Wednesday 30 November 2011

Casa Feliz by Maria Barros

Hello to all my dear friends, followers, fans and bloggers! 
Today allow me not to talk about decoration but about a dear friend.

My dear Maria Barros (she is a Portuguese Interior designer and a very talented one). When we met 22 years ago we were both on a plane to the greatest adventure of our lives, to study High School in the United States and we were far from imagining that we would both be sharing the same love for interior design. We were a big group of 40 and we all thought she was the lucky one because she went to sunny warm Florida and I ended up in freezing Great Falls, Montana! It was the lifetime experience for both of us. She still has the sun, the colors and the Miami style in her work! And I went to live what made me an observant, organized, determined, and independent person and most of all learned to fight for my dreams.

Maria and I in the far south and in the far north, went to live the adventure that formed us as human beings, more than any college or university could have done. Nobody could have imagined that 17 years later, we would find ourselves as decorators, mothers, friends and always looking at the bright side of life.

And that's who Mary is, a talented decorator, mother, friend and always looking at the bright side of life kind of person. For me, yesterday was a happy day when at a certain point of the night I asked 'Maria ... are you happy ?'... but I already knew the answer and I was happy too.

CASA FELIZ means Happy Home and that is what her book is all about. It is much more than a practical guide to decorating. I would say that Mary's mother is right when she says that is an 'autobiography' of a decorator!

Speaking at the presentation of the book to Mary opened her heart and spoke with emotion and no pretension. I suspect (because I have not read it yet), this book is exactly like that. 

Unpretentious and written from the heart. Congratulations Maria for being an inspiration for all women seeking a HAPPY HOME!

***

Olá a todas as minhas queridas amigas, seguidoras, fãns e bloggers!
Hoje não quero falar de decoração mas sim de uma decoradora amiga!

A minha querida Maria Barros e eu estávamos muito longe de imaginar que nos cruzaríamos nesta aventura da decoração, 22 anos depois de nos termos conhecido.

Éramos nós meninas aventureiras, quando há 22 anos estávamos no mesmo avião e no mesmo grupo de estudantes, a caminho dos Estados Unidos. Cheias de sonhos na cabeça lá fomos para a viagem que mudaria as nossas vidas para sempre! A Maria, a mais sortuda do grupo (éramos 40) porque foi parar à Florida e ainda hoje tem o clima, o sol, e as cores de Miami, em tudo o que faz na vida! Eu porque fui para o frio Estado Montana, e foi o ano mais importante da minha vida porque aprendi a ser observadora, organizada, determinada, independente, e a lutar pelos meus sonhos. 

A Maria no extremo sul e eu no extremo norte, vivemos a aventura que nos formou como seres humanos, mais do que qualquer escola ou universidade poderia ter feito. Ninguém podia imaginar que 17 anos mais tarde, nos voltaríamos a encontrar decoradoras, mães, amigas e sempre a olhar para o lado feliz da vida.

E é isso que é a Maria, talentosa, mãe, amiga e sempre a olhar para o lado feliz da vida. Para mim, ontem foi um dia feliz quando a certa altura da noite perguntei 'Maria... estás feliz?'... mas eu já sabia a resposta e eu estava feliz com ela.

O 'CASA FELIZ' da Maria é muito provavelmente, mais do que um livro e um guia prático de decoração. Eu diria que a mãe da Maria tem razão, quando diz que é uma 'autobiografia' de uma decoradora! 

No discurso de apresentação do livro a Maria abriu-nos o coração e falou com emoção sem pretensão. Suspeito (porque ainda não li), que este livro é exactamente assim. Despretensioso e escrito com o coração. Parabéns Maria por seres uma inspiração, para todas as mulheres que procuram uma CASA FELIZ!





Ana Cordeiro, Maria Barros, Ana Antunes

Caetana, Madalena, Natacha, Maria Barros, Mariana, Amiga (?)

Catarina Rosas Soares, Ana Cordeiro, Maria Barros, Cláudia RosasSoares

Maria Barros com o João (ilustrador do livro)

Maria's Friends

Maria Barros e a irmã Ana Mesquita
Maria e a filha
Me (taking the photo) Maria and the other 40 on our way to CWPost New York!
Couldn't resist to share this photo from 22 years ago! Sorry Maria!! ;)))

***

Não resisti Partilhar esta foto de há 22 anos atráz! Desculpa Maria!! ;)))
O livro já está nas bancas e parece-me um excelente presente de Natal!
Numa livraria perto de si!

