Blinged Out: Kristin Hayes Jewelry

*Earrings by Kristin Hayes Jewelry.

I wrote this blog a little over a year ago but I wanted to share it with you all again. I feel lucky to be able to host a Kristin Hayes Trunk Show this February 6th. If you live in Charlotte and are interested in coming, please leave a comment and I will add you to the invite list. Go to www.kristinhayesjewelry.com to check it out!

Charlotte is home to some really cool people. Flying low, but oh so cool, is my friend and local jewelry designer Kristin Hayes. Kristin has a degree in Apparel and Textiles from Appalachian State University. After graduation, she spent time working in fashion in New York City before returning to Charlotte in 2005. She took the opportunity to follow her dreams and started her own jewelry line, Vanilla Jewelry. Since then she has added three additional line's including Emerald Hayes, Signature and Bridal.

Now just the best mommy ever to little girl Hayes, Kristin continues to challenge herself with new design concepts and customized pieces. Her home based studio is a design obsessed persons dream come true. It is literally stacked full of drawers and trays of vintage stones, pearls, brass, gold, other mixed metals and one of a kind charms. Kristin's vintage contemporary pieces are all one of a kind, and are perfect reflections of her "meticulous detail" and "craftsmanship." This month I visited her studio and worked with her to design my very own special piece.

Together we went through her many templates to find the perfect pair of crystal studded angel wings. Then we added a vintage gold cross embellished with vintage stones, a brass key (to my heart of course), and a dog tag like metal plate with stamped numbers coded with my loves birthdays.

The angel wings shown here are special for many reasons to both Kristin and myself. I am lucky enough to be the first owner of her new inspired template.The first but definitely not the last!

Along the way I fell head over heals with the chandelier earrings shown above. Because I wear a lot of mixed metals, Kristin customized them on the spot by adding a gun metal chain to the already mixed media.

Check out these divine disco diva earrings available for sale on her website for $68.

Also for sale on her website for are these vintage taglio earrings with white rhinestone chain for $88.

For more details and contact information on Kristin Morris Jewelry go to http://kristinmorris.com/

I know you will love her and her work as much as I do!

Cheers,

Tay

Where Am I Now: 416 Kingston Avenue!

In 2006, long time Dilworth residents, Kathy and Rob Wilder chose 416 Kingston Avenue as the perfect home to raise their growing family. This historic home, built in 1926, is located on the desirable "dead-end" section of Kingston Avenue. The "beautifully appointed home" boasts more than 6 coal-burning fireplaces, inlaid wood floors, original gas fixtures, brass fittings and incredibly high ceilings. The stately dining room has floor-to-ceiling landscape murals that are rumoured to have once been throughout the house.  Kathy, an interior designer, has beautifully furnished the enitire home, putting a fresh spin on traditional living. A must see,  416 Kingston Avenue is sure to be a crowd pleaser.

Cheers,

Taylor

Sale of the Day: Beside Manor

While out and about (sans kiddos) today, I came across Bedside Manor's Summer Sale. Even on sale,  most items in this high-end luxury shop would still be considered pricey by most people standards. Never deterred by things or shops that I can not afford, I  headed inside to dive into the luxury linens and bath accessories. I was pleasantly surprise by how genuinely nice the sales staff  was to my sweaty work out clad self.

The sale lamp selection does not disappoint. The silver candlestick "Messenger Lamp," from high-end lighting company Currey & Company, rings in at $189.

While rows of divine pillow's line the walls, this natural linen and grey "vertical key" stood out at $127.50. I could see at least 3 on the shelf, so finding a second shouldnt be a challenge.

I could not stop touching the icy blue pillow's below. They are literally made of the softest fabric I have ever touched and I will go to sleep tonight dreaming of them for sure. At nearly half price, these pillows are beyond worth it at $152.50.

Just want to stop in and browse? Check out the adorable makeup and travel totes from Stephanie Johnson. The Palm Dessert Orange makeup totes will freshen up your old bag and make looking for your keys, way more glamorous. Bags starting at $29.

