Tile crushing with Ann Sachs!

Call me crazy (go ahead, it's been done before), but I love dirt!  I love mud, and I love clay!!! Beyond the ACTUAL dirt factor, I LOVE what some forms of 'dirt' mud, clay and terra cotta become.  Come on think about it!  The possibilities are endless.

The very best of all is pottery and tile! So what should be a relatively simple task of searching for tile for projects becomes waaaaaay more intense than needed.  Because I totally 'crush' on tile! 

Here are a few that caught my attention from Ann Sacks.  You'll find some pretty great stuff from various designers as well, under one roof.  Clodagh, Barbra Barry, Vincente Wolfe and Michael C. Smith too.

Who is YOUR tile crush?

www.http://annsacks.com

Emilio Sosa - Interview with Project Runways Talented Designer Extraordinaire!

When I met Emilio Sosa of Project Runway a few months back, I was captivated my his charm and quiet nature. Soulful eyes and a gentleman manner pulled me in.  He attended an event along with Casanova, also of Project Runway, who I'd met several times before.  My husband and I attended the event for our Creative Voices Project.  Where we interview artist, getting the backstories on their passions.

I knew there was whole lot more to Emilio, than I knew from television.  There HAD to be!  And  we wanted to discover it.  He is an exceptionally talented designer, whose roots are deep in costume design. Rooted in skills of making characters come to life through their clothing and their voices.  Emilio's career is constantly unfolding and growing exponentially.  Just recently, he completed costume designs for the new Broadway hot ticket 'MOTOWN' The Musical.  Also, under his belt is the incredible 'Porgy and Bess' with the divine Audra MacDonald (whose wedding dress he also designed).  And if you were in New York and lucky enough to see the show... were character 'Sporting Life's' suits AMAZING or whaaaaaaaat?

Clearly Emilio has a WHOLE lot going on.  Project Runway was another vehicle to share his talents with the world.  Doing "what he already has mastered - in another way".  I think that's a fantastic approach to have to life and a career you've been wrapped in fro awhile.  Certainly a great way to keep things fresh!  Wouldn't you agree?

Designing in Curacao!

I recently returned from the most amaaaaaaaaaazing trip to Curacao.  A small island in the Caribbean sea, off the coat of Venezuela.  Curacao is part of the A, B, C islands... Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao.  It is a constituent country of the Dutch Netherlands.

The official spoken languages are Dutch and Papimetentu (a Creole language) spoken by most of the inhabitants of the island, in all levels of society.  English and Spanish are largely spoken as well.  Curacao is a beautiful island, with temperatures in the high 70's (Fahrenheit) year round.  If you are looking for someplace new to discover, I recommend Curacao!

I was part of the African American Top 20 Interior Designers, invited to participate in designing a vignette for Building Depot which is the islands largest home furnishing/tool/garden store on the island.  The task was creating a room environment using product ONLY available at Building Depot.  We were given a blank floor, a back wall and that's it!  Here are a few images from my dining space...

The results were great spaces, where customers were enormously surprised were designed from the stores wares.  Notes chefs from Gordon Ramsey's Hells Kitchen, Chopped and Top Chef were on hand providing sinful meals for a week.  Oh, that's why my clothes don't fit! It was soooooo much fun it was ridiculous!  Great new friends were made and it was an absolute blast!  Big shout out to Nadin Benito of Interior Visions for her coordinating and 'vision' in making this all happen.

Blog Pinkeggshell recently did an amazing post of the trip.  So instead of recreating it all, please let me introduce you to Kimberly Ward of Pinkeggshell as our Guest Blogger!

So, if you have a moment please check out Kimberly Wards Pinkeggshell's coverage here!

Inspired by... Ralph Lauren Home and William Sonoma Home

Inspired by...

As you all know by now... I Love and Adore everything Ralph Lauren.  Blah, Blah, Blah - yes you all know I worked there for years... Blah, Blah, Blah...

So ingrained in my thought is RL styling and product ye, which I Love and Adore.  So just this morning I posted an environment from William Sonoma Home, which I too Loved and Adore.

I just new there was something about it... You decide... Inspired by...

Architectural Digest images of Alfredo Parades home

Architectural Digest images of Alfredo Parades home

and...

William Sonoma Home 

Yes, I STILL Love and Adore them BOTH!

Imitation is the best form of flattery.  Besides, NOTHING in design is truly original - right!

Feeling 'Beachy' with Williams Sonoma Home!

William Sonoma Home has released their Spring Home collection, and I tell you!  It's making me countdown days to the beach!  In the meanwhile I will just hang back, lie on the porch, reading in a hammock and enjoying watching the blossoms of Spring emerge.

