My Best Idea...for Today!

My dinner party went off without too many crazy issues...well, if you don't count me setting the main table for 6 instead of 8. What was I thinking? Obviously, I wasn't!

We had a total of 12 guests. I had split the guests between the small kitchen eat-in area and the formal dining room. Somehow, I set the table for two less in the stress of last minute setup. I had worked in the retail store during the day and didn't get started cooking the main course until about 5:00pm.

All went well and all seemed to enjoy a good evening. I had the help of a darling and creative friend, Shannon. (We probably were too busy having fun catching up to count the seating arrangements!)

As promised, here is my best idea of the day! Since quick centerpiece ideas follows closely in line with the merchandising I do daily at the store, I didn't give too much thought ahead of time. At the store in the afternoon, I came up with a vision that I thought would be seasonal and fast. It turned out to be a big hit. You could easily try this for your next party!

I borrowed this three tiered wire basket from the store. I knew that my hydrangea bushes were fully loaded with beautiful green/white blooms. I stopped by the grocery store on the way home and picked up 5 heads of leaf lettuce-some green and some red. Then I headed for the produce department and selected some very firm red pears, stems in tact.



I cut a generous supply of hydrangeas from the yard and positioned them with the leaf lettuce and fresh pears in such a way to balance out the tiered stand, and to be appealing from all sides of the centerpiece. Voila! With this selection of all fresh goods, all readily available, I created this centerpiece in a matter of minutes!


Another angle for inspection. I thought later, it would have been cool to add some of the fresh cilantro we were cooking with! Ahhh...the scent would have been fabulous with the mix.

Yet another closeup of the hydrangea, leaf lettuce and pears. Of course, those who knew of my store inventory of absolutely real looking artificial fruit, thought they were from Black-eyed Susan! You could always purchase my fake ones and have them ready at all times without making the quick trip to the grocery store!

I hope you try it for your next "quick fix"!

And, they're off!!

The home team started the makeover today! Take a look.

Suzanne, homeowner/winner-Susan, designer-Ryan, son/cabinetmaker(today, painter!)-Fred (Sneelock) pharmaceutical professional/painter/can do it all!

At the end of the day, we had made great progress and Suzanne was in love with the color!

I think it's a go!

Redemtion!

12:30 am. Bread out of the oven and I'm off to bed!

Remember my bread debacle last fall---same bread, disaster! I posted how I saved the day by breaking it into pieces when it would not come out of the pan! So, here's the real beauty! Susan's sheepherder's bread, oh so good. I'm having a small dinner party Saturday night and this will be on the menu, in perfect form...this time!

Just to give you the scale of this loaf, it is baked in a dutch oven. It is about 13" in diameter and 14-15" tall! It's a showstopper,and best of all, it will feed at least 20 people! I guess you could call it "stylish bread"!

When time permits, I'll be happy to pass along the recipe if there is any interest. It's a keeper in my family.

Happy to have redeemed myself from the last attempt!

Yes! Progress Report on Makeover!

I'm so excited to report that we are now ready to set the date for painting our bedroom makeover! No surprise, one of my favorite colors: SW Quietude. A soft, lovely grayed blue that wraps you in soft, quiet thoughts. Suzanne, you're going to love this one! If time permitted, I'd be having my own bedroom on the painting schedule for the same color, it's a tried and true favorite.

This is what our work surface looked like as we began to narrow down the selections! As you can see, lots of choices and lots of inspiration. I love the green accent pillow and the cotton duvet with the modern twist! The colors are all coming together. This is a good example of the importance of not stressing over the "exact match" of every color. While we don't want to have colors that fight each other, there needs to be some blend and some part of the picture that is unexpected so as not to make it predictable and boring. Now this combo is anything but boring!

For some time, Suzanne has not been able to put my "Charleston pallet" out of her mind. This pallet was developed for our Sullivan's Island project long before it was trend...making it a much more challenging design at the time! I haven't tired of it, and prior to the Sullivan's Island project, my own basement was the first to use this delightful color scheme. It is a true breath of fresh air, happy and bright without wearing on the eyes.

So, here goes! We're off. Sneelock has been put on task for the painting. Suzanne and I will most likely dig in to the furniture painting and orders will begin to fly!

We selected an upholstered headboard with a soft arch to anchor the focal point. Suzanne's husband,Joerg (way cute German man!) was a great supportive and agreeable addition, adding his opinions to the mix. I think we have a winner and we're on our way! It should get exciting fast.

Here is one of the Robert Allen patterns that Suzanne selected. The colors don't show up exactly correct here, but the blend is great and the bonus---she loves leaves!!

I brought a fabric book with the general pallet of colors and she choose the patterns that spoke to her heart.

Here is one of the coordinates, also a Robert Allen fabric. The scale is larger and very Jacobean in nature. I recall her saying that she liked Jacobean florals very early in the project, so this is a great find!

