Throw Me Something Mister...

Happy Fat Tuesday! Though it has been years since I have properly celebrated Mardi Gras, I must admit that it is this time of year when the Yat in me comes out the strongest. There are so many things to love about Mardi Gras - the parades, the marching bands, the flambeaux, and king cake. Yum. In celebration of all things Mardi Gras..."laissez les bon temps rouler!" And here's to hoping you find the baby in your piece of king cake!

Lovely Liz

I am over the moon! Remember my first blog post ever where I gushed about Liz Demos & how much of an inspiration she was to me during my time in Savannah? Well, Design*Sponge has also figured out what an amazing person Liz is & has posted a huge feature on their blog all about this incredible lady. I am so very happy for Liz and hope this brings many wonderful opportunities her way. Yay!

Crushing On...

Amanda Talley. She rocks. This is not a recent crush, this is a long-standing, deep-seated love. I dig her paintings - everything she does is awesome. That she is based in New Orleans only solidifies my crush further.
Check her out. Like now.

P cheese

Pimento cheese sandwiches were a lunch/snack staple when I was growing up (and still is - as Cathy knows - my mom loves to have it ready for us when we visit).  Maybe it is a Southern thing, but to me, P chesse (as we call it) is comfort.  

Today I packed my P cheese for lunch and it makes me miss my mom.  

My Pimento Cheese recipe: 

-1 bag shredded Trader Joe's cheddar cheese

-Low-fat TJ's mayo (add as much as you need to make it spreadable)

-Canned pimentos (or sometimes I get the roasted red peppers in the jar from TJ)

-Diced Green Onion

-Cracked black pepper 

-Toasted white bread for the sandwich

(I have also had friends add crispy bacon to the sandwich)

Before & After

Have you seen this series on Apartment Therapy? If not, check this installment featuring some of my favorite people - James & Amber. I went to SCAD with both James & Amber many moons ago. I remember when they first started dating - and now they live in Atlanta with their son, Elliot. They are both amazing people & both talented to boot. AT picked James as a feature in their "The Inside Man" series & completely redesigned his bedroom. Pretty cool. Check out the transformation here. Congrats guys.

Yum

Please tell me you all frequent the amazing I Suwannee blog. I want to bathe in Jamie's store, Furbish. Very southern prep. I think you may need to being wear something Lilly to even enter the door. Anyway, if you don't virtually visit, do so now. As in immediately.

Home Again...

Sigh. It feels so great to be back in Savannah again. I love the southern charm, the Spanish Moss, the relaxed vibe. We have lots of things planned while we are here & lots of friends to visit with. While here, Justin and I are actually not staying together. Justin is staying with some family friends who spend time both in Savannah and in Telluride. I am staying with my old boss (and friend) next door to our old apartment. The house where we used to live is an historic home built in 1852. We rented the "garden apartment" from two wonderful guys who have since sold the house and now live in a smaller place a few blocks away. We loved our place and now it is being completely gutted by the new owners. Staying next door, I have a bird's eye view of our old courtyard and it brings back a ton of memories. So, thanks for indulging my trip down memory lane here. These photos are from 2004, so please excuse the quality.

124 E. Taylor St. We lived on the ground level.

This is not the best image, but this was our back door in the courtyard. One of the owners was a landscapper and we had the best courtyard with an amazing fish pond & beautiful plants. The courtyard was featured in many books, one being this one.

Our bedroom. We had absolutely no money when we lived here - I was in grad school & Justin was starting up his own web design business. I had a sewing machine at the time & made all of our window treatments & such. The walls were plaster & we had the hardest time hanging anything - and since we were renting, we really didn't have free reign to do much.

We had two fireplaces in our apartment, one in the bedroom & one in the living room. We used both as often as the weather would allow. Now that we live in Telluride, we don't have one single fireplace - when we need it most!

I know this is random & not a spectacularly interesting image, but I loved our little bathroom. It was super simple, but now that we have gross grey/blue bathrooms in Telluride - I wish for our basic little bathroom in Savannah.

Moving Day. I was so sad. This is our bedroom. Empty. Even the dog is sad.

The kitchen - which, yes, I had painted a melon color. It worked, I promise.

Our living room. I cried for a week straight after leaving this apartment. We did have the chance to revisit the apartment shortly after we left. We got to see how the new renters were using the space. I cried after seeing how they lived (it was depressing - I will leave it at that), but it helped me "let go" a bit more.

And we are off...

I promise to be better about blogging this trip.
First up Savannah, GA.

[from: Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps - a favorite!]

Magnificent Marshes

I am beyond thrilled to be returning to Savannah, GA next week. Not only is it our former home, but it is also one of my most favorite places in the world. I cannot believe that we are returning for a visit again so soon after our big November excursion to the south. Yippee!

So, in honor of our return trip, I thought I would go back through our photo archives and post some of my favorite images from this amazing southern gem. I have a few posts in the works to share with you all as I prepare for our visit.

When most people think of Savannah, they think of the many incredible buildings that make up the downtown historic district. And while that is true (and one of the reasons we moved down there - so I could get my masters in Architectural History from SCAD), Savannah is much more than old buildings. Just a few miles from the historic district are the beautiful beaches of the low country. We spent a lot of our "down time" from work (and school) out at Tybee Beach exploring the magnificent marshes by sea kayak.