I hope you too, find some quality time to stop and smell the flowers and inhale all the newness before us.  Work will always be there.  Time waits for no one, so let's just enjoy this time of awakening buds and Live it!

 www.wshome.com

Creative Voices Project Interview with tattoo artist Jon Mesa

You may remember Jon from the popular television show, BEST INK 2012 season on the Oxygen Channel, or you may have seen him on the cover of INKED Magazine! 

Well, Jon joins Creative Voices Project in an exclusive video.  In it, he talks about the life and times of a tattoo artist and lends pertinent advise to those interested in a tattoo career.

Hope you enjoy it!

www.creativevoicesproject.com

@jonmesa

Creative Voices Project - Tattoo artist Jon Mesa Launching March 4th.

One of the things I have been working on between design projects, is the creation of 
Creative Voices Project, spearheaded by photographer/videographer (also known as) my better half Nick Carter.  Please take a moment to look at the videos and be introduced to creative professionals in various fields of the arts such as - musicians, painters, models, craftspeople, photographers, designers and all around creative folk - with crazy swagger!

Below is the 'sizzle reel' video promotion for the launch.

Leading with the first interview of the project is tattoo artist Jon Mesa @jonmesa.  Jon is a New York guy to the bone!  Full of cool, funky hardcore swagger with the greatest laugh!  With tattoo's covering his muscular physique and an ear piercing the size of a nickel, he caught Nicks' eye.

He was so cool looking that Nick had to stop and ask him "if he would be interested in a photo session, with his bulldog Buddha".  Of course Jon said "yes!".  Little did he and Nick know that in just a few short years to follow, Jon would be one of the most sought after tattoo artist in the country, with a travel schedule rivaling that of a rock star.

Jon's interview will launch Creative Voices Project on Monday, March 4th.  With many, many more incredible interviews to follow!

We hope you take a moment to look at the website, Like Us on Facebook and be prepared to 'Be Inspired'!

www.creativevoicesproject.com

Twitter.com/creativevoices1

Facebook

AVON Walk for Breast Cancer

AVON Walk for Breast Cancer, is an annual series of multi-city walks supporting survivors, those in treatment and a collective of supporting family members, friends and philanthropist supporting Breast Cancer Awareness and Health.

Find a city of your choice, organize a team, support a crew, make a donation - wear comfortable shoes and lend your support support.  The camaraderie and strength shown will encourage others and make you feel incredible, being surrounded by such strong women of courage.  Plus it's a great way to spend the  day!

Scheduled cities for 2013 walks are:
Houston, Washington, D.C, Santa Barbara, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Charlotte and Boston.

Please consult the AVON Walk website here for donation, fundraising information and powerful stories of survivors.

Gloria Quinn 

Kaplow PR 646-747-3582
For general Information about the Avon Walks, please call 1-888-540-9255 or emailinfo@avonwalk.org (please include your Walk city when submitting questions).

Note: All information here has been pulled from the AVON Walk website. I hope they don't mind!

Chinese New Year and Double Happiness

Happy Year of the Snake...

The double happiness Chinese symbol is an ornamental design used in decorations and could be translated as 'Double Happy' or 'Double Joy'. This motif is pronounced as shuangxi in Chinese. This double happiness symbol is actually a ligature, i.e. a 'glyph' formed of two separate units called 'graphemes'. Grapheme is a fundamental unit of any written language while a glyph could be the variant of graphemes, a compound character (ligature) or a diacritic (a character with marks present above or below it).

Double Happiness Symbol Meaning

The double happiness symbol is used in Chinese weddings and it signifies happiness. In Chinese culture, it means that the couple and their families would live together harmoniously if the symbol is put in their house.

The Double Happiness Chinese Symbol Story

There is a short story behind the origin of the Chinese symbol for double happiness. During the period of Tang Dynasty in ancient China, a young boy was on his way to appear for an examination to become a minister. The boy fell ill while he was traveling through a mountainous region. A herbal practitioner and his daughter took care of the boy, after which he recovered quickly. When the boy had to leave, he found it difficult to say adieu to the girl as he fell in love with her. The girl thus wrote down the right hand part of an antithetical couplet for the boy; which was as follows. "Green trees against the sky in the spring rain while the sky set off the spring trees in the obscuration." The young boy took it and left for the capital to attend the examination. During the examination, he was asked by the emperor to complete the right hand part of a couplet which said, "Red flowers dot the land in the breeze's chase while the land colored up in red after the kiss". The boy instantly realized that the sentence written by the herbal practitioner's daughter was a perfect match for the one given by the emperor. Thus, he gave the right answer and stood first in the examination. Impressed by the performance of the boy, the emperor adjudged him as the new minister. After becoming the minister, the young boy married the herbal practitioner's daughter. On the occasion of their wedding, the HAPPY character was doubled and put on a red paper. The symbol was used to mark the happiness of the event. The double happiness symbol thus attained a respectable position in Chinese art of calligraphy and is used in weddings.

