Field Trip Friday!

I headed west today for Field Trip Friday. FTF is when I go looking for a new design resource, a new experience, a new restaurant or whatever after I have finished my work for the day. I found the most lovely antiquey store today called Bella Villa in Aldie, VA. It is right on Rt. 50 before Middleburg. The shop is full of antiques, furniture, chandeliers, wall sconces, pictures and right now, holiday decorations at deep discounts. It goes on and on in room after room.
SHE SHOOTS, SHE SCORES!!
When I last visited Bella Villa, they were in a smaller location across the street and down the block. I happened to find a large beautiful silver tray that I had been on the hunt for for a couple years.I had to dig it out from under a table. Alas, it had a "hold" sign on it. Truly a sad moment. So, being a girl who likes a good dig, I was at it again today and there under another table was what looked like a similar tray. I turned it over and there was the "hold" sign again. I held it up and asked Rosanna, the woman behind the register, "Is this tray really on hold? Because I think it was on hold 4 months ago!" She said that no, it was probably just never picked up. So the tray is now mine. See, it pays to ask - and to keep digging.
One other wierd thing that happened at Bella Villa. Check out the photo: there were some large metal letters for sale sort of tossed under a table. You could hang them on the wall or use one initial as a paperweight. Anyway, look at what they spell. I couldn't believe it! I made everyone who was standing around take a look. There is an extra letter "I" there but take it away and it says "Toni K". That's me!! I guess I was really meant to shop in Aldie and find my tray. Great Field Trip Friday!

If I Were in Paris

I entered a contest recently to go to Paris for a week and attend Maison & Objet, which is the international home furnishings trade show. It is huge. The company giving away the trip manufactures drapery hardware and they were looking for someone to blog for them every day and in return they would pay ALL the expenses. I was so excited to enter and even received an email from one of the company owners saying mine was the "best entry so far!" I was already brushing up on my French - which is to say, practicing the 20 words I know. Then reality took hold and I was told that due to the fact that they had received several good entries so far, they were going to take them and put them in a hat and draw one name. You may have already guessed that I did not win. But if I had, I would just be finishing my fabulous, all expenses paid trip to Paris.
So.....if I were in Paris today I would have gotten up early and walked over to my favorite (my only!) spot for breakfast, the cafe Le Flore en L'ile, on the Ile St. Louis. If you sit in the back booth you can look across a short bridge at Notre Dame. I would have had my usual cafe au lait and a chocolate croissant. Then I suppose I would have raced back to the hotel and joined my group heading off to Maison & Objet. Supposedly, the displays there are very avant garde with a fascinating array of all kinds of products for the home. Of course I would be especially taken with the fabrics, my favorite component of interior design. No doubt the show would take all day, with just a short break for lunch. But if there was still time, I would hop on the Metro up to Montmartre to take in the view of the Eiffel Tower way down across the Seine. We would all need to stop to catch our breath with a little red wine and perhaps some bread and cheese. After posting my blog, (which was the reason for the trip after all!) I think I would finally be able to talk someone into going to dinner at that beautiful little restaurant around the corner from Notre Dame - the one with the sparkling lights and all the plants around the outside. Then off to bed - or perhaps, a ride on the Bateaux Mouches first for old times sake.

Be Fiercely Original

If you are in a bit of a creative slump or wondering about how to be true to yourself, check out this quote from Scott Ginsberg. He says to be the original not the echo and reminds us that "There are no cover bands in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame." Scott is know as the Nametag Guy and has worn a nametag with "My Name is Scott" for 3000+ days.