This is a shot of the overall pattern on the larger scale print.

One of the surprises in our design turned out to be the development of a more casual, summery collection (the more modern floral pattern) and the more wintry, slightly more traditional look of the later floral. Both florals go with the aqua and green color story. The summery, lighter one will use a soft white coverlet and the more wintry Jacobean floral will use a grey/blue matlesee coverlet found at one of the off-price retailers. Using our budgets wisely, we have been able to come up with two seasonal looks on the same wave-length!

And, by the way, Suzanne and have established a budget of $5000.00 for furniture, paint , lamps, accessories, and art. We're on our way! I'll be posting our progress, so check back and let us know how you feel about the design as we go.

To Market, To Market!

4:30am comes pretty early. For a girl with "the primping gene" as my sister, Denise, describes the Petersen girls, it's a given on the morning of New York Market. Every 6 months, this is the story! The retail and/or design staff keeps this schedule anywhere from 3 to 4 days each market.

This market, however, we accomplished our work in a record of one day!! Hooray! One day of the early morning routine makes me a happy girl. Now, what should I do with the next few days??!

So, as usual, here is a small trend report and the best findings of the day. Look for these things to show up in my retail store, Black-eyed Susan.


Fabulously interesting glass cabinet for all fine collectibles; bibliotech style. Perfect for The Hampton's.

Check out this series of pillows! This one is a version of the feed sack pillows I saw in Atlanta, of course I love the manuscript pattern!

This vendor (Check this one out, Marie!) printed vintage images on linen and layered the imaged with worn muslin!! The boxed edge was fashioned from chair webbing. I think this is a great new find, very stylish and very unique. Sophisticated interest. Great images and patterns. He also had some mounted on canvases. During our conversation, we discovered that we both had former connections to Brigham Young University, a real plus. Kindred spirits for sure.I love his style.

Additional pillows with numbers and manuscripts on linen. Down fills. Ahhhh.



I love this arched mirror. A brand new vendor for me, and I love finding new resources! How cool would three of these mirrors be for a headboard??! Sorry, Suzanne, not available till the first of the year.....drat.


These giant letters were part of one of my favorite vendor's booth. David designs a unique booth that looks as if it were transported straight from Paris. Everything there is cool and desirable. So, expect to see these show up!

Same booth. Inspiring!

Last shot of David's offerings. These magnifiers are on stands and are in a variety of heights and sizes. I love these things!




New framed art featuring sepia tones and vintage wildlife. Authentic looking collectibles!


Many of the booth designer/owners use fresh flowers for drama. I try to shoot photos of things that I like. These elephant ears (REAL!) were very cool. These leaves are about 18-20" in diameter! What a statement!

Back shot.

Front shot.

Lastly, this funny cow's head! It was all mosaic glass and presented quite an impact! While finishing my order, I discovered that it was the top selling item in the booth! I made the comment that I could certainly see it as a retail prop, but wondered what kitchen it would find a home in.....then I thought of at least two kitchens that I thought it would work in! Yep, last item on my order!! It's about life size. Forget the silly crown they put on her...yes, to the old frame that is surrounding her. Pretty cute.

Well, these are my picks for the day. They will be showing up in the next few months. Call me for details!

Trips to market are a combination of inspiring, exhausting, exciting, enticing and at times, horrifying sightings! It's all in a day's work. And sometimes, work is play!

Window Wizard!!

That's right! Susan is on sale! I am running a sale on professional fees. All areas of our services apply, so to view our menu of services email me for a complete list at Susan@besusan.com. You'll be surprised how many different ways we can help with your home/office design needs.

The table is dotted with lemonaide bottles serving as vases for the fabulously real looking seasonal blue hydrangeas. I tinted the water lime green to carry the color story of the opposit window. Real life shows this a bit better! Two large concrete urns support the window display, utilizing linen pillows and life-like calla lily folliage for color. I like the simplicity of the table and it has the feeling of late summer in Bucks County, Pa. Our blooming hydrangeas are a beauty to behold and these hydrangeas could take their place along side the real thing and go undetected! Don't worry, I have plenty more for the taking, as well as a beautiful dramatic wreath using them.



The stripes we painted for the last window change survived the cut once again. A comfy and delightful chair in aqua and soft chartreuse finds a home next to a recycled chest that I painted in a favorite aqua.Oh so fresh! How perfect this chair would be in a delightful sunroom or favorite bedroom. (It would be pretty darn perfect in my main family room as well! Rememeber the Christmas tree with the aqua and lime design several years ago?) Yep, that's where it should be! It has a great price on it right now and is on sale. Come check it out. You're welcome to sit in the window and try it out!!

The windows have been completed for another month. Hope you enjoy the view.

Coming Soon!

I've been waiting for Sneelock to complete his photos of the new windows....

It's not a tease, just something to look forward to! Maybe tomorrow night.
And, I've already got my plan for the next window change.