The latest from the back room.

Doesn't that sound a bit daunting? 'The latest... from the... back room." Dun dun duuuuuhn! And truthfully, pulling together this tiny space has been sort of a horrific experience. I don't need to list the various issues that have come up again, right? You've heard 'em all. But then, after last week's unexpected discovery of inspiration (cheers to the sublimity of Designers Guild!) and my subsequent resurgence of motivation I have been making strides toward the room that I see in my mind's eye... ahhhh and sigh. My bed (for those of you who were wondering) is scheduled for delivery tonight! And gurl, I am giddy with excitement! I cant wait to set'er up and then sprawl out! She has been nipped, tucked, put through a complete overhaul; and after weeks under the saw, she is ready to make her summertime 2010 debut. FIERCE mama! And, the light fixture is finally set to ship at some point in the next week(!!!!) AND, I have help to rehang the crooked TV this weekend... sigh (again)... I loves :) Now on to the next step- FRAMING. Which could be a VERY exciting process. BUT realistically, it's going to be a rough one. Why? Well friends this, actually, is our lesson for today: DON'T LET UNEXPECTEDLY BIG NUMBERS DETERMINE YOUR DESIGN. For our example we are going to use the process of having something framed. I recently took a series of 8x10 photographs in to be framed. Truth be told, I hadn't done this particular thing in YEARS! In fact that last time I was having something professionally framed it was a poster of Paula Abdul (and American Idol was not yet even an itch in an English man's pants- as my god-mother used to say- don't ask me! I don't know what it means either, I just thought it fit well there! Point is that the last time I had something professionally framed was a LONG time ago!)! So, I took them to a local, reputable framer for an estimate. Let me just save my fingers some typing and your eyes several lines of reading and tell you that I ended up going to SEVERAL, other framers before I realized, to have this sort of thing done, I was going to have to pay. Now, hear me: I'm not saying that it's right (or wrong) or that you should just accept the first bid you receive or any of that- what I'm saying is, to have the pieces framed as I wanted them to be (i.e.: a quality job per the vision in my mind's eye) it was not going to be cheap. In fact, I ended up settling on a place here in The WC that charged me nearly $100.00 a piece. ...! Keeping in mind that these weren't custom sized pics (standard 8x10's), mattes, or frames, does that sound expensive to anyone else? Maybe I'm a bigger cheap-skate than Id like to think I am, but in spite of the fact that that was the lowest price I was able to find, it STILL sounded high to me! But now, what were my options? To settle for something that wasn't quite right for the sake of cost? Blugh! Or, to attempt to do it myself? Ha! Or, to refuse to have them framed until the magical (and rainbow haired) framing fairy fell into my lap? Well, surprising as it might be, none of those options seemed acceptable to me. So, I did the only thing that I could- I embraced the reality that some things just cost more than I was aware of and therefore (after a respectable amount of shopping around of course), I selected the best man for the job and laid down my credit card. Now lets tie this all back to me and my room(because that's what it's all about anyway, right? RIGHT!). One of the final remaining pieces of my bedroom project is a series of framed works that will hang together on a wall across from my bed. So, my options (again) are to: embrace the fact that I will not get this particular piece of the room done unless I am prepared to spend more than $10.00 a pop, OR, to attempt to frame them all myself (did I already say, ha!, ?), OR, to wait for that damn framing fairy! Well, I've been waiting for everything else (including the fairy!), and gurl I'm TIRED! So I think Ill do a bit of shopping 'round and then bite the bullet, quit the bitchin and moanin, and gid'er done. YOU, may need to do a bit of shopping, you may need to alter the details to stay in a certain fiscal-ballpark, you might even have to postpone things a bit to afford it, but when it comes down to it, DON'T LET UNEXPECTEDLY BIG NUMBERS DETERMINE YOUR DESIGN. Besides, if you do (and your anything like me) it'll just be a matter of time before you redo what you've done and then you will've paid for the dang project twice!

