Meet Marly!

I’ve only had one dog in my life and she was incredible. When I brought home Marly, a scruffy, tiny, rescue dog from the pound, my husband thought I lost my mind. I hadn’t a clue what to do with her but thankfully Bill did. She was our first baby and one of the sweetest souls to grace this earth. When she passed away, it was years before I could even talk about her without crying….even now…it’s really hard. Seems silly to most I suppose but we really loved that little four legged lab.

So meet Marly….the inspiration behind my Lab Lovin’ Collection! (Oh...and that cute little Bulldog...that's Tank!)

One of the things I miss the most about my little boutique was working with other independent artists, having trunk shows for them, and watching them Shine! So when I met Brett over at I AM THE LAB and realized he too had a similar vision to help other artists, it was a no brainer that I wanted to work with him. As it always seems to go, when you do something with the intention of helping others, one always seems to benefit. When Brett asked if I wanted to be “part of” what he was doing, I felt very honored. Now I was on the receiving end of being supported. Thank you Brett!

And as a little bonus for you, if you check out Brett’s shop, not only will you see many lovely goodies but I’ve added a special discount on my new collection of Lab Lovin’!

From all of us independent artists out there we appreciate your support as you are the ones that help us raise our families, buy new soccer cleats, put food on our table…you get the picture…we Really appreciate you!

1 AM Promise! Supporting Indie Artists!

This is a really great idea to help support independent artists on the web. Created by Brett, the master mind over at I Am Lab. 

It’s called the 1 am Promise. Once a month (I’m pretty sure it doesn’t have to be at 1 am) make a purchase from any indie artist on the web. Your purchase can be big or small. This month I was fortunate to be on the receiving end of the 1 am Promise when Brett purchased my 2012 Calendar. Likewise I made a purchase from my friend’s Christine Mason Miller’s ETSY site. (More to come on that…I purchased her latest book, Desire To Inspire, and I’m currently devouring every page!) A full review to come shortly!!

To learn more about the 1 am Promise check out Brett’s blog. If you’re not sure where to find independent artist on the web, check out his store directory!

Pantone Happiness!

I am soooo happy to see color coming back into the design world...and to make me even more happy, Pantone has added 175 New Colors! Can that even be possible? And the color of the Year...Tangerine Tango....oh so happy! I love Tangerine!! Check out Pantone for their 2012 Fashion Color Report.

On another note: Yesterday I announced the Winners of my Calendar Give Away over on my FB Page. If you haven't "Liked" us yet, now is a great time because I have  a lot of new products to share and more Give Aways too!!!

New Year, New FB Page, New Give Away!!!

It's almost 2012!!!! So I'm doing a Give Away over at my new FB page for my textile business! I'll be giving away my 2012 Calendars to a few lucky winners! All you have to do is Like my page. Mari Robeson - Textiles For The Home! Easy!!! Plus, I have some really exciting Give Aways coming up in the New Year so I hope you check it out!!!

Cheers! Mari

My 2012 Calendar & Mod Moroccan Wrapping Paper Is Here!

For the second year in a row I've been fortunate enough to be asked by Central Coast Printing to create a holiday wrapping paper! They do a beautiful job printing this paper on two sides and the paper is so thick and luscious!

I am also introducing my 2012 Calendar to my shop! A great hostess, or teacher gift!!! hint, hint. :-) I have a whole lot of new product in production as we speak. It all would have been out much sooner, but... (personal update here)

As life goes, just as you're moving full steam ahead, you sometimes have to make a detour to pay attention to what's really important. That's what's been up lately, a series of some sad events, one right after the other. I'm not saying my work isn't important, it's my passion and I love it, in fact these days I'm finding it also helps me to keep moving along when my heart is so sad. So as my family and I move forward quietly processing recent events, work and life go on. I want to thank all my amazing friends who have dropped everything to help us out and for all the delicious dinners. Thank you, thank you, we are so blessed...xoxoxo

Inexpensive Table Decor...My Challenge!

