HGTV and Me

On arrival to New York City,

 we booked a room at the super cool Hudson Hotel.

I was in a rush to get to the HGTV lunch

 hosted by their production team.

We dropped our bags and headed to find HGTV.

                                           All the design bloggers were welcomed.

 We gathered around a conference table and filled out name tags.

The Moggit girls, Rue ladies, and look....

its Design Star Emily Henderson!

The first 5 minutes were a blur! 

It was very exciting to finally meet each other.

As each blogger was asked their opinions 

on various topics a camera recorded everything said.

I brought my blogger reference guide 

which was a brilliant creation by (@melongings) Chanee.

RUE magazine ladies were flanking Emily.

So much talent in one room! 

The HGTV team wanted to know what programming we liked, 

what our favorite blogs were, 

what color were we over (purple was #1), 

what design trend were we excited about and sick of...

It was interesting to hear each other's opinions.

I had the pleasure of sitting with Tamara of NestNestNest.

She should have her own HGTV show that 

shows how she balances a career in design

while living in the city with her 2 young kids and hubby.

"Tamara's  New York Nest & Designs"

Michelle (L) from @Holleyand Gill ( she writes for HGTV Canada!)

 Karen (R) from @HammocksandHighTea~ both were super nice.

Emily Henderson won season 5 of DESIGN STAR!

She has all the qualities a TV star should have:

 beauty, poise, humor and kindness.

Emily, good luck with your new show SECRETS OF A STYLIST.

I wish I had taken more pics,

but I was so overwhelmed with meeting all my 

blogging friends, connecting with new people

 I left my camera on the table for most of the session.

You can spot the production leader

 in the background to the left of the camera woman.

Lindsey Weidhorn put together a great event 

that was a wonderful jump start to

 "Design Bloggers Take Manhattan".

We all LOVE the idea of watching great design shows on HGTV.

Maybe some of our ideas will come to fruition.

I headed back to our hotel roof deck with Mr. Maison Decor

 for a well deserved celebratory drink.

Yes, New York was invigorating!

and....

we had an invitation to a party launching the 

brand new web magazine RUE that night!

We needed to rest up....

the RUE post is next on my list!

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The Nate Berkus Show Review

Yes, I was thrilled to be invited as a design blogger 

to be in Nate Berkus's audience this week.

 After all, I am a designer, and I have a design blog~

so of course it felt great to be recognized! 

Yes, I felt special!

We were told to queue up in the VIP line outside of CBS.

I was feeling really special!

A sea of 90 bloggers and their guests wait for the big show.

This event was a great vehicle for 

meeting up with our blogging and twitter pals.

In line I got the chance to finally meet Amy from ABCDDesigns.

She is a talented designer with a great blog.

Inside we waited in the green room before being 

escorted onto the set.

This is where many of us connected in real life for the first time.

The green room has lots of pictures of Nate on the walls.

I wonder if Nate decorated this space?  

Everyone knows that this incredible twosome, The Moggit Girls, 

created this opportunity and willed it to happen! 

On set, I was seated right behind them with Mr. Maison Decor!

The Moggit girls are funny. 

The warm up lady, Deena,

who gears up the audience, was really funny too.

Janet and Joy were funny AND good looking! 

And did I mention they have nice hair? 

This was my view of the show...

you can see tiny Nate Berkus in between them.

  He was kind enough to talk to the bloggers

 at the end of the show, off camera. 

I thought they would have put my hubby in the front row because

 he looked so darn good in his bright blue shirt and green tie....

but instead I think we ended up in the camera "dead zone".

 His shirt sleeve may make it onto the show though.

 Be looking for it.

This is what handsome Mr. Maison Decor wore..

so you can try and spot him in the audience. 

The camera was always pointing at other people...not us. 

We could do whatever we wanted 

because we weren't going to get caught. 

That was the upside. 

The downside is that my mother won't see me on TV.

At the end of the Nate show was the off camera part of Q and A. 

We got to talk about real design from his perspective. 
This was the really good stuff.

He is very charming and sincere, and seems to be very busy..

he had to leave after 15 minutes. 

Holy cow, it took us 5 hours to drive to NY for the show,

 and $700.00 in expenses!

Can I ask Nate a question please????? 

Poof, he was gone!

So that is my review of the Nate Show.

