Lil

My dear Grandmother, Lil, passed away last week. She lived an amazing 86 years and was truly one of a kind. Words can't express how much she'll be missed. This poem written by Holli Persall is an awesome tribute to Lil's life...

There was NO place like home!

When Lil opened her door,

You saw how she felt

About "1024".

The cards might be dealt

Or the onion dip made,

But one thing was sure.

"A spade was a spade."

If you asked for an answer,

She said what she thought.

Her advice and her wisdom

Could never be bought.

In her younger days-

When Tom was around,

Randy and Johnny

could also be found.

The dart board, the cocktails,

The music, the games.

That house was the hangout

For guys and for dames.

But then the time came

When Tom passed away,

And though she was stressed,

Lil welcomed each day.

Her boys had married

And moved out of town,

But she toughened right up

And never seemed down.

The grands made a difference,

And Annie- Oh Gee!

Just how proud -

Could a great grandma be?

Lil was a saver-

And could make you smile,

When she took every dollar

And stretched it a mile.

Even as her days

Began to fade,

The day a bill came

Was the day it was paid.

Tom would have been proud

Of his mate and his wife

As she read her Bible

Making the most of her life.

We will miss that gal

And the home that we knew,

With lots of good memories

And lessons learned too.

Lil's love of golf,

The Braves, "Dawgs", and state-

The slip of her tongue

The "bird portions" she ate-

Will all be our memories

But we do thank her so,

For she did us so proud,

And that--- we all know!

You might remember this post from last February when we were moving Lil to Atlanta...

Vintage

My Mom, Annie and I have been in Albany, GA the past 2 days packing up my Grandmother's house (my excuse for not posting). We are moving my Grandmother (we call her Lil) to an assisted living home in Atlanta, just minutes from both my house and my parents house. We are so excited that she is going to be so close by! We are now starting the process of packing up her home that she and my Grandfather built 55 years ago. In each drawer, cabinet, or closet we opened there were many treasures to be found and stories to be told.

Doesn't this look like a den straight from the pages of Domino....haha?!? Nope, this is Lil's den that hasn't changed a bit since 1955. This is true vintage! Don't' you love the smiley face pillows?!

How about this one?

Annie has dibs on all the silver! Don't overlook the beautiful orange shag carpet :).

Lil's measuring spoons were the perfect teething toy for Annie.

Here's a great pic of Lil and Annie, when little boo was 8 weeks old. Annie turned 8 months old yesterday (I can't believe it!!) and she is now way too much of a wiggle worm to sit in her Great Grandmother's lap (tear).

Love you Lil!!

Humpty Dumpty...

...sat on a wall, Humpty Dumpty had a great FALL.
Poor Annie had a great fall the other day, and her precious face has scrapes to prove it :(.
No need to panic though, it only took a paci and some Elmo to put this little humpty together again. She was back in action in no time and painted me this beautiful fall leaf at school.

Hope you are having a wonderful fall!

treasure hunting

It was a good month at Scott's. I went to the show with a long list of items that I needed for clients, and after a full morning of treasure hunting, I was able to mark off a few. Here are some of my treasures...

LOVE these side tables. I needed something small, but with lots of character to sit on either side of a sofa and these awesome tables are just perfect.

When I found this mid-century bamboo chest, my heart melted. It's in mint condition and the natural bamboo color is growing on me. It would look amazing painted though. This baby is going to look perfect in my client's living room with a pair of lamps and awesome painting or mirror over it.

This painted bench with a tufted burlap cushion is going in a client's foyer. I've been looking for THE bench for this foyer for a while now, and this little one makes me very happy.

Did you make it to Scott's this month? Find anything cool??

Ice Cream Sandwiches

Annie LOVES them!!

She could eat a whole box.

They make her very happy. This is her smile when you ask her to say "cheese"...don't you love it?!

Now go get yourself a box. I'm sure they'll put a smile on your face too...just be sure to steer clear of all things white, they can get pretty messy!

This Atlanta home, designed by Margaret Bosbyshell, is to die for!! But, definitely not suitable for ice cream sandwiches.

If only this was my office..

These fabulous dining chairs could possibly camouflage Annie's grubby little finger prints....maybe?!

