Cultural Icon Frida Kahlo re-ignites love for Mexican art and textiles + Studio Tullia revisits Guatemalan/Mexican Pillow Collection

Cultural Icon Frida Kahlo re-ignites love for Mexican art and textiles + Studio Tullia revisits Guatemalan/Mexican Pillow Collection

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 This was from an exhibit I saw not too long ago at the Portland Art Museum.

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And her clothes. So many rich, handmade indigenous textiles from Mexico. Lace, embroidery, bold colors. Such a feast for the eyes.

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On my bucket list: Frida and Diego’s house in Mexico City that is now a musuem.  Has anyone been?   I’d love to know how it was.

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The Global Textiles Collection by STUDIO TULLIA.

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There are some lovely handmade goods still available from this collection.

Originally it started from a unique collection of textiles from my (step)mother-in-law in Mexico and then my other (step) mother-in-law who had an amazing collection from Panama of Mola textiles.

This was a very popular collection and I have recently revisited my stash to create a revival of this collection. Stay tuned.

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The ASTORIA Collection, II.    Authentic, Mid-century Textiles in Rich Colors and Patterns

The ASTORIA Collection, II. Authentic, Mid-century Textiles in Rich Colors and Patterns

NEWS FROM THE STUDIO:

Astoria textiles in vibrant colors

VINTAGE!

vintage striped and damask velvets

LET’S TALK PROVENANCE…

I first found the mother load of vintage textiles at an estate sale in Astoria, Oregon, a few years ago.  Thank God my father-in-law was persistent in finding this place; the shop of an upholster, whose estate was being liquidated.

vintage textiles from oregon coast

It was like walking back in time, to the mid century, with hand written notes pinned all over the walls, leftover fabric bolts stacked up on shelves and in metal trash cans. It was definitely a  hard-working artisan’s work room. His adjoining house was also for sale, so that was super fun to see his formal 50’s-60’s era living room and his immaculately upholstered pieces.

vintage textiles

BOLD FLORALS

vintage red floral
floral and striped silk

I was completely blown away by the quality of the thick, cotton velvet and the richness of the patterns and colors. I wouldn’t have expected this bold palette to be so prominent on the coast of Oregon.

I was later told by the owner of local store, Vintage Hardware, that he was the only upholsterer in the Astoria region for quite some time.

vintage fall floral

The bolts were at bargain prices. The gamble was that this upholsterer smoked. A lot. The pervasive smell of stale smoke was on all of the textiles.  I also wasn’t sure how they would fare after I had washed them.

Once home,I threw some samples in the washer/dryer and was elated with what I found. The quality had endured and they were just as vibrant and beautiful.

vintage textiles

I honed my ability to clean vintage textiles, determining that 1/2 cup of vinegar mixed with detergent was the best addition to a load of laundry, to remove the smell. Sometimes even a second or third wash was required, but ultimately worth it.  It was no small undertaking to wash and handle these really heavy, wet velvets.

We even had to replace the mechanism inside our washer after a couple of intense weeks of washing, so there was that…

YELLOW ROSE

vintage yellow floral

The other gamble was whether or not people would even like this dated, retro collection.

As with everything online it takes a few months for your items to be found…but eventually, they became quite popular and really are a bargain for the quality.

A LITTLE INSPO

Here are  a couple of pillow combinations that you could work. 

A mix of the old with new, or high and low… is always nice and less predictable.

HOW TO STYLE PILLOWS
vintage mid century textiles
HOW to style pillows
sale vintage textiles pillows
authentic mid century textiles

XOXO

Suzanne

Florals, vibrant pastels and happy prints are a few of the offerings for Spring 2021

Florals, vibrant pastels and happy prints are a few of the offerings for Spring 2021

NEWS FROM THE STUDIO:

MAY FLOWERS ARE HERE

This lovely floral called INISFREE in Sunset (by Kravet) features peonies in blush, pink and light blue. The touch of aqua, tan and navy blue make it modern and easy to pair with other classic colors.

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I wanted you to see the full scale and nuances of this floral. If you are interested in curtains in this pattern, let me know. I am unveiling my curtain program soon.

