Yes please!!

Hilarious throw pillows. Must have.

I am SO picking up this line of charming stuffed animals. Beautiful French designs.

Yum! D'achouffe! My VERY favorite Belgian beer. Just what I needed!!!! Perfect for a 18 degree night in NYC.

So much great color at the ny gift show!

All tuckered out and ready for a beer and a great meal at DBGB in the east village. Quite the hotspot!

What a lovely view from our hotel window!!!! Thanks waldorf towers!!

We're here!! Yippee!!! Don't Todd and barbara look excited?? Buck up little campers!! Next stop.... Markt for dinner!!

Living walls at Digs!

How cool is this????? A stunning living wall set up in our shop...just in time for the next issue of Sunset Magazine to come out with Digs listed as the place to buy this amazing product! YIPPEE! Thank you Sunset and Woolly Pocket!!! Please stop by the shop and take a peek for yourself!

I'm off to NY tomorrow with Miss Barbara and Weirdo Todd - can't wait!

Working on a client's weekend condo. Just finishing up.. Such a cozy , warm space. Now we need accessories! I've got some great stuff at my shop!

Choose the right bulb to make light of dark days.....

I have been in such a fog lately, due to the "worst head-cold in the world" (seriously) that I totally forgot to thank Kay Balmer of The Oregonian for including me in her latest (last week) article about lighting.......I do love lighting!
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Choose the right bulb to make light of dark days
By Kay Balmer, Special to The Oregonian

January 20, 2010, 2:17PM

Oregon's winter darkness makes me so crazy that I could pull down the drapes and punch a hole in the ceiling. But adding a skylight or letting all the heat escape through uncovered windows is not an economical option, even if you are starving for a little sunshine. So I turned to the people with light-seeking expertise for more common-sense and budget-wise ideas. They've debunked some myths and provided simple how-to directions.

View full sizeJohn M. Vincent/The Oregonian

Common perception: All light bulbs are the same; for more light, just look for more wattage. Fact: Bulbs (both incandescent and fluorescent) labeled "daylight" or "full spectrum" will give you a more natural light to lift the winter gloom, says Camille Whitsom of Globe Lighting. But it's the bulb's lumens -- the amount of actual light produced -- that you need to know. For example, she says, a good 100-watt incandescent should have more than 1,200 lumens while a comparable 23-watt compact fluorescent will have 1,600-plus lumens. We energy-watchers prefer the compact fluorescent bulbs that use far less electricity. (Lighting for older eyes is somewhat different. If you're over 50, see more details in the accompanying story.) How you do it: It's a matter of looking beyond the big print to find the bulb you need. Whitsom also notes that the quality of the lamp will affect the quality of the light and the life of the bulb. Three-way bulbs give more lighting options, but you'll need an accommodating lamp. Or consider adding an inexpensive dimmer at the wall plug-in. (Caveat: Most CFL bulbs cannot be used with a dimmer, so check the packaging to see if the bulb is dimmer-compatible, or do without a dimmer.)

View full sizeRALPH LAUREN PAINT

Common perception: White and lighter-colored paints make a room brighter. Fact: Color is not the issue; it's the gloss of the paint, says JJ De Sousa of Digs Inside & Out. High-gloss paint causes light to bounce around the room, she says, while flat paint sucks up light. The effect is magnified when high-gloss paint is used on the ceiling, spreading light from a ceiling fixture throughout the room. She goes so far as to suggest a glossy black for the ceiling. How you do it: De Sousa recommends using the walls like an additional source of light by painting them with a glossy finish and then aiming lights at them. Sconces, floor lamps and track lighting can all be used in this way. For a look that really pops, make the paint metallic. You'll still want to do your usual sampling of paints before committing to a specific color and sheen.

View full sizeIvan Stevanovic/iStock International

Common perception: It's best to just flood the room with light. Fact: It's true that a lack of light will make you feel more tired, but flooding a room with light only makes it look like a shopping mall. Instead, says Globe's Whitsom, light should be layered to make some areas brighter and other areas darker. How you do it: Whitsom suggests a white or light-colored ceiling to reflect ceiling light throughout the room. Task lighting should then be added at strategic points. A reading light, for example, should be to one side of the chair and back slightly (so your head does not block the light). If it's directly overhead, it will create glare on the reading material.

View full sizeAlex Nikada/iStock International

Common perception: Mirrors help magnify the available light. Fact: Place a mirror adjacent to a window or lamp and you'll get twice the light, says Wendy Vaughn, an interior designer with Bolliger Window Fashions and Interiors. You will increase a room's light by putting a mirror or mirrored surface anywhere it can reflect light. How you do it: Vaughn loves using mirrors and says walls of mirrors are a classic, working well in traditional and contemporary homes. She also suggests using mirrors in other ways, such as topping a coffee table, in the back of dining room built-ins, and as a backsplash for a wet bar or butler's pantry. Mirrors do double duty, she reminds us, by making your space look larger. But remember, you'll want to like what you see in the reflection, so put mirrors where they'll reflect a nice view or piece of art. --

Freelance writer Kay Balmer

Thanks Kay!!!!!!

New York...here we come!

Getting ready to head to New York for the gift show this weekend. There is never a bad time to go to New York....so much great stuff to see and do! This time it is just me and the lovely Miss Barbara.

I am looking forward to finding a few new lines to carry at the shop and ordering some of my old favorites.

Hopefully, I will feel entirely better by the end of the week so I can get the most out of our short time in the city...... this has been a rough few weeks! Geez!

Ok then...more later !

Such a cheerful space!!!

Another lovely meeting room we set today for a client.

What a cute meeting space we set today for a client!!!

I'm obviously feeling better. Happy hour at Clark Lewis. Sidecar. Yum.

out of the fog........

So today is the first day in over a week that I feel even remotely human. Dear God! I have never had such a bad cold / cough / no voice /can't hear thing. The doctor says that everything should just work itself out. I just hope that the ear thing works itself out before next Friday when I have to get back on a plane and head to the New York Gift Show. There is nothing worse than flying with a head cold - which actually made this head cold worse - or so says my doctor. The "flying headache" is enough to put you right over the edge.

I have sat and stared at my computer over the last week and thought about adding something to my blog but just couldn't seem to get up to the gumption to do anything. I did, however, what seems like every other blog on the planet. Geez - there sure are alot of amazing blogs out there. I found one in particular that I LOVE LOVE...chinoiseriechic.blogspot.com . I love all things chinoiserie - especially Asian toile fabric and it appears she does too - I can't wait to read more.

Anyhoo.......I think I am back up and running so stay tuned!

I found these lithos of French wine regions at the flea market in Paris last sept. Just now getting them framed for the shop. Killer frame and liner!!

I'm craving luxury.....

I don't know why, but right this moment, I am craving luxury. I mean REALLY craving it. I REALLY REALLY want a Hermes blanket. Ok...and my bedroom cloaked in De Gournay wallpaper. I used this pattern for a client's shop - in the dressing room actually...how luxurious, De Gournay wallpaper in a dressing room? If I had a powder room I would use it there too.....or would I use Osborne & Little's Summer Palace Wallpaper in red? I think I will start with the blanket....it's cold these days in PDX and I can't wait to get cozy!

OH MY!

KEEP CALM AND CARRY ON!!!

THANK GOD 2009 IS OVER.... NOW, ON TO THE NEXT!

Here's to a successful New Year to everyone that has been struggling in 2009!!!