Pillow Talk

Sometimes in life, we receive necessary messages from the universe in the most unusual of places. For me, the latest message came in the form of a pillow -- more specifically, the above pillow, referenced yesterday by one of my favorite blogs, Style Court.

Breezing through the post, of course the lovely embroidered pillow from Anthropologie caught my eye--I've developed a sort of thing for parrots lately, and have a long-standing weakness for embroidery--but what really got my attention was the reference to the pillow's designer, Shelley Hesse.

Shelley is a fabulous New Orleans artist, but more significantly for me, also an old friend and former roommate from my college days at the University of Georgia -- one of a group of girlfriends from all parts of the South except Georgia, where almost everyone else there seemed to hail from....maybe that's what brought us all together, but I'd like to think it was more than that.

The last time I spoke to Shelley was also the last time I saw her, and the last time I saw any of my old college friends: more than five years ago, at the Palm Beach home of one of the girls in our group. Over a wonderful sunny weekend we ate, drank, lounged on the beach, and gossiped about the old days as well as the new. Carrie, our hostess, was the first of us to get pregnant, and we threw her an impromptu baby shower at which we forced her to parade around, belly on full display, in the decidedly un-maternity-like lingerie we had given her to mark the occasion.

Since then, two of the girls have gotten married, four have had children, and at least one more is recently engaged. I've managed to stay in touch with a few of them courtesy of Facebook, but others (including Shelley) I haven't connected with since that weekend years ago.

Just as the recent sudden death of a cherished friend from my youth reminded me of how much I continue to love and value the connections I formed as a child and teenager, so did seeing Shelley's pillow remind me of how much I miss the connections I formed afterwards, as a college student trying to find my place in the world.

Between work, family, and all the responsibilities in between, I seem to get so caught up in the daily demands of life that I tend to forget to make time for the people who have helped make my life what it has been. So thank you, Style Court, for inspiring me to reconnect with Shelley and some of my other old friends. (Polly and Dana, you two are next!)

Check out some of the other lovely pieces from Shelley's collaboration with Anthropologie:

This is actually my favorite of the pillow offerings -- I love the contrast of the colorful embroidery against the black background.

I love the Lobster rug almost as much as I would if it came with a cup of melted butter on the side. If only real lobsters were so colorful, I might not have the heart to eat them. Oh, who am I kdding? Of course I would.

I love the idea of these dessert plates as a summertime hostess gift.

The collection even delves into bedding, which begs for a closer look. Beach house, anyone?

A peek at some of Shelley's artwork shows the inspiration behind the collection:

Green Parrot

22" x 30"

Large Shell Study

27-1/2" x 39-1/2"

Unsurprisingly, my own favorites of Shelley's work are her interiors:

Green Room

40" x 60"

(The fact that this is already sold causes me physical pain. Love. Love. Love.)

French Desk

40" x 60"

I've been a fan of Shelley's work for years, and I couldn't be happier that masses of Anthropologie shoppers will be joining me in the club.

Now if you'll excuse me, there is a fabulous parrot pillow waiting to meet its new mommy.