Monthly Archives: January 2018

Gaining “Clare-ity”: Clare V. and the Collaboration Chain

Posted in Designer Profiles, Uncategorized, wall paper by

Yesterday, I posted about Clare V. and her collaboration with The Inside.  Today I want to talk about her collaboration with Wallshoppe, an LA Based on-line wallpaper company.  I’m excited, fascinated, and daunted by all that these young ambitious designers do.  I wonder if they struggle, but eventually reach a tipping point where the opportunities flow, and one need only respond – YES – more than one says no?  Whatever their secret – they are leveraging the heck out of it, and borrowing – or associating – themselves with other like minded designers, to cross promote.

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Clare V. X Wallshoppe . Stipes Onyx . 27″ x 54″ Removable Lengths at $58.

I feel a little like Alice in Wonderland after having fallen down the rabbit hole.  The Everygirl took me to The Inside, the Inside took me to Clare V., Clare V. took me to Wallshoppe, Wallshoppe took me to Laurel + Wolf an Interior Design firm founded by Leura Fine, who is the brainchild behind Wallshoppe.  First she set out to democratize interior design, with her on-line consultancy – need help with a single room?  Multiple rooms, a whole house, and know that you want options – there are three different pricing packages to meet your needs, and designers that match with your style (they help you figure out exactly what that is – by the way), create a floor plan, interact with you about the selections, and they purchase the items you want and have them shipped to your home.  Floor plan in hand, and styling assistance a live chat away, you can be sitting pretty in your professionally designed living room in less than a month.  (Merchandise availability and lead time dependent). No wonder the venture capitalists went gaga for this gig.

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Nate Berkus  X Wallshoppe . Malibu Blue and White

Wallshoppe has done something really smart, a mon avis, as it relates to those more timid souls, afraid of making a mistake, and staring for the next 40 years at a pattern that makes them ask themselves – “what the hell was I thinking”? – They made it in both traditional rolls, and in removable, easy to install, coordinating patterns and colors.  If Farrow and Ball and Schumacher are boardroom and stilettos, Wallshoppe’s collaborations with Nate Berkus and Clare V. are flip flops and a day at the beach, or a walk barefoot in the grass.  They are easy, and cheery, playful, and whimsical, and they make me smile.

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Wallshoppe . Y Not – Pushpop

I do hope that Clare V. will not be offended that I plan to augment her design.  After all, it is inspired by HER design, that is making me want to change the paper.  Let me explain.  She has designed in collaboration – of course – this pale pink on white wallpaper – Liberez Les Sardines.  That’s French for “free the sardines”.  Maybe some of you are catching on to why I like her so much.  While she hails from Minnesota, she worked in France for a TV Station, married a Frenchmen, and her designs – with their signature stripes – are quintessentially – French!

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Clare V. X Wallshoppe . Sardines in Pink.  Just imagine it with that hot pink stripe, gold and green!

So I asked myself – where are those stripes when I want them?  Need them?  They are missing from the Liberez Les Sardines!  And I simply cannot have that, so I will be introducing them to the removable wall covering.  What’s the worst that could happen?  It wrinkles up?  So what – even without my neon pink stripe, my mossy or kelly green ( I haven’t decided yet), and metallic gold, it’s going to look fabulous inside the closet of the pink bedroom on the Cape.  Oh happy day.

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Nathan Turner X WS . Splattered in Watermelon

 

The Inside Scoop: furnishings at swoon worthy prices

Posted in Designer Profiles, Furniture, Seating, Shop Locally, Uncategorized by

It’s not often you swoon over something you can absolutely have, it’s usually things that are, well out of my reach, that make me fall all over myself.  That 12 carat diamond ring that I attempt to convince myself I wouldn’t want for fear of being held at gunpoint, or the shear weight of lugging it around (I’d risk both).  The yacht that sails around the Caribbean with my own personal chef capable of supporting whatever dietary whim strikes my fancy with delectable meals that make me forget there’s any dietary restriction at all.  I could go on and on about the things that make me swoon, but the point of this fainting episode awaits.

