We’ve done it before at the beach with shells and stones and simple candles, then again in the foothills of the Sandia Mountain with stones and crystal votive holders. Now we find ourselves with an abundant centerpiece for a magazine spread – but for practical purposes, we tone it down – waaaay down – so that guests can visit across the table without spreading the foliage like a stalking through the jungle.

Large centerpieces are spectacular and provide a dramatic focal point for dining talbes or buffet tables…but when dining, it is tough to wrangle around the massive spray of flora between you and your would-be or wanna-be conversation partner.

In a pinch – go outside and discover what is in your yard. Here we found a simple fan palm frond – two really – and placed them opposite each other in the center of the table and added an old-fashioned Mexican dulce sugar mold as a long candle holder – now used often for candles as they are the perfect size for votive candles.

In YOUR yard it might be an oak or maple branch in the fall, photinia – a good green-leafed bush for all seasons, pine boughs, holly sprigs, long banana leaves, or round sea-grape leaves. The idea is to just scatter leaves, and add dimension. The stones and single candles in the previous scenes were dimensional. In this case, the wooden sugar mold sits atop the fronds – but in either case do not block the view and are easy to enjoy while conversing across the table.

Play with centerpieces and see what fun you can have!!

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Small Water Features for DIY Projects

Vintage celadon vessel makes perfect table-top water feature!

Vintage celadon vessel makes perfect table-top water feature!

 Small Water Features for DIY Projects

Large vessels make focal points for fountain features. Large containers or bored stone boulders are perfect sculptural elements for the glistening appearance of running water, the gentle sounds and refreshing effects. While we have had great fun creating dramatic site installations for outdoor living scenes, we realize that there is great merit in the smaller versions that DIY buffs can create for their interiors or patios.
First, find an interesting container. I found a pair that are footed and are dolphin figures to boot – what luck!! This celadon glazed ceramic has a nice diameter of about 12” and is raised up by its three dolphin figurine feet. It’s a perfect aquamarine theme for this table-top water feature.
Select your container and then gather things that you enjoy. You might already have pieces of glass, tokens, stones, shells, coral, miniature figurines…use what you have or collect more for this specific use.
Get a small pump at the local home-improvement store or hardware store. This should be relative to the size of your container. This one is a little smaller than my fist. The cord will drape out of the container, up over the rim and behind the fountain to plug into your electrical source. This will conceal adequately if you place your fountain on a surface that backs up to a wall where the electrical outlet is located.
Arrange your collectibles on and around the pump to conceal it from view placing the more interesting pieces at the surface.
I use distilled water to insure no residue from harsh mineral that might be present in your tap water. Fill the container to the appropriate level. It will cover much of your collectibles in the bowl. Here I have used a couple of vertical slices of local travertine to add height, texture, color and interest. Once your first turn on the pump – or plug it in as this one does (no switch), you will be pleased at the calming, refreshing results.
Send photos of your finished products!!!!!

Shown here…Nestled into the landscape, this brilliant blue glazed fountain with interesting textured exterior is tall and splendid amidst the greenery as its water recirculates and flows into a bed of stones.

ARTFUL DESIGN MARKETS MANY LOCAL PRODUCTS WITH PRIDE

P1080280 Guava bottlesLike little bonnets, the colorful cotton tops that adorn these guava berry preserves make a festive West Indian statement here in the tropical paradise of St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands.  At the same time every year, this round face woman with a beaming smile sets up her roadside table outside her house at the curve in the road on a busy street with a brilliant assortment of homemade jams, jellies, spicy sauces and wine. P1080281 Guava lady 2009This island way is an art-form that is slowly fading away. Back in the day, as we are getting sadly so used to saying, many households prepared delightful and delicious treats of the season. Selling them was either a practical practice or one that paired the practical (selling) with a pride of accomplishment, and a decorative presentation celebrating the product, season or region in general. In this instance, these lovely canned sweet and hot treats make happy statements for gifts and just to present with pride and artful design that which she has taken the time to make.  This display features an emphasis on bright reds and greens in the fabric patterns suggesting Christmas – but are not limited to that theme in subject matter. Therefore as gifts, they have a wider reach into the year.

As we look toward our upcoming visit to Puerto Vallarta, I see so many possibilities for similar homemade product marketing. Yes the practical food vendors make fresh, warm tortillas and burritos, tamales and posole at home and bring their car trunks full of Tupperware containers to sell to the vendors and laborers for breakfast and lunch each day. This is the aromatic and delicious craft of home-cooking without the adornment – the practical side.

