Wallpaper Hair

I came across this old photo the other day and it made me stop and think of a few things. This is where I grew up. My childhood home in Austin, Texas. That was my dad's red Volkswagen Beetle (I thought he was so cool) and my mom's station wagon. This photo was taken about 1971 0r 1972, I think.


My bedroom is the window you see on the second story on the left. The house was built in 1963, the year I was born. I was in Texas last week because my mom wasn't doing well and I went by my old house, which looks a little different now. That little tree on the right is so large, you can't even see the front of the house any longer. There is now a carport on the right of the house and later, when I was older, Dad put burglar bars up on the house because that was the "in" thing to do for security. Never mind that we lived way north of Austin, in the suburbs where they still delivered milk, had a book mobile that came every Thursday, and we kids would disappear on summer mornings from 7AM until dinner without a peep from us all day with no worries from either parent because we were "somewhere running around" and since no one was heard crying in the neighborhood, then all must be well. And yet, the burglar bars went up, because that is what you did in the late 1970's in the suburbs. They kept the fear factor down supposedly.


But my mother lived most of her daily life in fear. She had normal fears like any mother. Afraid her kids would get hurt (and we did). Afraid of losing her job (she didn't). Afraid of what the "neighbors would think" if her kids would act up in public (we did). Afraid of gaining weight, so she smoked and ate cheese (she gained weight and smoked anyway). Afraid of diseases so she always commanded us kids to wash our hands before we did anything, after we did anything, and if we even thought of doing anything, we must wash our hands. 

I just love this quintessential 1970's photo of a mom and 2 daughters. Mother smoking with her cocktail on a swing (probably feeling pretty good by now) and the two daughters (me on the left my sis on right not too happy). Mom in her maxi dress, me in my bell bottom pants and sis in her little matching jacket and skirt. I can tell by mom's expression that she isn't listening to a darn word we are saying and is enjoying her smoke. :-)

You know how the saying goes it's "always the mother's fault'? Well, I can honestly say that my fear of amusement park rides definitely comes from my mother. If you can picture it: 1969, I am 5 years old, going on 6. 

To this day, I am deathly afraid of amusement park rides - thanks to my mother. I mean, I am not just "sort of scared" scared or "no I can't ride because I will get queasy" scared, or "I don't like heights" scared, no I am "I would rather slash my wrist wide open and pull out my own vein with my teeth and chomp on it like a piece of cherry licorice than ride on a ride" scared. Seriously. And I give credit to my dear mother.

It all started out so innocently and so suburban and yet ended up like a really badly written 1969 horror film written by a five year-old. It was back before there were any real shopping malls, but rather the old strip malls that had real parking lots that were designed for just cars, not Olive Gardens, not Red Lobsters,Chic Filets, or Joe Crab Shacks. Only cars were in the giant parking lots except for once a year when the cheesy little make-shift carnival would come into town. I loved those little carnivals. Cotton candy, popcorn, giant spiral suckers, and long plastic tubes filled with pure colored sugar. What genius came up with that one? A giant, plastic tube of sugar. I don't know which was crazier, the tube of sugar or the fact that the parents actually paid the fifteen cents and gave it to their children. The carnival music played loudly and clown machine was blowing up balloons for a nickel. 

I was a skinny little kid and being only five, my options for rides was pretty limited. I rode the merry-go-round which didn't seem too exciting after the first time around. And the ferris wheel was really fun, but I wanted something more. My mother, on the other hand, lived her entire life in fear. Not just on the mini carnival grounds in the Capital Plaza parking lot, but she lived life in fear every day, every where. Maybe her fearful way of life was my ticket out of Texas. Maybe her fear inspired my fearlessness. I have never met a daughter who hadn't at least once say, "I don't want to be like my mom." I can assure you I have said it more than once.

But that day at the carnival, as a five year old, there I was looking up at the grand of all rides that was just perfect for me, a scrawny little girl, who had big dreams and hopes. It was the closest I would ever come to flying. I squinted out the sun and heard all the squeals of delight. I saw of the glitter. All the sparkles. Yes! This was the rides of all rides. I watched and watched. The beautiful swings twirled faster and faster over me as the little feet flew over my head and I could see the chains holding the seats way out over my head. It was like a beautiful music box. The center of the ride was all mirrors framed in pink and gold with shiny rhinestones. The ride even had a fancy name, it was called "The Swingers"! I clasped my hands together as I watched all the mirrors, the sparkles, the gold, the pink, the feet flying over my head as the music got l louder and the yelling and cheering from its riders. I was just mesmerized. Yes! This would be the ride of all rides! I stood and imagined how it would feel to have the wind blow through my scraggly long hair that I just knew that somehow it would look glowing and beautiful in the wind as it whipped behind me so elegantly. I just knew my destiny awaited me....I couldn't take my eyes off of my ride.

