Velvet and Linen, Brooke and Steve Giannetti In Veranda!

Velvet and Linen in the July/August 2011 issue of Veranda

I just got the July/August issue of Veranda and woo-to-the-hoo, blogger Brooke Giannetti and her husband Steve have their beach house in the issue! And Steve did the drop dead gorgeous photography (with Lisa Romerin). There are eight fab pages to swoon over!

I love these two! So a big smooch and a heartfelt congratulations to them!

Get your issue and a glass of wine and kick back and have a Happy Weekend!

Mary Kay Andrews Summer Rental - It's Her House!

Many of you know about Mary Kay Andrews new book "Summer Rental". It is the best beach read for sure.

I was at Joni's the other day, engrossed in one of her long and interesting posts, gladly going down the rabbit hole of her tangents, when at the very end of the post she mentioned Mary Kay's book with a link to site that rents Mary Kay's actual summer home, Breeze Inn Cottage on Tybee Island (thank you Joni).

Well it is too cute for words, and it is certainly one summer rental that does not require a make-over! I captured the images for you from the web site HERE. I wish the images were larger, but I think you will be able to see how darling this house is. And I love the captions! I wonder if Mary Kay wrote them.

And the house is pet friendly! I would love to rent this house for at least a month! Wouldn't you???!!!

Enjoy! And Happy Weekend!

Eight Great Places For A Chandelier

Hi Everyone! Another great guest post for you from Arcadian Lighting

I think I should ask them to do a giveaway for all of you. What do you think?
Happy Weekend!


Lighting fixtures can become the beautiful focal points of rooms, and a chandelier is one of the best ways to achieve this. While traditionally it has been the lighting fixture of choice for the dining room, there are slews of other great places for a chandelier. They can create ambient lighting in utilitarian spaces such as kitchens and bathrooms, add a touch of class and elegance to an entryway or suspended outdoors, and they are the perfect accessory to a lavish bedroom, living room or home office. Available in an endless range of styles and materials, chandeliers are the most opulent of lighting fixtures.

Bathroom

Once Daily Chic (via)

Perched above a grandiose tub or even a glitzy vanity, a bejewelled chandelier looks stunning when reflecting off of white tiles and gold accents.

Kitchen

Custom Furniture (via)

Chandeliers aren't always dripping with crystals - a more subdued streamlined light fixture, like this three-shade wrought-iron model, provides direct lighting over a kitchen island.

Bedroom

bjoku.com (via)

An antique-style chandelier adds instant glam to a bedroom, either hung over a four-poster bed or in a changing area, as pictured here.

Living room

The Lennoxx (via)

Arrange the furniture in a formal living room around a candelabra-type chandelier for an intimate sitting area where everyone will want to socialize.

Kid's bedroom

honeyandfitz.blogspot.com (via)

Give the little princess of the house a sparkly addition to brighten up her bedroom - there is a wide selection of mini chandeliers to choose from.

Home office

Country Living (via)

Make going to the office a little more chic with floral-patterned wallpaper, dashes of bright fuchsia and a hanging light fixture overhead.

Entryway

Indy Star (via)

Nothing says welcome like the inviting ambiance of an entryway†chandelier - look for something that complements the decor as well as proportionately occupies the space.

Outside

sucasase.blogspot.com (via)

One of the more unlikely spots for a chandelier and yet one of the most striking, chandeliers playfully dangling from an arbour, tree or tent ceiling brings the extravagance of the inside out.


VV here:
Jennifer is a writer for Arcadian Lighting, a site that specializes in top quality lighting fixtures at extremely affordable prices. Go visit them HERE today!

Effortless Style

See what I do all day at Effortless Style HERE

Something is still messed up with my blog. I don't know what's going on. Yesterday's post just disappeared. I am still not convinced this is just Google's doing, and I suspect someone is messing with me and doing some damage. I can hardly wait to move my blog from this location.

Please stay with me! I will not let this ruin all that we have gone through together, and destroy the friendships and loyalty you have all bestowed on this old vamp...

Happy Weekend!

Happy Weekend House Tour

Visual Vamp Valorie Hart and Alberto Paz
Preservation Resource Shotgun House Tour
photo by Melanie Acevedo

It's the day before the house tour and I am working like ten field hands, and Alberto is working like at least five. Just taking a break between washing windows, and plowing the back forty to share a video link (that Alberto made) with you of how the house looked when we first viewed it with the real estate agents. Talk about staging for a sale!

