Friday Fun

Friday Fun is about kicking off the weekend with a little fun, a little of the unexpected, a little about what makes me tick, a touch of fashion and all things happiness that aren't necessarily design related.

Where you a Girl Scout (Boy Scout?) I was too! In the spring as we started to prepare for kindergarten (interview and paperwork) my daughter started to hear the buzz about becoming a Girl Scout Daisy. The Daisy experience (kindergarten & first grade) is the first phase of being a Girl Scout. Once my daughter expressed an interest in wanting to join the organization, I set out to explore and complete the steps needed to become a Daisy troop leader.

(My sashes from when I was a Girl Scout.)

This week will be our first troop meeting! I will have twelve kindergarten girls under my wing every other week as we explore the Girl Scout journey together. I have an AMAZING year lined up for the Daisies!

I am happy to be giving back to my community by being a part of an 100 year old organization that fosters self respect and respect of others.

What's on your agenda for the weekend? Happy Friday!

Gorgeous blues

Navy blue, light blue and Louis XVI chairs are used to create a timeless and sophisticated dining room in a client's home.

In a home with three young children, the back of the dining room chairs were the only practical place to use silk. The combination of leather and silk on the chairs is striking.

The window treatments show off the intricate design of the textile. 

Blue and white porcelain makes an elegant statement.

Leather: Edelman Leather

Silk: Kravet

Window treatment: Stark

Louix XVI chairs: Sedersi Inc.

Wallcovering: Sonia's Place

I find blues to be soothing and have a richness that always looks stunning and classic when used in interior design (and fashion.) What is it about blue interiors that you fancy? Have you created spaces in your home using blues? 

Tickle the ivories in style

When it comes to designing a space in a home that includes a piano, I like to replace the standard issue piano bench with one that is aesthetically appealing.

Using a Kravet outdoor textile I called upon Sedersi, Inc. to create this Greek key bench for a client's living room. The detail of the double self welt for the trim, the subtle touch of yellow it adds to the room and the high gloss black bench to match the baby grand makes for a striking piece of furniture. 

There is something special about a home with a musical instrument being played. Do you play an instrument? Here's to a wonderful week!

When a Friend Decorates

Do birds of a feather flock together? Perhaps it is why so many design bloggers and followers have such an affinity for one another?

I did a post titled When A Friend Decorates. It generated a lot of comments and e-mails. People love seeing how others live. I thought it would be fun to run When A Friend Decorates as a regular series.

I'm kicking the series off with a show stopper of a room!  This room is proof that a small room with lots of obstacles and a tight budget are no match for a gal with a desire to create a chic bedroom for her niece!

Professional photographer, Traci, stenciled the damask onto one wall of the bedroom!

This aunt made the headboard out of a piece of wood, she drew the shape, had it cut and then painted her creation! The dog bed was a yard sale find that she recreated with a new coat of paint and a custom made cushion to keep the adorable pooches comfortable!

The adorable little girl who resides in this jewel box of a space has a love for displaying her photos. To keep the images contained this aunt created an inspiration board. 

An old armoire was given a new lease on life with a paint job and a striped textile installed inside the doors. The professional photography on the walls is her own, Traci Giles Photography. The little girl rides horses making the horse head on top of the armoire a nod to her interest.   

The stencil up-close...gorgeous pattern and love the color!

This little girl's bedroom was an office space in the home when this family moved in, yet their needs dictated it become a bedroom. There are three sets of a doors in this bedroom, plus the closet doors! To create a private escape for this little girl they hung six sets of Ikea white drapes! The result...gorgeous!

This "junk" jar is filled with all the little treasures a little girl always seems to have trouble parting with it...it is her own original artwork for the room. This is a "looking" piece, not a "playing" piece.

Way to go Traci! What an AMAZING space! I think it is safe to say you win "Aunt of the Year!"

What elements do you love about the space? Don't you love how despite challenges the room is chic, youthful and impressive?!

Submit your spaces to be featured in a When A Friend Decorates post!

Buzzing around

Today I'm over at Simplified Bee along with Tobi Fairley, The Decorista and Effortlless Style. Stop by to see the little girl's room I designed using this Serena & Lily piece, as a bedside table.

It is fun to see how we each pulled very different rooms together using the same piece of furniture!

Ikea chaise, enhanced

When it comes to Ikea furniture, I'm a wild about two pieces. One being the Ektorp chaise which has been in my daughter's room for three years. For a $300 price tag this chaise offers a cushion cover that is removable and washable, a slipcover, a comfort level that is high and it reclines completely flat to accommodate a snoozer.

Last week I ventured into a Jo-Ann Fabric for the first time since I was seven or eight years old. I found this gem of a trim! The deep rich pink, the inverted pleats with ruffles and the $1.99 a yard price tag made for a real winner for my daughter's chaise!  

Armed with a permanent and washable fabric glue, it took me thirty minutes to enhance a basic white chaise into a little gem.

I'm usually one who believes in spending good money on high quality furniture, yet there are instances where I disregard that mindset. This being one of them, this piece is used excessively, still looks fabulous and is perfect for a little one's room.

Have you tried trim enhancement on a retail find?

Remembrance

Today I remember the sadness, heartache and fear I had living in New York City on September 11th one decade ago.
Today I remember the bravery of the NYFD, NYPD and all first responders running into burning buildings to save strangers lives, only to give their own. Who thought the buildings would fall to the ground?
Today I remember what it was like to walk out of my NYC apartment and feel truly afraid, for the first time in my life.
Today I remember the fear I felt walking into my apartment not knowing if home was safe.
Today I remember what it was like to walk on the streets of the city and not be able to see a place that wasn't covered with signs and posters asking have you seen...my daughter, my son, my husband, my wife, my mother, my father or my friend? Faces of innocent people.
Today I remember the tractor trailers that drove down Broadway in a convoy. I remember the tears that fell down my face when I realized their purpose while I stood waiting to cross the street.
Today I remember solid, good people I knew who perished, yet I'm mindful of all who lost their lives.
Today I remember the smell of burning rubble that lasted for months after the attack.
Today I remember the nightmares I could not shake for quite some time. As an American, I felt violated. As a New Yorker, I felt attacked. As a human, I felt extreme sadness and disbelief by my species.
Today I remember being impressed by President Bush who pulled our country together in the face of adversity. A President who started the first month of his term confronted with the worst attack on our country in history.
Today I remember what it felt like being "trapped" on an island. Manhattan is an island.
Today I remember the unity and toughness of New Yorkers bonding in a difficult time.

Today I am reminded how lucky I am to be an American.
Today I am reminded that the most important place in life is being home surrounded by those we love.
Today I am reminded that I love creating homes for people that feel safe and happy.
Today I am reminded that I have not forgotten a single element and how I felt this day ten years ago.
Today I am reminded that I was changed on 9/11.

Today I hope you are celebrating life without fear, yet with remembrance. God Bless America.