I looked for an image on google and found this. I couldn't believe how close it was to my memory of the actual ride. The only difference is that my ride had huge mirrors in the center where you see murals painted on this ride and mine had more rhinestones. But a pretty close match!

I reached up for my mother's hand and pulled on it, never taking my eyes off my future. "Mom! I want to ride on The Swingers!" My mother turned very serious and squatted down next to my ear and began to point my so ever special ride and piece by piece she picked apart my vision of beauty with her own gruesome tale. She began to tell me how she once knew a girl, when she was growing up, just like me, a little girl, who was riding one of those "swing things" and how "those cheap chains just snap right off" and how the swing went smashing right into the mirror and how she cut her face "into pieces" and was "scarred for life" and that "there's no way in hell" that she was going to let one of her kids "go head first into a damn mirror" on her watch. Then she just stood up and told me to stay put while she went to get a hot dog and then patted me on my head and calmly walked off. Her whole little tale took all of one minute. 

As I stood there watching in horror and as my five year-old imagination grew and grew, my heart began to beat faster. Suddenly all the chains on the swings looked weak and I stepped back. I didn't want to be under them. The squeals of delight suddenly sounded like screams of terror. The music didn't seem jolly, but menacing. The pretty pink wasn't pink any more, but more of a bloody red. What was wrong with those kids? Don't they know they are at death's door? 

Photo by Ishmaelo on Flickr

I couldn't take my eyes off the mirrors. Any moment, some kid was going to be hurled "head first" into one of them. A part of me didn't want to see it and a part of me didn't want to  miss it either. The swings seemed to be going faster than I remembered. I looked around the park and suddenly the ferris wheel looked unstable. Is it really secure? The benches seem to rock too much. I was too little for the roller coaster, but I panicked because my brother was in line for it. I whipped around and suddenly the giant slide with the potato sacks seemed to be leaning and my sister was at the top, waving down at me and I yelled for her to get off. This whole place was a death trap. What sort of parent would take their kids to a place like this?

My mother returns and has no clue that her daughter is a nervous wreck. She is munching on a hot dog and what else is she carrying? A giant, plastic tube of sugar. She hands me the tube of sugar. Yeah, just the thing that will calm me down. A giant tube of sugar. I follow behind her in silence, glancing up all around me as I open up the tube of sugar. Mom sees a neighbor and begins to chat as I suck on the tube of sugar and go watch the clown machine blow up balloons and soon all is back to normal. If you call "normal" a death camp of a mini carnival in a strip mall parking lot and a plastic tube of sugar. Welcome to 1969. And welcome many future dental visits. 

But while it was my mother's fear of carnival rides that not only kept her off them that also kept me off them (for life) it was her fear of driving that I credit to my love of interior design. Yes, it was her fear of the highway that I believe gave me my start of what I would like to believe either my love of homes or my love of being a "peeping Tom."


Every Saturday, after doing our "chores" mom would load us kids up into her station wagon where we would have free reign over the seats (why in the world would we wear seat belts when there was a third seat in the back we could climb in and out of?) and on our way we would go via old vintage neighborhoods just to avoid the highway. She hated driving the highway. Never mind that back in 1969, 1970, and 1971 there were barely any cars on the "highway" in north Austin, Texas, but lucky for me, mom wanted no part of it. She would drive to Hancock Center and take the back roads and I would press my nose up against the window and stare and stare at all the "city homes" as I called them. I just loved the idea that one could "just walk out of your house and down the street to a store!" Little did I know that my growing up in the suburbs would be the only time I would ever live in the suburbs and that one day, I would be living over my very own store. I was just fascinated by the idea that a house could be so close to so much having lived in a neighborhood in which a book mobile had to stop by once a week and not a grocery store in sight for several more years to come. I had no idea that I was falling in love with "city living." I was also falling in love with old homes, old porches, big windows, chandeliers that I could see through the windows and constantly yelling, "Slow DOWN, ,mom!" when I was sure I saw I new piece of furniture or new wall paper from the week before.

I began my "design work" so early on. At age four I began moving furniture around in my room and painted my room a different color every summer. I remember painting it lavender, yellow, pink, green, blue, white, pink again, mint, lime, but....never beige or brown! :-)  I love this photo for several reasons. First, just for the 1970's of it. The headscarf, the glasses. The smokes, laundry, and the wallpaper! I put up that wallpaper with mom. I was about nine or ten and stayed up until two in the morning doing it. To the left of mom is a giant freezer and mom couldn't get up there. I was a skinny kid and she squeezed me up there and pushed me behind the washer and dryer to stick the wallpaper on. It was the sticky stuff that if you let it, it would stick to your hair, arms, anything!! We wasted a lot of paper that night, but laughed as I had to pull it off my hair. Mom finally went and got a shower cap, thinking it would save my hair (and wallpaper) and so I wore it while I sat on top of the freezer and stuck the paper up behind it. As time went on, the moisture from the dryer eventually shrunk the wallpaper little by little, bit by bit. Stupid wallpaper.