The Insider CL Headboard

Camelback Headboard . Blue Buffalo Gingham. Queen $559.

The Inside is the brainchild of  Christiane Lemieux.  I didn’t know of her before I stumbled across her site via The Everygirl who I follow on Instagram.  Instagram is my primary source for new design information, inspiration, and products – not magazines, not the real life designers that I work with and around everyday – Instagram.  Get on it, and start following it.

The Inside . Claire V Settee

Clare V. Sardine Settee. $999.

Christiane is a Parsons grad, which on its own is to be revered.  She is the founder of Dwell Studio which was sold in 2013 to Wayfair.  She is the author of two books:  Undecorate and The Finer Things.  She is the Founder of Cloth & Company a textiles outfit, and now the Founder and CEO of The Inside, a furniture line – that in her words is: “designed . Created . Made in the USA.  With a mix of colors, patterns, textures, and collaborations – Clare V., Peter Som, and now The EveryGirl – this furnishings line, which is produced using 3D models and digital printing, arrives at your doorstep via UPS in 3 weeks.  It’s custom made for you, and it’s incredibly inexpensive – think dozens of options for under $1000.

The Inside Peter Som Stool

Peter Som . Chinois Bench. $689.

I nearly fell of my sofa and spilled my tea when I saw it.  I’ve come across many inexpensive lines that admittedly held my attention – some old favorites (HomeGoods . Target . West Elm), some new to my resource bandwagon – Urban Outfitters, but The Inside deserves not just a look, but the swipe of a credit card.

The Inside Citrine Stool

The Inside . Citrine Cabana Stripe . $299.

Clare’s cheeky designs will bring a smile to your face.  Peter’s refined and traditional prints will bring sophistication, and the crisp classic neutrals of The Everygirl collaboration, collectively – they leave you with no excuses.  Go ahead.  Add it to your cart.  After all, you don’t need to cart it home.  It will arrive on your doorstep, and your home will thank you.

A final nod to Clare V. because I cannot stand how cute these are.  I simply ADORE them. Left:  Racer Stripe Monogram (put your initials there)  $339.  Right:  Eyes Settee. $1149.

Perfectly on Point: hitting the 2018 trends

Posted in Furniture, Uncategorized by

I have seen piles of mags broadcasting the likes of … well what I should like this coming year.  That’s basically what a trend is after all, a preordained color, style, material, shape, movement, and/or general mood that the year or season will have.  Who ordains it?  Heck if I know, but I am pleased to report that “statement ceilings”  also known as the “Fifth Wall” made the cut, and am proud to report that I have papered one of mine, and painted another, and not in white either.  A color that will grab your attention.  At least when you look up, which one is bound to do at a point.

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The Fifth Wall . One King’s Lane is like the Diana Vreeland of Interiors.

My Domain says that “Dusty Pink”, aka blush will stay trending, and that textures, curves and swivels – that’s chairs that spin you dizzy, or lull you into a dreamy trancelike state, which allows you to go on a vacation in your mind.  Get one.

dusty pink palette

When I discovered rattan and holiday vibes were also in, I thought…%#@!  I am so on point!  It just so happens that I too, am into rattan.  Who’s copying whom?  It’s hard to say.  Though I suspect that if I don’t get my own list of cutting edge decor for you to follow, I’ll just be in step, instead  of ahead of the curve.  But wait a minute – curves are in too…this is getting complicated.

S & L Fern Bed

Serena and Lily . Avalon Bed . $1798.

With all this trending, and not trending, being clever, and being predictable, staying in step or being so yesterday, I got to wondering when exactly it’s ok to just be you? I’m going to go out on a limb here and admit, unapologetically how much I like the Serena and Lily.  Not just a little bit, they don’t pay me or anything to say I like them, but their designs are so fresh, clean, coastal, and humblingly expensive.  At least for me.  The good news is that so many important designers have used their furnishings that they have gotten a little old – even though they are absolutely new and super cool, and if Serena and Lily were reading this and told me I could furnish my entire house for free with S & L pieces, I would totally say yes, and probably faint.

