Jessica Swanlake's Profile

If I were a dude, this would be my dream house. The wee army men just kill me.

Seriously AT, if we wanted house tours of ridiculously wealthy socialites we would look in whatever is the Euro version of In Style. Not to sound like a hater, but I would have rather seen a "normal" home of an actual Romanian. To see how an average person deals with what this fellow was complaining about (high prices, red-tape, etc.) would be really interesting.

That aside, it is obviously carefully curated and designed, with plenty of irony and cleverness and flair, but it is absolutely devoid of any sense of joy. Especially the nursery. Speaking as a mother, that is seriously bleak. Hopefully they will change that up a little bit before the children grow up- no one wants to live in a magazine spread.

I was checking out online at 7:30am when the site crashed and I lost my cart. Such a bummer! I actually drove to a store and got there 5 minutes after the store opened and everything was already gone. I did manage to get my daughter a pair of wellies (cute!) and found the ceramic set of serving bowls (MEGA cute). An employee actually came up and asked me what I was looking for- she offered to go in the back and find the blanket I was trying to get for my sister's wedding shower. Of course it had already gone out and was swept away in the sea of voracious 50 year old women that cleaned everything out. You would have never known that I live in one of the most economically depressed areas in the country by the way they were going at it...

As to people blathering on about buying "real" Missoni, I own a "real" scarf and the quality of it is very similar to the ones they were selling for $19.99. Try not to be so full of yourselves- why rag on people for wanting something pretty that they can actually afford?

I collect rocks and other strange natural bits- it started when I went to Savannah and walked down the street that is made up of rocks from Ireland that were used as ballast. The sailors paved the roads with them so they could always feel close to home. That was just so beautiful it stuck with me.

I have bits of slate from Welsh mines, a smooth rock from the first time I saw the Pacific, some petrified heather & moss from the Orkney Islands, a sliver of a broken wall from Quebec- you get the idea. They are all beautiful on their own- add the memories attached to them and they are pure magic.

I recovered a vintage folding screen I found at a garage sale and put it in front of our crate. You can't tell it is there unless you are looking from the left side and adds a little interest to an otherwise boring corner.

I don't think I would want to get my mouth that close to the scrubbie.

My favorite was always Buffy's house from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. A totally relaxed, warm, Arts and Crafts bungalow with original woodwork, cute built-ins, and a huge kitchen. It just oozed "home".

The only thing I ever switch is the rug in our living room and some candles. The rug changes over to a red and gold Charles Rennie MacIntosh looking thing- not really to accomidate the holiday, but rather to hide the dirt and snow that people track in. It is pretty festive nonetheless.

The mod dot lamp is just amazing- perfect for someone (like me!) who can't drop $200 on nursery bedding, but can spend a little on cute accessories. The range of colors and the clean design make it so versatile- you can totally build your room around it without being trapped by one or two colors.

Thanks for showcasing this fab company!