From Floor to Ceiling

I've always thought that I would like to be an interior designer, but for some reason or another I never pursued it. I would always go in homes, restaurants, or buildings and was fascinated by all the intricate details of the place... in my head admiring what I liked or trying to figure out what in the world would possess someone to combine such things together.I could imagine that having to decorate over 600 rooms would be quite a fantastic challenge. On our day trip to Schloss Schwerin, I was blown away by the splendor at which the castle was decorated... literally from floor to ceiling, not one room was left without fine and intricate details to boast of and yet each room was completely...

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Day Trip

Last weekend, while sitting at the breakfast table, my husband and I decided to take a spontaneous trip to celebrate his birthday. The weather was beautiful and sunny and we just had to be outside for the day. Schloss Schwerin, once home to dukes and grand dukes for centuries, is only about an hour and a half from us. Since the grounds boast of a wonderful walking path and outside scenery, it was the perfect place for us to end up for the day... just the three of us. Cafe tables and chairs lined the outside of what used to be the orangery, similar to a greenhouse, where the nobles would keep their tropical plants like oranges and other citrus trees during the winter season....

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What the Stork Brought

It's no secret that I am a big fan of handmade. In fact, this year for Christmas the majority of my presents that I gave, I either made or I purchased handmade. I hope that my crafted items have advanced past the colorful scribbles and scratches that my mom used to hang on her refrigerator.But this time I have been on the receiving end of the handmade gifts and I must say... I am blown away! Look at this super sweet and soft blanket that my friend made me. I was floored when I opened the package and could only think about the time that it took to make this. Jennifer and I go way back... we were in diapers together. And now, we were pregnant at the same time... she still has a few...

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A Boy and His Tractor - Part II

Once I had finally made it through the "morning sickness" phase with our little one, my thoughts immediately turned to how I would decorate the baby's room. I found the task quite difficult because I wanted something pretty, feminine, and flowery should it be a girl OR as you may have guessed... tractors should it be a boy, instead of gender neutral yellows and greens. But since we didn't know what we were having I couldn't start until our "bundle of joy" showed up...So, I guess I've had my eye on one particular fabric collection for quite some time, "Oh, Boy" by David Walker... so super for boys! (and trust me, sometimes cute things for boys are hard to find) So I purchased just...

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A Boy and His Tractor

There are some stories that just seem to stick with you, even from early childhood. You know, the kind of embarrassing tales that parents like to tell your teenage friends or future son-in-laws... mine are of a sassy little girl in ruffles and frills stomping her foot, with hands on her hips scolding and informing the passerby that "sweetie" was NOT her name. I particularly love hearing stories of when my husband was a little boy. My husband grew up on a family farm, where his grandparents also lived on the old family farm estate... several generations living together. From the time he could barely walk, my husband always wanted to ride the tractor with his grandfather and was not...

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Time, Time, Time

Now is the time of year where it seems that I am always torn over where to spend my time. On one side I look at all the beautiful spring flowers that are just starting to come up, dried plants that need to be trimmed, and then suddenly visions of what flowers to plant here and there come to mind... I'm drawn to the garden and the fresh air. But then I walk into my office to send a few e-mails, complete invoices and shipments, and then just one glance at my fabric wall with bright and cheerful new spring colors and patterns and I suddenly feel my fingers starting to itch... again I see visions of all the things I can create. What is a girl to do?But right now, I will just have to leave you with...

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For the Dogs

Before we welcomed our "little one" to the world, not only did I go through an extreme nesting phase (even the basement had to be in order), but I went through a big sewing project phase. Finding a new project almost daily to distract me from the current project that I was working on. I ran across this free pattern from fabric and quilt designer, Denyse Schmidt, and I knew I just couldn't resist... my scrap pile was calling my name to transform their tiny remains into yet another something for our upcoming arrival. One of my all time favorite collections, still to this day, is Garden Party from fabric designer Anna Maria Horner. I mixed it with leftover scraps from Heather Bailey,...

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