Trunk Show Exclusive...

In December, we took an inspiration trip to Chicago...of course, stopping at Merchandise Mart and LUXE home...

 

One of the highlights of the trip was meeting Peter Julian...

 

He was a breathe of fresh air from the moment we walked into the Scalamandre' showroom!  Born and raised in the Midwest, he could completely relate to those of us who choose to make this region HOME!  And he is very passionate about helping us make those homes....gorgeous!!!

So, a few weeks ago he let us know he was going to be in the area and, as he had promised, would love to stop in and give us a peek at the new line by Kathryn Ireland!!  "Of course", we said......"our own trunk show"...."absolutely"!!

If you have had a chance to browse through any recent shelter mags (Traditional Home, Architectural Digest, etc), this line has caused quite a stir in the design world!!  Two big names in design...putting together a line that rings with tradition, vintage vibes and updated finishes...

[caption id="attachment_722" align="aligncenter" width="440"] Kathryn Ireland for Scalamandre[/caption]

It was truly a treat to have these gorgeous fabrics brought to our office...as beautiful as they are in a magazine or an online catalog, there is just nothing like touching and feeling them...admiring the colors...in real life!!

 

Peter had done such a fabulous job of creating "stories" that incorporated the new lines with some of the classic patterns that Scalamandre' has made its name with! (And yes...we got to order memos!!)

This series has an amazing vintage feel, done in classic textures and gorgeous colorways!  The pictures do not do them justice!! LOVE!!!

Isn't that the most soothing color palette???

We realized after Peter had taken off for the next city on his tour, we didn't get a pic with him...bummer...oh well, next time!  For now we get to enjoy the goodies he left us...

...and wait for our samples to arrive!!

Behind the Scene's: Eryn's 2013 Professional Goals-progress report

Can I just say...I am addicted to lists!!  I love to have a long list of goals!  I add to it...and then when I am done, add some more!!

Now, let me clarify...just because I have long lists of goals does not mean I get alot of things accomplished. I battle my "high-quick-start-itis" all day every day...I can get a thousand things going because I have tons of great ideas (I think they are great anyway!!) popping around my mind at any given moment.  However my follow-thru stinks!!

So, knowing this about myself has been a huge help (Thanks to the Kolbe test, which I highly recommend to everyone!!)  With this in mind as I made out my personal and business goals for 2013, I began with this.....



-"follow thru challenge"...choose areas of weakness-develop tangible goals-set dates!!  As I mentioned, follow-thru is NOT my natural tendency...and so, I have purposed to strengthen that area.  (I am soooo thankful for Amanda...I'm pretty sure follow-thru is her middle name!!  And thank goodness, she is rubbing off on me!!)

So, here we are May 23rd and I thought it would be a great time to give an update on how things are going at the "half-way-through-2013" mark!!

My AsterHouse Design Goals for 2013 are:

-Take a photography course with Amanda:...hmmm...can't check that off yet...but a half check for talking with a very talented photographer who will be doing our "after" photo shoots!!

-Regular blog posts...one per week:  Well, they haven't been quite that frequent...but definitely much more regular!  And in fact, one per day for the "12 Days of Christmas" series!!  We have also added a Facebook page where we post daily life snapshots!

-Finish Sheffield course:  This course came highly recommended as a great intro into the business aspects of running a design business...I had started it before we launched our business and have yet to finish it up...so, I have emailed to find out what I need to do to finish...I guess that is another half check!

Along those lines, Amanda and I feel strongly that constant education is a huge priority...online, print, industry shows, traveling and time with other designers...we are always looking to increase our knowledge and understanding of the industry!  So, we are sooooo excited to attend Tobi Fairly's Designer's MBA in July!!  Stay posted!!

-Fine tune blog:...last year I signed up for "The Blog Class" in an effort to take our blog to a new level!  And it has been fabulous!  Emily and her team have done a stellar job with step-by-step tutorials for those of us that are less than tech savy!! So this year, I have adjusted a few key things, and my summer goal is to fill in some of the missing details on our blog!!

-New Office!!!!!  This is getting sooooo close to being done!!  We can hardly stand it!  We are so excited to show some "after" photos!!  This space is so fantastic!!  Here is a quick peek at the most recent installation...

Our new inspiration wall!!  This product is a self-healing bulletin board that we purchased by the sheet through The BoxLab here in Manhattan.  We plan to cover it with photos and design ideas...it sits directly next to our desk space and will be a great "real-life" inspiration board!!

When projects and creative ideas are what you "do", your space must stimulate and support those endeavors...our new office space is both our creative space and our "experiment lab"...we have had alot of fun trying out some products that we have not used before...can't wait to share more!!

How are your 2013 goals shaping up??

Customizing a rug

We had planned this space for almost a year...it is a great homework niche' in a boys' room. We had the floor outlets planned, the desk placement sketched out and the overhead pendant hanging in the center of it all...and we had a great rug to "ground" the whole thing...but the rug didn't come with an outlet in the "smack-dab-center" where it needed to be...

We had planned to cut the rug...(no pun intended!!) but when it came time to do it there was just a wee little bit of nerves...after all, who buys a rug, only to cut a sizable hole dead center??!!  WE DO!!!!



 

Step One:  Remove the floor outlet cover (Strongly suggest cutting the power to said outlet before attempting!)

Step Two:  Be sure the rug is in the exact, correct, not-ever-going-to-move-it spot...

Step Three: Repeat Step Two...

Step Four:  Cut the hole to reveal the floor outlet.



Step Five:  Trim back away from the edge of the outlet.



 

Step Six:  Using a fabric glue, run a bead around the rug edge to prevent raveling. Let it dry.

Step Seven:  Replace outlet cover.



Step Eight:  Admire your handi-work...

Mission accomplished...Function?  You bet!!  Form?  Absolutely!!