Monday 30 June 2008

Ines chevaliere


La creatrice et ancine mannequin a recu les insignes de chevalier de la Legion d' honneur dans les salons de la boutique Roger Vivier dont elle est l' ambassadrice.
La remise a eu lieu en presence de ses deux filles, Nine, 14 ans, l' ainee qui a herite de sa frimousse et de son style, et Violette , la cadette, agee de 9 ans, qui ressemble beaucoup a son pere, Luigi d' Urso, mort en 2006. Toutes les deux etaient contentes de voir leur maman (en Prada) ainsi distinguee.

Who's the King? Who's the Queen?

I have wanted to have the names of the children put up in their new bedrooms all along while designing their rooms. In our previous houses I used to put wooden letters outside their doors. Not bad, nobody I knew was doing it at the time. But I was tired of the too much color clad clowns and I have decided on something less garish!
I have found some lovely pillow letters at Yvestown (Yvonne calls them box letter cushions). They are made using Cath Kidston fabric and synthetic filling and they retail at 35 US $.

I have ordered from her first an F for my eldest daughter and an E (for my name in its Greek spelling), as she was having a sale and they cost me $28 each, and then a C and an I (for my hubby's name and mine)and a J for our son, which cost me $35 each. I was a little put off because I like to be spoiled and I did mind not to be offered a multiple buy discount. Nevertheless, her work is nice, the fabric combinations work well together and we all like the end result.
Yvonne cannot make a D though, although I asked for a special order, which was frustrating because I didn't want our daughter D to feel left out.
So, I looked for a D elsewhere. I have liked the classic, white wooden lettering that I had found in many shabby chic shops, but they were way too expensive, for no apparent reason. I finally ordered a golden D priced at a reasonable 10 GB pounds and a lovely hanging heart from POSH by Emily Readett-Bayley. I still have not received them, but I hope they will be beautiful!
A little bit late (but who says so?) came to mind Paula Prass who does personalized scripted name canvasses retailing around $100.

A more expensive option but it is lovely, and it is made just for you and your sweet prince or princess. I'll show you some photos from their rooms soon! Take care.

Friday 27 June 2008

Summer offer at the shop




A new lot of goodies from our shop. It is the "3 for the price of one" offer valid till the end of July or while stocks last. Three fitted sheets, excellent quality 100% cotton, for the price of one.
120X200 cm bundle at 37,50 Euros
180X200 cm bundle at 49,50 Euros
200X200 cm bundle at 54 Euros
They are a joy next to the skin. Please e-mail me if you'd like to own one or more.

Pirates fabric for J's bedroom

The most beautiful fabric I could expect arrived today for our son's bedroom.
J is 6 and he is very much into pirates. Although I wanted him to be happy with his new space, I didn't want anything terrifying for his bedroom. No skulls and Pirates of the Carribean.
So I searched and searched. Jane Churchill which I stock in our shop used to have a pirate/treasure island fabric, but it is now out of stock and Designers Guild hasn't shown anything remarkably boy-ish lately. So I had to look elsewhere.
I searched over the net and found a Michael Miller fabric that looked quite kitchy, yet in a happy way.
I ordered it from Lucky Kaeru over at Etsy.
It was reasonably priced and it arrived nicely and quickly, no problem whatsoever.


This one I am going to turn into a floor cushion.
And this one is what J chose for his curtains.

I hope to show you the end result soon!

Thank you Lucky Kaeru. Nice job!

Wednesday 25 June 2008

Attic, dear

Our attic won't be dealt with until next year. We have lots and lots to finish at home, before we begin another project. This article from Design Sponge is bound to be useful, though. Check it out if you are planning an attic makeover. Fabulous!

Tuesday 24 June 2008

FREE FOR USE


FREE FOR USE
Originally uploaded by decor&salteado
Sweet, sweet times! And to think we were so fed up with them as children. My mum used to have boxes of them, and now I so much like them...with a 30 year distance!

Monday 23 June 2008

Sunny dress

Just couldn't resist! I have uploaded some weekend pictures from the weekend , then saw this dress. Cheers you up, doesn't it. If only I could make one for myself!

Update: After looking it up, I have found that you can buy it here, at Little Girl Pearl. Now let us see, do I know a little girl who can wear this!..

