A christening!

The term properly refers to the acceptance of the recipient of a christening, or Baptism, into the church of Christ. It means to "bring to Christ."

In this case, our latest grandson is due to be christened this weekend. As a Church of England tradition the actual ‘christening’ will often be added at the end of the normal Sunday service. So, hopefully we won’t have to wait too long as for other little ones it can be tiresome!

This ceremony does give the family the excuse to meet, join with friends and neighbours to enjoy and formally recognise the latest addition to the family. Hopefully, the weather will be kind to allow a barbeque to be held outdoors otherwise it will be a finger buffet style meal indoors. Either way, I am sure our grandson will be totally oblivious (he is only 6 months old) as it will be his nap time anyway!

Whilst strolling through the realms of this talented team of interior designers I came across some beautiful items that might be perceived for the celebration of a christening.

Stained Glass Manger by Creations in Glass.

A handcut beautiful opalescent iridized stained glass, for the base & foiling the pieces using the copper foil technique, and soldering to a music box base that plays away in a manger there are two wise men & baby Jesus. Perfect for that Christmas christening!

Christening gifts can be difficult to source but what about this useful item?

The Owyn Toy Box by Mod Mom Furniture

The Owyn Toy Box is a modern organic-style chest designed for any room in the house! Use it to store everything from toys to gadgets to blankets. It has two easy lift-off lids that fit the top like a puzzle. Easy for little hands to manipulate! The Owyn Toy Box is separated into two convenient compartments under individual leaf lids.

Looking for something to keep as a memento of this auspicious occasion? Why not this item which you will agree is a little diferent?

Decorative Silver Giraffe Flower by Yoola

The artist created it as most of their creations using the smallest crochet needle available in the market and a silver colored copper wire.

For a reminder of how we welcome cherish this new child into God’s midst this delightful image would be prefect!

Gift of a Child by DeborahVoizin

This is one of my most favorite images. It shows how tiny and fragile a newborn baby is, in comparison to adult size hands that will be caring and guiding this sweet child through life.

Perfect for that old fashioned style!

Victorian Style Crochet Christening Cape by Precious Quilts aka me, On a Whimsey!

Can you imagine your little one on their special day wearing this romantic Victorian style christening cape?

And, so I look forward to our family gathering next weekend!

Candles

The Latin word "candere" means to flicker.

According to Wikipedia, a candle is a source of light and sometimes a source of heat consisting of a solid block of fuel (commonly wax) and an embedded wick.

As the mass of solid fuel is melted and consumed, the candle grows shorter. Portions of the wick that are not evaporating the liquid fuel are consumed in the flame. The incineration of the wick limits the exposed length of the wick, thus maintaining a constant burning temperature and rate of fuel consumption.

OK, that’s the information bit now let’s see what we can find with the Interior Design Team!

Votive Candle Holder by Nonnie’s Treasures

This lovely candle holder is constructed of four 3" beveled glass pieces, and sits on a plain glass base.

Stained Glass Frog and Lily Candle Holder by Glassnwood

Ideal for scented candle, or to create a romantic atmosphere. This table piece is 8.5 inches high and 8.5 inches wide.

Raku Dragonfly Candle Holder by Fehustoneware

Wheel thrown Stoneware clay raku fired.
Flashes of copper blue and green.

Unity Wedding Candles – Bird of Paradise by Pleasant Ridge Candles

Unity Wedding Candle White 3”X 9” pillar, 12" tapers, Bird of Paradise Flowers with Leaves.

Fresh Cut Roses Type Jar Candle by Bliss Candles

FRAGRANCE: Fresh Cut Roses ~ A beautiful interpretation of the YC favorite. This smells just like real roses.

Don’t just take my word! Go on, search Etsy.com using the word ‘interiordesignteam’ . You will be blown away by the products you will find. Enjoy!

Featuring Georgina Soojian

I want to share with you a talented artist who designs wreaths and floral arrangements. Her name is Georgina Soojian, or Georgy for short. Her shop name is Wreathmic Creations.

All of Georgy’s creations are her own original designs, some of them being one of a kind that cannot be duplicated. wreathmiccreations are handmade in her smoke free and pet free shop.

This one is called Celtic Cross.

Georgy Soojian lives in a small suburban town in Northern New Jersey. Her family has been vacationing in Cape May, New Jersey for the last 15 years. Cape May is a beautiful Victorian Era seashore vacationing spot that is famous for it’s Victorian homes that have been turned into Bed and Breakfasts. Georgy loves visiting these beautiful homes, with their gorgeous flower gardens and learning about the people who once lived there. It is from memories of her past vacations in New Jersey and nature that Georgy gets her inspiration for her beautiful designs.

This beauty is called Cardinal Swirl Wreath

Georgy started making floral wreaths as gifts for friends about 15 years ago. She is a self-taught floral designer, and a couple years ago she took an online Floral Designing course and got her Certificate.

Georgy spends most of her time gardening and watching the birds that come to her feeders and of course, making her beautiful floral creations.