My mom was never accused of being overly maternal. Having four of us running around the house and one older one in Vietnam, she probably was tired of being a mom and just wanted to get it over with. Or maybe since her oldest son, a brother I never knew, died in a car accident at the age of 14, she was afraid of getting too close to her future children for fear of the great loss and the pain should something tragic ever happen again. I don't know. She never opened up about it. Back then, there were no Dr. Phil's or Oprah's where one talked so openly about things as they do today. 

Mom with Mark (right) and Duane (left) who died at age 14. I never met Duane, he died before I was born.

But in those days, people just kept going, like they do today, of course, but I think they did it differently. Not really in a good way, but just the only way they knew how. Mom for the most part, looking back, seemed to live a life of reaction and "wait and see." As I grew older, she and I didn't see eye to eye on much. We were so different in a lot of ways. I wasn't a "wait and see" person. I am proactive and not wanting to wait for reaction. But I think it was her fear and having lived with her fear may have given me my fearlessness. Not that I don't have fear, I certainly do. But when I look back at all that I have done, I didn't let fear paralyze me or let fear of failure keep me from trying. For that, I can thank mom for learning about fear and how it can keep you from living life fully.

As you may have guessed by now, my mother didn't make it last week and she passed away. I was putting off saying it in this post. I guess I wanted to remember the fun stuff before I had to actually type it out. She was 84 and lived a long life. She had Alchzeimers the last few years of her life and I didn't have much of a real relationship with her the last two years. Dad passed away in 1996 and I know they are together. 

I did get my love of travel from her though. She seemed happiest when she was traveling. And she liked to dress up, even though she didn't do it often. She didn't like herself very much as far as her looks were concerned, but when she dressed up, she felt better. I like the photo below even though she is bent over, her outfit, I bet she probably loved, even though I wasn't born yet, I am guessing she liked her hat.

Mom with Mark (oldest) Andrew and Louisa. I am probably on the way or will be in a month or so....maybe it was the outfit that got me started? ;-)

It is funny when looking back at old photos which photos touch you the most. It isn't the formal photos or the ones where you look the best. Mom would probably be so surprised which ones I like the most. Below are a couple of my favorites:

I love the above photo of her tanning at a hotel on vacation. She smoking, by the cars, towel in hair, watching us kids, no doubt, and probably wondering where Dad is...because she doesn't want to be stuck with these "damn kids all afternoon..." and is ready to go out to dinner....hahaha

She was never without her headscarf no matter where or what age.

Here I am with mom and dad on the Rhein River in Germany - they are both so happy.

Okay, I found this photo and remember that mom took it. I like it because I remember her telling us to smile and we didn't want to. I was about 11 and Louisa is about 13. I wanted to wear make-up and mom said, "No" and that I didn't need it. I argued that I wanted to be "pretty" and mom said, "You already are." I remember telling her that she had to say that because she was my mom. And now when I see the photo....mothers are always right. What 11 year-olds aren't pretty? How I sigh for the days when I didn't need make-up!  

I wanted these two photos to be the last photos. First, I think mom felt pretty in this photo. She is sitting in her living room chair with her pearls that dad gave her. She looks all bright-eyed and must be going to some dinner or event. And the photo of my father from WWII was taken in Rome, Italy. I think he looks so handsome and this is the man that my mother fell in love with. Sometimes, it is so easy to forget that parents were once young and handsome or pretty and crazy and funny - especially when they get older or fatter, or frail and forgetful. Dad looks so young and strong here. And mom looks elegant. And they were. 

You know how mothers have that one "thing" they pick at with their daughters, no matter how old the daughters get? We all go through it. It could be our weight, or our cooking, or our fashion "sense" or the way we keep our house...you name it, we all have something our mothers are too quick to point out about us. With me, it was  my hair. She never liked my hair. When I was little, it was always too "stringy" or too "limp" or I should comb it more. When I tried to curl it, it was "a waste of time" and when I combed it straight it looked "lifeless."

As I got older, and married, I could be gone for months and walk through the door and before a hug, before a "hello" she would have some comment about my hair. Always, every time. As a young adult it would just grate on my nerves and eat me up. Why in the world would she say such things to a grown woman? I never understood it. As I got older, I just learned to let it go and expect it when I would visit her.

