Tracy Porter Blog… be inspired!

cheers Porter family! poetic words fail me right now…..i’m just so happy you are all well and moving forward with the style, grace and class that drew us all to you in the first place.
xxxx fanci

Lovely thoughts, Tracy. And I love that last pic, in particular — it almost feels palpable, like a Carl Larsson painting. The warmth, the coziness, the love of family, and always a family pet in view. Very comforting for a lass like me who’s feeling like “poop” tonight, because I was supposed to dance in a movie with Brooke Shields, Daryl Hannah, Melanie Griffith and Wanda Sykes (here in Louisiana) tomorrow night, and I’ve got some rare bug. The movie has a breast cancer awareness theme, near and dear to my heart because I (after having breast cancer) became the oldest dance major in the U.S. and finished the major I left behind 30 years earlier. I’ve got some kind of bug that’s going around here, so I will have to content myself with tea, lemon, and Tracy, and know there’s always something better around the corner.

Since I can’t see the top of it these days, I think I will take everything off my dresser, and arrange some of my special objects on them. Instead of the clutter of papers, kids stuff, and not so fancy perfume bottles. I’d like it to be a reflective spot, that is organized in a stylish way. Some of my favorite things are a pair of black foo dogs, antique books, possibly set on an old brass scalloped edge tray. Wish me luck -Allison

Yaaaay!!! I am always checking for a new post from you and today I found one-that makes me happy! Always so inspiring, I’m going to move a few things around now…Thank-you Tracy

well hello lovely lady…you’re back. Maximalist for sure!!! Is there any other way to live. More is more…music, books, paintings, laughter, smiles, kisses, hugs, love and more love. Have a wonderful weekend.. I dreaming of spring and the potting shed my handyman hubby is going to build for me. Any suggestions are welcome….

:::::##TRACY#::::: So happy to hear from you….honey I would turn my head around backwards if I could…..just for a new look, new change, ……..I am wearing a bracelet today that says….”Dont Settle For Less”……and always think of Tony…..”More is More”…….I am a no space left blank kind of gal………I try to put it all away….and bingo….pulling it out again….So happy you shared your day with us…..I Love YOU!!!! XOXOXOXO

Tracy…what a beautiful blog today. My home is a poetic nest of all my things gathered over a lifetime. I love mixing old and new things into the decor. When the house is all mine, alone in the morning, the creative things come out for me to decorate with. Usually (with my time schedule),I bring out forgotten items tucked away somewhere and start to re arrange for each coming holiday. It’s the quiet time to let my mind look and choose what I love from my past. So many trinkets from travels around the world, and art investments gather here to bring me joy, and rememberance of good times and childhood past. Coming to your blog has inspired me to have the ideas to mix these things. At the end of the day when I am resting to watch a movie or TV, I look around and smile at what I have added to the mantle, a desk, a shelf, or any nook that is available for my things and enjoy the memories I see in those items.

Tracy,
So glad to see you posting… I am NOT a minimalist… my sister says borderline hoarder… she’s one to talk…
Lovely dinner picture… warm and personal.
Keep posting, please… I have missed you.
Lee

I’ve missed your posts! What a nice surprise this morning!

Hi Tracy,
Seems that I’ve turned into a bit of a minimalist, I still love my layers, but I have recently sifted out the junk. I kept all my favorites, crystal, silver, ceramic, glass ware, baskets, etc, but just less of it. I shimmed my collection down to the cream of the crop. I still love my vignettes but now they are displayed in a manner that features them exclusively. They may not be as abundant as in the past but they are rich and full of goodness. Even when dressing my motto was always “what else can I put on”, now I keep the layers lighter, still layered mind you but to a lesser degree. I found this freedom wonderful and a new appreciation for the things I really love. I still love lots of luscious layers, to look at as long as there someone elses. I’ve become a bigger appreciator of the abundance in others. Thanks for the fun blog post.

Awesome to hear from the Porter’s…..hmmnn,,,mini vs. maxi…I am BOTH!!!!!!! different times, different things.
yay…I like being both.
Like all of you too! Happy weekend.
With big love and well wishes to all….beth

Layers, layers and more layers–make a room warm and welcoming to me. I always add just a little modern twist for fun. Great post1

xo, Lissy Parker

To the Max Baby!!!!What joy to hear your insperation and a little peek into your world!! Hope you are well and that you have more wonderful to share!!
H

I was always a maximalist, and you have provided endless inspiration, Tracy. Thanks for a lovely post.