**Click here to see more images and read full article. Photos by Erica Dines via Atlanta Homes and Lifestyles**

Summer's End

It's been one heck of a summer...with trips to the beach and lake, birthday and anniversary celebrations, numerous weddings, fresh vegetables from the garden and afternoons outside soaking up the sun. I can't believe that it has already come and gone. It's time to hang up your seersucker and pull out your jeans and sweaters. Usually I hate to see summer end, but this year I'm welcoming fall with open arms and looking forward to cooler days ahead.

Have a fabulous Labor Day weekend!

**images via Mary Ruffle**

Fabric Love

While shopping at one of my favorite ADAC showrooms, Travis & Company, I came across this fabric and instantly feel in love. It's by Mally Skok Design, a new line at Travis, and I'm crazy about it.

LOVE the colors! It's got Annie's big girl room written all over it. I'm thinking pinks, turquoise and some navy blue...yummy.

This little one's not moving out of her nursery any time soon, so I've got a while to plan :).

What I've been working on...

2 project in the works...

Family Room Fun...

My client had the coral chairs which I love and we added in some turquoise, greens,white, and taupe to really make the room come together.

Love the lines of this sofa! I've used it in a couple of different project. The camel back is so pretty, especially when the view from the kitchen is the back of the sofa.

I think these stools have to be my favorite part of the room.

Although the side table and coffee table are a close second!

**these pics where taken with my phone, so please excuse the terrible photography :)**

Case Closed

WOW...never in my WILDEST dreams did I think that both Celerie Kemble and Christina Murphy would respond to my last post!! How I LOVE the blog world! THANK YOU Celerie and Christina for clearing things up. I greatly admire both or your work and I didn't mean to step on any toes with my little investigation :).
See comment below from Celerie and email from Christina....The case is now closed!!

Celerie said...
I just saw your post and thought I could probably set the record the straightest. Christina Murphy is a designer who oversaw and lead the project you are admiring while at Kemble Interiors. (We worked together happily for years. She remains one of my best friends and is now an admired colleague.) She is a fantastic designer -- as you can see by her site and deserves full credit for her excellent work especially on this project. In no way is she taking illicit credit for for something that was mine nor is there any sort mix up. I'm very happy to see such beautiful work celebrated on your site and thank you for your kind words about the book! Please keep up the great blogging! xo Celerie Kemble

Christina Murphy to me...
Hi There!
Thanks for including my work on your website from Sept House Beautiful, I'm so flattered.
The project you see in Oyster Bay is mine, I used to work with Celerie and let her include it in her book since I worked there but rest assured its entirely my own work.
Your blog is great, happy someone sent it to me!
Best,
Christina

The Buzz Investigates

I was pumped when my September issue of House Beautiful arrived in the mail, especially when the first page I happened to open up to was this fab upholstered headboard. This headboard & room looked very familiar though, and I knew exactly where I had seen it.... in my favorite book, Celerie Kemble, To Your Taste. BUT... the designer of this Oyster Bay beach home wasn't Celerie, it was Christina Murphy. Hmmmm, I thought, what is this Christina Murphy doing copying Celerie's EXACT bed & bath??!

(The 2 above photos are from the Sept. House Beautiful)

I ran to find Celerie's book to investigate what in the world was going on.....


This is a must have book!!


As you can see from the above pic (pg.104 in To Your Taste) it is Obviously SAME room!!

So...I googled Christina Murphy to find out that she used to work for Celerie (my dream job). My only conclusion is that Celerie is letting Christina take credit for this AWESOME home. BUT WHY??!! If only I could call Celerie and get some answers :)... I wouldn't mind talking with Christina either.

I was drooling over Christina Murphy's website. All of her designs are VERY similar to Celerie's...no wonder why I LOVE all her work!!

Images via Christina Murphy Interiors
This investigation is still open and I'd love some more insight into what in the world is going on!

you are my sunshine...

*framed art print from Sugarboo Designs*

On the hunt...

I am always on the hunt for inexpensive, interesting accessories for my clients. You always need that special something to add that extra pop to a bookcase or table top. My favorite place to hunt for such items is at Scott Antique Market (of course!). Here are some of my finds from this months show...

Wooden Spools

Seltzer Bottles

Pair of turquoise Foo Dogs

Lovely cabbage leaf creamware dish

more creamware...in my opinion, you can never have too much creamware in your home!

Cool iron and brass accessories

Of course all of these items are vintage, which makes them even more awesome! The August Scott's show is just around the corner, August 13-15, so mark your calenders and get ready to hunt.

p.s.- I really can't believe it's almost August!! Where has this summer gone?!