* T h e * V i s u a l * V a m p *

Sunday, July 18, 2010

Mourning Room

Greetings from my hovel!

I'm spending my early mornings, before I go to work, painting the kitchen. It's my morning room. The light is good, and I'm refreshed, and it is a lovely way to start the day, working on a project I love to do.

Morning Room

I have the walls and ceiling finished - just have the dreaded stairway to do. I have also been painting disparate piece of furniture, and gathering accessories.

Visual Vamp kitchen - I picked up the mirror for over the fireplace

Sometimes I just sit (or stand ) and look at everything. Cholo usually gives me a bark, and I tell him to be quiet because Mommy is having a think.

Cupboard in the kitchen - the back panel got a coat of paint

The color is Oyster Shell given to me by Mitchell

I had alot to think about this week. Our last lively discussion HERE was wonderful and disturbing.

Detail of the cupboard filled with cookbooks and Majolica
I love the wire insets in the doors

In the midst of it we lost one of our decor bloggers HERE

The painted back panel of the cupboard in the kitchen

It's so haunting, and sad, and she and her family are much on my mind. One of you said we lost an angel, and surely we did. Did heaven really need a wonderful interior designer to make a perfect house for someone there?

Oyster Shell painted on the back panel of the cupboard

I wanted to write something. But what? I "know" the blogger like I know so many of you: Through your blogs and e-mail exchanges. I have only had the pleasure of meeting a handful of you in person.

Blogging makes instant friends out of all of us, and since we do spend so much time with one another blogging, we truly do feel connected to one another.

I painted the off-the-rack kitchen island,
and added the handles from the old cabinet doors

I couldn't really write a long detailed account of the woman we lost. I heard the details via a phone call, and talked about the accident via e-mail with some of you. And for days, this sad event has been much in my thoughts.

This is what the island looked like before I painted it
We bought it years ago when we were renting, and it's still a handy thing

The services for the young woman, a lovely wife, a wonderful mother, and an accomplished designer, take place this weekend. Every detail has lovingly been arranged and taken care of as if she were there helping those who feel quite helpless right now.

I painted this credenza that I use for storage in the kitchen
I was inspired by the "Wisteria" knock off I got HERE

Beyond leaving a comment on the last post of her blog, I really didn't know what else to do, except keep her and her family in my heart and prayers.

Sorry for the blurry picture - the "Wisteria" wannabee was just delivered
Scott at Discoveries changed the hardware I asked for, and it looks so good

I wondered if her husband thought her blogging was frivolous and her blog friendships odd. I hope all the comments and posts about his wife give him comfort in knowing how loved she is.

This paint job inspired me to do the same

I also hugged Alberto tight. He has been helping me so much with the kitchen revamp, and we enjoy working together very very much. We feel so blessed to have one another.

So hug someone you love. And be careful out there.

Bakers Rack awaiting the paint brush

Happy Weekend, and say a prayer for Marija and Corey and Olivija and Nigel, and Marija's parents, and for all of her family and friends who love her.

Friday, July 16, 2010

How Do You Like To Be Talked To?

There is a trend in decor blogs to write snappy and sassy monologues. It reminds me of the old days of the first famous gossip columnists Hedda Hopper, Louella Parsons, and Walter Winchell.

Louella Parsons with Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball

Is the pretend voice of the blogger, the way they really talk? Decorno was the original fresh mouth trash talking cool girl. I never met her, but I heard her on the radio and I saw photos of her, and she didn't speak the way she wrote, or look like the cool hipster she portrayed on her blog.

Elaine Miller who was Decorno

Since the demise of Decorno (whose blog was great), there are a whole slew of girls trying to be snappy, savvy, and snarky. Some swear alot.

And decor blog speak is spilling over into the online decor magazines like Lonny, and the eagerly awaited Rue Magazine. Both are written by lovely talented people, and I am sure they do not greet one another saying: Hello, lovely! How smashing to see you! Do we need more than the fantasy of pretty decor pictures to satisfy our hum drum lives? Do we also need copy that reads like a knock off of Carrie Bradshaw?

Rue Magazine coming in September

Oh the use of cute endearments to address the reader! Hello darlings, sweeties, noodles, lovelies, little monsters, dweebs, etc. How did this get so popular and necessary?

Hab.........ly J'dore! Trademarked of course!

The third person blogs are strange and disconnecting, you know when the person refers to themselves in the third person. Like: The Vamp j'dores X Y M.., xo xo.

And the uber gay chat is another voice, all winky winky, smirky sly smiles.

Bobby Trendy talks in the third person
Painting by Paul Richmond

Or the "professional" girl-speak, aligning oneself with magazine worthy editors and designers in hopes that their light will polish a thin veneer of pretend posing.

