Some times all this new technology is almost more than I want to deal with. Yet when I don't have it even for a moment or two I can hardly stand that either. Is this a sign of getting old ? Sometimes I wonder if I'll just end up a grumpy crazy old man. I once knew a woman, I actually met her when she was 90 she had been a psychiatrist, she was the tiniest woman I have ever met. She told me the only good thing about being old is you can say what ever you want, to whom ever you want , "they just think your crazy"...I guess that is kind of a small reward. But people are more rude today than they were in the 90's. Maybe they would knock you down and then think you CRAZY. Look at the way people walk around shouting into cell phones. They don't give a thought to whether or not someone else may not want to hear all this. I think when this happens one should start to sing at the top of ones lungs, I once started whistling and the person said they couldn't hear. I answered REALLY.....(I'm not sure if this man is whistling but he looks good what ever he is doing)

I Loved The Help....It got me thinking.

Well I finally got to see the Help. And I was really impressed, of course I was so happy to see how they worked Leslie Jordan ( Brother Boy ) into this. I never thought of the editor of the paper the way the casting director did, but I am really glad he did. I am also glad that it was not turned into a light hearted comedy or a horrible tragedy. But the story was told as the truly serious story it is. And yet the characters saw humor in there sometimes tragic lives. I also liked the NEW ending with Skeeters Mother turning a corner in her own understanding of the tragedy of theses black women’s lives. I wanted this Mother to turn out to be good. I didn’t dislike her the way I did the same character in the book. Although I liked Abeline, I loved Minnie, her eyes popping out of her head, I thought she was a perfect choice for the character. Another was Miss Celia Foot I loved her ,especially in the red dress. The reaction of every woman at the event no matter her color was wonderful. And of course Sissy Spacek was a brilliant choice. While I was reading the book (actually listening) on my AM walks, I began to feel a real lack of knowledge of this world . Hell I lived in Kalamazoo, although my Mother knew lots of colored people, I really didn’t. She even had two friends with black husbands. Something that even in Kalamazoo was very unusual.  I went to school where there were none, and I was in school long before bussing. There were only 2 or 3 black kids in my whole school career. I began to think. I have no idea how my Grandmother thought about black people or if she even knew any. I wonder how my Great-grandmother thought about them, and if she ever came in contact with any. Did these women ever give a thought to these people who lived across town? An entire world away, I loved these women, so I want them to have been sweet and caring all the way to there core. I hope they were not like horrible woman at the dining table toward the end of the movie, it would be hard to imagine either of them being like that , but then her grandson probably loved her too……..

Just A Thought To Ponder

 

Yesterday when I was walking my Sat. 10, I was listening to one of my favorite singers from the mid 60’s Petula Clark.  I love her voice and I can still see her “all the way from London England” on Ed Sullivan. I think she will be 80 in Nov.  I still of course see her in my mind as a young woman of 32 or so. She was actually much older than most pop stars of her time. I was around 15, Mary Riggin and I loved this “old woman” singer from England. Some where we had never been. I was on line watching “ Pet”. And began to wonder if Tori Birch is perhaps a fan as well. If one takes the time, as I often do. And look at old photos ,videos and the such you will see a real correlation between Tori’s  designs and the Givenchy influenced wardrobe  Ms Clark sports all through the late 60’s and early 70’s . In fact if one is to take a moment to look at the Givenchy logo you may see a great similarity between both designers’ logos. I wonder how it is possible to be sitting at ones desk and suddenly come up with such similarities with out looking at or studying the designer one is emulating. Now there is nothing wrong with being strongly influenced by the world around you, I know I certainly am. But what exactly is the design process how does one go about designing a sofa for example? I kind of think there all ready are sofas. There doesn’t seem to be a lot of difference between ones seen on the floor of one well known designer’s boutique in SF and the American of Martinsville wood frame styles of the late 60’s early 70’s. If one can get hold of some footage of an old Hullabaloo TV dance show they could design an entire collection from about 5 minutes of footage. If I sound a bit bitter perhaps I am. I kind of wonder where the fashion and design world is headed. HG TV would have you believe an interior can be done single handedly in no more than 3 days. Design is a creative process, so does sitting down looking a photos and studying the designs of others and then “drawing up” a product that looks almost Identical to it mean you designed something or did you simply” draw it up” ? Don’t know exactly, but I kinda think I’m leaning in one direction….

