Johnny, can you hear me?

I wonder if Jonathan will set to work on an Ophiuchus pillow for me and the rest of my former fellow Sags?

Out with the old, in with the new??

Are you planning to switch signs, baby?  Here are the new signs with the respective dates.

Capricorn: Jan. 20 - Feb. 16

Aquarius: Feb. 16 - March 11

Pisces: March 11- April 18

Aries: April 18- May 13

Taurus: May 13- June 21

Gemini: June 21- July 20

Cancer: July 20- Aug. 10

Leo: Aug. 10- Sept. 16

Virgo: Sept. 16- Oct. 30

Libra: Oct. 30- Nov. 23

Scorpio: Nov. 23- Nov. 29

Ophiuchus: Nov. 29- Dec. 17

Sagittarius: Dec. 17- Jan. 20

In addition, I will perhaps have to purchase this guy for my soon-to-be little chick pea in lieu of the "Aquarius" one.  Nope, not because he or she is necessarily arriving a bit earlier, but rather, because his or her sign has apparently changed...

from etsy

Thoughts, comments, suggestions?  Call me orthodox, but I liked it the old way. 

Cheers,

JSH

Not-so-secret resource

Gimleters all know about Lonny Magazine at this point, no?  If not, speed type to the link provided.  You will not be disappointed. 

I love when a brand spankin' new Lonny comes out.  For some reason, however, I have never stumbled upon the "Site" section of the regular Lonny website.  I am, not surprisingly, very out of it these days! 

So...when you click on "Site," you will be treated to a veritable feast of decor resources and eye candy, including Lonny's archives, editor's pics, you name it.  My favorite part though?  The "Decorate" section.  If you click on the link, you will potentially lose your job for lack of productivity.  It is basically just a gallery of all of Lonny's fabulous decor features, organized by room. 

Some of my faves...



A total hit parade of inspiration.  How have I missed this incredible resource? 

I am just going to blame it on pregs brain, the lamest excuse ever.  Nothing else to be said. 

Cheers,

JSH

P.S.  There is a "paint" section too.  Could not ask for more!

Hostess (gift) with the Mostess

I mentioned my awesome baby shower to you Gimleters a while back.  I wanted to tell you wayyy back then about the hostess gifts I selected for my ladeez, but was remiss in sending them to all of the out of town hostesses in a timely manner.  So, I waited until I responsibly mailed them all.   I didn't want to spoil their surprisey fun, of course. 

Here is my suggestion for a fun and affordable hostess gift for your friends and fam.  (Although I would like to spend one million dollars on each gal, unfortunately, I was limited to a more reasonable amount in the $10.00-ish range!)

Who doesn't need a fun, new acrylic key chain?

Now, mind you.  Some of these are a little too "Southern Preppy" for my taste and that of my hosties, including the polka dots on the back of the acrylic plus the curlicue mono, in the pink and green. 

However, the site offers tons of choices...different mono styles and an array of color choices.  You can also avoid putting the polkas on the back of your key chain and opt for just the acrylic with mono.  Better, no?

Behold:

Here is my friend Courtney's key chain in action on her desk at work!

This is my friend Jennifer's key chain in her favorite color, blue. 

Not all of the ones I ordered are in the "coin" monogram style.  For my more traditional friends and fam, I opted for the simple curlicue monos.  For the less traditional, non-mono lovers, I actually just did two of their initials.  Friends that received these guys, post your pics or send them to me in full effect so I can share them with Gimlet Nation.

If you are interested in ordering one of these (or several), I found them at Daisy Mae's.  The shipping and processing was slow so add some lead time to your order.  I was quite pleased with the way they turned out! 

Cheers,

JSH

Un Petit (Nursery) Project....and a Fabric-related PSA

Happy belated King's Day/Twelfth Night/ Feast of the Epiphany!  The official start of Carnival Time....and King Cake Extravaganza '11.  I plan to post about all of my King Cake devouring over the next two months.  Damn, Mardi Gras is going to last for so long this year.  Yipppeee!  It is not until March 8th. 

Anyhoo, I thought I would share a tiny teaser of a nursery project I completed the other night in less than an hour.  It is nothing to necessarily brag about, but I think it came out nicely and provides a lovely visual impact.  Oh, and it is a easy and affordable way to display/store a baby keepsake. 

Behold:

I simply bought this pre-made shadow box at Michael's craft store and replaced the dark velvet backing with some of my yellow scrap upholstery fabric.  I then mounted two sterling spoons that were gifted to the bambino.  Voila! 

Normally, I think the term "shadow box" is scary and conjures up images of old lace and locks of hair...maybe even some doll parts.  But, in this case, I think it is a cute way to display some of the tiny's keepsakes. 