As I ponder the prospects and the value of the happy decorative marketing opportunities,  I would love to see a similar celebration of Mexican sauces, jams and treats packaged in canning jars or bottles topped with colorful cotton remnants tied with raffia and presented at produce markets, art festivals, at a roadside table in front of the very kitchen from which they came or along the side streets and even the  Malacon. As with anything, to cultivate a following takes time and consistency. Safe food products must gain a reputation for their quality and excellence.

I see the hundreds of Hot Sauces that are bottled here in the Virgin Islands, almost every state in the U.S. and all over the world competing for the best spicy heat and flavor. Chile cook-offs and Spicy Food Festivals abound with a growing following, interest and participation. Visitors love to tasteregional treats. People love to select gifts that are local. Locals love to support their community. There are so many reasons to take the time to create such local treasures.

At the Estudio Café in Nuevo Vallarta (322-297-0820) each Saturday morning, fresh mini-loaves of nutty banana bread are sold by an enterprising young girl in front of the cafe at the art fair along the marina.Mexico PVR Jan 2012 IX Estudio Cafe Federico 019

I hope to encourage the many talented home-makers in Puerto Vallarta and elsewhere who love to prepare their regional and family traditional treats to venture forth and make their special salsa, can it nicely in a jar, top it with a little fabric remnant (cut with the zig-zaggy pinking shears if possible) and tie with a strand of straw and introduce your special regional flavorful talents and traditions to your friends and visitors!

Seasonal Wreath – Make Your Own – Have a Blast!

Do you sport a wreath on your front door? In some areas, seasonal door wreaths are an all-year decoration. Making them is easy and can be fun to change them with seasons or events…Sometimes “less is more,” but then there comes a time when less is just not quite enough and we want more! In this case, my mother had a seasonal fall wreath that I had made for her several years ago. It was modest and made of natural dried plant material. I show it here as the starting point of this blog’s topic, how to jazz-up a tired wreath.

The project started with the simple wreath of dried natural materials contrasting nicely against the white panels. Mom retrieved it from storage and hung it once again on her front door. Then the phone call, “I need you to do something with my wreath, it’s bland and tired and I need it punched-up.” “Punched-up”, Mom’s favorite phrase for having me come spruce-up a room, re-arrange contents on bookshelves, or generally make minor changes to her interior design.

I liked the warm, modest colors and natural textures of the wreath, but knew what she wanted. So I dove into my stash of crafty supplies and with glue-gun in hand, I went down to her house, removed the wreath from the door and began to clip my boldly colorful, fake flowers and berries to “punch-up” her wreath.

The density of the original wreath with its woven grapevine frame stuffed full of dried vegetation made it easy to insert the new additions practically without need of the glue. But to be sturdy and able to tolerate windy days and the door opening and closing, gluing was the best bet.  Brilliant Black-eyed Susans, golden mums, orange berries and related foliage began to infuse and punctuate the wreath with shockingly festive autumnal color!

The entire process took about 6 minutes -seriously. This is not rocket science. The idea is not to be afraid, go for abundance, but stop short before you achieve over-load. The definition of over-load might be like beauty – which it is in the eye of the beholder. So I leave it up to you. If you do not have natural grapevines growing in your yard like Martha Stewart, go get a grapevine wreath at the local hobby store. If you do not have natural dried vegetation poking around heading for seasonal hibernation in your gardens or woodland property, again, the hobby store will have it all. I did the natural version, made a raffia bow and originally stopped there – which was fine at the time and for several years. Then with the same wreath, not removing a thing, I “punched it up” with a selection of hobby store flowers and berries that are available in all the wonderful colors of the season as the year progresses. So arm yourself with a glue gun and have a blast!

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Organic Table-scape With Bling

Organic table-scape with Orrefors bling!

Bring the outdoors in and the indoors out – mix it up, for the sheer pleasure of it!

So, the plan was to have a near-last-blast of summer patio dinner party…but the forecast was dim. In the high desert to have 30% chance of rain might mean that it comes and goes without a trace. But then again, it can produce a deluge and soak everything like “hope somebody called Noah.”

