June 8, 2011

Etsy, Part Deux

Ok folks. I’m not sure what to say. I sat down, ready and eager to make more exciting discoveries on Etsy and share, share, share! However, apart from a few finds, I came up empty. Maybe I’m tired. Maybe the bad photography and high percentage of kitsch wore me down. Maybe the best stuff on Etsy is the art. Maybe I’m doing it wrong. Have I lost my touch? Oh dear… Please let me know what I have missed (and I am sure there is plenty). In the meantime, enjoy the goodies I was able to tease out from amidst the crocheted tea cozies and stained glass suncatchers.

First up, this hilariously direct Let’s Make Out pillow from Alexandra Ferguson:

And I found these fly bargello needlepoint pillows from Lisolabella. God, I love bargello!
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June 2, 2011

Hillary Thomas

So often, people make such careful decisions about their sofas and rugs and coffee tables and beds but forget that the spirit of the room really comes to life when the final layer of accessories and personal items are laid in.  As we are putting that final polish on a project, I always turn to Hillary Thomas’s “Chic Shop” to find Palm Beach-y, well-priced tchotchkes of all kinds.  For starters, I love her “Rock and Rolla” line of finials (truly the jewelry of any room) named after rock songs.  To wit: Peace Frog:
Norwegian Wood:
Heart of Gold:
Orange Crush:
Brown Sugar:
Great, huh?  She also has a bunch of vintage pieces for sale, easily navigated by category (and how I love a woman who starts her categories off with barware – truly a kindred spirit!). Read the rest of this post »
December 15, 2010

Needlepoint – It’s Not Just For Your Grandmother Anymore…

As I was gazing off into the middle distance thinking about what to write about today, my eyes lit upon one of my favorite pieces of artwork. A few years ago when I moved into my house, my dear friend, Anna, made me this divine needlepoint:

I immediately took it to the framers and it has been hanging in a place of pride ever since. I realized, fair readers, that I had to make sure you were all hip to how, well, hip, needlepoint could be. I’m sure you might be conjuring up images of dusty old samplers that read “Home Sweet Home” or saccharine images of kittens and butterflies but I am here to tell you that there is a whole, wide, chic world to explore. One of the items I covet the most to this day is the black velvet evening bag my grandmother made with my mother’s intials needlepointed in brown, black and white. I will always equate it with my mother heading off to some glamorous party with a gardenia tucked behind one ear. What’s not to love? Read the rest of this post »