This fun print JALISA on a linen/cotton ground is so versatile and comes in driftwood and copen blue.

The peonies are starting to bloom.

The softest rosewater cotton velvet is a new addition for 2021.

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A lovely soft print called SPRIG on cotton/linen reminds me of a Fortuny print. Available in Blush, Graphite, Chambray, Jade and Indigo (not shown). This is a wonderful fabric for curtains, too.

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palette + blues + pinks + spring 2021
Behind the scenes is maybe a bare-footed lady, balancing on a chair over the kitchen table.

Our cherry tree in Spring.

This is a fun houndstooth chenille we added to the mix that can be used year round and would be so fun on an upholstered chair.

INTERIORS:

Let’s indulge in a little light pink, peach and blue, shall we?

The pink textured wallpaper below adds a warm, rich back drop to the designer touches by MADRE everywhere from the sconces, to the custom banquette, tufted ottoman with trim, textiles and rug make this is a welcoming and richly appointed room .

Design by MADRE.

And then there is MELANIE TURNER, with her new book…such beautiful color .

Melanie turner coral peach interior

This softer palette below by MELANIE TURNER reminds me of Jordan almonds.

You can always count on JAMIE DRAKE to go bold as he did here:

Design by Drake/Anderson.

This is Josef Frank’s Citrus Garden in a
new colorway, Lime, for Schumacher:

Loving these new toile converse high tops. .

A MARGAUX/SCHUMACHER FAB COLLAB.

schumacher Margaux collaboration

OUR HOUSE

Henry in our ancient cherry tree on a recent Spring morning.

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TEEN GIRL’S ROOM – SECOND WK OF THE ONE ROOM CHALLENGE

TEEN GIRL’S ROOM – SECOND WK OF THE ONE ROOM CHALLENGE

Well, here we are at WEEK 2 of the ORC project. In case you missed the first post, we are remodeling my 13 year old teenage daughter’s tiny bedroom.  We think the best use of the space should include a loft bed.  My husband, with her help, is in the throes of making this custom bed.

Here are some nice ones that help us to conceptualize how to best use the space.

LOFT BEDS:

This loft bed with built-in shelves under the ladder allows room for a desk and more storage space. I love the bookshelf under the bedrail.

POTTERY BARN always has quality furnishings, and its styled beautifully with their linens. The brass touches are nice.
This is also from POTTERY BARN which I included because we are considering painting the bed gray.

A truly mid century loft look by WEST ELM/POTTERY BARN. The yellow is beautiful with the warm wood tones. Love the dresser in there, too. I love how the desk fits right behind the ladder, which is simple and elegant.

This is the Harlan loft bed with desk ($500 range). This more basic loft bed is built with comfortable sleeping space and plenty of room underneath. It is available at several online stores including Wayfair and Overstock. 

FURNISHINGS

These two pieces above are both from IKEA. There are lots of nice options for storage bins, drawers, etc. They are a bargain around $100 each. And they would just fit, within an inch, below the loft bed we are making.

We already have a desk chair kind of like this that someone had just left on the street corner across from an office buiding. It looked brand new, so I grabbed it! Like I said, LAW OF ATTRACTION at work…

We are also considering a comfy chair if it will fit. This first one (above) is from URBAN OUTFITTERS and the second one (below) is from POTTERY BARN TEEN.

On sale for $199 at POTTERY BARN TEEN right now.

LIGHTING
I am loving this vintage mid century modern light fixture that extends out, with little stars. $250 at HIPPO HARDWARE in Portland, OR, a great resource for vintage lighting and hardware. The place has soul.
This one from TARGET is also nice, and we love the color. About $100.
PAINT COLOR PALETTE
We are headed in this direction with grays, blues and white direction with pops of color in the art. We also want to mix in some color with the art.
ROOM THEME: THE AVENGERS

We have been watching all of the AVENGER SUPER HERO MOVIES in order since the quarantine started. Usually one or two a week. It’s actually really fun to watch as a family. Thank goodness these Disney movies now have plenty of heroines as well as heroes. AVENGER HEROINES will be the prevailing theme in the art that she is considering for her room. I can think of worse role models, right?

