thinking of you...

Just wanted to share a few words of inspiration and a beautiful image of pink + red as we all start thinking of our valentines.

{image via}

I'm crazy about the pink + red combination. Loving that Kate Spade bag. And loving these natural beauties...

{image via}

...Thinking I need to spend some time pinning to my pink + red pinboard.

More thoughts coming soon.  Have a fabulous week (by the way, I've added a few pages to my blog.  Do you like?)

Thanks for reading.

xo

patti


ps. If you like what you see, please follow me on instagram or twitter or pinterest ... or all of the above. :) Share your thoughts. I adore comments.

discovering your cinema self

As with most creatives, I have started and stopped and re-started a few books to inspire creativity.  One book I've attempted several times over the past several years is The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron.  It is full of ideas for sparking creativity ... for finding your inner artist. 

One idea, "morning pages," suggests journaling 3 pages every morning. Free-form writing to vent all the burdens and angst "blocking" your creativity ...in order to free your mind and ultimately your artist soul.  

{image via emmacassi}

Another idea I love from the book & try to do (though not as often as I should) is the concept of an "Artist date." A 2-hour or solid chunk of time devoted to you & your creativity. Doing something inspiring.  Seeing, touching, feeling, listening to creativity that will light the fire of imagination + invention. Visiting a museum, seeing a dance performance, going to an art store or a groovy little cafe, painting, playing, being in nature ... finding the artist within.

When I lived in Minneapolis (I know it's hard to imagine this Florida girl in the great white North, but it's true), I had the privilege of attending a seminar by Julia Cameron.

One of the exercises she had us do was extremely fun and memorable for me. So memorable in fact, that I often use it as a reference point when evaluating and re-assessing life.  Here's a very rough breakdown (from memory only, I didn't even google it).  

The concept of the exercise is imagining your Cinema Self.

Julia had us envision our lives as a movie. To picture ourselves on film. 

What would your life look like? Picture your dream self, your "Cinema Self."  Who are you?

- Where do you live?
- What do you wear?
- Where is your favorite place in your home?
- Which celebrity is cast to play "you?"
- What does your spiritual life look like?
- How about your exercise ritual?
- And, your philanthropic efforts?
- Where do you travel?
- What kind of car do you drive?

I know, you might think it could be a depressing exercise. I mean we all want an awful lot of things we don't have. The interesting thing to me was that it actually had me thinking "Why doesn't my life look more like this?" I mean a lot of these things are in our control. Whether we choose to exercise on a regular basis (or not, guilty). How often we involve ourselves with charitable giving. Being spiritual.

So, take a few moments and think through your answers to the questions...and figure out who your Cinema Self is... and decide to become more like her (or him).  Make a different decision or two or three this week, this month, this year.

Of course, being the visual person that I am, I thought it would be fun to visualize my Cinema Self, so here's one more collage. See my recent craze with collages here...

{My Cinema Self}

Obviously, My Cinema Self lives in jeans, flip-flops + white tees; lounges in layers of furry coziness; spends many hours + vacays at the beach; is an in-shape yoga-loving girl; and travels to places with lots of twinkle lights. A girl can dream, right?

But on a deeper side, doing this Cinema Self exercise again has me realizing, I really want to figure out a way to use my skill set and give back in a more profound way. I would love to get involved in something similar to Extreme Home Makeover, just maybe not-so-extreme. I'm on the look-out for opportunities. Anyone know of any such event in North Carolina?

In 2012 I was able to participate in a Habitat for Humanity ReStore ReStyle Design Challenge fundraising event. (If you want to apply to participate this year, see here.)  I really hope to find some deep + meaningful ways to make a difference this year.

...Let me know what you think of this exercise to define your Cinema Self... Did it enlighten you at all? I love hearing from you.

xo

patti

sunsets + style

This has been a crazy busy week.  I just started writing for post & gray's blog, in-the-gray.  Click here to read my first post. (Let me know what you think). As many of you know, I was a fan of and prop-shopper at post & gray long before I turned part-time shop girl. Now, part-time social marketing girl. I'm also immersed in a showroom visual display project with young america.  So this week has been full of real work, but when I wasn't "working," or parenting or doing laundry,

I was consumed with finding other design blogs + inspiration. 

The interior image that took my breath away was this gorgeous one via lalalovely...

Amazing, right?