As she got much older and as I got older, I was surprised that the comments became a little more hateful. There weren't a lot of them, usually only one per visit, but it always puzzled me. When I cut my hair really short and got the messy style that I wear today, well, you can only imagine - her comments actually became funny to me in her old age. She would say things like, "Don't they sell combs in St. Louis?" Or once I remember her saying, "Is your carpal tunnel so bad you can't brush your hair anymore?" I would just sigh and shake my head and change the subject, but actually found it amazing that my hair was such a fascinating subject to her, but also sad.

The last time I saw her, she didn't know who I was. In fact, she didn't know who I was the last few visits. I was sitting there visting with her, wishing I could reach her just once again, but I knew I couldn't. As my visit was ending, she suddenly turned to my sister, but was pointing at me. She pointed at me and said to my sister, "She could be so pretty if only she would brush her hair." Her comment was music to my ears! She remembered who I was for a moment! Never in my life did I ever think that her insulting my hair would be something I would love to hear just one more time. My mom then turned and looked at me straight in the eyes and I think for just a moment she knew who I was; she studied my face for a second, and said, "Yes, you could be so pretty with nicer hair." And I just laughed and told her I would think about it. That was the last time I spoke to her. 

Me, my hair and mom. Who would have thought that such a silly thing would be our connection. And to think mom coverered it up with a shower cap so long ago to protect it from sticky wall paper. I think she really cared about it after all.

You will be missed mom, in ways you will never understand, but that is okay because I love you.

Love,

Bit

It is all how you look at it...

Hello!

In case you have never met my little Monty, allow me to introduce you now. I shot this photo of him in my studio several years ago when I was actually using this pedestal to place products on for a product photo shoot. He was sunning himself in the sunshine, next to my foot all afternoon. I only use natural light and as you can see by the bright light on the pedestal, it was a warm day. After a while, he was tired of being ignored, so he got up and put his paws up on the pedestal (and almost knocked it over) and wanted me to lift him up! I lifted the little porker up and he sat just as you see him right now. I did not pose him. He wanted me to pay attention to him...he was tired of me taking pictures of boring soaps, candles and buttons. He just sat and sat and wanted me to snap away, admire him,  pet him and tell him how wonderful he was. When he had his fill, I let him down, and he went right back to leaning against my foot, snoozing in the sun. To be honest, I worked so hard and long in those days, that I would have never thought to have stopped to wake him and lift him up and take photos of him because I was always on a deadline. And now when I see this photo, I almost tear up because I miss him so much and how happy I am that he "made" me pay attention to him. How I love this photo and the memory that goes with it. He is now snoozing in the warm Texas sun with his Daddy and puggy sister, Lulu. But we have joint custody, so I get to see him whenever I want and can. :-)

I wanted you to meet Monty because he is so sweet and even if you aren't a dog lover, you can't help but smile when you see him. I just loved having his sweetness in my house and sometimes, that is how we home owners feel about our home...we crave a sweetness that doesn't always have the word "Hershey's" printed somewhere on it. And as a designer, it is my job to figure out what exactly is that "sweetness" that the owner wants to feel or be around while living in their home. It could be a special chair, a fab fridge to house great dinners, painted floors, an antique mirror, or in this one home owner's case, it is fabric. Lots of it. It is the sweetness of delicate fabric, silks in delicate pinks and pale, pale ivories mixed with just a hint of blue that satisfies this owner's craving. 

Yes, before time gets away from me, I wanted to post a few photos of the lovely home that I had worked on for this romantic-at-heart owner. The hearth room drapes are now up and from the photos you can see the owner is still moving in. She owns her own business and works very long hours so moving in takes quite a while, but you can see what a beautiful home it is becoming! Enjoy the photos and soon will be photos of the custom bedding I designed for her master bedroom. I posted her home earlier on the drapes in her living room and in her bathroom which you can revisit again here.

So, in the mean time, here are the sweet drapes for a very sweet and romantic home owner:

The Austrian shades are made from taffeta silk with interlining. There is a ton of yardage to get this look, but it is worth it. It looks heavenly in person! To get an idea of the huge size of the window, look at the sofa closely and realize that you are looking at a full-size sofa and then look up at the size of the window. That will give you an idea of the size of the window and the amount of fabric needed to get this look and feel!

She also wanted some pillows made for her sofas in her living room. Below are the custom pillows I designed with silks, pearls, tassels...very romantic, soft, and very sweet. Just as she wanted. Just a hint of color and very tone on tone. I wish you could have seen her smile when I brought them to her. Designing to please the client's taste is what makes my job so very rewarding. And when you get to work with such a beautiful home and a beautiful home owner...all the better!