1. Captain America: The First Avenger (1942-1943)
2. Captain Marvel (1995)
3. Iron Man (2010)
4. Iron Man 2 (2011)
5. The Incredible Hulk (2011)
6. Thor (2011)
7. The Avengers (2012)
8. Iron Man 3 (2012)
9. Thor: The Dark World (2013)
10. Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
11. Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
12. Guardians of the Galaxy 2 (2014)
13. Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
14. Ant-Man (2015)
15. Captain America: Civil War (2016)
16. Spider-Man: Homecoming (2016)
17. Doctor Strange (2016-2017)
18. Black Widow (2017)
19. Black Panther (2017)
20. Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
21. Ant-Man and the Wasp (2017)
22. Avengers: Infinity War (2017)
23. Avengers: Endgame (2018-2023)
24. Spider-Man: Far From Home (2023)
ART
There are so many great sources on ETSY for everything from downloadable $5 pdfs you can print yourself, to pricier vintage movie posters and comic books.

This we bought.

Rosie the Riveter is not a MARVEL SUPER HERO but Charlotte is relating to this heroic image. She has even been dressing like her in a blue jumpsuit from TARGET and a bandanna around her head.

So this coming week, we are prepping the room for paint, sanding and continuing work on the bed, and playing around with how much art we need, where we will hang it, and what fits within our budget.

So, here is the link below to the ORC FEATURED DESIGNERS as well as the GUEST PARTICIPANTS if you just can’t get enough.

Thank you for reading along. Until next week….

#STAYSAFE, #STAYHOME , #STAYCALM&DESIGNON

 

 

XOXO,
SUZANNE

PDX STYLE & DESIGNER MAX HUMPHREY

PDX STYLE & DESIGNER MAX HUMPHREY

Chronicles from a Well Lived House...

PORTLAND: DESIGNER MAX HUMPHREY & PDX STYLE

SPOTLIGHT ON THE NORTHWEST:

INTERIOR DESIGNER MAX HUMPHREY

I wanted to share the work of Portland local MAX HUMPHREY. His contemporary style is whimsical, vibrant and regional in the sense that I recognize Portland’s STYLE, inevitably influenced by our unique local resources and small businesses. I have always been drawn to the space featured below: the use of red, graphic art, refreshed vintage and retro accessories. It is well balanced in an assymetrical way and just fun.    

 

Portland loves bohemian touches which you find in his use of colorful middle eastern rugs and textiles. There are some great resources here for Turkish kilims, rugs, and poufs at places like WILD SHAMAN and KUSH RUGS .

.Given our close proximity to the Columbia River Gorge and the Cascade Mountains, the forest/outdoor/woodland themes are also prominent in the use of vintage art, topography maps, army cots, wood stoves, etc.  Great vintage finds can be found at URBANITE and MONTICELLO MARKETPLACE.

Eclectic mix of fabrics and colors.   No rules as far as styles.  He stages a lot of his room shots with whimsical props like bicycles, leopard shoes and kids’ sneakers as well as spirits, vintage objects, lots of books and potted plants. 

Crafts have always been strong in Portland, as evidenced by the volume of vintage crafts at estate sales, and it is making its way into retail outlets like THE CRAFT BAR, ASSEMBLY and COLLAGE, just in my little corner of SE Portland.  The winters are long in the Northwest.

I enjoy the rich mix of texture and colors in his choice of textiles, retro lamps, the plants,  the Pendleton plaids, and vintage, mid century and more contemporary cleaned lined pieces.

 Some of the images shown here are also on the CITY HOME website, featuring their products. I’m going to guess many of these items come from places like 

CITY HOME furnishings, LEGACY MODERN, PENDLETON, and CARGO

NEWS FROM THE STUDIO:

I’m going to a conference in a couple weeks (https://www.altitudesummit.com/) and wanted to have some fresh business cards and marketing materials.

My assistant and I have switched out the pillows on this countless times, but alas, I actually put this version in the MOO cart today and bought it!   Hoping to give prospective customers a sense of the offerings available via STUDIO TULLIA.  I am always on the hunt for one of a kind, vintage textiles as well as an evolving assortment of designer textiles.  I love to help curate specific looks and collections, whatever your project.

