Blog Crawl - My Life is an Open Book

Today I'm up to bat for the Hello Splendor Blog Crawl! I'm so grateful to Beth for organizing this fun digital party...it's designed to help readers find new blogs and allow fellow bloggers get to know each other better. Thanks for including me Beth! The topic is "My Life is an Open Book." The jet-setting heroine of Rambles with Reese is a tough act to follow, but here goes...

The Author:
Kyle (in my favorite city in the world, Paris)

The Setting: 
the Knight residence

The most lived-in rooms of the house...

The Characters:

Me, Clay (my husband), and...

Wendy

Miley

Jazzy

and, our sweet foster dog Lou Lou

The Plot: 

A little over a year ago, we all moved from our cute little first house to our current house (except for Lou Lou, she got here this summer). Over the past year, Clay and I have completed project after project in the quest to make the 1948 ranch house look and feel like it's ours. After MANY trips to Home Depot, we're getting close, but the reality of owning a house is that the to-do list never ends. Happily, the house is now more reflective of our style and it certainly feels like a home!

While Clay and I were being weekend warriors...Wendy, Miley, and Lou Lou were swimming

and Jazzy was hunting for lizards, sunbathing, and snacking.

After we bought the house, I immediately got to work on the task of furnishing the place and found my way to Blogland. There was so much inspiration and I tinkered with the idea of starting my own blog to document my impending nesting process for friends and family. I loved the visual organization aspect of it - especially the prospect of displaying my overflowing coffers of interior images as well as having the ability to list and link all of my potential decor purchases. So, Knight Moves was born!

Since then I've accumulated these things called "followers" and have learned about "comments" and all about traffic stats and analytics. Seriously, I was not blog savvy AT ALL and didn't know about followers and comments until embarrassingly late in the game! In any case, it's been such a fun project and quite an amazing community to become a part of. There are so many encouraging, supportive bloggers out there and I'm so thankful to all who have helped Knight Moves along the way :)

The Twist: 

Blogging has really helped me hone in on my passion for interior design and it has jump-started the process of making my passion into a profession. After being a citizen of the blogosphere for only a short time, I'm completely amazed at the fantastic opportunities that have come my way. I've been connected with really impressive people and have been invited to contribute to some super exciting projects. There are still a lot of moving parts, but a few are underway. One will be announced in October, so stay tuned!

Be sure to tune in tomorrow for Melissa's Blog Crawl response on So About What I Said... Again, Kudos to Beth for orchestrating this! Happy blog crawling :)

West Elm's Metamorphosis

A few years ago, West Elm was not on my list of favorite stores. Their inventory used to seem cold, sterile, and "contemporary" and now the overall tone seems to have changed. The 2010 lines in particular, have felt warmer and richer. I'd describe the new style as modern and on-trend, yet still livable and comfortable. They also have a fabulous color palette going on these days. With the help of ben® by Benjamin Moore, each season's color story is translated in a paint collection which is a bonus for the paint-obsessed like yours truly.

Similar to my beloved J. Crew, WE seems to be guided by a new creative direction that has really breathed life into the brand. Everything about West Elm is more interesting...from the merchandise to the store displays and catalog styling. The initiative to collaborate with brands and designers such as John-Paul Philippe, PATCH NYC, Lutz and Patmos, and David Stark has certainly helped develop this fresh, more authentic "personality."

However they got here, I like the new style and love having West Elm as a resource (especially since they have a big store here in Dallas with an awesome, super helpful staff). So, when I got word yesterday that new merch was on the website, I darted over to check it out and found lots of goodies like these...

Essex Upholstered Ottoman

Display Coffee Table

Floating Lacquer Frames (love the monogram option)

Silver Flower Stems (try these instead of silk floral) 

Herringbone Blanket

Bull's Eye Silk Pillows

Convex Mirrors

Winter-Dot Canapé Plates

Platinum Rimmed Glassware and Metal Bendy Straws

Essex Sofa (fab burnt orange walls too!)

They now offer special order upholstery where you can choose from lots of different fabrics. Here's a sampling of the cute prints that are in stock:

What is your take on West Elm? Do you notice how they've changed over the past few years, or am I a little bit bananas? What do you think of their new stuff?

