MEMORIAL DAY

It's Memorial Day! White Sales! Big Blow-Outs! Discounts, Discounts, Discounts! How better to celebrate the brave and the free than with a little free spending? Hmmm... It doesn't seem quite the thing, does it? Amid the barbecues and basement deals, it's easy to forget to take a moment to say thank you to the brave, precious people who sacrifice so much. You may not know a veteran or any of the troops deployed, but they can feel your gratitude all the same. Below are my two favorite ways to support our men and women in uniform. There is no better way to honor the dead than to help the living.

Norman Rockwell's "Homecoming." Memorial Day recognizes the sacrifice of the many men and women who have served our country, most especially those who never had the chance to come home. 

"The greatest casualty is being forgotten." The Wounded Warrior Project works to provide care, comfort, and aid to severely injured veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. They attend not only to the physical suffering of vets, but their mental health as well, and help grieving families navigate the new terrain of caregiving with counseling and guidance. 

During the World Wars, caring citizens could package up necessities and gifts, from socks to candy, and send them to various areas with the label "Any Soldier." The box and its contents would be given, literally, to "Any Soldier" who needed them. Sadly, with fears over terrorism and anthrax at an all time high, the practice was banned. But a concerned Army Sergeant, who had himself served in Iraq and seen firsthand how many men and women went without basic comforts or notes from home, was inspired to create Any Soldier, Inc. Coordinating thousands of troops across the Middle East and around the world, AnySoldier.com allows you to locate service members, shop for their specific needs, and mail packages directly to them. Sadly, there are many, many men and women in service who have no one sending them packages or mail. Even if you "only" send a letter of encouragement, anyone deployed will tell you:  a kind word from home can go far. 

Images, Norman Rockwell painting, orgs as listed.

GUEST IN THE HOUSE

I'm playing hooky today! You'll find me hanging out over at Odi et Amo, as the guest blogger in Averill's great series:  How to Shop Like a Design Blogger. You've already heard of Odi et Amo if you've been reading Sanity Fair for any period of time (such as oh, a week, when I last mentioned it). If you're decorating your own house, bookmark Odi et Amo pronto and watch as Averill decorates her new home, one room at a time. She has a wonderful knack for translating seemingly inaccessible magazine style into real life. You're sure to be inspired!

DECORATING WITH... HEADBOARDS

Headboards! They can make or break a bedroom, but for a narrow piece of plywood with some fabric stuck on, they sure can be pricey. Since I'm an equal opportunity decor shopper, I've been looking around for more inexpensive options. If you want inspiration, just look below. And if you're wishing for style on the cheap, I've provided some great options. You won't believe where I found them!

Green is gorgeous! Here are two verdant options for the bedroom, both tufted and not. Upper LH is from Drake Design Associations. Both shopping options are from Wal-Mart (shhh!). A fluke you say? Nope. More to come.

Here's a beautiful floral from the recent Lonny magazine. You can get the look by purchasing the fabric from Rubie Green, and covering it yourself, or creating a headboard slipcover (DIY HERE).

Patterns are perfect:  LH side is a beatiful bedroom by the talented Meg Braff; headboard fabric is by Quadrille. Bottom is another spread from Lonny Magazine, covered in the fabric from Rubie Green. To get the look, you can purchase the Anthropologie toile pattern headboard (top RH), or visit Quadrille for their wonderful fabrics.

Spots and dots! A charming children's bedroom incorporates a subtle pattern. Or try polka dots at home for a cheery look, using this headboard by - you guessed it - Wal-Mart.

A little zebra in the bedroom makes the space exciting. Headboard from Wal-Mart; rooms, designers unknown.

Tobi Fairley throws a little green in with her zebra; you can too. Headboard by Wal-Mart.

I've posted about this room before; it's one of Meg Braff's. Pink zebra is fabulous (and so is a $120 headboard from Wal-Mart!).

Lavender! I'm in love with this room by Amanda Nesbit. Lavender bed and headboard below, Wal-Mart.

Pretty in pink:  here are two great example rooms, both dug up on DecorPad. Headboard by Wal-Mart. If you recognize the designers, please mention their names in comments below!

Ballard Designs' black bed stead is a dead ringer for this beauty (image also from DecorPad). Throw in a Thomas Paul pillow and you're set!

Overlapping squares by West Elm - and as the example (bottom) from Joe Nye proves, they're great with Geisha Pillows!

