Valorie Hart, of *Visual*Vamp* fame is one of the design blogosphere's most colorful members. Currently, she is in need of help and Laura Ingalls Gunn of the blog Decor to Adore came up with the idea of creating an auction where bloggers will auction off items of their choice and ship it to the highest bidder. All proceeds will go to Valorie and her husband Alberto, to help them raise money to take a medical flight back to New Orleans from Calgary, Canada. They were traveling to Calgary last weekend to give a Tango class when Alberto suffered a major heart attack just as they got off the plane. He's shown some improvement and has been cleared to travel back to the states, but only on a medical flight. And so, they are in need of financial help to make this happen as soon as possible. After all, when we're sick, we want to be in our own homes with our family and friends and doctors nearby.
All monies raised via auction or direct donation will be placed into a PayPal account set up for Valorie and Alberto:
My contribution to the auction is this vintage silver mini-Champagne bucket that I will fill with surprise treats for the winner. The bucket is approximately 9" to top of handle, 5" diameter. Value of the silver champagne bucket is approximately $40.00, more with the surprise treats.
If you would like to bid on this sweet little champagne bucket (US & Canada residents only, please), please leave me a comment. I'd like to start the bidding at $20.00. Bidding ends Monday morning, November 8th, at 10:00am. Bid high! I love this bucket!
Edited to ad: As of Monday, Nov. 8th, Alberto was flown home on a medical flight and has had stent surgery and is doing well. But the flight cost Valorie & Alberto over $10,000 which is not covered by insurance or Medicare. So, Decor to Adore has extended the auction another week and I agree. So, please keep bidding if you're interested in this item - or one of the many other fantastic items on auction. If you're not in a position to offer an item or place a bid, simply spreading the word (Facebook, Twitter, blog post, emails) will be a huge help. Thank you!
Please leave your email address or link to your blog in the comments so I can reach the high bidder.
Valorie Hart, of *Visual*Vamp* fame is one of the design blogosphere's most colorful members. Currently, she is in need of help and Laura Ingalls Gunn of the blog Decor to Adore came up with the idea of creating an auction where bloggers will auction off items of their choice and ship it to the highest bidder. All proceeds will go to Valorie and her husband Alberto, to help them raise money to take a medical flight back to New Orleans from Calgary, Canada. They were traveling to Calgary last weekend to give a Tango class when Alberto suffered a major heart attack just as they got off the plane. He's shown some improvement and has been cleared to travel back to the states, but only on a medical flight. And so, they are in need of financial help to make this happen as soon as possible. After all, when we're sick, we want to be in our own homes with our family and friends and doctors nearby.
All monies raised via auction or direct donation will be placed into a PayPal account set up for Valorie and Alberto:
My contribution to the auction is this vintage silver mini-Champagne bucket that I will fill with surprise treats for the winner. The bucket is approximately 9" to top of handle, 5" diameter. Value of the silver champagne bucket is approximately $40.00, more with the surprise treats.
If you would like to bid on this sweet little champagne bucket (US & Canada residents only, please), please leave me a comment. I'd like to start the bidding at $20.00. Bidding ends Monday morning, November 8th, at 10:00am. Bid high! I love this bucket!
Edited to ad: As of Monday, Nov. 8th, Alberto was flown home on a medical flight and has had stent surgery and is doing well. But the flight cost Valorie & Alberto over $10,000 which is not covered by insurance or Medicare. So, Decor to Adore has extended the auction another week and I agree. So, please keep bidding if you're interested in this item - or one of the many other fantastic items on auction. If you're not in a position to offer an item or place a bid, simply spreading the word (Facebook, Twitter, blog post, emails) will be a huge help. Thank you!
Please leave your email address or link to your blog in the comments so I can reach the high bidder.
November is Gratitude month and here in the States, we celebrate Thanksgiving as well. I am planning on offering up a daily expression of gratitude in some manner as an exercise in reminding myself how much I have to be grateful for. I won't be doing a daily blog post -my expression might come in the form of a Tweet or a Facebook comment. Or something more personal.
So today, I'd like to start by saying thank you to some pretty great Dad's whose daughters miss them terribly. To Meg's Dad who taught his children to look up; and to Megan's Dad, who passed away just this week, who taught his children about passion - passion for design and passion for family; and to my Dad, who taught his children to do the job right and to always be grateful.