We are going to run it on loop on the TV in the living room tomorrow during the tour. I hate how a TV not turned on looks like a black hole, so this video will be "art" and be informative ha ha. I hope you enjoy it, and happy weekend! And if you are in New Orleans stop by for the tour. I have some surprise guests as my docents.

Go HERE to see the video!

Preservation Resource Center Presents

The Return of the Shotgun House Tour! Saturday, April 2, 2011 • 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. In the Irish Channel & Garden District Headquarters - Tracey's - 2604 Magazine St. Celebrate New Orleans’ favorite house type in the Irish Channel and Garden District this weekend! See the interiors of 11 of the most charming shotgun houses in the neighborhood. Visit the headquarters at Tracey's Irish Restaurant & Bar. Also, go shopping on Magazine Street to take advantage of special discounts for ticketholders! Click here for directions to the tour headquarters at Tracey's Irish Restaurant & Bar. Click here for details about the homes on tour and the participating businesses offering discounts to ticketholders. Advance Tickets: $16 for PRC members $20 for non-members $10 for groups of 10 or more On the day of the tour, all tickets are $25. On the day of the tour, tickets may be purchased at the tour headquarters, Tracey's Irish Restaurant & Bar, 2604 Magazine St. Purchase tickets in advance by calling 504.581.7032. or by clicking the "Buy Tickets Now" button below.

All contents © Preservation Resource Center. Replication usage not permitted without expressed consent.

Your Thoughts Please ~ Weekend Round Up

This is a slacker post. I am up to my ears in the hoopla with a couple of photo shoots, working on Art In Bloom, getting ready for the PRC House Tour, so it's just a show and tell kind of post today.

Like all of you, I collect images that catch my attention, sometimes me likeee, sometimes not.

So let's play together: Your thoughts please...


1. Antler sconces. I love these, even though the antler thing keeps getting played. I confess, I have antlers in my home.



2. Wall of taxidermy! I have grown accustomed to the taxidermy trend in decor, but man this is alot of head. It is a hunter's home I suspect, but no me likee so many. Actually it's a historical home HERE



3. Dem bones. I collect and use "curiosities" in my decor. I have life size skeleton charts, sea shells, specimen bugs, coral, tortoise shells, etc. This is amazing. It's from the same house as the wall o' animal heads.



4. Orange. I predict some shade of orange will be the 2012 color of the year.



5. Stripe stair runner. LOVE! Mainly because it's black and white and wiggles.



6. Big clocks. Have one. Still love it, even though they sell them in Wal Mart, Steinmart, and at the corner store. Love the low hang too.



7. Circle headboard. Looks like chair cushions stuck to the wall. LOVE. And these monograms are refreshing. Every Southern gal in these parts loves to monogram everything. I didn't get it for a long time, but I must confess I have some monograms in my house now too. I guess after eleven years of living here, something rubbed off on this damn Yankee.


So there you have the Your Thoughts Please Weekend Round Up. So? Your thoughts?

PS The April mags coming through the mail slot - so far, Elle Decor is good this month. Veranda is still finding it's pace, but still worthwhile. House Beautiful is good. Online, Lonny was pretty good too. Town and Country is really sad. Stephen lost interest for his last issue. Southern Living is consistent, best for the food features.

And Happy Weekend!

Watch Out Miami!

Coming Soon - "Real Housewives of Miami" HERE
Rumor has it the producers have been sniffing around New Orleans.
Everyone here says they would NEVAH do it!
We'll see.

Bravo is not really filming The Real Housewives of Miami. Finally putting that rumor to rest is the announcement of the voyeuristic network's new series is, Miami Social Club (working title). Read more HERE

Have lots to do this weekend...
Come back Monday for another look at the trad home that got rocked...
Also thanks to Joni I am putting a look book together of the changes our home has gone through over the past six years ha ha.

Happy Weekend!

In Lieu Of A Proper Thank You Note

I want to send each and every one of you a personal handwritten thank you note.

When that seemed impossible, I wanted to make a list of every name of every person who sent prayers (that were answered). I wanted to add to the list the names from emails that were filled with love and concern. And then thank each of you for the comments you left on the various posts I did about Canada.



You blew up Facebook with your heartfelt comments and messages.


Fund raisers were held by tango communities all over the USA for us, including a whopper in New Orleans.

I wanted to list all the bloggers who did a post for Alberto and me ( I have tried to re-post them on Facebook when I find them), and of the many bloggers who held auctions for us, or donated something for those auctions from baking cookies to beautiful works of art, or gave us something we needed from your Etsy shop, or bought our book Gotta Tango.


