Penthouse upcoming news!

In response to several requests for the completed Penthouse Holiday decor......it's coming!

I attempted to upload all the photo docs and proceeded to write my descriptions and copy, only to discover that nothing was saved in the auto save mode! Drat!!

All of my photos went back to their original position and the copy was gone......it was quite an extensive documentation!! Should tomorrow prove to be a bit earlier than tonight......count on it!

Penthouse part II

Oh my! The long overdue report with photo documentation of the Penthouse Christmas decor! What a few days it was......the beginning of our cold weather with drizzly rain at times and torrential rain at others. (Overall, not good hair weather!)

Enter into the foyer of the 20th floor. Did I tell you before that the elevator only goes to the 17th floor and one walks the remaining floors to "the top"! My lighting wasn't the best here, but I papered the foyer in chocolate and bronze metallic wallpaper. It's rich and dramatic. This 6 ft eglimoise mirror speaks for drama and beauty. We draped beautiful greens over the top and added this cypress wreath to adorn the bust. Enter Christmas!!

Note the fabulous architecture in the living room looking into the dining room. These french doors are engaging and beckon one in to sit in a room with a view. This mixed garland graces the doors on each side. This is my favorite garland this year and we have plenty on hand in the retail store, cost about $65.00 each.
Another view of the fab wallpaper...with an original oil painting in the colors of the foyer. This city street scene was a favorite that was hand selected and framed on a buying trip to High Point. I love adorning art and mirrors with realistic greens and boughs. I tied a gold ornament to embellish the greens on this one. Use several types of greens for interest. Come in to the store and I'll give you my tricks and tips on securing the greens!

Here you see the other side of the french doors (note the doors themselves are black, a signature of my work when the client permits!). This view shows the mirrored 10' trees. One with hot pink and champagne, the other chocolate and gold. Check out the oh so glamorous pink and creme silk draperies in the dining room! Personally, I favored the living room chocolate and gold, but Liz (Penthouse owner) favors the pink tree! (We thought she would!)

An assortment of the pink ornaments! Nick named the pink metallic spray a "wizard stick"! I tried to wave it around to see its power, but alas, no response! They made a darn cute impact on the tree however!

By the way, many of the ornaments we used were shatterproof! I mean really, they look like the finest hand blown Polish glass ornaments. We can get high gloss, matt, glittered, jumbo, ex large, large, medium, small.....well, you get the picture! I rotate the color pallets for the retail store each year and try to buy a small amount of the colors I had the previous year in order to have something for you to "add to what you did the year before". We find we are usually about 3 years ahead of the color trends....how?! Email me to learn the colors for this year! Use these fabulous ornaments outside for many years! They're perfectly fabulous!!

This closeup shows a really good and true picture of the real color! Just check out those drapes!! It is soooooooo fun to design glamorous draperies! Sorry you can't enjoy the glorious satin ball fringe!

Color, wizard stick, and striped silk. What a combo!

A closeup of the chocolate and gold tree selections----so rich! Always add a little sparkle, assorted sizes and finishes. Voila!!

We really try to customize each tree for our clients! While I am not a huge poinsettia fan, we found these! Hot pink and an encrusted glittery center--WOW! We knew they were perfect for this Penthouse Lady Liz! Sure enough, they made her heart sing! Susan holding a selection. (I guess I didn't dress for the color pallet! Now if Linda were on the team, a different story altogether!!

Well, there you have it! My long overdue report on the Penthouse 2008 Holiday! Word on the street has it that you can, indeed, see the trees from "the Square"! Thanks, Liz! You make our work so rewarding!

Perhaps we can do the same for you!

Penthouse Holiday!

It all started Monday! It's official, the Holiday set-ups have begun!

Monday, we set up Marilyn and Rocco's pad!! Marilyn entertained us all with her screams of delight and approval and her " can't get enough!" attitude! Two trees, a large foyer banister, dining room and family room mantle later......voila! Perfection!

I didn't get a photo of the Holiday perfection, but check out the perfection team!

Sharman (ever faithful picker, finder, recorder and runner), Marilyn in the middle. (I guess you can tell she's a bit of a fun gal) and Lisa, Black-eyed Susan fan and groupie! Great team effort!

One of two vans as we pulled up to the "servant's" entrance to unload.....no riff-raff allowed (even if it is 18K worth of Christmas!!)

Van #2, containing one 8 foot ladder for the short staff (who, me?) and a 6 foot ladder for the normal crew.....Box after box of handblown glass ornaments in hot pink, champaign, chocolate, and ivory----breathtaking!

Our goal for the first day was to assemble, light, straighten, and design 2 10' trees----yes, I said TWO! Note the tag we pulled out of the first box, and Nick with a look of disbelief, as we read, "NO SHAPING REQUIRED". Right! Let's just see about that! (Sounds like a total scam to me!) But, after 20 years of setting up and primping artificial Christmas trees, I was completely shocked!! Very little shaping required!!! And that's a good thing!


Susan shaping the top section of the first 10' tree. Whew! One down, 7 to go.......we set up three additional trees on each outdoor balcony! (More to come later.......)

These fabulously glamourous silk drapery panels were the inspiration for this tree! (Note the hot pink silk with silk ball fringe!) This tree was designed with hot pink shiny, matte and frosty ornaments punctuated by all shades of creamy accents. A vision of delight!

The second 10' tree was designed with chocolate matte, shiny, frosty, caramel, and champaign colored ornaments in all sizes and shapes. Glittery gold nests complete the look.

With one of my main designers suffering from an unexected bout of flu, we were in a bit of a frenzy the first day. But, my team really stepped up to the plate! 9 hours into the project, we packed up our toys and went home for the night. More of the show tomorrow.............