November is Gratitude month and here in the States, we celebrate Thanksgiving as well. I am planning on offering up a daily expression of gratitude in some manner as an exercise in reminding myself how much I have to be grateful for. I won't be doing a daily blog post -my expression might come in the form of a Tweet or a Facebook comment. Or something more personal.
So today, I'd like to start by saying thank you to some pretty great Dad's whose daughters miss them terribly. To Meg's Dad who taught his children to look up; and to Megan's Dad, who passed away just this week, who taught his children about passion - passion for design and passion for family; and to my Dad, who taught his children to do the job right and to always be grateful.
The mission of the Room to Dream Foundation is to create healing environments in hospitals, communities, and homes for children and adolescents who are facing chronic illnesses. As they recuperate and recover, the hope is that their renovated spaces will improve their quality of life, promote strength, imagination, self-worth, and aid in their recovery processes.
The Room to Dream Foundation focuses its services on children and families living in low- and moderate-income urban and suburban areas. In order to complete each renovation, the Foundation purchases all of the furnishings and supplies. Every purchase is tailored to the specific needs of a child or family. Through a caring staff of professional and amateur artists, interior decorators, and volunteers, Room to Dream creates living spaces that give children and adolescents room to dream of a healthier future.
The mission of the Room to Dream Foundation is to create healing environments in hospitals, communities, and homes for children and adolescents who are facing chronic illnesses. As they recuperate and recover, the hope is that their renovated spaces will improve their quality of life, promote strength, imagination, self-worth, and aid in their recovery processes.
The Room to Dream Foundation focuses its services on children and families living in low- and moderate-income urban and suburban areas. In order to complete each renovation, the Foundation purchases all of the furnishings and supplies. Every purchase is tailored to the specific needs of a child or family. Through a caring staff of professional and amateur artists, interior decorators, and volunteers, Room to Dream creates living spaces that give children and adolescents room to dream of a healthier future.
Today's Boston Globe Sunday magazine focuses on Easy and Affordable design and diy projects, including a photospread of a Milton, MA couple who are both physical therapists. This is a very special story because the photospread - and cover photo - was shot by my photographer and friend Michael Lee. Well, what's special is that Michael and his wife are friends and neighbors with the homeowners, Jenny and Colin Highland. The day after the photoshoot took place, Michael was hit by a motorcycle while walking in a crosswalk and his leg was broken in three places. He was released from the hospital just days before the deadline to submit the images for the photoshoot. I can promise you - he is the hardest working man in design. He not only made his photo deadline, a week after the accident, he attended an industry event where he was a sponsor. I know, because I was his chauffeur/date for the evening and he was still very shaky on the full leg cast and crutches. Amazing. He's since resumed his shooting schedule (including a trip to Nantucket), cast, crutches and all. Thankfully, since he's coming back to my house this week to re-shoot my kitchen for a national magazine spread (details to follow!). A big thanks to homeowner Colin Highland who is working with Michael as his personal physical therapist. It's amazing how far a positive can-do attitude and the kindness of friends will go.
Here are the pics from Michael's photoshoot of Colin and Jenny Highland's DIY styled home. They've created a warm sanctuary for their little family, filled with vintage and modern touches and a sophisticated, yet exuberant color palette.
Photos courtesy of The Boston Globe. Photography by Michael J. Lee. Story by Estelle Bond Guralnick.
Today's Boston Globe Sunday magazine focuses on Easy and Affordable design and diy projects, including a photospread of a Milton, MA couple who are both physical therapists. This is a very special story because the photospread - and cover photo - was shot by my photographer and friend Michael Lee. Well, what's special is that Michael and his wife are friends and neighbors with the homeowners, Jenny and Colin Highland. The day after the photoshoot took place, Michael was hit by a motorcycle while walking in a crosswalk and his leg was broken in three places. He was released from the hospital just days before the deadline to submit the images for the photoshoot. I can promise you - he is the hardest working man in design. He not only made his photo deadline, a week after the accident, he attended an industry event where he was a sponsor. I know, because I was his chauffeur/date for the evening and he was still very shaky on the full leg cast and crutches. Amazing. He's since resumed his shooting schedule (including a trip to Nantucket), cast, crutches and all. Thankfully, since he's coming back to my house this week to re-shoot my kitchen for a national magazine spread (details to follow!). A big thanks to homeowner Colin Highland who is working with Michael as his personal physical therapist. It's amazing how far a positive can-do attitude and the kindness of friends will go.