Friday 20 June 2008

GIRLS' ROOM


GIRLS' ROOM
Originally uploaded by The Happy Turtle
Hello,
We are in! We have just moved to our new home. Lots and lots of work to do. There are tons of things left behind to be sorted out by the end of the month, but it is good to know we are in a place we like and we can call our own.
This is the girls' room. We have painted it in Turquoise and Bleached Stone by Cath Kidston. The wallpaper is Chintz Floral by Cath Kidston. The little fabric boxes are from Ikea.
Choosing the color scheme was not obvious, as most people expect pink or the new rage in this part of the world: orange and green, so 90s.
Yesterday the girls asked me, you really had everything figured out, mom, didn't you?
Well I have been (day)dreaming for so many years, I pretty much did!
Many many thanks to God and to everyone who has provided inspiration and guidance, whether they know it or not.
See you soon with more pictures as we settle in.

Friday 13 June 2008

Ines de la Fressange-Sur la vie


doc-365
Originally uploaded by The Happy Turtle
I was brought up to respect creativity more than anything else.

You have to be very careful and try to keep an element of lightness and frivolity in your life.

When you take care of yourself, you take better care of your children and husband.

Women always feel guilty because we’re either at work or buying gym shoes for the children or light bulbs for the house, so that when we’re finally in a department store in the lip-gloss section we buy something very quickly as if we were doing something bad.

One has to have a bit of a geisha quality, a feminine side in the traditional sense, like our grandmothers and great-grandmothers.

Lots of women are waiting for a Prince Charming, and that’s a mistake.

(From Tango magazine)

Ines de la Fressange-Son style

Perfect skin.
Amazing hair
And clean teeth. A lot of women forget about that.
There's a lot of fun to be had if you are not afraid. It's great to have a beautiful bag.
If you are wearing an army-surplus coat, put it with ballet shoes, not heavy boots.
If you are in diamonds, then play them down with a matelot top. Oh, and never wear fur.
Keep an element of punk in your wardrobe - always. Even Chanel was a bit punk; the way she wore jersey and fake jewellery was a rebellion in her day.
Don't be afraid to make mistakes. If you have never put a foot wrong, you're probably too set in your ways.
Look for alternative ways of expressing what you feel: you may not want to wear a fluorescent dress, but how about a pair of tangerine patent shoes?
Dressing head-to-toe in expensive clothes can be as big a mistake as always wearing cheap ones. At every age it's far more effective to mix things up. I like it best when it's not obvious where my clothes come from.
Be open-minded about new labels. It's great to have tried-and-tested ones, but thanks to my two daughters I'm also a regular at H&M, Gap, Isabel Marant, Aspesi and Vanessa Bruno.

(Propos recueillies from The Times).

Ines Legion d' Honneur

French style icon Ines de la Fressange is to receive the Legion d' Honneur award. The ceremony will take place in Paris on the 18th. There is apparently a certain controvercy as to wether she is "worth it". LOL! There are very few women who epitomise French style, a certain insoucience and Joie de Vivre more than Mme de la Fressange.

On October 2007 I have written a post about Mme de la Fressange with photos of her and her daughters at home. Some time earlier this year I found that she had graciously posted a comment to my post! Now if that is not gallic courteousness, I do not know what is.

I first read it in this post, then checked it on the web. You may want to read this article in The Times and that one, too.


Felicitations, Madame. Avec mon eternelle admiration!

Tuesday 10 June 2008

Sxx and the City (cont)


As I've said before, I haven't seen the movie yet, and probably won't before it comes out on a DVD.
But meanwhile for those passionate friends of Carrie and the gang, there is the companion book on the film, appropriately named Sex and the City , which includes a storybook-style telling of the film, behind-the-scenes stories from Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis, Cynthia Nixon, star and producer Sarah Jessica Parker, writer and director Michael Patrick King, as well as producers and other key cast and crew members; a guide to the movie's multi-million—dollar fashion closet, including insight from costume designer Patricia Field; and an insider's tour of the movie's many locations.

What's in a drawer?

Take a look at those pink chests of drawers. They are lovely. And they all look pretty similar to me. Their dimensions match: 73x80x40 for the top one, 73x80x40 for the middle one, 71x81x41 for the bottom one. Now read on for the pricing:




The top one costs £290 at Cox and Cox. The middle one costs £229.00 at Velvet, and the bottom one £275.00 chez Aubergine.

I am well aware of of the free market principles, but I am always amazed when I find big differences between sellers, for one and the same product.

Saturday 7 June 2008

Greek it!


The people at Homespun Vintage are a) well educated and cultured and b) have a great sense of humor. Read the following and I think you'll agree.

Cathisophobia and Thaasophobia .......... The fear of sitting
Catoptrophobia .......... The fear of mirrors
Chromophobia and Chromatophobia .......... The fear of colours
Domatophobia and Eicophobia .......... The fear of home surroundings
Textophobia .......... The fear of fabrics
Xylophobia .......... The fear of wooden objects

Friday 6 June 2008

Out with the old

Just in: Apartment therapy for Carrie and the Sex and the City Girls!