Urban Outfitters Rattan Bed

Urban Outfitters . Marie Woven Winsor Platform Bed . $898.

I don’t actually think that is likely to happen, so you can imagine my delight when I spotted a rattan bed from Urban Outfitters that’s half the price!  I am so getting it.  They also have a coordinating storage cabinet that made me whisper…”where have you been all my life”.  Even though I know they have been around for a really long time.

Urban Outfitters Amoire

Urban Outfitters . Marte Storage Cabinet. $729.

 

Old in Vogue

Posted in Coastal Design, Furniture, Paint Colors, Uncategorized by

Je deteste the home that looks like it arrived off the truck via the front window of West Elm.   No offense West Elm – I love you and own many pieces from your fine store, but please just demand I turn in my paint swatches if I sink so low on the imagination scale that I can’t even mix and match.  The thought gives me the decorator hives.  That looks like a coral or rouge color bouclé – very unattractive.

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Marianne Evennou . So very perfect in that French way.  Cool Retro furnishings and toys, tied together with a fresh coat of red paint.  Ca Marche.

I revere those that can imagine an entirely different use for some piece of furniture, broken piece of pottery, by-gone appliance, TV Case, or trunk. Instead of proclaiming it junk, they bring the funk – making you ask yourself – Why didn’t I think of that?  So simple, so brilliant.   They are the trendsetters.  The design visionaries.  The believers that aren’t afraid to make believe.  As far as I am concerned, all that dreaming results in some pretty wondrous things.

Wallcovering

I love the nautical charts as wall covering…but it’s been done.  Still – done nicely here.  

I’ve been thinking so hard about what I could do that would be A. new, B. inexpensive, C. cool and clever of course.  Because you can do some things that are different all right, and you can do some things that are cheap.  You may even be able to string the first two together, but you are not close to being a design trendsetter unless you are also cool and clever.

Shelves

An Artful Ladder.

So I’ve been scouring magazines, and books, blog posts, and open houses to see what I could see, that made me see things in a new way – if you know what I mean.  I don’t want to just be a copy cat – though I content that I never mind when somebody copies me.  I’m pretty good at closet design, but I want to come out of the closet and see if my talents can stand elsewhere.  Only time – and The Manse will tell.  I don’t think my efforts will earn me a letter grade, and I am certain there will be no extra credit that will tip me into the honorable mention category.  It’s going to be pass or fail, and I suspect the failure rate for a bunch of junk that you try to make look cool is pretty hight.

Nightstand

HGTV Gets creative with a desk turned nightstand.

I’m banking on some high gloss paint, and some beautiful rosewood shelving to turn an old ice chest into a linen closet outside the main bath.  I did’t take the heavy doors with their substantial door latches.  I thought I might hang pretty curtains in their place instead.  If it’s a “fail”, I won’t have invested too much into the piece, and it is just the right size for the nook it needs to snuggle into.

rope stool

Ingenius!

So – Paint and new cushions which soften the patina of age, are going to play a big role in the pieces that populate this space.  Here’s to hoping it’s cool.

Sail Cloth: Putting together a coastal fabric collection

Posted in Coastal Design, Designer Profiles, Fabric, renovation, Uncategorized, wallpaper by

In my mind’s eye I breeze through the perfectly designed rooms of The Manse in a flowy cotton Ulla Johnson dress,

admiring my careful selections with pride, and a knowing nod to myself, just as I imagined it would look.  In reality…there are dozens of mistakes I will make, returns, concessions, screamed vulgarities, frustration, some tears followed by elation.  If I am making it sound terrible – it’s not.  It’s this very part that keeps me going.  That has me dreaming of different color combinations, fabrics, and patterns – textures and scale.  Like a golfer that swears they will quit, and then hits a perfect shot, I’m in for life.

 

I’ve already bought, and plan to return a number of items that upon further reflection – will not work.  If this were a Chatham Bars Inn buffet – my eyes would be bigger than my stomach – the repercussions are worse than a stomach ache though, because the beds won’t fit in the rooms!  Ugh.  New plan.  While I think I’ve come up with an alternative approach, it’s a disappointment.

