RALPH LAUREN AND THE BLOGGERS

Bloggers on home design represent an unusually divergent field of faithful - after all, everyone lives in houses, so why not figure out how to live in them better? It's not always the degree that certifies a tastemaker. The resume is incidental - just like Go Remy says:

"I've got an MBA!"
"Ah - business administration?"
"NO! I got a Master's in Be'n Amaz'n!"

Anyway, so I was thrilled with the results of the Ralph Lauren/Bloomingdale's blogger designs and their four great picks to style their products. But, I would have been even MORE thrilled with a few of the lawyers/flamenco dancers/stay-at-home moms from blogger-land to represent. That's the only thing I could find to complain about with this campaign, though - it's fabulous (just scroll and say "ahhh").

Since I'm writing from DC, where introductions don't end with your name but your job title, here's the Ralph Lauren blogger ad campaign, CVs included.

Michelle Adams - formerly of M.A. Belle, now founder and blogger at Lonny (Resume:  Domino, Rubie Green founder)

Marisa Marcantonio of Stylebeat (Resume:  House Beautiful, O at Home)

Jennifer Boles of The Peak of Chic (Resume:  Finance)

Eddie Ross of Eddie Ross - the blog (Resume: Food Network, House Beautiful, Martha Stewart Living, Top Design tv show, online entrepreneur) 

/Images/Bloomingdales/

The Right Frame of Mind - Eddie Ross in Atlanta

On my calendar of fun new things in the new year? Designer Eddie Ross' visit next week to Atlanta. Eddie is becoming an Atlanta regular, popping in every now and then to soak up some Southern hospitality and, in exchange, leave us all with wonderful design ideas. I enjoyed shopping with him at the famous Scott's flea market last June, and Eddie will be doing a similar shopping event this trip (Sunday the 10th). And, to add fun to the mix, Eddie is joining Steve McKenzie of Larson-Juhl Frames for an exciting framing workshop (Saturday the 9th, $10 - and free for bloggers!). I'm really excited about the workshop because I have almost as many questions about framing as I do prints and art languishing in drawers and cabinets awaiting a frame. So don't miss out! Details here.

Eddie shopping at Scott's, and later, the product of his creativity:

a whimsical framed set of silver spoons.

Image, EddieRoss.com.

Economics, Intrigue, and Dead Magazines

Southern Accents is no more this month. R.I.P., dear friend.

Start yourself off this morning with a cup of coffee (Louisiana chicory coffee, if you're lucky enough to get your manicured nails on some) and this article from Slate on publishing behemoth Conde Nast. Author Jack Shafer compares old "Conde Nasty" to the dying GM - drawing parallels between their economic models and ensuing failures: "both succeeded in segmenting the market with semi-independent divisions that were once unique and distinct but that have since faded into one, much to the confusion of consumers. Both have dramatically dumped once-valuable properties." Ouch. The truth hurts.

Gourmet: a foodie magazine so exclusive, no one will ever see it again.

Conde Nast is indeed shedding covers like so many gas-guzzling Chryslers. Dead in the water this week are Gourmet, Cookie, Modern Bride, and Elegant Bride. The pain! The eternal Why? (Ok - the last two magazines are pretty obvious.) Still, following hard upon the loss of Southern Accents, these changes are making October a month with no shelter. Southern Progress, the publisher of Southern Accents, lost another magazine earlier this year, Cottage Living. That's especially sad, because unlike the Detroit-like CD, Southern Progress is a thoughtful, can-do publisher based out of Birmingham, Alabama - and it also employs a lot of people.

I was mulling all this over today in my local bookstore, as I browsed the (now considerably smaller) home magazine section. To face the magazine stand is to face the growing horror that apparently our economy CAN continue to sustain no fewer than 9 solo titles on scrapbooking, such as Creative Scrapbooking. Do Creative Scrapbookers (note my respectful use of capitols) spend years in design school? Define the spaces where our most precious memories are created? Aspire to art? No. But maybe they'll at least hire all those poor home magazine employees and turn out some truly gorgeous ideas ("Hand-Painted Toile Accent Papers and Vintage French Silk Ribbons! How to Make YOUR Photographs Stand Out!").

Take it from me: this mag is FABULOUS - and there's nary a polar bear rug to be found.

But, there is a silver lining. Not the loss of talent, surely, but what that loss has forced us (me) to notice. As someone who has lived abroad, I have to say that America is GREAT at a lot of things (sanitation. freedom. food that is dead when you eat it.) but not always at noticing what else is going on other places - even on the same continent. The cavernous space opening on my local bookstore shelves has drawn my attention to new wonders: Canadian House and Home, British House and Garden, and Australian Vogue Living. What those Commonwealth folks can do!