Double Happiness Symbol Feng Shui

Feng Shui is a science of geomancy which is practiced in China for the last 3,000 years. The experts of Feng Shui suggest to put the double happiness symbol in the southwest direction of the house.

The various symbols of the Chinese language have a great significance and some kind of tradition associated with them. Chinese calligraphy is one such art that makes use of these characters. The double happiness Chinese symbol thus is an important character which is considered to bring positivity and happiness in the life of a newly wed couple.

Andree Putman - RIP Iconic Interior Designer

Today we mourn the passing of the famed French illustrious interior designer Andree Putman. Her work once once described as...

"A taste setter, much in the French style: elegant, sophisticated, feminine and absolutely glamorous. As well as multiple objects and furniture, there is her refined interior design work, which ranges from the most luxurious hotels in New York, Hong Kong and Paris to the shops of Anne Fontaine and Guerlain and the offices of French ministers and presidents: très chic."

Her stylized designs grace the homes of esteemed tastemakers throughout Paris.  Her furniture designs remain, long copied by both domestic and international furniture makers.  In addition, she collaborated with Christofle, Ralph Pucci on Mannequins, Dornbracht bath fittings and so much more.  Born to a wealthy family in Lyon, France luxury was in her blood and never left.  She was born with a silver spoon and later in her career designed them as well.  Her work will long live, and I thank her for her unbelievable contribution to the world of interior design.  One of the reasons I love it so!

Kim Kardashian / Kanye West - Got A New Crib!

Because of my celebrity interior design projects, The Huffington Post asked what I imagine Kim Kardashian and Kanye Wests' baby nursery to look like. I thought what fun!  So I paused to give some thought to who they are, and what their merged styles would create.  My submission is below.  

Here's my description of what I believe the nursery would be...

"Kim and Kanye's baby's has the DNA of two trendsetting tastemakers.  No pink or blue nursery would do here!  I imagine ceiling fixtures of black Swarovski crystals and 30"s vintage bronze, living side by side.  Hanging delicately as if they were Celine or Chanel bracelets dangling from Kims' wrist.  I imagine a Black pony Egg chair, cradling Kim and Kanye as they nurse the baby.  High polished chrome contemporary accessories throughout - giving  nod to the masculinity of the room (if the baby is a boy).  Beautiful E. Braun or Pratesi linens for the white lacquer and ebony metal framed crib.  A natural gesture, visible in the hand carved table lamps over the brushed metal dressers.  Of course, the television holds a prominent space, so they can watch Keeping Up with the Kardashians, and Kayne's tour clips 24 hours of the day."

You can see the entire piece here.

With their much lauded recent home purchase, surely this is light stuff!  I'm ready for some real fun now!

Martin Luther King Jr. - Honoring a King... The Kings Speech

With Martin Luther King Day soon approaching, I thought it the proper time to re-issue his 'I HAVE A DREAM SPEECH'.  It STILL moves me whenever I read it.  With it's unwavering passion, compassion and positivity.  I hope it touches you the very same way.  Be Inspired, and live the DREAM.

Attribution to OnlineCollegeCourses.com  

Graphic by Allison Morris

I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal."

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification; one day right there in Alabama, little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.

This is our hope. This is the faith that I go back to the South with. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

This will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with a new meaning, "My country, 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring."

And if America is to be a great nation this must become true. So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania!

Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado!

Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California!

But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia!

Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee!

Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring.

And when this happens, when we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"

Partial Speech courtesy http://www.usconstitution.net/dream.html

Sarah Houston Couture - Spring 2013

It's that special time of year again.  You can almost mark your calendar for it.  The wedding dress rush! My wedding photographer husband Nick Carter Weddings phone is REALLY starting to ring.  With Christmas and New Years engagements, bridal binders once stashed secretively under beds - are basking in the glorious light of day.

First mission... finding the purrrrrfect wedding dress.  

Sarah Houston Couture is a Canada based couture bridal atelier with some of the most graceful and elegant dresses on the market.  If I weren't already blissfully wed, I certainly would be crossing the border bridal binder in hand.  Happy shopping Ladies and and CONGRATULATIONS!

For those of you wishing to book your Trunk Show                                     please contact Kim to find out available dates.                                   e:  kim@sarah-houston.com                                    w: www.sarah-houston.com

Sarah Houston Couture                                                        24 Hazelton Ave                                                        Toronto, ON.                                                        Canada