to tree or not to tree

That IS the question around our house this time of year. A bit surprising for someone who seems to be so all about home decor, isn't it? For most of us, it's a given. Go buy the tree and put it up. After all, we're Americans and that's what we do here. 

Also, as I grow older, I realize that there is something very comfortable and comforting about tradition, especially in a world that moves at warp speed, often slipping from our grasp before we can even decide where we want to hang on. So perhaps when we pull those decorations down out of the attic, the flood gates of memories from holidays past come gushing out when we open up the boxes. And somehow the ground upon which we stand feels a little more firm.

But still....At some point I came to the realization that, frankly, I DON'T feel the urge every year. I could probably trace it back to my childhood, void of tradition for the most part. Like my mother, I often tend to be driven by the high value of practicality, so some years the thought of expending all that time and effort to "deck them halls and all that stuff" seems like an utterly ridiculous notion. I mean, really. Or maybe some years our busyness places holiday decorating as just one more "to-do" on a list that is already impossible to conquer. Besides, there are no children to delight (or disappoint) so perhaps it's easier to simply wallow in my holiday blues.

Several years ago I made another important connection: I HATE stringing the lights on the Christmas tree!!! Maybe that's the root of this issue. And besides, the hubs is allergic so the month of December became a miserable sneezefest for him. I found a way to nip the mold issue in the bud but those LIGHTS!! Ugh. They continued to plague me. So one year after Christmas in a moment of post-holiday-discount weakness, I proposed that we (gasp) buy a pre-lit fake and forget about it. You can't have it all so there are things I miss about the real deal but for ME at least, the plus column has the most entries. Best decision EVER!!!! Now, the darn thing comes out of the box in 3 easy pieces, "plug 'n play" ready to decorate in 5 minutes. Voila!!

This year presented some interesting extenuating circumstances. If you've been reading, you know we're in a temporary living situation with mostly furniture that is not our own. Therefore, my modern-ish Christmas decor from last year simply doesn't work in this setting. So, do we bag it completely or try to find some middle ground? My original vote was to "ignore and look forward" but in the end I opted for some simple adaptation of our ghosts of Christmas past. I look at is as yet another opportunity for another creative decorating"mash-up" (see my 9.18.11 post).

Last year looked like this:

And below is how I changed it up. Over the years, I have accumulated more ornaments than I need for the tree so I often find other ways (see above) to display the ones that don't make it to the tree. Or maybe I give some of them a year off. This year I decided to keep it simple. Nothing but the tree and, instead of last year's bright mod color palette of red/turquoise/orange/pink, I used only white/silver/gold/pink to go with the soft neutral colors of the room.

So there you have it. That's how it all went up over here on Fenton Place. In a couple of weeks, I'll likely by annoyed at the thought of having to pack it all up again. But years from now I'll look back on this holiday season with gratitude, remembering what a blessing it was to be given such a lovely transitional space to call home and how we chose to make it our own.

jungle boogie

I'm a sucker for animal prints and had already decided talk about them when I recently heard a fashion expert on TV confirm what I already knew: They're always in fashion. Everyone can wear them. Treat them like a neutral.

There are a couple of rules, or guidelines if you may, that you should keep in mind before slipping into them, lest you come off LOOKING like a total cougar. And yes, I mean that in the worst possible middle-aged-trolling-for-younger-guys way. You know the type. And hopefully, you do not resemble that remark. So stick to one(ish) animal print at a time for cryin' out loud! My personal collection pictured above provides many opportunities to pile it on but I resist the urge and choose instead to spread the love. A little goes a long way.


And when it comes to spreading the love, please JUST SAY NO to any animal print/spandex combo. Leopard spots dancing across your nether regions is, well, rather unseemly. And I don't care how lovely your backside looks. Don't stretch it across your booty. 'Nuff said. 

When you're using animal prints in your home decor, remember they're NEUTRALS, so they basically go with anything! 

Let's look at some pretty pictures: 

Source: lookbook.nu via Kathi on Pinterest

                                             

Source: lookbook.nu via Kathi on Pinterest
 

 

And if a little doesn't go far enough to satisfy your animal instincts, then layer it on, baby! It takes some courage but again, if animal prints are NEUTRALS, then you have room in your room for more than one at a time!

