I want to be your party girl!

One of the services long enjoyed by Lamb's residential clients has been what Mom and I like to call "GETTING PARTY READY"!  When it's time to entertain family and friends for the holidays, engagement parties, birthday dinners, or a dinner party for your potential clients, it is important that your home and your serving and dining tables represent your shining spirit. We are always honored to make sure Lamb's clients receive raves from guests WITHOUT THE STRESS!

As lifelong entertainers, Mom and I have always used a sensory approach to party planning--if it looks good, sounds good, smells good and tastes good, it's gonna feel good!  We have helped plan and prepared for (honestly) hundreds of feel good parties and would love to help you with your next special occasion!

We have never had events professionally photographed--we are about to--but I have over the years taken my own (yes still crappy) photos of events I have hosted in my home

Formal Celebrations



This event was held very close to Thanksgiving but we wanted to ensure that it was celebrated as a completely separate and special occasion.  We therefore opted for a chocolate and Tiffany blue color scheme--plenty of homage to Autumn, yet 100% non-T-giving
 

 

Formal dinner parties sometimes call for a menu card as this one did.  We handmade these with cardstock and coordinating ribbon

 

 

Your guests will remember the special occasion as well as your hospitality when you include a small gift for them at their place setting. 

 

 

Mom and I love to use beautiful tea towels as napkins--even in this formal dinner setting, this beautifully screened linen tea towel is right at home and a pretty addition to the table

 

Holiday Entertaining.   

 

From traditional to fun & funky, we make holidays easier for Lamb's clients by creating a festive setting that is always the hit of the gathering

 

 

 So festive to bring out the holiday china; using live greenery, including rosemary sprigs on the napkins makes the dining area smell wonderful

  



 

I try to incorporate the King into all my celebrations as well as my children's holiday creations.  Tasteful, beautiful presentation of all your priceless pieces makes your holiday décor personal and meaningful.



Our Thanksgiving table would not be complete without the turkey votive holders; many generations of PA kids have these at home; we just happen to showcase ours at least once a year!
 



 

I love to mix crystal patterns, and it's fortunate that I do, because I rarely have enough of one pattern to serve all our guests; we have large gatherings:)

 

Preparing the buffet table for our Easter celebration--and note the Happy Easter Egg plate, handmade by one of my children--looks lovely and makes my girls feel proud even though they might claim otherwise!

 

 

I have as of late been super obsessed with transfers.  I made these Easter napkins and they are more beautiful than any I have ever seen on the market.  Sometimes I'm pretty crafty; sometimes it just doesn't go well.

 

 

But this time it went perfectly.

 

Summer Brunch table settings--how lovely for a bridesmaid's luncheon or midmorning Easter feast

 

 

Homemade preserves as a guest gift is sure to be appreciated--homemade by someone.. 

 

Fiesta!!--and I'm not talking about piñatas and sombreros; we went authentic old Mexico, very special and a little creepy at the same time!

 

Extra special events call for handmade invitations, using fine papers and ribbons, and sometimes stuff you find in your yard! 



 

 

 

These invitations we created for the Engagement Fiesta were so cool--we used heavy recycled cardstock, a vintage Mexican wedding photo and some pretty ribbon banding

 

 

Décor is so important to create a truly festive atmosphere--we really had a blast incorporating bits of Old Mexico throughout the common areas of our home!

 

Antique Mexican dolls adorned the appetizer tables--I promise I moved their hands before I served up the guac and the pico

 

 

Frida totally freaks me out but I love her.  I just love her to death.

 

 

I love to use persimmons for arrangements in the fall and they were perfect for the Fiesta color scheme

 

 

 

Colorful wine bottles and a little ribbon and a little glue make gorgeous candleholders

 

 

Whether your next event is casual, formal or totally funky (my own personal fave) step it up a notch and let Lamb's create a special party atmosphere just for you!!  Your event might be the one that we select for professional photos!  Pick up the phone, I'm always home!