Lovely layers of goodness…yes.. the museum over the gallery…
Love the photo of John by the fire and the warm table setting…the candles.. all of it. (and you…)

Good lovely day Tracy and Durls! I am out here sitting on my sun porch, thinking about all my stuff and wondering what Tracy would do here. Hey! How cool would it be to take everything out of my house and have Tracy come over and have at it! We could Remake my home Tracy style. Tracify My Home!Wouldnt you love to do that Tracy? ((wink wink)) Seriously, how fun would that be for a design show? I would love to watch this show. The before and after of a Tracy redo. Sigh,…..So happy you are doing well and love these decorating inspirational posts!
Have a sweet day everyone!

Thanks for posting some pretty pictures. They made me smile. Times are tough and your pics are a bright spot. Hope all is well with you and yours. I do check your sight regularly just to see if we will hear from you. Looking forward to the new … but still loving the old. I look thru my books of yours to be inspired and lift my spirit. Thanks. Tracey

Ah Tracy – lovely sentiments and great to see the family pictures! and the foo dogs, which have pride of place in my bathroom now (they move about the house…)

Your new spot appears cozy indeed! I am like you – I do not need fancy (though I do need clean!), but what I most need is soul! You go, soul sister!

Tracy, So glad to read your latest post. It’s always a pleasure and treat to hear from you.

I know exactly the feeling you are talking about! There is just something pleasing, gratifying, and just plaine exciting about walking into a room that has been put together by someone who is passionate about their “stuff” and home.

I too love to move things around at a regular pace or with the seasons. It’s so rewarding to try and think up new ways to make our home more inviting. I might suddenly see or remember something I’ve had stored in the basement and think how wonderful it would be in the kitchen, guest room, or even outside on the porch!

Life is just too short and having an interesting and beautiful home to roam and explore in makes it so much more fun!

Hope to hear from you more often. Any new book coming out soon?

yes yes…a museum over a gallery any day! love when we get a little snippet from you…more please…cheers..xoxo

<<<<<<>>>> < I did images on Les Trois Garcons…..Oh my gosh……I already am going to add a faux diamond necklace and put it around one of my bronze deer…..and in looking at your mix matched chairs around the dining table….I am going to trade off some from my two tables….great idea……have seen it before in your pictures….but just needed this one to get it done…..also a lazy suzanne with candles on it in the middle of the table…..and Johns back……miss his Darling Face……….and YES TP I know the Zing feeling……….it makes my world go around also…..XOXOXO

Hello ALL YOU TP LADIES…..especially Christina…..oh my heart goes out to you….wow what a opporturnity….and then to be under the bug…..shoot, sending hugs your way!!!!!!!!!! fabuleux……sentir merveileusement bien XOXOXOXOX

oh! love you all to pieces! be clear..you inspire me!! ( sort of like that old tom cruise movie…you” had me at hello”…the name escapes me…? anyone?) but…thanks! comfort, comfort..always at the top o’ the list, and brain for that matter. Seems to me, no matter what you have or where you live…it all comes back to comfort….and being with those you love. You know i see all these magazine spreads and great blog photo posts everywhere i turn my head, and i often think… ah, so lovely, so very lovely. then i picture living there and i say…nah…..don’t think so. where’s the soul? I mean, good looking but no depth. ( sounds like i am describing some shallow person that has never hit the battlefield of perspective..oddly…) anyways…you get what i am saying. the wanderlust-ability of a space, a room, a nook ….that makes me wild! oh, and…. We did a cool family weekend drive..i will share this week. talk about wanderlust….wa-hooo…man is this country of our the most gorgeous thing ever….I have seen the world from all sides…but the good old USA is rockin’ when it comes to gorgeousness..( and much more…)..true love….!
and too you as well! cheers and happiness…coming your way!! mwah!!
xx
T.

