Thankful

Although the Christmas music is already on the radio and holiday decorations are everywhere, my family and I are taking a little time to be thankful.

Our tradition is a Thankful Tree - a few branches in a vase, some paper tags and a pencil. It sits on our Kitchen counter and any time that someone gets the urge, they can scribble a quick note on a tag and tie it to the tree. By Thanksgiving day it is chock full of tags - a three dimensional reminder of just how many things we have to be thankful for.

 

some aren't as profound as others..



...but there are no rules for the tree!

 What are some of your family's Thanksgiving traditions?







Bathroom Before & After

We finally said goodbye to our 1960's fleshy pink and minty green bathrooms recently after an unpleasant water incident between the walls. I'm thrilled with the results!

Today the Hall Bath.

Before:The Bath when we bought the house

During: the Bath in one of its many stages

Before. Other than the offensive colors, the Bath was cramped and didn't function well for us. It's the main Bath for one of my daughters as well as the Guest Bath. There was little storage and you were greeted by the toilet when you opened the door (one of my pet peeves).

After: The new and improved Hall Bath

We removed the tub and replaced it with a shower which instantly opened up the space. The room is shallow and I'm a big fan of drawer storage so the perfect vanity solution was actually a dresser. My fabulous contractor retrofitted the piece (aka: cut a hole in the top, cut up the top drawer and re-built it in a "U" shape to fit around the plumbing - genious).

A Giant wall-mounted mirror surrounds the vanity and creates a great, easy to clean backsplash. Faucets mounted on the mirror save precious counter space.

A whole wall of shallow cabinets allow storage for everything including towels, supplies and necessities. No more hair dryers and flat irons left on the countertop.

 

 

Simply changing the direction of the door swing means you are greeted with a pretty view of the vanity and shower.

The new color scheme is in keeping with the rest of the house, there is a place for everything and our house is back up and running again. ahhhhhhh.

Field Trip:: Egeli Studios (Nurturing the Creative Soul)

One of the best parts of my job is the incredibly talented people I get to know.




Anastasia at work. photo credit: Rachael Montejo 

 

I had the opportunity recently to visit the accomplished portrait painter, Anastasia Egeli at her family’s studio in Annapolis. Egeli, who comes from a long line of well-known artists, is living in Spain but was here briefly to finish a commissioned portrait for a Philadelphia family.

 

Anastasia’s artistic lineage can be traced back three generations. Her late grandfather, renowned portraitist and sculptor Bjorn Egeli whose charisma and portrait genius made him a favorite of the Eisenhowers, the Duponts, and countless other American families who shaped the United States during his time. Anastasia is the daughter of one of his most successful children Cedric Egeli. People from all over the world travel to his farm in Maryland to learn the painting techniques that have molded Anastasia’s work and given it that American traditional glamour. You learn more about Anastasia here

 

Not only does Anastasia possess incredible talent in creating life and light on canvas but her energy and passion are contagious. My daughter, Mugsy, was awestruck by the Studio and by the artist. Anastasia gave Mugsy (who is a budding artist) some fantastic advice which I know will resonate with all of you creative types.

 

You have to nurture your energy and creativity… you have to protect the creative soul. What does that mean? It means that we have to remember to take care of ourselves while at the same time we pour every ounce of our beings into our work. For some that means yoga for others it means a run or great music… whatever it takes to re-energize and find balance so that the reserves of energy and creativity are there when we need it.

Simple advice but so hard to accomplish some days. 

 

Photographs were taken by Rachael Montejo who does stunning work in her own right and her web site is a must see. Check it out here.   

 

 

By the way, for those of you lucky enough to live in Annapolis, you can see this piece at The Metropolitan on West Street.