NEW POSTCARD

 

We also freshened up my business card.   The logo we already had, but I wanted something new for Spring.   We used a remnant fabric that I had and incorporated that into the design.  

NEW BUSINESS CARD

The fabric is called “Bavier” au “Esprit de France” design by Greeff.  Greef was bought out by SCHUMACHER awhile back and still reproduces a lot of their patterns.  I found a bolt of this in my grandmother’s basement when I was a design student. It belonged to my great uncle who was also a designer in NYC in the 40’s and 50’s. He was an inspiration to me even though I never met him.  My grandmother shared his journals, letters and fabrics with me, which I still treasure.   I reupholstered a large wing chair in this fabric like 20 years ago in what is now my son’s favorite chair.  It is pretty worn to shreds, but I am glad it was loved and enjoyed for so many years in our home.

LEGACY MODERN POP-UP at URBANITE

If you live in Portland you might know about URBANITE,  a warehouse and curated designers’ collective,  always chock full of interesting finds.  

One of my partners, LEGACY MODERN, has a pop-up shop there right now. Go check it out if you haven’t been before.  Owner Mike Albino has a great eye for quality Danish Mid Century Modern and Industrial Furniture. He also supports the talents of many local artists as you’ll see in the ceramics, glassware, lighting, prints, paintings and STUDIO TULLIA soft goods!

LATEST PRODUCTS FROM STUDIO TULLIA

My neighbor is an antiques dealer and she has great estate sales very Summer.  I got this there and I believe it was intended to be a very lovely hand towel. I pieced some cotton to the sides to make it into a very large euro sham. I am a sucker for embroidery work, and this is a fine example.  You know many hours went into this.

(PLEASE NOTE: This above piece is SOLD, going to a fine home in Portland)

I always have random pieces left over when I use Josef Frank’s CITRUS GARDEN from Schumacher. I use it to make all kinds of things including random sized accent pillows, which have become quite popular.

I was thrilled to come across this fabric below by SISTER PARISH DESIGN. I was drawn to it at the MILL END STORE in Portland and was so thrilled to read in the selvage that it was from Sister Parish.  

Per the website…Resembling an American quilt, Campobello is a print that symbolizes Sister Parish’s love for American Craft and most specifically quilting. Parish Hadley worked with quilters from Selma Alabama in the late 1960s to develop patchwork quilted yard goods and also collaborated with the Freedom Quilting Bee from 1967 to 1969, bringing old-fashioned quilts to high end publications. The primitive tree border along the side enhances the sophistication of Campobello.

Eleanor & Franklin Roosevelt were married at Mr. & Mrs. Henry Parish’s house in New York City. Campobello was their country house in Canada.

Here is the grand dame herself. I love this quote from her as it very much resonates with my approach to design:

 

“Some think a decorator should change a house… I try to give permanence to a house to bring out the experiences, the memories, the feelings that make it a home.”

Here is a picture of her great granddaughter below, Eliza Crater, who is the creative director of the  Sister Parish Studio and has carried on the family tradition with her own personal style, along with her mother.  I can see the resemblance for sure. She is shown here in their family home, where her grandmother now lives, which once was Sister Parish’s.  And look what’s on the walls!

Here’s a recap of some of PORTLAND’s great resources:

ASSEMBLY

CARGO

CITY HOME

COLLAGE

KUSH RUGS  

LEGACY MODERN

MONTICELLO MARKETPLACE

PENDLETON

THE CRAFT BAR

URBANITE

WILD SHAMAN

 As always, thanks for reading along. 

 

 

 

 

 

ORC FALL 2018 DINING ROOM – week 3

ORC FALL 2018 DINING ROOM – week 3

Here we are at week 3 and I have made some design decisions. The lighting and upholstery fabric have been ordered. But most importantly, I have started the mural!  It’s like getting into a swimming pool; its a little hard at first and then you get more comfortable.

Be sure to check out what’s happening with the other ORC guest participants (tap the image above).