HomeGoods Gift Card Giveaway

I'm excited to have a HomeGoods $25 gift card up for grabs today! After getting tons of enthusiastic comments and emails about my last HG shopping spree, I know that many of you are itching to hit up your local store and a gift card would make the trip even better, right?

Twenty-five bucks goes a long way at a HomeGoods store...for example, I got both of the below glass candy/cookie jars for $6.99 a piece.

To enter the giveaway, submit a comment below, and be sure to include your email address if it's not available through your profile! 

As far as your comment goes, I'd love to hear about your favorite HomeGoods purchase, why you like to shop there, and/or what you're looking for on your next trip.

The deadline to enter is this Friday, October 1, 2010 at 11:59 pm (CST).
Any entries received after this time will not be considered. Open to US residents only. Winner will be chosen using random.org and will be announced on 10/4/2010.

Good luck!

Orange Crush

You've probably caught on to the fact that I love orange. In case you haven't yet, today I'm making my sentiments pretty clear. I've officially declared my devotion to the color in our covered patio with an Orange Crush vintage sign that I scored during my semi-annual trip to Round Top.

I'm not really into signs, but this one just jumped out at me...probably because the color palette and size were perfect for filling the void on the wall. Since the sign is made to be hung outdoors, it really is ideal for the area.

I also nabbed this cool wire basket.

I've been on the look-out for one that is a good size for beach towels and this one fit the bill.

What do you think of the sign...kind of fun or cheesy? Be honest :)

My Jonathan Adler Rug Has Arrived!

I am thrilled that the rug I ordered back in February is finally here and I LOVE it! I picked the colorway and pattern through JA's Design Your Own customization service. Using the Design Your Own "studio" on the JA website was both delightful and overwhelming. I loved so many of the patterns and it was really tough to choose one. The Herringbone and Greek key styles were among my favorite options, but then I decided on the Diamonds pattern because it reminds me of the iconic print, La Fiorentina by David Hicks.

With only the digital representation to go from, I desperately hoped that the size of the repeat and the colors would work well in the room. Without a clear visualization of the finished product and because the order was placed months ago, I was starting to get anxious about whether or not I'd like it. Thank goodness, the colors are perfect and the pattern is fabulous...it's also really soft, which is a nice change of pace from the sisal that was in the room before.

Here's the digital version from the JA website...

Rug Specs:
Size: 11' x 13'
Pattern: Diamonds
Base Color: natural
Pattern: light grey
Diamond area: light grey
Manufacturer: Jonathan Adler, handwoven in Peru

Thanks to Beth Dotolo and the Nest crew for all of the work you did to get it here!

A Little Bit of Moroccan

Moroccan-inspired home decor has been hot for a while now. Usually, I tire of trends pretty quickly, but that's not the case with the Moroccan goods. The authentic items and motifs have been around for quite some time, so it's really not fair to label them "trendy." Much like Chinese ginger jars, many traditional Moroccan home decor pieces are becoming ubiquitous in Western interiors. Rich with intricate patterns and motifs, the outstanding craftsmanship is apparent and very much appreciated by yours truly. In fact, one of my favorite accent tables in our home is a Moroccan piece (at least, I think it is).

The table was my grandmother's so I don't know much about where it came from or when it was acquired. If any of you have some expertise in this area, please feel free to set me straight on the country of origin! In any case, I love the table and especially like the detail on the brass top...

If you're itching to bring some Moroccan zest to your home, you've come to the right place. I've uncovered two great sources for Moroccan furniture and home furnishings...one is E Kenoz and the other is Sheherazade.

E Kenoz has good accent furniture and lighting...

Brass Tray Table

Mother of Pearl Table

Lantern

Pendant Lamp

Candle Lantern

Sheherazade has a wider selection. This is just a tiny sampling of their online inventory...

I LOVE these floor pillows!

Syrian Wall Sconce

Ottoman

Pendant Lamp

Accent Tables

 Chest

Ikat Pillows

Poufs (they have lots of colors)

What is your opinion on Moroccan-style home decor? I obviously like it, however, with all of the rich colors, textures, and details...a little goes a long way!