Merry Christmas!

And to my friends that may not celebrate Christmas ... I wish you the beautiful sentiments of the season!!

These are the images in my mind right now ... 

But here is my Reality ... It arrived yesterday!

So my sweet friends ... I am checking out for a couple of weeks ... I may pop something up here if the inspiration or time allows.

Most likely you won't hear from me until after the New Year!

We are filled to the brim with boxes and bubble wrap and I best get busy!!

Wishing you all a wonderful Christmas and New Year ... see you back in 2014!!

Making the World More Beautiful.  One Room at a Time.

xo,

kim

Ahhh ...

It's here ... the last minute details are being "wrapped up".  Christmas Biscotti is made, thank you Erin, my sweet baker, and the rest of the family is on Delivery duty ... 

Wishing you all the Spirit of the Season, whether you celebrate this holiday or not ... please accept my wishes for a Merry Christmas as a wish for peace, JOY and a celebration of family!

Last day of school for my kids ... I will see you back in January with a new VIBE for 2013!!

xo,

kim

Tangerine Tango ... Still doing it for me!

I am moving toward a decorated home for Christmas.  It is 8 days away so time is going to stop me if nothing else does!

This is a funny time of year ... working frantically on my own home to welcome family and friends to share in the celebration of Christmas.  But then frantically working on others homes as well ... to get them ready for LIVING!

Searching some specific pieces of furniture I found myself intrigued with these ... 

Let's just discuss all the things RIGHT in this room ... Color, Chair, Orange printed drapes, Greek Key Coffee Tables, Orange/Red chinoiserie pots, Gorgeous Chest,  Navy blue lattice hiding out in the left corner and of course Chiang Mai Dragon pillows.  

Okay, the artwork leaves me a little disappointed ... but with everything else that is going right ... well, I can forgive that!!

Here I am loving the Sofa, the console behind the Flame Stitch Chair and the seemingly oversized art behind the sofa.  The Large Stripe Curtains ... yes, I will find somewhere/some one to do this!

Modern, classic fabric and POP Art.  All of these found here.  

Here's to a good productive and Festive week!!

xo

kim

  

Taking Shape!

The decorations finally began this past weekend ... and I was so happy to decorate our little White House Holiday Tree with my new printed burlap ribbon!

I just wish I had bought more!!  when will I learn??

Lots of chatter about different colors at Christmas ... I absolutely have been drooling over some of the gorgeous decorations in different colors.  So Vibrant and Beautiful ... but here on Farm Road, we are still pretty traditional with Red & Green running the Show!

The countdown is on ... I have only purchased ONE present so far ... Although now that our kids are older, the shopping seems simpler (they are VERY specific!) and fewer packages. How's your shopping going??

xo,

kim

Painted Wood Floors

Thanksgiving was last week I know ... but I say to all my blog friends, thank you for your friendship and continuing to check in!  A year ago, when I began my blogging adventure I promised design ideas with life "smattered in".  Well, I had no idea that so much life would be smattered in!  

I am finding that life is what makes design fun.  We all have REAL life.  And we all (I think) are just trying to make our homes a little bit prettier and warmer to celebrate our families and loved ones.  Coming in to a home where you feel loved and supported and comfortable ... this has become more and more important to me as I work side by side with my clients to create each unique space.

You all know I am pining away for a Farm House ... with painted floors.  And I love Orange.  Actually, that is a little dramatic ... but I do love the idea and I would love to try it sometime!!

via

This is a Beach House ... in New Jersey ... and seriously, doesn't this make you happy?  I know, it is Christmas time ... and I am unloading the boxes as we speak.  

You have to admit, that room is much prettier than the task at hand!

Hope you are having a wonderful week and feeling the Spirit of Christmas!!

xo,

kim

Merry Christmas!

 

The kids decided to take our Christmas (New Year's!) card photo as a surprise for us!  They found out quickly that it is never easy gathering the crew ... please forgive the bottom wreath that went crooked, that was the least of their worries!!

Wishing you and your families a beautiful Christmas and thanks for checking in on our crazy life and the chaos that abounds.

  

Enjoy your families and all the celebrations of the next week.  We will see you back in 2012 ...  maybe even a few projects will get completed.  Thank you so much for continuing to check in and sharing in our lives, design and wine!

xo,

kim, don, erin, callie, christopher, sammy, murphy, byron and cooper

Christmas ... in Paris!

Christmas in Paris is possibly even more romantic than Paris in the Spring ... or the Fall ... or really anytime is magnificent, Paris has a tendency to always shine ... but I particularly love the way the French  celebrate the Season!  

via 

Arc de Triumphe

Place Vendome

Quiet Courtyard of a home

Ferris Wheel at Jardins de Tuileries

The Champs Elysees at night ... taken from the Ferris Wheel

via

Don and I have been blessed to spend several Christmas vacations in Paris ... we love it and hope we get to do it again!  I must caution you however ... this time of year,  the days are a little dreary and gray ... we truly live for the nights!

The Champagne Cocktail ... my favorite way to kick off the celebration of the Night and Lights in Paris.