                         Source: thedecorista.com via Kathi on Pinterest

 Don't be a cowardly lion. Take a walk on the wild side! And then, tell me your story.....

the freeze(r) stands alone

Ever since we moved over here to the condo on Fenton PL, I've been buzzing like a fridge about the need for an additional freezer. I've wanted one for years but my desire has intensified since we now have a smaller (yet lovely) fridge with a baby freezer on the bottom. Back on Westbury, we had a side-by-side and now the freezer is what lies beneath. And that's pretty scary to me. Scratch that. It doesn't really scare me at all. But it annoys the heck out of me and THAT probably scares my husband. 

Speaking of the devil, it's my husband's fault that we have never purchased that standalone objet du désir. When he reads this he will likely say that he never realized how important it was to me or he would've told me years ago to just go ahead and get the thing. True statement, because he pretty much gives me what I want. But my version just makes for a better blog post and sometimes it's all about the ratings, you know? And besides, not only is he generous, he also rarely holds a grudge. Therefore, I'm willing to take the risk here and make him the fall guy for the sake of a laugh or two.

Back to the story at hand. In reality, we BOTH have been annoyed with our situation but it was the fries that sent me "over the precipice and into the abyss," to quote my college economics professor. We're not talkin' just any old run-of-the-mill frozen fry. These are sent-straight-down-from-heaven SPECIAL. We (loosely) follow the Paleo way of eating, so we don't often eat those Idaho spuds. It's the Alexia sweet potato fries that have recently grabbed our attention and captured the affection of our primal taste buds. And when my grocery store recently offered them for $1.60 off the normal price of $4.59, I heard the heavenly hosts singing on the soundtrack of my life. Then came the scraping sound of the record player needle (a la Ally McBeal). jerking me back to my reality. SNAP! I only had room for three bags at a time in my dinky freezer. Three measly bags = a mere $4.80 of potential savings for me. And I wanted more.

I researched and I took the plunge. I would've been happy with the smallest el cheapo chest type but the husband convinced me that an upright was the way to go here. There was a big difference in the price but when we look at long term purchases, we also take other things into consideration. The higher price for the Maytag model we bought also gave us about 10 cu.ft. more space, Energy Star rating and no manual defrosting (YAY). It's much easier to organize than the deep dark hole of the chest style so (hopefully) we won't be throwing old freezer-burned food away because we can't SEE it. Sound familiar...;-)

I managed to save almost 30% off the full retail price by spending some extra time to sniff out some great online discounts. To begin with, it was on sale at Home Depot for $96 off. I made my purchase through Ebates, which gave me an additional 3% cash back (hey, it ALL counts) and used a discounted Home Depot gift card I bought through Cardpool to save me another 8.2%. Free shipping and delivery saved us the time and hassle of having to haul it home in the truck. And, of course, before I made my final decision I checked product ratings and customer reviews.

Honestly, I'm in this for more than the fries. Eating well DOES require some extra effort, unless you have the kind of budget that allows you to hire a personal chef. I don't. Sometimes cooking is a joy but many nights it's more of a chore and, as my husband says, "It's the clean up that'll kill you." True that. My response is to cook in big batches. Any time I can, I double the recipe because nothing makes me happier than to open that freezer and be greeted by the sight of what I made two weeks ago or a month ago. I can HAVE it again without having to COOK it again! Or what about all those amazing summer fruits that you can buy in season when it's fresh and cheap? How fun is it to pull them out of the freezer in November? Or February?

Are you beginning to see things my way? I thought so.

Time to load it up! According to my calculations, we should break even on the 225th bag of sale-priced sweet potato fries. Hmmm....I DID mention we were looking at this for the LONG term value, right?? I see lots of fries in my future.

the lynette effect | part 1

Ever had a friend who has influenced you to purchase something you never expected to buy or even knew you wanted? For example, in the midst of a joint shopping excursion with said friend, she spies something that you completely overlooked. And because she has convinced you that it's a "must have," it has now somehow made it's way into your shopping cart. Unless, of course, there was only ONE left or it was a one-of-a-kind treasure, in which case it has made it's way into HER shopping cart because it was her keen eye who saw it first, after all.

Well, that friend for me is Lynette. We've been friends for longer than some of you have been on the planet, so let's just say we've got a pretty good handle on what makes the other one tick. We have years of epic shopping experiences under our (animal print) belts and the stories to go with them have far out-lived many of the actual items that were purchased. We are different. 

