Meet the Girls

I finally got a photo op with the two Great Danes that I am working for...oh dear, their master that I am working for!

Yes,they pretty much rule the roost! I mentioned in an earlier post that I had the assignment to find a chaise for Great Danes...well, here they are!

They were well contained in the master bedroom until I asked for a private hello and a photo! Then the action began. I guess they were a bit excited by the presence of company...I think the photos will tell the story.

A bit of calming first...a kind of "let me introduce myself" moment.

A bit riotous...Carol actually got a bruise on her leg from the "tail of destruction"!

I got a hug and a kiss.......then I fell over from the weight!

The girls at bay...perfectly contained by Leslie! (How did she do that?!)

Hmmmm. Still looking for the Great Dane chaise. I'll keep you posted. It's going to be big.

*by the way, Carol had to point out that the dogs had longer legs than I do...*

Welcome all and come back soon!

Linda has departed.

Entertainment over...

Hard working friend, gone.

Sad,sad,sad, so sad.Very sad.SAD.

I'm am happy to report, however, that we had a very successful Grand Opening. Four days of entertaining our clients, old and new. Four days of replenishing inventory after busy days. Four days of making our refreshing drink (compliments of my daughter, Jessie's recipe), and four days of nightly baking.

As promised, here is the recipe for Jessie's refreshing and super easy drink! (The glass samovar helps make it glamorous, and shortly, you can purchase your own from Black-eyed Susan).

One two litre bottle of Sprite Zero

One packet (pitcher size) crystal light lemonade

One sliced cucumber (I think it's prettiest sliced on the diagonal)

Plenty of ice!

We had many great responses and good reactions to our new and larger space. More room for jewelry! More room for vintage furniture finds! More room for accents, small and large. More room for art and mirrors! More room for my design studio and all of my favorite resources!

I'll have to say that I'm looking forward to having a wee bit more calm life. The old space is completely empty, the new space completely redesigned and merchandised (that is, for this moment!). After all, more traffic means more sales and more sales means more work...you get the picture. The Princeton Designer House is progressing (so far, without any appearances from me, but I hope to resolve that issue this week), and it does, indeed, seem like life could take on a bit slower pace.

I hope you'll take time to come by the new retail space and see it for yourself. We're settling in and beginning to feel quite at home...even have visions of turning some additional space into something fun. Christmas has begun to come in the back door (yes, truly) and it feels like summer is upon us. Thanks for all the support and for the many personal visits and wishes for success.

This image give you some idea of the end of the day...grand opening completed! Change is always a constant at Black-eyed Susan. If you come often, you'll see new inspirations and changes all around. Come see the magic.

End of an Era *sigh*

Saturday, March 20, 2010. A rather emotional day. Our last day of business in Yardley, Pa.

After 18 years of retail in Yardley, we closed the door at the 1 South Main location, and it wasn't without a tear or two.

I made my famous homemade brownies for all my visitors and set off for my last day of business at the flagship location, not looking forward to the emotions of the day. While I am certainly looking forward to more space, I have tender feelings and sentimental memories of my Yardley location. I'll miss my windows!

The day was filled with visits from many of our best and most loyal customers dropping by to wish us well and see the Yardley store "just one more time". Just one of many fine friends, Barbara (a visitor nearly every day...and I'm not kidding!) Actually, we think Barbara could start her own Black-eyed Susan should we need a satellite store!

Towards the end of the day, it was looking pretty bleak I must admit. I mean, after all, have you ever seen my star mantle look like this before?!



Here's a rather motley crew of assorted mirrors and lonely clocks, all without purpose or design. Sad, sad, sad, Very sad, sad. (That's a little "Jan talk"). But that's how I felt too.

Joanne and I shed a little tear together as we looked around at the bleak state of the store in the final hour and played a little "remember when"...she left and I was left to lock the back door. I felt a bit like I look in this self-portrait! (I think a bit of lipstick would have been in order, what was I thinking?!)

Driving out of the parking lot, this sign on my former retail/turned studio brought another tear to my eye...goodbye, Yardley. Thanks to all my darling, loyal clients who loved the Yardley store as much as I.

And now I have to concentrate on "The Best is Yet to Come"! See you soon in Buckingham.

Milestone!

Generally, at the end of each day I sit down with my laptop and review emails, respond, check the blogs I follow and get inspired by the design happenings of the day in th form of a blog post.



As I set out to share an entertaining account of another designer's written word, I noticed that today is my 100th post! Thanks to the inspiration of my darling and creative (in all ways!) daughters, I entered the world of blogging to inspire others in the matters of style. I have a number of followers and they hale from 14 countries! I have had just over 9000 visits from the countries of: United States, Canada, Australia, Mexico, Switzerland, Brazil, United Kingdom, South Africa, Bahrain, and Iceland! (Google analytics is very interesting!) 66.49% of my visitors are returning followers and 33.51% are new. I am amazed, but I love it! I run into "my people" (tee hee) in various places and situations and feel genuinely honored. Style...or not...is all around and in this past year, I have found so many stylish subjects to document.



"I'm for style. Fashion changes too often" Coco Channel. I echo that favorite quote!



So, here's to the next 100 posts. And thanks for the interest!



p.s. I'm not so stylish late at night.

Calling all commenters.......

Calling all BES blog followers! Let's get some comments going!

Susan, waiting for more follower's comments. Note to self: always apply lipstick when taking late night self-portraits; avoid saggy side of face if at all possibl e.



Each day, I visit with my faithful shoppers, design clients, employees and fans! (I'm always surprised to find out I have fans.....) Almost daily someone tells me that they follow my blog and enjoy it. I'm always pleased to hear this.

Blogging is really rewarding. It is a way of documenting important events with photos and the written word. One can be entertaining, inspirational, funny, instructive, emotional, even thought provoking. One of the most interesting aspects of blogging is the interactive exchange between the commenters. It's easy and fun to participate and you will find that there develops a community of bloggers, of sort. We could have a party to meet everyone and share our common love of style!

So, here's how you do it!

After you have read the most recent post, click on the "comments". This will open all the comments that others have posted, or written. There is always an interesting exchange of opinions, ideas, suggestions and the like. At the end of the comment section, there is a place for you to post your comments!



Other bloggers can post using their google account information. Those of you without a google account can post as anonymous. Just type in your name. You'll love reading the other comments and when you begin to add your own, you'll feel like you are a part of the "club"!

The interaction is delightful and rewarding. Come join the club. Welcome.

Watch for: a) Exciting new projects just beginning; start to finish!

b) Everyday style sitings ( you'll always be surprised).

c) Bucks County Designer House--Susan's room!

d) Favorites from Black-eyed Susan new arrivals-Wow.

Newest favorite find: 100 Calorie York Peppermint Wafer Bar, YUM! Great late night snack. Why didn't I think of the "100 calorie pack" craze........try it, you'll like it! Sneelock included.

And, I'm looking forward to hearing from you!