Bedside Manor is located across from South Park Mall in the Specialty Shops. Go to http://www.bedsidemanor.com to learn more about them.

Cheers,

Taylor

Ridiculously Fun Finds @ Cotswald Marketplace

Ridiculously Cute Owl: On Sale $34

Ridiculously Cool Greek Key Lucite Console Table:  $1500

Ridiculously Awesome Quick Fix to Update to my  7 Year Old Buffet Lamps. Cool New Lamp Shades: $35 each

All in all, a fun day!

Cheers,

Tay

Summer in The South: Southern Living Does It Charlotte Style

What better magazine to glamorize my favorite city than Southern Living. Check out the special edition of Southern Living's Summer in the South  feature on our very own Queen City. The topping on the cake is local fashionista goddess Laura VinRoot Poole (of Capital) shares her current summer favorites and reminds us that this city does indeed rule!

 The Summer Calendar already has me reaching for my phone, I have A LOT of babysitters to book and friends to call!  First up and specifically calling my name is the June 1st The Year in Jazz, 1957 event at the Bechler Museum.

Download the Summer Play list and get down to bands like Alabama Shakes, Marie Mize and Moon Taxi. I am chilling right now to  Sugar & The Hi Lows belting out Show & Tell all 70's style and I am more than happy about that.

Summer in the Charlotte is my favorite and I cant wait to share it with you!!!

Cheers,

Tay

Check it out directly and then download it straight to your computer at:

summer-events-charlotte-north-carolina

Celerie Kemble: "I Would Rather Be Happy Than Dignified."

Yesterday was the Best. Day. Ever. And I had no idea it was coming! The date was on my calendar (of course!) but I honestly hadnt had the time to focus on the event. In a world that seems as though every minute of everyday is over scheduled, often daunting and sometimes extremely boring, yesterday was a breath of fresh air.

I drew the lucky card when I scored a ticket to the Mint Museum's Room to Bloom Decorative Arts Symposium at Charlotte Country Club. The bonus, this years speaker was acclaimed NYC designer Celerie Kemble. Just in case you havent heard of her, open up the new Special Edition Domino Magazine and turn to page 86. Celerie has a six page spread in the cult classic magazine that will change the way you feel about small spaces. She is also the author of Celerie Kemble: To Your Taste in 2008 and the recent Black & White: And A Bit in Between. Still not sure? Check out J.Crew's "Real Women" ad's and search for the blond-headed, long-legged beauty with the soulful eyes. Not amazed yet? This woman has three children 5 and under!

Check out artist Jennifer Levine's artwork front and center stage.

The Skinny

Celerie is the owner of Kemble Interiors in NYC and Palm Beach partners with her mother, acclaimed interior designer Mimi McMakin. She was an English Major and is a graduate of Harvard University and she never planned on a career in design. In fact, Celerie worked in movie production before a side hobby of scouring NYC flea markets turned into a new career including a year of unpaid internships and ultimately one extremely successful business. Celerie is an american classic, a true beauty and one of the sweetest souls I have ever met.

My friend Brittan, whose sadly couldn't make the event and whose ticket I scored, wisely encouraged me to get there early. I got to Charlotte Country Club at 8:59 and I think I was one of the first people in the grand space. I was by myself. I drank my 4th cup of coffee and grabbed a seat in the very, very front. (Insert dork here. . . again I am by myself and there are over 500 women, mostly in groups, in the room.)

Divine Inspiration

So I sat in the front and I took notes. . .9 pages worth of notes. . .and so I thought I would share with you my favorite moments from my 1 hour of design heaven.

Thoughts/Tips on Being a Designer

• "Be honest with yourself!" How do you live? Are you messy? Do you entertain?


• "You only remember things that are different."


• Stick with the traditional elements of scale. Other than that break the rules! Mix Metal, layer rugs, etc.


