Smid ♡’s details: Flower Power

I went up to LA this weekend to attend a Floral workshop hosted by Design Love Fest and directed by Moon Canyon Designs.  When I arrived in downtown LA’s fashion district, I had to pee so bad but I was too early to show up to the event. I couldn’t find anywhere to stop.

I finally found a starbucks. I paid $5.00 to park my car at a meter across the street. I b-lined it for the Starbucks only to realize there was no bathroom! What????   I ran out of the Starbucks and ran terrifyingly down the street to the nearest hotel. I buzzed past the doorman, trying to pass for a hotel guest.  Thankfully, I made it. Word to the wise, don’t ever enter the downtown LA fashion district without having gone to the bathroom first.

The floral workshop, amazing, but it couldn’t have come at a worse time. It also couldn’t have come at a better time. I really needed to be home working on all the things that need to be done for the photo shoot in two weeks and the launch party in August. I also desperately needed some tips on flower design. I plan to have the house full of flowers for the photo shoot and for the launch party. I believe that flowers are powerful and that type of detail really makes a difference. I am however, challenged in the flower department. Even if I only have one type of flower and no greenery, it still manages to look pitiful and tightly wedged in there. So this IS really good timing.

Apparently, I am a crammer and a jammer. Maurice from LA’s Bloom and Plume shop was assisting at the event. He kept finding himself down at my end of the table reminding me that the flowers needed to breathe and that I just needed to glide the stems in at an angle. Whatever! Every time I went to glide a flower in, it got stuck and then I started fighting with it.  Lol- he was awesome though. He kept coming by after he had re-arranged my flowers and would say, “I like what your doing here.” What? That’s because he did it! They did turn out great though.
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I have to say, that girl Bri knows how to throw a party. The set up was brisk and airy. The food was amazing and she served mimosas! I got a lot more relaxed about my long laundry of things to do. I met some  new friends and handed out a few launch party invites. I learned (with a lot of guidance) how to put together an amazing flower arrangement. Here’s hoping I can do it again.

-SMID
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Project SMID: Getting worse before it gets better…

I am so stressed out. It feels like everything is getting worse before it gets better.

The yard is torn up right now because I hired a team to implement my vision for our garden. I designed an english garden layout that will include stone, moss and pea gravel walk ways, a gorgeous antique gate and a wooden trellis that will be full of Jasmine…and a hanging chandelier of’course. The cement patio and geometric pavers doesn’t cut it for me. All of our outdoor furniture is in our house or garage during the construction.

I have old sheets hanging in the windows of my kid’s room until the curtains arrive next week. Every time I walk into that room, I have to go to my zen place and deep breathe so I don’t pull my hair out or freak out.

My dog, Chloe – AKA Pig Dog, who is 14 and still kicking, peed all over the downstairs floor today. This is where we are storing all of the furniture currently and it was practically inside my kids tent. I guess no one heard her scratching to go out with the loud constant jack-hammering that was coming from the outside rework.

…And then I ran into trouble with my doors. These doors are really amazing but they are giving me so much pain. It’s just one more thing on my list. I am now officially crossing the line from borderline insane to totally insane.

My beautiful, gorgeous, stunning white wooden doors with round molding were the find of the century that I got for a steal, and now I am paying for them over and over again.

I had to go and get creative… again. I didn’t want these doors to open like any old door. They needed a crazy new life. They are such a statement. For me, it was too expected to have them bi-fold or swing open. I wanted glamorous barn doors with tough hardware, that slide open and pocket into the wall. I wanted the unusual and the unexpected. I wanted it to be the artwork in the room but functional. I wanted to SMIDthat.

Well, they are all of that with the exception of functional. It’s ok, they will be functional but we (the doors and I) have a real LOVE-HATE relationship right now. The LOVE is still so much stronger, which is why I am still pushing so hard to get this right.

The doors are hanging on a wall track with severe barn door hardware. We carved a u-channel track into the floor so that it is seamless with the floor and friendly to all the little feet in the house and of’course my stilettos.

These doors are seriously heavy in the heaviest possible way. The weight of these doors are causing a lot of rework. The initial team I hired did not install them properly. It is a custom design and a bit tricky but they got lazy.

It requires hitting a structural beam and also additional support underneath the hardware. I identified the original problem from round 1 of the hanging; the doors were leaning slightly. I also gave clear instructions on how to correct the problem. I have an eye for levelness, centering, etc. It makes me a bit buggy when things are not level or aligned properly, which is a bit odd since I love throwing things off a bit with they way I design.

I was promised that they did hit the beam and secured the doors in all areas. Well, they didn’t hit the beam. They didn’t even hit the beam where the beam was right there shouting, “hit me, here I am.” Really?

I just found this out when I noticed a slight lean in the doors again and they were not sliding as easily as before. I am so irritated that I want to hire those guys back just so I can fire them.

A good friend of mine, recommended someone that does this type of custom work. He came today and has me breathing again, which is good. He is going to reopen the wall and install a lower beam, where we didn’t have a chance on hitting wood. He will adjust the center bolts to meet the main beam where we should have been successful. He will also custom solder some of the leg bolts and hardware to provide more support to the entire system…AKA more $, AKA more headache, but worth it because they are so hot!

You will see the final work from the photo shoot on July 27th. These doors will slide open and pocket into the wall. They will close together and be incredible. In the meantime, you know where I will be – my zen place.

-SMID

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All of the doors closed together and stunning

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The doors are sliding to the left and starting to pocket into the wall. See the u-channel track?

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One door left in the center just for fun!

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Almost gone…

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Project SMID: Big Week

It’s been a big week so far. I made a decision on my logo and essentially my business cards. I wanted to give you a little peek. This is not the “official” card. The print order goes in this week. I couldn’t help it. I got so excited when I made the decision. I printed the final design out on just a regular old piece of paper, cut it into a square and left it a little big. The real card will be printed on black matte card stock, the writing will be in gold leaf and the square will be a bit bigger than your normal business card.

Admittantly, I’ve been a total nut, running around the house putting it on my coasters, trays, against different back drops. It looks so good. Alexandria Manson helped me capture everything I’d hoped for. This card speaks to me. The black card stock will be tough, masculine and grounding. The handwritten SMID is glamorous and feminine. The gold is unexpected and as Alex said to me the other day, is just bad ass and I totally agree. This is how I like to design. Here is a look now and I will show you the actual card when it arrives.
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Oh, and my “save the dates” for the SMID launch party, ship out tomorrow. I ordered a gorgeous calligraphy stamp from an ETSY shop, called Love to Create Stamps. They worked with me to customize it so that SMID would pop out. I am a little obsessed with gold and gold leaf…anything. I purchased a gold stamp pad, black card stock and gold envelopes today. All the cards are stamped. Addresses will go on and they get shipped today. So, save the date!
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