creating an eddy ~ Eddie Ross on The Skirted Round Table

Long before the designer competed on Bravos 'Top Design' Eddie Ross was creating a vibe in the world of design and the art of living. With his year old blog and his collaboration with partner Jaithan Kochar, he's creating a serious stir. Listen as Eddie tells us what this past year has brought for him, how he does that magic that he does and what's next for this power couple. {I promise, you're going to need a nap when you hear these guys' schedule ~T I R E L E S S }

The Skirted Round Table

bustin' out

For those of us smitten with the shell encrusted bust featured on yesterday's post, we are in formidable company. Former editor-in-chief at House Beautiful, JoAnn Barwick's Boca Grande get away was featured in this month's Traditional Home Magazine and shows this beautiful bust..... the house, overall, is a beautiful example of beachy, Island, Swedish goodness. Not to be missed read more here.

she sells seashells

There's such a fine line between elegant shell designs and those that are kitsch appearing as though they came out of a little shell shop on The Redondo Pier.

But when you see the real deal, you know the difference {and it's not just the sticker reading 'made in china'}

Heather Kendall Designs, is the real deal and her work is truly, elegant {'shell-egant', shall we say?}

Kendall's work can be found in beach homes spanning the country from L.A. to Nantucket and some of those beach-less, beach houses in between. Custom orders are welcome and encouraged. Heather Kendall Designs

peace out

Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication, originally uploaded by annfrau.

shelter pop is up

AOL has a great new design blog filled with great ideas and finds-Shelter Pop . Fellow blogger and friend, Erin Loechner, asked if I would contribute to a posting on "The Perfect Summer Bedroom" read my 10 tips >>here<<

chewin' the fat

This week on the skirted round table, we chit chat about the real cost of using a designer. What's an average room actually cost if you're using a decorator? Also up, we discuss whether it's such a great idea to criticize magazine spreads on blogs. Have a listen, while you empty the dishwasher, sort socks etc.The Skirted Round Table

lovely letto

The other day a friend sent me this photo,

asking if it was I who had sent it to her. No, not me but those beds are really cool, if you find the source, lemme know. A few days later she sent me this link, which made them even cooler {by proxy}.

who wants to go to Tuscany?

and I thought I'd mention...

I was very flattered to be asked for commentary on Decorati's Profile page. It's a great feature the site has created, profiling different designers and then dipping into the blogger world for our take on the work. This week, art deco inspired designer Jean de Merry is featured. Jean De Merry's line is really quite something to behold, if you're not already familiar. Read more here.

a midsummer night's dream....

devon cream, england 2007

tim walker

Blog Out Loud T.V.~tune in

Blog Out Loud .01 "Finding Your Voice" from Blog Out Loud on Vimeo.

In case you missed the Blog Out Loud event Rebecca {loving.living.small} and I held a few weeks ago, in Venice Beach, Blog Out Loud T.V. is up and running with recaps of the evening.

Seymour here.

peace out

photo cred: marie claire maison

what motivates us to keep on blogging-this week on the skirted round table

This week on The Skirted Round Table, the ladies and I discuss what keeps us going as bloggers. What motivates us? What makes us blog?

Listen in as we discuss............The Skirted Round Table

Allison's beach house goodbye

Two weeks ago I received a very bitter sweet phone call. My friend, neighbor and business partner called to tell me they were moving. Bitter is not the best word, it sounds too much like a bad taste left in the mouth. Quietly sad is probably more apt. A fantastic opportunity has come their way, one that cannot be passed up.

Allison and her family have been a great gift to this little walk street community of tight living quarters, kids running in and out of each other's homes, weekends spent at the beach, warm evening dinner parties and old fashioned neighborly friendship.

The sweet side of all of this, is that the family will be moving 'up the street', as I so euphemistically like to refer to it. Up the street to the Bay area. Up the street to my favorite part of the world, a lovely pocket of Marin County called Ross. If I had to choose an even more perfect spot for them to be, I'd be at a loss.

Allison and I have also been business partners for the past 4 years.

We've managed to keep it going through some serious life changes, after math of divorce and newly single motherhood {me} pregnancy, a new baby and a toddler {her} Amazing when I look back at what we were able to accomplish through it all. I've learned so much from this girl, who is as beautiful on the inside as on the out. I will miss her.

I once did a little blog tour of her adorable beach cottage. Much to her, I assume, chagrin I really didn't do it justice. Recently with her house on the market {it sold within the first week} some professional shots were taken. I wanted to share with you some of Allison's fabulous talent.

I love the salmony color of her cieling with the toasty almond walls. If there's one thing this girl knows, it's details.

stainless steel counter tops, with a wooden top on one end, a perfect work space.Under her center island, Allison has collected old wire locker room baskets to hold her vast stock of vintage linens.

you can't see them so well, but she recently added the burlap seat cushions to the dining room chairs. Burlap is the new velvet after all.

Dutch doors are a must, here at the beach. You can scream down the street for your kids at dinner time without even leaving your home! One of the 'details' Allison added not long ago, was the darkening of all of the door hardware in the house. It made such a difference. And she did it in one afternoon while the kids were napping. So clever.