In an effort to thwart the storm, I planned an alternate indoor table setting, just in case. Usually that – like washing your car and the rain comes – will produce the opposite outcome. So by having the alternate plan I felt confident that the patio party would be saved. But, alas…

The theme was Mexican. I had planned a shrimp cerviche appetizer (fresh corn, serranos, onions, avocado, lime, tomatoes, cilantro…), followed by a shredded beef taco – baked and marinated  in a richly savory coffee-chipotle-cinnamon-garlic-tequila reduction, freshly made (that very morning from a local mercado)  lovely, light corn tortillas –  accompanied by an array of salsas: garden fresh pico de gallo (vine-ripened tomatoes and equally freshly picked peppers), luscious guacamole, tart tomatillo, sour cream with traditional Hatch, New Mexico roasted green chile, and tropical twist mango salsa. The plan was festive, the weather was suspect.

In anticipation of moving the fiesta indoors, I needed a table-scape that fit the scene. The scene needed to be a combination of the theme and the setting. The patio had been the better setting for the brightly colored combination of linens and accoutrements that I planned – but inside was a more formal venue and required a bit of restraint – but no less fun!

Therefore, the so loved beach table-scapes that we have enjoyed creating in Mexico came to mind. But we were NOT at the beach so a modification was in order. I went to the local stone yard and hand-picked river rock to scatter down the center of the table. Mixing that with gravel from our side-yard gave the sense of a randomly stone-strewn arroyo. The focal point was a large, verdant green pottery “lotus bowl” by local artist Penne Roberts into which I placed a clear glass Revere-like cache-pot and two succulent aloe plants. Now, the rocks work for a desert-scape, but, the aloe is decidedly tropical and not native to our high desert – but the combination was richly organic and had that hint of south-of-the-border that was needed to carry-off the Mexican feel. The bling came with placing the Orrefors “lightstones” among the river rocks. The combination was fabulous. The solid, heavy, clear, smooth shapes of the tea-light  ” lightstones” perfectly complimented the primitive, raw rubble of stone scattered down the center of the table.

We love to bring the indoors outside and the outside in – melding the two – creating ever-expanding living spaces and experiences.
For more information regarding artist Penne Roberts pottery – large lotus bowl centerpiece

http://www.patriciandesign.com/retail/art_piece.php?product_ID=190&match=penne&pageNum=2

Design a Brunch – Alfresco Dining

Brunch to me used to mean “blow the day.” I have always viewed brunches as over-eating buffets that require the balance of the day to recover. However, I am renewed with a fresh approach to brunch to start the day, gather with friends and celebrate, in this season, the pleasure of dining outside.

Fresh lavender and mint – both out of the garden. In the winter we long for the days when we can go outside and enjoy the warm weather and gather growing things to eat and adorn our tables. I love fresh mint – refreshing to chew – I like parsley too – everyone teases me when I eat everything right down to the garnishes! Dining outside is another one of those examples of expanding your living space in the summer months. Even if you have a tiny balcony – setting up a table with your morning coffee or a glass of juice is so relaxing and feels like a mini escape. Even if you don’t have a balcony – moving a small table to a space beside a window that you can open will provide a sense of that connection to outside that we miss for so many chilly months that force us to be encapsulated indoors.

In this photo you can see the lavender in full bloom in the background. The mint grows invasively along the side of our house. The luminous blue glasses, indigo placemats, large chartreuse chargers used as the individual serving plates punctuated with hot pink napkins dressed-up in silver napkins rings speak of all the colors blooming in the surrounding gardens. Local NM Gruet bubbly with fresh squeezed orange juice in these lovely little vintage cut glass stems, fresh seasonal berries, slivered almonds, fresh quail eggs raised by a friend…hard-boiled little delicacies laced with a light curry-cream sauce, plump sizzling brats just grilled, fresh asparagus roasted crisply, English peas, ripe tomatoes topped with a fried egg…a lovely way to start the day.

The Fine Art of the Towel Sculpture

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It might be too much for YOUR bathroom…but these towel art sculptures are amazing! Here, as we approach Valentine’s Day I have seen so many lovey dovey things lately and these smooching swans bedecked with floribunda were the bomb!

The art of folding bath towels, hand and face cloths into whimsical animals has been a tropical tradition for many years. The novelty of finding one of these remarkable creations on your bed when you return to your room or perched on the vanity counter always brings a smile.

Where do they give these classes? Can they even be found outside the housekeeping departments of fine hotels? I’m convinced that it’s a secret club that has mastered the art of the origami of terrycloth. We mere mortals can only dream of creating something so magnificent from something so mundane. Who was the first and what did they create? It is now a contest for who can fashion the most outstanding example of the art form.