And to see some of the the featured designers at week 3 (tap the image below):

There are so many talented folks who do this – you should grab a cup of coffee (or a glass of wine) and spend some time checking things out.

So, onward we go. I settled on a chandelier:

LIGHTING

This was what we had before:

And this is what I selected:

$297.45
Originally $729.35
There are a few chandeliers out there that I love (that cost a lot more) but ultimately to find something my husband and I both agreed on, and with the price being so right on this one, we went for it.  I like that the shades are hand blown glass rather than fabric shades that gather dust.  And I like the more modern look and black silhouette.  I can take my time and wait to find a really amazing chandelier down the road.

UPHOLSTERY for CHAIRS:

I was going to go with a leopard velvet kind of like the rocker pictured below.

I needed something somewhat neutral that works with the black and white in the room on the loveseat and the sideboard.
STRIPED BLACK & WHITE LOVESEAT
BLACK/BROWN PERIOD SIDEBOARD:

 

I ultimately chose:
RED MILES TUMBLING BLOCKS by SCHUMACHER
It will breathe some new life into the room, I am hoping.
So, the inevitable needed to happen.  The  mural needed to begin and I have never done a mural before.

MURAL INSPO

JOHN DERIAN’s SWALLOW WALLPAPER:

and this lovely wallpaper mural by:

Anewall

 

So began the custom mixing:

And the beginning application of paint with the roller:

And the brush (see our lovely temporary light fixture below):

 

My 11 year old daughter was helping me quite a bit with the sky and clouds.  She has always been an artist…

 

By the end of the second day, it was looking more like Van Gogh’s Starry Night than what I had in mind.

 

I made the mistake of thinking that I could bang this out in a couple of 3 hour sessions and after two days, that is what it looked like.

 

I told my daughter I wasn’t happy with it and that I wanted to paint it over.  She asked if she could play with it for a bit if I was planning to scrap it anyway. So she did. I swallowed my ego and admitted that I liked what she did with the clouds.  She softened them and blended them better so they weren’t so animated. Then I realized that, as usual, I needed to slow down and take my time if I wanted to create something worth keeping.  She is always telling me to slow down.
So needless to say the mural is still in the works.

We are in full swing now and I look forward to sharing my progress with you next week.  In the meantime, you can follow me on INSTAGRAM

Let me know what you think and thank you for following along!

STUDIO TULLIA’S 2018 ROSE CALENDAR  – Get yours now while supplies last!

STUDIO TULLIA’S 2018 ROSE CALENDAR – Get yours now while supplies last!

Well, folks, we have a new calendar for 2018!

This calendar has been digitally printed on a nice linen/cotton that makes for a lovely, soft, washable tea towel. It measures approx. 15″W X 25″L.    We have hemmed it so that you may hang it up with a 3/16″ dowel and string.  You can also just tack it up and that looks fine, too.

 The Cloth Calendar is $24 including shipping.

If you want the Calendar with the Hanging Kit, the cost is $34 including shipping.

If you are handy at all, you can pick up your own two skinny 3/16″ wooden dowels, cut them to the desired width, attach a string at the top for hanging and wallah!

Here it is in my office.  It was cloudy and rainy today so this was the best I could get I’m afraid.

The inspiration for this calendar was a vintage large scale rose floral print I found that looks like it is from the sixties.   Given that Portland is the City of Roses I have been holding onto it and trying to figure out what to do with it so…

We had to figure out which section of the fabric to use which was challenging given the scale of the pattern.

Below is my fabulous assistant, Amanda, who is a constant help with computer graphics and design. (Sorry about the sun glaring in below).

Then we had to figure out the font, calendar numbers and graphics which took a few revisions.

I was trying to capture the fluidity of the artist’s hand on the roses with some added embellishments.

In the end, we settled on a bold font instead for the 2018, that to me has a retro look to it as I just wasn’t that happy with the hand written quality.

I think this is a really happy print, and not at all traditional, given the scale. About this time of year, we all deserve some bright blooms around the house.

I hope you like it!

Click HERE to purchase yours now

Thanks, as always, for reading, and HAPPY NEW YEAR!