Images and sources, companies and designers as listed above. Some images require attribution; please information in comments below.

EDIBLE LILLY PULITZER

I don't know what your local drugstore is like, but mine looks like some kind of summer product bomb went off in the foyer, and there are SPF 80 bottles, dusty beach balls, and tacky plastic fans everywhere. So naturally, when I wandered up the food aisle and saw cracker boxes festooned with sprightly animals in Lilly Pulitzer togs, I thought the sunscreen fumes were causing hallucinations. But no, the princess of prints really is decorating boxes of cookies:

 

So there you go. Do you want some designer cookies? Frankly, I'd be a lot more excited if they had pastel frosting...

SUN AND SEA AT ANTHROPOLOGIE

J'adore Anthropologie - it isn't just their lovely looks and sublime styles; they create designs with wit. This summer, open your doors and drawers with porcelain urchins or bronzed crab. Dine off of scenes from the deep, as medieval monsters toss hapless ships. Or salute the sea with psychedelic coral, salt 'n pepper minnows, and a couch that will suck you in (to the arms of an octopus). Whether you're holiday-bound or settling in for a "staycation," these treasures will bring the ocean home.

TEN FOR THE WEEKEND

In my mind, I'm vacationing in the tropical paradise of Turks and Caicos, lounging near the pool, awaiting my next margarita under a massive umbrella. In reality, I'm stranded in a generic airport hotel by my airline, which cited weather/goats/days-ending-in-day/mechanicals/pollen/and ocean currents as the reasons for cancellation. At least it wasn't sun spots. Or a pirate attack! ("If your cutlass will not fit in the overhead compartment, please press the attendant call button. In the event of a water exit, do not attempt to take your chests of gold with you.")

So enough about my ACTUAL trip. Actual things, as Anne of Green Gables pointed out so many decades ago, are rarely as fun as imagined things. And my imagined trip is marvelous. And of course, I packed well - here's what I'm wearing and carrying this weekend!

Images: iPad, Apple. LV case, ipadforums. com. Kebede clothes, lemlem.com. Kebede image, Vogue. Turks and Caicos, Expressions Holidays. All other images, companies as attributed.

A FEW OF MY FAVORITE (BLOGGER) THINGS

I hate all this tweeting that just clutters up the internet "tubes" with pointless drivel like "I heart kats" or "spaghetti is yum." But the truth is, I really do "heart" blogging - I even tweeted that the other day, tragically. Every month, I'm excited for the arrival of the latest shelter mags or a new style book; I devour every detail - and then put them on the shelf. But the blogger world is not so static, or so limited (or taking up an unworldly amount of my shelf space). The adage may be that there's nothing new under the sun, but every day, the design blog world tries to prove that wrong.

So here are a few of the blogs that frequently inspire me - and my latest favorite find from each of them. Enjoy!

ANNECHOVIE. Below, Anne's own artwork, "English Roses on Aqua Print," via her blog (and Etsy shop) Annechovie. Anne's talented renderings - from chinoiserie to pets - have a charming, light-hearted touch and a timeless appeal.

ODI ET AMO. Averill at Odi at Amo is a lawyer cum decorator cum all-around great blogger (the law + design combo strikes me as a great way to handle wayward contractors too). She has a decided knack for finding great decor - and for putting it all together. Bench from Jonathan Adler.

GADABOUT. Aside from having an awesome name, Hanna Brooks Nation at Gadabout Blog has an elegant and unique stationary collection, full of monogramed chinese lanterns, zebras, Fifth Avenue ladies, pearls, abstract prints, and flowers. And they make for a great blog game too! Can you find the monograms hidden on these cards?

Hannah also has a marvelous eye, and the inspirational "Look" section of her website has led me to some wonderful finds, including Leontine Linens.

Jennifer Boles over at Peak of Chic is a busy lady; aside from content-rich writing and lovely design work, she's the author of the new book House Beautiful:  Fabrics For Your Home, a marvelous guide to the ins and outs of fabrics. Take it with you to the antique store, Calico Corners, or the yard sale down the street, and you'll know your fabrics. Jennifer says to think of the book as "everything you wanted to know about fabric but were afraid to ask." Or as I like to call it: Fabrics, Fear-Free.