I so wanted to list the names of all of you who sent fruit baskets and brought over food once we made it home, and of course I wanted to post the names that showed up on the roster for a Paypal donation to boutique@planet-tango.com



It amounts to hundreds of names.

As Alberto recovers, we have spent hours and hours reading each and every name. We cry alot reading these amazing names, so many of which are of people we "don't know". And then we cry harder reading the names of all the people we know, and who love us. We can safely say you are loved, and we are loved.



We have tried to search and acknowledge every blog post many of you did about our time in Canada.

Then we tried to cross reference it all and make a master list. This has been going on since Thanksgiving when I originally wanted to name names ha ha.



Well, we are just not up to it! It is too much for us to do. We need a a blog intern ha ha. But we couldn't let another month go by without saying something, without offering some kind of thank you note, proper or not.



First responders in Canada, doctors and nurses in two countries, family, fellow dancers, bloggers, readers, kind strangers, tangueros, and loyal friends from all over the world:

We can't begin to express our gratitude for your solidarity and compassion, for your words of comfort, love and support along with your prayers, good wishes and most important, generous contributions that helped us raise the necessary funds to return home.

Thank you and let's dance more tango in 2011, and blog, and decorate, and be good to each other.

Valorie Hart and Alberto Paz dancing Tango on Fulton Street in New Orleans

Alberto and I send our best wishes for the best holiday season and a peaceful and prosperous new year.



All of the fabulous hand lettered examples come from Stephen Rapp.

From his web site:

"Word and image are the key components in any graphic campaign. Each must effectively convey the message on both a practical and emotional level. This is where custom type and lettering excel. Hand lettered words express emotion much like the human voice. They can, in some cases, even serve as illustration. In our ever expanding digital environment the sense of human touch conveyed with hand lettering stands out as a welcoming voice.

Lettering and typography are my passion. I’ve studied and practiced lettering and type design for over 2 decades. Along the way I’ve had the opportunity to work in a variety of styles and media. If you have a project that might benefit from custom lettering or type; please don’t hesitate to call or write."

Bloggers In The November Magazines

It's always a thrill to see bloggers in print. Bloggers are fast becoming the kings and queens of all media, crossing over into print, online magazines, other blogs and web sites, podcasts, TV, and YouTube.

The King of All Media

Gwen Driscoll of Ragland Social Hill has a MAJOR editorial in the November 2010 issue of Elle Decor. Nothing is up online at Elle Decor, so be sure to pick up this issue and check out her fabulous interior design work (page 230 entitled "Homeward Bound).




The November issue of House Beautiful is called "The Ultimate Entertaining Issue." Again they are slow to even have the cover up online. Note to magazines: Keep your web sites current.

Mentioned in a feature starting on page 118 called "101 Party Do's and Don'ts" are many designers weighing in, and quite a few bloggers offered their party tips including Eddie Ross and Joni Webb.


This past July Alberto and I were in New York, and went to a fabulous party at the home of Eddie Ross and Jaithan Kochar.

It was the best party with many bloggers in attendance: Reggie Darling, Debra Phillips 5th and State, Lauren Leiss from Pure Style Home, Michelle Ginnerty from My Notting Hill, Elizabeth Moyer from Pretty Pink Tulips, Patricia van Essche from PVE, and probably a few more we didn't get to meet in the huge crush of revelers and Green Acres (what I affectionately call Eddie and Jaithan's country manse).

go to page 22 and 24 in the November issue of Woman's Day

At the party at Green Acres, we also met the fabulous Elizabeth Mayhew, author of Flip For Decorating, NBC Today Show regular, and the current and new-ish editor of Woman's Day.

Elizabeth was fascinated by the reactions we bloggers had to one another, squealing and laughing and hugging and kissing, and she was quite taken that many of us had not met in person up until meeting at this party.

She asked if we would mind having our photo taken for the November issue she was working on
where Woman's Day wants you to focus on a few important things like staying connected. She was duly impressed with the connection bloggers have and foster among one another.

So go out and get an arm load of magazines this weekend, and sit on the porch with a glass of wine or a cup of tea. Leaf through the pages while enjoying the fine weather and your blog friends saying hi to you from the pages.



And if you missed blog TV star Meg Fairfax from Pigtown on The Nate Berkus Show, go HERE

Happy Weekend!

Nate Berkus Seriously Sniffing Fabric Glue

Watch this HERE and have a Happy Weekend!

Two blonds in love-
photo taken by another blond I love Renae Moore

I can't get this tune out of my head.
Thanks Jenny! You rock.