So, the third time’s the charm, right? Last Monday was my third attempt at Simple Elegance and my theme was “Science Lab!”
I can’t take full credit for the table, the concept came from Philip–when he first suggested it, I thought, “An elegant Science lab? Hmm…” Then he showed up with a water pump for the centerpiece, so we were well on our way!
I found the flasks on Amazon, as well as the test tubes (part of Martha Stewart’s line). I went to Central Market that morning in hopes for some crazy flowers and they did not disappoint!
The idea for the dessert was for everyone to decorate their own sugar cookies and my chemistry teacher friend lent me her science themed cookie cutters! Who knew such things existed? We all had fun letting out our inner decorating mad scientists.
The glowsticks were by far the most popular feature. I found them on Amazon as well (I went with a bulk order of 100). I had some left over, so I thought that I would offer some bracelets to my table guests who were thrilled to receive them and proceeded to make necklaces and headbands too! Again, inner child gone wild! I’m definitely getting them again for my next party!
Mostly, people asked if I was a science teacher…nope, just a weirdo.
My second time around at Simple Elegance I had a few “Lessons Learned.” For instance, that table is small! Once you get 8 plates, 8 water glasses, 8 coffee mugs, and napkins on there, it’s pretty tight! Less can be more–SIMPLE Elegance…right, right.
I decided to do more color this year and I decided to use my grandmother’s floral print china as a starting point. It has pink, blue, green, and gold in the patterning. I wasn’t sure about the pink (too soft?), so I made the executive decision to go red!
Same burlap cloth as last year with two new teal felt runners, and I used fabric napkins given to me by a friend that had the same colors in the embroidery. (PS Fabric napkins require some ironing!)
The only mess up I had for this table was the original concept for the centerpiece was to have horse apples in the vase. My friend notified me that there were horse apple trees along University outside the BRIT. So like a maniac, I got my plastic bag and filled it with the least gross horse apples I could find on the ground (most had rotted or were sticky). Well a week later, the horse apples were no good, so green apples it is! Then I made a cobbler the next day.
I meant to post this sooner, but the planning for this year’s Simple Elegance got in the way! It was last night and so much fun–will post pics soon!
For the past few years, my post-Thanksgiving-food-induced-bliss quickly turns into manic shopping and planning to get my table ready for Simple Elegance!
“Simple Elegance” is an event my church holds the first Monday of Advent (usually the first Monday after Thanksgiving, but I get an extra week this year!) where we decorate 8-top tables (not necessarily “simply” or “elegantly”) and invite our friends for an evening of coffee and desserts and oogling!
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This is my third year to do a table. The first year, I borrowed a friends beautiful Wedgwood china and that set the tone–teal, burlap, neutral, and rustic.
I used a few yards of burlap for the tablecloth, scraps from an old lace tablecloth, and layered on lots of Mom’s Mom’s serving trays and silver bowls. I started saving (and cleaning) jars when I decided on a theme. There weren’t many purchases for this table! Yes!
Stay tuned for a post on my second attempt at Simple Elegance!
Busy, busy, busy! In the past month, I’ve gone on vacation, and 4 work trips! C’mon! And now it’s nearly Thanksgiving, which means… 103.7FM needs to start playing Christmas music!
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Among the busyness and the impending holidays, I’ve got the urge to purge, simplify, and clean stuff up. I’ve been gradually cleaning out my closet, recycling magazines, but there are some pieces in my apartment that I’d like to add as I’ve made room. Everything I look for and am drawn to is white and clean! I have my eye on some Billy bookcases from Ikea.
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via Ikea
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I haven’t been much of an Ikea shopper in the past, but I’m afraid if I save up for some nicer ones, they’ll be gone by the time I have the cash! Plus, what I’m really interested in is doors! I love cabinetry and I love glass doors–I want them in my kitchen and I want them on my bookcases. Not only do I love the look, but it also means a lot less dusting! Just more fingerprints…wait a minute…
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The fun thing about these too, is that it would be very easy to add a wallcovering to the back panel (since it’s a separate piece when you assemble it)! Not sure how crazy to go with that yet since the books will add lots of color and texture.
