My Favorite Corner

Do you have a favorite corner or spot in your house?  When the sun  unexpectedly showed her face this morning in spite of the frigid negative degree temps, I was struck by the beauty of this spot in my bedroom and decided then and there that it was my favorite – which, not surprisingly, happens to be in my favorite room in the house thanks to the One Room Challenge.  But this particular corner, on this particular day just seems so warm and so right.  This spot contains some of the things that I super love:  animal print, pattern, color, art, greenery, sparkling jewelry, and Chinoiserie. Oh, and one quirky element.  It is quite simply SO me.  Which is to say, that in collecting things that I truly love no matter how disparate they may seem, they come together and just work.  At least, for me.  And that is what is important.  

I have found that when I stay true to my own aesthetic rather than following trends, the pieces I select and those that I have chosen to hold on to throughout the years stand the test of time.  To be sure, I am an incurable magpie and switch things up constantly but most pieces can move anywhere in my house and work.  As a matter of fact, my lovely Italian cheetah has already laid claim to another warm spot in the house. And while we are being quite frank, I will likely have a new favorite spot tomorrow.

What corner of your house is SO you?

All photos and styling by mrs. V

kisses,  mrs. V

Mary McDonald Madness

As I mentioned yesterday, I had a rather good scouting excursion the other day.  I found so many things that I want/need/have to have immediately in my life.  Well, maybe need is a strong word but I am fairly certain that if a certain mirror does not find its way to my kitchen wall, a part of me will die inside.  For real.  That very Mary McDonald part of me, you know the part that is equal parts glamorous, witty, more is fabulously more, I'm comfortable slamming things on the wall, get me huge blue and white porcelain jars as tall as my head right this minute, I slept in the guest room because I was too drunk to make it upstairs part of me.  That part of me will wither up and die inside if I don’t figure out a way to make that mirror mine.

Mary McDonald

gotta get it - for my kitchen wall above the banquette

See what I mean?  I mean.  And then there’s the baronial ice bucket, the red chinoiserie dragon panels, can’t forget about those Palm Beachy paint by number numbers I found last week, the glam glam brass light fixture.  How about the burlwood console with the fantastic hardware?  The list goes on and on.  In my manic-induced frenzy the other day, I felt a little like Mary at Peter Dunham's store - I absolutely needed two of everything. I've since come out of the manic ether but still can't get these things out of my head.

bar cart, duh

I would find a place, period.

would look great in my kitchen but probably tile room to
replace a very sad gallery wall

Hallway - with globe bulbs

Considering using the base for TV console

Phone pics are bad, I know, but trust that these things are faboosh.  In order to make some of these things mine, I must sell some stuff.  I have too much stuff.  Hoarder 2.0 much stuff.  Just like Mary. Need to part with some things.  Here’s where I need your help.  Should do I the Craigslist thing?  Should I do a garage sale?  Should I offer up items here?  I can’t really ship an armoire or a sideboard but local folks could arrange pick up.  I have some nice things – both antiques and newer items.  So I feel like I should share the love.

What say you? I would love to hear what you guys think.   Any of you have any luck with any of these avenues?  Gonna be honest – I think Craigs is creepstar.  Sure, people claim to have found great things via Craigs but between you and me, urban legends.  Every one.

 

But I need a fix for my hoarding habit.  Need to find a way to sell some things so that I can get more things.  Let me qualify that statement by saying that I am moving in a different direction with Chez V so I am not just hoarding to hoard, mostly.  Like Mary says, if only I could somehow manage to appear to have loads of money, I would be considered eccentric rather than the reality of being poor-ish and called insane hoarder lady.

Happy hoarding, folks!

kisses,  mrs. V

Bamboo Trim! I've Died and Gone to Heaven

First things first, a huge thank you to Christine Price, owner/operator of  LaDeDa Salon for hosting me and to everyone who came out on Wednesday evening for the Open House.  We had loads of fun - if you mix gals, vino, sparkly bits, and monogrammed wares – you have a recipe for a good time.  I took many orders for custom glassware and as I expected, the beverage bottle was a huge seller but I must say the star of the show was the vintage, one-of-a-kind  jewelry.  I sold many of my favorite pieces, in fact, one right off of my arm!!  As I was packing things up, ladies were inquiring about when I was having the next show.  I’ll take that as a good sign. More to come!

Secondly, I want to have a minute with this little piece of awesomeness.  Seriously, shut up with that tortoiseshell-looking bamboo molding.  And custom-painted grass cloth.  I mean.

Really I just adore everything happening about this little situation.  Kudos to Kevin Isbell who is responsible for the design.  It is in the Dec/Jan 2013 House Beautiful.  Newell and his crew continue to be at the top of their game.  I very much appreciate that he is dialed into the blog world and has featured many bloggers in this month’s issue in conjunction with the features.  But what is up with the website?    Am I missing something?  Help me to understand why I can’t ever seem to access the pictures or the features.  Is there some sort of secret knock? As a magazine subscriber you would think that I could access the ding dang website.

So ya get a picture of a picture.  Dumb.

Anywho, I am one tired lady.  I need this wknd to recharge like nobody’s business but I have a little something up my sleeve that requires mucho energy.  So here’s hoping that coffee and vino push me on through!

kisses,  mrs. V

Giving Thanks and a Chez V Open House

Getting things together for this year's table

Hope your Thanksgiving holiday was all kumbaya and stuff.  Holidays can be hectic, especially for a stress mess like myself, but I have so much to be thankful for this year.  Even though 2012 will likely go down in the books as a bummer year for the Chez V household, some really amazing things have happened too.  Like this blog, for instance.  Can you even believe that I am still at it? Trust me when I tell you that that is no small feat for a person who is allergic to stick-to-it-ness.  So thanks to you, whomever most of you are, for coming by daily for a visit.  I promise to keep at it.  Hopefully better than before.

Mixed things up a bit this year using Villeroy & Boch and Limoges

Whilst I am in a giving of thanks state of mind, I must give thanks to a few folks that put me on the map, as it were, this year.  Thanks to Scot, Jenny, Alison, and Linda.  You know why, and y’all are awesome sauce in my book.

Continuing on in the spirit of small business Saturday I am encouraging any of you local Tri-State folks to come out to my Chez V Open House on Wednesday night.  I am a teeny tiny small business and I am so thankful to the folks who have helped support this little passion of mine.  It really matters.  As in helps to pay for medical bills and such. Big harry deal in a house in which neither of us is technically nor officially employed.    So thanks for that too!

Here is the deal for the rest of you non-local folks.  I have been getting a lot of questions about whether I have a website or catalog for the stuff I make and share via my various social media handles.  The answer is ‘not yet.’  Remember the whole teeny tiny small biz thing? Yeah, small.  So, if you like anything you see, just contact me here or shout at me via FB.  Most of my business is custom orders that come via word of mouth.  Think lots of etched glass monogramming, customized gifts and stationary that are perfect for the holidays, housewarming, birthdays, hostess and such.

He is Born urn

monogrammed pillows

Joyeux Noel hurricane

monogrammed beverage bottle - my fav item of the season!

I use mine all the time

But the fun does not end there.  Most recently I have delved into vintage, costume, and estate jewelry.  Helps to have an aunt in the antique and jewelry business!  So I have curated a truly fantastic one-of-a-kind collection to showcase at my holiday open houses.  Statement pieces that are even more chic today!  Stay tuned as I plan to continue to share those finds here at Chez V as well!  

love these two pieces

Wouldn't you be blue without these two?

Tomorrow I will share more pictures of available jewelry pieces.

All photos by mrs. V

kisses,  mrs. V