Double Take.

Good Monday Morning All.  A little bit of an emotional morning, just dropped my girl off at her first day of 1st grade!  Really, time flys. SIGH:)

Now, there are no excuses for not blogging, I have all the time in the world, right?

Since I woke up at the crack of dawn, and already had most things done (ie lunch packed, breakfast made) and the kids hadn't woken up yet.  I had a couple minutes to myself.  So, what does a girl do with a couple extra minutes, she opens the closest Design mag she has....the July/August issue of House Beautiful.  As I was flipping through I came to one of my ALL time FAVORITE rooms in magazine.  The Nick Olson Studio Apartment.  Now, that green just takes the cake.  I LOVE everything about this room. 

But there was something just a little different when I flipped through, that I had a Double Take moment.

Everything about this room is beautiful.  I Want curtains, pleated like that.

The fabric on the headboard and dust ruffle...it reminded me of something, something that has been sitting in the back of the car since our trip to DC.  A roll of vintage hand printed fabric that I scored for $20 at that estate sale in Georgetown.  I KNEW i was drawn to it for a reason.

I quickly looked at the source...Schumacher Hong Kong Fabric, but mine says

So, the question is this.  "Is this the original vintage fabric?"  It doesn't say Schumacher anywhere on the fabric...it says Patterson Fabric.  And the printing is obviously Hand Printed....and just gorgeous. 

So, needless to say, I am tickled that I have this fabric.  And feel extra special, I may have something original that Schumacher re-printed.  So, the question now is..."where in the world will I use it?"

Happy Monday.

Fresh Toile

free downloadable toiles from Wren Design

Did you know that this year is the 250th birthday of toile? I didn't know but I learned it from Wren .  In honor of this very special occasion, she created two toile patterns (including “Darling Toile,” blue and "south african" pink) in honor of her native South Africa for the design magazine Visi. They’re free for download from this link.  Isn't that so nice of her??? When I think of toile I think more feminine type decor, but this is totally rough and tumble cool.  She is a great designer, and you must stop by her blog AND she has a etsy shop.

I am not a super "toile lover" but I think these patterns might just be swaying me.  Here is some more toilespiration. 

by French fabric makers Manuel Canovas 
This orange, brown, and white is an updated colorway, and we all know I have been into orange lately.

Traditional Home April 2010
(Quadrille fabric pattern “Paradise Background”)

eclectic bathroom design
Isn't the red just awesome.

traditional bedroom design
Very calming tile bedroom.

And here is an interesting take on toile.  With an needle and thread Historically Innaccurate Decorative Arts  Richard Saja  takes traditional toile fabric and embroiders modern day icons such as UFOs, bunny eras and Mohawks over the toile design.  Really creative.  And if you look at it in the context of the toile design, can be quite humorous.

Happy Monday.

got me to thinking....

Can be purchased here

Today I went to Little Green Notebook's blog and she had a fabric for sale in her shop that I LOVE.

The chinoisserie is so pretty...and I am really liking the little birdie in the fabric as well. It might just be mine soon:) Anyhoo. It got me to thinking about some photos that I took when I was at the National Zoo in DC this summer with the kids.

 

                    
BTW: these were the only pics I took of birds...I was evidently drawn to certain colors that day.

Do you see a color story??? These colors look very familiar to what I have been posting lately.  Here, Here, and Here.  Amazing to me how a design can really start stewing in your head before you really know it, or can pinpoint it.  I took these pictures almost a month ago, and it is starting to become clear to me what I need to do, and it might just start with a certain fabric....

Have a great day.

--Gretchen