I hope you enjoyed my little sweet tour and maybe this helped curb a little craving for now. Stay tuned for more. In the mean time, why don't you take a look around your home and if you haven't figured out what is missing, or maybe you just need an extra dose of sweetness, don't wait until Valentine's Day to add that sweetness to your home....do it today. Maybe it is just a simple, elegant book on your coffee table that you really love to look at now and again. Or, a special sconce you've been meaning to hang in the hallway. Something as simple as playing great music in your home more often can add sweetness to your life. Or even as simple (and free) as a kiss for the love of your life when he or she gets home tonight.  That will be sweet for the both of you...and it is calorie-free!

From my house to your house,

A Moment in Time

Hello My Friends!

I hope this past weekend was a good one for you. Christmas over here in St. Louis turned out to be a white one! As 2009 winds down and while it seems impossible that 2010 is just around the corner, I would like to invite you to find a moment and a special place to celebrate this last year whether it was a good year or a year that you are happy to see come to an end. Either way, if you are reading this, then you have reason to celebrate because you are still with us and a future is waiting for you.

As promised, I am posting a feature I wrote, photographed and produced that was published in Romantic Homes' January 2008 issue. I think it is worth repeating and I am including some extra photos and tips that were not included in the published piece for those of you who may have read that magazine copy. Basically, it is a feature on how even the tiniest room and the tiniest budget can ring in the new year with a lot of style, romance, and cheer. Not all of us can run out to Times Square to celebrate. And with the recession, loss of jobs, and tighter budgets, staying home on New Year's Eve is not so much an option but a requirement for many of us.

Enjoy the article and photos! As always, at the end of the article, I will include the "behind the scenes" photos and design tips. I will then end the post with some parting thoughts and well wishes for the new year.

Below is my original article, unedited, and written (and photographed) late summer of 2007 for Jan 2008 issue.

A Moment Time

A New Year’s Eve for Two

I always enjoy the last week of the year. You know, the one right after Christmas but before New Year’s Eve? Out-of-town visitors are usually on their way home; leftovers fill the fridge; and obligatory visits are completed. The last week of the year is a time for reflection as well as celebration of what’s to come. While New Year’s Eve celebrations traditionally ring in with large parties, balls, or maybe a trip to Times Square; there is something to be said for quietly clinking in the New Year with a private party for two.

I always enjoy a large gathering filled with laughter, chatting, and visiting with friends that I haven’t seen in a while. But sometimes, giving your loved one all of your attention for a quiet evening is a gift from the spirit. Sometimes, finances (especially after the holidays) are tight and an expensive party is not feasible. Then there are times that a new infant steals much needed sleep and the parents are just too pooped to party. Maybe, a loved one is ill or housebound, and staying in on New Year’s Eve is necessary. Or better yet, you just simply decide that you and your loved one deserve a special, quiet night for two.

While most of us don’t live in a large, old French home, filled with opulence, there is no reason why we can’t carve out a corner of a room for New Year’s Eve. We make room for the Christmas tree, don’t we? We dress up our homes inside and out for the holidays, do we not? Then why not designate a corner of a room to New Year’s Eve? Take time and use the last week of the year to design your little couple’s corner. I took this corner of a room and designed an intimate setting in a space of merely six feet by seven feet.

Time is the theme of my little party. Clocks, pocket watches, watch faces, and watch parts represent the time we spent last year. Time is a word used so very often in so many ways. We all take our time, yet we ask others to give us a moment of their time. We try things time and time again, but we soon find that our time is too valuable to waste. We all have moments in time that we remember, and yet we hurry to our next adventure before time runs out. And if time were to stand still, we would discover that if we take the time to slow down, we would really enjoy the moment. And that is what my little New Year’s Eve party for two is all about: Enjoying a moment in time.

Texture, texture, texture is the name of the game. Burlap, tin, marble, silver, wood, lace, and glass all play a role in this romantic scene. You can’t have too much texture.

Think architectural – I flanked the door way with old blue-gray shutters. This instantly gave the room a different feel. A header over the door way could do the same.

Go ahead and create a scene set for romance. Think of your corner as a set in which you are the set designer and you are creating a romantic scene in which you and your loved one will star. I used wintry colors of cool creams, tans, blues, and grays, and incorporated warmth with textures. I love mixing elegance with tattered and smooth with rough.

I gave the two well-worn chairs an even more worn look by roughly stapling burlap over its worn green velvet upholstery. The color of burlap fits perfectly in this wintry wonderland. Find a couple of old chairs around your home or at a flea-market and then just crudely staple burlap right over the existing fabric. This is not a time to be neat or careful. In fact, I purposely use my fingernails and scratched at the burlap edges to fray them for a tattered look. Go borrow your coffee table and cover it with fabric. I chose a simple cheese cloth and again, I was not careful in cutting the cloth; ragged edges complete the tattered look.

