Home from CAMP

I spent the weekend in the Texas Hill Country, just outside of Austin with a group of marvelously creative women. We were all attending CAMP: a Texas Style Council blogger's retreat. I was definitely one of the camp "elders", but their verve and vitality was really infectious. (Listen to me, I sound like an old rickety vampire sucking the youth juice from bypassing fashion bloggers).

The grounds were beautiful, although mostly cloaked in sheets of rain for the weekend. But we made the best of it and huddled around fireplaces, craft tables and iPhones. The camaraderie was certainly the highlight of this weekend of sisterhood, but the breakout sessions were also a nice bonus. I was also able to connect with my dear friend, Valerie, whose baby I helped deliver here in Dallas 3-plus years ago. She was my bunkmate, along with the extraordinary best-friend-team, Savannah and Jenny of Maiedae.

Photo by Chelsea Laine Francis

Every morning we were met with coffee, provided by TOMS and some sort of a social mixer or class. There was yoga, fireside chats and early morning lab sessions with the talented Angela Cruz from Squarespace. I've been hoping to unify my work, art, blog and art shop all in one place, and Squarespace is going to help me to do that! In the next few weeks, you'll see some big changes here at La Maison Boheme - and all for the better. Now I won't be spread across 5 separate platforms! No more bouncing between Blogger, Big Cartel, Tumblr, Paypal and Passionfruit Ads. Squarespace is a one-stop-shop and I couldn't be happier to be making the transition.

In addition to the social networking and crafting, we had a few wonderful keynote speakers who talked to us about thinking big, honoring your own voice, fearlessness and emotional breakdowns. The speakers were Jenny Lawson of The Bloggess, Bethany Joy Clark from TOMS, Caroline Recktor of Unfancy, Jess Lively of The Lively Show and Sophia Rossi of Hello Giggles.

We finished our time together with a really beautiful trust exercise. 

Sisterhood. It's so important.

Now I'm back home in Dallas with countless business cards, Instagram feeds to follow, all sorts of new inspiration and best of all, the creation of a cohesive blog and art website. (Sigh). Thank you to Indiana Adams, founder of the Texas Style Council, for one lovely last hurrah at CAMP. You and your team of volunteers did a beautiful job!

Me and Valerie

CAMP | Texas Style Council

This weekend, I'll be attending the Texas Style Coucil blogger's conference / retreat in central Texas. I only know one person attending and the rest are all cyber-personalities I "know" from the interwebs. I have to say that I'm more than a little nervous about attending. Most of these bloggers are well known and their blog is their job. They've networked, they've monetized and they've mastered the social media universe. I could learn a lot from these women. But I also think I have a lot to share. The CAMP acronym is, after all, Create a Meaningful Presence.

My hope is that I'll gain a greater understanding of what I want La Maison Boheme to be in the months and years ahead. I also hope to focus my writing in a way that brings my readership greater joy, inspiration and connection. If, like me, you're feeling a little bogged down lately by what you read and see on social media, I encourage you to read THIS post by Erin of Design for Mankind. It really spoke to me. I'm excited because Erin will be one of the keynote speakers at this weekend's CAMP retreat.

The other thing that this weekend away provides is time! I get to leave my home and family for three days and simply focus on me and my work. How brilliant! Now, I'm off to look at my packing list and prepare for my journey. Weather channel says there is supposed to be rain all weekend... so I guess the first thing to pack is a pair of Wellies.

Annapurna Living

I don't know Carrie-Anne Moss, but last week I happened onto her website launch at annapurnaliving.com. Carrie-Anne is a mama, wife, yogi and actress living in Los Angeles, CA. Her mission is to "see womanhood through the eyes of grace" and she hopes that her online offering will nourish creativity, intentional living and peace in the hearts of women everywhere. Carrie-Anne has gathered a spectacular group of wild, spirited contributors - all artists in their own right - to help her create the energy and aesthetic of Annapurna Living.

I've had a marvelous time browsing through the inspiration available on her new site and I thought I'd share here at La Maison Boheme. Perhaps you, like me, are on a spiritual journey of renewal and growth. Annapurna Living might be just the tribe you're looking for as you traverse the beautiful, heart-filled work of living an authentic life.

So when you have a half hour to yourself, pour a hot cup of tea and visit this new and transformative online space. Annapurna Living might be just what the doctor ordered.