I love entertaining and decorating for a party...any day! So when my husband asked if I would do the table decorations for an office retirement party, I was all on board. It's going to be at one of our favorite local wineries too, so yes, very excited! But then he said, "It's for 10 tables...you only have $50." ummmmmmmm, Ok...let's see what I can do. Eeesh! Of course I went to my favorite inspiration website, Pinterest, to get ideas. Here are some of my favorites. I'm hoping the dollar store will have some vases and candles that will work for me. The party is this Saturday. I'll let you know if I meet his challenge!

First image is from SouthernHospitalityBlog. I figure, I have hydrangeas in my garden and they like to be submerged in water...just have to find the vases and the candles....

I love the simple elegance of both of these. Courtesy of Busybeemn.com and StemFloral.com

Last of all I really liked this table setting for a winery. I have tons of pine cones on our property...hmmm my wheels are ticking. Table setting from 100LayerCake.com

I'm open to your ideas too! Please share!

Serena's Skate Deck Debut!

It's one of the best feelings to ever have when your child does well at something. It's even more exciting when they excel at something you personally love to do as well. Last night was an incredible evening. My 16 year daughter had her very first art show. It was a fund raiser to raise money for the San Luis Obispo Skate Park so she designed and painted a skate deck that went into a silent auction. When the first bidder came over and bid on her deck I can not tell you how proud I felt. Being an artist myself it was so exciting to see someone (who we didn't know) bid on her art! She painted a deer head on a teenage girls body. The story is that young girls are so bombarded by images in the media that they become desensitized, they are like a deer caught in the headlights, and no longer feel anything...notice she is about to cut her finger. Serena wanted her art to say that regardless of what the media says, she wants you to think for yourself. Wow! I can't wait to see what this young lady continues to do with her art!!! Great job Serena! You made me one proud momma. :-)

So Proud Of Serena!

I sound like a broken record when I keep apologizing for not posting because I've been ridiculously busy...all I can say now is.... Watch out 2012 because changes are a comin'!!! But for today I just had to take a moment and talk about how proud I am about my 16 year old daughter, Serena. She's going to have her first art show ever tomorrow night and I am so excited for her. Granted her painting is quite different than anything I would think of but the message is powerful and I think she did a beautiful job. I will post pictures of the art show this weekend! (Since it looks like rain which could mean no soccer games!?!?)

Pinning Love!

I can honestly say that I have never been this busy in my entire life. This is a good thing, I think...I just finished designing a new restaurant in Morro Bay, several home remodels going on, licensing deals with my lovely partner in New York (so exciting! but can't talk about yet), and of course, my three beautiful daughters who keep me endlessly driving to and fro... so finding time to blog lately, is kind of like finding time to read a good novel...I miss it! My latest distraction has been Pinterest. If you don't know what it is, it's a great place to create pin boards of all the fabulous things you find on the internet. Being an Interior Designer, I'm constantly researching and looking for inspiration and now I have one place where I can keep it all organized. The fun part of it is you can follow those with like interest...it just opens up a whole new world of friendships! Follow me! :-)

Featured On Pizzazzerie!!! Thank you!!!

I'm leaving in a little bit to be a judge for the California Mid State Fair Pageant today and I'm really excited to meet all the talented ladies as well as hang out with two of my dear friends who are also judges. As if today wasn't going to be fun enough, I just found out I've been featured on one of my absolute most favorite entertaining sites, Pizzazzerie! This is a sneak peak of a little of what I've been up to with a big launch coming this fall and some even bigger projects along theses lines, in the works...so I'm feeling really excited and blessed right now. Please hop over to Courtney's blog and check it but, plan on being there a while because she has so much inspiration and entertaining tips to share with you!! Have a great Tuesday everyone!

Look for an all new Table Top Collection in my shop this Fall!