Crazy for Chinoiserie and we have a winner!

First things first, time to announce the lucky winner of the shoe ottoman...sure hope its going to someone who looooves her shoes:) So the lucky winner is (chosen via random.org).......

Result: #97

Maggie Rozinski January 19, 2013 at 5:33 PM

OOO! The Warner chair and ottomon really caught my eye! It would look perfect in my husband's home office. I however, would LOVE the shoe ottoman for my closet. The Safavieh site is beautiful. thanks for sharing it with us. Maggie R.

Random number code based on JavaScript documentation on the Mozilla Developer Center.

 

Congratulations, please email me to claim your prize! More fun giveaways coming up...


Also if you missed my "last supper" over at Haus Design, you must see it! Click here. 

Sorry but I have added word verification temporarily to hopefully ward off these pesty anonymous solicitors...its driving me crazy! I must get 50-75 a day! 

OK whether you have been following along with me for a year or 2 days you know one thing, actually lets make it two. No, three. I love food, I love blue and white and I love chinoiseire! I am really excited to be just getting started on finally choosing it for my long neglected dining room. I am the kind of person that knows exactly what i want. If it means having to wait to get it...wait I will.

I am not one to easily compromise, and feel that all great things come to those who wait. So in my travels...I have been pursuing lots of pictures of chinoiserie and have included some of my favorites here. Do you like it? Love it? I feel its so timeless. It was as beautiful 100 years ago as it is today and as it will be in another 100 years. Not too many things you can say that about! So lets take a look, have a fave?

 And for anyone who cares to know the history of chinoiserie and its origins and namely how it became so popular and iconic, read on...(taken from Kravets website)   The Western fascination with all things Oriental began in the mid 17th century with trade between Europe and China.Imported arts and crafts had an exciting and different beauty from those made in the west, especially Chinese porcelain and lacquer. In the early 18th century, the term “chinoiserie” was used to describe the European fantasy vision of China and the Far East. It is actually a French word for “Chinesery” or “Chinese-esque.”
It is an invented fusion of Asian motifs and European sophistication created by designers and craftsmen in the West. Since they knew little about far-off Asian cultures due to limited exposure, early chinoiserie is characterized by the use of imagery of a China that could only be imagined with pagodas, fabulous birds, monkeys, dragons and figures in exotic costumes. Decorative scenes may show a mythological creature in an oriental landscape, or an elegant lady with a Chinese parasol and Parisian hairstyle. Chinoiserie is often eccentric but most of all it is a fun mixture of fact and fiction of what seemed incredibly exotic to the people of Europe. 

This new playful style was popularized when the French court of Louis XV found the curves and whimsy of chinoiserie integrated beautifully with Rococo architectural features. It soon spread throughout Europe and could be found in the interiors and gardens of the royal palaces. 

Stunning and elegant....Albert Hadley

Ahh, the blues do it every time.Miles Redd

A fun mix with an old classic, Miles Redd

De Gournay at its most elegant. Stunning!

This is what I call a happy bedroom! Nick Olsen

Grand, baby grand!Yves St. Laurent

Love the colors.....imagine at sunset! Chinoiserie Chic

Big fan of green! Miles Redd

Always been a fan of this gorgeous room in New Orleans....Alexa Hampton

Metallics bring the ultimate glam factor!

 

Elizabeth Dinkel used a gorgeous green to give a pop of color in this fabulous home

This soft gray/green remains one of my personal faves! Chad Thomas

Elegance personified. Atlanta Homes and Lifestyles

The soft golds are timeless and neutral....NSR

Really love this metallic.....spectacular!NSR

Even works in transitional rooms......

 

Stunning in this bathroom...talk about making a statement! Arch Digest

  OMG, for a blue and white lover like myself....this is seriously Nirvana!

Neutrals work with literally any color...totally timeless! Griffin and Wong

LOVE the handblocking detail...makes it feel old

So opulent and magnificent, don't you think!

Adore this hallway, the neutral panels, the rich warm woods, the neutral soft billow drapes....perfect!!

And some of the ones I love and am considering...have a fave?

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Always loved this one which looks tea stained from DeGournay....beautiful!

Love the softness and am a sucker for birds.....Stark

This is simple and understated, Stark

Adore this pattern, Kew Garden from Paul Montgomery

Long been on my "faves" list, Gracie

Paul Montgomery This one would work mighty well with my dining room rug, though I would opt for more open field and less leaves/blossoms......this would be beautiful handblocked.