From Carrie-Anne Moss:

FOUR Magazine - Jenny Andrews Anderson

I'm so excited for my blog-y friend, Jenny Andrews Anderson, whose artwork is featured this month in the spring issue of FOUR Magazine. You can read the digital copy HERE, but I'm still a paper girl when it comes to periodicals so I ordered a copy HERE. The photos are gorgeous and the articles are fascinating. Win win.

via

The interview that Jenny gave is honest and insightful. She, like so many artists, came to painting in a circuitous way and describes her journey as "falling into it". She is not the product of years of training at art school. She is not the child prodigy that knew she was going to be an artist since the zygote phase. Jenny simply began to paint. And I feel that this kind of haphazard inspiration is marvelous!

Jenny is first and foremost a color enthusiast. I think the thing that sets her apart is her healthy sense of play and her fantastic eye for composition. She's also an actor, which means she's connected to her instincts and possesses the kind of fearlessness it takes to approach the canvas. She openly admits that she does not have an art process, but rather "a plan". Again, she comes from an acting background where improvisation and saying "yes" to what is on offer are essential skills. A painter with this kind of approach doesn't necessarily need "a process". They are the process. Self use is the tool and the painting is the expression of that self use. Congrats to Jenny on the feature. Her work shines.

The rest of the magazine is just gorgeous! 

Take a look...

Friends Doing Great Things | EcoHappy Kickstarter

Do you remember my friend, designer, photographer and blogger Loretta Fontaine? She is the extraordinary force behind EcoHappy Style and I've written about her HERE before.  Today is Loretta's birthday! Yay! Happy birthday!!

Over the next few weeks, Loretta is riding the crowd-funding wave to see her new book ECOHAPPY: Three Steps Toward An Earth-Friendly Life published. Launching a Kickstarter project running from March 20 – April 26, Loretta is seeking the support of her community to bring her book to market. If fully funded, supporters of the project get the first copies. What?  That is awesome. Count me in!

Loretta sent me some excerpts of her book last week and I loved it. If you, like me, are overwhelmed by the declining state of mother earth and you're wondering how to respond in a resilient way to the depressing fact of climate change, then Loretta Fontaine's book needs to be in your hands. "EcoHappy" is a wonderful mix of actionable marching orders delivered with joyful compassion and beautiful photography. I can't wait to give copies of "EcoHappy" to everyone I know!

I love crowd funding because it puts the ball in our court - we get to decided what we want to create!
Help get Loretta's book published and be one of the first to receive a copy!

Go HERE to contribute.

“Study Of Two Trees, Portland”, 2012 and “Scaling Adirondacks”, 2013. Photograph by Loretta Fontaine Castagna.

New Banner Art

Hello dear ones. I've decided to adjust my blog header. Why the change? After over three years with the previous header, which I loved, I wanted something a bit simpler with a tag line that reflected the broad range of topics I write about. La Maison Boheme began as an interior design blog, but in the past seven years (can you believe its been almost seven years?), it has evolved into much much more.

First, I'd love to hear what you think about the new look of the banner. And I'd love to also hear suggestions if you have any. Secondly, I've moved the toolbar from the top of the page to the side bar. I'd love to hear what you think about the new navigation. Thanks, friends.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Meet Megan Charters | a Houzz Sneak Peek

This weekend I had the extreme pleasure of meeting librarian, blogger and self proclaimed shutterbug Megan Charters during a photo shoot for Houzz.com. Her home tour will publish in the following week or so, but first I wanted to give you a little look-see. Megan is a vintage enthusiast and has a variety of glorious collections in her home. Everything from Matryoshka dolls to cuckoo clocks to mid century cameras to plaid thermoses. I'm so excited for you to see the whole she-bang, but until then, this should tide you over.

The art pictured below is one of Megan's own pieces. Part collage and part graphic design, it depicts a raised plastic relief of a vintage car owned by Megan's former boyfriend. The map is cut out behind the plastic to match the drawing and the whole thing is mounted on a wood block. Isn't it the coolest?

Lola, Megan's Pug-Boston Terrier mix pictured above, poses for my camera. Below, Megan peeks over the top of her handmade quilt. Friends, this quilt is beautifully made. Megan has some serious sewing skills. The appliqué reads "You're Weird I Like You". Well, we like you too, Megan!

More to come...