Blog Tag

I've been tagged by the wonderfully creative Gabriela Delworth. Her blog is here. I LOVE the vibe and music on Gabriela's site - it really does make you want to stay around and kick your feet up. I hope she doesn't mind my long visits!

And here are the tag rules:

1. Link to your tagger and post these rules on your blog.

2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.

3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.

4. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Now here are my facts - some random and some weird:

• I love living in a southern city. Raleigh is not like NYC (which was the largest metropolitan area near my birthplace.) I love the fact that I have trees and grass and the convenience the city brings.
  
• I have been working 4 books on home design, Journaldoodling, creative living, and gardening.
• A couple of years ago, wanting to offer emotional support to my son, I watched him have a routine surgical procedure on his eyelid. Just as I was getting up to leave the office I nearly fainted from the experience. Now that's what I call support!
• I think that reading blogs is in some ways better than reading a book or a magazine. It offers more direct contact with the author and I find that the best blogs are personal, real, and very imaginative.
• I share a favorite dessert with Gabriela, it's Tiramisu too.
• I have bragging rights to being the reigning Scrabble champion in my family.
• My favorite design style is eclectic and inspired by travel, color, family, and life experience.

So those are my seven random facts.

And here are my 7 tag partners:

Cheryl @ Art in Everyday

Pattie @ Giving Yourself Permission

Lisa @ Celebrate Creativity In All its Forms

Maryam @ My Marrakesh

Ashley Sue - Green Grounded

Candace @ Lovin' the Look

Maralena @ Medium Coffee, Double Cream, 3 Splenda's

Enjoy your visit to each of the sites above. Thanks again Gabriela!

You Make My Day Award!

What a crazy busy week this was. I was in Anaheim for the Craft and Hobby Association trade show. And for most of that time I was sick with the flu :-(

Traveling while you're sick is not a good thing. So I really needed a lift and today Maralena brought it to me! She has honored me with the “You Make My Day” award. I am so humbled, and really - this couldn't have arrived at a better time!

So here's what I need to do...

The rules for the "You Make My Day" award are to re-present it to 10 people whose blogs bring you happiness and inspiration and make you feel happy about blog land. Let them know through email or by posting a comment on their blog so they can pass it on. Beware you may get the award several times.

Lise

NBC17 Bloggers

So, I have to tell you about my evening... I was invited to an event hosted by Lisa Sullivan and the Community Group from NBC17. I was honored to meet an awesome group of bloggers.

Mostly the conversations were all about blogging, and our experiences/tips. Kudos to NBC17. They've done some very neat stuff in forming this blogging/community group.

Listed below are some fairly new blog links for you to check out. Make sure you leave comments - I have a feeling that they like reading comments as much as I do!

• Lovin the Look
• Gargantuan Green
• Lisa at the Movies
• Get Motivated with MaryAnn

Enjoy!

Lise

Design Innovation

I was reminded today that before this huge resurgence in the craft industry, craft got a bad rap. And some art did too; being deemed "outsider art". But thankfully craft, outsider art, and all sorts of provocative, spicy and juicy ideas have taken up residence in an area that has been fairly slow to innovate --- interior and exterior design.

I am definitely an outsider designer; or even better, an indie designer. I don't like to design uninspired spaces. I like color and personal objects. I like to feel good when I come home and I want other people to feel good when they come inside from work and school too. I want them to dream big and act boldly, and contribute to making the world a better place. And yes, I do think a good space design can encourage all of that.

So I suppose, this is the same approach an outsider artist or creative crafter would take - the approach that says I'm going to make myself happy by creating something that feels good and very personal.

And yet, this whole idea may seem unconventional when compared to a traditional design approach. But I don't mind unconventional at all - the iPOD was considered unconventional when it came out too!


Yep, an unconventional, individual, creative, outsider, design approach - the idea that your home is a manifestation of your thoughts, feelings and creative ideas.

- wild -n- radical ideas, and why I am really fond of the title of indie designer :-)

And even better embracing the indie side means sharing all the techniques and treasures we can find around us. We're living in a world of abundance after all. And technology brings everything to our doors. I love that. So here are a few inspiring resources worth exploring:

• The Center of Intuitive and Outsider Art - exhibits, inspiration, fun



• Canvas Corp - makes these wonderful Homespacing kits and all sorts of products for the creative DIYer. They also have a line of paint that I'm anxious to try which is not only environmentally friendly but can paint over nearly everything. No more sanding old furniture! Yay!! (I'm more than a little excited about this, can you tell?)



• Craft Revolution - neat ways to share your crafty side



• Edible Estates - awesome ideas for those of us who don't want just a basic lawn



• Moda Muse - Aussie designers



• Craft Sanity - Cool DIY projects; including some for the home



• Be, Dream, Play - Find inspiration. Make art.



• Green Chair Press - cute stuff to entertain our friends with

All of these websites and blogs get the quirky bird for creativity :-)


Enjoy!




Lise

Can I just say something about customer service?

I forgot to mention, a couple of weeks ago - I'm re-reading Home Companion for like the zillionth or so time. I'm looking of course for a mention of paper covered floors - but that's another story.

Anyway, by the time I get to my desk in the morning, I have actually remembered that I want to do some research on a particular company - Wonderful Graffiti. Turns out they have free color sample kits that designers love. It's like a mini present. So I pick a few colors I'm interested in for a project I'm working on and send in my order. They arrive with a hand-written card.

Thank you to whoever wrote this card! I was so impressed by your customer service and absolutely adorable website with lots of beautiful projects.

You now have a fan for life. Wishing you every success!

Lise

~>O<~

~>O<~

Furniture Link Posted Here Too!

Just look for the Bombay Chest on Clearance! Love it!!!

Original Art Inspired By Fabric, Fashion and Interior Design

Original Art Inspired By Fabric, Fashion and Interior Design