Magnolia

'Tis the season for magnolias and I'm loving it. 

{Every once in a while my husband surprises me with one}

There's something about magnolia trees that is just completely Southern & romantic.  They transport you somewhere wlse.   (Unless that is, if you're already at a gorgeous Southern antebellum estate.}

(image from arborday.org}

According to wikipedia and the University of Florida's website, Magnolia trees are one of the most ancient trees we have today, with fossils dating back to 36-58 million years ago.  They were originally native to the Asias & the Americas (particularly the East Coast) and Europe, but the Ice Age destroyed the ancient European forests.  The American Southern Magnolia was  reintroduced in Europe in 1731 when it was discovered.  They became extremely popular and are now the most commonly planted shrub/ tree around the world.  

I wish I had a magnolia tree.  One day. 

{photo via landscapeplantsbycliff.com}

{Steel Magnolias: Shelby "got" magnolias...  she planned to float them in her pool at her "blush and bashful" themed wedding, although I don't quite remember ever seeing the pool at the wedding in the movie.}

When I have my hands on a magnolia bloom, I'm weird with it.  I literally just put my face in it & breathe it in.  For a long time.  It's "Heaven" as my 3 (almost 4!) year-old says because he's heard me say it so much. 

{I even have my husband take pictures of me holding them}

 I sleep with it mext to my bed and I can smell it all night long when I'm drifting in & out of sleep. 

They make me so happy and their smell just sort of makes stress melt away.  This past week was INSANITY.  Work has been really busy for both me & my husband, and we had to take Justin (our 18-month old) to the ER because his fever got so high & he was having mini seizures & vomitting.  (I didn't know that's what was going on, I thought he was having odd twitches as he was trying to sleep in my arms, and although that was scary, I'm so glad I didn't know they were seizures at the time.)  His fever has been up & down all weekend and my parents watched our 3 year-old for us.  During one of the down points Saturday evening when Justin was aleep & we thought he was all better, my husband surprised me with a magnolia bloom.  It hung out with us pretty much all night.  I literally fell asleep smelling it, and I woke up to a completely brown & crunched magnolia underneath of me in bed.   ah vell!  You only get them for a little while.

It was for all of these reasons that I wanted to create a magnolia - patterned textile.  The vibe of magnolias is such a free, casual & relaxed elegance and I wanted to make a fabric with that feeling.  It really fits with the setting around here.  (Virginia & DC are filled with magnolia trees.)  I worked with my super-talented my friend,  Kat Wright, who painted this beautiful painting in oil from my very junky sketches:

{Isn't she amazing!!?)}

It then became this on linen:

I played with the colors and created 4 other colorways, including china blue:   

I'm working out the final kinks in pricing, fabrics, etc. and am hoping to have the fabrics available to sell in my online store July 15th.  Like I've mentioned before, creating high-quality textiles on linen in small runs is much more expensive than I'd originally guessed it would be.  Prices will be around $90- $115/ yard for linen and I'm looking into cotton options. 

Here's a peek at the banner for the new online store:

I hope you had a great weekend & if you have a chance, find a magnolia:

My husband's taking Justin to the doctor today so fingers crossed for my little Tootaline.

Also, my friend Jill Sorensen of Marmalade Interiors and creator of Live Like You is offering Pure Style Home Readers 10% off of her newest design personality, Earthy Modern:

Enter discount code: EARTHY10 for 10% off until June 20th!

 Jill has launched an online store where she has created room designs for different personalities & styles.  You can view the designs for free and purchase everything in the plans right at Live Like You.   Congratulations to Jill & her new venture & thanks so much for the discount!!

And finally, I accidentally deleted my "Local" Blogroll when trying to add some new people on. (eeeek!!)   I'm in the process of writing a list of everyone that I can remember off of my old blogroll , but if you'd like to be added and if you're in the Maryland/ DC/ VA area, please email my assistant mailto:atmeghan@thepurestyle.com so that we can add you to the new Local blogroll.  When we get more time, we'll start working on adding a new blogroll for those who aren't local.  Thanks!!!  

If you'd like help creating a home you absolutely love, contact me about our design services.

Magnolia

'Tis the season for magnolias and I'm loving it. 

{Every once in a while my husband surprises me with one}

There's something about magnolia trees that is just completely Southern & romantic.  They transport you somewhere wlse.   (Unless that is, if you're already at a gorgeous Southern antebellum estate.}

(image from arborday.org}

According to wikipedia and the University of Florida's website, Magnolia trees are one of the most ancient trees we have today, with fossils dating back to 36-58 million years ago.  They were originally native to the Asias & the Americas (particularly the East Coast) and Europe, but the Ice Age destroyed the ancient European forests.  The American Southern Magnolia was  reintroduced in Europe in 1731 when it was discovered.  They became extremely popular and are now the most commonly planted shrub/ tree around the world.  

