

Custom Design ~ The Icing On The Cake

Sometimes it takes a bit of imagination to see beyond the blueprints of a custom design project.  I love the process of working from the design phase to watching a project unfold before my eyes.  It’s like baking a cake from scratch.  You have to start somewhere . . . akin to leafing through the pages of a cookbook to find a tried and true recipe.  There are always some instructions to keep the cake from falling, keep it from crumbling, and to keep it delectable.  Sometimes; however, you just like tweaking the ingredients so that it’s a little different from all of the cakes which have been previously made.  Something to call your very own!

Custom building and remodeling can be a bit like baking from scratch.  There are always some of the necessary elements, for a successful outcome, and a bit of patience is needed before the icing can be put on top.  The cake has to be baked, cooled, and prepped.  And - as is always the case, sitting in front of the oven doesn’t make it cook any faster.  We all know what happens when one opens the oven door too soon!

This photo was taken in the early summer.  It’s a vacation home project I’m working on in Blowing Rock, NC.  At this stage of building, the possibilities abound!

We were able to pick out stone selections from a local quarry.  The stone mason was so kind as to set up an example of some options, in both the stone type and the design.

This was another option.  My client prefers straighter edges.  Even though this is a mountain home, since she has a more modern leaning, these felt a little too rustic for her.

From the road, the house appears to be a story-and-a-half cottage.  It actually consists of four levels.  Two are below grade.  (Did I tell you it’s on the side of the mountain?)

Now you have a better idea of the height of the house.

It’s a long way down!  The trees hide the drop from the edge.  I could only go so far before my toes began to tingle.  (A phenomenon which happens to me when I feel I’m a wee bit high off of the ground!)  By the way, in speaking of scary heights, the builder had us out on a stone-hunting escapade, where he wanted us to see some work he had done on another home.  The road was all gravel and when we turned around to come back up the slope, the back tires spun out and we could have met our demise down the side of the ledge.  We were finally able the to figure out how to make it out of there.  (Too long of a story to tell.)  After that narrow escape, we could hardly speak . . . for a few minutes.  We finally broke into hysterical laughter after we realized we were going to live to tell about it.  It was a bonding moment.  Near death experiences will do that to you!

Of course, during the process of construction, we did go ahead and source the permanent selections.  Since these were “attached” to the house, we needed to stay a step ahead of her builder in order to keep things on schedule.  The tile installer was working away on the master bath, at the time of this photo. 

We loved the deep charcoal tones and knew this would be a winner with her preference for a gray palette.

The floor is looking great!  (Please forgive the spots.  Photography during construction catches dust particles, too!)

The shower is coming along nicely! 

Now back to the exterior view.  It’s such a shame to have to put up doors and railing.  (Well, except for the "it’s a long way down, thing”.)

What a difference!  My client is beginning to get a clearer picture of the project’s progress.

The glass panel inserts allow for the vistas to be enjoyed, year-round.

And even though there is still a lot of work to be done, I would say she already has her icing on the cake!

All my best! ~ Wanda

Click on the image for a divine recipe!

PS - Contest Alert!  I’ll be giving away an autographed copy of Vicente Wolf’s “Lifting the Curtain On Design”!  All you have to do to enter is to leave a comment on any two of my posts, beginning with the 2010 High Point Furniture Finds – Post 1, and by November 30, 2010.

I’ll announce the winner the first week of December 2010.  I hope you’ll enjoy a festive month!