THE DECORISTA. Ashlina is The Decorista - and she deserves the title! Her blog, The Decorista, Secrets of Domestic Bliss is just my style - a bit of decor, a bit of fashion - and a lot of flavor. She's always turning up new trends for me to check out, and new stores for me to surf (Danger Sanity Fair! Danger!). My new Favorite via Decorista is yet another blog Table Tonic, by Aussie designer Louise, and featuring her marvelous ikat and watercolor pillows. I want them all! I need more pillow-friendly surfaces. And a larger house. Much larger.

INGLE TALK. Maureen of charming blog Ingle Talk also just happens to have an even more charming shop, The Inglenook Decor. From alabaster frames to caned-pattern rugs, she puts a lot of lovely in one place (such as these St. Honore ceramic trays, below).

BEACH HOUSE LIVING. I love seaside inspiration, and it's easy to find at lovely blog Beach House Living. BHL has plenty of my favorites - coral and seashells especially - and a charming little shop of ocean-inspired delights.

All images, blogs as attributed above.

DOWNTOWN DESIGN

Feeling a little loopy today (literally, travel does that to me), so here's a chair to match my mood:  a fresh take on the classic Frances Elkins chair, by Downtown. It's patio ready, but I wouldn't object if it wanted to come inside and hang out. Around a breakfast room table, perhaps?

                                      Of course, the classic version is just pretending to be serious...

Green chair, downtown20.com. Black elkins chairs: emilyevanseerdmans.blogspot.com. White chairs: img.coxnewsweb.com.

DEAR ANN TAYLOR: LET'S BE FRIENDS

All images, Ann Taylor.com. Pencil, pencils.com.

NEW MEDIA DAY AT THE ATLANTA IWCE

One of my favorite blogs, Jackie Blue Home is by wonderful interior designer, product and fabric designer, and writer Jackie Von Tobel. This Friday she's putting her colorful palette of experience to good use, hosting a blogger panel on new media for this year's International Window Coverings Expo in Atlanta. Jackie generously invited me to participate on the panel, and I'm really honored to be joining some serious blogging talent to talk about new media. Come down to the Expo on Friday the 14th at 4 p.m. to hear the discussion on social media, blogging, and what they mean to the design world. We promise it will be "sheer" fun!

Here's the full scoop. See you there!

"WFCP Sponsors GET CONNECTED: Grow Your Business with Social Media

Jackie Von Tobel

Timid about Twitter? Flustered by Facebook? Bewildered by the Blogosphere? Learn how to expand your business easily and cost free with these and other social media marketing tool from industry expert, author, blogger and social media bon vivant Jackie Von Tobel. Her popular blog Jackie Blue Home has been an invaluable tool for her business and she is eager to show you how social media can benefit you. Join this step by step tutorial and learn to navigate the growing world of social media marketing to connect with customers, achieve expert status, and boost sales. Learn everything you need to know to get started using Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Blogger and more, to tap into the power of free social media marketing. Don’t let technology pass you by; put it to work for you and watch your business thrive.

THE BLOGGER PANEL INCLUDES:

Brian Patrick Flynn is an interior designer and founder of the online decorating magazine, decordemon.com. He gained attention for his bold, glamorous spaces created almost entirely with garage sale items and flea market finds. Formally educated in television production, Brian made the leap to interior design after working as a producer on various hit home makeover programs. Décor Demon was created as an online outlet for Brian to produce original editorial lifestyle content from a witty and practical male point-of-view. From modern home renovations to the latest baby toy craze, Décor Demon’s features aim to be both inspiring and entertaining.

Valorie Hart of Visual Vamp is a vivacious personality, experienced designer, writer, and tango dancer and teacher among other things. Her blog is a lively reflection of her fascinating life in New Orleans. Valories work and her own eclectic home is a favorite among other bloggers and online publications.

Debbie Green from Minutes Matter - In The Loop Blog, is an industry innovator and educator who has spearheaded the inclusion of technology and social media in the window covering industry. Debbie’s company Minutes Matter Solutions Inc. produces Studio software, a graphic design software program for the interior design industry.

Jay Helser of the Why Helser blog is one half of the fabulous Helser Brothers team of drapery hardware manufacturing fame. Widely recognized and acclaimed for their fabulous customer service and beautiful and innovative product line, the Brothers Helser are forging new ground in the world of social media through dream giveaways and raffles to their customers via their blog. They even gave away a trip to Paris last year!

This promises to be an eye opening and inspiring event so please sign up early and don’t miss it. The panel discussion will be followed by a networking event for all attendees."

*All bios and text in quotes via Jackie Blue Home and IWCE.