I wish I had a magnolia tree.  One day. 

{photo via landscapeplantsbycliff.com}

{Steel Magnolias: Shelby "got" magnolias...  she planned to float them in her pool at her "blush and bashful" themed wedding, although I don't quite remember ever seeing the pool at the wedding in the movie.}

When I have my hands on a magnolia bloom, I'm weird with it.  I literally just put my face in it & breathe it in.  For a long time.  It's "Heaven" as my 3 (almost 4!) year-old says because he's heard me say it so much. 

{I even have my husband take pictures of me holding them}

 I sleep with it mext to my bed and I can smell it all night long when I'm drifting in & out of sleep. 

They make me so happy and their smell just sort of makes stress melt away.  This past week was INSANITY.  Work has been really busy for both me & my husband, and we had to take Justin (our 18-month old) to the ER because his fever got so high & he was having mini seizures & vomitting.  (I didn't know that's what was going on, I thought he was having odd twitches as he was trying to sleep in my arms, and although that was scary, I'm so glad I didn't know they were seizures at the time.)  His fever has been up & down all weekend and my parents watched our 3 year-old for us.  During one of the down points Saturday evening when Justin was aleep & we thought he was all better, my husband surprised me with a magnolia bloom.  It hung out with us pretty much all night.  I literally fell asleep smelling it, and I woke up to a completely brown & crunched magnolia underneath of me in bed.   ah vell!  You only get them for a little while.

It was for all of these reasons that I wanted to create a magnolia - patterned textile.  The vibe of magnolias is such a free, casual & relaxed elegance and I wanted to make a fabric with that feeling.  It really fits with the setting around here.  (Virginia & DC are filled with magnolia trees.)  I worked with my super-talented my friend,  Kat Wright, who painted this beautiful painting in oil from my very junky sketches:

{Isn't she amazing!!?)}

It then became this on linen:

I played with the colors and created 4 other colorways, including china blue:   

I'm working out the final kinks in pricing, fabrics, etc. and am hoping to have the fabrics available to sell in my online store July 15th.  Like I've mentioned before, creating high-quality textiles on linen in small runs is much more expensive than I'd originally guessed it would be.  Prices will be around $90- $115/ yard for linen and I'm looking into cotton options. 

Here's a peek at the banner for the new online store:

I hope you had a great weekend & if you have a chance, find a magnolia:

My husband's taking Justin to the doctor today so fingers crossed for my little Tootaline.

Also, my friend Jill Sorensen of Marmalade Interiors and creator of Live Like You is offering Pure Style Home Readers 10% off of her newest design personality, Earthy Modern:

Enter discount code: EARTHY10 for 10% off until June 20th!

 Jill has launched an online store where she has created room designs for different personalities & styles.  You can view the designs for free and purchase everything in the plans right at Live Like You.   Congratulations to Jill & her new venture & thanks so much for the discount!!

And finally, I accidentally deleted my "Local" Blogroll when trying to add some new people on. (eeeek!!)   I'm in the process of writing a list of everyone that I can remember off of my old blogroll , but if you'd like to be added and if you're in the Maryland/ DC/ VA area, please email my assistant mailto:atmeghan@thepurestyle.com so that we can add you to the new Local blogroll.  When we get more time, we'll start working on adding a new blogroll for those who aren't local.  Thanks!!!  

If you'd like help creating a home you absolutely love, contact me about our design services.

Weekend Love

I had the privilege of snapping some photos of my friend's newborn boy this week. Aren't baby feet the sweetest things?

 

Photography is a hobby of mine. Emphasis on HOBBY. But when people see my "big black camera", they often assume that I must know something about taking a good picture. However, owning such a machine does not automatically makes me a photographer. It makes me a camera owner. I'm learning to use it, slowly, but I'm certainly no professional. (For proof, I'll admit that the picture above of the baby's feet is far superior to any snaps I took of his face!)

Today I'm going to highlight some photographer friends of mine who take beautiful pictures, whether they own a DSLR or a cell phone camera.  Each blogger is participating in the "365 project", meaning they are taking a picture each day for a year and posting it for all to see. Check out these collections, listed in the order they are currently on my blogroll. You will see that pictures are more the inspiration and skill and less about the price of the camera. There is beauty in all of these pictures!

