method Summit in San Francisco

Okay first of all...wow. WHAT A WEEKEND! I think it's okay to use all caps because if you were talking to me on the phone or in person about this I'd probably be squealing, or maybe even yelling. The wonderful people at method brought me out for a few days to get excited about their products, their story, and their culture...and get excited I did! I'm going to be working with method on some new projects they have up their sleeve, so it was important for me to really check them out, and I left feeling great about it. They are a company with a very inspiring story, and I feel proud to be working with them.  I also think that since becoming a Mom weekends like this feel more fun than ever. I'm so used to doing Henry stuff all day (best thing in the world), but it makes it extra exciting to get dolled up and eat fancy food, see beautiful things, and just travel a little out of my comfort zone. So an extra big thanks goes to Hank and my parents for watching Henry. I feel grateful that I was able to do this and I am so excited about the past few days that I hope you'll excuse a possible overuse of exclamation points, too. ;)

I arrived on Thursday evening to the absolutely gorgeous Hotel Monaco and after freshening up I headed downstairs to meet the other "method Mavens" for dinner (you probably saw the #methodmavens hashtag on twitter or instagram if you follow the other ladies or myself). We headed over to Radius and enjoyed a delicious multi-course meal, topped off with the most decadent lemon tart.  This was my first time ever attending an out-of-state blogger event like this, and although I was a bit nervous at first, I got comfortable pretty quickly- all of the girls were just so sweet. It was really awesome to be surrounded by so many like-minded women and I was equally excited to meet so many new friends.

The next morning we all met in one of the conference rooms for breakfast before boarding the bus to head over to the Method headquarters. As we were pulling in I heard someone say "oh my god!" Then a gasp, another "oh my GOD!" ...more gasps, and all of a sudden I see that all of the method team is outside with balloons, waving with huge beaming smiles, ready to usher us in!  It was awesome and totally set the tone for the day.

We made our way inside after we finished squealing and taking tons of photos of the happy-balloon-method-people like the snap-happy bloggers we are. The two (wonderful/engaging/funny) founders of Method came out- Eric Ryan and Adam Lowry- and told us a short version of their story: how method came about, what it means to them, and where they see it going. It was fascinating, incredibly inspiring, and I thought it was the best possible way to kick off the event.

Our method Summit was chock full of a whole lot- we spent some time learning about their products, learning about production, sustainability and their "green" practices, we tested out different scents, checked out past, present and future designs...and a million other fun things too. We heard from a wide variety of method employees, had a fun photoshoot, completed a DIY project with Danny Seo and previewed a few top-secret method things as well. ;)

And then, Friday night's dinner! OH MY WORD. After the Summit we were treated to the most amazing 5-course meal designed around the method scent stories at the weirdest/coolest/ place ever- the old Russian Consulate. It was truly beautiful, but I don't think I have ever seen so much taxidermy in one place. It was pretty insane. The dinner was prepared by Stag Dining and consisted of so much deliciousness I don't even know to begin to write about it. Just know I said "oh my god this is the best _____ I have ever had" at almost every course.

Overall, words can't describe how great of a time this was. Blog business aside, it was really just an amazing weekend spent with some fantastic people. I feel so lucky to have met so many new friends, and I look forward to all that is to come. Thank you again to method, Mekanism, and everyone involved in this fabulous undertaking. It was a true success and I already can't wait to do it again!

If you'd like to check out the other "method Mavens" (and all the girls I had the pleasure of spending the weekend with!), check out the list below. And one more thank you to method and Mekanism for every little bit of it. You treated us like queens and I am so thankful.

Denene Millner // MyBrownBaby.com
Victoria Smith // Sfgirlbybay.com
Jordan Ferney // OhHappyDay.com
Cassandra LaValle // Cocokelley.blogspot.com
EZ Pudewa // CreatureComfortsBlog.com
Gigi Ross // KludgyMom.com
Danielle Hampton // SometimesSweet.com
Janice Croze // 5MinutesForMom.com
Susan Peterson // Freshly-Picked.com
Brooke White and Summer Bellessa // youtube.com/TheGirlsWithGlasses
Shannon Kelly // TheShoppingMama.com
Ilana Wiles // MommyShorts.com
Nicole Balch // MakingItLovely.com
Pam Ginocchio // ProjectNursery.com
Heather Solos // Home-Ec101.com
Jenny Ingram // JennyOnTheSpot.com
Liz Stanley // SayYesToHoboken.com
Alix Tyler and Leslie "Dottie" Van Every // ModernKiddo.com

the following ladies were unable to attend:

Gabrielle Blair // DesignMom.com
Crissy Page // DearCrissy.com
Catherine Davis // FoodFamilyFinds.com
Jordan Reid // RamshackleGlam.com
Kelly Lewis // According-To-Kelly.com

And now, some photos. I didn't take too many, so I am definitely looking forward to seeing the other girls' pictures from our weekend too.

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Winter Hues

I loved seeing the pics Heather from Habitually Chic shared last week of her new apartment.  I particularly loved these 2 {above and below} as the colours reminded me of our Winter Vignette.

The beautiful photo below has been saved in my inspiration files since it appeared in Trad Home a while back.  Again the colours remind me of the colours I chose for our Winter Vignette.

