Place Holding

Home tonight. Been in Atlanta for the weekend. Thus everything do to with the laptop is on the back burner.

So here's some eye candy laying on the desktop. I'm collecting inspiration for two big projects we have underway: The ghetto yard revamp, and the kitchen revamp.

Right now I'm blowing in the wind, all airy fairy.


I have had the most wonderful time this weekend thanks to these girls. You know who they are...
Go HERE to see what we were up to.

Just wanted to let you know I'm here, and to please hold a place for me.

Behind Closed Doors 2 - June and David Tureau

June and David are two cool (and very sweet) people that I know. He is a landscape designer who has been working non stop on various movies being filmed in New Orleans for the past few years, including winning an Oscar for Benjamin Button. She is a project manager, overseeing complex contracting jobs.

They live in a garden compound in the Bywater neighborhood in New Orleans, just across the street from the Mississippi River.
An extensive article was recently written about them HERE

They invited us over for dinner poolside the other night. It was one of those fine New Orleans nights, cool with low humidity, the sky filled with stars.

The garden is fantastic, though a bit perverse since we cannot see the river over the top of the high levee.

The place still feels like a beachy vaaction home.

Dinner was delish, grilled steak and shrimp, with Key Lime pie for dessert.

I took a few quick snapshots of the inside of the house, a single shotgun situated horizontally across the property, instead of the usual way that looks like a trailer parked on a long narrow lot.
French doors open unto the garden,

The living room has a great collection of retro furniture.
All the walls have a Venetian plaster look, and some of them are actually Venetian plaster.

Quirky touches are everywhere, like the shrine to pearls, and the mask hanging in the kitchen.

The kitchen is basic and functional, and the big window overlooks the garden.

The dining area is simple. I love the finish on the walls. It looks so soothing and cool to the touch.


There are three large bedrooms and a couple of large bathrooms.

Furnishings are simple and pretty.


Here's some Venetian plaster in one of the bathrooms.

Now if only Sandy Bullock would invite us over...

Vamp Digest - Going Into The White!

Lots of projects going on. Getting ready to repaint the kitchen, so it's time to change out the cabinet fronts that we did six years ago. The cabinets are in great shape, but the doors are outdated and fugly. We did witty wallpaper on the original laminate doors, but now Alberto is making new wood doors. We don't have the budget or inclination to rip out perfectly good cabinets. The upper cabinets are getting new doors with chicken wire insets so you can still see the white ironstone.

We will rip out the lower cabinets, get a new ones, and a new sink, and new counter top, which we think will really give the kitchen a boost.

This is a work in progress that I'll share as it it develops.

Another project involves more going into the white!!!!

I repainted the cabinet in the living room white! Many of you weighed in on this HERE

Mellissa Warner has this chest in the May issue of House Beautiful -
Which gave me a kick in the butt to finally repaint my chest!

I loved the first paint job I did on this vintage Baker cabinet seven or eight years ago, but I was ready for a change.

I had to scrape of the decoupage suns I applied. I just spritzed them with water, and used a putty knife to remove them.

Then I sanded and primed the cabinet. I used Kilz 2 primer.

I couldn't remove the handles. They have a bolt system and I didn't have the right size wrench, so I left them on and used a teensy brush to paint around them.


I used Kilz cabinet paint in white, and I love the finish.
I think the white looks great against the deep brown walls. I haven't decided if I will paint the inset part yet. I want to live with it all white for awhile. I left the beautiful pecan wood top alone.



I took a break because Bryan Batt had a book signing at Octavia Books in New Orleans this past weekend.


He calls the book a "momoir".



It's all about him growing up in New Orleans, and about his mom, Gail Batt. Bryan's dad owned an amusement park, and the family is as colorful as most families are in New Orleans.

Brian read excerpts and told many stories, and answered a ton of questions the audience had for him. He's working on a second book called "Mad For Design"!


A huge crowd came out to hear Brian read, and to get their book signed.

He was so happy with the turn out of local folks who know and love him.

Anne Tuennerman from Tales of the Cocktail provided the libation for the book signing.

Tales of the Cocktail is what happens when a love for well-crafted cocktails and the city of New Orleans meet a relentless entrepreneurial spirit. Ann Tuennerman organizes the nation's premier cocktail festival (in July), bringing together the world's foremost experts on everything alcohol for a week-long libation celebration.

The Vamp with Anne Tuennerman founder of Tales of the Cocktail

Bryan's partner Tom Cianfichi was on hand to cheer Bryan on and to help get those books sold.

It was a wonderful weekend, topped off by a poolside dinner party on Sunday night to watch Treme, and I spent my day off on Monday gardening, until Alberto pulled me away for dinner at Coquette.

Bryan is traveling around the country doing book signings HERE

The book is wonderful - pick up a copy for your Summer reading!

Happy Weekend

I never had children.
I am the eldest of seven and spent my childhood being "the little mother."
At age 18 I left home. Free. Free to be a child.
When my child bearing years came to an end I thought about regretting not having a child, or adopting one or ten.
I have been pregnant twice.
I'm glad my mother the child bride of 17 had me, and then six others.
I'm so happy all my brothers and sisters have children.
Alberto has two grown children and a grandson.
All my tango students are my children, even if they are 70 years old.
I tend to tend to others, being a bit of a mother if you know what I mean.
So Happy Weekend, and I celebrate all the mothers, and all the women who decided not to have children too.

image from Shelter Pop via La Dolce Vita

Jackie Von Tobel Invites Bloggers To New Media Day

Jackie Von Tobel, uber talent, blogger, author, interior designer, media mover and shaker, speaker, and product designer, will be hosting an all day New Media event at this years VISION 10 International Window Coverings Expo in Atlanta, on Friday, May 14th.

