We Are Family

So there's the Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon theory, right? I think we all have some version of that game we apply to our own lives; the more connected our world becomes, the shorter the distance between any of us. And that theory feels even more true in the design world -- it seems those of us operating within it are only one layer away from someone we admire....or, as I like to call it, one of our "design crushes."

Because I am a woman, a decorator, and, well, human, I love Nate Berkus...not only is he ridiculously talented and charming, but he is so darn cute. (Yeah, I said it.) You can imagine how excited I was when packing a One Kings Lane shipment to see the shipping address reading "Nate Berkus Associates." Aaack!

Nate (or, more likely, someone working for Nate) purchased one of my favorite items, a pair of wall panels I had made from a roll of vintage wallpaper I purchased from the etsy shop of one of my favorite bloggers, Erin Gates of Elements of Style.

And today a client alerted me to a recent EOS post about Nate's new book, illustrating the panels...featured in the book! Erin wrote that the paper is identical to that she has for sale, not knowing it is actually HER PAPER I bought years ago.

A photo from Nate's new book (courtesy of EOS) showing the panels in their new home.

A shot from the old store, showing the panels in their original home.

The way I see it, Nate, Erin and I are now practically related.

You Like Me, You Really Like Me

I'd like to thank the Academy, my mom and dad...oh, sorry--just practicing my acceptance speech, as our humble little blog has received its first award...well, award *nomination*, but let's not dwell on the details.

Abundant thanks to the lovely and stylish Rebecca June for the Splash Award nomination.

What is a Splash Award, you ask? I didn't know myself, and for all I know it could be the blog equivalent of a chain letter, but regardless, it's a great place to tout my favorite reads and elaborate on what makes them special to me.

The Splash Award is given to alluring, amusing, bewitching, impressive and inspiring blogs. (I am happy to be any of those, btw.)

When you receive this award you must:

1. Put the logo on your blog or post.
2. Nominate up to 9 blogs which allure, amuse, bewitch, impress or inspire you.
3. Be sure to link to your nominees within your post.
4. Let your nominees know that they have been splashed by commenting on their blog.
5. Remember to link to the person from whom you have received your Splash Award.

As I am an inveterate rule follower, here goes (in no particular order, other than that in which they occur to me):

1. Rebecca June, who is so sweet and cute it hurts....in a good way. We would have listed her even if she hadn't nominated us. Every image she posts is a keeper!

2. Jen West Design and her side-splitting blog jentrified, which incidentally gets my vote for best blog name ever. Not only is Jen's style impeccable but she could moonlight as a stand-up comedienne.

3. The incomparable isuwannee, both for its awesome southern name and Jamie's wry and honest style. Her "looking at on eBay" is a perennial favorite, and she will forever be associated in my mind with fabulous bookcases.

4. isuwannee's more caustic but equally hilarious cousin, Decorno, where we can read people's brutal truths on everything from zebra rugs to the economy to bedroom advice. What more could you want in a blog? It doesn't hurt that she gives us shout-outs every now and then.

5. Pink Wallpaper, whose posts are exactly what I would write about, and images I would show, if she didn't do it first, and more than likely, better.

6. What Is James Wearing, to which I was introduced by my #2 candidate above, Jen West. James is completely fabulous and I wish more than almost anything that I could go shopping with him.

7. Beachbungalow8, for her fantastic images and not-everywhere posting topics, all viewed through a style lens I love.

8. Michelle at M.A. Belle for her generous spirit, her admirable production mission, and her fresh, colorful style.

9. Joni at Cote de Texas. Though our styles are quite different--mine of the color and lacquer, hers of the neutrals and linen--Joni's passion for what she writes about shines through in every post and makes for great reading.

Obviously these are only a fraction of my favorite blogs. Here are some others I think are great and read regularly (and incidentally, I know I am not reinventing the wheel on most of these...though they're popular, I figure it never hurts to give credit where credit is due.):

coco+kelley

Kelley Moore Creative (the namesake of the second half of "Coco & Kelley")

So Haute!

Style Court

The Peak of Chic

Katiedid

Elements of Style

design*sponge

Brilliant Asylum

Carolina Eclectic

Alexandra Hedin Design

Anne Bryant Creative (world's best graphic designer!)

All the Best

Absolutely Beautiful Things

....and about 25 others, but my fingers are getting tired.

Happy reading! I hope I may have led you to a new discovery or two that will inspire and delight you.

Surfing the Web

Through this crazy thing called the Internet, we stumbled across a few lovely mentions of our shop--mainly, our shop's new Web site, but more about that later--and we wanted to share them with you.

The first is by a designer and blogger in...India! What a world, in which someone across the globe finds our shop. If only I could visit India so easily (and inexpensively).

The second is much closer to home, a great graphic design firm here in Seattle called Suite 7 Creative. Check out their very nice post AND their equally great Etsy offerings!

Here are a handful of other blogs we were thrilled to discover thanks to their thoughtful inclusion of our shop:

b.chic design

The Continuous Thread of Revelation

Thanks for the great mentions, ladies. We are happy to return the favor.

Now, back to Web surfing.