This feels so fresh and alive, Paul Montgomery

 A more tonal approach, Paul Montgomery

 Well it this doesn't make you a lover of it....don't think its in the cards. I personally cannot get enough! So beautiful, grand, elegant, timeless.....loooove it! What do you think? Would you ? Could you? Or do you have it in your life? Love to hear your thoughts! Wishing you a wonderful day!

Party planning and mission accomplished!

One thing to my fellow bloggers...nearly had a heart attack when I signed on this morning to feedburner to change my delivery time to my subscribers and saw my thousands of subscribers GONE! Apparently this is a known problem that they are working on...so don't be alarmed if you sign on and see the same thing.

Wow what a weekend! We had to go to the city Friday night for a function, but it was far from relaxing as the entire time my head was spinning with all had to do for my family party on Saturday....the drinks I still needed to buy, a market list a mile long,  figuring out if I had the right amount of plates, do I have silverware for 50? Yep......panic mood ensued. Getting home never felt so good as I sprang into action to do damage control. Things were better than I expected and I went to bed thinking I could pull it off. Sat woke up to beautiful skies and a fair dose of anxiety. Several hours later, after lots of little last minute errands and prepping, the party started coming together. I always allow myself to run around and stress up to a certain point, but I always (and this really works for me) set a time where I must be done with any errands and a time where I get my rest time. My 'cut off" was 1 pm....and sure enough by that time I had no need to get back in my car. Everything I needed was done and at home.....woo hoo.My other cutoff time was 4 and like clockwork I went up to my room and took a power nap (yes Mom I can admit that after all these years of you drilling that into me, they really do work)! So at about 5 I started prepping, getting all my appetizers under way, placing all the flowers where they needed to be, and basically getting the house all "prettied up". I always get in the party mood when I get to this stage.......I do not have any pictures to show you of the actual party......everything I must say looked so pretty. But I was so busy playing hostess that there wasn't a second to reach for my camera and sneak a picture besides think it would have been awkward to be running around on a photo shoot....lol. Next time I need a photographer:) But here's a recap of everything leading up to it...........WARNING EXTREMELY PICTURE HEAVY, SIT BACK, GRAB ANOTHER CUP OF COFFEE!!
Any time I want to entertain it always has to start with the flowers. Always. Any excuse to buy flowers, especially my beloved white orchids! I do have a local florist who carries beautiful ones but I have taken to doing them myself lately......I get a lot of pleasure out of it. This time I actually did them in the trunk of my car.......yep it became a makeshift florist:)

Batch one of my flowers ready for their makeover.......

Containers galore and here we go!

A big bag of moss to the rescue....

And we are done.....time to bring them inside

Finding their new "homes"

All the silver getting wrapped up in pretty napkins...

Guess whats getting hung!!!! My new chandelier.............

Using the sideboard as a buffet for the dinner plates

And my new sconces got put up in the living room....well two of them, rest this week!

Got a mirror hung behind buffet

Moving to the front of the house........

Of course I decorated the front of the house too....simple but I think very pretty

Loving the new softer colors of pumpkins...white, celadon and a pale melon....such neat colors!

And moving back  inside.........

 Even my two new dog paintings got hung...........

Love "dressing up" a vanity with all kinds of pretties........

Don't you love my new little cherub soap dish! Just added it to my online store.....

Peek into the pantry which was being used as a bar

One of my guests sent me this magnificent floral arrangement, its about 3 feet tall!

Surprise! Got my new chandelier up in the dining room and its perfect!!!!! I really love it.....brought down a pair of lamps from guest room just to use for the night

Another surprise...got my new sconces up in the living room....LOVE them!

Stunning aren't they?

The room is far from done, you have to imagine it with the right chairs, getting a mantle finally and the gorgeous chinoiserie paper that will grace the walls

Used this small English console as a table to hold the appetizer plates

First tray getting put out....sushi always one of the first things to go

I had a small round table for a few stationary appetizers and we had passed hor deuvres too (thankfully some left over for a serious eating session later today)

Icing on the cake...waking up to some goodies waiting to be opened, flowers enough to open up my own little florist and a box of chocolates from one of my favorite shops..........

Look at the mini bananas in this arrangement!

So that's a wrap for how things were on Saturday leading up to my family party. It was a lot of fun, all except for my poor sore feet that are paying the price of standing on them for too many hours so I will prop them up and take it easy today (of course while I am picking at all the leftovers lol). Hope you enjoy your day...gorgeous fall weather over here, loving it! Now excuse me while I go take inventory of the leftovers............(absolute best part of a party)!