Sunday, February 26, 2012

TAG! YOU'RE IT!

There are plenty of kindred spirits in the blog world who, in the spirit of spreading the love and learning a few things about each other, have started a game of tag. Kudos to Jessie over at Mix and Chic for spreading the news and for keeping the tag going.
Here are the rules she's asked us to follow:
1. You must post the rules.
2. Answer the 11 questions the tagger posted for you and then create 11 new questions to ask the people you’ve tagged.
3. Tag 11 people and link them in your post.
4. Let them know you have tagged them.

Here are my answers to Jessie's questions, and below are the questions I've posted to several bloggers I read daily. Can't wait to hear from you all. Let the tagging begin.

1. What is your favorite room to decorate and why?
The bedroom. It's the one true place in the home where you can escape to feel relaxed and to unwind after a long, long, day and I believe it's where you should really look around and feel at peace.

                                             Photo by Charlie Trainor for The Miami Herald

2. What is your favorite decorating trend?
Wallpaper and the use of the color grey. It's become my all time favorite color and I've used it quite often in recent years. It's one of the colors in my home office and my son's nursery.

                                                Photo: William Abranowicz

                                                     Photo: Kerri McCaffety

3. Which decorating trend do you think is way overrated?
Faux paint. Two words: Please Stop.

Image Source


4. What is your biggest decorating pet peeve?
Most design shows. They don't reflect the realities of the decorating process. i.e. their budgets do not include labor and hello, paint doesn't dry in two hours. I also give two thumbs down to designers who design for themselves and not for the client. True, we're there to take them out of their comfort zone, but could you seriously sleep in a room with feathered walls or a room covered wall to wall with Jackson Pollack art? I thinks not. 



5. Averagely, how much time do you put into a blog post?
Hmmm, at least an hour. Not to write, but to source photos, info etc...My assistant, Debbie, needs a major raise for all the time she spends helping to research some of the the items posted. Pssst....I'm working on that.

6. What have you learned/gained from blogging?
Keep at it. It's hard work! But, I'm loving all the cool blogs I stumble across daily, the resources and information I'm learning from fellow designers.

7. Who do you most admire in the blogging world and why?
All the bloggers I've tagged. I'm fascinated that so many of the blogs I love are by women who had careers that were polar opposites of their true passions, and that blogging has allowed us all to explore that creative outlet.

8. What is the coolest opportunity that has come your way because of your blog?
Bonding more with my little sister Lisa, who has an amazing blog: Beautyandababy. The tables have turned from my days of mentoring her as a big sister, and as a fellow writer, and now she's helped/coached me through the intricacies of blogging.

9. Who is your favorite decorator and why?
So yes, I know I poo poo'd most design shows earlier, but I make an exception for Candace Olson. Her designs are layered to the hilt, with texture upon texture.  I do wish she would share her budget because man, we all know those makeovers cost a pretty penny. 

                                                               Image Source

10. What is a little-known fact about you that your readers would be surprised to learn?
I'm head over heels in love with my 4-month old son Xavier (his dad isn't half bad either). 


I'm an award-winning writer who spent seven years at The Miami Herald, covering everything from murders, to politics, to sex for rent on the Internet, trends in the black community, police profiling members of the hip-hop community  and the ill-conceived idea to shutter a clinic that served some of the city's poorest kids.
They would also be surprised to learn that in my new life, I get down and dirty with my design projects. I love all the pretty stuff, but I'm also there with my crew on demolition day, knocking down walls, chipping away tile and hauling that stuff to the dump and I help to install tiles, wood floors, drywall etc...And oh, I almost always have a glass of wine at the end of installation day. It's well deserved and needed!

11. What do you hope your blog will achieve in the long run? Please elaborate.
I really want my blog to be a cool place for fellow designers, event planners, fashionistas and just anyone with a creative spark, to check out frequently to be inspired and to in turn, leave me with some food for thought. In essence, I want it to be a fun conversation hub where folks can gather to shoot the breeze.  

My questions:
1. When did you start blogging and why?
2. What is your design aesthetic?
3. Who’s your favorite fashion icon and why?
4. What design trend are you dying to try and what trend are you sick of seeing?
5. What’s your favorite guilty pleasure?
6. Which celebrity home you would love to design?
7. What inspires you the most in the design process?
8. What is your favorite piece of home furnishing and why?
9. Your must have design tool?
10. What is your favorite song and tell us three words that describes how it makes you feel.
11. What city/country did you visit and fall madly in love with and why? 

Here are the wonderful bloggers I'm tagging.
  1. Jessie at Mix and Chic
  2. Kimberly at Pink Eggshell
  3. Erica at Blu Label Bungalow
  4. Nathalie at miamiweddingplannerblog
  5. Danielle and Alaina at TheEverygirl 
  6. Coco at Cococozy
  7. Dayka at Dayka Robinson Designs
  8. Kim and Jo at Desiretoinspire
  9. Typhanie at shoeboxdecor
  10. Lakeitha at home23duncanboys
  11. Linda at mycraftyhomelife
Show them some love. I wonder who will get tagged next? 

5 comments :

  1. Hey, are you allowed to tag back?? I tagged Jessie...I must say, I am so curious to read the answers from the other bloggers. I follow almost all of them. I will answer them on a "slow news day". Your son is so yummy. I want to babysit, and give him back when he gets fussy. By the way, you do have word verification on.

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    1. Hey Crafty! My son has a wait list of suitors! lol. Thanks. He's as yummy as it gets. I think Jessie answered the tag back question and it makes sense. I'm afraid you guys could spend way too much time answering tag questions if that were the case. I do look forward to reading you guys and maybe teaming up on some online projects. Here's to a great week.

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  3. I enjoyed reading about you. Didn't realized you write for The Miami Herald and an award winning writer too, gosh you are so talented. I clicked on the articles you wrote and find it to be quite interesting.

    Faux paint, I agree is one of the worst decorating trend out there! As a big fan of Candice Olsen myself, sometimes I have also wondered what her decorating budget is because the makeover projects she shown on tv all looked like they would cost a lot!

    Like what Linda (MCHL) already mentioned, I think we can't tag the person again if they have been tagged by other bloggers. But I am glad you include me in your list of wonderful bloggers! Thanks, I really appreciate it. :)

    Nice blog, keep up the good work!

    Jessie
    www.mixandchic.com

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    1. Hey Jessie. Thanks for peeping into my world and for the kudos re: my writing life. Seems like a million years ago and I do still write but no longer under the stress of the daily deadline. Good riddance to that element!
      I'm enjoyed the tag game and reading about other bloggers.
      Re: Candace. Her budgets have to be upwards of $30,000; much more for the bathrooms and kitchens, primarily because she uses so many custom pieces and high end finishes.
      Can't wait to see what you're up to this week.
      Chat soon.
      Nicole

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