Covering chairs in burlap is easier than you think if you remember that neatness is not necessary. Remember, these chairs are only needed for a week, so a true upholstery job is not necessary. Think of them as props to your set.

Then layer your table with your best dishes, glassware, and flatware. Indulge in some wonderful chocolates (we don’t start our diet until after the first of January anyway), fruit, and of course, champagne. I found some old watch faces and watch parts and sprinkled them on the table instead of using confetti. The champagne glasses are adorned with vintage watch faces and old wire. Tarnished silver is reflective of the gray, wintry days ahead. If you feel really indulgent, have your dinner catered. Just remember to call ahead, as the holidays are caterers’ busiest season.

Wire an old watch face to the stem of the champagne glass to toast a time to remember.

My little corner did not have a fireplace and so an old French mantel was used instead. A collection of old alarm clocks carry out the theme. Simple silver painted leaves, pinecones, candles, and old books complete the look. I will admit, my French gum drop fringe is to die for (I found it at a flea-market in Brussels), however, cheese cloth draped lightly over the mantel would be lovely as well. And being only a mantel, I have no place to build a romantic fire. No worries. I took several tin sap buckets (found in your hobby stores) and turned them upside down and placed candles on top of them.

For height, use tin sap buckets, or French flower buckets (found at your local hobby store) and place candles on them. Be sure to house the candle in a glass holder for safety.

Candles are a very inexpensive way to dress up a room.

Many stores put candles on sale right after Christmas.

If your sofa doesn’t work with your new theme, then simply cover it! Not all of us can afford custom slip covers. The slipcovers available in stores can be expensive (and plain) as well. And slip covers can only be used as slipcovers. I used a king sized bed cover from Target to cover this sofa instead of a slipcover. The two shams worked out well and the toss pillows were off the shelf as well. Once you are done using it as a slip cover, you now may use it on your bed as your winter bedcover. It’s like getting two for one!

Sofa: Use a king sized bed cover and gently tuck in the edges. Use bolster pillows at the ends to hide any size deficiency.

This is the time to change out your shelves and pull your little room together with texture and items that flow together. Better even, use the items for your special evening!

It is now New Year’s Eve, and the table is dressed, the mantel is magnificent, candles are lit, and champaign is chilling. The children are at grandma’s and you and your loved one are dressed up (or maybe dressed in just pajamas?) for a long, quiet evening. But wait. What are those little tins on the plates for? Sometimes, after a couple has been together a long time, especially if they are parents, they find themselves not having much to talk about except their work or their children. If there was ever a time to reflect on the past, present, or wish for the future, New Year’s Eve is that time. I like to play an endearing game I made up called Remember That Time…

Simple candle sticks placed in a silver tea pot creates instant romance. Remember to use dripless candles.

These little gift tins are filled by each partner with items that represent a special moment that occurred within the last year. Then, each partner trades their tin with the other and they then try to guess what the little enclosed item means. Maybe it is a piece of string that was used to fly a kite on that wonderful spring day. Or a part of the Opera ticket that your husband surprised you with several months earlier. The little bit of sheet music may represent the time you both laughed and laughed as you sang in the shower together while the kids were at summer camp.

Whatever the memories, it is a joy to relive them and to share with each other. You may also learn something about your loved one as well. Maybe you had no idea that you taking the time to put the morning paper in your husband’s briefcase meant so much to him. Maybe he will be surprised to know that you remembered the joke he told that made you laugh so hard that the waiter asked you to please keep it down. And who knows? Maybe this special evening will be represented in next year’s little gift tin box. You may want to keep and store the little tins and list what each tin means and note the year. As we mature, reliving memories not only reminds us that we were once younger but our children will learn something about their parents as well. But one thing is for sure, this evening will be a moment to remember.

Sticks, branches and frosty pine cones says “winter” and not “holidays”. These items may be displayed for several months during the winter.

A water-stained chair from the attic lends a sense of old-world feel. Tying cheese cloth over the seat adds a little mystery while providing a clean place to sit.

Use old books to stack on the mantel for height. The older and more worn the better.

Old metal frogs make wonderful candle stick holders.

Simply melt the end and lit it drip into the frog and the firmly place the candle in the hot wax.

And New Year’s resolutions? I don’t really believe in them – except for one. Each year, I try to love even more than the prior year. They say time heals all wounds. I say love is good preventive medicine. And there is no time like the present to love more. Every moment counts. 

