Tired of Treillage? Say It Isn't So!

While it is seems to have been all the rage of late, trelliage has been used for centuries, including early Europe (Italy and France), as well as the Far East (China and Japan). The earliest example I found of trelliage in the United States was via Elsie de Wolfe's book, The House in Good Taste, 1913. She planned the Trellis Room (above) and included this photo in her chapter devoted to Trelliage. Some of my favorite text, "you can wave it and create all sorts of ephemeral constructions that will last your time and pleasure. You may give your trellis any poetic shape your vision may take."


The use of trelliage has certainly expanded from the actual architectural elements or structures in a room to a style of design.

While there likely have been hundreds of posts on trelliage, I'm hoping you don't mind one more. I have fallen hard for trelliage as for me, it's like bringing part of the garden indoors.

I am sure most of you have seen Chloe Sevigny's hallway with the now infamous Kelly Wearstler Imperial Trellis. But have you seen this room, designed by Lynne Scalo?

Perhaps that is a bit too much trellis for you.

What about the trellis just gracing the walls, as in this home, spotted on a home tour from a Blogger. Note: I cannot for the life of me find the source of this picture, so if you know, please tell me so I may give appropriate credit!

Southern Accents had a lovely feature on Trelliage, illustrating accent pieces.

Numerous other examples abound in curtains, such as these found via DecorPad (and the late Design Smack)...


to Slipper Chairs, from Tonic Home.



Don't overlook other trelliage-inspired items either like this console table, also from Tonic Home,

or this treillage mirror, available from Layla Grace or The Well Appointed House,

or take the indoors back out with Frontgate's trellis patio furniture.

So if you, like me, are still enamored with trelliage, take heart that it is not just a recent design fad. And, if it is the fabric you must have, just keep in mind that there are many options from which to choose!

--Emmie

Bring Georgia Home (supporting local farmers)

There's a lot of buzz about Buying Local or Buying Regional now... whether for environmental reasons (reducing one's carbon footprint- though there is some debate about the legitimacy of this), improved quality, or just to support local business. Whether it's Fresh from Florida, Georgia Grown, Make Mine Mississippi, or another catchy tagline, many states are putting funds through grants and marketing dollars toward supporting local farmers.

Personally, I like the idea of buying to support the farmers. Did you know that there are just a handful of peach farmers left in Georgia!? And this is the peach state! I had the opportunity to speak with a fourth-generation peach farmer a few weeks ago for work and it was incredibly interesting. I'd love to see more people understand where their food comes from. Oh, and by the way, most of the supermarkets in your city probably do carry Locally Grown produce items. Some just do a better job than others communicating it.

But enough lecture, let's celebrate just some of what Georgia offers. This post idea originated as I was making dinner Saturday and honestly it didn't even occur to me that much of these items came from Georgia.

Wild Georgia Shrimp and Vidalia Onion Grits

Note that the grits are from Georgia as well! And if I used Sweet Grass Dairy, the cheese could have been from Georgia.

* Marinate shrimp in 1 tablespoon olive oil, 2-3 cloves minced garlic, juice from 12 lime (or lemon), and splash of soy sauce.

* Turn grill onto medium-high heat.

* Meanwhile, prepare Caramelized Onion and Grits. I was captivated by Vintage Victual's Vidalia Contest and used the recipe here though I substituted smoked mozzarella for the goat cheese.

* Toss shrimp on grill till pink; turn. Cook for about one more minute.

* Serve shrimp on top of grits with side of veggie. (I should have used Georgia-grown zucchini, but the Georgia meal idea occurred to me after I started dinner).

Georgia Blackberries (with some California Raspberries) Cobbler, inspired by Martha Stewart

* Pour 20 oz-worth of berries into a 5x11 (roughly) baking dish.

* Sprinkle with 4 tablespoons sugar and 2 tablespoons heavy cream (I used half and half).
* Cut 1 stick cold butter into little cubes. Using a pastry blender, incorporate butter into 1 cup flour, 1/2 tablespoon sugar, and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Drizzle 1 1/2 teaspoons ice cold water and form dough into a ball. (you may use less water if it's a particularly humid day). You can incorporate in a Cuisinart too, but I think it makes the pastry a little more tough.

* Roll out dough to cover the dish. Wrap in plastic wrap and place in fridge to chill for 15 minutes.

* Preheat oven to 425.

* After the dough is sufficiently chilled, place on top of berries. My version looks pretty crappy, as I let it get too cold and it cracked, but hey, that adds to the homemade goodness, right? Plus, when it's baked, doesn't it look better?

* Bake for 25 minutes. Serve by iteself or with ice cream!

Enjoy the fruits (and veggies) of your state! (or if you're lucky, your own garden).

-Emmie

Summer Reading Challenge 2009 and a Long Sappy Note About Sisters

I'm sure you've seen several of these already but this is the one I found yesterday and given the simple fact that this dear Blogger has Southern in her title, I'm in.  Introducing Susan, of A Southern Daydreamer, who has challenged us to make a list of books we'd like to read this summer and check back in in September.  

