IT'S THE NATE SHOW!

Check it out: Nate Berkus Associates new website.

Read all about him, his products,what he's been doing, and down at the bottom click on "Show".

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We had VIP tickets: thank you Smith, Emma and JoAnn!

No standing in line.

We went right in to the VIP lounge where we were recruited as extras in a short clip featuring AME Logan. AME is the oldest Avon rep (she's 96!) and has been selling Avon products since 1954. Yup: I got to be an extra here! And, during the taping of the actual show, they played the edited version of what will be shown in September, and for a split second you can catch me! 

And here is my group, after the show: 

  

Can't tell you exactly when this show will be aired: it will be late September. I'll let you know when I know.

It was a fun day! Gorgeous weather, lunch afterward at Pigalle, a chance to chat with friends....but more than anything, the chance to see Nate LIVE!

ON THE SUBJECT OF FRANCE:

Seems I can't think about much other than my upcoming trip to France!

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My blogger friend Alice, of SimplyTheNest, just posted a great story of the drive she and her husband made down to Provence..Now, she lives in England, so this is possible! But she also has two adorable dogs who were to be included in this trip....so off went Alice, last winter, and got passports for the dogs! Yes, real live "dog" passports, which qualifies as one of the cutest but most sensible things I've ever seen!

Here are the two Jack Russells, Enrique and Miss Penny, showing off their new passports:

Read her story here, complete with driving do's and don'ts and pictures of their trip.

THE EXCITEMENT IS BUILDING!

It's that time of year again...

I'm talking about the Maison et Objet Show in Paris!

Last year was my first time attending. It was an amazing experience. Aside from being in a foreign country...the show is a complete delight. It is easy to navigate and just so chock full of visual delights at every turn that at first, of course, you feel overwhelmed. But take it easy: stroll a bit, get your bearings, stop at one of the most civilized cafes or restaurants and have a glass of wine or espresso...and you're off and running!

Here, from their website, are previews of some of the different halls:

You can read about last year's experiences here and here.

But this year! What a treat! I am meeting up, first, with Delana of the blog DuJour. Delana and I have become fast friends; she lives in Aix-en-Provence and has wonderful stories to tell in her blog. She writes well, has lots to say about her observations of her almost two years of living in France; very amusing and witty indeed! Anyway, we have become friends...and may even have a little business in the making...and are looking forward to our "meet up" in Paris.

Then, I was invited by another blogger friend, Claudia of The Paris Apartment, to join her "meet up" with other bloggers at Cafe Deux Magots! (I know, tourist central, but it's convenient!)

This is going to be funnnn....

Then.... yes, there's more: My husband is coming over and we've rented an apartment on the Ile St. Louis. Some friends of ours from home will also be in Paris, so we will have lots to share. I'll be showing you that, for sure, and so much more.

For now, I leave you with another bit of excitement: I am going into New York on Friday for the Nate Berkus show! We got tickets for the taping: have to be in line at 8 AM (that means leaving here at 6 AM). No pictures are allowed, of course, but I'll try to find out the date this show will be aired.

And now, to bed, to rest up for all this!

GUEST BLOG: L'HEURE BLEUE IN BELGIUM

It's the details...in this case, the color blue.

Another guest post from Michele Coppin! If you remember, Michele did the wonderful two-part series on the Yves St. Laurent exhibit currently at the Petit Palais in Paris.

Today she talks about "L'Heure Bleue":

In Belgium, where I come from, the quiet nostalgic beauty of the lowlands is emphasized by huge cloudy skies (most of the country lies below sea level).

The sky is so big, it reigns as a landscape which windmills share with Medieval statues on gabled roofs:

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And Art Nouveau steel tendrils reach for convoluted balconies….

My favorite skies come at l’Heure Bleue - the Blue Hour. This French expression refers to the period of twilight when there is neither full daylight nor complete darkness, and when everything is cloaked in blue light.

And the world melts into palettes of blue… soothing and tranquil.

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Perhaps L’Heure Bleue inspired Belgian surrealist painter René Magritte. In his painting “Empire of Lights” the daytime sky does not fit the lighting situation of the night scene below. The overall effect is intimate and mysterious.

Or perhaps, he was inspired by the edgier hour “Entre Chien et Loup”, another French expression describing the same time of day/night .

“Between Dog and Wolf” describes a certain part of the day when the light is dim and when you cannot distinguish a dog from a wolf (some say it describes nightfall long ago when farmers brought the dogs in and the wolves came out).

It also expresses that limit between the familiar and the comfortable versus the unknown and the dangerous – the domestic, the wild and a slightly darker color.