So chic! Hermes throw! Elle Decor! Domino! House Beautiful!

We cannot forget the educated voices either, erudite and knowing, using words like whilst and yonder, and always wearing a liberal arts education on the proverbial unravelled sleeve.

Wearing your education for all to see

Or fairie tale speak. Everything in fairie tale speak is very very romantic.

So romantic - just like a fairie tale!

I have met some bloggers who have a distinct blog voice manufactured for the gentle reader, and they do not talk like this in person. No swearing, no wisecracks, no sugary endearments, no posing to be super smart or chic or famous. Just nice intelligent-lovely-interesting-talented people with a lovely way of expressing themselves.

Walter Winchell had the original gossip girl voice

I guess having a manufactured blog voice is a way to be entertaining, or to have a rich fantasy life. And there are some blogs that are send-ups and written as fiction by fictional authors. These don't count along with the blogs I am thinking of, since they are clearly a work of pretend. I'm talking about real people blogging about their lives in unreal voices.

Lady Blah Blah
Here

Do we need to blog in a perceived voice of a magazine writer or TV personality, or whatever voice we think of as being snappy repartee?

Louella Parsons surrounded by Hollywood stars

I have struggled with finding my "blog voice". I swear in real life. I'm a New Yorker of a certain era when it was part of the lexicon. And my mother swore like a sailor. Yet when I blog using the F swear word, it falls flat, and certain anon stalkers call me out on it, saying I'm too old to swear and trying too hard, to be what, fucking cool?

I try to talk to you as I am. And to use spell check. And to have some semblance of grammar. And to honestly say what I mean.

I think it must be exhausting to constantly write in decor blog speak. And it certainly gets tiresome to read it. And I don't like it magazines either. The first few reads are fun and entertaining, but then it gets a bit empty.

Hedda Hopper

If you write in a special voice for your blog, why did you choose to do it? Is it a burden to keep it up, or is it easier and fun to write in a voice different than your own.

And readers, how do you like to be talked to?

Saturday, July 10, 2010

I Must Be Crazy

We are going on six years in this house, and the projects never stop. If you are a regular reader, you might remember that the kitchen is getting repainted, not unusual after five years. Sometimes I feel crazy starting another project. But crazy good.

Cholo in the middle of the Visual Vamp kitchen project

We're chugging along. I paint a little every morning before I go to work. I need the daylight to see what I am doing.

The wall behind the refrigerator
Alberto's masterpiece!

So far a couple of walls in the breakfast area are painted. Alberto is closing up a door behind the refrigerator that was disguised and left to do "for later" when we first moved in. Now seemed like a good time to take care of something started five years ago!

Sherwin Williams Peppercorn

We had a set back with getting more paint. The computer mixer was down at the store for a couple of days. To keep the project moving forward I gave the island a first coat of paint.
Design Optimist suggested the Sherwin Williams color: Peppercorn.

Visual Vamp breakfast room getting greige

I chose the greige color I painted the dining room back in January HERE.

Visual Vamp greige paint color in the dining room

You can see the kitchen through the doorway so I knew the moment I did the dining room that the kitchen would be soon to follow.

Visual Vamp dining room

Visual Vamp kitchen cabinets getting new doors

Alberto made the cabinet doors, replacing the ones with the wallpaper on them. Now he is making the ones above with a chicken wire inset so the ironstone can still be seen, but it will be a bit more finished looking.

Chicken wire inspiration

I still don't know what color the cabinets will be painted. Not white, but some sort of greige. I have the Wisteria HERE knock off coming, and once I see it in the space I'll be more sure of what color to do.

Idea for painting the cabinets

I keep looking into my clipping file to keep me going. So many of you have done up some very pretty kitchens that inspire and motivate me. I want a unique kitchen, Euro country, still funky, but upgraded.

Unique kitchen sink inspiration

Kitchen inspiration from the clipping file

I have a kitchen with personality, and don't want to lose it in the renovation process. If I could find an old antique porcelain sink I would use it!

Vintage porcelain sink in a kitchen

I have a mirror on layaway at Agora. It's going over the fireplace in the breakfast area. I will probably gold leaf it.

Mirror awaiting me at Agora

We are keeping our present appliances. They are not the prettiest ones in the pack, but they all work well and are clean. The dishwasher is a Bosch inherited when we bought the house. The door looks worn, but guess what?! I won a contest at Bohemian Hellhole, and the prize is a decorative panel for the dish washer. I'm getting the Union Jack! Thank you Alice!

Appliance Art

Then - Visual Vamp kitchen

All that's left of the then kitchen is a memory and a blog post. I feel a bit wistful at this point. Don't you have mixed emotions when you make a change in your house? The mid point is the hardest part.

Happy Weekend peeps!