From my house to your house,

Elizabeth

Design Tips from Elizabeth:

If you don't think you have the space, think again. And if you think it is too much trouble, think that one again too. Remember, these photos were for a photo shoot...to give readers lots of ideas. It doesn't mean you have to pull out all the bells and whistles if you don't have the time or energy. But if you have a garage, basement or attic, then you can move out a piece of furniture or two into those spaces and make room in a little corner for you and your honey for New Year's Eve. The corner can be just simple little floor pillows with candles...the point is, make time to do this a few days early and admire your work and anticipate it for a few days before the big event. You won't be sorry. :-)

Candles add instance romance. If you have a lot of old used candles and want to save money, then just bury all the miss-matched candles in rice or beans that fill ironstone cups or small jars. This helps hide any differences and gives them texture.

Burlap and cheese cloth cost about $3 a yard at any hobby or fabric store. Use generously!

Tarnished silver not only has great patina, but the texture compliments any room. Pull it out and show it.

Think of a simple theme. Something as simple as clocks will provide you with many ideas. Music is a good theme for music lovers. Nature for gardeners. Or even a beach theme for beach lovers. Just keep it simple, but more importantly, let its meaning speak to your soul.

Sources:

Walls faux finished by Elizabeth Maxson

Sofa cover (Bed spread) and pillows, dishes, plate chargers, chocolates, candles, gift tins– Target! Yes, Target. I wanted to show that regular people can have fab spaces with little budgets. Expensive silver and china aren't needed. If you have them, great! But if not, Target to the rescue!

Burlap and cheese cloth – Hancock Fabrics or local hobby or crafts stores. Usually $3 - $5 per yard.

Wine glasses by Pottery Barn.

Behind the scenes photos!

Yes, if you have read this far, then you are like me and want to see "how did she do that" type of photos. I am always the one that goes in the "do not enter door" that is left unlock in a museum, theater, or show home. I always want to know what is going on that I am not suppose to see. So for all you curious kitties that have used up your nine lives, exploring "do not enter" areas, I am willingly allow you to "enter" freely! :-)

The before shot, above was taken after I brought in some things and realized I hadn't taken any photos. I brought in the marbled shelf and all the props you see below. The fireplace is from France which I sold to the owners. My two chairs are from France that I am someday going to redo "for real" but I just love using them for whatever I need them for. For now, they are in my family room. The walls you see are aged with my faux finish technique that I had done about a year before this shoot. The two old prints are family heirlooms that I grew up with and hung simply with cheese cloth. The "frame" on the mantle is actually the back of a settee that owner had in her barn.It was so cool and I thought it would make a great mirror someday. The marbled shelf is now in my office is a "marriage." The marble top is American and the shelf is from Sweden. But as you can plainly see, the area is very tiny and I really did measure it. It measures only 6' by 7'. One could easily move around a corner of their room and set up a little yucky table and cover it with a cool cover and glam it up with candles...it doesn't take much. I think it is the aged walls and wooden floor that makes this area extra cool, but anyone can have a romantic corner for two!

For a glam, New Year's Eve look and in keeping with the color and texture, I covered the owner's pretty sofa with a King size bedcover from Target. It fit nicely and looked beautiful. I just tucked it in the corners and put inexpensive bolster pillows at the ends to hide the tucks. I put tarnished silver on the shelves and brought in a little cottage table with candles and lined the window sill with more candles as well. The sofa is ready for summer and spring again simply by removing the cover and now you may use the cover on the guest bed, if you wish.

As you can see below, I flanked the doorway with a pair of old door shutters. I just simple leaned them against the wall. But what a difference!

The magic of candles and lots of fabric still continues to amaze me. Old clocks, old books, candles, and what else you can find and just pile it all up. The little coffee table is really crappy and in need of painting. But covered up, you'd never know!

Just by removing the summery chair and replacing it with my old stained chair and stacking old papers on it, extends my little corner out a little further and adds a little more texture. Remember, this is just for a little while.

When covering your table with cheese cloth, remember, neatness does not count. Cut the edges unevenly and quickly. Layer your look until you like what you see. Then slowly add your items in stages as you go. Remember to have fun and not to stress out about it! :-)

Remember: uneven edges look best with cheese cloth - and it is the quickest method too. Below are the props, hard work, and mess that it takes to make a photo shoot turn out:

I tried to take photos as I put the mantle clock theme together. Here is how I constructed it:

I always like starting with a blank slate and standing back to get a good look first. Then I start with the layering of books for height.

Now I must fill in the frames with more books on wire and start that process.

I now step back and decide my next move which will be leaves and then the clocks.

I now work on the opening area before I move the table into place.

I add the basket of branches to the left and will adjust everything once I set up and get out my camera for the shoot. But for now I am satisfied. This entire sequence took about 30 minutes to do, including wiring up the books. But, I have been wiring up books for years, so that is easy for me. The hardest part for me was scale and height. I wish I stood next to the mantel and took a photo. My head only comes to where the book is on the left. It is very tall and I had to step back a lot to see what I was doing up there. And I am not short either.

