Smooth landing.

When I moved to Tucson almost 18 years ago it seemed like the streets were rolled up at 9 o'clock every night and the most culture we could hope for was the opening of Trader Joe's a year after we arrived. Fast forward to 2012. There are some of the most interesting things happening here, it makes me proud to say I am an (almost) native--at least from October through May. Eric Firestone, with the support of the Pima Air and Space Museum, made several disused airplanes and scores of aircraft nosecones available to artists of local, national and international acclaim. The results are both astounding and inspiring in scale and content. The project will continue, we hope, to make use of the otherwise obsolete aircraft that covers vast stretches of desert near Tucson. The exhibition will continue through May of 2012. For more information visit the Pima Air and Space Museum

For coffee and tea lovers only.

I spent years as a visual manager in a department store, so when I walk into an antique store I can tell right away if there is a "display gypsy" on staff.
A table of pewter is something you might walk right past amongst the crowded aisles of a supermarket-size shop. Somebody at Tom's Fine Furniture got it right with this great pewter display..The aged, burnished finish of these pieces is so much better appreciated when they are placed together by someone with an eye for composition.

Contemplating blues--part two

Not to be ignored: turquoise, teal, robin's egg and all the other blues that lean toward the green.

Which one suits this great room and  kitchen with the lovely new cabinets? They look green now, but I suspect against black soapstone they will evolve...

Love this sink, soon it will be trimmed in. 

Is there a hue of blue that will work?

Contemplating blues... part one

Navy and Silver-- all in the blues.

Add black and pearly white -- classic and satisfying.

Color Contemplation---

I spent this morning at the Territorial job site, cabinets are going in the kitchen and master bath, tile is going in the  third bath and the floors are being prepped for wood.  Here are a few shots of the progress:

The new baking center, lying on its side.

I love this 12" x 24" porcelain tile and multi-colored floor tile. Great impact at a good price.

 I am contemplating paint colors...

The greens and corals I saw on a hike last weekend remind me of the coral saltillo tile, soft green cabinets and the tile in the master bath.. The client has asked for some blues... hmmm... more tomorrow.

The more work I get, the more opportunity for fantastic successes come my way. Also fantastic disasters. One thing they don't tell you in design school is that the business is highly susceptible to human error. This week the  beautiful, hand-picked- in-Phoenix-soapstone-in-the-perfect-color-that-matches-the most-elegant-cabinet-color-and-carefully-assorted-hand-made-tile-backsplash that had been on reserve at the stoneyard for the kitchen of an exciting remodel I am doing was cut. FOR SOMEONE ELSE'S KITCHEN. After steadying my knees I went to my favorite coffee house and felt sorry for my clients (and myself) for a while. Then I told them. They smiled and said, " Oh, it happens. We know you'll  find something else." That kind of miracle calls for me to make lemonade out of lemons. I'm on it! Hopefully, so is the stoneyard that made the mistake.

RIP in small pieces in the bathrooms.

Holiday Memories...

Okay-- so I took an unannounced hiatus from posting. Life took over as it usually does at the holidays. Here are a few highlights:

My Christmas cactus, after 15 years of blooming on Thanksgiving, Easter, my birthday and about every other holiday but Christmas, bloomed on the 25th, well, at least part of the way.

I dragged out my Dad's old golf trophy silver plate and had some fun.

We had greens from my garden on Christmas Eve.

Julia Child's Bouef Bourgignon is our traditional Christmas Day meal: made by my husband.

We chose the best orchid from my mother's greenhouse and brought it in for the sideboard.

On New Year's Day we followed tradition and took a spectacular hike: this time 2.5 miles up the Ventana Canyon trail.

Today I pulled the last of the dead blooms from the Christmas cactus and packed the ornament boxes out to the shed. I am grateful for a holiday season so full of family, fun and beauty of all kinds. Thanks to everyone who was involved.