Maine Seasons Events in Maine Home + Design Magazine Feature-Lakeside Magic

Last summer I styled a house for a Maine Home + Design Magazine feature, and it just came out on the May cover-what a treat to see it in print!

This perfect little house was Heaven to be in for the day, the screen porch on the same level as the main floor is one of the many brilliant ideas in this house, of architect Will Winkleman. I could have pulled up a chair and stayed on that porch all evening!

The glass ceilings make you feel like you are in the trees outside, inside, and the whole tree beams and supports are the stuff of woodland fairy homes.

As always, working with photographer, Trent Bell for the day taught me new things about light and perspective, and seeing some of Ava's little accessories in the magazine made me smile, as though she was with me on the shoot that day.

Ava looked at the magazine and said, "Hey, that is my wooden hedgehog in this magazine, how is that even possible!?" I explained again about how I borrow things for photo shoots sometimes and then I always bring them back at the end of the day. "Oh so you just checked out some of my things on a loan, like at the library?" And then she thought for a minute. And then, "Well you better bring them back, or I will charge you a late fee." Classic. At least she understands about borrowing!

Fixing the Toilet...In a cashmere sweater And riding a camel

Yep, that is what I did today. I had to fix the toilet flapper flange thingy in the tank and bake a birthday cake and start building a cabinet for the office. All in my favorite black cashmere sweater. Has anyone ever run a circular saw in a cashmere sweater?!? Refreshing- I tell you.

And recently I also rode a camel. With my 3.5 year old daughter. And me at 35 years old. Yep, a camel.

You know, just an average array of happenings in my life. So bizarre that all of this just had to go in one post.

Apparently camels have a fat pad on their humps upon which a human can sit with no disturbance or pain to the camel. Hmm. Yes, I did ask in advance, I certainly didn't want to sit my fat rump on the animal's fat hump and cause him any discomfort.

It turned out just fine, Ava and the rest of the onlooking family members had quite a laugh, and Joshua, the camel was none the worse for giving my daughter and I what might be a once in a lifetime experience.

I firmly believe that the sweater just jazzed up the most basic of daily tasks. Cleaning in high heels is a bit unpractical, even for me, but a cashmere sweater I can do.

I am happy I put on a cashmere sweater today, it gave me extra powers!

The Magic of Brimfield Antiques Show

For the 5th time, Brimfield Antiques Show made for an exhausting and exciting adventure. Treasures and trinkets aplenty and of course, enough oddities to offer a few nightmares!

Basket of porcelain doll heads, anyone?

This year Chris and I zipped to Massachusetts for the one day that could be allocated to treasure hunting this week, between client meetings, office building and Ava tending. It is a rather intense marathon to see all of the booths in one day, we didn't rest for 18 hours, and ate while walking through the tents, to save time. I said it before and I will say it again: Brimfield is not for the faint of heart!

Brimfield is just a place you have to visit, and once you do, you might just keep getting pulled back, year after year. I mean, where else would you find glove molds, if you wanted them!?!?

Or an entire table of vintage film cameras?!?

And table, upon table, booth upon booth, tent after tent, of an assortment of everything, anything and all things in between. It is all here.

Just give yourself at least 2 days to really enjoy it!

This year I went equipped again with my list of items to source for clients' weddings. I struck gold for one client, and had a few near misses for a few others, but as an abbreviated trip, it was successful.

It comes around again in July, but we find it too hot and too in the middle of wedding season to attend. If you can stand the heat, mark your calendars: July 10-15, 2011.

Baby turns 3.5

How does it really go this fast?!? I mean, how? How does a wee baby go through metamorphosis and turn into this little spirited girl?

Not a baby anymore, clearly a girl.

A girl who told me today, " I can't believe I am growing up into a grown up, isn't it amazing?"

It is. Absolutely amazing.