Here are the pics from Michael's photoshoot of Colin and Jenny Highland's DIY styled home. They've created a warm sanctuary for their little family, filled with vintage and modern touches and a sophisticated, yet exuberant color palette.
Photos courtesy of The Boston Globe. Photography by Michael J. Lee. Story by Estelle Bond Guralnick.
I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. For those of us in the States celebrating Independence Day, we know from the time we were school children to be grateful to our Founding Fathers and all those who fought to create a place where we're free to pursue our dreams. Of course, we're a work in progress and like every human endeavor, we make mistakes and sometimes head down the wrong path. But overall, I do believe that we will eventually get to where we need to be. Even if the route is circuitous and mysterious.
I wanted to share a little story of my friend and colleague Janet LaBerge. Janet is the owner of a cleanout company called Dirty Deeds(Done Dirt Cheap). Janet and her "crew", which often includes her two adopted teenaged sons Brock and Yeltsin, go into basements, attics and storage bins to help people clean out their homes, readying them for sale or other passages in life.
(photo by Jean Donohue)
Janet's particular specialty is cleanouts for senior citizens, although she certainly works for anyone who needs her help - I've used her and referred her to friends. As any of us with aging parents and grandparents knows, moves later in life involves a lot of downsizing and getting rid of a lifetime's accumulated belongings. And while it's often "just stuff", each piece is imbued with memories. Janet's background in social work (20 years) has provided her with a basis for understanding this process of letting go and moving on. She understands that in many cases, it's part of a long term grieving process and respect for how these items are disbursed can be a helpful part of the process. Nearly every item that Janet is asked to remove is recycled in some way and very little actually goes straight into a landfill. For people who have to give up some treasured possessions, knowing that they are going to "good homes" can make all the difference because they know they are making a difference in someone else's life.
Janet's mantra, the core of her business philosophy, is that of "paying it forward". Doing for others so that they will be inspired to do for others. There are certainly a lot of people in her line of work who happily sell the items they are paid to cart away and there is nothing wrong with that. However, that's simply not what Janet LaBerge is all about. She even made these black wrist bands printed with WWDDD (What Would Dirty Deeds Do?) and Pay It Forward as reminders which she passes out wherever she goes. In addition to donations and recycling, Janet also passes along items to those in her extremely wide circle of aquaintance. Mostly, it's furnishings and dishes and the like. The only rule is that it goes to a good home, is not to be re-sold, and that the recipient also try to pay it forward in some way. I noticed on her Facebook page this week that someone posted the following:
Hi Janet, I wanted to tell you that you came to mind yesterday. I decided to take the day off and spent maybe $30 on popsicles and throughout the day delivered them to any of my friends that were working outdoors. I thought about "you need to pay it forward" The smiles on the faces were freaking priceless, have a great day.
A couple of months ago, Janet posted to her Facebook page the image below of this wicker set that needed a good new home. I just happened to have a totally empty deck in need of a patio set. I'd had a vintage wrought iron table and chairs, but it had rusted beyond my ability (& interest) to resuscitate. Janet had taken it off my hands a couple of years ago - no doubt passing it along to a worthy new owner.
By 6:00 on the same day, I was the proud new owner of this pretty wicker set which fit perfectly on my deck, expanding my living space to create a nice new outdoor room!
Just in time for the holiday, I recovered all the cushions with a Waverly outdoor fabric that is water and mildew resistant. I hope the previous owner would be happy to see that this set has been put to good use as it's gotten me out doors (something I avoid a little too much) and brought friends to my door for cocktails out on the deck. Fun!
And now, it's my turn to pay it forward. I often pass along things to members of my Freecycle group, and so I will spend some time today pulling together some interesting items and passing them along to new homes.
Janet was just inducted (or I should say "coronated") as the new president of the board of director's of the South Shore Women's Business Network (SSWBN). At the dinner event last week, Janet put together quite an entrance and gave quite a speech. While it's a bit of a time commitment, I encourage you to watch this truly unique, funny and poignant speech about working with others, professional and personal relationships, and yes, paying it forward.
Thanks to Susan from Between Naps on the Porch for hosting another fabulous Metamorphosis Monday!
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