 

Teen Retreat

A great new room for a precious girl--Mom and I were excited to get to create a super teen retreat for a very impressive student athlete.  The room had tons of potential even before the Lamb's transformation--it is larger than many master bedrooms (including mine) and has amazing natural light, and vaulted ceilings.  I knew it would be a super project the minute I saw the space.  After visiting with our client and her daughter, we developed a plan to address all the functional and aesthetic needs of this busy beautiful girl.  The following pictures tell the story of this sweetheart's new place to chill!

 

THE PLAN:



 Even the design board for this new bedroom is beautiful!

Before Pix
 

 

Sort of an overall before shot--it's such a great room, has a wonderful window, great natural light, pretty built-in's and so much space!

 

And the After Pix: 

 

I enjoy mixing metals whenever possible; the silver chest, gold & silver lamp and the burnished mirror add depth and versatility to the design.

 

fun moderately priced burlap pillow from Tuesday morning--gotta love Tuesday Morning for cool additions that don't break the bank

 

We chose an extremely cozy swivel glider with an ottoman for the reading nook; the framed photograph above the glider was the inspiration for the room's color scheme and the melon pom pom throw is the perfect accent for the dreamy blues and greens



We framed an inexpensive cork board, leaving its original silver frame exposed to create a custom piece to highlight this sweet little athlete's photos, awards, medals, and art

 

 

The window treatment, window seat, and mirror application were my very favorite elements of this space.  This Roman shade may well be the prettiest we have ever designed and installed.  It is just beautifully botanical, I never tire of looking at the pics.   Regarding the mirror application, we used something similar at Greystone Country Club in the ladies' lounge.  Our teen needed a full-length mirror for obvious reasons, but we simply were not happy with the options that were available.  We instead chose to purchase three classically designed square ones and install them as one unit.  The result is floor to almost ceiling gorgeous!

We reupholstered the windowseat in a muted stripe and added splashy accent pillows.  Quality pillows are so important to the design.  These beauties fit the bill perfectly:)

We added Em's original artwork, a built-in desktop, a totally funky sconce and a comfy chair to make for pleasant study time--or at least as pleasant as possible! 

 

Lovely room for a lovely girl!! 

 

Enjoy the video that I created, then thought I lost, but found again!!

http://smilebox.com/playBlog/4d7a59794d6a49334d6a493d0d0a&blogview=true

Family Home Gets Its Groove Back!!

Mom and I spent a week in beautiful Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina giving a lovely family home a little rejuvenation!  We were fortunate enough to have gorgeous professional photos of the finished product and I took lots of decidedly amateur ones as well.  The following are some fun before and after shots and project documentation--some of these pics are professional, some of these are mine.  You probably can't even tell the difference--JK:)

The before pics of the foyer:



And the after shots of the foyer:

 

So classically pretty--we used an antique console piece along with a gorgeous sculpture that set the stage for the rest of the living area--clean and elegant with measured injections of color and fun!!

 

 

And look at the great fixture we added, go back up and look at the old one if you don't  remember because it made a tremendous difference--unfortunately these are my pix so you won't get the full effect but you will get the idea!

 

 

 

Master Bedroom Before Pics:





 

And the Master Bedroom After Shots!!!--



 

 

 

Sweet sweet kitty (not sweet sweet Connie, though she would love them too) LOVES Greek key and custom pillows

 

 

Love the secretary as a bedside chest.

 

 

I am still crazy about these lamps--they make this whole room brilliantly happy!!

 

 

Look at this beautiful bench--it just needed some floral RM Coco love.  Every piece of furniture in the master bedroom belonged to the homeowner, save the chair and ottoman.  These pieces required only reupholstering and special Lamb's treatment to bring out their own special mojo!  Look how great the homeowners' iron bed looks with the new bedding!  And the Karastan rug was lost and irrelevant in its previous location in the house--it LIVES and BELONGS in this bedroom and is a vital element of the design!!



