The eye of the needle

Monday night and its time to indulge my secret moment.
The house is quiet and Goldie the dog is under the desk sleeping the dog's life.
I am surrounded by silence except for the freeway noise like the ocean in the distance.
My passions are design and food and color and books and so many things...being sidetracked into reading other peoples blogs and being amazed and delighted at what they create....
one of my favorite pictures of Goldie - my daughter put together all these Goldie scenes to create a calendar for her dad.



I was going to talk about silver. the color the essence and the history.
I love silver, and I found this totally cool picture to share- a piece of art inside the eye of a needle- the first family celebrates!


a drop of water!





Here is a singing bowl



a silver claw foot tub from Apartmenttherapy.com


the scenery in silver





none of these visuals are mine - but I enjoyed their silver attitude

this post will be continued.
there is a thread of silver linking us all
and life does have a silver thread.
Its mercurial and magic and I want me some of that!
Silver bells and silver walls and all the greys that nature and man made......

Lacy and free

Summer Snowflake
lace falls open and closed like magic in honor of MLK day
I am thinking how cobwebs and lace can be open and hold you enchanted and free
the lightness of being
to have the space and light to make choices, find your freedom, to live with dignity.
and LACE.
Here is a cobweb covered in snow from Yahoo pictures:



and a fabulous lace covered tree
by Janet Morton - Ward Island Toronto





how about some lace valances from London Lace




or some woven bowls for the dresser - these are so sweet from Berlin's Whimsy
crocheted bowls





or one of the incredible sculptures of Ruth Asawa at the San Francisco De Young Museum



find a lovely piece of lace to embellish a simple pillow or drape




Exquisite maltese lace from the Lace Fairy

or how lovely would some chantilly lace look in black as sheers for your boudoir or to skirt your dolly varden
I had a dolly varden (kidney shaped dresser surrounded by fabric) when I was a child.
Sheers with velvety red spots - I remember that pouffy skirted table with delight
and on top a three piece wrought iron curlicue mirror
check out this choice from Anjoorians Silks



Dream on



a jewel to treasure from Vintage stones

Wild blue and greens

These ABC tv underwater scenes make me think what a wonderful room these colors and textures would make. I love the color combo. the deep blue, the soft greens, and those creamy colors.
More green and blue to inspire :

a Dale Chihuly fantasy in glass or could be fabric



more of that wondrous glowing glass






Niagara Falls from the shores of Canada




vintage dress from 1950 stephscloset




Green banded blue butterfly




an uncut emerald from south america a huge amount of carats




fabulous feather fascinator from Metro Gypsy




marimekko fabric

Chocolate dreams

believe it or not this is a chocolate outfit created for a chocolate show. I believe in new yorkNew Year makes me think of Chocolate - probably because my brother in law laurent duchene always sends us a box of delicious chocolates, and this year, he sent his hazelnut truffles. An exquisite, totally delicious, lingers on the tongue taste.


Here is a fabulous dinning room in an old hotel in old Montreal we visted this summer for a drink in their delightful patio. This was the real deal - cobwebs, old brick, dead animal heads.

Besides chocolates we scarf - we also indulge in so much through chocolate: Chocolate drinks
my favorite is real chocolate melted. - this from the Seattle Food Examiner:

French hot chocolate is not like the cocoa powder mixed into warm milk that America is used to. It is also not the Italian chocolate syrup and foamed milk concoction so common in coffee shops. Hot chocolate in France is a serious chocolate experience enjoyed throughout the year but most importantly celebrated during the holidays. Its main ingredient is melted chocolate that is then blended into cream or whole milk. The chocolate contains a higher percentage of cacao. In Paris, hot chocolate is usually served in a pitcher sometimes with a glass of water on the side to offset the richness. - Scott Emerick, chef/owner of Cremant


Cremant's Chocolate Chaud
one serving of French Hot Chocolate

2 ounces of 64% Valrhona chocolate
1 cup whole milk

Heat the milk over medium heat. Once the milk is heated, add the chocolate and whisk to combine. The chocolate will thicken the milk. Serve the hot chocolate in a pitcher and pour small amounts in a cup to sip.

For a special holiday treat, serve with a small cup of whipped cream.


a glorious picture from Merisi's Vienna For Beginners Virtual Postcards from Vienna

and what about

Chocolate candles - I was smelling the ones at Pottery Barn at the check out. Simply divine.
I would love to give you the chance to scratch and sniff right here: doing a little research I found the Chocolate Farm and the candles sound so delicious check them out.




And the color chocolate - so indulgent decadent and rich.
Velvet chocolate. Chocolate walls, or chocolate furniture. Who can turn away a box from Tiffany's with the blue box and the chocolate ribbon.
or a chocolate and Rasberry cake?

Chocolate cake, chocolate pillows, chocolate marshmallows.
Below the Manhattan faux fur chocolate pillow from Heal's


and a brown crown from decorating Idea kid rooms - by Aaron Christensen

Charlies chocolate factory - were the rivers of chocolate not made to dive in?

I think about chocolate accessories. What a yummy thought.

A color that is truly sensual. A room of chocolate furniture - chocolate stripes of milk and dark
accented with silver. To give an edge. or bronzed gold to shine off.

Here is a balcony in chocolate with a rustic chocolate folk art piece from Just Folk - a beautiful gallery we visited in Summerland California. what incredible stuff.




How about this?
Godiva has created a chocolate room - everything including the walls are made of chocolate,the blurb below I lifted from the link:
Talk about the ultimate Valentine's Day stunt! an all-chocolate room constructed for chocolatier, Godiva, is now complete and open for viewing in New York City. The styling mouth-watering room, officially dubbed the "Godiva Decadence Suite," is located in an office building in Manhattan's East Village. Its purpose is to publicize Godiva's annual Valentine's Day competition. As if the room itself was not enough, Godiva also brought in a glamorously-clad Ali Larter, star of the TV show Heroes, to help showcase its creation.


Check out the possibility of winning a night in this room. I dont know if I could last without eating some of it!






A cabaret room is opulent in chocolate.

or another view of the Godiva Chocolate room - which certainly looks as good as it probably tastes!

Any color and fabric is immediately given a sharp edge when teamed with chocolate.
Persimmon & chocolate

Apricot and chocolate, Vanilla and chocolate, Rhum and Raisin paint,
or some chocolate brown wall peel & stick stickers found on amazon.com to give a chocolate feel without paint:





the pull is irresistible. Chocolate is my raisin d'etre!

A joyful fulfilling year

Here's wishing and hoping your brand new year 2009 will bring an open mind and a full wallet,
a heart full of song and sunshine, and lots of uplifting transformations.

I hear that living a spiritual life is key this year - and every happy spirit needs celebration, laughter & a clearing out of the old.

A visual celebration on the eve of the birth of 2009, in San Francisco's Union square, moments from midnight :