 

WEEK 4 of the ORC – HALLWAY & STAIRS

WEEK 4 of the ORC – HALLWAY & STAIRS

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Well here we are at WEEK 4 of the ORC.  I am at a rather difficult stage of this project.

PAINTING OVER THE ORANGE WALLS

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The orange walls have required at least three coats of white paint and I’m not even sure that’s going to do it.  I still have to paint the trim on the doors and the stairs.

My intention is to finish those by the end of the weekend. We’ll see how that goes.  This is after one coat so you can see what we are dealing with.

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That old trim is looking pretty funky.img_4996

Trying to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

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The pictures for my gallery wall are being matted and assembled this week.

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I ordered a runner from West Elm and I’m hoping it’s everything I want it to be

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Once I have it, I can figure out the door paint colors

So I’ve definitely got my work cut out for me NEXT WEEK.

I’ll be painting the dresser and selecting new hardware…

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My husband’s job is to install the lighting and assist with painting. He is a seriously speedy champ on the paint roller.

We also need to restore the floor at the bottom of the stairs. It is the scariest thing we found when we pulled up the rug.  This area is also the entry into my home office so I thought it needed something.

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I found an awesome stencil on Instagram from HEIRLOOM142 . It is coming from Canada so I hope it gets here in time! They shipped it out the next day which I really appreciated.

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I’m stressing out this week so wish me good luck.

Grab a huge cup of coffee (or wine if that applies) and follow along with all the other DESIGNERS and GUEST PARTICIPANTS

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Thank you so much for taking the time to read my post.   I’ll talk to you next week!

Best,

Suzanne

 

ORC WEEK #3 – UPSTAIRS HALLWAY AND STAIRS

ORC WEEK #3 – UPSTAIRS HALLWAY AND STAIRS

  1. Pictures/Frames for the gallery wall
  2. Slipcover style for the ottoman
  3. A mirror for over the ottoman.

It really takes awhile to sort through old photos and then decide which ones to use.  I decided to opt for artful pictures; strong images that stand on on their own.  I also have a strategy for framing my pieces.  In an effort to not get too busy, Ive limited the palette to white, black, occasionally gold/silver and a few unique vintage frames to mix things up.  It takes time to build a gallery wall so I am not expecting to finish it completely in the next couple weeks, but at least I’ll be on my way.  Here are a few examples of PICTURE WALLS I really like:

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I like the simplicity of the black and white

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I also like when there is some art thrown in along with some variation in sizes. aed5fed3176be41c9676359ac6f3977a

Here are some of the PHOTOS I have gathered so far. Ive made a few trips to Goodwill and I have found frames from Aaron Brothers, IKEA, Pottery Barn as well as some higher quality custom frame shops!  I am taking them to a framer to just have the mattes cut and assembled with nice hooks on the back.

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The closest I have come to an style slip cover I want is this simple tuxedo style. The fabric is going to be a white or natural cotton fabric:

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And I would like to put a mirror over the bench. f3aeb632dacb764a830ce1a2c9eb8f86-copy

So I am on the hunt for one locally; we’ll see what I can find.

So, don’t forget to check out the progress of the ORC PARTICIPANTS HERE:http://www.callingithome.com/blog/2016/10/one-room-challenge-fall-2016-week-3:

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And the other GUEST PARTICIPANTS here: http://www.callingithome.com/blog/2016/10/one-room-challenge-guest-participants-week-3 static1-squarespace-1

 

Have a wonderful Friday and enjoy your weekend.

Best,

Suzanne

 

 

 

 

ONE ROOM CHALLENGE 2016 -WEEK 6 of CHARLOTTE’S ROOM FINAL REVEAL!

ONE ROOM CHALLENGE 2016 -WEEK 6 of CHARLOTTE’S ROOM FINAL REVEAL!

Well, we managed to finish up just in time!  Here are the results.  We were lucky to have a bright sunny day for these last minute pictures, thanks to my amazing assistant, Amanda. Everything is smelling like roses and I am drinking a gin and tonic as I write this (it is after 5 pm West coast time, FYI).

FINAL REVEAL:

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Below is a painting of our backyard fig tree that Charlotte and her friend Alex painted together last year.  I floated it in one of IKEA’s shadow box frames.