Just So You Know...

It’ s Saturday AM and I find myself sitting here wondering why I haven’t written in so long. Thinking I have so much to say so much to get out …I thought one way to get some stuff out there is to answer the questions asked by an interviewer to some semi famous person, so here goes…What is your idea of perfect happiness? Christmas morning for a 7 year old, every thing seemed so wonderful. What is your greatest fear? Living to long, ?being to old, and not being able to care for myself.  Which historical figure do you most identify with?  T hats a tuffy, I would have to say a fictional one, Mame Dennis. Which living person do you most admire? Barrack Obama, he knew he could!!! What is the trait you most deplore in yourself? Talking to much, and saying to little.  What is the trait you most deplore in others? Not letting me talk enough…What is your greatest extravagance? Decorating. What is your favorite journey? Any ride on the Paris subway. I don’t care where I’m going. On what occasion do you lie? Sometimes to keep from hurting some ones feelings, but not usually. What do you dislike most about your appearance? My neck. Which words or phrases do you most overuse? Well Ya KNOW. If ya know why am I telling you? What is your greatest regret?  Not spending more time with my MOM. Who is the greatest love of your life? Clara, she taught me how to be in LOVE, told me there were lots of people out there we can fall in LOVE with, then set me free to find them. When and where were you happiest? The Kendall School of Design. What is your current state of mind? Interested, what will happen next? If you could change on thing about your family what would it be? We’d be French and I’d have grown up in Paris. What do you consider you greatest achievement? Staying close to Clara, she’s one of my best friends, I’ve known her LONGEST. What is your most treasured possession? A candid photo of my mother talking to me. I was about 20 so she was about 43. She is wearing a dress my Aunt Sunny made her for Christmas from me. She is buried in the dress. What would you regard as the lowest depth of misery? The death of someone you LOVE. What is your favorite occupation. Decorating a blank canvas with an unlimited budget. It has yet to happen…What is your most marked characteristic? Unfortunately my balding head. What do you most value in your friends? The ability to forgive, I never hold a grudge. Who are your favorite writers? Patrick Dennis, Truman Capote, and Harper Lee. Who are your heros in real life? Barrock Obama, Billie, and my Mother. What is it that you most dislike. Chair rails all over the house. How would you like to die? Hanging pictures in a clients Living Room. If you could choose to come back as someone or something what would it be? Fred Astaire, I’d be the best dance at the party and I’d have the best cloths…HEAVEN… What is your motto?

What would Mrs. Riggin do?  Now I think these kind of things are very interesting But they left out a VERY important Question ,one of my favorites; What kind of tree would be? Hell a Christmas Tree of course……………..

Behaving Badly

I just want to tell you all that my jobette has sadly come to an end I lasted 3 days. It was so much fun for me to be in a store once again. But it was not fun being in a situation where every one is walking around on egg shells trying to keep out of the way of the outrageous and RUDE son of the owner. I really didn’t need the job ,But I did want it. However I don’t need to be treated badly by anyone. Especially some self important jerk who walks around being rude and nasty to literally everyone he comes in contact with. A few years ago I made a life observation “bad behavior gets rewarded” maybe it was when I first opened my store and watched parents and children and how a screaming 3 year old can control a seemingly intelligent parent. Or the fact that some adults on airplanes behave badly and get exactly what they want. If one behaves badly enough others will do just about anything to make nice. I did notice in other countries this is not necessarily the case. It seems more likely in another country that parents control the children, is it because we Americans think our children are so precious that a gob smack is likely to damage them? Hell my parents didn’t put up with anything and my brother and I grew up just fine. The store has two little dogs Peeing and Pooping any where in the store they want. And they sleep all over the merchandise, do people really want to buy pillows these dogs have slept and dragged there buts on? No one dares mention any of this .Hell I put them in the back hall before one ran out the door and got hit by a car.  I watched as the person mentioned above terrorized intelligent adult women. Even his Mother is afraid of him.  I was told he is prone to be quite outrageous. I really had witnessed only his outright rudeness. And the fact that he walked right by me and never said; hello, get out of my way, or how bout a little peck on the cheek. I think he was quite threatened by me. He had all the employees including his mother convinced he is some kind of a temperamental retail genius, well he ain’t …lets leave it there…….