Até Amanhã
Ana Antunes

"Real Estate Snitch Wednesdays'"- Amare Stoudemire




The Real estate snitch is all
over this real estate today!!!We have basketball
players selling homes, buying homes, I just can’t keep up, we have another
player not feeling the pinch of the NBA lockout  or should I say when the lockout was on didn’t
appear to be worried” I aint hatin” hey if you got it!! don’t knock it just go
ahead and buy it!!! Apparently Amare Stoudemire bought what looks

"Real Estate Snitch Wednesdays'"- Bruce Willis





This
week the Real Estate Snitch is snitching on the Die Hare Star Bruce Willis it
seems is though Bruce is ready to make that move from his Hailey, Idaho
home. He is ready leave that home in the rear after realizing he doesn’t spend enough time in the 20-acre ranch. Willis
has put his ranch on the market in the popular Sun Valley resort town on the market for $15 million. WOW $15 million

Real Estate Snitch Wednesdays’-Jason Kidd


The Real Estate Snitch is
snitchen again and this time I'm snitching on The Kidd!!!

(Jason Kidd) that is!!


Jason Kidd plays guard for the Dallas
Mavericks team who won the 2011 championship the Kidd has listed his home
at the Azure condo project in Dallas, Texas. Jason purchased the 2,607 square
foot unit back in 2008 for just under $1.5 million.  Looks like the Kidd
is putting the lock on

Autumn Colours in Gascony

A glorious garden in Gascony in the southwest of France reminiscent of the Tuscan scenery. It was designed and made ​​by the owner, Madelaine, in terraces to link with the surrounding nature.












This sculpture by Joachim Van Den Hurk echoes the verticality of the cypress. The iron rod on the top turns in the wind.







Photos Perdereau Mon Jardin & Ma Maison.
All images from here.

Tuesday 29 November 2011

Blue and Green Living Rooms


OK I realize that when we are decorating we may have a pacific color in mind so I made it my business to make sure you can get inspiration from each color family,color combination and color by room. Today I wanted to inspire you with all the blue and green or green and blue living rooms from this blog. Here they are and I hope you like what you see.



This is a room that I call bold and

Anti Stress Holiday Home

Today I just feel like plopping into this pool and float for a while. Then I'd make a point of leaving my wet footsteps on the kitchen floor. Finally, I'd take a nap on that cool bed. Am a bit tired, you guessed.
































BTW it's in Formentera, Spain.
All images from here.

Monday 28 November 2011

My Tiffany's Christmas Table

The magazine 'Casa Claudia' is out! The Christmas production I told you about, only got 2 pages and all the other pages are from the rest of the house. Those you all ready know so here are the Christmas table ones. For the ones who did not see my post last week this table had a theme,
***
A revista "Casa Claudia" está nas bancas! A produção de Natal que vos falei, só teve direito a duas páginas e todas as outras são fotos do resto da casa, que vocês já conhecem por isso aqui estão as fotos da mesa de Natal. Para quem não viu o meu post da semana passada, este Natal tinha um tema;


A flock of blue birds attacked Tiffanie's Christmas Table, 
attracted by the sweet smell of cupcakes.
Poor tiny creatures ended up fascinated with the jewels and glitter of 
Christmas decorations...
Bling!

***
A mesa de Natal da Tiffanies, foi atacada por um bando de pássaros azuis.
Atraídos pelo doce aroma dos cupcakes, pobres criaturas acabaram fascinadas 
com as jóias e o brilho das decorações de Natal...













Some more. These are the non professional photos taken by me...

***
Mais algumas fotos. Estas são não profissionais, tiradas por mim...











Hope you liked it!

***
Espero que tenham gostado!
Obrigada à Ana Paula Carvalho e à Teresa Pinheiro da PhotoForPress.


Comprem a casa Cláudia, que está cheia de páginas
de inspiradoras decorações de Natal.
Até amanhã.

Ana Antunes 

Photo Credits: PhotoForPress, Ana Paula Carvalho (photographer)