summertime blues

Sunday was designated as an official day of prayer for the Gulf Coast and since our recent trip down there to work a wedding, our thoughts constantly turn to the devastation from the oil spill. The oil arrived on the Orange Beach coastline the day we left and luckily, the bride and groom kept a positive attitude throughout their wedding weekend. Selflessly, they weren't concerned whether or not the oil would affect their celebration and we all quietly mourned the changes and challenges our culture is experiencing.

MCD cannot express our heartbreak in words – it is impossible to fathom the uncertainty we face in the weeks, months and years to come. We stayed down in Orange Beach to work with Tuscaloosa Magazine on next year's Beach Issue and did our best to help stimulate the local economy for a few extra days. Matt is also helping with the relief efforts and has made plans to visit 4th of July weekend and volunteer with wildlife clean-up.

We're pleased to share that we've spoken with a few folks from T-town that also have plans to vacation on the coast for the 4th. In the spirit, we wanted to share a picture we snapped during the wedding weekend from the bay at Ono Island.

without a hitch: stitch witchery

After A long jaunt on the coast for a wedding and photo shoot, were back in the studio. There's much to share about our adventures in destination wedding world, but for now, we wanted to take a break from plugging our floral designs and give a little DIY lesson on how to make your own table runners.

We used these for a Bridesmaid Luncheon at Cosmo's restaurant in Orange Beach, AL. Check out an this article on the establishment from Tuscaloosa Mag. We came across the fabric at Old Time Pottery (the infamous craft/home accessory store on steroids – it can be a little overwhelming, but you never leave without a good find). You'll need about four yards of fabric, Stitch Witchery, an iron and a pair of scissors.

Start by cutting the length of fabric in half to give yourself two two-yard pieces. Then, cut the width of each piece of fabric in half. Following the directions on the Stitch Witchery package, create a two inch seam along the underside of the fabric edge and fuse it together by ironing over a length of fabric tape in the fold of the seam. Repeat along the two long lengths and one short width of the fabric. Along the other short width, create an even-angled point. To do this, fold the corners of the width down over the back of the fabric to meet each other. Seal the seam with Stitch Witchery. Voila!

Props to the Bride for this lovely image.

a breath of fresh air

We have lots of decorating projects moving and shaking right now and are thrilled with our newest client, a homeowner in Birmingham. We visited her yesterday and though she already has exquisite furnishings, we helped fluff-up her space, toss what she didn't need and place her furniture in a way that would impress anyone who walks through the door. The day was quite productive (finished product above), and we parted ways with a plan to take her living spaces to the next level with a few more essential touches.

Oftentimes, we find that houses have many of the elements to make a homeowner proud, but they are cluttered with useless accessories, and/or not placed to achieve the most potential and balance that the home is capable of offering. Additionally, our expertise in recognizing the few décor components that make a house a home take the stress (and needless spending!) off a client's agenda. MCD offers one of the lowest decorator fees in town ($65/hour) and our talent is tops. Give us a call if you're thinking of revitalizing your home this summer.

magnolia

Pardon the iPhone image, but we had to share this shot of a freshly harvested magnolia. They are about to burst into bloom across Alabama, so keep your eyes peeled and your snips ready!

college prep

Sometimes we miss coed life at The University. Fortunately, we get to stay in touch with our alma mater throughout the school year, working on parties for various University, sorority and fraternity functions. Now that summer is here, campus is a little quieter (and traffic is much lighter!), but not for long. A new crop of kids (err...young adults) are gearing up for summer orientation visits and starting their next chapter in Tuscaloosa. As we've mentioned, we outfit some fun and fantastic dorm rooms each year, and oftentimes students can keep most of their fabrics and accessories for years to come.

Yesterday, we met with a lovely lady from Schumacher fabrics who shared some of her favorite bright prints. Many of our top picks hailed from fashion designer Trina Turk's collection. It's an upper-end indoor/outdoor line (worth every penny!) that will hold its pizazz through just about anything during a four-year jaunt on campus – even an impromptu toga party with John Belushi and Otis Day and the Knights.

au courant

The NY Mag Home Design Issue arrived yesterday (actually, it was issued in NY last week, but being in Alabama, we only received it yesterday...). A series of apartments were profiled as the Neo Classics of New York. Now, we usually yearn for the fresh comfort of English design (and absolutely love Rita Konig and her Greenwich Village abode shown in the feature), but every single facet of Hervé Pierre's Neo Versailles design took our breath away. We'll never be the same after seeing the brilliance of the Balmain Glove and will always hold these words of wisdom: “To live as if you were in Paris, you need Evian, confiture, foie gras, and Céte d’Or chocolate”

In the spirit of our fond love for Lucite-inspired pieces, we also cooed over the translucent Chiavari chairs and the acrylic-top Drafting table featured in The Brat of Classicism.

All in all, four thumbs up from the MCD team – we'll be holding on to this issue for inspiration for years to come.

and here's to you, mommie dearest

We're prepping flowers for mothers and graduates this weekend, and thought it would only be appropriate to pay tribute to one of the greatest movies ever made, The Graduate (although paying tribute to Mommie Dearest was a close second). We'd prefer to wake up in Mrs. Robinson's Hollywood Regency style house from the 1967 classic. The bold black and white stripe, animal prints, futuristic mod furnishings and and a killer bar scream timeless glamor. And the SCUBA suit!

As for this weekend's flowers, we received several gorgeous rose varieties, pure white hydrangea, fabulous Casablanca lilies and rich greenery to create beautiful, glamorous arrangements for the dearest mothers and eager graduates we are honoring this weekend. (It's not too late to get an order in for delivery!) Which leads to us to wonder...would you rather be sending Mother's Day flowers to Mrs. Robinson or Joan Crawford?