A Day In The Life (Of Me)!

Rise and shine!

It's 7:00 am and I get up and kiss my hubby good morning, but before long, it's time to get the day started!

To Do: shower, coffee, get dolled up, make school lunches while the hubby makes breakfast for the kids (tag team!)

8:45 am - Time to get the kids to school and head over to Cox Paint Center for some morning shopping!

No time to linger! By 9:30 am, I'm at my first job site visit. I only have a few minutes to pick out the grout before my next appointment!

At 10:00 am, it's time for a meeting with photographer Laure Joliet about shooting my latest finished project. She likes it!

11:00 am, the kids are in school and it's time for me to volunteer in my son's art class. Don't disturb the artist!

On my way back from art class at 12:00 pm, I head to the car wash. The truck is happy now!

At 12:30 pm, I'm snacking on some strawberries, waiting for a client at HD Buttercup, fantasizing about lunch at Beacon later. Maybe I'll go!

12:45 pm, time to call my mom! Just to say 'Hi'. I take a minute to check some e-mails, Twitter and Facebook.

Oh, and put on lipstick.

1:00 pm, meeting with client at Rug Warehouse! Maybe a Persian rug? Or a custom Sisal? Oooh! We found a gorgeous Nepalese rug!

I look at my watch and it's 2:00 pm! Where does the time go? I'm still shopping. Now I'm at Berbere Imports, looking for goodies for the Malibu project. Gotta load up the truck!

2:30 pm, starting to regret I wore 4 inch heels...

I swing by the office to check in, check my e-mail and finish up some paperwork, 2:30 pm. It feels good to get off my feet for a quick minute!

That's enough shopping for now! I've got another client meeting at 4:30 pm at a client's house where we try out some rugs and place an order.

Pull into the drive way, now 6:00 pm. Oh! It's so good to see the kids! Jumping up and down (all of us!) Time to get some kisses.

6:30 pm, it's Tuesday night, which means family dinner at my mom's. Looking forward to some homemade Mexican cuisine!


Oo! Mail! My new book came today!

7:00 pm, at my mom's and my stylists (my sisters, Malisa and Penny) are here with some new shoes for me! Oo! and a couple of outfits.

8:00 pm, dessert and coffee.





Oof... day's almost over! 9:00 pm, I'm back home and getting ready for bed! Where do the kids get all this energy?! I just want to go to sleep because tomorrow's a new day ... with a whole new list of things to do! I love it!

Old Style, New Interpretation: Taxidermy In The Modern Home

Serendipity seems to be the name of the game for us at the Big Bear project. Last week, I stumbled upon a great set of antique skis. Now, it's with the antlers, as it turns out, re-imagining and reinventing taxidermy is becoming popular among designers.

In the premier Fall issue of Malibu Home Magazine, This feature talks about the rise of a more animal-friendly form of taxidermy. These projects aren't trophies, but thoughtful works of art made with animals which have died from natural causes.

I am seeing antlers and deer heads in almost every shelter magazine and design catalogues. 

Restoration Hardware offers a varied selection of realistic looking cast resin antlers. But for those of you who might be squeamish about having a real (or realistic looking) taxidermy head in your home, there are couple of cool, modern alternatives, like this white lacquer deer head. Ruby's Lounge on Etsy also offers these paper resin mounts, for a more whimsical design.

If you want to go green, there are even deer heads made of recycled cardboard! These have to be assembled like a 3D puzzle and would make a fun addition to a game room.

This coincidental trend couldn't have come at a better time since a pair of mounted antlers would be the perfect addition to the chic cabin-in-the-woods.   Although I hate trends, I have to say,  all these different interpretations of antlers and taxidermy are pretty cool and edgy and I find it to be a timeless trend, that will carry on for many years, as it already has, IF done right. 



We made our purchase of these antler's this past  weekend.  This particular find is a rare vintage mount that managed to find its way from Montana.

Don't worry, though. These are naturally shed, so the animal didn't have to meet an untimely end.

Honestly, I find the full head mounts a bit sad and creepy, but I still like the look of real antlers. Naturally shed antlers let me have the best of both worlds: a timeless traditional look without the traditional means.

Fortunate Find For The Big Bear Project!

As many of you might know, the Big Bear project is underway and we're in the process of turning an old property into a seasonal escape where we can build great family memories.

We got lucky this week when we stumbled upon a great addition to the Big Bear project at the Timothy Oulton showroom at HD Buttercup. We came across this pair of vintage German skis and poles dating from around the late 1930s. These hickory flat top skis come complete with bamboo ski poles and original metal "bear trap" and leather bindings for the feet. At the bottom of each pole, there are leather wrapped metal rings for extra support in the snow. With winter right around the corner, this is just what we need to make sure our snowy getaway has a warm and cozy atmosphere.

The authentic, pre-fiberglass era skis would make an organic addition just above the mantle or master bedroom headboard. Or casually leaning in a corner, they would add extra character and atmosphere to the living room as they recall simpler times of coming out of the cold, shaking off the snow and sitting in front of a warm fire with a cup of hot cocoa.

Shopping accessories like a Pro.