So great to see Tracy posting again. Hello everyone! Well, I am a minimalist who pretends she is not a maximalist!!! I go from one to the other and back again! I love the treasures I find for great prices at the junk shop, and I think, ooooooo I must be blessed because look what I just found, and so it goes, over and over! Tracy you always inspire! Take care, gotta run.

Hi Tracy! Hello birds! Thanks T. for sharing, always inspiring!!!! Soon the bunnies will make there appearance !!!!!!!!! I’m still working on taking down some valentines! I have a cold, AGAIN!!! so I’m moving slower.Anyway I won’t start any spring stuff till at least maybe first week of march or so, but even the in between is another opportunity for change!!!!! AHHHHH!!!Christina, WOW! You must be an amazing dancer!!! and all I can say is if you had an offer like that, more will come, maybe even better next time!May God continue to bless you, and keep you well!!!!Great to hear from all of you!!!! I enjoyed catching up this morning, now I guess I have to do laundry, talk again soon! xoxoxxooRach

Oh Ladies you must see what I ordered………..My colors are primarily Turquoise, every shade, now I am adding a organish coral……..putting it in front of a huge mirror on my fireplace….. http://www.seasideinspired.com/4143-coral-sea-fan-sculpture.htm isnt it awesome????? Wish it was real, but only faux………

Tracy……..so wonderful to hear from you…..I am as clear as glass….lololo Jerry Mcguire…You complete me…..lolol…or Bruce Springsteen’s song in the movie….Just shut up just shut up you had me at hello you had me at hello …

And yes the USA is so wonderful…..my heart is in Sedona, Arizona………..always and forever….red rocks and indian war drums echoing in my head……….

Happy Wednesday to all……and TP, cant wait to hear of your journey….and where too!!

Hello, glad to see everybody chatting. February is always bittersweet for me. It is when we celebrate my husbands birthday, Valentine’s Day, the anniversary of my sister’s passing. We had several get togethers and for one party I bought red paper cups. With a black marker I decorated the cups with little hearts, in between I wrote love notes in different languages (with the help of google) and everybody had to guess what language it is and what it could mean. It was kind of fun.
Well, as for mini-maximalist… I have reached the age of downsizing, which is rather difficult when you constantly get inspired by Tracy. Lovely photo by the fireplace.
Last night I checked out your websites, Lissy, Dawn, Lee, Heather etc. Oh so many great ideas, I have to go back to read more, thanks for sharing.
Ellen, you have been on my mind, wondering how things are going. The only advice I can give you, never make a decision based on cash only. I have been there, believe me, one year without income, all I can tell you, it will bring the best out of you, you will get creative. You will push yourself and try new things, survival instinct will set in. Perhaps you’ll look back one day and think it was the best thing that ever happened.

As for seeing America, I am still fascinated by all of it. Especially the West. I love to read the stories of the outlaws, Lewis and Clark, the stories of the Oregon trail. I am reading a book right now about Spanish explorations in the West. When you travel around the Santa Fe area you always see historical markers. Coronado passed through here in 1541. I never gave it much thought, but this changed after I read that Coronado traveled with 300 soldiers, nearly 1000 horses, and 800 Indians, just imagine the scene. I wonder how they were able to survive in this forbidden desert landscape. Where did they find food and water?

America’s stories are as grand as the landscape.

I’m a maximalist too. Love love love layers. Even love to layer my words. Layers provide such visual interest and allow the eye to dance around the room. There’s nothing I love more than when I discover something new each time when looking at something I’ve viewed 100 times before. So good to hear your words again Tracy. Love the photos. Thanks for sharing. Laura