... and then there was another late-night blog-searching discovery that had me stumbling upon this beautiful sunset via thisisglamorous...

Aahh. Sunsets at the beach. Therapy for the soul, even virtually.

... so as a result of finding those two inspiring images, I was suddenly drawn to all things apricot-colored + soothing. Here are two more of this week's pins...

Inspiring styling details via sfgirlbybay (love her).

...+ this sweet j crew ensemble via littleredbook.


...+ lastly, one of my stylings. photography by colin mcguire...

What has inspired you this week? 

THANKS so much for taking the time to stop by. I've been so happy to have a few more comments as of late.  It's so nice to know someone is reading and finding a little inspiration.

More soon.

xo

patti


ps. If you like what you see, please follow me on instagram or twitter or pinterest ... or all of the above. :) Share your thoughts. I adore comments. 

collage crazy

...okay. I admit it. I'm a bit obsessive sometimes. I think all stylists, designers + creative-types tend to be a tad OCD.

This weekend, I stumbled upon fieldstone hill's blog post on signature-style-boards. And I was hooked. I just had to do one of my very own style-boards or mood boards. Of course, one collage didn't quite feel like enough, so I did two.

A style-board (inspiration board, #moodboard) is a way of summing up your design style, pulling together images of inspiration that define your style. I loved the exercise and I think you might to.  It's a brilliant way to hone in on your loves so that when you're actually looking to tweak your interior or enhance your wardrobe, you know what to look for.

Here's how my style-boards turned out...

So...what do you think?

As you can tell from my style-boards, I love MIXING textures, like raw wood + high-gloss WHITE...I love NATURAL linens, LAYERS, faux FUR, LUCITE, CANDLES, ORGANIC elements, aqua + TURQUOISE, white + PINK, BRACELETS + STATEMENT RINGS, hints of MID-CENTURY modern, BOHEMIAN influences ... and TWINKLE lights.

What's your design style?

Click on over to this link for the quick how-to and make one or two of your own.  And PLEASE SHARE.  I'd love for you to comment below and share yours (You can upload it to one of your pinterest boards and copy + paste the link). 

THANKS for stopping by.  I hope this inspires you to define your style just a little bit more.

Have an incredible week!... and don't forget to COMMENT below. I seriously do a happy dance when I know people are actually reading these random thoughts of mine.

xo

patti

ps. If you like what you see, please follow me on instagram or twitter or pinterest ... or all of the above. :) Share your thoughts. I adore comments. 

bottle love. colored glass.

It's no secret. I heart colored glass. Collections of it. Especially collections of like-colored glass bottles. 

I came across this striking interior recently and am in love with the style + simplicity...

I so love this collection of vintage amber glass via amerrymishap. Of course, the amazing art, chic furniture pieces + cool architecture don't hurt. 

A great source here in the Charlotte area for one-of-a-kind vintage + artsy finds is bebe gallinis, one of my fave gifty shops in Cornelius (& there are several antique stores in the same area if you're on a specific hunt for vintage bottles).

Another one of my favorite sources for some of my own glass collection is west elm ... like these recycled pretties...

{via west elm}

...Here's an image that I styled using a collection of glass bottles in an outdoor scenario (for more of my coastal styling gigs with stanley furniture and ttw photo, go here...)

...and here are a few instagram snaps from my living room window...



{...on a rainy day...}



{...& on a rare snow day in NC}

...Another beautiful + inspiring shot of glass in the window I found via pinterest (love vintage seltzer bottles)...

...an image of glass + ceramic vessels in the window from a recent location-scouting...

... And an all-time favorite collection of colored glass, via designalicious.typepad--photos-by-johnny-miller...

GORGEOUS! right?

Hope these images bring you a little visual vacation + inspiration.

Happy Weekend!

xo

patti

ps. If you like what you see, please follow me on instagram or twitter or pinterest ... or all of the above. :) Share your thoughts. I adore comments. 

colour trend: emerald

As you probably know by now, Pantone officially named Emerald the colour of the year for 2013. So...for some crazy reason, I feel compelled to collect images of emerald. Though colour trends come and go, they tend to find a moment in the spotlight, both in fashion and interior design. Some trends will speak to us more than others. And this one speaks to my love of nature.  

I'm personally a firm believer in wearing and living in what you love...in what inspires you - trend or not.  But as a visual person and a photo stylist by trade, I can't help but be swept-up in the moment and gain a little inspiration from this trend.

