Another holiday season, another 4 months away from blogging!

I've just now come to accept that the blog will fall by the wayside during the last few months of each year and the beginning of the next. Last year I was MIA from the blog during the same time and talked about it in my first post of 2012 which also happened to be in February. So from now on, I'll just accept a little departure for 4-5 months during our busiest time of year at the store until the time comes when there are more hands on deck and we aren't all wearing so many hats (lots of euphemisms there).

To kick off the beginning of our 2013 posts, I thought I'd do a little recap of what I might have posted about during the last 4-5 months. We look forward to getting back into the swing of posting!

 1. Our October Trip to High Point was full of wonderful finds, including these fabulous lamps from Jamie Young.
2. In December we were invited to decorate a mantel for the Oakton Design House. This is a picture of our before and after.
3. Arrivals from Sugarboo that we found at the Atlanta market in January.
4. Our first Christmas Tree of the season was up in late October!
5. This year we introduced the headboard program from Lee Industries. So many options to create the perfect look for your bedroom.
6. Spicy Apple Candles from Rosy Rings always signify the beginning of fall when they arrive.
7. Our unofficial store mascot, Clyde, dressed and ready to go for Halloween.
8. The Spring 2013 introduction from Sid Dickens at the Atlanta market.
9. Emerald, Pantone's 2013 color of the year was incorporated into many design styles at market.
10. Our store manager Jenny with our friend Aladdin on the magic carpet at the Atlanta Market.
11. We went a little pillow crazy in Atlanta and this is just one of the new collections we've brought in.
12. We ended one of our days in Atlanta with a visit from Llama Llama Red Pajama.
13. One of our fall in store vignettes featuring the seasonal colors of brown and orange.
14. We introduced the Gat Creek line of domestic made furniture to the store (coffee table shown here) at the end of the year.

The Cobbler's Living Room: Before & After

Have you heard the old adage "the cobbler's children have no shoes"? I googled the phrase just to make sure I had it right and Wikipedia gave such a perfect definition of what I was going to try to explain that I might as well use theirs:

"The essence of this phrase is used to describe the phenomenon where certain 'professionals' in any given area are so busy with work for their clients and their teams that they neglect using their professional skills to help themselves or those closest to them. For example - the painter &/or decorator who never decorates his own house, the web designer that hasn't finished their website, or the accountant who is late in submitting his own tax return!"

That pretty much sums it up for me! Since opening The Nest Egg 8 years ago, I've lost track of how many times customers have said "Oh, your house must be beautiful!" I would graciously accept the comment as a compliment to the store but very honestly, and sheepishly of course, reply that it wasn't. It was a beautiful house in many respects, but the decor was not it's strong suite. 

We moved into our current house 5 1/2 years ago. At that time we had a 1 year old and 1 store. We soon opened a second store and had another baby boy. We then closed the second store and expanded our original store so needless to say time was precious, funds were precious and our own house wasn't our first (or second or third) priority. Between running the store and having two young boys, there truly wasn't enough time, or energy, in the day to think about our own house.

This year, with one in kindergarten, the other in preschool and a continued great team at our store, it's the first time in many years that we have found some breathing room and have been able to spend a little free time thinking about and working on our house. Because two boys under the age of 6 and a big dog are not very forgiving on a house, I chose to start with our living room as this is the one place that doesn't sustain the extreme wear and tear on a daily basis.

So here it is . . .the first peek into the cobbler's home. First, the before of our living room:  

We live in a traditional home in Reston, Virginia that was built in 1971. The previous owners had lovingly decorated the house in a very traditional Williamsburg style. Most rooms were painted Williamsburg blue, many have blue tiles and everything used was as true to the Williamsburg colors and materials as possible

Another shot of the living room before we moved in.

This is the living room, more or less, as we've lived with it for the past 5+ years. Over time we did paint the room and the trim, removed the previous window treatments, added recessed lighting and replaced the sconces. I was also just trying to pretend that I could make the blue fireplace tiles work (I couldn't).

We had an "eclectic" (also known as odd) mix of old furniture and some new furniture that was purchased quickly just to fill the house. From this I've learned to always give the advice of living in your house for a while before you buy anything because your needs change. This room originally started as an office with a huge desk and has been various forms of a living room over the years.

I loved our new brown walls (Clinton Brown by Benjamin Moore) but the room felt so dark and dated. The furniture wasn't comfortable and nothing ever worked with the blue fireplace. It's also a difficult layout because the room has two entrances so furniture placement was a challenge and we were continually trying out new arrangements. 

My goal for the room makeover was to brighten it up while keeping the brown walls I really loved, to highlight the beautiful moulding that was an original part of the home and to create a space that was comfortable, inviting (you see the room right as you walk in the front door), calming and of course, kid friendly where possible.  

I was able to sell the leather chairs, the rug and the curtains on Craigslist. I moved the settee into our bedroom and let the kids fully take over the coffee table in their play space for art projects, lego building and Hot Wheels car shows. I also reused the end table, sconces, drapery hardware and many of the accessories that were in there. Here is the new room:

 Replacing the blue tile wasn't really in our budget so we painted over the fireplace tile using a ceramic primer and the same semi gloss paint that we had originally used on the moulding. We also painted the red brick hearth and repainted the black interior of the fireplace. (Currently the fireplace isn't usable as the interior has cracks so until the day comes when we can fix that, it's purely decorative).