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The other thing I’ve had my eye on is from Nate Berkus’ new line for Target. I saw it in the store and my eyes grew wide with excitement.
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via Target
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In the store they had a deep green and a very pretty yellow and I thought, is this too nuts? Will these colors go? At $40, it was too big of a risk for an impulse purchase. Then I went online and saw it in white–perfection!
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It’s still a little nutty, but in a good way. It’s a conversation starter. Now I just need to paint a wall navy or purple or something really dark…
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I just realized that I could have grouped this all into a “I’m dreaming of a White Christmas…” kind of thing… Hmm…
One of the highlights of our trip to Marfa was playing with my new camera at Donald Judd’s concrete works at the Chinati Foundation. Just one mile out of town, you can walk the one kilometer of 15 concrete works and take pictures–they just ask that you don’t touch them. I really wanted to crawl inside them…but I didn’t. Please don’t tell them I did.
We had to take lots of action shots; it was such a neat landscape. Philip said this is probably the girliest thing about me–insisting on taking fun photos for my blog…
Thank goodness for tripods. There were a few pictures of me still running to get into place, but Philip managed to get this one just right. He’s a lot faster than me.
I think we were starting to get tired here. Mind you, this was about noon on a sunny day and we were ready for lunch and we had almost walked a kilometer–what’s that like 3 miles? Kidding.
WHEN you go to Marfa, be sure to check out this and the other exhibits (that you aren’t allowed to take pictures of) at the Chinati Foundation. Very cool stuff. So much fun to interact with.
Philip and I just got back from our adventure in Marfa, TX (affectionately referred to as “hipster paradise”). I’m already on the road again for work (meetings in Round Rock)–so much driving! The trip to Marfa was worth it! I’ve been dying to go since I read about it in New York Times and have been planning my adventure.
We decided to stay at the Thunderbird Hotel, based on many blog reviews. I highly recommend it–we were able to walk to most of the restaurants and shops. The room was adorable and they served pumpkin-pineapple empanadas at the weekend continental breakfast!
Minimal decor, only the essentials, and everything was of quality. I took all the Malin + Goetz products they gave us!
Loved the patio furniture too! I believe they’re by Benton/Garza in Marfa (they have beautiful wood pieces too).
Start planning your trip now! There are more posts to come. I won’t subject you to the 700+ picture we took…I’ll try to keep it under 100!
I spent last weekend visiting my boyfriend’s family in Shreveport, LA. It’s always a fun time spent eating good food, catching up, and often hearing great music. This time it was my boyfriend, Philip, on cello and his sister on violin performing at their parents church Sunday morning. They rehearsed on Saturday and rather than sit quietly and mind my own business, I decided to be a distraction and wander around the sanctuary taking pictures! Behaving like a child with a new fancy toy camera.
I couldn’t find much information on the church history online. They recently renovated parts of the campus and freshened up some of the santuary. It’s a beautiful intimate space with some neat details.
Let’s see, it was three weeks ago, at the day job, that we learned we are consolidating our 7 floors down to 3 floors (in our high rise office building) by next summer. We had already been moving people around to clear out of some areas to then sublease them to save overhead, which makes sense. But in this meeting, three weeks ago, we also learned that everyone on the 23rd floor (me) would be moving to the 18th floor the NEXT WEEK. Meaning: next week, stop what you’re doing, forget those deadlines, you have to pack up all your belongings; the movers will be here Friday at noon (Thank God for the movers!).
This is just a funny picture of a forgotten-about corner of our new floor, entitled “Where task chairs go to die…” Poor little task chairs, everyone wants an Aeron!