The days activities focus on the explosive growth in the world of social media and it’s effect on the interior design industry today and in the future.

The highlight of the day is the Design Perspectives Panel at 4:00 PM. Jackie assembled a great group of influential bloggers representing designers, manufacturers, and vendors for the panel.

If you are in Atlanta that day, please come and hear what the panel has to say, and stop by and say hello.

Info for VISION 10 can be found HERE

The panel:

Brian Patrick Flynn is an interior designer and founder of the online decorating magazine, decordemon.com. He gained attention for his bold, glamorous spaces created almost entirely with garage sale items and flea market finds. Formally educated in television production, Brian made the leap to interior design after working as a producer on various hit home makeover programs. Décor Demon was created as an online outlet for Brian to produce original editorial lifestyle content from a witty and practical male point-of-view. From modern home renovations to the latest baby toy craze, Décor Demon’s features aim to be both inspiring and entertaining.

Valorie Hart of Visual Vamp is a vivacious personality, experienced designer, writer, stylist, (and tango dancer and master teacher, and co-author of the #1 best selling dance book Gotta Tango). Her blog is a lively reflection of her fascinating life in New Orleans and New York. Valorie's work and her own eclectic home is a favorite among other bloggers and online and hard copy publications. Presently she works at perch. a top design savvy home furnishings shop and interior design firm on Magazine Street (known as designers row in New Orleans), where she handles design assignments and public relations.

Skyla Freeman, author of the home and style blog Sanity Fair (sfair.blogspot.com), learned to love design from an early age. Her mother, a former decorator, and her father, a self-taught architect, raised their family in a Southern home filled with art and Asian antiquities. After working at the White House for nearly four years, she left in 2009 to write full-time at SkylaFreeman.com and founded Sanity Fair. Since then, the blog has grown a steady following, received several blogging awards, and been featured in the January/February 2010 issue of Atlantan Magazine as a "Fab Five" design blog. An entryway to stylish living for all budgets and lifestyles, Sanity Fair provides everyone from renters to professional designers with fresh decoration and fashion inspiration. From Parisian couture to the local Target, Sanity Fair is about discovering the lovely things in life - wherever they are found.

Debbie Green from Minutes Matter - In The Loop Blog, is an industry innovator and educator who has spearheaded the inclusion of technology and social media in the window covering industry. Debbie’s company Minutes Matter Solutions Inc. produces Studio software, a graphic design software program for the interior design industry.

On The Road

Happy to report that Alberto felt up to doing an out of town tango workshop.

The formal parlor of 4 East Madison Inn

We just spent a long weekend in Baltimore. We were invited to teach a private tango workshop to members of the Baltimore Symphony.

This was our third trip to Baltimore to teach tango.

The Louis XV Suite

We stayed in the Mount Vernon neighborhood near the Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, where our classes were held in their rehearsal hall.

Meyerhoff Symphony Hall in Baltimore

Our hosts had us stay in a charming boutique hotel called 4 East Madison.

Feast@4east - the on premise restaurant at 4 East Madison Inn

It is in an impressive nine bedroom townhouse built in the 1840's. Every guest room is done up in a different Victorian style decor. In fact the whole house is a flea market shoppers paradise!

The Executive Suite is a spacious guest room overlooking the garden features a bay window infused with stained glass. A king size carved anglo tall poster tester bed and a pair of wing-back chairs help make this suite an Inn favorite.

The Empire Suite is soothing, bright and sunny, a 3rd floor oasis with king sleigh bed and large soaking tub. Sit and read in a comfy wing-back chair or be relaxed and inspired by the view.

The Louis XV Suite is the perfect room for any franco-phile. The carved bed with dresser, night stand and armoire, are dated to the 1860’s with the bed fitted with a queen mattress. The room is made complete with a beautiful ornate marble fireplace and magnolia tree view.

The Federal Suite has a stately fireplace, oriental rug and a queen sleigh bed. As you enter this sunny room you are greeted with city and garden views.

The Classical Suite is a cozy room that features a magnificent classical queen size bed with inlaid wood panels. A green marble chandelier, antique desk and armoire provide tailored elegance.

The Renaissance Revival Suite is an intimate room with crystal chandelier, and queen size mahogany Victorian bed. The deep green damask bedspread compliments the antique desk, dresser and armoire.

The Queen Anne Room has large windows and a pair of Queen Ann 4-poster queen size beds which set the tone for this warm and comfortable room. Perfect for traveling companions and convenient for a handicapped guest.

The Empress Josephine Suite (our room!) has sunny yellow walls, queen canopy bed and view of Mount Vernon Square in this bright, spacious room. The floors are painted white with hand stenciled laurel wreaths.

The Library guest room sports a pair of Chippendale revival four poster beds covered in blue damask, period furniture, brass chandelier, built-in bookcases and tree and garden view.

The Executive Suite

4 East Madison is chock full of antiques and vintage furnishings lovingly collected by the owners Betty and Sandy, who bought the place in 2001 when it was a wreck and ruin. They restored it and opened in 2003. Betty is the inn keeper, and Sandy is an excellent chef who runs the on premise restaurant Feast@4 East.

The Empress Josephine Suite that we stayed in
It's on the third floor, and Alberto loved the 1901 elevator in the house
I loved the wide grand staircase that has been used by many a bride

They serve an excellent breakfast, and there is an incredible brick patio garden that is open for dining.

Dinner is served on Friday and Saturday nights, and chef Sandy uses all local ingredients, producing everything from rack of lamb and charcuterie, to vegan dishes.

The 4 East Madison staff is friendly and fun.

Baltimore is a great city with lots of history, a fabulous waterfront, wonderful food, great neighborhoods to explore, perfect for a getaway. If you want to know more about this wonderful city read Meg's blog Pigtown - she always has something interesting to share.