 

 

Another of my favorite additions to the master bedroom is this reupholstered wood-trimmed sofa; the fabric was very well-priced and made this classic piece fresh and stylish in our new master.

 

 

I learn something new during every single install.  The tulips in this arrangement had the most perfect droop when I arranged them.  The following morning when this picture was taken and about 5 minutes before the professional photographer arrived they were standing straight up looking, well, there is no better word to describe how they looked than "erect".  Not exactly what I was going for. 

 

  Pix of the family room before the Lamb girls hit the scene:

Wait till you see the after shot of this plaid chair and ottoman.  You are gonna love love it!

 



                                                                                             And pay special attention to the button tuft chair, look for it below-remember I am a huge Elvis fan. 

 

The LOVELY Family Room After Pix--perfect for its LOVELY family--

 

 

We all fell hard for the Maxwell raspberry swirl fabric on the chair and its striped companion on the ottoman!!  And look at the original art by Sandy Hubler above the mantel; I could stare at that painting for hours.

 

 

Look at it, it is so beautiful I could lick it.

 

 

Here's that sweet button-tuft--all dressed up in blue suede.  It is perfectly complemented by the Hubler art; I didn't actually plan it that way and never expect furnishings to perfectly match fine art, but sometimes Jesus loves me extra and it just works out.

 

 

Could this ottoman be more beautiful??

 

 

My furniture designer and upholsterer are geniuses--sometimes you must head for the hills to get to the true artists and artisans.  And I do, weekly!:)

 

 

These lamps are actually from Norwalk--they are the perfect shade of blue, not baby, but soft.  The teapot is one of many from a collection belonging to my client who is charmingly British.  We used them throughout the living area for fresh flowers.

 

 

 

Pretty, huh?

 

Before pix of the Living Room

 

 

Get ready, because you are going to love the after shots, here they come!

 

 We used all the homeowners' existing furniture, reupholstered a few pieces, added a couple of fantastic black floral ottomans, rugs, silk drapery panels and art and shifted everything around some.  Note that we used the clients' desk as surface space for the sofa.  It serves as a lamptable but is still completely functional as a desk.  Mom & I love what is beautiful and functional.  The result is stunning and chic but still so VERY LIVABLE and INVITING.

 

 

These wingbacks got pretty new fabric and some exquisitely decadent, delicious accent pillows.  I loved using the blue wooden candleholders on the skirted table; the blue is an unexpected injection of color that just makes me, and most importantly our clients, happy:)

 

 

Another wonderful accent pillow, and check the series of prints over the desk--these are actually framed illustrations from an antique Alice In Wonderland book, so cool!  I wish I had three more for one additional row!

 

 

 

 

 

It's hard to tell from my pix, but the colors are actually quite vibrant and beautiful

 

 

I am in a huge rug-layering mood as of late and I can't imagine a rug being any more beautiful as a layer than my all-time favorite metallic zebra print cowhide.  This organic element added another shot of very highbrow fun to this space.

 

 

The artwork in this room is actually off the rack; it looks anything but!  It is stunning and is accented beautifully by the antique brass sconces.  This is a good shot of the floral ottomans.  The whole room is just so lively and fun with just the right amount of easy elegance.

 

Last, but certainly not least, the before pix of the fine young prince's bedroom:

 

 

Wait for it, no here it comes!

 

 

We paid homage to this fine, precious boy's very British mama and his very American daddy by using vintage American and British flag fabric.  The custom drapery panels are so much fun, blue denim and the red and cream stripe, repeated on the body pillows on the day bed.

 

 

Too fun using a much less refined hide in Sam's room.  I love the juxtaposition of the natural cowhide and the red and gold abstract in a heavy black frame.

 

 

Vintage American and Union Jack flags--gorgeous and meaningful to this precious family.

 

Mom and I loved every minute of this long-distance project.  We worked and communicated with the homeowners almost daily for six months.  The result was a beautiful, unique and functional family home and a close friendship with a darling family.  I LOVE MY JOB.