Just a sneak peek of more to come from almost-completed nurseria! 

Now, onto two big fabric-related announcements, both of which made my decorating day.  You may have already heard about this news via two awesome design blogs, Visual Vamp and Elements of Style. 

First, our Nola Vamp advised blog land that Dwell Studio released fabrics for a FAVORITE site of mine, http://www.fabrics.com/.  What a delight! 

We can all live the Dwell dream for only $15.98 a yard!  Check it all out here. 

Now, drumroll please....Elements of Style announced that our very own Miss Amanda Talley will be releasing a line of fab fabrics she designed based upon her iconic paintings. 

Check it:

These are STUNNING.  Imagine a beautiful bench or pillows done in Amanda's fabric.  Too hot to handle!

If you are interested in ordering your very own fabrics from Amanda (in a variety of different grades), contact her through her website.  And, seriously, if you do....you better send pics to Gimlet! 

Cheers,

JSH







Be Still my Heart! Curtis and Davis for Sale in West Lakeshore

One of my most devout, helpful, and plain awesome readers, Tracy, made my morning with an email containing this real estate listing.  I am DYING....

Before I even launch into my love of this house and the fact that it is a Curtis and Davis original or my love of this mid-century neighborhood on the lakefront of New Orleans, I must confess that, much to Beau's chagrin, I indicated my not-so-secret desire to buy and restore a mid-century gem to our friend and real estate agent, Sarah.  I informed her of this vision, oh, about 5 months after we sold our first house (Lil Harms) and bought our second house.  Let's just say that Beau did not share my eagerness to snatch a mid-century gem if the opportunity presented itself....

On to the house!

First, it is located on a "tremendous corner lot" in West Lakeshore.  Based upon my review of the pics, I have deduced that one could certainly fit a pool in the back to complete the mid-century oasis! 

Look at that great oak tree....

The yard is truly huge.  Site of the future pool aka swinging party pad area.

Check out all of the natural light and wood burning brick fireplace. Again, dying. I am thinking the floors are slate. Original? Let's hope.

Is that plant on the bottom left springing forth from some type of inground planter!?

Galley kitchen looking fresh.  I really like the natural brick backsplash. 

More kitchen.  I can't tell, but would pass out with glee if those floors were terrazzo. 

I am in awe of the price on this house.  It is 2,323 square feet and is listed at $295,000.00.  $126.99 a square foot for this neighborhood?!  The listing indicates that "it is 80% complete."  I am wondering if the finishes would be some of the three bedrooms and maybe a bathroom?  Either way, a deal is a deal.  The home is approximately 57 years old and A/C and appliances are only three years old. 

Please, Gimlet Nation, someone out there buy this piece of history and let me come over and play in it!  

Check out the rest of the listing's pics by following the link above.  Does anyone out there know about this pad?  Do tell. 

Cheers,

JSH

 

New Finds (from West Elm) for the New Year

I was absolutely delighted to receive the new West Elm catalog in the mail the other day.  I standardly love WE, but they have really stepped up the game for 2011.  I highly recommend that you check it. 

Some of my fave finds...

Modern Windsor Accent chair...good lookin'!

I am intrigued by this headboard/four poster combo...

Iznik dhurrie

David Starck Zebra rug...in JUTE!

Coconut Chandy

Deciding if this is fug or fab for our dining room....

A little JA styling it seems...

Jacks tray side table. 

Let me know what items you like for purposes of ringing in our fresh new year!

I hope y'all had a good 2010 and that 2011 is the most prosperous, healthy and fun year yet.  Thank you for being Gimlet readers...2010 has been a good year for Gimlet.  After all, it was its birth year!

Auld Lang Syne,

JSH

Thank You, Santa and Beau!

As I mentioned in my last post, Santa was ridiculously good to me this year...spoiled Beau, me and the bebe waaaayyyy too much.  We are very blessed and lucky to have such a wonderful Santa that visits each year! 

Beau was also an excellent gift giver this year (it really is a great quality he has).  We established some pretty strict budgeting parameters for ourselves this year, and he truly rocked my socks with his selections.  One thing that was pretty awesome was my Kindle cover.  I asked for one to protect my birthday gift Kindle and expected a normal leather one from amazon.  However, Beau presented me with this guy!

Who knew that Diane von Furstenberg (an idol!) designed Kindle covers? 

A sneaky peek at the fuscia interior. 

They are called Kindle clutches in DvF speak.  Here are some other options...

If you have an e-reader and want to jazz it up a bit (and need help finding it in your big bag or purse like me...), perhaps you too should consider the wrap dress of Kindle covers!  Great gift idea, too...

Cheers,

JSH