As the Pantone site declares PANTONE 17-5641 Emerald is  
"Lively. Radiant. Lush… A color of elegance and beauty       
         that enhances our sense of well-being, balance and harmony."

...And let's face it, we could all probably use a little well-being and balance, right?

So, here are a few emerald images to inspire...

{LOVE the textures. Image via stylecaster -Donna Karen Atelier.}

{Such a wearable look. Love this. Image via navyship.tumblr.}

{Luxe chairs add a pop of emerald. Image via vintageluxe.tumblr.}

{A cost-effective way to add a little trend to your home is to paint an accent wall.  I love it in combination with gold accents.  Image via reneefinberg.}

{Another simple way to incorporate the colour of the year into your home. Re-paint the front door in a vibrant shade of green. Image via loveit.com.}

{I so love the styling of this shot, designed by gardener and marks. What I especially love is that the rich emerald feel is created by the lush foliage on the exterior.}

{Always LOVE colored glass bottles in the window. These emerald gems were finds by acreativedayblog. Gotto love a great find.}

{This print with an emerald vibe, just caught my attention. Circus Magic photo by Laura Ruth is available for sale at society6 and etsy shop - Dreamy Photo.}

{This fabulous kitchen was designed by Kelley Vieregg Interior Design. I styled this particular image for Stanley Furniture. The emerald color is added with a simple tree branch in a large glass vase. An easy + inexpensive (even free) way to bring a little green into your home. I love the way organic elements bring instant beauty to any space. Image photographed by Kenton Robertson.}

Let me know if you're into this trend for the new year? Any plans to add a kick of emerald to your wardrobe or your home?

(Follow me on pinterest as I create an emerald pinboard.)

Here's to renewal and growth...and all things good + green in 2013.

xo

patti

resolutions

In keeping with the blogging trend of New Year Resolution posts, I thought I'd share a few of my resolves for the new year. My dreams. Goals. Aspirations. 

My "theme" this past year (my foray into blogging) has been "If I build it, they will come." This blog is my field of dreams.  It's where I share my creative inspirations and accomplishments. After talking about it for quite some time, in 2012 I finally took the plunge.  I feel like I'm finding my voice. My "story" in the mix of design + style blogs. 

The difficult part is not getting caught-up in comparing. And that is hard to do.  There are a million-and-one (+ more) blogs out there. Established. Creative. Cool.  It's tempting to think "it's already been done." But, we all have a unique story. A one-of-a-kind life experience.  I'm just hoping to find an audience of like-minded peeps to take along for the ride.

{via martas-wonderland}

My goal thus far has been to create a place of inspiration. Beautiful images. and Fresh ideas. 

For the new year, I have been contemplating a 365-day-project (thanks to the idea via abeautifulmess). And here's the thing. I'm having a hard time getting really specific with it. So, I've decided to keep it simple. My goal is this: do something creative every day. Take an interesting photo. Style something in a new way. Paint. Write. Design. Visit a new visually-inspiring place. Do something (anything) creative. Every day. 365 experiences await (well, 364). That seems do-able.  And it will push me to step outside of my comfort zone from time-to-time and hopefully keep me fresh, inventive and inspired. (Read my original inspiration for this idea here.)

I found a few quotes + quips to keep me motivated in my pursuit of creativity...and in the never-ending pursuit of keeping life in balance. Prioritizing the really important stuff.

{via prettystuff}

{via thepreppychic}

{via weheartit}

{via weheartit}

I have narrowed down a few specifics:

* This week, write my blog purpose statement

* This month, de-clutter + truly organize my office space

* This quarter, accomplish a few home projects like painting the bathroom, replacing the living room rug and re-upholstering chairs
* This year, attend a blogging conference (any suggestions?)

* Also this year, create visually interesting + impactful spaces for my clients
* Lastly, my goal is to find-out what works for my blog. Last year's favorite was the diy-sun-prints post, which I did for a photo shoot. I'm aiming to do more of the like this year. I have some fun showroom visual displays coming soon. And as always I'm hoping for more photo shoot gigs that allow me to create, design + style. 
To do what I love.

I'm still refining a few more personal goals as well. Please share your new year's dreams + resolves with me. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Have an amazing first week of 2013!

xo

patti

{via bubbelsoda}