It's a web page! It's a magazine! It's Lonny!

And finally, there's the completely new. People thinking outside the box - and outside the page. Enter gorgeous Lonny Magazine. It's exclusively online, and it's free. This is not a group of dabblers armed with MS Paint and extra time; it's a ground-breaker that comes fully-pixilated. Really, Lonny had me at hello (or, actually, "run by former Domino staffers") and the fresh and un-fussed result is delightful. Opening exclusives include Kate Towsend-Sharpe's home reveal, Eddie Ross' new digs, and (most heartening of all) ads! Big we-might-be-around-for-a-while-ads, like West Elm, Williams and Sonoma, and Benjamin Moore. So join the Lonny Facebook group, and READ THE MAGAZINE.

Lonny includes gorgeous rooms...

And great style!

Be still my heart! The good times are back online.

Images: http://www.belgianfries.com/bfblog/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/gourmet.jpg; http://www.houseandhome.com/; lonnymag.com; or at links provided.

Shopping with Eddie Ross, Part II

So here's Part II of fabulous shopping fun! Top Design Contestant/Bravo TV, Martha Stewart editor, and designer Eddie Ross led a group of design aficionados through Atlanta's Scott's Antique Market last Saturday. Southern Accents magazine also showed up to document the fun - here's hoping that story makes it into an issue soon!

Jaithan, me, and Eddie are all smiles at the end of a profitable adventure - there was so much to see (and buy)!

Fabrics:  one of the biggest surprises (for me) at Scott's was the large quantity of beautiful fabrics in full bolts.  I'm used to seeing scraps for sale here and there, but this is enough to do large pieces of furniture.  

Some of the finds were real shockers - including a bolt of deeply discounted Kelly Wearstler fabric!!! 

Talk about a steal. Isn't this beautiful?

Eddie fell in love with this colorful crewelwork with touches of melon and celery shades. If you follow Eddie's blog at all, you know what a fan he is of crewel - and how good he is at making this style look fresh and new.

Prints:  another of my favorite finds was this booth of prints and old maps from Prints Charming Soho (recently featured in Martha Stewart Living). Framing is an obvious choice, of course, but obvious isn't Eddie!  Here, he suggests blowing up this wonderful pattern and transferring it to stencils for pattern on a floor cloth, wall, or fabric.

Another great idea?  Decoupage - and rather than damaging a beautiful sheet from, say, the 1830s, buy a few favorites, copy them, and then decoupage those copies onto a piece of furniture or decorative box.  Hang the originals nearby for a great coordinated look. There were plenty of beautiful options to chose from at Scott's!

P.S. When framing small natural prints like these, blow up and copy the tiny Latin print at the bottom - and add it to the matting when framing for an art gallery look.

Or, you could go completely insane and decoupage a patterned paper (or wallpaper scraps) onto an entire bureau. Eddie really liked this plaid example. It would be stunning in a gentleman's bedroom - just steer clear of bathrooms and other damp spaces unless you like the look of peeling paper. Butcher's wax is a great way to protect a decoupage surface and keep it gleaming.

Glass:  Eddie used to run a catering company, and as a result, he knows (and loves) his glassware. After we all pawed through piles of gorgeous silver, crystal, and plates and stood around pondering what would be "practical" to buy, Eddie made my favorite comment of the day: "Do I need this? Can I live without it? NO! You can't!"

A lovely pitcher in hobnail glass.

More beautiful crystal. One of the wonderful things about this booth? Each piece is priced for separate purchase. If you collect a classic pattern, you can always replace those inevitable crack-ups later with a trip to the local antique mall or flea market. As Eddie pointed out, "why have it if you don't use it?"

Keep scrolling to see Part I, and more of Eddie's fabulous ideas!

Shopping with Eddie Ross, Part I

I'm back! Thanks to everyone who offered such sweet well-wishes for my trip. After a fabulous week touring around Georgia, visiting antebellum mansions, antiquing, and hanging out at Flannery O'Conner's home, I am blogging again, loaded with memories and marvelous pictures (you'll see all in good time). 

However, the FIRST thing I have to share with you is a wonderful trip to Atlanta's Scott's Antique Market yesterday with former Martha Stewart designer, House Beautiful editor, Top Design contestant, and all around fabulous guy Eddie Ross. Eddie and his partner in crime, Jaithan, led myself and some other very lucky ladies on a treasure-hunt through the market. What fun! While we ooohed and awed over finds, Eddie dispensed practical tips and inspiring ideas for designers-in-training.  

First lesson: looking beyond the surface (of mustard horror). Eddie demonstrates how to find a piece of furniture with good lines and turn it into something special. This chaise would suit a smaller room, and as Eddie pointed out, it had lovely wooden legs (a good reason to nix the skirt when reupholstering).  P.S. Be sure to save any nailheads when you reupholster - new ones won't have that lovely patina.

