A SUMMER OF REMEMBRANCE…

Do you believe it is August already???????  Summer has sizzled by here in Michigan – busy, fun, memorable, hot, laughter, tears, graduations, engagements, births, deaths, struggles, triumphs, successes, failures – sound familiar?  It is just that it all happened so quickly!!!

August is Michigan’s month for hot, steamy storms and beautiful sunsets.

For lush, fragrant flowerboxes full of lemon thyme……

and rosemary…….

indestructible roadside chicory….. (love that color!)

and, my favorite, black-eyed susan.

Designing window treatments for client’s this summer has been full of “adventure” as well.  From “wake-up-in-the-middle-of-the-night” sweats – “DID I REMEMBER TO ORDER THAT TRIM???!!!” to “I am sorry! That fabric has been discontinued also!” (after weeks of searching every book in town!)

But really what has pulled me through these hot, sticky, sluggish days of summer and sleepless night’s of design projects have been the delightful, creative, deliciously, adventuresome posts of my blogger friends!

Delightful creations by designer CJ VanDaff

Scrumptious dishes by vegan chef AND designer Margaux Drake..

Fascinating and adventuresome picture trips from places I only dream of by friends Jane and Lance Hattatt…

Histoires extraordinaires de par l'ami de Belgique Jerome...

Heartfelt stories that bring my heart alive from writer, dreamer, designer Pamela Terry…

and new inspiration from Jade Creative and her lovely roman shades designs and soft treatments!

THANK YOU TO ALL FOR UNKNOWINGLY MOVING MY HEART, MOVING MY FEET FORWARD, AND MAKING ME SMILE WHEN I NEEDED THAT LITTLE EXTRA SOMETHING!

HAT’S OFF!!!

I am sure everyone is well aware……..and I know I  have mentioned this before…….however, if anyone missed this “fact” on my blog previously…….I do feel GREENHOUSE FABRICS is one of the BEST textile suppliers out there in the market today.

In this demanding industry where perfection is expected from every design project and from each design professional, kudos are not given enough to the people that actually deliver excellent service.

We here at our little business have always appreciated and displayed proudly our “THANK YOU’S” from clients that have taken a moment to let us know we are on the right track.

So, THANK YOU, over and over, Greenhouse Fabrics, for keeping your customer’s satisfaction first on your list, for always considering the “greener” approach to business, for promoting this innovative industry and its designers, and for always being so friendly, accommodating, considerate, and HAPPY when we call you on the phone!!!

In my book, Greenhouse Fabrics continues to get the golden '”HAT’S OFF” award!!

TOULOUSE

Toulouse (pronounced [tuluz]  in standard French and [tuˈluzə]  with a Toulouse accent; Occitan: Tolosa, pronounced [tuˈluzɔ]), medieval Tholoza, is a city in southwest France on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km (366 mi) away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. With 1,102,882 inhabitants as of 1 January 2006,^[1] the Toulouse metropolitan area is the fourth-largest in France, after Paris (11.8 million), Lyon (1.8 million), Marseille (1.7 million).

Ha!  Encore une fois, je suis désolé de décevoir ! (I am sorry to disappoint) this is not about Toulouse, France.  I would dearly love to give you insight to any city in France……but, alas, I have not been fortunate enough to visit…..yet!!

My “Toulouse” is again located in my favorite little hamlet in Michigan along that superb sandy coast of Lake Michigan.  Yes, Saugatuck, Michigan  has two delightful restaurants that we love to visit!!

Of course, it is not 248 Avenue des Champs-Elysees but rather more mundanely 248 Culver Street…..but none the less delightful.

Simple elegance of rich, hardwood shutters (one of my favorite window products to use in design) adorn the interior dining room of this “old world” restaurant, softening the light into a wistful and evocative aura of romantic elegance.  Even if you didn’t know a lick of French….”C'est magnifique ” would roll off your tongue!!!

Outside, the atmosphere in the cozy courtyard is just as classic!

Nightly low lighting with an abundance of twinkle lights in bushes lining the building.

Vine covered trellis, trickling fountains…..oh…and yes, the food is great as well.   It would be wonderful if the staff could speak French or even English with a French accent to complete the picture of illusion……but one cannot have everything!!  This is still a delightful way to spend an afternoon or evening!

C'est formidable!

Eleanor’s Hydrangeas

This week my mother-in-law’s hydrangeas bloomed the loveliest I have ever seen them bloom.  They crowd around the side entrance to her home, caressing your legs as you mount the steps.  Enormously creamy white blooms you cannot help but bury your nose into!

We cut many beautiful stems to fill familiar old vases she has collected over the years.  One for the usual centerpiece on her dining room  table, one for great-grandma at the rest home, and one…… to sit beside her casket as we said our last goodbyes.  They were her favorite flower.  They were Eleanor’s hydrangeas.

We are moving forward enduring a void that can only be filled with the sweet memories we hold very, very close to our hearts. 

Pleasure is the flower that passes; remembrance, the lasting perfume.  ~Jean de Boufflers

INTERMISSION.....

"If you look deeply in the the palm of your hand, you will see your parents and all the generations of your ancestors.  All of them are alive in this moment.  Each is present in your body.  Your are the continuation of each of these people."

We are breaking from our usual routines for a time to assist my mother-in-law in her transition from this life to the next.  Each moment is preciously savored and brings life into sharper focus.  Priorities are redefined, relationships are refreshed.  Memories are shared, tears and laughter join hands, love covers all things.  Life flows through these days very much alive and with such clarity even in the face of impending death.  For now, my attentions are drawn to her side.

Peace.

HERCULES

I am sorry to disappoint all of you Roman and Greek mythology buffs by leading you on entitling my post “Hercules”.  No, this is not the intriguing story about the son of Jupiter and Alcmene.

This is about a superb restaurant located in Saugatuck, Michigan which we happened upon this last weekend and were enchanted and delighted about the atmosphere and menu!

Not only did their fenced gardened courtyard hold a superb array of flowers and a canopy of beautiful shade trees (where, of course, we ate, being the day was a gorgeous one),

but their screened porch was airy and elegantly softened by these summery grommet draperies.

Hercules also offers  a more intimate setting indoors surrounding you with rich wall colors, soft lights and a rich flow of fabric draperies.  Oh, did I mention the food was wonderful and the staff very friendly and eager to make sure your dining experience was memorable.  Hats off to Hercules!

“In Our Dreams” Second Home…

Nestled up in the heart of Northern Michigan along Lake Michigan’s breathtaking Sleeping Bear Dunes lakeshore is a resort we lovingly (however, not legally) call our second home.  The Homestead Fresh Water Resort is our “little piece of heaven.”  A casual, laid back, relaxing coastal resort that we not only love to vacation at…but appreciatively assist in designing window coverings for.

We have spent summers swimming and sunning when the boys were growing up and winters skiing and drinking hot chocolate.  We have tended to their window treatments as well as enjoyed their gracious hospitality in this marvelous “pinky” area of the Michigan mitten.

Every accommodation we have had, whether by the lapping waters of the lake front or high in the forested dunes of the Hawk’s Nest, has provided an experience we relive and relive for years to come.

We cannot really call it “work” when we are installing window coverings for the Homestead especially when being surrounded by such soothing natural beauty!

I know this sounds like a travelogue, but I have been freshly reminded of our Northern Michigan treasure recently as we are once again joyously assisting them with window coverings and will have yet another opportunity to gaze across “Michigami” as the Ojibwa referred to the “great water”.  As the Homestead says, “If heaven’s full, this is a great second choice!”