Which is what inspired my painting......only I replaced the dog and wolf by

jewelled insects and a cat.

Do you know this unique time of day? Look for it tomorrow, or whenever you can find time to be quiet and still and you will not be disappointed.

TRENDY MONDAY: IT'S A GRAY GREY WORLD

Lots of talk of the color gray!

http://www.desiretoinspire.net/blog/tag/grey

www.apartmenttherapy.com…

www.fromtherightbank.com…

houzz? not sure

From Restoration Hardware, this collection of wonderfully soft greened grays:

the middle one is "Silver Sage", surrounded by Pale Silver, Light Silver Sage, Sea Green and Blue Sage. What is there to say except that these are very, very pretty colors!

Then, we have lots and lots of ads in the shelter magazines featuring gray:

Some really wonderful dish towels from Studio Patro:

To catch up on some more stories about this color, see Joni Webb at Cote de Texas and Amanda at AB Home Interiors.

I'm flipping through some magazines I have here, just to check out how prevelent this color is. Take a look through Interior Design for July; or Martha Stewart Living for August (Home Design with Keven Sharkey).

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From Galbraith & Paul, this rug in smoke:

Fabric in silver:

How about these great chairs from Chairloom:

As Joni says, you have to be very careful when choosing gray. The variations are subtle: do you want it cool with blue tones , or warm with yellow tones? A real battleship gray? Or mixed with taupe?

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I am doing some very serious thinking about gray for our new house. I am becoming more and more enamored of neutrals with, of course, splashes of REAL COLOR, as in orange or red.

Here is a sneak peak of part of our new kitchen:

(complete with gray countertops!)

SUMMER IN THE GARDEN

It's Friday, in August, and the living is easy (or at least hot...)

Hope you enjoy this collection of goodies from my garden!

 

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ALMOST GOOD ENOUGH TO EAT

I couldn't help myself....

The Anthropologie email just arrived and I am a complete, total sucker for their designs, colors, textures, visuals and anything else you can think of!

That being said, I simply had to show you some of their newest items, so luscious they are almost good enough to eat!

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How perfect for your rings and bracelets!

PLEASE COME IN!

Welcome To My House!

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I've been wondering just HOW I am going to approach this entire project: this "moving" thing is enormous... We now own two houses (anyone interested in a lovely, 1923 house, in excellent condition, in Poughkeepsie, New York?) No, I didn't think there would be many hands raised!

The NEW house is in Pittsboro, North Carolina; actually it's in a small village called Fearrington. No, I'm not going to put a link in here: if you are that interested, you will have to Google it for yourself!

We closed just a week ago, and the next day had a small shipment of furniture and boxes delivered: just enough to see us through the odd week down there between now and December. The same day that shipment arrived, we had two mattresses delivered (these are for future guest room mahogany beds); a new gorgeous HUGE fridge delivered; phone, DSL, and Dish TV installed; plumber arrived; contractor arrived to spec a new wall, French doors and built ins.... and we were exhausted!

The pictures above are of the front walkway and, to the left there, behind that overgrown tree/bush, is the front door. Those two evergreens are coming down...soon! Through the white gate is a brick L-shaped terrace with trees and gardens on all sides, and a door going into the kitchen and dining area. But oh ! the possibilities in those perfectly sized side gardens !!! Did you know that gardenias grow everywhere down there? Yes, I want several bushes in this walkway, as well as lavender, and more hydrangeas, and Russian sage and the list goes on. Because we are moving in December, I will dig up some of my perrenials from here, put them in pots, and transport to N.C.; namely, my iris and evening primrose. Dahlia tubers will already have been put to bed in my basement here.

And last, but certainly not least, I will have a surprise for you later this week! A blogger friend, soon to be revealed, has agreed to consult with me on some of the interiors of the new house! She is an interior design consultant and someone whose work I have long admired and now, after talking with her, feel I have found a new friend. Once again, the blogosphere shows me how wonderful this new virtual world is!

I'll leave you with this picture of the view from that front walk to the square in front of our house:

MY VERY OWN HYDRANGEA

In my "old" house, I've never had a hydrangea plant...

I've been coveting one (or many) for quite a few years! So, here in our new house in North Carolina, we were "given" two of them: one pink and one white. Well, I guess blue would be my first choice, and well...maybe I'll buy another one or two; but for now, here is my pink one. This picture was taken in June:

And now, in mid-August, take a look at the color change. Wow! I actually think I like this color better. So subtle and subdued.

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I'm linking up to Susan at A Southern Daydreamer!