• When it comes to compromising with clients, Celerie points out that "Compromise is where the genius comes from!" I know my decorator friends always wish that they had endless budgets and total control over the decision process. Instead, Celerie has learned to embrace her clients differences and credits each individual room to "build(ing) from the additives." The elements that came to the marriage or the family, the unique and heirloom pieces that must either remain and/or be built around.


• Celerie is addicted to natural elements like sisal and seagrass. They are in every room she does.


• Do lots of editing (of the room.)


• Indulge in fabric and lighting.


• "When you need creative inspiration, take a break and come back."


• "Be open with your clients, build trust. Listen to what they say."


• One of my personal favorites is "Items that are found rather than made. . .that's when you get special!"

Thoughts on and from her Mother

• She never wanted to be a designer, she knew how hard it was. All she remembers is her mother running around the kitchen in her underpants "freaking out."


• "Nothing goes right all the time."


• "Keep your notepad by the bed" so that when you wake up with ideas you can write them down.


• "I'd Rather Be Happy Than Dignified."

Thoughts on Being a Mother

• Some of my favorite moments came from listening to Celerie describe "living" in her house with her three children. That she would rather have many nice things mostly destroyed than live a padded, sparse house. She also points out that so many of her New York clients have designated spaces for the children and for the adults and how this can be a very bad thing when the children break free from their constraints . . . they get very destructive!


• SNUGGLE WITH YOUR KIDS!


• "Never let things get to precious."


• Celerie has a crazy schedule, but she has the flexibility to be there when it really matters. She calls on her family and her mother in law often to help with the kids and to be there for "snuggle" time.

Our beautiful table in the Donald Ross room.

After the Decorative Arts Symposium, I ran to Cooper's pre-school for pick up and then headed straight to event sponsor Circa Interior's & Antiques in Myers Park for the book signing. Again yes, I am the first one in the shop and an obvious über dork, but I get to meet Celerie when she walks in the door. She is so open and friendly and I really do feel like I am just meeting a new friend at a cocktail party. She signs my book first because I am now running home to meet Sadie at the bus stop.

An amazing ottoman at Circa Interiors pre-book signing.

I am dying of excitement and an even bigger sap than I ever knew at this exact moment.

Celerie signed my book, chatted up sweet, sleepy Cooper with stories of her little one and over all won my heart forever!

Click below to Purchase Celerie Kemble: To Your Taste

http://www.amazon.com/Celerie-Kemble-Creating-Modern-Traditional/dp/0307394425

Click below to Purchase Celerie Kemble: Black & White (and a Bit In Between)

http://www.amazon.com/Black-White-Bit-Between-Collections/dp/0307715981/ref=lp_B001JRV6PQ_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1335442277&sr=1-1

As an added bonus Wells Fargo Private Bank gave us all signed copy's of her latest book!

I hope you love her as much as I do!

Cheers,

Tay

Images that were not taken by me were taken from her website www.kembleinteriors.com and from the internet. I tried to link the images to the sources whenever possible.

JWV Artists: Spring Arts Show April 18th through the 21st

Meet my new friend Judith Voglesonger, owner and creator of JWV Artists. JWV offers everything from Art Consultations to Artist Representation. Judith searches for local artist that are both talented and reasonably priced. Her mission is to bring original art to the public and she does so in the comfort of her own home gallery. This personalized approach defines the relaxed experience of buying art through JWV Artists.



Her Spring 2012 Art Show will have original art work by:

Irene Salley, Judith Williams, Noel Fludgate, Marcy Gregg, Kelley Brugh, Margaret Owen, Janine Medlin, Sara Mccollough & Mac Truque.



The show will be at her home at:

JWV Artists

3330 Cambria Road

Mountainbrook

Charlotte, NC

Wednesday April 18th-Saturday April 21st

10am to 2pm

Call for private appointments 904-707-5884



Judith was recently featured as a Charlotte Smarty Pants Mom.