You know you love me,
-J

I've got it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

From consistently choosing and painting the wrong paint color, to having THE hardest time finding a simple black curtain panel that I finally had to just have some custom made, to ordering a back-ordered light fixture, to (most recently) finding that, after all of the time, money and emotion that I've invested into making my beloved antique bed work, the new Tempurpedic mattress and box spring which I JUST bought for it will not fit into it, I had pretty much had it! I mean, fer realz, HAD IT! Had it, to the point of not wanting to continue. Had it, to the point of wanting to take a lit match to the carpet and closing the door. Had it, even more than my most trying design clients frustrate the very marrow in my bones- it was even more than that sort of had it!!! Gurl... I was through! So, when last we met, I told you that I needed a minute. I needed a moment to myself, some time to regroup and hopefully find a new inspiration. Not that my vision for the room had been shaken or changed. I still knew (know) what the space needs to be (did you really doubt that- come on, really?) but I just needed a new source of inspiration for my own creative stores from which I could tap positive energies when things get... well, as hairy as things have gotten! Well today I'm proud to report that I've finally found a new source of inspiration. And I'm so happy to say that it comes from one of our favorite vendors, Designer's Guild. As I happened upon their newest catalog and through page after page of delicious gor-jiss-ness, I suddenly felt my inspiration reserves begin to swell. Oh the colors, textures, the brilliant mix of stylistic genres- it was literally, sinfully titillating! What can I say? Some people like porn or exotic dancers... me likes a pretty house! So, since I was so thrilled and excited by all that I saw I decided that you too, needed some aesthetic edification. No, no, don't thank me. That's just me, I'm a giver. Now, sit back, relax and take it all in... enjoy this smorgasbord of style... MMMUWAH!

So on it's own I might have said that this floraly patern was just too too, buuuut mixed with contem- porary shapes and textural punches of color, well now, now it's my number one jam!












Clearly color is import- ant here. But that's not the only lesson to be learned Look at the mix of contem- porary and classic... it's really delight- ful!
















A word of caution though: there IS someth- ing to be said for having a wall large enough to support so much pattern! So be smart!










I just have two word for you: PINK PLAID!






















Feeling, uh, a little blue? UGH!!! I LIVE for this room!!! And you do too, ok?!?! A statem- ment, yes, but so eloqu- ently put!!!










And this one made me shed a tiny tear from the corner of the eyeball of my heart because my soul was smiling so hard when it first gazed upon its sumptuous loveliness!!! Yes, really!















Now go. Off with you! Sashay away... and be inspired.

-J

I've hit the wall...

This is my wall, and gurl(!) Ive hit it! Oh, and btw, love the color doncha?!?!?

well, not literally. I have really delicate bone structure and hitting a wall (any wall) voluntarily would be much too risky an expression of emotion for me to actually engage in. What I'm trying to tell you is that I am frustrated and as a result I'm feeling stumped. Le sigh... and one more, le sigh. Ok, so my room was coming along, but then, all of the sudden, it seems as if EVERYTHING snagged on one problem or another. SERIOUSLY- it's been enough to make me want to just say 'forget it!' and fly on over to Pottery Barn (Ow! That actually hurt my fingers just typing it. Is that normal... hmmm...weird) and say, 'gimme the number 3'! That is how they do it at those stores, right? You know, order by number or combo or something like that? I dunno, point is that I'm FRUSTRATED! (And apparently frustration makes Jonathan a bitchy-boy!) It all started with my beautiful bed (you remember her?). Oh how much I longed for her arrival. I could barely contain myself (yes really! You get excited about your favorite stuff and Ill get excited about mine, thank you very much Judgey Judith!). But then, when at last she finally came, she looked like she had been through a battle. I was crushed... DEVASTATED! Literally, I was almost misty-eyed when I saw her wounds. Hang on... gimme a sec... fewh! Ok, I'm fine. So yes, the shippers had decimated her. SO I sent her off to be repaired. Well if it hasn't been one thing its been another; and here I am nearly a month later and she's still not back!!! And that's just my bed! Then the window coverings were another fiasco all together! Let me just simply say, thank you Marissa over at the Home Depot (yes I did try every independent distributor that I could get a hold of and no, none of them were able to assist me in a timely manner so yes, I was forced to brave the masses and jump into the nightmare of the big HD!) for her patience and consideration- there's a special place in heaven for peoples like you and Ill promise to decorate it fabulously, cuz Lord knows the way this bedroom is going, my frazzled nerves are going to get me there much quicker than you! And the TV mount, let me just tell you- internet purchasing is almost as dangerous as internet dating. I bought what I was assured was exactly what I needed and after I received it, found that no, it was not. But after everything else I decided to just grin and bear it and mount it anyway and then after it was mounted (thanks to the BEST BF EVA!!!) I mounted it crooked! But you know it stayed that way- no way in helicopter that I was about to take it down and start over- ha! And then, today, I found out that the light fixture which I ordered has been placed on back order... AAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!! ROFL LOLOLOLOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LAWD don't send me more patience, just send me some assistance!!! As I said, I have hit the wall! LOLOL!!! So now what a'do? Well I think it's time to step back, take a minute, find some inspiration and then (perhaps a glass of white wine, or four) get back to it. I will prevail! Gimme a sec, I'm going back to the refridg... er, I mean my inspiration box and after a minute Ill get back to it. And so, Ill leave you with that. When you hit your wall, don't give up or give in. Don't settle or compromise. Take a minute, regroup and then get back to it. Trust me, you'll be glad you rehung that TV!

Besos,

J