let me tempt you...to my chocolate shop.

(click on any picture to enlarge)
the front of my shop with my son outside sitting, he was the "door guy" that night.










me at the shop.






hi everyone. most of you know by now that i have a sweet little chocolate shop. we also hold monthly wine and chocolate pairings at our shop...and they are very popular. this month, a friend of mine stopped by and took photos for us during the tasting. she captured the sepia toned light that is our signature glow at the shop. she captured the goodies that we sell and also the fun that was had by all.

such a nice treat for me to have these beautiful pictures dropped off for me today that i thought i'd share some with you. it will also give you a better understanding of what my shop looks like. we sell chocolate from all around the world, from tuscany to new york. it's certainly a space that i don't mind going to every day for work. :) enjoy!

jennifer post. a place in the clouds.

photography by ken hayden.
do you know what your style is? what you absolutely love, absolutely dislike, and do you stick to it? i read an article about jennifer post in my june issue of architectural digest, and not only did light bulbs go off but i had to really think...do i absolutely know and understand my design style. another words, we may be pretty sure, think we know or have a good understanding, but do you absolutely know?

what i was so drawn to, besides the layout in the magazine of the miami high rise that she recently designed for a client, was her absolute sense of style. her client had read about her, studied her style and after he had asked to meet with her regarding completely transforming his miami high rise get-away, he didn't even ask to see the portfolio she had brought with her. that's how confident he was in her look, her style and the mark he knew she'd leave when she was done. he gave her cart blanche to take over his 5,000 square foot penthouse with one demand: "that she promise to hew her signature style of clean lines, cloud like palettes, and uncluttered light filled spaces." he was that sure. as she is that sure of her style.

really a great read, this article and there is also a direct link to jennifer post and her bio. where she grew up, how her tastes developed and how she simply does not compromise. "jennifer post seasons her speech with the words that describe her life and her work. “i’m a purist. some people don’t like what I do. that’s fine. there are enough people who do. i want to do something that’s completely unconditional and unique for people who appreciate light and space, who want one very fluid, purist scale when they’re at home.”

so in reading about jennifer and taking in her style, ask yourself if you truly understand your own style as a designer. it really made me dissect myself style-wise and narrow down my true loves and true dislikes to a point where i sort of see clearer now, if that makes sense. enjoy the article!

fashion friday: omelle shoes

when daily candy sent out their (daily) e-mail the other day, they featured these shoes by omelle... i looked, my jaw dropped and i mumbled something like "oh, well...hello there", to no one in particular, just myself. for the first time in a while i was taken back by a shoe designer. now, let's admit you are not wearing these to go pick up groceries, but for that occasion when you just have to be different, feel sexy, and you truly want to turn heads, these i'm thinking would be the shoes for such occasions.











this is what omelle has to say:
"it started with a spark, something akin to the perfect pair of boots. amidst illustrations, scrap fabrics and inspiration boards at LA's prestigious fashion institute of design and merchandising, two shoe-obsessed designers discovered a common interest—luxury footwear with a distinct and imaginative voice. Combining a singular vision with years of experience, cherise angelle and nicole lafave have created a partnership dedicated to serving the sophisticated shopper, a lady who not only speaks in style but continually lives in it.

with a background rich in style, business and design—angelle has worked in luxury product placement, while lafave has honed her talents in graphic and knitwear design, working as an art director and self-employed designer—each woman offers a unique and varied background which helps to guide their direction. while angelle appeals to the high-end sophisticate with a penchant for pumps and pearls, lafave draws from her artistic roots, setting a new pace in fashion. when mixed and melded, the outcome is omelle, or (ähm' elle), a new voice and vision within the luxury footwear industry." enjoy your fashion "shoe" friday! happy, happy weekend everyone :) what are you up to? busy or relaxing? anyway, hoping yours is fun.

bath inspiration from denmark.

not your average bathroom. but yours doesn't have to be either. really!

the blue pool colored tile is brought to life even more by the addition of this colorful wallpaper.

i love this larger than life lamp plunked smack dab in the bathroom. and how the chair in front of the mirror, mirrors it's shape. really fun.

pretty.

with all of the great vinyl design companies out there, think of what you could add to your bathroom wall.

bring nature indoors by adding these salt water rocks to your tub walls.

pretty tiled tub.

brighten up your bathroom with purple wallpaper from ferm living.

don't forget your options with tile, paint them, sticker them with vinyl, place decorative tiles here and there during tiling. how fun is this?

i've been seeing so many great posts on pretty little bathrooms lately. after all that room can be sort of a sanctuary for many of us. and we do spend a good deal of our lives in these rooms. so why not be comfortable, inspired, at home and happy being there.

this on line design magazine from denmark is always changing and chock full of decor inspiration. pretty spaces, unusual items to discover, to purchase, and ideas of how-to projects with step by step instructions. ideas like adding salt water rocks to your bathroom floor and tub side walls. things like that. with instructions! so fun.

so for this thursday i thought i'd jump on the bathroom bandwagon and throw even more bathroom design inspiration out there. :) enjoy!

nevin hirik.

title: "after you were gone."

title: "i will wait to see you again, II."

title: (close up of ) "tether/memories III."

title: "tether/memories III."

title: "three."

title: "who are you, i am your other end."

title: "the angels were crying."

title: "two".

all photos courtesy of nevin hirik.

"my work is my philosophy, it is my life, it is me. it is my experiences, my passion, my desire. i cannot separate it from my life as it is what i am. all of the pain, the happiness, the love, my emotions escape from my body and are splashed over my canvas for all to see, for all to feel. nothing is hidden, there are no secrets, you just have to look and you will see all. and you will see what you want to see as i believe that paintings talk to people in different voices, art is personnel-it stirs your emotions, it stimulates your senses. every person has a unique response to this stimulus. it is not for you or i to tell them what they should feel. nevin hirik."

i met nevin on line after having left a comment on my blog, and i'm happy that she did. i was instantly taken with her paintings and sense of fragility, sensitivity and emotion conveyed in her work. truly talented. i found that the more i looked at one painting, different days, in different moods, in different weather, i noticed and absorbed completely different interpretations. what do you see? feel? love? about, and in nevin's work? i myself can't help but notice the emotion in the eyes that she paints. and i love her interpretation of weather. enjoy!