What Me......

Hello, I am kinda back to work…It’s been a long long time since I have worked in the confines of someone else’s business, let’s see how this works. I of course as you all know have not held down a JOB since 1983. So to suddenly be back in this world of the working and to be doing things the way someone else seems to think they should be done is really going to be quite a challenge. I’ll be writing more about this later but for now should probably just keep my mouth shut and stand back and be the sales person I have been hired to be. Evidently NM is not quite in touch and so WE don’t need to be concerned with the fact that they spend Millions on merchandising. But you won’t hear these things from me. The store I am working in  is in a very LA-DE-DA strip mall. Well more of a downtown out of a box really, one that Austin is slowly growing to accept. You see it is hotter than HELL here, so there IS a reason the Galleria in Houston is so wildly popular. One is not wandering around sweating bullets with frizzy hair and there underpants stuck up there butt. So they actually can think and shop. I think the concept of these out door malls is great but the reality of them will be tested against some stiff competition. You see; The Vitton gal can walk and shop in climate controlled comfort in Houston or, sweat like a stuck HOAG after having driven her Bently around and around only to have to park at NEIMANS (bless there parking lot) and walking half a mile in this blazing heat in Austin, Now you choose….. ICKY or FRESH…me I choose fresh after all I am the one time owner of a fairly successful, tiny little itty bitty teeny weeny store my self….

That's Entertainment?

I am having a bit of difficulty with the way a certain man on television, with strange lips, portrays people in my profession. I am positively shocked by the way this man screams and carries on, not only at his employees but the way he talks to the trade’s people as well as other supposed vendors. Let me tell you something, a VERY important something: I learned from Thelma Blow AID a long time ago. “DO NOT make the trade’s people or the vendors, artisans, etc angry at you. Always treat these people with the respect important people in your life deserve.”  These are the wheels of you business your trade. I’m saying; all the beautiful designs in the world make no difference if you cannot sell them, or get them produced. Believe me, it’s the trades people who make your vision come to life. You want these people to love you. To know how important they are to you as a designer. I have seen painters tell designers to “ paint it yourself” and walk off the job. Now try explaining that to the client.  I have seen upholsterers hold unfinished pieces and fabrics hostage for payment because some idiot designer talked to them the way this man talks to just about everyone he comes in contact with. No designer should ever want to be thought of as a nasty person. It is almost more important how your support people talk about you than the way your clients do. Word gets around in the design community and your life can become very difficult. I knew a woman designer who had such a bad reputation at the showrooms that her orders were often times thrown in the trash. She was constantly behind on her projects. Remember these are television shows. Some of these people may not even be real. The program may not be interesting if the main character was a nice guy or gal. So let’s put all this TV design in perspective, as just what much of it is. entertainment…..

Antique or Previously Owned

I have come to realize that given a choice, I will always select furniture ( for my personal use) that has belonged to other people .Some refer these pieces as vintage, or used, some call them antique… 125 years old?

I have only to look around  my own house to see just how many pieces of furniture I own that were previously owned and how few have been purchased off the rack with no story behind them. So is it the chair or the story, the person the mystery,  I don’t know? I also would most likely never buy a new house: it just wouldn’t occur to me to even look at a new house seriously. And yet one of my oldest and wisest friends wouldn’t buy a previously owned house if she could keep from it. So there is something for every one. As an old woman I knew one summer told me “ if everyone wanted the same thing there wouldn’t be enough to go around”. See I’ve told you all the good stuff I know I have learned from women!

Any way I have this collection of furniture in my house that I love and most of the great pieces were previously owned by someone else. Even the cocktail set was made to look like Mrs. Riggins.  Hell maybe I really don’t have an original thought in my head…Yea, I do.