Read more about Judith and her adorable family at: http://www.charlottesmartypants.com/2012/04/smarty-mom-judith-voglesonger/#comment-26451

Contact Judith at:

judith@jwvartists.com and check out her website at www.jwvartist.com

Hope to see you all there!

Cheers,

Tay

Charlotte Artist Jennifer Levine has "Nothing to Lose"

Words I would use to describe Jennifer Levine:

Refreshing, Organic, Positive, Driven, Talented, a Natural Beauty.

Jennifer's background is surprisingly conservative. Originally from Saint Louis, she is a graduate of Chapel Hill with a degree in Political Science and worked for many years in Investment Banking and Commercial Real Estate. She is a mother to three children and wife to college sweetheart Josh. She is a talented artist with a presence at Slate Interiors and Isabella. She does a lot of private commissions and donates more than her share to charity.

The artistic gene runs deep in Jennifer's family. Her Grandmother was an artist and so is her Father. Josh's mother was a traveling CMS art teacher. Her High School mentor, Mr. Grimm, groomed her talent and set the foundation for her work in mixed media, pencil and water-color. Her medium's now include oil, watercolor, charcoal & pen, pastel and most everything else.

Her Dining Room is whimsical and inviting.

Personally, I would say that her art is defined not by a specific style but rather more by a constant drive to "challenge herself." Her art is organic and fluid and her artistic range is great. The constant in her work is energy and movement; more specifically her viewer is left with an overwhelming sense of optimism.

Shown above is the product of one of her recent personal challenges: To draw an object with one line of pen and to "be ok" with the result. She followed with water colors and the stunning piece now hangs in her house.

Jennifer's favorite subjects come from nature; tree's and still life's. She often focus' on the micro, as opposed to the more common macro view of classical artists. She likes to experiment and to "see where it will take" her. As a result her work is layered in color, textured and is deep in content.

Drastically different from the works shown before are the basic silhouettes hanging in her front room. They are however, perfect examples of Jennifer's meticulous attention to detail.

From the templates of her children's silhouettes, she created this little "negative" beauty .

Jennifer quotes some of her favorite artist as Mark Rothko and Helen Frankenthaler.

This inspiration is evident in the "unfinished" pieces in her studio.

To see Jennifer's work first hand you can stop by Slate Interior's. Check out there website for more information at http://www.shopslateinteriors.com/Slate_Interiors_Charlotte/Home.html

Limited pieces are also available at Isabella. Check out http://www.isabellastyle.com/ for store hours and information.

You may also contact Jennifer Levine directly at jenllevine@gmail.com

Cheers,

Tay

BTW-I am terrible at  spelling. . .horrible. . .and I am going to have to have a long conversation with my editor!

Isabella: Myers Park Boutique Delivers It All

This morning, in search of a couple of pictures for an upcoming blog on Charlotte artist Jennifer Levine, I stopped by local Myer's Park home furnishings store Isabella. Owned by Erin Dougherty, this delightful little shop specializes in fine bedding and bath linens as well as lighting, accessories and well, most everything else luxurious.

Isabella is meticulously curated with everything from Lafco Soaps and Lollia Shea Butter Hand Cream to Worlds Away lighting and Bella Notte Bedding. Interested in a more hands on approach? They also have designers on hand to assist in almost every  design need that a client could dream of! Check out Isabella's blog at http://www.isabellastyle.com/blog for examples of Erin and her team's individualized approach.

Not that I was not totally in love with the bedding from my personal favorite Bella Note, but being obsessed with lighting, I had to look up. Which one's do you fancy?

Stoney Chandelier $665

*I forgot to get the price on this turquoise beauty. . .

Long Neck Lamp $358

Enjoy the finer things in life? Lafco Soaps $16

For more information on Isabella go to http://www.isabellastyle.com

Cheers,

Taylor

PS: Sorry about the iPhone photography seen on the last four pics. I ran out of my camera's batterys and just snapped away on my iPhone. Some blogger I am. . .