Introducing "to & from"

Trust me "to & from" is the only gift guide you will need this season! Attending events like High Point Market is always inspiring but what makes it really fantastic is when you meet new creatives. In October I was introduced to Meg of the website Meg Biram (formerly Mimi + Meg) a super talented artist and consultant. So when she emailed me to ask if I would contribute to her new magazine's Gift Guide I jumped at the opportunity! Below are my Holiday Picks for the "Constant Decorator" in to & from....which by the way is the most adorable name!

To-From-Gift-Guide
Don't we all love to receive AND give gifts? It's often the perfect gift we are looking for and I bet you will find it in the 142 pages of the guide!



TF

To see my picks from my favorite companies like Global Views, Horchow, Patch NYC, Shop Ten 25 and more just use this link to jump over to the gift guide! You will also see MANY of your favorite bloggers there, enjoy your shopping!

(images from to & from)

Monday Morning Happy

Happy Monday after Thanksgiving! Have you all recovered from family time and an abundance of delicious food? I for one am off to a slow start, especially distracted by all these Cyber Monday emails! Oh my, the money I could spend!!

Maryland-Sunrise-CreateGirl

Thanksgiving this year was spent in Maryland with my husbands family. Their house backs up to a farm which is fascinating to this urban girl! There is so much land to wander and clear your head with a good walk! On Thanksgiving morning I woke up early and as I was starting my tea I looked out the kitchen window to see this amazing sunrise through the trees. The Social Media Girl I am grabbed the iPad to document it and as I went to take the picture I see the wooden "FAMILY" sign right there on the window sill. How appropriate!

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

(image from Jace Interiors, please do not use without approval)

You Are Invited to I.O. Metro's Tweetchat

The Furniture Store, I.O. Metro has some exciting news, they are launching a new catalog and tomorrow night they are having a tweetchat to share all the details!
 LOGO-IOMETRO
This is your official invitation to grab a glass of wine, light a fire and hop on Twitter for what will surely be a lively chat about all things design! Even better the fab folks at I.O. Metro will be giving away $50 gift cards every 15 mins during the chat, what? Yes you read it right...every 15 mins! To be eligible just RSVP To the host Erika Ward's Blog, Blu Label Bungalow. On Tuesday (tomorrow!) night follow the hashtag #IOMETRO2012 on Twitter at 9pm and let's have a great night chatting about design and the fantastic pieces of I.O. Metro!


IOMetro
I.O. Metro's Sutter Dining Table with the very affordable Sienna Pendants hanging above!


IOMetro2
I.O. Metro's Amita Dining Table and the comfy Sora Dining Chairs.


Who to Follow on Twitter
Guest of Honor: I.O. Metro - @IOMetro
Host: Erika Ward - @ErikaatBluLabel
Co-Host: Julieann Covino - @CreateGirl
Co-Host: Ashlina Kaposta - @thedecorista
Co-Host: Lamar & Ronnie Tyler - @blackandmarried


(Images from I.O. Metro)
this is a sponsored post

Monday Morning Happy - Gratitude

Morning Friends! Thanksgiving is by far my favorite holiday of the year, with the focus on family, gratitude and a dinner table full of yummy food it is so much more enjoyable than others! Isn't it nice not to have to run around looking for a the perfect present like we do birthdays and other holidays? This week I am pausing from my chaotic design schedule to be grateful for all the friends I have met through Social Media and the wonderful events I have attended this year! When you have a small company it is these events that provide inspiration and even more importantly time to catch up creative friends!

Circle-Furniture-Social-Interiors
First up was a great event between Circle Furniture and Social Interiors! Rachel Reider, Kristen Rivoli and Greg Premru have always been such wonderful supporters of the Boston Design Community!

Brimfield-Flea-Market-CreateGirl
These 3 ladies are not only amazing creatives but also the most genuine you will find in the business. The Brimfield Tent was a great excuse for us to catch up and show off our flea market finds! Raina, Elizabeth, Me and Michelle.


 Stacey-Style-Fashion-Decor-CreateGirl
The LOOK event at the Boston Design Center was a day full of inspiration, learning new techniques and networking.With our hectic schedules it is a challenge to coordinate a morning with 2 of my favorite ladies, but this day gave us the perfect excuse to catch up. Stacey Kunstel and Gretchen Aubuchon are each taking the design world by storm with their new companies, check out their websites Dunes & Duchess and Fashion & Decor.



 Sabbe-Spot-Coco-Kelley
It is always so fun when people who have known each other only through Social Media meet for the first time in real life. This was the case with the west coaster Cassandra of Coco + Kelley and the east coaster Stephanie of Sabbe Spot!



Coco-Kelley-Sacremento-Street-CreateGirl-HighPoint-Market
Next up was a trip to North Carolina and High Point Market to view the new introductions from furniture companies all over the United States! Caitlin of Sacrament Street and Cassandra of Coco + Kelley are 2 of my very first friends I met through Social Media and I cherish any time I get to see them in person! Here we are meeting the incredible designer Barry Dixon.



 Radiant-Republic-CreateGirl
Last but not least is my wonderful friend Erika of Radiant Republic. This picture is so special because it was the last one taken of us before each of our lives changed. We both got married this year to the men of our dreams who are each super supportive of our blogging life and the crazy world of social media! We certainly are the luckiest of girls!


Next years calendar is already filling up with design events but for now I am going to take a minute to enjoy each one of the above blogs and catch up with my favorite Social Media friends on Twitter!
Enjoy this new week,
Jul

Home Typography Tuesday - Chalkboard Dining Chairs

With the holidays fast approaching we should talk about seating arrangements! At High Point Market, Bernhardt inspired us all with their dining room Louis and Percy Chairs. They cleverly use chalkboard paint on the back of the chairs so guests can easily see where they are seated! Adding Typography to your dining chairs, a genius idea and I LOVE it!

 Bernhardt-chalkboard-seats

Bernhardt-Louis-Dining-Chair

What do you say, would you use chalkboard paint on your chairs?

(image from Material Girls Blog and Bernhardt )

Hurricane Sandy Donations - Family to Family

Good Morning! A week ago all of us on the East Coast were bracing for Hurricane Sandy holding our breaths for what we might find the next morning. In our Boston area we got lucky and had minimal damage and power outages that in comparison were not too bad.


As we have seen NY and NJ have been devastated by this storm which leads many of us to ask, how can we help? Yes the Red Cross is an incredible place to donate money but what about donating to a specific family or giving directly to the local Fire Station and Churches? Family to Family is an amazing organization that can help us do just that. As their motto states "Share Your Bounty", those extra blankets, coats and hats you have in your house can go to good use RIGHT NOW! Below are the ways to donate and the links to  Family to Family.






As Designers we make houses beautiful, now is the time to make the families in some of those houses comfortable! Gather your own family and split up the costs in supporting a family in need. 
Come on let's DO THIS!

(image from Family to Family website)