I think that its best left to those professional hospitality towel manipulators rather than the rest of us attempting such feats and frustrating ourselves while wrestling with the bath linens to no avail.

Wall Treatment of Scribbles and Scrawls Speaks Volumes of Almost Accidental Design

Scribbles and prose as graphic backdrop

Habana – Cuba that is…reconstructed  elsewhere in the bars of Bogedita del Medio and the resulting fantastic feel that is created by the once unconscious  lexis of ultimately decorative elements that are the walls of words and markings. Graffiti you say? Yes, after a manner. It is an atmosphere of festivity – an interior that speaks of layers of revelers enjoying the music and mojitos. Yet it all blends into a graphic design that is exceptionally unique and interesting.

Salsa – dancing and flavors. The complexity that is found in the movements and ingredients -pairing the dance and the food – both are spicy – and the scene is warm and energized.  These walls of markings, names and poems, tributes and proclamations are a backdrop of expressions from layers over years.

When else might this work? I’m fascinated by the effectiveness of this design treatment – a celebration of reactions, emotions and personalities all marked for everyone to see. Bold or meek, artful or mere blocks the styles speak with the words.

Perhaps the free-form walls of a child’s playroom – if isolated to these wall and not the whole house…it affords a huge blackboard – chalkless board for freedom of expression. For adults perhaps a party room might invite this kind of signature expression – layers of good times recorded on the walls – texture and design in an all-over pattern of script, lettering, lines and figures.

I like it a lot. I thoroughly enjoyed the scene and wanted to share the possibilities for this unusually free-form treatment in your interior design.

Clean Smells Good and Lavender is a Wonderful Scent

elizabethW lavender collection

Refresh with elizabethW’s lovely lavender line of products for your interior!

Interior Design is about all the senses. It’s not just about how a scene looks. Sure, the pleasing appearance is most of what we consider when thinking about interior design, yet what about the sounds, the smell, and the tactile elements? The environments in which we live work and play involve our perceptions based upon what we see, the acoustics of a space, the scents experienced and how it feels when we touch certain surfaces.
As I enter a space I always notice the smell. For better or worse it’s a key feature to what I am to expect and what I am about to experience. The delicious smells of a fresh bakery make me want to indulge in a delectable pastry. The stale grease permeation of a less than responsible eating establishment makes me want to leave and make an alternate selection. The blends of fragrances I experience as I pass by a perfume department entice me to buy a new scent. The chemical assault of a nail salon makes me not want their services. And as I am in a variety of people’s homes during the course of my consultations, homes say a lot about the inhabitants. Shame on me – as I am guilty of having my pets define that sensory experience on more than one occasion in my abode!
Yes, pet odors are unacceptable. Yet there are other unidentified odors that define a home in a negative fashion – often a combination. Residual cooking odors, smoking, and unclean fabrics emit odors.
So first and foremost – CLEAN. Pet problems – remove tainted items, use warm soapy water extraction when possible on carpets, upholstery that cannot be removed or replaced (See Blog November 5, 2010). Clean litter boxes, and flooring around them. Wash linens and draperies. Open the windows and air it all out!
When it’s all clean, you can add your favorite fragrance. I’ve said before this is NOT to mask odors and is only advised after all is fresh and clean. We have found a wonderful collection from the elizabethW line. What turns a house into your home? It’s your personal touches. As intimate as the perfume you wear, with the right scent, you can easily impart your personality into your home.

Light, refreshing Room Sprays, Perfume Candles, and Room Diffusers are all great delivery systems for your scent. And I love what we’ve found with elizabethW – offering much more. Using only the finest silks and linens, as well as sensual, aromatic oils and flowers, they design and craft unique gifts such as drawer and pillow liners, sachets for closets or drawers, and an expanding collection of tissue box covers and roll tissue bags filled with fragrant lavender buds – all handcrafted in their San Francisco workshop. We also love their big spray bottles of linen water – the naturally fresh lavender sprayed on your bed linens and upholstery refresh with an aromatically sensuous scent that is sure to enhance the enjoyment of your home.
Start the NEW YEAR crisp and clean with the natural aromatic scent of lavender! Here’s to a fresh 2012!
See more! http://www.patriciandesign.com/retail/product_description.php?product_ID=685