Justin had the incredible opportunity to view the marshes from above when his
Dad came out to visit us in his plane. I love how the water carves into the landscape.

I mean, with the sun setting on the horizon? Sigh.

Before we moved, one of my requests was for us to paddle through
the marshes out to Cockspur Island to visit the lighthouse.

So, this is a terrible photo of our dog in her life vest, but this was 2004 & we had a crappy camera. How cute is she for tagging along with us? The lighthouse was totally open and we climbed to the top to get a great view of the shore.

This tiny island is only accessible via kayak and the "ground" consists of oyster shells. Bringing the dog out ended up not being the best idea as her paw pads got completely chewed up & were bleeding everywhere. I love this little lighthouse though - from the Civil War. The forty-six foot tower has a unique feature - it's eastern side is shaped like a prow of a ship to better withstand the force of the high seas. Amazing.

So Sad...

@Home Vintage General is closing - read more here.
Liz inspired my first post ever & I look forward to following her on her future adventures.

So Sorry...

I know, I know - I have been so very bad about posting. I have about a million things "in the can" to post, but just have not had the time with traveling and such. I promise to get some posts up soon! Our trip has been simply amazing and I cannot wait to share some fun finds with you. Thanks for your patience...and keep an eye out for posts from my travels soon.

[image: davekellam]

Away We Go...

Ok - well, not anywhere - I have a couple of specific spots in mind. As much as I love Telluride, one needs to escape once in awhile to truly appreciate how lucky we are to live in such an amazing location. Besides the trip to Arizona in March (where I got to see you girls!) I have not left the state - heck, even the region - since last year. To say I am going a bit nutty is an understatement! I am currently sitting in coffee shop in Ouray, CO (about an hour from Telluride) as I am visiting all of the regional schools this week to meet with students for the Pinhead Internship Program. I am watching the snow fall, finishing up a couple of grants between school visits, and dreaming of my pending vacation.

We leave Thursday for Salt Lake City, UT - as Justin has a Mountainfilm on Tour show to host & this will be the "major airport" we will be flying in and out of.

We then head to Savannah, GA for a few days to visit our former hometown & to visit with some old friends. I cannot WAIT to share posts from Savannah with you all.

Then we head to Watercolor, FL where Justin has another tour show & I get to enjoy some beach time.

Then it is off to Boston, MA where I get to visit lots of friends & meet with some collegues at Boston University for a little Pinhead development work.

I absolutely cannot wait for this trip - have I said that already?!? So - my question to you - where should I absolutely not miss in this cities? I have linked to some ideas from one of my favorite blogs - Design*Sponge - but if you were in any of these locations...where would YOU go?

Of course - I will be sharing all of my finds here while I am gone. Fun posts pending...check in often over the next couple of weeks!

Design Inspiration - Kathy Thompson

Kathy Thompson is an amazing artist living in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Her beautiful pieces are some of my favorites at my parent's house. If you have been to Nona and Paul's you have seen this one on the kitchen counter.

Kathy was also my art teacher when I was growing up in Fayetteville. Her classes were amazing and her funky and fun way of teaching was inspiring. Below are ceramic finger puppets I made in Kathy's class when I was eight.

Check out this video on Kathy's new project:

Thank you to Katie (@ the Constant Gatherer) for posting about Kathy Thompson and her new projects. Also check out Kathy's art and home featured here on Design Sponge.

Initially...

Thoughts on monograms? I love them - but maybe it is a "southern" thing. I actually love my name on anything & everything. Maybe it is because I can never find anything with my name on it, so if I do have something with my name on it - it was special made just for me! What do you have in your house with your name/monogram?

Liz Demos Event Design

I posted about Liz in my first blog post ever. @Home Vintage General is a great store in Savannah & now Liz is launching her own event design firm! She is absolutely amazing & has the most marvelous eye for things. Justin & I are planning a trip to Savannah in early November and I cannot wait to visit @Home and see all that Liz is up to in person!

Not just in the south...

Becca - seeing the photos from Meryl Truett reminded me of this image our friend, Ben, took. This is an image from Utah, but reminds me of the south. We have just as many religious zealots out west.

I know he will probably balk at my posting about him, but our friend Ben Knight is one of the most amazing photographers I know. You both must (and I mean MUST) check out the films Ben and his business partner Travis Rummel (another amazing photographer) make through their comany Felt Soul Media. Red Gold remains one of my favorite films of all time. Check out the trailer here. This film has been in a million festivals (premiering at Mountainfilm in Telluride) and is getting re-edited for Frontline. Let me know if you guys want to borrow a copy...our own little Netflix!

Southern Images

Since we have all spent times of our lives in the South - I know y'all get it. Maybe it is because it is familiar or ironic or beautiful - but I love pictures taken of churches, religious imagery and random signs in the South. I was introduced to the work of Meryl Truett through my friend Katie's blog. I ordered a book of Meryl's photos - and love them (see above and below). Would some day love to order a print for my house.
The opening credits of True Blood does a wonderful job of bringing together images of the South, death, sex, God, temptation, etc. - check it out: