9 By Design Tonight!

Is anyone watching the premiere of 9 by Design tonight on Bravo?

"Husband and wife design team Bob and Cortney Novogratz, owners of the NYC based design firm, Sixx Design, and stars of Bravo's newest docu-series "9 by Design." For more than a decade, this young, hip and artsy couple have developed and designed unique properties in Manhattan, rebuilt entire blocks in the city, and turned funky into fabulous with taste and confidence." And, may I add, they have 6 kids...that's right 6, and a baby on the way!!

If you get Bravo and have a chance watch this show tonight, I'd love to hear your thoughts. Hope it's not on during American Idol or I have a choice to make!

Enjoy!

Just In at Paris Hotel Boutique!

Today is the day! We've been busy as bees...Over 70 new items added to our shop! Highlights include:

* New Designs from our Paris Hotel Boutique Collection

* Velvet-Covered French Banquette

* 19th Century French Menus

* Antique French Gutta-Percha Calendar

* Estate Diamond Stacking Rings

* Rare Collection of Silver from the Alexander Young Hotel, Hawaii, and much more!

You can check out our new items right here!

Have a spectacular week!

Is the Internet Making Your Head Explode?

Perhaps I'm just tired...too many emails to answer...too many photos to take, who knows? But I've been thinking...how did we get to where we are now?

Here is a bit of my story. Wondering if you have any stories of your own to share?

Timeline

1995 - Start selling vintage & antique items (I won't bore you with how I got there). There was (still is) a magazine called the Antique Trader Weekly. A classified advertising magazine of sorts. This was long before eBay really started getting rolling. You would post an ad in the 'Trader,' and on Monday mornings you'd get calls from people who wanted to purchase your items, sight unseen. Can you imagine? Yep, those were the good old days...Except for the 5:00 a.m phone calls.


1997 - Discover a small company called eBay. They have a little booth set up here at one of our local antique shows. I purchase my first digital camera for a whopping $700 (a clunky Sony Mavica), and off I am selling on eBay. Those were the days when there were more buyers than sellers, so it was really profitable. You could buy a Raggedy Ann doll at a yard sale for $1, and it would be snatched up on eBay for $40.


1998 - Purchase this new book called "Shabby Chic" by some lady called Rachel Ashwell, and am totally blown away by "chippy" & weathered items. Start selling this look on eBay and it's totally insane. Ebay bidding wars are the daily norm. Things like tole chandeliers are selling in the thousands of dollars...rose oil paintings are a hot commodity, and sell in excess of $500. Beaded chandeliers? $1,500 and up!

At some point, I use the name "Paris Hotel" because I'm selling a lot of French and "hotel-related items."

2002- Home Companion contacts me to photograph my home for their magazine. I'm elated. A friend suggests I start a website to sell my wares. Find a web designer and "Paris Hotel Boutique" is born.


2007 - My web designer tells me about blogging. What the heck is that? I sign up. Do a little post here and there, but don't know what it really is.

Fast Forward - Here I am. 2010. Running my web shop and blogging regularly, but now we've added Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, etc. Which brings me to my point...

How do we juggle our lives? Number one is family, of course. Then for me it's managing my website which is my full-time job. Blogging, Facebook, Twitter are all secondary. In fact, I really don't like Twitter much at all. And what are all of these "share buttons"? Digg, Buzz Up!??


I love to blog and enjoy reading other people's blogs. But, how to we have the time to reciprocate with comments on so many great blogs out there? Is there time in your day to really read the posts and not just glance at the pretty pictures? What happened to just curling up with a good book? Are we all at our computers day and night getting lost in cyberspace?

I'd love to hear your thoughts about how the internet has affected your life. Has it opened up a whole new world, a new business perhaps? Made new friends and contacts? Is it taking time away from other things you'd like to do, or does it inspire you to do more?

Happy Weekend!

I hope you all have some fun plans for the upcoming weekend! I will be planted here taking zillions of photos for my upcoming mailing on Monday (I hope). You know how that works, you take 200 photos and 3 come out well. Wish me luck!

Enjoy your weekend whatever you're doing!



photo credit: riot jane - flickr

The Pink vs. Grey Discussion continued...

Thanks for all of your comments yesterday about my bag dilemma. Funny...half of you chose the grey bag, and the other half, the blush pink. What to do? Buy both? Not an option, unfortunately. Perhaps I should just keep focused on working and not get side-tracked by handbags, right? But this is just too much fun.


Take for instance these new nail colors by Chanel. I actually purchased the "Particuliere," which is the nicest grey/drab color ...fun on short fingernails or toes. Now I'm looking at the "Inattendu" color which reminds me of the handbag! I think there is just something so pretty about such a pale pink that almost looks flesh in color. Pink or grey? Pink or grey?

So, thanks for going along with me and my wardrobe saga. Funny, since I spend most of my time working from home, why would a bag even matter, right?

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