Choose Civility - or something

This post has absolutely nothing to do with decoration OR inspiration. Today I had a dental appointment, which is not my favorite thing to do, due to a couple of semi-traumatic events from my childhood involving the dentist. But today was also the day that one of my close family members was having a mastectomy, so I decided that rather than worry about some silly trip to the dentist, I was overjoyed to be going where I was going. In fact, I called it my "Joyful Trip to the Dentist!" so I would remember to focus on all that is good in my life.
I actually got all dressed up for this event. I had a new outfit, so I wore it! I was looking pretty good, let me tell you. As I got in the car, I said a little thank you prayer because both my college kids had made it back safely to their faraway campuses. I was so happy because the car I bought a few months back has seat warmers, which I've never had and it was chilly and rainy this morning. I stopped at the bank and made a deposit and I was thinking about some work I needed to do when I got back, that was actually going to be fun. Don Henley was on the radio singing "Boys of Summer" and I was belting it out and hitting all the high notes, too. It was a pretty good vocal!
So I was having a great day - my kids are happy and healthy and in school, I've got money in the bank, some enjoyable work to do, a cute husband, a cute outfit, and my bum is warm! I pulled into the parking lot and announced out loud: "I am having a Joyful Trip to the Dentist"!! I was determined to smile at EVERY face in that waiting room, which I did. I bet they noticed my cute outfit.
I sat down after signing in, and I was still feeling pretty joyful. The receptionist called me up to the desk and I thought she wanted to update my email address or something. Instead, she said "Um, Toni, we have you down for December 10th". Pregnant pause........ to which I replied as joyfully as possible, "Obviously I had me down for today". Then she went on to tell me, very politely, I might add, that they were sort of heavily booked today and there were no cancellations so would I mind waiting until Dec. 10th and she was sorry I had made the trip. (What? When you're wearing a cute outfit, is it ever wasting a trip?) I told her I'd run to the car and get my calendar so I could double check that the 10th would work, while she was still sitting at her trusy appointment-making computer.
As I came back in the office, I flipped open my book, and there on Dec. 10th, it said in big letters "DENTIST". Yikes! So of course, I looked her straight in the eye and said rather joyfully, "Yes, the 10th will work!"
Have you ever seen the bumper sticker that reads "Choose Civility"? Well, I went back to my car, pulled out and headed out of the parking lot. The first car I passed had a bumper sticker that read............wait for it.............
CHOOSE SENILITY !!!!

Frosty - At Last!

Well it finally arrived! My 3-foot, plastic light-up snowman. I know you know my snowman. I have been secretly coveting him for years. This kind of decoration is generally not my thing, but for some reason, for the last several years, when I see one of these snowmen on someone's front porch, I feel this nostalgic pull on my heart strings. Maybe we had one when I was a child, but I don't think so. I think it is the innocent look of the thing. Every time my little white dog walks by it,though, he looks verrrrrry suspicious.
I'll post a picture as soon as he is outside, in full decorati, instead of sitting in my living room.

Thoughts about White

Although I love color, maybe too much, I came across this quote to give you something to think about. And a picture of an almost white room with Toby, a cute white dog.

" White...is not a mere absence of colour; it is a shining and affirmative thing, as firece as red, as definite as black...."
G.K. Chesterton

The Dinner Party

So I think we ought to wage an all-out campaign to bring back the Dinner Party. Last night we had a fantastic time at the home of our friends, Audrey and Ed. Talk about The Hostess with the Mostest!(Ed was the Host with the Most, but the other version is more fun to say.)After sampling a couple great Pinot Noirs, we sat down to a cozy dinner of Coq au Vin, grilled brussel sprouts and mushrooms. Audrey said you really have to have guts to serve brussels sprouts at a dinner party but let me tell you, they were pretty fab. She also made a pear and cranberry tart for dessert. Every bit of it was homemade - no hitting the prepared food section of the grocery store for Audrey!
The whole evening was made even more warm and cozy by the fact that it was raining BUCKETS outside. What a storm!
Audrey has such a nice way of mixing her "Grandmotherly Things" with more modern items. Here she is lighting the candles and preparing to serve the salad on her beautifully set table.
Is there anything better than good friends, good food, good conversation, good wine and good music on a dark and stormy night?