 It was not the highlight of my trip to NYC as expected, 
as I went to some other events after it was 
out that the design bloggers were in town. 
These events turned out to be a real plus for me.

I'll give Nate some slack, as it is a new show 

and the production team probably 

should have prepared a show that 

could have tapped into all of our brilliance! 

To watch this show

 go to the Nate Berkus Show online and see the schedule.

 It won't mention anything about design bloggers though. 

Topic will be adorable Design Star Emily Henderson

 who does a great makeover

 on a military family whose wife is a "collector" (hoarder). 

That was a hilarious segment I have to say.

There were two other events I received an invitation to: 

A first rate launch party of RUE Magazine and a 

 luncheon hosted by HGTV production team for design bloggers. 

They were both terrific! 

 I will be reviewing them in separate posts.

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vintage tole lamps

I just came back from Martha's Vineyard with a pair of sweet vintage table lamps.

They have a curved gilded lampshade rod, an enamel base with gold detailing,
 and sweet little porcelain flowers with metal gilded leaves.

They are darling!
 Perhaps better suited for a boudoir, 
but right at home on my dining room sideboard.

A closeup of the painted detail. 

They came from this funky antique junk shop in Vineyard Haven.

Sitting on the counter, getting ready to travel to their new home....$25/pair! What a deal!
 I also picked up bamboo bangles and a beaded bangle that reminded me of Indian style moccasins. 

I put some basic off white linen shades on them. 
These little darlings are a delight!

Our home...the perfect nest.

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I'm Invited to the Nate Berkus Show!

Kirstie Alley and Nate Berkus

~I almost cried too!~

Twitterworld and Blogland designers are going nuts for Nate!
 I found out I was on the design blogger list of 150 peeps
 invited to the Nate Berkus' show next week in New York City!

 Nate had my number when he unveiled this stunning kitchen with the now famous green tiles.
He did this kitchen for Kirstie Alley and it was on the Oprah Show.
That was when I fell in love with Nate.
A designer who can do it all.....
he designs for the girliest of women and the manliest of men!
Looking forward to meeting Nate next week...I'll be pinching myself in the audience!

Read more »

A Decorator's Paradise

What do these things have in common?

a luxe chandy with pearls and beads....

a hot pink bohemian sofa....

miles and miles of silks....

oodles of tassels and trims...

They can be found where all 
the decorators in the Boston area flock:

ZIMMANS!!!

This three story vintage building holds New Englands greatest

 collection of decorator fabrics, trims, and furnishings. 

Located in Lynn, Massachusetts,

 this family run business is over 100 years old!

They sell to the public as well as to the trade, 

so come with me and check this place out.

The fabrics go back as far as the eye can see. 

Get your plan in your head before you enter or 

you could be here all day distracted 

by all the lovely eye candy on bolts. 

I am a sucker for gorgeous fabric!

Lets take a peek upstairs. 

An Emporium!! 

Mahogany rails and pressed tin all over the place~
don't you just love it?

You can't turn a corner without something calling your name.

A sheer shade over a green silk shade...wow! 

Just look at the incredible light fixtures. 

This place has the best chandeliers, hands down.

Iron and pink pearls...

Petite crystal chandys..

they look beautiful in front of the pearlized tin wall!

But there is so much more to see...

A french settee with amazing crewel work

A pretty console with lattice windows 
in a shabby chic finish..

Sofas, tables, rugs, lights...

this post would go on forever if I showed it all.

Lets hop down to the cellar!

Follow me...

Guess whats in here?

Trims, Sheers, Remnants and more...

Row after row of trim, and if you can't find what

 you want check out the library of trim books to the left.

I was on the hunt for a melon pink beaded trim for my client.

This one may be the winner...

Its like being in the library of tassel trim. 

Shhhhhhhhhh!

Pillow forms, cording, upholstery supplies...

Zimmans has it all!

Bargain hunters can hit the remnant table
 and make out like bandits.

I've been known to grab a few myself.

Zimmans also makes custom window treatments, like I do.

They have a beautiful display of styles to help a customer choose.

Very nice!

If you need help finding something special, just ask Glenn. 

This guy knows everything!

Remember this name!

Then....

Tell Mike I sent you! 

Thats me with Mike Zimman.

Mike, I love your store!! 

Without Zimmans I would have a devil of a time

 running my business.

 Thanks Mike!

Linking to

Zimmans Web Page

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