mid week :: winter gardens, fall leaves, and zombies
The Fall is officially upon us, and as I look at these images from the week I can't help but notice the colors that come out this time of year. The reds seem to be extra vibrant and rich this year. I wonder why that is? Why some years certain colors shine more than others? Some years I feel like the oranges are so hot they almost burn your eyes and the yellows so bright they seem florescent. I hear it sometimes just depends on the levels of rainfall and other such things but I tend to think that God rather enjoys picking His own "color of the year" and stunning us all with every level and gradient of that color possible. I for one am thankful for the ever constant inspiration that nature brings and how the ultimate Creative shows His love to us in such a beautiful and tangible way.Photos: 1. Out take from Furniture Makes the Room 2. My mind is on zombies after the last episode of The Walking Dead 3. This red Dogwood tree in front of my house is extra brilliant this year and I gladly welcome back this old friend of 16 years 4. All of my succulents and cacti re-potted indoors for the winter.....whew! I need to find gloves that cactus pricks don't get through! 5. An out take from our book cover reveal video. These two lovelies working hard to make things beautiful, and the beams of light off to the right were what drew me to this photo. Light all around.
intelligence, confidence, beauty:: quotes
I've been thinking about a lot of things lately... and one of them is this very thing. Where is the balance between confidence and ego, and what do both even look like? Sometimes confidence looks like stepping back and letting someone else do what you could do, but they are better at it. Sometimes confidence looks like being still and not needing to say a word. Confidence is patience. Confidence is complete trust. Confidence is humble. Confidence is beautiful.Ego on the other hand looks a bit different. Ego shouts for all the attention even if you were not responsible for what brought that attention. Ego is demanding. Ego is impatience and false urgency. Ego is often not based on truth but rather perceived "truth". Ego is extremely defensive and seeks justice. Ego is prideful and ugly.I want confidence. And, I not only want the characteristics of confidence in my own life...but I want to instill confidence in others as well. Confidence is greater than ego.
It's cover Reveal Time :: Furniture Makes The Room
I'm SO EXCITED to be able to share the cover of my new book "Furniture Makes The Room" with all of you today! It has been a long journey with lots of hard work, and lots of pure joy.....but it sure feels amazing to start launching this baby out into the world! I cannot say enough about my dream team at Chronicle Books... Laura, Stephanie, and Hilary... my wonderful agent Stefanie Von Borstel with Full Circle Literary , my styling, photography, and floral team... Angie, Julie, Jessica and Paige for all of the hard work and passion that every single one of you put into this project! I love you all forever! I also would like to thank John French for putting this video together for me....you all should check out his music!Thank you to each and every one of YOU for inspiring me, for pushing me forward, for being here in this place to keep up with all of my antics... and for your constant words of encouragement that you leave me here. I truly would not be where I am today without my readers and friends who find what I do interesting and worthy of love....so thank you.....I am forever grateful.I am very much looking forward to launch day on March 22, and all of the beautiful and fun things that will happen between now and then! To find out more about my book and to get a sneak peek at one of the projects visit Amazon here or Barnes and Noble here!Throw a little confetti with me! xo,Barb
Knack Book 2 :: Furniture Makes The Room
Exciting times are upon us! We still have a few months to wait, but "Furniture Makes The Room" will be in your mailboxes by the end of March! We will be having a big old launch party on Friday night March 18th....with many more details to come on all of that soon!For now though.....we did a little photo shoot in the shop this morning...and a little video too....to reveal the gorgeous cover of Furniture Makes The Room! All of that cheesy amazing goodness will launch tomorrow!Here are a couple out takes that I captured on my phone to hold you over until tomorrow!xo,Barb
The night within us, leaving stars :: New furniture designs
I am really enjoying being in full on production mode for my Fall/Winter furniture collection. The summer collection was soft pale neutrals, so it has been wonderful to head in a new direction with the current collection and embrace all things dark, rich and moody. The title of the Fall/winter collection is "The Night Within Us, Leaving Stars"...and I will share more later on the meaning of this collection.....but for now, here is a sneak peek at a couple of pieces that are currently in the works..I will be officially launching this collection on November 6th, so save the date!
Fun New Arrivals :: Shop The Website
We are so excited about these *SAWEET* new arrivals in the shop! It is always a super fun day when we get to unload new treasures...and there are more to unload tomorrow!These lovelies are available in our brick and mortar store in Greenville, SC and in our online shop as well!It's never too early to start the gifting game!Cheers!
winds of change :: let them come
The winds of change are blowing strong and hard around here. I have felt their soft urges for the last year, and sometimes, these urges of change can bring fear, doubt and insecurity. But, the cool thing about the winds of change is that they also allow you to stand still....to feel the strong wind blowing through your hair and across your face... to let those winds also stir up your soul, and blow out the cobwebs that have taken over in the forgotten places of joy and movement.Be open to stepping forward when change comes, and not only stepping forward.... but stepping forward with confident steps.Much love,Barb Blair
happenings:: beauty all around
Every single one of these images was generated by our readers, and when I took the time to look at this collection of photos all together, it really brought so much joy.To see images of fresh florals, pop up shop photos, people loving our products, furniture makeovers snap shots, and our ever changing inspiration board.There is such beauty all around. Live and work with what you love! Images via: @emily_jeffords, @thestellabluegallery, @illyriapotteryoxford, @kendramargaret