Visit her etsy shop

You can visit her website at www.wreathmiccreations.com

You can find her listings on Design Style Guide here.

Summer Geranium Planter

A faux silk geranium plant on a charming metal bicycle planter.

Painted Lady

This week it was reported in the UK that we are being invaded by a beautiful butterfly called Painted Lady.

The Painted Lady is a long-distance migrant, which causes the most spectacular butterfly migrations observed in Britain and Ireland.

Each year, it spreads northwards from the desert fringes of North Africa, the Middle East, and central Asia, across mainland Europe and reaching Britain and Ireland. In some years it is an abundant butterfly, frequenting gardens and other flowery places in late summer. Well, this year, for whatever reason they have decided to come in their droves! We even had one visit us whilst we were sitting in our conservatory reading the Sunday papers. Luckily, we were able to release it back into our garden so that it could fly away to join its mates. Apparently, they thrive on the common Thistle plant which grows in abundance everywhere.

In honour of this beautiful migrant I thought I would search the Design Style Guide team for further examples of butterflies. Here is what I found!

Butterfly Garden Original Oil Painting

by

Luvs2paint

Blue Butterfly on Bevel Suncatcher

by

Sundance Reflections

Colorful Butterfly Window Cling Suncatcher with Stained Glass Effects

by

Clinging Images

Butterfly Pillowcases

by

The Closet and Curio Shop

Embroidered Clock, Floral Garden and Butterflies

by
Satin Stitchery

You can tell I like butterflies, can’t you?

Purple Rain

I only wanted 2 see u laughing in the purple rain
Purple Rain by Prince

When I think of springtime, it is rain and freshly blooming flowers that come to mind first. And one of my favorite spring flowers is lilac, both for its beautiful color as well as the intoxicating aroma.

Talented members of the Design Style Guide have used a number of media to recreate that lilac fresh ambiance so you can enjoy springtime indoors all year long.

Photographer AnnWilkinson offers a set of five spring flower photographs including this beautiful lilac. They come as 5”x 5” prints perfect for an office, den, child’s room or bathroom setting.






Ceramic artist Dorothydomingo adds a touch of purple rain to the kitchen with this set of hyacinth bowls. They’re made of speckled stoneware clay and are a perfect size for your morning cereal, luncheon soup, or an ice cream dessert.







A touch of spring elegance is found in this gorgeous glass bowl by rdgdesigns. It is made of handblown glass that was dipped in cold water and then reheated to give the exterior a beautiful alligator look.






Einstein’s E Equals MC Two is the name of an original silk painting by Mysticsilks. I love the way she has combined the geometric shapes of a left-brained scientist with the beautiful arrangement of colors by a definitely right-brained artist. It’s a stunning piece of fine art.









And for a touch of springtime whimsy, this Simple Soul Daisy Doodle Bowl entitled BLOOM by loveartworks is both a work of art as well as very functional piece of ceramic pottery. The design continues on to the bottom of the bowl, giving pleasure to everyone, including the one in charge of washing dishes!





Extend the springtime season in your home with these and other items made by the artists of the Designstyleguide.net

- Deb Babcock

Spring Showers

The thought of spring showers and plants conjures up images of preparing vegetable plots, flower beds etc in our gardens. At this time of year in the UK we have our annual Chelsea Flower Show. This is a spectacular and ultimate gardening show where ‘pretend’ gardens are created with various themes. During the show you can walk around gaining inspiration as well as being able to purchase plants to take home. At the end of the show the gardens are all dismantled with plants and accessories being offered for sale to the general public on the last day. Plants are also donated to local hospices, schools and charities which I think is a super idea to allow those who are not able to enjoy the wonders of this show to relish the plants beyond.

And so, my friends, I turned my attention to search for items to compliment my theme title from this amazing interior design team.

Isn’t this silk scented arrangement with mini cream roses just gorgeous?

Do visit Melrose Fields to find this and many more blooms in the most beautiful and exotic arrangements.

These blooms would not be out of place in the Chelsea Flower show. Note the Hula girl in the corner!

Tropical Splendor is an original oil painting by Elizabeth Graf

Flowers can be displayed in all manner of ways like this Watering Can Bouquet of Hydrangeas by Yankee Girl.

All that’s missing is a little butterfly but then it’s early days!

Friendships are like flowers - need tending to bloom by Wandering Whimsies.

Often a visit to the show is a popular activity for friends with similar interests to share. This sampler testifies to this sentiment!

Red Flower could be an autumnal creature or a flower that appears at any other time of year.

On A Whimsey uses her love of encaustics (wax painting) to create this beauty! ‘Well with tongue in cheek, I had to slip that one in didn’t I?’

…. Talking of butterflies, what about this beautiful Handmade Butterfly Feeder?

Glorious Glass Garden has more lovely feeders made from functional stained glass.

Now that you have a feel for the outdoors don’t you wish you could visit? One day!!!