While I might  favor a more relaxed, modern, whimsical and slightly bo-ho flavor, Lynette is drawn to high-fashion and design with lots of flair like a moth to a darn flame. I lean toward minimalism and she, the consummate maximalista without being overdone. However, there's this huge overlap in our individual personal style circles. It's where we operate and it's where the MAGIC happens.

Recently, a diverted flight due to engine trouble unexpectedly landed Lynette (safely) right here in MY town and the 20-hour delay gave us time for a little shopping joy ride. I mean, when the situation presents itself, you put the pedal to the metal and floor it. Right? A round of Missoni-for-Target madness and a short romp through West Elm proved to be quite productive, shall we say. I'll save the Missoni tales for another post but the West Elm excursion netted me an awesome pillow cover that I'm sure I would never have noticed, had I not been with...(insert "Lynette effect" sound effects here) Lynette. I had already perused that shelf in the clearance corner nothing appeared interesting to me but when I heard her utter that oh-so familiar phrase, "these are cool," my head snapped back around so fast I nearly cracked a vertebrae. "What????" I said, afraid I might be missing out and, frankly, afraid she had found the only one of whatever it was.

In the end, she decided against it but we both agreed it would be the perfect finishing touch in the "Hollywood glam" room back at the condo, with a bit of a  Kelly Wearstler flavor. She was completely convinced but, because there were 10 of them left and it wasn't returnable, I decided to think about it for a few days. I did, I still wanted it, and when I went back it had been marked down even further. SCORE! 

So what is the point of this story and really, do I need to even have one? It's just a silly blog post, for crying out loud. Truth of the matter is that I could take this in any number of directions. It could serve as a warning, as in "don't try to be someone you're not" or "don't waste your money on things you never really wanted anyway." Agreed and agreed. But it can also be said that the way we influence each other can challenge and stretch us, taking us to places we couldn't quite muster up the courage to go. That little extra nudge from someone we love and trust often makes all the difference. Where it might serve some of us well to edit (Remember Coco Chanel's advice to look in the mirror and take one thing off before we leave the house?), others of us tend to quit a little too soon so we miss that finishing touch that completes the room or outfit. For me, Lynette is the friend who encourages me to put a cherry on the top. Voila!

Who is your Lynette and, more importantly, will you choose to be generous with your own wisdom and advice? Don't hide it under a bushel and keep it all to yourself. That being said, YOU can also enjoy the "Lynette effect" right here. She deserves to be shared.

But I made sure I got MY pillow first...;-)

temporary settlement

I fell off the virtual radar for awhile but I do still exist, though I must admit there were a few moments in August when I needed to check my own pulse just to confirm it. After all this talk about selling our house, it actually happened. We signed a contract on August 2nd, thus setting into motion a whirlwind of activity, complete with panic attacks, angry outbursts, anxiety eating and drinking, heart stopping moments and lots of prayer. Due to a few difficult circumstances people, it was a less-than-pleasant experience, which was disappointing to be honest. But with the help of our awesome realtor and some superhero-type friends, we fought our way through it and walked away mortgage-free a mere 28 days later. Never mind that, 3 weeks post-closing, we swear we're both suffering from PTSD. We still stamp this closed case with a big fat MISSION ACCOMPLISHED and walk away, smiles plastered across our pale faces.

So....where are we NOW??? Through a series of "divinely providential" events, we have landed in a luxury condo belonging to some dear friends who own several homes in several locations. The "friendlords" spend little time here in their Charlotte home anymore so they consider this an opportunity to see if they really want to keep a presence here long term. They offered it to us at a price that fit our budget and tons of flexibility that would never be available to us in any apartment complex or rental house. What a gift! 

The only downside to the whole deal was the desire to keep most of their furniture in the condo. Yikes. Don't get me wrong, their stuff is super nice and beautiful. It's just that their stuff is not my stuff. And I really like being surrounded by my own stuff. Anyone who knows me well understands that my home is a real canvas of self-expression. But to ease my potential separation anxiety, the friendlords generously offered to clear out the 2nd bedroom so we could have one entire room that is completely ours. Except for the toile drapes, that is..;-) The rest of the condo has become this interesting mash-up of styles. I looked at what they had and made very specific choices with regard to the belongings I chose to bring here. And while it's not perfectly perfect, I think in general it works pretty well and we can be happy here!


Check out the results:

Bedroom-2-turned-personal-retreat. It's all ours except the drapes and the fancy chandelier. I'm actually loving this room!

I'm getting a little "retro-Hollywood-glam" vibe, don't you think?