So fun to keep reading these comments. I’m glad I “came to the party,” however late. Kehaulani, I understand your going lighter now. Before Katrina, people loved their oversized and ornate antiques. After the storm, you could barely give away an antique (kind of like a Packers season ticket in the 1980s). In fact, at that time, I heard the quip, “You buy oak, you go broke.” I remember talking to a friend who has a delectable store “Retroactive” in New Orleans, and he confirmed there was now more of a “pick up and go” decorating mentality. People were all going for the modern look. After many years of “more is more,” I also became influenced by the lighter, cleaner, functional approach. Even then, I still like it to have some warmth, like that wonderful apartment in “Le Divorce” which has little more than a fabulous dark red leather sofa and tons of art on the walls (and fabulous views). However, the need to make things “nestier” eventually reintroduced itself. For me, it started with a $300 splurge on a beautiful tapestry pillow of Boticelli’s The Three Graces. Now I can’t picture the black leather sectional without it, or without the soft leopard throw I later added. However, having given up my Wisconsin loft (for “hurrications”) while simultaneously doing serious downsizing in Louisiana,I’ve pared down tremendously and am always aiming for cozy versus cluttered. But I’m delighted at finding new ways — esp. inspired by our Miss Tracy — to inject charm into tiny spaces. I recently folded a small quilt over the top of my fridge, on top of which is an English tray on an easel and a few fave decorating books. Ballet prints have found their way to the space between the top of the cabinets and the ceiling.

Oh, and about the dancing, more on THAT in a future post. I truly appreciate the supportive comments, but I want to hear more about all of you.

VALERY, you are crystal,..crystal could never be just glass,…(like creme brulee could never be jello….Julia to Cameron in My Best Friend’s Wedding),… lolo Those coral sea fans are gorgeous!…TRACY, can’t wait to hear about your adventure!

Oh thank you Desiree………..loved your definitions…..and guess what….I didn’t purchase those wonderful Turquoise Foo Dogs Tracy offered……..and guess what …..when you put that in google and then do images…….I saw a few and clicked on one and then the web site and just ordered them from San Fransico……….Now I have Tracy Porter FOO DOGS…….yeah……..in case you didnt see them in the first picture above……..I am so happy!!!!

Christina Dear, you are fashionably late….but love hearing from you….sounds like you are feeling better…..Have you seen Tracys videos?? Do tell us more+++++++++++++

Siegi Darling………..you can eat cactus and suck on a rock to get water….didnt you know that????? Love you!!!! Signed Annie Oakly…….lololololo……I would have loved to have been to your party…….you are so fun!!

OH SIEGI!!! THANK you so much. Those are very good words! I have been granted some time off here and there, and it has really helped. I have some thinking to do, and I have come to some realizations that if thinks do not change, I will have to move on. However, I know so many people have been there for me, and it has truly helped. Tracy, Rachel, Christina, Valery, Dawn, Wendy2, Kehaulani, and all the rest of you! It was so much fun to read all of your posts, and Desiree…I know I missed some of your names, but read all of your posts! I certainly have a thing (still) for anything I can use for any event, but lately have found some lovely cherubs, gold beauties! Ooooooo and I love wonderful tassels with beautiful cording and beads. Books, love books! Cook books….Anything I can use in my Christmas decor comes home with me….over the top with jewels, crystals. Silver, yes, silver. I love a good buy! Yes I should be a minimalist at my age, but am having too much fun. I LOVE the thrill of the hunt! I think I must have posted this before, yes? Thank you Tracy for keeping this all alive. I still enjoy your videos…how many times have I said this? Thank you again for all of everyone’s encouragement, it has been rough, but I am seeing some light at the end of the tunnel!

Maximalist…
yep that is me.
got to have everything…
and i mean everything around me.
i try to put things away…to clean up
and unclutter, but then i am pulling it
out again and moving to some place where
i can see it, touch it, breath it.
got to have it all close…my books,
those pictures, some in frames, some not,
antique lamps, cozy comfy sofas, paper
and easel and pencils and brushes…all
there at my fingertips…pieces of nature
discovered on a walk to grace a piece of
furniture in vase form or simply laid out
to dry…childhood graces, those darling
stuffed animals…all so near and dear
yep…i shall never be able to
graduate to the minimalist club…
just too much of the world i need to
see and feel and touch and breath
and not just once in a great while,
but each and every day….
amen.

Valery — yes, yes, yes, I have seen the videos, and have read some of the past posts by the “durls.” That is what prompted me to add “I Married Adventure” to my collection of adventure travel books (having lived a dual life as journalist/dancer). Now I have one for y’all. If you haven’t read any books by Betty Leslie-Melville, you’re in for a treat. She changed her course in mid-life (you’ll have to read to find out why) and left the U.S. to relocate in Kenya, where she started a giraffe reserve and married her gorgeous husband, Jock (I will not tell you what happened to him, either). Great reads!