The Language of Style

I promised to keep you posted about style, that's what Black-eyed Susan is all about-STYLE! Every day, during the course of work in the world of design, we are searching for, creating, and documenting style. It's a great gig.

Here are a few "style sitings" I've been collecting. Style. It's everywhere.

I took a shot of this stylish sign while in Connecticut! WAY cute name. Style.

Check out this stylish closet of a recent client I went to see! I love vintage books, and this vintage ledger was only made more fabulous by being used as a prominent accessory! Style, for sure.

Stylish Lisas---yes, two! Lisa on the left and Lisa on the right, flanking another stylish shopping friend at my last Black-eyed Susan event. (Note Lisa left holding my stylish "glitter kix" in silver metalic)!

Meet this beautiful Black-eyed Susan regular! Sharone always sets the tone for style (a NYC model) and I just couldn't resist taking her photo with those stylish birch logs! Great find, Sharone! (Right out of the front window).

Not sure which is the best example of style here! Nick, our one stylin' male Black-eyed Susan employee (if you don't count Sneelock!) or Nina, the adorable and stylish miniature rescue greyhound. I guess the only thing that could be better would be a stylish Nick holding a stylish pup! See what I mean?! Meet Connie, ever the example of a stylish office manager! We could always take a cue from her sense of style, and talk about efficient! Now that's what I call style! (And here she is being one-upped by that dang stylish puppy!

My cutest of cute clients, Sue, showed up the other day with a fabulously stylish new car! Wait! I mean, a seriously stylish car! Usually seen in her own stylish tennis gear, she indulged me while I photographed and detailed pure style.

Interior leather with white topstitching!! Yes! I said topstitching. Did I say style?!!

Here's the dashboard. Again, pure style! Brushed chrome. (I think it's only trumped by Sue's super stylish kitchen!)

And here's the true test of the stylish new car! Color=Metallic charcoal with a two-tone top. (I'm pretty sure there is a real "car-talk" term for this, but I only know style when I see it! I seriously want this car! Test drive it for yourself at Haldeman Ford.

The MOST stylish living! My penthouse project on Rittenhouse Square! Absolutely fabulous, stylish living. Wait till you see the Christmas decor! (coming......)

Like I said, it's all about style!

Just a little Christmas!

What a week! I've been knee deep in Christmas events at Black-eyed Susan! Very successful, I might add.

Now, I've got a back log of things I want to blog about, and looking ahead, well--it doesn't look likely! We will be starting our private home Christmas set-ups this week. I'll try to keep you posted with some great shots of in progress work and great ideas!

Last week, after a long day (and night!) , as I walked around the store feeling ownership on many levels, it was the small things that took my attention. So many tiny, cute things. Small can be good. I will try to remember this the next time I can't reach into the front window to replace the lightbulb.........

Here are a few of the little things that speak to my heart! Come in and take a look for yourself. Little is everywhere at Black-eyed Susan this season

Two tiny little snowmen peering through their windows!

A teeny tiny snow bear being held by a tiny snowbear!

Too sweet. Yes, a teeny tiny tinsel tree!

Oh my! A tiny glittered blue Santa!

I'm talking teeny! Miniature pearly ornaments, slightly larger than a skittles

Fabulously tiny mache houses in the window sill!

Wee little mache snowman "Joy"!

Perhaps the tiniest little tinsel wreath ever! Way cute!

Sentimentally adorable teeny tiny mistletoe. For tiny kisses!

Miniature, slightly larger beautiful green glass ornaments. To give, to keep, to stash!

Always in demand.....the tiniest of the kugels for this year's offerings. Gold, silver, charcoal. Too cute!


Never has there been a tinier candle snuffer. Perfect for gift giving with our best selling scents!

So, there you have it! My personal favorites of teeny, tiny treasures. All for the joy of Christmas giving. Hope to see you soon! (I'm trying to get teenier, myself!)

turkey feathers.......

November 1st. It's official,the Holiday's are here!

I always love the end of October. It makes me feel justified in having the retail set up in full Holiday regalia. Yesterday, on the drive in to the store, I came across an entire flock of wild turkeys! Then I knew for sure that the Holidays were just around the corner. I parked my car and quietly walked to get a view for a great blog shot! But just as I took the first step, they startled and wobbled away. No flying, just fast, noisy walking! And they can move FAST!

The first obstable I encountered was the terraine! A deep shoulder ditch and then an upward climb......three or four cars slowed down to observe the attempted climb!


Did I mention I didn't have on climbing shoes......


Within moments the entire flock had migrated up the hill to this historic outbuilding, clearly out of camera shot!

Wild turkeys are quite common in the woods of Bucks County, Pa. Thanks to Sneelock, he had taken this photo not long ago when another flock was stolling through our neighborhood! This is what the flock I was in pursuit looked like as well. I did retrieve one turkey feather---in perfect form!

There really isn't anything that can match the beauty of fall color in Bucks County. It's one of the true visions of breathtaking beauty, combined with the history we live with, that makes my heart sing. Take a look at several of the photos I thought worthy to document our fall splendor.

This one above is a stand of mums, all one color. What drama! And, orange to boot!


A shot in the woods the night Sneelock and I cut the branches for the store window.


Fabulous flaming color against the fall blue sky, compliments of Sneelock!

An historic church with fall foliage in the background. We shot this on a Saturday trip to Connecticut. (More on that trip later......)

There's really just no place like the East for viewing the beauty and inspiration of Fall. When time permits, I can be found hand selecting fine specimens of fallen, vibrant leaves. Large and small-yellow, orange, red and chocolate. There is something theraputic in the hunt.


Welcome, fall.