I love what she's done to her daughter's room. Using the Serena and Lily bedlinens as a starting point, she's created a sweet but whimsical room. She uses fun swaths of fabrics behind the panes on her French doors through out. A great touch used to mask the contents of a closet.

her son's room was once her daughters, not wanting to have to repaint, in one afternoon, she transformed it into a beautiful yet not feminine boys room. As I remember, it was a trip to Target and she had instantly changed the whole feel of the space. {green bedding, striped rug and window treatment - Target }

In 2005, the family added on this great master bed and bath.

The little balcony {above} off the of the Master, a great place to sit and listen to the surf.

ahh, the backyard that launched a thousand parties. The annual Valentine's wine tasting party, Birthday parties for the young and.....well, not so young any more. Many a great evening was spent under this old tree. Not to mention, many a business meeting.

{What the photos don't give you is the sound effect of the fountain. It's so peaceful out here.}

The backside of the free standing Garage, helps create a privacy in the back of the house. Using space wisely is what walk-street beach living is all about. They turned the garage into a great little guest cottage.

This shot doesn't give you the full effect of how sweet this little room is. But it's adorable and the light in the space is great.

Come that day when the car is loaded, moving van is gone, kids seat belted in, hugs are exchanged, there will certainly be tears and the aftermath of a quiet void with the echo of great memories. I will not consider them gone, but merely just up the street.

xoxo M

rian rae, bb8 reader discount

My favorite find from the Rian Rae online collection are these beautiful, cotton quilted blankets in rich, juicy colors like persimmon and chocolate. What a great easy, cost efficient way to change out your bedding for summer. Any of these, paired with crisp white sheets would sing.

and lucky you, because Rain Rae is offering bb8 readers 15% off of these or any of her regularly priced items {I might need this shower curtain for my daughter's bathroom} starting today, Tuesday, June 16 and running through Sunday, June 21st. Simply type in the word 'bb8promo' at check-out.

that necklace! as seen on party honoree, trisha.

A lot of you emailed me that you'd like to know where Miss Trisha, found that great necklace. First of all, let me tell you Trisha is one of those people who is always, always perfectly quaffed and perfectly-outfitted, so it was no surprise that she'd turn up with some fantastic, noteworthy piece.

the necklace comes from Anthropolgie

I bought it in yellow - after much hemming and hawing and deciding that I just have too much in the beautiful sea green- although I'm not entirely sure that I made the right decision.

But they're all so beautiful, I even liked the white. Turns your old jeans, t-shirt, some summer sandal uni, into a stylin' little ensemble.

'Stormy Sea Necklace' - $48.00

trisha's baby shower

Over the weekend, along with two friends, I hosted a baby shower in my front yard. It was so much fun, planning and art directing the whole event. And the sun even decided to break through the 'June gloom' of coastal fog we've been having.

I've never owned a lick of blue willow anything. I thought that this would be the perfect opportunity to load up, as I wanted the table to have a classic, elegant-casual garden party feel. After a few evenings on ebay I was able to find a dealer who would sell a lot to me for $4.00 a plate. Pottery barn and Cost Plus had great chargers for the cause- caned and woven

I used burlap as the table cloth {I love the look of burlap and it's so inexpensive at $3.00 a yard} we bought hydrangeas, white roses and some green stuff {no idea the name}

and created little tight arrangements in Liberty bowls that I had laying around. Super easy.

A fantastic meal was whipped up by our resident chefs {husbands} and enjoyed by all {I just noticed everyone cleaned their plates!}

.........and Trisha and new baby walked away with some fantastic haul!

I wish I had thought to take a photo of the food, plated, it was really beautiful. However, I did mention to a few, that I'd post the recipe for the egg number.

...................................................................

Egg in a Nest

{adapted from my friend,Wimberly's recipe}

greased cupcake pan dozen eggs sliced deli ham chopped tarragon diced shallots diced mushrooms shredded cheddar cheese holandaise sauce whole wheat english muffin

In each cupcake pan, space, neatly fold a slice of ham in a conical shape {it helps to cut halfway up the middle of the piece} Sautee, the mushrooms and shallots until clear {use a lot of mushrooms, as they do shrink down} Pour the mixture into the bottom of ham 'nest' and crack egg on top. stick pan into oven and bake at 350 for 30 minutes. toast english muffins. when egg is done, place the 'nest' on top of the half toasted muffin, sprinkle cheese on top, drizzle holandaise sauce and garnish with the tarragon.

eat.

peace out

photo credit: two straight lines

Sasa Antic

This past week has been heavy on the 'lookies' {great images, little to no content} But I'm coming to the end of a two week, too-many-irons-in-the-fire stint. Rounding out the 2 week crush, a baby shower brunch for 16 which I'm hosting on Saturday. Menu planned, Grocery shopping done, art direction finis! help in line, now I get to relax and enjoy.

With all of this new time on my hands tonight, I was able to do a little blog visiting. And as always, found a rejuvenating bank of imagery over at Apartment Therapy. The work of Swedish stylist, Sasa Antic

I'm hoping to be up to some of my own, Sasa Antics on Saturday and will try to capture some shots to share next week.