Henry meets The Purple Pear

Well today was my final day at this location for The Purple Pear. We are off now to new adventures, looks, and fun! But today was the day I unexpectedly realized I needed a soothing presence......Henry!!!

This day began as usual. I hurried through coffee, emails, shower, loading of the car, including Henry who had an appointment at the vet for his final booster for feline leukemia. Oh I forgot. I also went to my storage unit to pick up paint before the vet. It is the constant ritual of planning too much and running out of time. So guess what? Henry had to go to my store because I did not have time to take him home and get there to open by 11:00 AM.

First of all, you have to understand that Henry is the newest addition to my cat family, and he is an absolute love. He is the easiest, most uncomplicated cat that has passed my way, and I knew he would adapt immediately to The Purple Pear. He decided he looked particularly debonair against a backdrop of CoCo. Bless his heart. He knows fine colors and the best Chalk Paint™ colors when he see them.

I worried about him being bored, but he immediately nestled against Gina Brown's beautiful pillows because he knows they are all about beauty and love!

And of course I panicked when I realized I was taking him to my shop, and he did not have his own commode. I figured a solution quickly with some cat litter and a shipping box. It was perfect.

Henry finally decided that I was not entertaining him enough so he settled in and nestled against Gina's fine pillows.

Then Henry was pushed and shoved into this completely unattractive carrier and crammed into a car that was already full to the brim!

But he was promised a little compensation... no more retail time for the moment, a treat, and some catnip, and a time to be the Henry that he is....loving, silly, unpredictable, and lots of company on a final day that called for a celebration and a respectful good bye. We will be keeping you posted on our newest and most exciting location so please keep us close. We are almost there. And who knows, Henry might be the gentleman that periodically greets you at the door!

Changes Ahead

A special announcement...... I will not be moving into Madison Park with Randy. We mutually decided the space would most likely be too small for my workshops plus all my inventory. So I am on the search for a new location. I will let you know soon what the address will be when I find the perfect roomy space I need!

I have been sorting through the collections I have wondering which ones I will sell and which pieces I will keep. When I go to textile shows they call these white pieces of clothing "Victorian Whites" and I am drawn to these gems like a magnet. If I had to explain the reason for this, it would be impossible as it is such an empowering instinct for me.

Such sweet images.....and the hours and skill of handwork absolutely mind boggling.

I intend to bring a lot of these into my new location. I will keep you posted on my new address somewhere around the beginning of September. I will be selling my things on my website and out of my home for a few weeks, maybe less. Please stay tuned!

Deconstruction

This use to be my next door neighbor's house. It was built in the twenties with lots of charm, beautiful windows and a tile roof on a corner lot. It had been in the family from the very beginning until they decided to sell it to a developer who is basically dismantling it (slowly hand-bulldozing it) and reconstructing a new home with a second story and a large upscale master bedroom. They have installed a chain link fence around the property with a plastic covering so no one can see how they are destroying history. (I was able to sneak in and take some photos). Am I sentimental? Yes. But I know who lived in that home, the pattern of their lives, the way they parked their cars everyday of the year, the decorations that displayed every Halloween and Christmas. I have felt such sadness over the whole process. And what is the purpose of this demolition? There is no amount of enlightening that will ease my remorse. This was the upstairs bedroom, the one that will be transformed into a "master suite". Call me old fashioned, but I am a preservationist when it comes to history and architecture and roots. And so here I am in my shop taking a new piece trying to make it look authentically "old", and the whole time I am waxing and distressing I am mulling over the fact that what I am creating is being destroyed right next to my home. I am creating old, and they are dismantling it. Is it a personal preference or is it simply greed and profit on their part? In a neighborhood with character, style, and architectural dictates, why would someone want to come in and build a home that only insults the grace of its surroundings? Looking down and through is my idea of vision. We need to see something that speaks to us. When I paint a piece of furniture, it sometimes takes me awhile to really see a piece. I might paint it one color and then go back later and do another color. Yet, I think ultimately the design and the shape and the various ideas will suddenly come forth, and you will know, without explanation, why you choose to do what seems authentic and fitting, and it becomes an integrated decision. A piece is born through your dreams, remembrances, and your unique design vision. It is really not complicated if you trust your instincts. Repair what needs to be fixed. (I love this part.) Choose the color that speaks to you (and you must trust that it will and does). Then choose the color and vision that gives you that sense of certainty. Florence is one that is beginning to haunt my dreams.....I trust it will find its place.

Evolving Styles

When I joined the Annie Sloan group of stockists over a year ago I did not realize it would have such an impact on my lifestyle as well as my eye. I am a very visual person. I remember color better than I remember names. But I was not prepared for a complete evolution of my style. When I started working with Annie Sloan's palette I started to see colors in a different way. And it became highly personal. What I discovered was that my way of seeing color was unique to my past, my experience, and my thoughts about the fluidity of design. First and foremost, we are always evolving and seeking new ways of defining ourselves. If we are open to this, it can be very illuminating and energizing. We are bombarded everyday with images. I find this unnerving. As humans, with highly evolved senses, I think we instinctively know what we want to select. I think it is one of the beauties of our species. We know, but we have been programmed to distrust this instinct. Page after page of media tells us what color we should like or embrace. Is it popular? Is it trendy? Is it current? I think we should trust what we feel, know, and love. For me, in this stage of my life, I am looking for simplicity, comfort, and peace. But I am also reaching out for a little spark and ingenuity so I don't stagnate. So let your style evolve. Trust the ideas that you have. Choose the color that might seem bold or unusual, but do it with your heart. Let the other dictates go and trust the evolution of your artistic spirit. Embrace the idea, the color, the mood. My guess is that you just might find the space and the inspiration you had visualized from the moment it came to you....almost as a gift.

Balance

I have spent a lot of time lately thinking about balance and how important this is for us at every stage in our lives. I think we all tend to get on this treadmill of lists and projects and obligations. One day, about two weeks ago, I decided to not make a list in order to see if my life and work could somehow get along without it. I lasted two days. I felt things were out of control. Was I forgetting something important? Did I forget to ship an order or answer an email? Did I promise something and did not follow through? All these worries were pulling at me and wanting answers. I went back to The List. As I was scrolling through my photos, I suddenly realized I had actually taken a photo of The List. I feel I should be disturbed by this, but in a way, I find it quite liberating that I actually documented something most people would consider silly. And yet, this is how we run our lives on a daily basis. Maybe I was documenting something that might be an artifact for my grandchildren one day. "Wow,can you believe our grandmother actually wrote a handwritten list?" This could be a collectible like the old ledgers are now. On Sunday I had the most amazing experience, an invitation to view an indescribably beautiful private garden. Suddenly I was transported to a portion of my heart that had been neglected, a love of digging in the dirt, dead-heading roses, cleaning the beds, and most of all, just being in that very special, restorative place. This special journey brought me back to myself and how important balance is in our lives full of expectations and passions. We need to learn how to bring all of these interests and passions into our lives without losing sight of why we are here and why this matters and what we are doing to sustain this. My youngest daughter is to have a baby boy in the next few days. This will be my last grandchild. I am full of anticipation as well as poignant hesitation. This is a crossroad in life. The clock will be set in motion by the needs of a new birth, a new life, and renewed hope. Balance? Somehow when a new child is born the list is put aside and considered absolutely unnecessary as well as essential. This is a very good time to take note of rhythm and floating time.