Recipe:

1 sugar cube
2-3 dashes Angostura bitters
Champagne
1 oz brandy
orange slice for garnish

Place the sugar cube in the bottom of your Champagne Flute
Dash the sugar cube with the Angostura bitters
Add Brandy
Fill with Champagne
Garnish with Orange

Cheers!

xo,

kim

p.s. please visit At The Picket Fence ... a fun blog by two sisters, Vanessa and Heather.  I joined in on their Christmas Blogger Block Party featuring Doors and Porches.  They were kind enough to feature  our Red Front Door ... guarded carefully by the "boys" Byron and Cooper!  Thank you ladies!

Red Doors!

In Feng Shui, a red door symbolizes the mouth of the home. By painting our door red (or any bright colour that stands out) chi (positive energy) is drawn to the house. It is the entry point in which abundance and opportunities find us.


The Chinese consider red to be the lucky or sacred color. Many doors are painted with a fresh coat of red just before Chinese New Year to invite good luck and happiness.


In Ireland, a red door is supposed to ward off ghosts and evil spirits.


Red Doors evidently conjure up a myriad of meanings ... Ours just means ...

Welcome!

The "boys" however, are not so easy!! ... actually just pet them, they're all talk!


I know y'all are waiting for my "Erin room re-do" follow up ... I am almost done, I was a little gregarious in my tackling of the settee ... it was gross!  (Truly, I had an asthma attack and disgusting things were falling out of it!) I am up for anything ... but when I tore into this I knew I was in over my head.  It has now been deposited at my upholsterers workshop!  The chandelier has been hung, Don hanging cornices for me tonight and almost done with bed linens.  I will share next week!!!  I accept defeat!!


xo,


kim

All Wrapped Up!

Okay, I am a little OCD about Christmas wrappings.  I like all the presents under the tree to match.  I like them all wrapped in the same paper.  I take a Sharpie and put tiny letters on the back of the package indicating who they go to.  For years when our elementary aged children sold wrapping paper during the holidays I bought only one pattern ... this truly irritated them ... I didn't mind!

Last year, no more wrapping paper being sold in our home ... I also don't like cheap wrapping paper that tears while you are wrapping the present.  I couldn't find anything I wanted that didn't cost a fortune and that I liked.  So I went "natural" for the theme.  This also irritated my children!  They thought I was going to decorate with twigs and pine cones - I wouldn't have minded that either - but that wasn't what I meant!

I promptly went to Walmart and bought one large roll of brown butcher paper which is always readily available. I found the cutest little reindeer ornaments for $1.00 each!  Then to the fabric store for Turquoise Satin Ribbon.

Here's how it turned out ... and once my precious little ones tore into them I had no remorse as it all went to the recycling bin and we saved the ornaments ... haven't decided if I will use them again this year in the same manner.  But they won't go to waste!!

This year's color combo has not been chosen.  Probably because I don't have any gifts to wrap yet!!  How do you like to wrap things up??  

While I have visions of sugarplums ... how about this for a little Christmas Bling!

xo,

kim

Reindeer Food

Holiday Show House

I have no idea if this is what Irwin Feld was thinking when he put this fabulous Reindeer in the fireplace ... but it seems to me like a nod to the wonderful tradition of children (including mine) that leave a little food out for Santa's reindeer on Christmas Eve!  Love the faux fur bench and striped screen ... and did you notice the ORANGE pillow ... ahhhh!

A little fur behind the orange ... so fun and glam.  Feld looks pleased ... He should !!

Now ... a Big Shout Out to Joni at Cote de Texas!  Joni posted my kitchen on her blog this week ... Mine is not a "showcase" kitchen, it is real and lived in and done with love ... Thank you Joni!  If y'all don't follow her ... you should!  She has impeccable taste and has given us access to some of the most beautiful Texas homes.  She also co-hosts The Skirted Roundtable where she interviews fascinating Movers and Shakers in the Industry!

Have a wonderful week ... things are moving and shaking around here ... getting myself and everyone else Holiday Ready!


xo,


kim

Tree Inspiration ...

Whenever I go visit Mother and Daddy ... I always go to Parsons.  Parsons has been in Cumming, Georgia since ... Forever!  They have some of the typical gift shop items ... including Vera Bradley, Brighton, blah, blah, blah ... but what they have that no one else has is ... Christmas!  Not just the average ornaments and sterile decorations that everyone else brings out at this time of year.  They have gorgeous ribbons, candles, artificial floral "stuff" that no ACMoore or Michael's will ever be able to replicate.  There lies the problem. I can only bring so much home at a time!  Here was my inspiration tree ...

We put up one artificial tree each year along with a real one.  The kids get the real one ... it is our family tree with homemade ornaments from years gone by and new things we add along the way.  The artificial tree has become home to our collection of White House Ornaments.  Don started collecting them when he lived in Washington DC and we have continued the collection ... now we have over 20.

This year's ornament honoring Theodore Roosevelt ...

While we are thrilled to have over 20 of these special ornaments ... that really doesn't fill a tree ... so with the inspiration tree from Parsons and a quick shopping spree ...

I was able to haul 9 gold glittered hydrangeas and some beautiful "balls" home!!  I wish I had bought more ribbon and some of the fun "twigs" they used.  Maybe next year ... like everything else I do ... it will continue evolving over time!

Have a Sparkling Weekend!!

xo,

kim