I'll admit I have only watched one DVD of the series, one morning that my kids were at school and I was running on the treadmill.
I am also ready to admit that I am not going to watch the film (unless friend G calls), but I shall probably sneak the DVD in for a winter evening private show.

Interestingly there has been quite a flood of blogging on the issue of the set, or the decor, which shows how familiar people got with the girls. Carrie and the ladies grew up, it is only natural (?) that Carrie's apartment should look more sophisticated, less vintage chic.

Do I spot a trend?
Here are some of the blogs that published articles on the subject: The Love List offers some interesting personal insight, Elements of Style did some research on actual items, and Casa Sugar publishes an interview with production designer Jeremy Conway. For the best pictures and knowledgeable revelations, head to Silver Screen Surroundings.

Not to forget this post by The Paris Apartment who must be pleased with the film's sets. Very much your glamorous, eclectic style Claudia!

Now, if you are not a very successful, very rich and very sexy girl, do not despair. You will manage to get away with it graciously with some paint (Benjamin Moore's Electric Blue looks very much like it, I read),


and a trip to your nearest Ikea!

Thursday 5 June 2008

Debi Treloar

Debi Treloar is such a magnificent photographer. She is proof that beauty depends on who is looking behind the lens. Her use of natural light is such a blessing to the eye!


So many times have I asked my daughter or my husband who happens to have a camera with them "there, shoot this!" and they either can't see what I see or see it in a completely different angle.

I love the way she puts forward the beautiful without totally isolating the subject. You can still see what this photo is about, yet you are aware of the surroundings.
The photo below is fromThe Gentle Art of Domesticity: Stitching, Baking, Nature, Art & the Comforts of Home by Jane Brocket.

A contemporary woman's sanity saver, I must say.
And these ones below are among the first pictures of Ms. Treloar that I admired. She has illustrated with her artful photography essential books of my decorating bookshelves such as Family Living: Creating the Perfect Family Home and Children's Spaces: From Zero to Ten.


I have returned to those books for the final touches of inspiration as we move into the house, probably by the end of the month, and I so much wanted to say,
Thank you, Ma'am!

Vintage Covers

Some more pictures, as promised, of the Greek magazine "Woman". The new edition isn't that interesting. What was worth about it, were the past covers inset.

This is the first issue cover, February 1st, 1950.


Three years later, Brigitte Bardot graces the cover.


So does French actress Mylene Demongeot. Lovely colors, don't you think?

Two-loves

Isn't it great when two iconic companies work together to bring more beauty and pleasure to the every day? This is the case of the joint venture between Tricia Guild and Laduree.
Ladurée has long admired Tricia Guild’s work, with its signature motifs and
exceptional colours which combine so cleverly to form sublime collections
of fabrics, wallpapers and an art de vivre.
When Tricia Guild decided to shop at Ladurée for her forthcoming
catalogue it was an auspicious start to an alliance of the two houses, which
has quite naturally come to fruition in the form of a creative adventure.
This new summer collection, under the label Designers Guild for Ladurée,
is an ornamental journey into the worlds of both the creator and Ladurée,
with colour as the guiding element.
Tricia Guild’s creative touch brings a peaceful revolution to the world of
Ladurée, whose gourmandise blends with the magic of colours and motifs.
This dialogue between two complementary worlds on the theme of
strikingly coloured flowers and wreaths against pastel backgrounds gives
these summer macaroons a smart, refined look.
Collection available at Ladurée from 13 May 2008

Wednesday 4 June 2008

Modern Vintage-Textiles and Prints

Angie Lewin is exhibiting at the Cambridge Contemporary Art gallery. Here are two of my favorite prints. I especially love this one. The choice of shapes and colors. The way she pulls it all together.
Ms. Lewin is also behind St. Jude's, artist designed textiles.
These, on the other hand, are some mid-20th century originals.
The "Flotilla" by Lucienne Day for Heals.

And this Herb Antony again by Lucienne Day for Heals.


Interesting how design goes round. And how artists and designers find their inspiration in each other's work.

Tuesday 3 June 2008

Drive Bys Around The World #1

Melissa of The Inspired Room often offers us readers a visual feast of beautiful all-American houses.
My first post is of rather more modest dwellings that I come across on my way to work.

There are early 20th century buildings, now uninhabited, like the one below.

This is a mid-20th century one, with a lovely, fragrant courtyard.
This outdoor garage is graced by a beautiful flowery crown.
Roses are the neighborhood's favorite flower.
Some opt for hanging baskets.
While others for the more traditional, fragrant honeysuckle.
This is one of the new homes in the neighborhood,
with a well groomed back garden.
I hope you enjoyed the tour!

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