Talking about our Winter Vignette, I was so excited that Loni mentioned our new store in her latest issue of Adore magazine.  Thank you Loni for your tremendous support!! Oh and what a fantastic issue it is!!  If you haven't already read it then click HERE now...xx





PS.  I had a reader ask me what's hapenning with our Black & Spiro website.  I am working on that too.  It will be the website where we feature our portfolio of design work.  Fingers crossed it will be up again before Christmas.  We are just finishing off getting some of the houses photographed which we have worked on over the last year or so and as other designers would know it is so time consuming getting jobs photographed!!! xx

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It's a Small World

It really is amazing how blogging brings together people from all over the world.  I have met some amazing people thanks to my blog and the kindness of strangers continues to surprise me. 

I think almost everyone in our blogging community knows about the artist Anne Harwell.  She is one kind lady.  A long time ago she painted my gilt chair in my lounge room which she calls Anna Spiro's Chair. She sells prints of it in her etsy store.  Last year I received a package in the mail from Anne and inside was the original painting of my chair which she sent to me as a gift.  That little painting now hangs on my cluster wall in our sitting room at home {as above} and I look at it all the time and remember her kindness. 

Another artist we all know and love is Patricia van Essche who I had the pleasure of meeting in person in New York earlier this year.  She too has painted a few of my vignettes in the past.  I am yet to frame the original of the Staffordshire dogs she painted of mine which she sent me a while ago.  I am planning on framing it soon and hanging it in my office at work.  I will post pictures once I have hung it as it is beautiful.

I really think these ladies are so kind and so generous and I would like to thank them for their paintings which I love so much.  You must check out their etsy stores here and here if you haven't already done so.  I'm sure you won't leave empty handed!

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The S.A. Crowd & Home on Sunday

Hello!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I must apologise as I didn't get a chance to post before I left for Adelaide a few days ago.  I am working on a house in Dulwich which is such a beautiful area in lovely Adelaide.  Whilst visiting I had the absolute pleasure of catching up with The S.A. Crowd - Kimberlee from Brown Button, Emma from White & Wander, Kate from Polka Dot Pantry, Pippa from Tres Dodgeois and Alex from French Navy Stationery.  What a lovely group of positive, happy, inspiring, funny, encouraging and creative girls.  We had a fantastic dinner at Sparrow Kitchen & Bar on Friday night and then went out and hit the Antique shops on Saturday together.  I was amazed by Adelaide's history, wonderful food, pretty tree-lined streets, old stone houses and fantastic Antique shops.  It really is a place worth visiting and I can't wait to head back down there mid-year to catch up with the girls again.

After such a busy few days away, today I loved being at home.  I spent the day with my boys pottering around the house and the garden.  We recently put in a kitchen garden or Potager as the French call them.  Our lettuce is growing beautifully.  I picked one today to make a salad with tonight along with our tomatoes which just seem to be sprouting up everywhere in our garden.  Although all of this rain we've had has done some horrible things to our state, our garden is just so green and full of flowers which I have been picking and placing in vases in the house.  There really isn't anything which makes me happier than arranging flowers from my own garden to place around our house...simple pleasures!!

xx
Anna

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A Vibrant Fireplace

I'm totally loving this brightly painted fireplace which belongs to Alexis from the blog Fern & Feather. I am so tempted to do something like this with one of my fireplaces at home. I think this is very cool!!

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What's In My Pantry?

If you are at all interested in what I have in my pantry, then head over to Fashion Food Fatale HERE {I must admit, it's nothing glamorous!!}. Featuring stylish people from across the globe Elizabeth Clarke and Jane Walsh are the style gurus behind FFF. I have been enjoying their posts and musings on all things fashionable. I just wish my pantry looked as good as this one above but I have to tell you it is completely the opposite...shame on me!!

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Today I Love...

I adore the photos Julie posted of her home today. I have posted a couple of photos above but you must visit Julie's blog, Shelter to see more!! It is stunning!

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That Bed Head

You might remember this DIVINE guest bedroom belonging to U.S. designer Krista Ewart which was featured in Domino magazine last year. I remember absolutely obsessing over this room and that bed head. Well, you wouldn't believe it when I tell you that on the weekend some of LA's top designers had a tag sale in which they sold off some amazing things. Fellow blogger and friend Megan Samuels from Beach Bungalow 8 was there. I loved seeing the photos she shared of the sale. But when I saw the Krista Ewart bed head in the photos I nearly fainted! I emailed Megan straight away and said that if I was there I would have strapped myself to that bedhead and not let it go. Megan emailed me back and said she purchased it. I can't believe how lucky she was!! She is going to put it in her daughter's bedroom and apparently Krista threw in the ticking stripe bed skirt as well. Gosh, I can't wait to see what Megan does with it.

There it is....and look at all of the other amazing things!! I would have been almost hyperventilating!

Megan with Krista Ewart and look at the bed head peeping through in the back of the photo.

Congrats on your fantastic buy Megan!! I wonder what Krista Ewart will do in her guest room now?!

Top image - Domino Magazine via Style Court, image 2 & 3 - Megan Samuels.

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