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Cheeky Monkey . Add a little red felt heart on Harwich and we’re in business.

I want to be sure to get the fabrics right so I am laying out several scenarios and asking for input.  Jo-Jo will weigh in here of course.  I was turned onto a fourth generation textile design company out of Sheffield, MA called Tillett Textiles & T4 run by Kathleen Tillett and son Patrick McBride.  This company is hot!  They allow you to choose your pattern and your color way along with about a dozen materials from which you can print it.  If you are in love with their designs, and want a coordinating wallcovering you might consider printing on a lightweight fabric and then having it paper backed before hanging it.  Helen Baker of Helen Baker Interiors Inc. turned me on to them.  She knows the coolest resources!

White and Blue Bedroom:  2nd Floor

Top Left:  Carp Allowed It in Navy – Tillett Textiles (Roman Shades)  Top Right:  Bolero in Indigo – Sister Parish (Window Seat Cushion) Bottom:  Beans and Boys in Red – Tillett Textiles (Pillow for Window Seat).

Sister Parish is a textile and wallcovering brand founded in 2000 to honor the style of and spirit of Sister Parish of the influential Parish-Hadley Interiors firm that famed designers Brian McCarthy and Bunny Williams once called their work home.  I became familiar with them a few years back when I saw a pattern called Serendipity with it’s happy little stars and polka dots – two things bring a smile to my face.  Their patterns are perfect for a coastal haunt.

Pink Bedroom

Left:  Mally Skok . Mewar Pink Orange. (Window Seat Pillow piped in kelly green). Right:  Sister Parish . Clara B . Simply Pink (Window Seat Cushion.

Above:  Similar Wicker Chair – Antique Market Find with Top Left:  Tillett Textiles . Puffy Petals in Forest Green.  Top Right:  Tillett Textiles . Dots of Non in Forest Green piped in pink.

Above Left:  Tillett Textiles . Dots of Non in Forest Green – converted to wallcovering for bedroom closet interior.  Right:  Sister Parish . Clara B – custom upholstered daybed.

Last year, while at the Innovation and Design Center in Boston’s Seaport, I met Mally Skok.  I went to the talk because I had seen a room she designed for a show house and I was struck by the organic patterns and playful motifs.  She has a fascinating story, and is as lovely as her designs.

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Custom Upholstered Day Bed with Trundle by livenUpdesign. Via Etsy.

I love so much of what Serena and Lily produces, but struggled with colorways that would work in this particular application.  If I have to be honest, which I do, because what’s the point of writing all this if I am not honestly sharing my preferences, thoughts, and opinions.  I’m not perfect – nobody is and NObody likes a property that looks too perfect.  It feels inauthentic (probably because nobody lives there) Don’t you forget that.

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Louis J. Solomon . Commode for inside the closet nook.

So S & L is out and I am embracing a mix of designers that you may know, and others who may be new to you.  I do hope you approve.  Comments are sometimes welcome – just kidding – if I couldn’t accept input and alternative suggestions, where would I be?  Please do write.

Hit The Floor: and give me ten

Posted in Flooring, Uncategorized by

I attribute this title (BLAME IT) on the new year health and fitness craze which rolls around every January, makes my yoga studio feel like ten pounds of sausage stuffed into a two pound bag, and has me agreeing to participate in an office-wide Whole30 challenge.  I can’t be trusted with what is coming out of my mouth, (not literally – obviously) when all I can focus on is what I am so desperately missing going in.  Ok, enough of that whining – wait a minute – did somebody say WINE?  That is what I am missing most, a nice glass of wine to end my week.

herringbone

The Parisians love a herringbone pattern and so do I!

Bother – I should have to hit the floor just for that diatribe.  What got me thinking about hard wood again was an article I wrote back in the fall that was just published in Multi Housing News on the subject.  All these months later I realize that I gave some pretty good advice. (that’s the Whole30 talking)  You be the judge – link to full article here. https://www.multihousingnews.com/post/the-beauty-value-of-a-new-wood-floor/

Bleached Flooring

Pickled and laid at an angle – trés calm et chic.

