KIPS BAY PALM BEACH SHOWHOUSE

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!  We arrived home from Tucson yesterday afternoon and it was so good to see Cami's little face:)

We were visiting my husbands brother and his wife who are "hikers".  When I was packing I threw in all my cute outfits and at the last minute one workout outfit just in case I could squeeze in a walk.

Hahahahaha.  I never even got to wear anything BUT that!  We hiked everyday so I had to come home each afternoon and wash my one "hiking" outfit.

Jokes on me.

This warning before a hike had me on edge...

If you have spent any time with me you will also learn that I don't like spiders, snakes and now I will throw bears on that list.

So back to Tucson....the city that brings new meaning to the color beige, tan, brown, beigey tan and every shade in between....

I was shocked not to see one white house and it became a joke amongst us of my obsession with white!  You guys already know this about me....

We were hiking down near the border of Mexico close to Nogales and ended up having lunch in a cute little place called The Wisdom's Cafe.

Here is what you need to know....the reward after the hike is a good lunch and a libation!

During a downtown tour I did spot the one yellow building with a turquoise door....take note Tucson....you need more of this!

Am I the last to know that cactus can be purple?

And as if they were reading my mind we did come across a white commercial building.....

These cuties were right outside their backyard...

Not that I cook....but these were served and the fact that you can cook in the microwave was a "win win" for me.  One day I will make it to Costco for the second time!

If you need a good book to read I highly recommend this one which I read on the plane.

It makes me think I need to do more with my life.

Matthew Quinn [kitchen king] has just finished installing the Kips Bay Palm Beach Showhouse and apparently it was down to the wire!  Hopefully the paint is dry as it opens Dec 4th.  

House Beautiful posted a few pictures!

Amanda Lindroth

Chris Drake

Caroline Rafferty Interiors

Christopher Maya

Ellen Kavanaugh Interiors

Michael Cox and Mary Foley

Lisa Erdmann

Mabley and Handler 

Matthew Quinn/Design Galleria

Phlip Gorrivan

Bob Brown

Bradfield and Tobin

Stephen Mooney

Susan Zises Green

Vincere, Ltd

And that my friends....is a wrap!

Back on schedule next week.....who's doing some retail therapy online today?

Sherika the freaka

  

 

Happy Thanksgiving! Broken China Jewelry For Black Friday

Wow, it's Thanksgiving week! I hope you all have a great holiday no matter how you spend it. :)

Years and years ago before Etsy was created and before I had my own website, I started off selling my jewelry on Ebay. I remember gearing up for the busy holiday weekend and Black Friday and creating tons of jewelry for my Ebay shop. 

Back then it was auction-style selling, which was fun and exciting, and it really was a great way to learn what items were the most popular out of everything I sold. I met so many wonderful customers, many of whom still are customers! I think I sold over 3,000 pieces of jewelry on Ebay - wow! 

Then around 2009 Etsy came along, and since it touted itself as a "handmade marketplace" I knew that it would be a good venue for my work. 

In between the two I also listed my jewelry on my own website, www.dishfunctionaldesigns.com, but that got to be very time consuming and hard to keep up with, so I decided to focus my efforts on Etsy. 

At the same time Ebay's fees were mounting, and once they decided to take a cut of the seller's shipping costs - meaning the seller had to pay a percentage of shipping costs to Ebay - I was out of there. I guess they did that to make up for the tons of sellers who would take advantage of buyers for listing an item on Ebay for $10 but then charging $20 for shipping. 

I miss selling on Ebay and on my own website and have been toying with the idea of trying one or both out again, maybe once things settle down after the holidays. 

One of my best Thanksgiving weekend memories was the year my daughter Rachel was born (who just now turned 13 on Sunday!). Born the week before Thanksgiving, and there I sat at my desk on Black Friday, at my computer with a tiny little newborn baby in one arm, writing up sale after sale with the other arm, till 5am.  I think I got an entire two hours of sleep that night until I had to get up in the morning for my 2 & 1/2 year old! :)

Here I am, still keeping on, very much jewelry later! I am so thankful for all of my wonderful customers that I've had over the years, and for the ability to build a career around what I love that gave me to ability to work for myself, at home.  

Here are some of the brand new pieces that I just listed in my Etsy shop. Some are favorite old patterns, a few I haven't worked with before, but I think all are pretty. Hope you like them, and Happy Thanksgiving!

All items shown above are available for purchase at https://www.etsy.com/shop/dishfunctionldesigns

Have a great week!
love,

 Laura

My broken china jewelry is always available for purchase at https://www.etsy.com/shop/dishfunctionldesigns

Check out my new jewelry instruction books and DVDs!

Learn how to solder and make unique jewelry!

Article, images, and designs copyright ©Laura Beth Love for Dishfunctional Designs™ 2017 all rights reserved

Easy Thanksgiving Tablescapes

If you are anything like me, life can get crazy busy and you forget all the detailed pieces when it comes to entertaining for the holidays. This year we are actually going to be out of town for Thanksgiving, so I didn't have to come up with a tablescape for guests. I am kind of sad about it. I love setting my table and making it pretty. So this year I am living through inspirational pictures like the ones below.

With Thanksgiving only ONE week away, here are a few quick and easy ideas to make your table look festive without much trouble.

Source- BHG

Take a trek into your backyard or neighbors yard. It is amazing what inspiration you can find for a centerpiece. Grab a stem of colorful leaves, a branch of magnolia or a bunch of pinecones. I love the organic feel of bringing the outdoors in! 

Source

Source

Source

Emily created an amazing centerpiece from discounted ornamental Kale from Home Depot and craft paper as the table runner. Genius!

Source

I also love the idea of using what you have in your refrigerator. Grab some colorful fruit to lay on top of garland or tie a sprig of rosemary to a cloth napkin to add interest. 

unknown source

This is a neat idea of gathering branches from outside and spray painting them a bright color. It creates a sort of art piece right on your table!

Source

We can't forget about the kiddos! Did you have a kids table growing up? We sure did!
This idea is absolutely adorable. Grab some brown or white craft paper (or wrapping paper) to cover the kids table. Use jars from around the house for art supplies. This will keep them busy a little longer so you can enjoy your scrumptious meal and the paper helps with clean up. Win Win!

Source

How about spray painting a charger with chalk paint? Rather than a word, you could write the guest's name on the charger with chalk marker to help identify where everyone will sit for the meal. I also like the idea of using ribbon and yarn that you have laying around the house to wrap the cloth napkins and silverware. Nothing fancy, but helps add so much character and texture.

Source

Free Printable

This is a great way to get everyone involved in an activity while waiting for the meal and takes the place of a normal place mat or charger. Click the source link to download your own!

As you can see, it doesn't have to be expensive to look amazing. Using what you have around the house is your best bet before going out to buy something. 

What ideas have inspired you? Any tips and tricks you have used over the years to help with the stress of having company?