hello...I'm still here.

oh geez... I've definitely been doing more READING than WRITING these days! here's a few of my new favorites places to be...

mer mag ...She says "My name is Merrilee and I am an illustrator, painter and designer. This blog is a collection of my creative endeavors as well as a sampling of all things that inspire me including illustration, fine art, fashion, design, pattern, textiles, and interiors as well a peek into my work and my life."

I say " this blog is like a dish of all my favorite candies.... colorful, yummy, and full of all kinds of tastes and textures. I love each entry more than the next. great variety, style and makes me want to start a new creative project each and every day!the letter cottage ...She has "An online journal created to follow the renovation of the Lettered Cottage"... and her philosophy is ..." "My intention, and overall design philosophy, is to create beautiful, functional, comfortable, inspiring interiors that make you FEEL. Rooms you can't look away from without a fight."

I say " love the black & white all over the place. love the before and afters. love the style on a dime. love the amazing tips, tricks and all over creativity - highly inspires one to completely re-do a room over the weekend."

inspirations for everyday living ...She says "We recently moved from San Francisco to Birmingham, AL and are setting up a new home in a new city. This blog is devoted to all things that turn an ordinary day into something worth talking about: great food, luscious wine, inspiring spaces, and anything that requires a passport. Plus a bunch of ramblings about turning an imperfect home into the perfect place for us."

I say " LOVE the wine of the week feature - I have been keeping a list. LOVE that she mixes wine and decor - they are such a fine pair! love the photos - great quality .... good sources- and picks of rooms & decor that I have not seen all over the place a 100 times - fresh, classy and ooh! do I love"


enjoy!

fun find ::5

RING! RING!! "Pretty" is calling.... pretty.. oh so pretty! I have wanted one of these custom handmade phone cases for years!

I just got one! Friend and local artist, Anna Featherly, and her amazing company AB Sutton- aim to please... (in every color of the rainbow & and with the most precise detail!) I chose vintage metallic silver leather with the most luscious raw silk yellow check interior lining...she altered her original design for a custom feature I requested.. a leather "necklace" so I can wear my phone.

She makes iPhone cases, iPod cases, kindle cases, macbook cases, notebooks and wallets. check out the site... be sure to have fun browsing the color swatch section!

pleeeeeeeease help!

awww come on.. you are a creative bunch... and it is always good karma to help others...right? I know ,I know, (trust me , I know!) ... we are always getting asked to donate here, help over there, and give alittle everywhere..

but.. here's one more. and this is a REALLY good one.. I'm helping to coordinate a Benefit Bazaar for a dear friend just diagnosed with cancer. We have been friends since we were little.. and she is just the nicest person you would ever want to meet. She just found out 2 weeks ago about the cancer and is scheduled for double mastectomy today - to be followed with Chemo and radiation...such a whirlwind has rocked her world. (check out her blog). She is a mommy of 3 little ones.. and lucky to have a wonderful husband and lots of family close by.

we are looking for handmade/creative type items. Items will be sold "tag" style. You can recommend the set price. Items in the $5.00-50.00 range are great and will most likely sell best. (let's face it.. times are tough for everyone.)

so.. PLEASE ... dig thru your old stock, discontinued, samples, slightly dented and damaged... whatever! ... and send them my way. please!

wall art, textiles, scarves, jewelry, pottery, quilts, folk art, collage, photography, knit & crocheted items, baby blankets, paper goods (like cards and stationary ) home goods, pillows, décor… one-of-a- kinds are good…. (prints and reproductions fine too!)

please shoot me an email if you wanna help.

donations can be sent to shelly kennedy, 51 Leitch Ave, Skaneateles NY 13152. be sure to include some business cards to place by your product (so folks know where to get more!) I need all product in hand by Friday July 3rd.

thank you!

mothers day....

happy mothers day. may you sleep in, eat well, and be completely pampered all day here are some mommylicious photos I was admiring here and there... enjoy your day!(found here.)(found here)The famous Mother Goddess fertility figure discovered in Willendorf, Austria, dating to 30,000 B.C.

(found here) do you think she struggles with bath night too??

happy may day '09

today my baby turns 10 years old. yikes. (I have a feeling that today there will be no naps on the couch, no rosey cheeks and no warm apple juice) - sad sigh.........

instead .... there will be ... muddy smelly sneakers at the front door, a bicycle helmet were teddy used to be, and lots of "hey dude! it's my birthday!". we are planning a pizza / laser tag party. a small gathering with a few boys...I was thrown for a loop this morning when my son asked... hey Mom, can we clean out these empty HOT FRIES bags and use them for my goodie bags?? ( HOT FRIES are his favorite snack food - I could see where he was coming from!) yummm. goodie bags?? OK... mom is slipping. I had not thought of goodie bags. (isn't dinner and hours of Laser Tag enough?) guess not. so taking cue from one of my favorite blogs - I thought... what can I make to give the boys that is special - something they might actually want and use again? I came up with t-shirts. see... these iron on transfers have come a l o n g way since I last used them. they printed nice and crisp, they ironed on and peeled off perfectly. I was so happy. hopefully they will be too!
PS. my favorite May Day fairies did not disappoint this morning!
thank you sweeties!

happy may day!

hello Thom!

Here we are ... just me and Thom hanging out on a Saturday morning sharing a laugh! Thom grew up in Central NY (where I live) and just purchased a summer home on the lake in my town. He is gracious enough to show up from time to time around town at benefits, fundraisers and Galas... I'm thrilled to be attending another event this Thursday, "“An Evening with Thom Filicia” - The special two hour (sold out) event will be held at award winning Anyela’s Vineyard in Skaneateles, New York and will include a conversation with Thom Filicia, book-signing, cocktail reception. Have you seen the book??? "Style: Inspired Ideas for Creating Rooms You'll Love" it is wonderful! kinda reads like a comic book, yet with the passion (for decorating) of a Harlequin novel. it is fabulous!here's a peek inside...

(I love the high contrast, bold style - there is nothing shy about Thom's design style!)

Just announced last month - keep an eye out for the Thom Filicia HomeCollection - to be hitting stores soon. furniture,textiles, lighting, area rugs, consumer appliances and carpet - Yeah!

PS. did any of you happen to catch Thom's 60 minute makeover on Oprah? it was a bedroom makeover for parents of 5 boys under five years old. not only did he do an fantastic job - but he had me in stitches the entire time - he was hilarious with the family's baby! I was in tears!

whatcha up to?

I made it thru Easter weekend, 10 days of Spring break, 2 days of a sick kiddo coughing on the couch when she should have been back at school. now.. it's back to work! so wanna know what I'm to up? well, I can say I've got peppermints and pinecones on my mind.. here's a peek! (It's so funny to get into this while I watch the robins hop around the daffodils outside!)

I'm also working on some small original wall art pieces soon to be listed on drooz studio.com (handpainted frames coming soon too)

and then... if I take a painting break... I'm sifting thru my boxes of goodies that I have saved over the years for Silver Bella inspiration. broken jewelry, old business cards, tags, ribbon scrap - apparently all fair game! I'm browsing new blogs and websites of the Silver Bellas - trying to get familar with the girls and what to expect!

I just bought this amazing box of vintage sheet music. most covers are in full color - they are just beautiful. This is also for Silver Bella - a paper project class I'm taking with Anna Corba. ( if anyone has ideas for how to remove the musty smell on these papers - please advise!)