Here are 10 reasons I think hard wood isn’t a hard choice at all.

Painted.jpg

Painted Hardwood – also a favorite.  So clean and sleek in its high gloss finery.

  1.  You can lay it in the most beautiful patterns – my favorite is herringbone, it’s so very French that way.
  2. A solid hard wood can be refinished again and again over the years.  The harder woods – like Hickory and Oak can be sanded and stained as many as 20 times.
  3. It’s sustainable – see reason #2.  There is nothing more “green” than reusing materials instead of replacing them.
  4. The grain has an elemental beauty – even laid vertically or horizontally it pops.
  5. Wood floors are one of the better materials to use in a kitchen if you cook a lot – they’re easier on your back than a ceramic tile or stone.
  6. There a little like an egg; you can bleach it, pickle it, stain it, varnish it or leave it au natural.
  7. It’s pet friendly, kid friendly, and klutz friendly – (like me when I am cooking or like me and Minnie at Christmas dinner when we exploded the Pyrex dish after placing it on the hot stove – the hardwood survived – our dinner didn’t).
  8. It ages gracefully, building character and beauty even as it shrinks and expands.
  9. It brings warmth to a space.
  10. It’s kind to those with allergies as it doesn’t trap dust.
domino bath herringbones-beautiful-bathrooms

Warped, warn and wonderful – yes please.

Those are the hard facts as I see them.  One last point – it feels like the best thing in the world to lie on after an hour of hot yoga.  I can’t imagine anything feeling better than that.

Happy Saturday.

 

Copy Carpets: getting it for cheaper

Posted in carpet, Uncategorized by

I had a colleague call me to task the other day.  We were talking about shoes I think?  Or it might have been gowns, or furniture or something of monumental importance to me.  Don’t judge me because I have momentarily forgotten which of these things it was – they are all extremely important, and were it not for the shear number of brands, furnishings, materials and projects, which require my attention, I would be able to tell you precisely which one it was.   It will all come back – fear not – and it’s beside the point anyway.  What he wanted to know was the percentage of people that could identify the high end from the low?  Really good question Mark.  I had to admit that it was few and far between.  Why then do I do it?  Well, the answer is I do it sometimes, and sometimes I don’t.  AND I notice.

Left:  Serena and Lily . Metallic Hemp & Suede . 8′ x 10′ $698.  Right:  World Market . Gray Metallic Woven Jute Alden Area Rug . 6′ x 9′ $199.

A mon Avis, the trick is to mix high and low together in one space.  Vintage and new, antique and mid-cent knock-off, art of your own creation with a prized Picaso.  Comb the beach for a shell, rock, or sculptural piece of drift wood.  Find an old sign and spray paint it gold or matte black – it snuggle it in, among other shiny objectives making it a distinguished focal point.

Left:  ABC Carpet . Color Reform . 4’1″ x 6′ $1200.  Right:  West Elm . Caspian Rug Overdyed 6′ x 9′ $899.

I do love finding a good bargain – but it must in fact be good.  It’s so disappointing when you spend money on something that falls apart – in whatever predetermined timeframe I’ve decided the item should last.  So be it, I have a 1950’s concept of how things should be made.  They should last!

Carpet 7

ABC Carpet . Nazarene 4′ x 6’2″ $800.

So carpets.  I’ve found some that I believe are simple lovely replicas of the original – though who arrived there first is always up for debate.  Perhaps it’s more apt to say – the higher cost version – which implies better quality, but isn’t always the case.  I think these are worth the gamble, and if I wasn’t the gambling type I wouldn’t be doing this quest.

Left:  World Market . Beige Adilah Area Rug . 7’10” x 10′  $349.99  Right:  Overstock.com . Nourish Moroccan Marrakesh Shag Rug . 9’2″ x 12′ 6″ $314.49

 

Coastal Design on a “Time” line.

