About Me

Dallas Market, continued

Now to part dos of my Dallas Market Trip.

The Global Views showroom was my absolute favorite. They did such a great job of putting together their displays and color stories. Plus their line of goods is just phenomenal.

Tangerine and Grey!! Pure genius.

Close up of the chair in the corner. Traditional meets contemporary!

More Tangerine and grey!

Marble top coffee table. The base is pretty sweet too.

Fun accessories.

Tree Table! What a cool concept for a restaurant: a long bench on one side with tables and side chairs.

This room was FANTASTICAL. Blue and green and peacock all over! So fun.

Love these accessories.

Cool lounge chair

Love the design of the back of the chair too.

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These little treasures are what I found in a couple of the cash & carry stores. Cheap-o and so cute.

Can you believe this scarf was $7??

I think these earrings were about $18 for all 3!!

All in all, Dallas was a success! 🙂

Dallas Market

This past Friday, the design studio I work for took all of the designers, assistant designers, and support staff to the Total Home & Gift Market in Dallas. I was totally pumped because this was my first trip to a residential market (I’ve been to NeoCon in Chicago), and my first time to the Dallas Market Center.

We flew up for the day, so we had a lot of ground to cover in 11 hours. I’m talking 15 floors.

But we made a list of all the must stop shops… and hit up a few of the clothing and jewelry floors as well.

My pictures might be somewhat random, but here are some of the really cool things I saw:

A spin on the classic cafe chair, available in a plethora of funky colors.

I love anything made from nature. A great (& sustainable!) choice for an accent table.

Another obsession: anything Moroccan inspired. LOVE!!!

Great bedding concepts and fabrics.

Umm yes please. You don’t have to ask me twice! By the way, I was totally a fan of all the free food and drink being thrown at me all day.

Crazy about the red interior of this cabinet!

These wire pendents were awesome.

Great line of throws – fun patterns and so unbelievably softttttt.

Lovely linen striped drapes.

But it wasn’t all glamorous. Like these stuffed REAL raccoons (think taxidermy on crack). I guess someone felt the need to have them go on a canoe expedition?? WHO DOES THAT???

One of my favorite things about interior design is the unexpected. Red bottle cap mirror or console could totally blow minds in the right space.

Beautiful accessories.

More accessories, supercharged this time!

This was such a great display wall idea: fabric covered panels put together in a quilted pattern.

Great option for plastic tableware. Fun prints at a great price.

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Well I think this is all enough for now! I’m sure your brain is on information overload, so tomorrow I will post pictures from my favorite showroom of the trip and the great cheap jewelry I bought. XOXO.

beach withdrawls & florida memories

It’s been raining for about 24 hours straight. This was the view from out my back window this morning:

It seems like good ol’ FB is just blowing up with pictures from people on their fabulous spring breaks. It really makes me miss that beach town we used to call home, Destin.

(Photo by Chris Frey, found on Destin Chamber of Commerce’s website)

White sand beaches…Blue/green water….good friends…amazing seafood = MAJOR WITHDRAWLS.

My memory takes me back to a week after graduating from college, with my silver Cutlass stuffed to max capacity with all the clothes and necessities I could fit. I remember what it felt like to drive away, looking back at the home I grew up in, one last time. I didn’t know how much my life was about to change at the time…I just knew I had a dream, and I had to chase it.

I got to FL and the first 6 months of my life was like a vacation: beach everyday, killer tan, exploring all the great spots to eat, drink and be merry. Being a tourist was like my job and damn was I good at it.

It’s like one day I woke up, it was 2011. It had been 3 years since I moved to the Emerald Coast. I was working full-time, couldn’t tell you the last time I went to the beach just to lay out and tan. Probably had been months. And the next thing I knew Nate got that job offer and we were moving to San Antonio. Ironically, three short weeks later, I was driving away from a place most people dream of living, starting all over again.

I guess my point from this random babble is that we get so caught up with our day-to-day routine that we take things (& people) for granted. Don’t forget to live in the moment. You never know where life will take you – so when you have something beautiful right within your reach, take it. This weekend I encourage everybody to do one thing they absolutely LOVE, no matter what. No excuses. Life is too short not to play (even if it’s in the rain). 🙂

2012: focusing on the “little things”

I can’t believe it’s the beginning of another year!

It seems like, as soon as we hit Jan 1, we begin reflecting on the up’s, down’s, and in-betweens of the last year. Also, we start looking toward this fresh new year, and all the opportunities that may come with it. Let’s be real: It can be an emotional time. It takes a range of emotions to look back and look forward at the same time.

Instead of wishing you did more in 2011, focus on the next 12 months that lie ahead. We all make mistakes, miss opportunities, and sometimes focus on the “should haves” – but learning from this is key to our growth.

That being said, of course around this time of year, I make a huge list of goals and things I want to accomplish. I won’t even bore you with the details… but there is one thing I will tell you: This year for me is all about the little things. Staying in touch with friends and family. Taking a bubble bath. Driving for no reason until I end up somewhere I haven’t been before. Giving back. Taking what free time I have and making it worthwhile.

One thing I’ve realized this past year is how easy it is to overlook these things….and they are some of the best things in life! I find myself thinking more and more about how our society is always “working”. We are slaves to our laptops, iphones, etc. No matter where we go, we take all of our to-do’s, responsibilities, and commitments with us. And if you crack a smile, then you must not be on task. (Why so serious????) Don’t get me wrong – it’s great to be a productive person. It just seems like people don’t take enough time for themselves anymore to truly enjoy life. Also, as we get caught up in the day-to-day routine, we forget we each have a purpose. And it’s not how much money we make or how “successful” we are. Remember, true success is not just what we do with our lives, but the difference we can make in others’.