Well, this photo shoot took several days and below is my beloved's old truck that is loaded up to take my props home after a lot of hard work. When I get home, I will unload the truck and then I will down load about 300 photos, crop, edit, color fix and then write my story for the feature. So there you have the behind the scenes look. Hope you enjoyed the tour.

And if you are hanging in there and are still reading, then I would like to close this current year with my current thoughts. I hope you enjoyed my Moment in Time feature for those of you who have never seen it and for those who have, I hope I showed you some photos you haven't seen before and hopefully you found it worthwhile to read/view again.

But for now, I would like to end this year, 2009 with these thoughts:

The end of a year usually places we humans in one of two categories: we are either very happy to finally have the year end, or we are so surprised that the year has come to an end so soon. We are either looking forward to a new year for a fresh start, or we are looking back with many fond memories, not wanting to let go. No matter which group we may fall in, we all have one thing in common: We can't change the past year, no matter what it held for us.

But we can have hope for a new year with new beginnings. A lot of people have lost hope over time. Some feel like hoping is like wishing...it is something children do. Adults don't hope, they don't wish, they just do and they just accept whatever comes their way. That is the adult thing to do, right? I can understand these people. Life has been a hard for them (sometimes, very hard) and they didn't just give up hope on their own. They had help. Through illnesses, injustices, brokeness, hurts, disappointments, and more. Their hope has been chiseled down to what they feel is just acceptance of what life dishes out. If you don't hope, then you can't be disappointed.

For those of you who may be reading this, who feel that hope is no longer a part of your thinking, please think again. 2010 can be the year that hope reenters your life in all kinds of forms. Accepting what life has to offer is just surviving. Asking for your heart to be filled with your dreams again is not child's play. It 's not wishing. It's hoping. It's living. And where does this thing "hope" come from? Let me quote the answer I can find:

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

So, if you find yourself feeling so tired of just surviving and if you miss the feeling of having hope for your future, then take heart. You are not alone. Someone much greater, much more powerful than anything we could ever imagine, already has it all figured out. And He loves us more than we could ever imagine. When I first discovered God's love for me, a friend used my dogs, Monty and Lulu as examples. Being a huge, huge dog lover, she asked me if I would ever turn away Monty or Lulu (I don't have children, so my dogs are the best example I have) for having torn up a favorite shirt, or spitting up on the sofa, or for barking all night long. Of course not, I love them and would never abandoned them! She then said to take my love for them and times it by a 1000 and that is God's love for me. No matter what, He would never turn me away and I would never be alone.

God has plans for me and He plans to give me hope and a future. And He is planning the same thing for you as well. It is comforting to know that His plans never fail and He is always on time, never late. (That's a relief, I am hardly ever on time!) But having faith that whatever it is that He is going to give me is going to be just perfect for me is the part I am working on. I am working on having faith that in 2010, His plans will continue to work in me because He "declared" it and He says what He means.

If you are having trouble finding Christ and you want to, or maybe you aren't sure, just know this. He already found you. He has plans for you. And He loves you. Just talk to Him and thank Him for all that He has given you and have faith that He will come through for you. He will lead you where you need to go if you just let Him.

Remember when we were really little kids and we would just hold onto our parent's hand when we were in a crowded mall or amusement park? We would just put our little hand into our parent's big hand and they would just lead us around. We really couldn't see anything but kneecaps and for all we knew, our parents could have been leading us in circles, but we didn't pull away, nor want to. We held tight because we didn't want to get lost and we had full trust and faith that mom or dad would lead us to the right spot and get us there safely. We never doubted it. We just went along for the ride. Hey, they loved us and protected us, so why would we doubt them?

Christ is exactly the same way. He just wants us to hold His hand and let Him take over for a while - isn't that great? He will help us go where we need to and we just need to have faith and trust in Him. The better we get to know Him, the easier it is to trust Him too. So, I am trying to learn about Him. We are taught not to get into cars with strangers. Well, same thing here. It is hard to ride along with Christ if He is a stranger, so I am trying to get to know Him through bible study or through my husband, Randy, or on my own through reading. But bottom line is this: I am not special. God didn't make plans just for me....He has made plans for everyone! We all have plans! And it is my greatest hope (there is that word again) that you allow God to give you hope, a future, and to show you His wonderful plans for you this 2010. May you find immense joy in His plans for you! It is okay, you know, to ask Him for your dreams. He wants so badly to see you joyful.

Many good plans, blessings, hopes and dreams for 2010!

Thank you God for all that you gave me and my readers this past year.
From my house to your house,