wallpaper removal

I apologize for the poor photos, but tropical storm Andrea is making its way up the East coast and it is a very dark and stormy day here, not ideal for picture taking.

When my daughter and I were at Lilly Pulitzer the other day, I spotted a scarf I had wanted on sale. Kate found the same print in a darling strapless dress. The scarf is 18 inches square, an ideal size for framing. I remembered that Ikea's Ribba frame comes in a 19 plus inch square frame that would be perfect. I have read lots of scarf framing DIY online with sewing, pinning, etc., none of which I felt like doing. I figured the static electricity of the glass and the silk would keep the scarf in place and it has. I ironed the scarf, positioned it against the glass, put the mat and backing behind it, and five minutes later it was done. Total cost of $60.00.

I think it came out great and the scarf is not damaged and can easily be switched out whenever I wish. It is a wonderful addition to my gallery wall that has grown very organically starting with the large Helen Frankenthaler.

Living Room

 With the passing of Lilly Pulitzer this past week, Palm Beach style has been very much in the news. I think you will see interior designers feature the Palm Beach look in the next year in homage to her. Coincidentally, I have been doing guest posts over at The Glam Pad the past 2 months featuring my virtual makeover of the historic Chinese Village House in Coral Gables currently on the market. Here are the 8 rooms I have done inspiration boards on to date all in Palm Beach Chic.

Head over to The Glam Pad to see today's 9th board - the upstairs landing and hall. For each inspiration board, you can click on the caption to be linked to the original post for details on the room. BTW, I did the porch with furniture from the Lilly Pulitzer home collection.

Watercolor of Chinese Village House by Laura Mullaney

Entryway

Dining Room

Kitchen

Porch

Master Bedroom

Guest Bedroom

Home Office

Lilly in her first store

My daughter and I spent a lovely spring day together yesterday with pink cherry blossoms in bloom everywhere. Our day included shopping at Lilly Pulitzer and mojitos before dinner. Over dinner, we spoke about my recent posts on flamingos and my new flamingo print for my office makeover. We talked about vintage Lilly we had in our closets. I was wearing a zebra bracelet and Kate had on neon pink ballet flats. I returned home and watched Mad Men and learned of the passing of Lilly Pulitzer. It was a day that Lilly would have enjoyed.

I grew up wearing Lilly. I stayed up late last night creating a Pinterest board on Lilly Pulitzer, filled with her vintage and modern fashion, as well as her home collection. You can find it here. I was thinking too about the strong influence of Lilly Pulitzer on modern Chinoiserie that I coined the term "Chinoiserie Chic" to describe when I started this blog.

Palm Beach Chic (of which Lilly Pulitzer was and is the essence) and Chinoiserie Chic share so much in common. Elephants, dragons, zebras, monkeys, pink and green, bright saturated pastels of course, but at their essence both are pretty, feminine, preppy, whimsical, exotic, and happy.

At their core what the two share is the sheer joy of life. A famous quote of Lilly's -

"The Lilly girl is always full of surprises. She lives everyday like it's a celebration. Never has a dull moment. And makes every hour a happy hour."

And another -

"Being happy never goes out of style."

So let's celebrate life every day and make every hour a happy hour in her memory.

Andrea at The Glam Pad did a lovely tribute to Lilly Pulitzer here and I am over at The Glam Pad today continuing my virtual makeover of the Chinese Village House in Coral Gables with a makeover of the master bedroom here.

A sketch of Lilly in her first store

Lilly with her daughters

Modern Lilly

Embellishments Design Studio

So perfect for a girl's bedroom - Lilly Pulitzer dragon curtains in hot pink, Chinoiserie walls in mint green, and an emerald green pagoda print from The Pink Pagoda - preppy, girly Chinoiserie. I love this color combo - I even have a Pinterest board on pink and green.