Here is the most kid friendly factor in the room. . . The sofa is the Salon sofa from the Joe Ruggiero collection for Miles Talbott and the fabric is SUNBRELLA! Stain and fade resistant! This fabric is called Dazzle Wren. The sofa and the fabric are truly gorgeous (and designed by the very talented and always gracious Joe Ruggiero). The first thing everyone does when I tell them it's Sunbrella is touch the sofa and they can't believe how soft it is. My son was thrilled when I let him jump on it for the pictures!

The rug is the Bermuda Jute rug in Parchment from Surya. I wanted something thinner than a tufted rug but with more texture and interest than a solid sisal or seagrass. This rug has flecks of brown and gold throughout which mix nicely with the walls and the drapes. The buffet in the corner was from our first dining set. We no longer have the dining table but this is so neutral and great for storage so we moved it into the living room.

The side chairs are from Lee Industries (there are 2 chairs but on the day I took the pictures we had brought one into the store for a customer to "test drive"). They chair style is the 1011-01 in Thatcher Natural. I've coveted this chair style from the moment I saw it in the Lee showroom. It's incredibly comfortable and a really wonderful chair size for both men and women. The throw pillow is from Lacefield Designs. They offer gorgeous pillows, all made in the US!

The wall sconces are from Currey & Company. I purchased them a few years ago and then bought new shades to go with the new room.

The Sid Dickens Zodiac memory blocks were able to stay in the same place and they represent the four zodiac symbols for our family. I chose the Astaire curtain panels from Eastern Accents even before I had chosen the chair and sofa fabrics. They are beautifully made (also in the US) and the fabric has wonderful flecks of gold in the print.

The ottoman is from Miles Talbott Furniture and is part of their Ottomans Options Program where you can choose your ottoman size, shape, skirt or castors, as well as a tufted, smooth or mitered top. The fabric is called Tana Camel. All of the upholstery in the room is also made in the US (can you sense a pattern here?).

I love my buddhas. It's a bit of a joke around the store but they make me happy! I also love the quote associated with the Sid Dickens Hourglass Memory Block (T253) in the background: "Live presently. Discover the eternity of this moment." I finally have a room where I can sit and ponder that though (momentarily)!

So 5 years later, this is one of the rooms in the cobbler's house and we are really enjoying it. It still needs a few things including another piece of art on one of the walls opposite the couch and also a few more personal touches (something on the hearth) but we're really happy with how it turned out and I'm inspired to find some time to work on some other rooms. We recently did a mini renovation on our kitchen so will share that soon!

Sid Dickens Spring 2012 "Daydream" Collection Has Arrived

Just in the nick of time for Valentine's Day, our Spring 2012 "Daydream" Collection of memory blocks from Sid Dickens have arrived!

As described by Sid Dickens, this collection is a beautiful reminder of the joys of life: "The flight of Spring! With his 2012 Daydream Collection, Sid Dickens has dreamed up a fanciful romp to the brighter side of life. Joy and abundance inspires this vibrant new collection. Gilded with delicate touches of gold; whimsical wreaths adorn classic heart motifs. An elegant honeybee flashes his wings. Under the moon lies a magical playground. Now the world is ripe with inspiration and nature calls upon each spirit to imagine a new reality. Sunshine beckons us outside to collect its many colours; eternities held in a single afternoon. In this dream world, fantasy and memory collide. Let us drift a while in this reverie, building castles in the clouds; as real as a dream is to a child."

The new Daydream collection includes:

T276 Celebration:
In the unfurling tangles
of life's drifting course,
find joy.
Misplace not this feeling!
 

T275 Aviator
This tiny visitor,
messenger of change,
Bestirred from winter's dream
to the work of a new season,
And the passing of another page.

T274 Waterdance Mirrored ripples in

full moon's light,
Transport me to another time.
Awaken me in the land
where faeries dwell,
And castles keep their secrets.

T273 Ace of Hearts
One rich in love

is forever victorious.

T272 Fledgling
How quickly time passes,
my child. Take this moment;
keep it close. Like the youthful
voice of Spring.

T271 Whole Heart
With lightness I offer
the gift of laurels and love;
I offer myself.
All six of the new tiles are in stock now along with many more. $84 per tile and as always, we are happy to special order any tiles that are current in the line which we do not have in stock. We too are ready to welcome spring and the new Daydream collection is a welcome taste!
 

Gorgeous NEW Sid Dickens tiles

$80 each

Sid Dickens - Back in Stock!

Our supply of Sid Dickens tiles is back with more than we've ever had! If you aren't familiar with Sid Dickens, check out their website for the story on the creator and the tiles: http://www.siddickens.com/

Hand crafted of plaster, Sid Dickens tiles are a wonderful wall art option when you're looking for something other than framed art or canvases. Each piece has a short poem describing the tile so you can choose ones that have a special meaning to you, choose monograms or astrological signs or simply patterns and colors that appeal to you to create a unique showing in your home. You can start with a single tile or start your own collection. We have customers with over 50 tiles and many who just buy one a year and add to their collection.

We started carrying the tiles last year after a few requests from our customers and we couldn't keep them in stock. Unfortunately they experienced a labor shortage in Vancouver last year, where the tiles are produced, which led to delays in receiving our orders. We've had lists of customers to call when they got here who came right in to pick out their tiles.

We'll have another order coming in before the holidays and we are happy to special order any tiles for you that we don't have in stock. Make sure to get your order in soon though as the next available ship date as of this week is mid-November so we're guessing that orders placed towards the end of this month may not come in until January.

We can also order the tiles that are being retired this year for you. Feel free to call us at our Fairfax store for details on those tiles.

Also, if you already have a Sid Dickens collection, send us pictures of how you've arranged them in your home. We'd love to see them and share your ideas with our customers.