My goal is to ready "literature" but I am willing to expand my list to include some "dessert" reads as well.  How big of me.  I've also stumbled upon a great source of Southern Authors: Authors Round the South.

My List:

1. Delta Wedding, Eudora Welty

2. Fixer Upper, Mary Kay Andrews (book signing/reception July 18 in Marietta, Georgia)

3. At least one of the Miss Julia books, by Ann B. Ross (fell in love with the writer after reading Miss Julia throws a Wedding.  Miss Julia reminds me so much of my grandmother).

4. The Color of Light, Karen White (cheating, as I'm currently reading)

5. The Help, Kathryn Stockett

6. The Widow Clicquot: The Story of a Champagne Empire and the Woman Who Ruled It, Tilar J. Mazzeo

7.  Wine Politics: How Governments, Environmentalists, Mosbsters, and Critics Influence the Wines We Drink, Tyler Colman

8. Milk Teeth: A Memoir of a Woman and Her Dog, Robbie Pfeufer Kahn

9. From Baghdad, With Love: A Marine, the War, and a Dog Named Lava, Jay Kopelman

10. Diamonds, Gold, and War: The British, the Boers, and the Making of South Africa, Martin Meredith

Speaking of reading, the movie based on one of my all-time favorite books comes out today.

As I've mentioned, I have a "little" sister, whom I dearly love.  While we've certainly had our moments over the years, I cannot imagine my life without her.  Years ago, there was an event that caused me to experience the potential of losing her-- a time I try not to think about except in remembering how precious she is to me.  To me, the loss of a sister must be one of the most challenging trials to face.  Both my sister and I thought of this again when my mother lost her dear sister to breast cancer nearly 7 years ago.

Many books involving the relationship between sisters have been written; I've had trouble with some (I couldn't finish In Her Shoes because I just couldn't get my head around selfish sister love) and loved others.  My Sister's Keeper obviously falls into the latter category.  In addition to exploring the relationship between sisters, the novel delves into so many other issues- the ethics of creating children, familial relationships during times of turmoil, a mother's love, dogs, and celebrating each day we have been given. Like many Jodi Picoult, there is a twist at the end. Since My Sister's Keeper, I've ready many Picoult novels, but none have touched me as deeply as this one.

I face going to see the movie with some trepidation as I've heard the ending is different.  I will not give away the ending to the book, except to say that it is powerful.  Dear Mr. Southern and I were on a plane to attend a wedding, when I finished the book.  Tears were streaming down my face- uncontrollably- so much so that the flight attendant asked if I was OK.  Fortunately we were in the first row so it was a quick trip to the lavatory to try to get myself together.  Not that I am encouraging crying, but I highly recommend reading this book.

So here's to a summer of reading and holding close the ones we love!

-Emmie

A Touch of Glass

As I continue to explore this Blogger-world, I am amazed at how people keep up with functions- like book signings and gallery events.  Truth be told, much of the reason is probably because I am not "in the know" in the world of interior design but rather simply an outside admirer.  In any event, I just signed up for Atlanta Daybook to help keep myself informed of the goings-on in Atlanta.  

One of today's features was regarding Kathleen Plate's launch of her new fashion, art, and home decor collection. Seeing the image above, I just had to learn more. 

 

Kathleen is based in Atlanta (though she's a native of Washington state, doesn't Kathleen look like the quintessential Atlanta gal?)

The new collection features recycled beer, wine, soda, and salad dressing bottles "upcycled" into dresses, sculpture, wall art, chandeliers, lamps and hanging curtains.  I'm currently on a quest for a chandelier for our dining room, so I am anxious to see those offerings.  

The line is currently on exhibit at the Emily Amy Gallery in Atlanta, which is just perfect as I've been intending to check it out after reading so much about it on StyleCourt (Courtney, I promise I'm not trying to copy your posts- it was a happy coincidence!) Her art is also available online at Smart Glass.  

Here are a few of my faves.

cobalt qty:	crystal cobalt qty:	royal qty:	crystal royal qty:	teal qty:	crystal teal qty:	aqua qty:	crystal aqua qty:
lime qty:	crystal lime qty:	emerald qty:	crystal emerald qty:	purple qty:	crystal purple qty:	red qty:	crystal red qty:
gold qty:	crystal gold qty:	amber qty:	pink qty:	crystal pink qty:	petal pink qty:	lilac qty:	crystal lilac qty:
clear qty:

 Collection of drawer pulls, $9 each

Large charm necklace, $248 (your choice of the colors used)

Coca-Cola Glass, large circle on chain, $94

Cocktail Ring, $95

Gold Tassel Earrings, $166

Square Ring Bracelet, $82

Totally unrelated, I also learned that W Atlanta Residences has cut prices 30%- so now you snap up a luxury condo for just $200k to $3 million.  Just trying to help keep you in the know. ;-)  

Admittedly, I've always wanted to live in a hotel so this would be perfect for me.

-Emmie