28 June 2010

Moonlite Monday Guest:: Catherine of The Shiny Pebble

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Moonlite-ing today is Catherine from The Shiny Pebble, recently offered a decor challenge for her living room to a few fabulous interior designers who happen to have blogs. Stop by to read about it. Word is this fall she will move the challenge to her bedroom. I can’t wait to see who makes the cut for this challenge.

Now you know we always ask our age old questions, before we get to the good part. So, her we go.  

CMV:  Why did you start blogging?
Catherine: I had been discussing different topics with my friends on Facebook and decided that I needed more space to add to my banter. The idea was to share info in a format where we all could contribute to the conversation and help each other out. Groundbreaking! So I actually thought I was doing something new. Little did I know that blogging, of which I knew nothing about, is a community that already does that.

CMV: Five words that describe your blog as it is today.
Catherine: Inspirational, eclectic, art-focused, pragmatic, evolving.

CMV: What is a typical day like for you?
Catherine:Clean baby poop, clean cat poop, clean dog poop. All this glamour sprinkled with play dates and family/friends get togethers.

CMV: 7 things that you love
Catherine: My family, my pets, Visiting new places and revisiting old ones, gardening, gorgeous surroundings, going out for breakfast, Skiing in Colorado, Bloody Mary’s by the shore {that’s more than 7, we know}

CMV: Any recent finds or purchases that you are most proud of?
Catherine:This will sound quite trivial, but I just found this yahoo group for my neighborhood mom’s and it is an awesome place to find used kid’s toys. I am talking about $1,500 train sets for like 300 bucks. I have been buying all of the neighborhood’s toys.

CMV: What’s in your purse you think you can’t live without?
Catherine:Again, trivial but try finding yourself in the need for baby wipes and having none at hand. You will never make that mistake twice!

CMV: Anything else you'd like to tell readers ?
Catherine: The blogosphere is a fantastic place to learn about style and what is the newest trend on anything. Read up, because it will be here first before it even hits the magazines. Our opinion dictates the trends. Not because we are geniuses, but because the information disseminates quite quickly in this medium. If you have a minute, watch this video


Now, that I’m done chatting with Catherine, and be sure to take at the video….and I gotta get some other questions {these are getting a little old}
And now with further ado Catherine, take it away!

Planters and Containers for Indoor Plants
For the past 8 weeks I have been lucky enough to have eight fabulous interior designs create very unique looks for my dining room based on their own design aesthetics. I love having real plants in my house, after all, I consider myself a gardener. Compiled here are the designers’ ideas for displaying plants or flowers in a way which is congruent with each style. I hope this will help you come up with just the perfect container for YOUR decorating style. Enjoy it.
THE ASIAN INSPIRATION:
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If your style is more Boho Contempo, like my first designer Raina Cox’s Indochine inspired look, go with the sleek modern planters. Black and simple lined with a little luster. This type of container is appropriate for all Asian inspired decor.
TRANSITIONAL STYLE:
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The Transitional style is a mix of traditional and contemporary furnishings with a muted color scheme and a minimalist approach to accessories. Usually a simple orchid or a bunch of twigs in a clear glass container is all that is needed to achieve this look. Christina Fluegge (Greige), in her Transitional Eclectic Mix design, recommended a collection of clear glass with some fresh branches as a centerpiece.

BRITISH COLONIAL:
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Beth Connolly (Chinoiserie Chic)defines British Colonial Style as “encompassing elements from the Caribbean, the Far East, India, Africa, and even Hong Kong. It was about civilized people living in a tropical climate (like Houston), combining their tastes and furnishings with local ideas like Chinese porcelain, bamboo, linen slipcovers, and mahogany. The feel is romantic, sophisticated, and classic-very Out of Africa”. This gorgeous chinoiserie blue and white porcelain vase personifies the style.
TRADITIONAL:
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Amy Forshew’s (Pemberley Style) Soft Tones Traditional is a not to be missed piece. This decorating style is extremely popular in the States in that it is timeless and fits well with most households inherited heirlooms. What says traditional more than boxwood topiaries in clay containers, usually in pairs?

SWEDISH:
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Charlotta Ward’s (Space for Inspiration) Elegant Nordic Conceptualizations showcases the style beautifully. Simple, clean and crisp arrangements against a bright light background. Unique blooms in clear glass is again the solution for this decorating style. Add some other natural elements, like twine or wood and you are there!

BELGIAN:
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Leigha Oak’s (Elle Oh ) The Belgian Look with a Twist is enriched by the addition of clear glass AGAIN. This time it is important to look for either antique bottles or flasks with a history. The idea is to follow today’s modern philosophy of refinish, reuse and repurpose. Even a simple broken tree limb can breathe a new life as vase.

BOHEMIAN-ish:
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Kellie Collis (Ada and Darcy) shows us An Aussie’s Interpretation of the Bohemian-ish look. Colors and patterns abound enveloped in a white background. This is a youthful look: bright and happy. Luxury is achieved with unique touches of silver and crystal. To keep things light and fun a colorful pink container is all that is needed to keep your gorgeous flowers or plants, or perhaps a little blue and white porcelain bowl.

SOUTHERN ELEGANCE
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Traditional elegance sprinkled with gorgeous glamour is what Gwen Driscoll (Ragland Hill Social) Dramatic Glamour design has achieved. Drinking horns are the perfect vessels for flowers in her style.Whatever style you may currently have at your house, my number one choice for large plant containers is the ubiquitous weaved basket. Unless you live in an ultra modern penthouse or are planning a very formal room, this humble container will fit in most decors.
 
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Thank you, Tonia, so much for having me part of this series. If you all have a chance, please come over to The Shiny Pebble to check out the work of these talented designers.
credit: all pictures came from my blog via each designer. the baskets are from pottery barn and williams-sonoma home

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Thanks, Catherine there is plenty of inspiration you've shown us. Please visit with her over at her blog.

10 comments:

  1. Catherine, thanks so much for moonliting today. A lot of times we don't even think about plants when decorating. Most times, they are even left out.

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  2. There are some amazing options here. Especially loved Gwen Driscoll's options. Classic and glamorous!

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  3. Thanks again Tonia for letting me share. If you readers havent' had a chance to look at that video, I highly recommend it. It is an amazing insight into what is going on in the business world today as it relates to our medium. Thank you all for stopping by today. :D

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  4. Thanks for the mention! Nice to meet you Tonia!

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  5. Tonia, love this post and Catherine - you did an amzing job!! I also love your blog..

    XOXO
    kiki

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  6. Catherine sounds absolutely adorable!! I'm about to head over to the Shiny Pebble now and check it out!

    Also love the video in the middle... that was really cool!!

    :) Hazel

    PS Your blog is FABULOUS!!!

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  7. Thank you for checking out my blog. I'm returning the favor. I hope you won't be put off, but I'm not the right person to start following you. This appears to be an excellent site. Kudos to you!

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  8. Okay terrific interview. And Catherine, this was such an informative post and a truly terrific re-cap of the designer challenge (which I loved!). Nicely done, ladies!

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  9. I love the words "pragmatic and evolving" in describing your blog....Poetic & perfect!
    Plus, I can relate to all the poop Changing....With two boys, a naughty dog (almost every day kind of naughty) and two birds, that daily routine really sums me up too!
    (Glad you featured Catherine.... She's awesome, right?!)

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  10. @Cashon, thanks so much for coming by and yes Catherine is awesome, I just can't wait to see the bedroom edition of the designer's challenge

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