Adler cats feel right at home here.

Royal feels right at home as long as his humans are with him.

Ah yes, the infamous Adler vase also made the cut....;-)

"Our humans will be fine on the floor."

I wouldn't say Richie loves it here, but he's tried out every piece of furniture and they all seem to work fine for sleeping.

My stuff and art on their furniture makes a nice little vignette in the master bath.

I've left the master bedroom pretty much "as-is" but I couldn't resist throwing a few of our own pillows on this ginormous king-size bed which, btw, makes a a great playground for the cats. 

A private world of cat possibilities exists under a bed like this.

The master bedroom opens up to this long hallway. My designer friend, Heidi, spent an afternoon helping me create this wall I can see from our bed. I feel a real sense of "home" when I look at it.

Every piece has it's own story.

And so our journey continues. Due to some interesting developments in the story (more to come on that), crossing Providence may not be the "straight shot" we had originally envisioned. Our timeline may have shifted a bit and the  possibility exists that we may even have to let go of this dream. But for now, we proceed (with caution) until we hear differently, embracing the twists and turns along the way. 


Missoni has built an empire out of the zig-zag, after all. So why shouldn't I do the same?

circular reasoning

I've been working on a pretty little sitting area in our bedroom. It's almost finished, but I feel it's begging for a small table to put beside the antique settee. I could post a picture for you, if'n I hadn't dropped my beloved new camera last week. (But let's not talk about that. It's recovering nicely in the Canon Hospital right now.) 

So anyway, imagine this beautiful gold leafy-like finished settee with some colorful pillows (sewn by moi) in lots of orange, blue and lilac patterns and hues. Somehow, I'm picturing a clean-lined modern table to offset the all the blingy fru-fru. Hmmm....how about the iconic Saarinen tulip table? Maybe this time with the walnut top on the classic white base? Yeah, I'm feelin' it. 

Come to think of it, I've had this feeling before. And, in fact, it's more than a feeling. I fear this affection for all things round has become an obsession. Oh no. And so it began....

Years ago, I spotted this mirror and I knew I had to have it. However, having just taken early retirement from my career, the wanting part was about all I could muster up. Long story short, I DIY'd myself into the darn thing, and so began my obsession with the circular shapeliness.

Exhibit A: Sunburst Mirror

Walking through the house, I see this disturbing (disturbingly BEAUTIFUL, methinks) pattern emerging. Circles. Circles everywhere. Some fourish years ago, I sold the hand-carved rectangular dining room table and replaced it with Mr. Saarinen's Tulip table. Some people thought I was crazy but I've never looked back. I was mezmerized by Tulip's sensually simple lines, captivated by it's beautiful sculptural curves. As the story goes, Saarinen's Tulip collection was an attempt at reducing the structural elements of a table to the most basic shape, and was inspired by a drop of high-viscosity liquid. Saarinen explained, “The underside of typical chairs and tables makes a confusing, unrestful world. I wanted to clear up the slum of legs.” Yes, yes, . There can be no "slum of legs" in my house!! And besides, the table was ROUND.

Exhibit B

Truth of the matter is that nearly every table in the house is round. Yikes. 

Round, round, round and a round Royal

Again, no sharp edges.

Th

ere's no escaping, even for the husband. Sigh......

So, what does all of this mean? Is there some cosmic method to my madness? Is it something to do with the circle of life? Does every end represent a new beginning? Or am I destined to live out my days in some sort of existential cylindricalism? 


Yeah, so back to that table in the bedroom. I'm leaning toward this little number. I think it's pretty cute. Any thoughts???? :-)

modern love

Mad About Modern reception at Design Within Reach. That's me, wishing I could drag this Womb chair right out the door and straight to my house.

 Amy and I, cozying up on another fabulous DWR find.

Two years ago, Historic Charlotte, Inc. hosted the first "Mad About Modern" mid-century modern home tour. I have a growing appreciation for the mission of this organization, after watching landmark after landmark bulldozed, only to be replaced by big, ugly boxy buildings, both on the commercial and residential sides. (Remember the '90s, when we were all fat and happy?) In a traditionally traditional city like Charlotte, it gives me great pleasure to see a growing group of modernists emerging, championing the cause for preservation of this under-appreciated and often overlooked subset of architecture.