365 Days of Stacy

Liane's Project 365

Photographer in Kansas City

My Life in 365 Pictures

I hope these blogs inspire you to take some pictures of your own this weekend, no matter what kind of camera you own. If you have a 365 blog of your own, please post a link in the comments! I'd love to see it.

Thank yous!

I just wanted to send a little shout-out (oh wow, did I really just say "shout-out??" ) to my mom & my grandmother.  They ("Gramma Donna" and "Gramma Cracker") come over once a week every week to watch our boys.  They bring all sorts of toys & games & activities with them and the kids loooove their grammas.  I work in the office while they play & unfortunately, I don't really get a chance to be with them at all.  But today, when they left, I found this pretty little surprise on the table:

{Hydrangea from the garden; ignore the kid dinner in background}

I'm not sure which of them did it, but I love it.  Especially they way the leaves were wrapped around the stems.  Go Grandmother! (I think it was you who did the leaf thing.)

I know I don't get nearly enough time with either of you or get to say it much, but if you're reading this, thank you for all that you do and I love you.

Summer is almost really here and we've been crazy-busy with some exciting new projects at work.  Meghan, my design assistant, has been amazing & just turned 23 yesterday!!  (Happy Birthday Megs!!)  And my best friend, Frammy, just turned 29 this week too!!  (Happy birthday Cheese if you're reading!! I love you!!)

Also, thanks so much to Linda Merrill for the mention in her online magazine, which you can read here:

Surroundings

And finally, thank YOU so much for reading. 

I truly appreciate it and I look forward coming here because of you.

If you'd like help creating a home you absolutely love, contact me about our design services.

Thank yous!

I just wanted to send a little shout-out (oh wow, did I really just say "shout-out??" ) to my mom & my grandmother.  They ("Gramma Donna" and "Gramma Cracker") come over once a week every week to watch our boys.  They bring all sorts of toys & games & activities with them and the kids loooove their grammas.  I work in the office while they play & unfortunately, I don't really get a chance to be with them at all.  But today, when they left, I found this pretty little surprise on the table:

{Hydrangea from the garden; ignore the kid dinner in background}

I'm not sure which of them did it, but I love it.  Especially they way the leaves were wrapped around the stems.  Go Grandmother! (I think it was you who did the leaf thing.)

I know I don't get nearly enough time with either of you or get to say it much, but if you're reading this, thank you for all that you do and I love you.

Summer is almost really here and we've been crazy-busy with some exciting new projects at work.  Meghan, my design assistant, has been amazing & just turned 23 yesterday!!  (Happy Birthday Megs!!)  And my best friend, Frammy, just turned 29 this week too!!  (Happy birthday Cheese if you're reading!! I love you!!)

Also, thanks so much to Linda Merrill for the mention in her online magazine, which you can read here:

Surroundings

And finally, thank YOU so much for reading. 

I truly appreciate it and I look forward coming here because of you.

If you'd like help creating a home you absolutely love, contact me about our design services.

Ideal Pergola Designs In your Garden | How To Choose The Right Pergola

Ideal Pergola Designs In your Garden

Any garden by using a pergola there would conveniently be found to be more attractive than the garden not having it. The source of this is that your particular pergola adds numerous value towards a garden. The main reasons like a pergola could be to provide the peace together with tranquility the fact that draws people together. As a result, a pergola may be a wonderful addition towards your garden since the device will be a wonderful gathering point in your family, friends together with neighbors. At the same time, in terms and conditions of financial commitment value, building pergolas in your garden is usually very advantageous just because house by using a pergola is rue much more than a place without. This is not going to mean that just about any pergola might possibly be effective. On the other hand, you will have to be careful of particular pergola variations you grant of for your garden. Evaluate the following.

Pergola Design

1. That which is the accurate location within the pergola as per the pergola design?
One of the very common coming up with flaws for the purpose of pergolas is that others do not concentrate on the location of numerous utilities on their gardens. In a perfect world, your pergola really should not built upon any sort of utility corresponding equipment. In actual fact, your pergola ought not to even get built in underground steaming, let on alone over yard equipment.

2. Do any pergola plans take into account the sun?
Since the stage that the pergola could be to protect people under it all, it is crucial that you take into account the path that the sun calls for when it goes over your garden. If you'd like to catch the sunshine, you could still really need to take the trail of the sunshine into balance. Therefore, you have to only approve the spot of any pergola upon having confirmed that the sun's path has long been analyzed.

3. What precisely materials undertake the pergola design specify?
As a rule, wood is looked upon to as the best content for setting up pergolas. The source of right here is the fact that wood pergolas end up cheaper compared with pergolas composed of other substances. Furthermore, wood stands out as the most organically grown material that you will find for setting up pergolas. Other materials that others have been identified by use comprise vinyl together with aluminum.