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As you can see we have a little woodland theme going on with the deers and bunny rabbit. I know the rose floral shade on the sconce and bed linens from IKEA are a departure from the neon splatter, but it was such a lovely pattern we bent the matchy matchy rules.   Perhaps bold colors or solid colored linens would have worked better, but we wanted to make these work.  They’re cozy and a little English or something.  The framed deer art is hand cross stitched by a very patient Oregonian: a vintage find that was in perfect condition. The antique bed is an heirloom from my grandparents that my Mother stripped and refinished years ago.DSC09162.jpg

The large splatter pillow was a trial run before the curtains and the hand drawn critter pillow Charlotte drew awhile back as a prototype for a school auction project.  The cross pillow was from STUDIO TULLIA inventory and we liked it in the room.DSC09193.jpg

You can see a little bit of the furry stool we created by covering an IKEA stool.  It is the perfect little occasional stool for this tiny room and adds some much needed glamour.DSC09201.jpg

I want to show you a close up of the white bunny painting by Oregonian artist ELIZABETH SEE because she is so talented.IMG_3459.jpgWe have come quite a ways in just a couple weeks.  Here are a few before shots:

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Getting that pink the right color took some work.  Between BENJAMIN MOORE PAINT and METRO PAINT we got it done.IMG_2452.jpg

The IKEA curtains were perhaps the funnest part of this project and they really set the tone for the room.DSC09290.jpg

This IKEA PS 2014 ceiling pendant is very cool in its design. The pull factor really is fun at night and gives you a diverse range of visual effects.  Her twin brother Arthur is a little jealous when it comes to the light.  Thank God they have lego building experience as they put this thing together all by themselves.  Whereas that project might have put me right over the edge.

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This is her bookshelf which I have staged for this shoot.  The camellias ,roses and hydrangeas are from our garden. The amethyst cut crystal vase was her great grandmother’s and the other vase is a hand painted vintage vase as well.  The flower etched globe light is from IKEA.  And we all know that’s an AMERICAN DOLL in a wheelchair. The one thing in the catalog Arthur liked because it had wheels.

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HARRY POTTER books without their covers aren’t so bad looking next to the collection of NANCY DREW books.

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All of the pillows in this feature have been provided by my primary sponsor ~ STUDIO TULLIA!  Vintage ones (like the cool beaded rose pillow above) as well as other vintage oddities are available through TULLIA MARKETPLACE, which is not fully off the ground, but should be by this Summer.

Here are a few more pictures of the flowers up close because they are just so pretty.  The vase is by who else…IKEA.  The little painting is by Charlotte.

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A FEW MORE NOTES…

We decided last minute to switch out her side table form TARGET and it needed to be white.  The finish was antique gold and it just fell flat in the corner.   We almost painted the gold framed mirror, too, but decided it added some bling and was ok as is.

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This room was a quite a challenge because in all honesty this room is a dog.  The room is tiny, the ceiling is slanted, the windows and trim work are funky, and many more issues I don’t need to bore you with.

The good news is that this is the room she wants to be in and is a very happy girl. She could not fall asleep last night she was so excited. I hated to wake her up this morning. This room is her safe haven, compared to the larger guest room where she was temporarily staying during this project.

IMG_3504.jpgSweet Dreams, my Sweet Charlotte.

I am excited to grab a cup of coffee tomorrow morning and indulge myself in the many final reveals as part of the ONE ROOM CHALLENGE, thanks to CALLING IT HOME.

This was a great challenge for me and 6 weeks was just about right. I am excited to do another room in the Fall.

Here is the link to twenty very talented designer bloggers’ final reveals HERE

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And if that’s not enough, there are over 1,000 Guest Participant Final Reveals to view HERE:

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Thanks so much for following along!

 

Best,

Suzanne

 

 

 

 

 

 

ORC SPRING 2016 – Week 5 it is…

ORC SPRING 2016 – Week 5 it is…

Well, we are coming into WEEK 5 with one week left to go.  It has not been glamorous: its been about painting and electrical, but it is almost done!