Back to the tour: The hubs and I made the rounds and at the end of the day found ourselves in love with a swanky 1958 ranch (still occupied by the original owner), that happened to be on the market at the time. Several weeks and several looks later, we made an offer. Long story short, we didn't get the house but that tour planted the seed for this here little "crossing providence" adventure. (If you're interested, check out the photos of this house: www.moderncharlotte.com/447-merwick-circle. Can you picture Don Draper sipping a martini in that living room? Or ME? Oh well, 'twasn't to be.)

So, when MAM rolled around again this year, I was thrilled to learn that my friends and neighbors, Amy and Keith, were putting their awesome home on the tour. I love these people and they seem to like me too, despite my serious case of house envy. They've been in their 1958 ranch-with-a-basement-den for about 5 years and, honestly, my heart just sings when I am there. The mid-century modern design is heavily influenced by arts and crafts style which means lots of wood and brick. I'm typically not drawn to this look, per say, but the richness of the warm wood tones just envelope you when you walk in the door. 

These people are just normal folks on a budget. Like most of the rest of us, Amy is bugged by what's not yet finished in her house. She's enlisted the help of a designer friend for an area or two of the house, but the vast majority is what she and her man have done themselves. As the daughter of an artist and an art/antiques collector, let's just say she has access to some wonderfully interesting stuff and she's not afraid to show it off! And then there's the incredibly talented daughter, currently a college art student. Her work is proudly displayed all throughout the house. I'll be honest, it's a hodge-podge of styles but nothing about it seems thrown-together or mis-matched. It's more like, "Of COURSE, A.B's bright, colorful, crazy painting should go right next to that grouping of old Eastern European religious icons. Duh." 

(Fun fact: Amy actually introduced me to the book, Style Statement, that was the subject of my 1/23/11 post. Go back and check it out if you missed it. You might get a big dose of personal inspiration.)

There were other great homes on the tour with their own interesting stories. It was fun to get glimpses inside some that I've only been able to admire from afar and to dream of the day when my own new modern masterpiece might get it's own place on the tour. Well done, Historic Charlotte. Keep fighting the good fight!

there's a method to my madness

 

I've been a fan of method home care products for just about as long as they've been cranking them out. In fact, I'm one of their official "people against dirty." Yo, check me. Right there on the website! Don't get me wrong, not every single cleaning product in my house is method brand (shhhhh...) but my current personal method arsenal is pictured above and I'd say that it's not too shabby. If I worked for method, I'd be pretty darn happy with this customer's commitment to their products. 

Why am I so loyal? It's not like there's any shortage of other good and safe "green" products out there these days. I'm occasionally swayed by other options, especially when there's an awesome sale I can't resist but in my heart, I'm still a method girl. And what I've realized is that they not only perform well but I'm totally addicted to their sensual scents! True confession: I've actually been known to mop my hardwoods because I just want to linger in the presence of that amazing almond aroma. Sick. Or, even if my kitchen counters aren't dirty, the intoxicating citrus-y fragrance of the daily granite allures me so I give 'em a good wipe. Somebody call Betty Ford. STAT!! I need an intervention. 

And then there's the product packaging. I mean, come ON! Could it be any more perfect for someone like me who describes their personal style as "modern whimsy?" (See my previous post, "style matters.") I like the way method LOOKS in my house! Ridiculous. There's some sort of a match-made-in-heaven thing going on here.

method sends out free stuff to their "people against dirty" from time to time. Yet another reason to love them. This time, it was a box with 4 bottles of their wood for good wood cleaner. (What I'd give for a scratch 'n sniff blog right about now.) They asked us PADs to keep one and give the other 3 away to those we knew (or even suspected) were not yet method converts. They encouraged us to creatively document what we did and submit it to them. How brilliant. In fact, I think there's even some sort of contest with some sort of prize but I just did it because it was fun.

So check out my submission below. And then go out and get you some method products to smell up your own house! It's a healthy addiction. It's certainly cheaper than your 2-pack-a-day cigg-y habit and it might even add a year to your life. Okay, let's not get carried away.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

wood for good. 

last whereabouts: in the hands of 3 soon-to-be converts

kathi graves here, agent against dirty. special grimy crimes unit.

box of good. arrival confirmed.

assignment accepted. here's how i plan to carry it out.

 she certainly appears to be excited about her new license to clean. 

it didn't take her long to figure it out! can you say "trigger happy!?!

badass crossfit babes and soon-to-be new method people against dirty. killer combination. watch out, world!

mission accomplished, baby. over and out.