 I have a special place for chairs. Rosemary once told me I wanted the chairs of every one I knew just so I could tell a story about them:  I have Mrs. Joy’s sock arm club chair with cabriole legs. After Mrs. Joy died, I got the chair and had it recovered in Leopard a couple years ago. I covered it in grey flannel for her. Then redid it in white on white patterned chintz. When I first saw it in about 1980 it was pink silk with a cabbage rose slipcover, Mrs. Joy was wonderful a tiny woman with a Minnie Mouse Voice, she liked to talk and I liked to listen she wore grey,taupe, and black, I never saw her in any thing else. I did her house in grey, taupe, and black. She wore a big black diamond on a wide platinum band with gold bands on either side. Her hair was grey and cut like Anna Wintour, long before anyone really knew who Anna was. She had her mink coat dyed to match her hair, and drank diet coke thru a black straw… She taught me to use monogrammed fingertip towels as every day napkins. I still buy them by the dozen although they are harder to find in the USA these days. This works really well; NO iron luxury…Mrs. Joy was just that…..

Falling In Love Again....

Hello, I have fallen in LOVE again with Faux Bamboo Furniture. I can’t stop looking at it, I want to buy another piece or two but of course have absolutely no place to put anything.  I want to sell this house and buy another so I can do some remodeling. This one is almost done and I’ve kind of lost interest. I think a 3 story town house would be nice. Then I could do the bedroom in Vintage Faux Bamboo…Now that would be nice. I would lacquer it all chocolate brown and do the room in aqua and chocolate. I’d like that. .Many years ago I  did a beautiful bedroom in a pink Victorian house owned by a fantastic woman Mrs Nickell. She was a great client and she and I did a beautiful house togather. The Bed room was very large and had huge windows on 2 sides so the bed had to sit in front of a great big window. We had a beautiful Faux Bamboo Bed made in south Carolina it had big pineapple finials and was snow white. The reat of the furniture was Drexel I can’t remember the collection name but it was all Victorian Faux Bamboo and it was snow white as well…The room had Van Luit wall covering in Ice Green on Ivory ground with White leaves, and scalloped drapery in white moiré with damask sheers it was beautiful. There was even a chaise lounge with Scalamandre trim.  Mrs. Nickell was RICH and she lived like it. She was a self made woman she did it on her own. I have a real fondness for this style of furniture, not those Victorian hall trees though. They I can live without. I bought a beautiful ashtray and matchbook cover in Kalamazoo the other day and I love it (hell I haven’t smoked in almost 20 years) it’s very glamorous and it’s gold Faux Bamboo. I also have a  Labarge cocktail table in gold Faux Bamboo that I have owned since 1974 I love this table as well. It’s so Glamorous, and so were we so young, so glamorous. We thought…  

I'm Back Again

WOW . It’s been a long time since I’ve written.  I was just watching a video on color families. He was going on and on about how one could decorate there room around a rock, an apple, or an ugly plaid shirt. I am not sure who this person is, but he has a very successful website on decorating. I am also not sure if he has any training or not. What I am sure of is that I found his color family video almost as irritating as the woman with the hats I wrote about a while ago. He was sitting there in wrinkled clothing talking about the wisdom of color schemes (he called them families) from rocks with crocheted things on them. Don’t most color schemes come from some inspiration if it’s a peacock feather, or a fabric from Scalamandre. That may or may not ever make it into the final cut? I don’t know where he thinks one gets a color scheme? If not from ones surroundings, a page in a magazine, a coat in a store window? He spoke with such wisdom while he scratched himself. When I was very young I did a series of TV interviews the first thing they told me was to be careful of my hands.  Where they go, and what they do.Best to hold something if you think you will wipe your nose or scratch yourself any where. I think my profession is under siege by a lot of people who think” I could do that”. If I were a lawyer or hairdresser I wouldn’t feel that way because they have to be licensed before they are given a TV show. I want to change the subject before I start to sound even more bitter than I already do. Look at the photo of the restaurant I have added to my post isn’t it beautiful? It is in Manhattan and was designed by Benjamin Noriega-ortiz. I would just love to sit and have some good wine and a big shrimp cocktail there. My only criticism is the drapery. It is tied back to tightly looks a bit like the HOOD…..I would consider this a really good example of interior design. I bet there were floor plans done for this job!