Design Books

Two lovely books by designers were under my tree this year.  Charlotte Moss' A Visual Life and Creativity At Work by Heather Clawson.

A Visual Life is a feast for the eyes, full of the collages for which Ms. Moss has become known. Moss brings together her own scrapbooks along with those of notable women, both contemporary and historical, whose flair for style inspires us. Organized by theme—home, garden, travel, entertaining, and fashion—each chapter includes examples of Moss’s signature style mingled with excerpts from the scrapbooks of these great women.  Creativity at Work gives us a look at the work spaces of designers, artists and other creative types~inspiring for sure. 

I'm dreaming of a tartan Christmas . . .

 a dinner party I'd like to attend

all above photos Lauren Johnson Interiors

 Rue Magazine 2010 Tartans and Toddies

No one does tartan better than Ralph Lauren

vintage J. Crew

 Tartan looks good on anything.

 love a bowtie and mixing plaids

 yes, please

Happy Christmas to all!

Decorating The White House for Christmas

Every year I enjoy watching the special covering the preparations of The White House for Christmas.  The fact that volunteers from around the country get to do the actual decorating makes it extra special.  I have a soft spot for Washington, DC after living and working there for so many years in my previous life.  It's exciting to see all that goes into the decor/menus/gingerbread house and I love that so many visitors are hosted each year to enjoy it as well.

 The "Gingerbread" House was made of a bread dough that looks like the stone of which the White House is really made.

 Adore the mini garden!

and how they incorporate Bo everywhere.

 The White House Christmas card was painted by Larassa Kabel of Iowa.

favorite book with which to decorate

Certain elements pop up over and over in design.  One of those has become a favorite of mine.  The book I Married Adventure can be seen in design publications and blogs repeatedly~it never gets old.  A few of my favorite images . . . 

image from how I met your father

image from decor arts now

image from Paris Hotel Boutique

image from lisa dreissig

image from mindy laven

image from tumblr

Pembroke Hall Interiors

jane mcculloch library

I included it in an elevation from my final project too ;D

Every room needs a touch of animal print.

Framed scarves

Many years ago I became acquainted with the older sister of a friend~a wonderfully stylish woman who dressed the windows for Saks and Nordstrom and other stores.  Her home was darling and she had framed a large Hermès scarf in her family room.  It was the first time I had seen this done but it made a huge impact.  When I couldn't find the right artwork for my final project, the framed scarf came to mind and that's what I ended up doing.  It's a great idea and adds interest and style to any room.

above images from Sanity Fair

image from Christopher Ong

image from The Aestate

And this is how I used a vintage Hermès scarf in my project.