Boone's Hooks -- Distinctive Hand Forged Accessories

Smyth Boone is an eighteenth generation blacksmith, a family legacy that goes back to the time of the Vikings. Smyth combines his inherent blacksmithing skills with the versatile design talents of Robin A. Boone. The unique arrangement of Smyth Boone’s internationally recognized forging skills and Robin’s complex designs combine to form one of the strongest unions in the field of contemporary ironwork.

Unique designs and talented forgings have led to many notable publications of Smyth’s work that can be seen in books, magazines, and on the internet. Smyth’s work has also been featured in international invitational art museum shows that highlight contemporary blacksmithing. Smyth has presented public and trade lectures on the art and craft of contemporary and historical blacksmithing. Smyth and Robin share their skills with the blacksmithing communities throughout the United States and Canada by teaching at blacksmith conferences, art and craft schools, and by publishing many articles on design and technique.

Boone's Hooks is featured in the current January/February issue of Sierra magazine of the Sierra Club! Sierra magazine is the award-winning magazine filled with spectacular nature photography and in-depth reporting on the hottest environmental issues from the largest non-profit lobbying organization dedicated to preserving the Earth's natural beauty.

The article, "Building Better: Cool Products for an Eco-Home", featuring Boone's Hooks is about building green and using green products in your current home/office situation. It is very insightful on how to retro-fit your current home to save energy and be more friendly to your family and to the Earth.

Here is the article from the Sierra Club website...

Hooked on Recycling

M. Smyth Boone calls himself an 18th-generation blacksmith and a descendant of Daniel Boone. But it's the fact that his designs are crafted from 100 percent recycled steel that is truly pioneering. Boone's signature piece is a leaf-shaped hook that can be used to hang towels, hats, or anything with a strap. He's also a sculptor and has crafted stair railings and a series of forged-steel sculptures of surfers. $34, booneshooks.com

I am honored to be recognized as a contributing part of such a great movement. Go Green, Support Local Business!!

Please visit the Sierra Club website at http://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/200901/cool.aspx

"The artist blacksmith has a unique variety of forging techniques that are specific to the craft of blacksmithing. Forged textures, joinery, forge welding, and the ability to transform metal are some examples. In my work, I highlight these many techniques through composition and execution of a project. The resulting effect expresses harmony of design and function with regard to the integrity of the medium."

Please visit Boone's Hooks on etsy.com.

Anita Feng - The Buddha Builder

My raku Buddhas offer a spiritual synthesis of east and west -- the ancient inheritance of Zen meets modern American creativity. They also represent an exploration of the question, what does Buddha look like? After all, the word "buddha" means "to wake up" or "the awakened one".

Does that image have to come from the Asian mass marketplace? And what does openness of mind look like? Clay is a perfect medium to explore that question, as it is so open a material to work with. It can be pulled, thrown, molded, rolled--anything! And it is composed of all the elements of life -- earth, air, fire, water, metal.

A more personal synthesis occurred when I first began this project of incorporating thirty years of Zen training with over thirty years work as a professional potter, along with my life-time involvement in poetry. I work the clay into a joyful, sincere and dance-like marriage between east and west. I set the finished sculptures in front of me and come up with titles and brief poetic images to describe them. It’s a little like introducing images of peace and calm to the public in the hopes that others might be as inspired as I have been in making them.

To see Anita's other serene, beautiful works, visit her at http://thebuddhabuilder.etsy.com.

The UnExpected - Deck

It's hot. At least in the northern hemisphere. And at my apartment, absolutely every moment possible is spent outside on our little deck. Beautiful with the sounds of birds and a huge maple that brushes down onto one corner and plenty of plants in beautiful glazed pots. But why do we so often leave the decorating to those pots. Here are some unexpected choices for making the outside, another room of your home.

whirligig pillow set
from enhabiten

Wonderful crisp clean colors and each pillow is filled with buckwheat hulls and lavender which can only add more soft sounds and scents to our outdoor space (ideal if plants are not possible). Plus each pillow (and you get two) is 9" x 14.5" - a perfect size to toss into your 'deck bag' and bring inside.

It's only natural - large tree tote
from cipolla

Deck bag? Grab a great bag like this linen and cotton tote to bring your outdoor decor easily in and out in inclement weather and you'll never be more than 30 seconds away from bliss.


pale palmera leaf metal artwork
from CopperLeafStudios

Perfect to set the mood of a relaxing space, a pairing of these amazing zinc images would make any space. Nestle them close to the house, under an overhang for protection (avoid rain and bring indoors in the winter), and they will evoke the sounds of a pond anywhere they hang.


small oval dish
from DishfulsofDoodles

An abstract celebration of natural forms makes this dish ideal for the center of the table. With my pockets always full of pebbles and shells I've collected from the shore, this platter provides a stylish way to display such found natural treasures.

These ideas can so easily transform your deck into a haven for every spare moment. Your space is really yours now, with all your great design sense added and quite frankly, I'm not sure you'll be able to get your friends to go home. But hey, that's the price to pay for great design. Might as well bring them some lemonade.

Celadon Green Tumbler Serving Set
from juditavill

Enjoy.

P.S. Show us what you can do with your outdoor space - post a link to your photo in a comment!