4. Have any pergola projects been intended to scale?
Above your gardening, the size within the pergola will also are different. It might possibly be entirely unnecessary if you end up with a good pergola too big or overly small since the device would cannot serve a primary motive. Hence, guantee that the size within the pergola corresponds to how large your gardening before getting the turn around for a construction.

5. Which unfortunately shape undertake the pergola projects give your pergola?
At last, you will also have to make an alternative between numerous shapes within the pergola. Including, many people plan to have circle pergola designs a result of way it all looks while a good many others refrain from round pergola designs since they're especially expensive to generate. The fastest shapes meant for pergolas happen to be square or simply rectangle.

So how about your best pergola design for your garden?

Wish upon a raindrop...

I wish I may, I wish I might. 

Basically, I want two things: to go camping and to steal my daughter from school and take her on a full-fledged picnic, replete with a pretty picnic blanket, yummy chicken sandwiches, homemade cookies, potato chips, and a flask of a cold, sweet drink. I want to pack a frisbee, bubbles, sunscreen, and even a kite and just spend the afternoon revelling in a sunny afternoon. I want to stop on the way home for popsicles and return with newfound freckles on our cheeks and shake blades of grass from the picnic blanket. 

 

Or maybe I want more: 

I also want to have a barbecue and actually eat outside, hear the sounds of my kids jumping into the pool, and hang clothes on the line to dry in the sun. I want to plant my window boxes and not worry about them growing mouldy from the never-ending damp. I want to have to put my air conditioner in my window and (finally) paint my porch floor. I want to wear flip-flops and put my jeans away in the back of my closet. I want to think that cooking a turkey is a ludicrous idea and eat my first (and probably only) hot dog of the season.

Because, have you ever had the feeling that you are trapped in a time warp where the days literally resemble one another and you are in a state of suspended motion where someone has hit the pause button on the change of seasons?  Where the picture outside your window never changes and that picture is grey and drizzly and, admittedly, a lush green but little else in the way of colour? While we are very, very fortunate that our weather complaints are mild (especially in light of others who have been faced with forceful and dangerous weather events), those of us who have endured a long, snowy Canadian winter are feeling the lack of energy and mood-lifting sun and vitamin D that normally comes with this time of year. For it has been over a month of cool/cold, dreary, uninspiring weather. I am literally craving the warmth of the sun and all the happy things that come with it.

And I will keep on wishing.

Summer Tortellini Salad

It's time for another 20-minute Tuesday! Today I'll be sharing a quick recipe with you that is easy to make but full of flavor. My kids eat it too!

 

I made this salad as a quick side dish for a recent meal of pulled pork sandwiches. I was out of traditional pasta salad ingredients, so I improvised.  It took only a few minutes to make, and using the corn and the peas right out of the freezer chilled the whole dish, allowing me to serve it "chilled" right away. 

Ingredients:
1 16oz bag frozen cheese tortellini
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup frozen peas
2T pesto
1T olive oil

1 16oz can stewed tomatoes

Directions:
Boil tortellini according to package directions (about 2-3 minutes). Drain and rinse with cold water.
 In a large mixing bowl, combine remaining ingredients and stir. Add tortellini. Salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with fresh basil, if desired.

Enjoy!

Linking up to these great parties:

>

Best Feng Shui On Your Bedroom | Feng Shui on Bedroom

Feng Shui on Bedroom

Best Feng Shui On Your Bedroom | Feng Shui on Bedroom - When looking at feng shui principles during the bedroom, take into account that the bedroom may be a key area that many of us focus regarding when making a request Feng Shui towards a house. The bedroom is crucial as it's the place you take a rest and heal. As such we need the feng shui within the bedroom to generally be calm, serene, restful, together with supportive that will one's health and wellbeing.

Feng Shui on Bedroom for Health and Well-Being

The health is certainly key. When analyzing property, the priority to your remedies during the bedroom management is health. In xuan kong terms and conditions (flying stars) this means the people or mountain star has to be supportive for the health of the man. If isn't, then the suitable elemental remedy has to be applied. Including, if any mountain star of 2 is present in your bedroom, then we need metal to lower the ill effects of the fact star.

If you can't know with regards to the flying stars, then it's best to focus over the environmental components of feng shui on bedroom. We have found one point with a discussion which had been very appealing. Master Sang within the American Feng Shui Institut suggested so that you can not own circular together with rectangular home furnishings mixed from a bedroom as it create discord. In actual fact, circular figures promote process and square and rectangular increase stability together with rest. That makes it best don't have round beds as well as use even more square or simply rectangular shapes in your own areas you happen to be trying to create a serene and peaceful environment in your own bedroom.

