Send Some Cheer

For the month of December, GEORGE is working on a holiday "design" guide. Each blog will feature fabulous holiday designs for your home, your friends & for your soul! Stay tuned!

HOLIDAY CARDS

We love receiving holiday cards in the mail each year - beautiful cards are a great way to express your personal style! Here are a few photo cards from Minted that we think are particularly adorable and unique...

At Minted you can also create holiday card books. They're pretty fantastic, and a nice little memento of 2009 for those special people on your mailing list...

For more affordable photo cards, look for options that are printed on photo paper vs. the traditional cardstock. Although these Shutterfly options are inexpensive, they don't lack in style! You can also choose to pick up Shutterfly cards at your local Target so you can save on shipping costs. :) Here are a few of our favorites...

7 more blogs until Chistmas!

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snuggle up to a mac

brad and i actually braved black friday. for a mac. there was no line. it was pure bliss.we are now the proud owners of this 27" beast, which i'm sure is already filled with cat hair. i can't even believe it; i have to admit i was using a pc this entire time, and now that i am a mac owner, for less than 48 hours mind you, i will never go back.

the other gift that i received and am in love with is my new snuggie. hubs got me this late birthday present as a complete surprise. let me tell you, it is the best gift. ever. i sleep with it at night in lue of covers.

to continue with a random post having nothing to do with design, i am taking gizzy to the vet tomorrow, which prompted my mind to wonder 'are there snuggies for animals?' check these out. there are no cat pictures, but i could easily use the large for smokey and a small for gizzy. jolene.

both of these pets are needing to get a treat out of their owner for this. i am loving the neck line.

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Knitting 101

This year for Christmas presents I am knitting a few scarves for special gift giving. My Grandmother taught me to knit when I was 5 and I have continued to knit on and off over the years. I love going into yarn shops and feasting my eyes on all the colors and textures available. On my last trip to the yarn shop I was captivated by this most exquisite shade of teal blue. It is a blend of wool mohair and silk, and knits up as soft and light as a spider's web. I love working with bamboo needles. This scarf is super easy. Cast on as many stitches as you need to make the scarf the width you want and then just knit every row until it is long enough. For this season extra long and very narrow scarves seem to be all the trend.

Happy Knitting If you have any knitting projects on the go please leave a comment [here].
PS I am going on a plane trip...does any one know if knitting needles are allowed through security??

Helpful Videos:
Knitting 101 Casting on Stitches
Knitting 101 The Knit Stitch
Knitting 101 Casting off Stitches
Knitting 101 Knitting Tips

Patricia Gray is an award winning Interior Designer in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada who blogs about
"WHAT'S HOT" in the world of Interior Design: New and Emerging Trends, Contemporary Design, Modern Architecture and Travel,
as well as how your surroundings can enhance the world around you.
© Patricia Gray Interior Design Blog™ 2009

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black friday

black doors! this is a must have in my life.

this year i have decided to avoid the crazy shopping crowds of black friday and will instead stay inside and start my christmas decorating. jolene and i cooked the best turkey yesterday i think i have every eaten. i'm still in a food coma. hope you all had wonderful thanksgivings! i always love using black it's an it's an instant classic. happy black friday!! amanda

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Interior Design 101

Patricia Gray in BC Home Magazine 
Talks about Design 101

BC Home Magazine Design 101

BC Home Magazine Design 101 cont.

BC Home Magazine Design 101  


View article in Adobe Reader
BC Home Magazine Design 101

PATRICIA GRAY INC is an award winning interior design firm writing about lifestyle and
WHAT'S HOT in the world of interior design, architecture, art and travel.
2011 © Patricia Gray | Interior Design Blog™

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happy thanksgiving!!!!

Paula Dean’s Pumpkin Gingerbread Trifle. this is ours not a pic from the web!

jolene and i started early today on thanksgiving preparing our very first turkey along with eleven other dishes. we...and when i say we i really mean jolene actually made everything on our list that i posted yesterday, ok well i made a few things. The eleven dishes did not include the four deserts we have which I have posted for you today! Soooooo yummy!!

whipped cream! umm a must ALWAYS even if it's not thanksgiving

vegan pumpkin pie homemade by our very own rachel rockstroh crust and all!

apple pie

pumpkin pie

and the most amazing vanilla chocolate cake made my miss alex lowe!!

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The Color of the Season

I noticed a pile of cranberries at the store last night and realized just how stunning RED can be. Here's to a beautiful, deep and dramatic color - and great design!

Wishing you a safe & enjoyable Thanksgiving -

we are thankful for YOU!

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Getting Ready for Thanksgiving!!!

i am so excited for thankgiving! i will be hosting dinner at my home along with jolene and her husband brad. jolene has put quite list of dishes together tomorrow and i am so looking forward to eating it all...i don't even care if i gain 10 lbs. the above is Paula Dean’s Pumpkin Gingerbread Trifle. we are preparing this for along with the traditional pumpkin pie. seriously!! how good does that look?? yummmmy i wish thanksgiving was today.

the menu
turkey
yams
mashed potatoes
brussel sprouts
dessert (this includes one of mine and pumpkin pie)
some sort of rice casserole
green bean casserole
ham
deviled eggs
stuffing (homemade and boxed kind)
gravy
baked beans
scalloped corn
pumpkin gingerbread trifle
pumpkin pie

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bur lapping it up!!

jolene recently received a beautifully cross stitched piece of art for her birthday last week. it immediately reminded me of the above images. i love it when i run across something that on first glance takes me back to memories of my grandmothers cross stitching days. theeeen wait one minute!! there's a little bit humor sewn into these little gems by a bloomsbury life. living in the the la area where the above treatments are prevalent gives me an extra chuckle. Seriously love them!!

i always love the look of burlap. it can be causal and shabby chic or tailored and elegant. i don't really like to sit on it or use it in places where i would cozy up with the good book or my fav tv show...because it's so scratchy; i don't know my eye is just always drawn to it. enjoy the images below they are very burlappy!! oh! and i am also getting ready to trim my sofa slip cover with a 5" wide burlap trim at the bottom i'm so excited to get this project completed. amanda

love how this burlap drapery frames this hallway and entrance into the formal living area. i also adore the center hardware on the drapery rod.

i'm getting ready to find a place in my office for a bulletin board such as the one in this photo. will have to be free hanging though as i do not have built-in cabinets. i need to display my daily inspiration images along with project pallets and i love that using burlap keep you from seeing the pin holes from posts.

this settee from dan marty designs is cute with all the bulap pillows.

raised in cotton burlap messenger bags and ribbon

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Design Principles

For those of you who have always dreamed about becoming a professional designer in your next life, we're throwing more design school 101 at you! Keep these principles in mind and your next design will be magazine-worthy.

In all seriousness, each design element (see our previous post Elements To Design By) can, and will, be evaluated according to these principles.

Scale

overall size

Proportion

size relationship or ratio

Balance

equilibrium achieved by components - symmetric, asymmetric or radial

Rhythm

flow of elements - repetition, gradation, etc

Harmony

compatibility of elements - unity & variety

Emphasis

point of interest or focal point

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