I may have been one of the few people that were excited about this. I need an excuse to clean everything out, to purge, to dust off every surface! It made me anxious about this pile of “things” that sits in the corner of my apartment. I’m sure you have one too, right? Things that I need to take to someone, things that need to go in the car, things that are shoes I was too lazy to put away.
Now is as good a time as any to purge! Usually, I move apartments often enough to keep things light, but as I come closer to renewing my lease her for the third time, I’m thinking, “This place used to be bigger…” When really I’ve found ways to fill every square inch with STUFF! The worst! Like those magazines—why do I have these? I tell myself, “Oh, I’m going to look through those again and make some awesome binder with cut-outs my favorite things.” And I think they’ve invented Pinterest since I’ve had that thought. And I got an iPad where I enjoy reading my mags. Hmm…recycle!
Happy “Fall” Cleaning! Just in time to bring out the holiday swag!
*I like to name posts after some of my favorite songs, so I try to search my iTunes for a title that makes me smile, but doesn’t always make sense…
HOW TO DRESS LIKE AN INTERIOR DESIGNER: Statement Pieces
Often times, I trick myself in to dressing properly (you know, street style blog pic chic), by telling myself, “I could run into a potential client today.” There are other ways to trick yourself—dress like you’ll run into an ex, dress for the job you want not the job you have, everyday is a runway! But as I try to develop my business, I have to remind myself that everywhere I go is a chance to meet people and network (without scaring strangers at the supermarket and shouting, “You need a designer? Look how cute I am!”). I’ve had too many experiences of running into people at the grocery store post-workout-no-makeup (this was constantly happening at Central Market), which is fine, but I’d rather present my best self whenever possible—meaning, you can still find me at Target without makeup.
THE Designing Women via InStyle
I think, probably too much, about how interior designers dress, as an average, not a rule. I feel the need to record my thoughts on this topic, for no other reason than self serving ones. I think of us as stylish, but not nearly as stylish as those in the fashion industry. We like to be sophisticated, but we’re not as quick to try trends—much like interior design itself–you don’t try all the latest trends in your home, you usually want something to last and is timeless. We don’t all wear black and grey head to toe, which is more common, in my experience, among architects. We like to stand out more. We love color!
Three chic designers, one with bad posture… via MetroCon
I went to MetroCon last week and chatted up my super chic, interior designer friend, Erin who was wearing a black ensemble with a big, beautiful necklace. I thought to myself, “Yes, this is how interior designers dress!” We love statement pieces! We love wearing things that warrant a comment! We love a focal point and we usually do it with our accessories—shoes, jewelry, scarves, etc. It’s the same when you decorate your home—the focal point isn’t usually the flooring, it may be the rug on top of it. It’s not always the sofa, but the pillows on throws on the sofa. The focal points and accessories are something you can “cost-effectively” change over time based on trends or how tired you are of it after a few years.
Have you noticed certain trends or habits in your line of work? Do the men all wear blue shirts with khakis? Is that true of men in all professions?
My trip to Marfa is two months from Friday. I cannot wait. I began to obsess over Marfa since I read an article in 2009 in the New York Times. I’ve lived in Texas all my life and I had never heard of it. My mom was born in Pecos, my uncle in San Angelo, and their dad worked in the oil industry. Never heard of it. Now?
via Beyonce | I Am
I cannot STOP hearing about it. All my favorite bloggers go there and take beautiful pictures and have seemingly wonderful experiences. Then flippin’ Beyonce shows up in Marfa! I love me some Beyonce, don’t get me wrong. But now she’s raised the bar. How can I take a decent photo in front of Prada Marfa now?!?
via Thunderbird Marfa
My parents said, “You’re going where?” and “Why?”
Either way, I still can’t wait to jump in the car with my boyfriend and drive for HOURS to the desert town, eat great food, drink some wine, and RELAX. Oh and you’re going to hear all about it! I’ve got two months to work on my high school cheerleader toe-touch and make a Beyonce playlist to drive Philip nuts…
Marie Durrett 