My husband spent half a day last weekend putting in the electrical for the ceiling pendant in Charlotte’s room and while he was at it he upgraded our smoke alarms upstairs which felt good to check off the list.

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As you can see, we got the walls painted and just have the trim left to paint.  It took a little work to get the lilac and pink right. I think they are not too intense and balance each other out pretty well.

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We still need to add trim to this one wall.  Don’t ask me why it’s not there. That is how this house rolls and has for several decades.

Hope Hubbie can find the plates for the switches and outlets.  I got the curtains hemmed and just need the hardware installed. Oh honey…

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Yesterday we assessed where we are with ART, PILLOWS and BED LINENS.IMG_3289

 

She got this in MEXICO:IMG_3294

 

There is never a shortage of pillows around here.  The splattered one was made up using leftover fabric from Charlotte’s curtain project.IMG_3295

 

We might paint the frame on this mirror.  Haven’t decided yet.IMG_3301

 

We have this large vintage cross stitch piece that I found at a rummage sale that Charlotte loves.  IMG_3304

It sort of ties in with the bed which is an antique from my grandparents.IMG_3310

And, here is another lovely Mexican textile to add to the mix.

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To check in on the ORC Featured Designers, go HERE

 

ORC Designers

And, to see the ORC Guest Participants, go HERE

 

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So, there’s a lot to do still, but we are going to pull this thing together by next week.   Until then….have a great rest of the week.

– Suzanne

ORC Spring 2016 – Here we are at Week 4!!!

ORC Spring 2016 – Here we are at Week 4!!!

Things are getting real here, folks, with only a couple weeks left. Our goal is to have electrical, painting, curtain installation and most of the furnishings in place by next week. That will leave the last week for bed linens, art, styling and the photo shoot.

Check out the GUEST PARTICIPANTS HERE

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And check out the FEATURED DESIGNERS HERE

 

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There are some wonderful projects going on so take a peek.

SPLATTERED CURTAINS

If you recall, we have been discussing Charlotte’s curtains and I had some serious concerns about the outcome…

Well we decided to dive in one recent afternoon.  Starting with the three neon paints dyes (with glitter) I made her do a few practice runs, trying different brushes and splatter techniques.

We put a tarp down in the back yard and laid the two cotton curtain panels on it.

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We got out the neon dye colors:

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And, here she is giving it a whirl.

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Lots of mixing going on…

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After a few practice runs on scrap fabric, and before we even started on the curtains we had to run back to COLLAGE, our local crafts store to get more paint!  IMG_3187.jpg

By the time we got back with SEVERAL more fabric dye colors, it was starting to get dark!

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The paints and splattered textiles were even beginning to glow.  We had to hustle as I was not setting all this up again. I didn’t want her to over do it anyway.

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She was able to get it all done before it was too dark and we were really happy with the results:

IMG_3241.jpg I am also making a euro sham for her bed out of a couple of the scrap pieces.  All in all it took about two hours.

UPHOLSTERED STOOL

We needed to find some sort of small chair or stool for her room and I came across this one while shopping at FABRIC DEPOT.  I picked it up to look underneath and drum roll please… it was from IKEA!

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So back to IKEA I went and got this for $35.

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I had some leftover white fur from my pillow line on ETSY so I am using that to cover the stool.

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Here’s the fur we used although it is more white – Arctic Fox white. We are going to decide later if we want to paint the legs or leave them black.

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Here it is…what do you think?  This puppy could use a little trim/combing, but not too shabby:

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TEXTILES & PENDLETON:

 

I was shopping at Pendleton Woolen Mills and came across this interesting turquoise plaid that I thought might be a colorful blanket.  So I am keeping that in mind at $60/yard.

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Here is one of the PINK CROSS pillows available at STUDIO TULLIA on ETSY that we are planning to use on her bed.

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And I am just starting to think about art, although she already has quite a bit of her own to work with.  I just think these are lovely.

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And lastly, think it would be fun to paint her door this rose quartz when we get to the hallway outside her room.IMG_3239.jpg

 

Wishing everyone a great few last days of the week.

 

And, thanks for reading!

 

Best,

Suzanne

 

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