The bedroom should manifest as a place meant for rest together with recovery. It should be designed utilizing with peace on your mind. Do don't have numerous clutter together with haphazardly built-up furniture, training books, electronics, or anything else. Make it all a sanctuary off from the rest of the crazy society. Use very soft designs and avoid using clear colors or simply patterns. However the terrific debate is certainly whether a good television have to occupy your room. If it can be a sha (negative influence) to having rest, then it should not be there. At the same time, the screen really should not directly all around from you it simply because its acts as the reflective object which can create another style of sha. For those who wake up and see to your own personal movement during the screen, perhaps you believe it is some other individual and get hold of startled. That way, you ought not to have the tv directly.

Feng Shui on Bedroom Tips

* Always make your bedroom nice and clean and contemporary fresh (open any windows whenever need be)
* Refrain from placing any bed towards a corner. Always try a flat structure behind any headboard
* Really don't place an individual's bed in an subjected to beam if possible. You ought to have a relaxing sleeping position
* Avoid possessing a mirror within the foot within the bed in front of the bed

Keep on your mind that the bedroom should get calming together with peaceful, thus it's not necessary to have numerous work on the bedroom , nor keep some sort of office during the bedroom. Refrain from clutter. Make room serene and great. Work when it comes to supporting your own private rest. Take into account that the bedroom has to be your place meant for rest together with recovery. Treat your bedroom by respect thus you are respecting yourself.

What for anybody who is still struggling to get better the Feng Shui of the home or living space?

We knowledge it really hard to try have great results at improving your hard earned cash situation, any health issues situation or simply your relationship difficulties with Feng Shui, but if you'd like to really make an awesome change towards your environment then you might want to learn those simple tactics that works very well. Get your Feng Shui on Bedroom

New Irregular Blog Series: "Love" Houses

If you've been following this blog for a while, you might have picked up that I'm not very good with doing regular blog series.  (And if you're new, well, I'm not good with doing regular blog series.)  I like to write about what floats my boat on any given day, so I'm better with irregular posts.  BUT in my mind I like to have some sort of organization so one of the new irregular series I'll be doing around here will be "Love" Houses.  These are the houses that have been featured in magazines or online that I just can't get over.  The articles I go back to for staring at time and time again.  The ones that I feel disappointed about when the text runs out.  The ones that get me dreaming & excited.  Some are old, some are new, but these houses are my favorite and go in the "love" pile and I thought it might be fun to share some of them on the blog.

My first favorite house/ estate is called Cherryfilelds (yes, it has a name :)  and belongs to John Dransfield and Geoffrey Ross (of Dransfield & Ross) and was featured in Elle Decor's July/ August 2010 issue.  Text is by Peter Tersian.  Photography is by Simon Upton & it was styled by Carlos Mota.

{I dream of having a massive living toom large enough for multiple interesting groupings.}

Dranfield & Ross actually traded for this house with its owner, Nancy Pine AKA "Princess" (an "outrageous" fabulous widow in her 80s.)   They foudn the house but it wasn't on the market.  They would stalk the house until they finally made an appointment to meet with Princess.  "They made a deal on the spot" and just needed to wait until Princess could find a house to move to.  They waited months while she searched and finally she asked them what type of house they had.  It was an 1806 farmhouse and they ended up swapping houses.  They think of her as their Auntie Mame and she visits when they're out, leaving notes.   My favorite part is that Princess says "The best time to visit someone is when they're not at home."   

"The building is long & rambling but it's only one room deep, so all the major rooms have light on both north and south sides."---- ummm, a-mazing. 

{You know I loooove these pools}

I love the conservatory-feel in some of the rooms:

{love their pup!}

...And find myself more & more drawn to black.

Light & airy yet dramatic at the same time:

I love that the house has a combination of airy rooms & moodier rooms. 

The kitchen is so charming.  Again, it's got that fresh-deep thing going on that I love.

I love this shot of the butler's pantry: 

{Heaven}

Everything feels so authentic & collected.  It feels carefree & relaxed yet elegant.  It's a laid-back formality that's really refreshing.  I just want to be there when Iook at the pictures.

You can view the article online at Elle Decor here and I'll be posting more "Love" houses every now & then!

I'm off for the day, but hope you had a great weekend!!  Only a couple more weeks until school's out for the summer & I can't wait!!! (my husband's a teacher)  I have the window open right now & have to be honest that I'm finding it harder & harder to buckle down in the office.  Outside's calling!!  eeeeeeeeeeek

If you'd like help creating a home you absolutely love, contact me about our design services.