Eddie called mantel accessories "fireplace jewelry." There's certainly plenty of bling to choose from here!  I asked Eddie about other uses for fireplace accoutrements in the South (while we like our fireplaces, we don't really need them) and he suggested using fireboxes as planters.  The firebox in the lower RH corner would be charming lined with moss and planted in bright daffodils to contrast with the dark metal. 
I also had fun meeting blogger Susannah (blue dress), and her sister. Susannah is starting her own customized jewelry line, Goods To Adorn.  Also joining was fellow blogger of the Blue Hydrangea who came all the way from NC to be part of the fun. The members of the tour were as inspiring as the market!

One of my favorite stops was at a vintage clothing booth, loaded with Lilly Pulitzer, saris, and bright baubles. Here, Eddie shows how to evaluate fabrics for use as one-of-a-kind decorative pillows around the home. 

He pointed out that with unique fabric and some light beading (costume jewelry!) you could come up with a completely unique look - and avoid big cost on a small item. Said Eddie of the high cost of accessory pillows: "it's offensive - it's called a throw pillow!" I would have to agree.
I asked Eddie to pause for a pink and pink picture - but he advises reupholstering that headboard!

A booth full of beautiful linens. There are so many uses for textiles - window hangings, table decoration, throw pillows, cut and hemmed into napkins, etc. And, they make wonderful presents!

Jaithan peaks over the edge of the narrow textile stall to keep an eye on the action.

A lovely group of monogramed hand towels. It's all but impossible to find a monogram that matches your own, but Eddie suggested collecting sets of three towels, one with each of your letters, and hanging them in order in your bathroom. A great way to make a unique piece work for you. 

Atlanta designer Sarah Youngblood (standing closest to Eddie in a French antiques booth) and I tried this idea out on a pre-monogramed tote bag later in the day - but decided to have the letters stand for a funny favorite title or motto. It turned out that the ALM monogram on her zebra patterned-bag stood for "A Moxie Lady." As Eddie said, "make it your own!"
P.S. Don't you LOVE the gray and cream chest of drawers in the center of this picture? Beautiful. This dealer dealt exclusively in French pieces, most of them painted in soft grays and creams. She also had shelves stocked with uncut 19th century French books.

As you can see, it was a great day, loaded with inspiration. Stop by tomorrow for a few more of Eddie's hints and tips - including glassware, using printed fabric, and framing! 

Mainstream Retro

What's old is new again. This collection of home objects from Urban Outfitters is more whimsical than nostalgic - how many young UO shoppers have ever held a record or used a pay phone? But these classics still have charm, and familiarity, thanks to Hollywood. Try a little retro movie glamor in your apartment.

Imagine doing DJ duty at your next party with this teal player, à la Holly Golightly. Just don't forget to turn it down before the police arrive.

This reminds me of the drum of typewriters in a publishing house, and secretaries wearing sherbet-colored twinsets, just like in the movie The Best of Everything.

The classic payphone, in superhero red. Clark Kent probably called the farm from the local soda shop on a number like this.

P.S. I'm still on vacation, but have so many wonderful things to share next week,
INCLUDING a trip through an Atlanta flea market with the fabulous Eddie Ross! Stay tuned!

Images, Urban Outfitters.

Masterpiece Theatre (Plus Towels)

Tragically for my wallet, I'm usually more BIY (Buy It Yourself) than DIY. But when I saw this sink skirt designed and executed by Eddie Ross, two things happened: 1) I was IN AWE (who pulls off a sink skirt that doesn't reek of granny's 1950s doily decorated bathroom??), and 2) I gradually realized... I could DO this. Wow.

So thanks to Eddie Ross for that moment of dawning decor enlightenment. To see the complete blow-by-blow of how he did it, visit Eddie's blog. And don't the extra touches of the greek key towel and Wedgwood plate just make it?

To achieve this look, Eddie used towels from Dollar Tree for the fabric (thus the "pleated" effect - those are separate towels), plus a glue gun, velcro, black grosgrain, and a dollop of genius.

Monday's Sunshine

Today's inspiration: designer Eddie Ross. Gorgeous, no?

Image: Eddie Ross. To see more of his great portfolio, select title link above.

Eddie Ross: Good Taste Is Now For Sale

I love Eddie Ross's work (Martha Stewart Living editor, contestant on Top Design). Eddie's style makes everything he designs and decorates a visual delight, and his new selection of vintage household items for sale is up to his usual impeccable standard. If you haven't been following his blog, you should be! Check out the link to the right.
P.S. Everything in the new line is under $100! It's gorgeous AND guilt free.

Set of 8 metallic cained lowball glasses, $95