Posted in Coastal Design, Uncategorized, wall paper by
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Serena and Lily . Priano Wallcovering $88.00

When the temp drastically drops like the Zipper at the Barnstable County Fair, it’s a bit hard to think about coastal living, but seaside schemes I need to make apart of my waking dreams, or I’ll never make my deadline.  It’s a self imposed one, but there are implications for missing it nonetheless.

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Schumacher . Bloom . Emerald and Ore

What are they you ask?  Well – my father will return from Florida sometime between the second week in April and the beginning of May, at which time he will head down to the storage unit, extract his leather recliner, and place it smack dab in the middle of the living room claiming it is a health necessity.

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Schumacher . Balloon 

This will obviously ruin my entire scheme.  The only possible scenario that allows me to be ok with this, is if in some brilliant stroke of luck and timing I am able to make all the decisions, procure the perfect mix of vintage, antique, new, and used (by us – but don’t count on a lot of that being allowed into this space), staging it, and having it photographed, all before his return.

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Cole and Sons . The Ardmore Collection . Singita

If by some design, wish giving fairy godmother I am granted my hearts desire – to be published in Coastal Living, New England Home, House Beautiful or some new edgy design magazine that is too hip for me to even know about it yet – then I will be totally fine if that chair and a bunch of tchotchkes arrive on the scene – like an uninvited house guest at the height of summer.

 

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Quadrille .China Seas . Jungle Green and White

 

Why you ask?  How is it possible that I would actually be – ok?  Well, nothing in this world is permanent.  Photographs offer the best possible, fake representation of what you wish your space could look like – could be – all the time, but in reality it’s a fairy tale.  Take an idea or two from those photos, work around that green recliner, tell yourself it is the color of the ocean – and let it go.

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Quadrille . Interweave . soft pink on almost white

To be memorialized in one of those mags would feel like a ride on the zipper – scary, thrilling, an amazing to be recognized for what is going to be an all out race to – not only complete – but create something amazing.

 

Astounding Beauty

Posted in Architecture, Designer Profiles, Travel, Uncategorized by

Mary Oliver – famous American Poet gave instructions for living a life.

Mary Oliver

Mary Oliver

PAY ATTENTION . BE ASTONISHED . TELL ABOUT IT.  It’s good advice.  There is beauty even in the mundane.  The things we take for granted, the snow that we lament as it piles up – looking past the flakes, all startlingly intricate in their icy formations, all worthy of our attention.  A blade of grass, an artisans technique, commitment and belief.  A meal savored rather than devoured, a kind gesture given or received. A smile, a tear, laughter. Inspiration is all around – even in the sawdust, I am beginning to see gold.

This year I didn’t buy anything or sell anything.  What the heck?  I am a buyer and a seller.  I feel empowered by the frantic energy that is expelled in the activity, and this holding pattern that I am sitting in – doesn’t sit well.  Still is is giving me an opportunity to see things not only as a whole, but for the rather amazing sum of their parts.

LaDuree1

Ladurée . The Grove . LA

I discovered that my commitment wouldn’t wane regardless of this year spent without spending.  I learned a few new tricks.  I remembered a few that I had forgotten.  I became acquainted with several designers for whom I have great admiration including; India Mahdavi who designed Ladurée in LA and Sketch in London – regarder – Ils sont fantastic.  Sandrine Place a stylist and interior designer who collaborated with Baptiste Legue on the design of a Pied a Terre above the Owner’s retail store – Chez Marie Sixtine. Oh lordy, do I ever want to hide away in the perfect pink and gray little home, and write myself silly.

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Chez Marie Sixtine

I began work on my biggest project yet – the Manse.  I traveled to Dallas, I would be remiss in my round-up if I didn’t make mention of my fondest state-side house of interior inspiration – Blue Print.  I visited Nashville, Nantucket, New Hampshire, New York City, and Nauset.  DC and Paris where i saw the single best exhibit of my existence, but even that did not top the very best thing I did in 2017…fall in love.

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Blue Print . The inspiration makes my cup overflow….thank you.

I feel blessed.  I am amazed, and I am telling you all about it.

Happy New Year.