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P.S. You're a Doll!
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Rachel (Kay's Granddaughter): Posted on Tuesday, May 03, 2011 8:19 AM
If you were wondering why my blogs have been MIA the past couple of weeks, I have a worthy excuse. This past week, my grandmother went home to heaven. During the final week of her life, we were preoccupied with teary-eyed visits and recalling fond memories. My grandmother was a remarkable lady, who lived an extraordinary life. She and my grandfather traveled around the world and even lived abroad in London for several years. I often say that if I have any talent in fabric choice and furniture design I inherited it from my grandmother. You see, Kathryn “Kay” Messerschmidt was an interior designer who had her own decorating business. She ran a weekly column in the local newspaper titled “Kay Says,” in which she offered helpful decorating tips. I’ve decided to dedicate several of my blogs to Grandma Messerschmidt, “reprinting” some of her articles. Enjoy! March Means New Beginnings Housecleaning time is just around the corner. Women get carpets and drapes on the line, and men begin to stir the paint. Perhaps this year your determination is to do something to improve the kitchen. A kitchen needs organization and planning to unscramble a hit and miss arrangement. Back in the Seventeen Hundreds the kitchen centered around a big fireplace where the whole family gathered. It was this fireplace that provided warmth and color. Now we do it with wallpaper, paint and fabrics. It is hard to overdo color brilliance here for lively, cheerful colors are right at home in the hustle and bustle of a busy kitchen. A kitchen is not a food factory—it is a place where much living is done. I have full color photographs from Ladies Home Journal of unscrambled kitchens that spell perfection. I will be glad to bring these suggestions to you along with fabrics for your kitchen curtains and drapes. For a kitchen that is “such stuff as dreams are made of” call Kay’s Personalized Drapery Service.* *By the way, for a number of years my dad (an English professor) served as Grandma’s installation guy for her window treatments. Thanks for the click! P.S. You’re a doll! |
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Rachel: Posted on Tuesday, April 05, 2011 12:59 PM
I have been wondering, Whatever happened to the philosophy that the customer is always right? Not too long ago, I found myself arguing with the customer service agent of a large, well-known company. Within minutes, it became obvious I was fighting a losing battle. Conceding defeat, I surrendered my complaint and hung up the phone. Disgusted, I muttered, “Apparently at such-and-such, the customer is always wrong.” Consider Payne Street Doll Boutique a lush oasis in the dried-up desert of satisfactory customer service. At our shop, we don’t see customers as dollar signs. We see them as people. All human beings deserve to be treated with respect and kindness. If this ideology strikes you as revolutionary, it shouldn’t. In our opinion, this way of thinking—which has become an ancient, nearly mythological, practice to the corporate world—is common sense. Our first Kitchen Set shipped out blanketed in bubble wrap and snuggly packed in crisp, cardboard boxes. By the time the order arrived at its destination, the boxes looked like they had rolled down Route 66 for a mile or two. Needless to say, the pieces of furniture now loosely taped inside were in desperate need of medical attention. When we got the news, we were heartbroken. The set had taken a week to build and to finish, and we were thrilled by the way it had turned out. Even more heart wrenching, however, two little girls were going to be very disappointed if we didn’t find a way to provide proper medical treatment for their new toys. We guarantee a safe delivery, so we had some decisions to make. We immediately offered to replace all three pieces at no cost to the customer, and as always, we took care of filing all claim paperwork. Luckily, we had packaged the pieces carefully, and the injuries weren’t as extensive as they could have been. Therefore, we offered a second option. If the customer could repair the damage on her end, we would refund her entire purchase price, plus shipping. This customer was pretty handy, and she thought she could make the repairs herself with minimal instruction. She did a fantastic job of nursing her doll kitchen back to health. Furthermore, some of her creative doctoring added charm and character to an already adorable set. In the end, she was so pleased with how we handled the situation, she became a regular customer. I don’t regale this tale for merit or as an indulgence. No one should be rewarded for doing what is expected, or for doing that which is right. Instead, I’ve shared this example as a testament to our word. Come rain or shine, we will treat each order with utmost attention, and your satisfaction is our priority. Here, as in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, kings and clowns share the same fate. In other words, all customers will enjoy a first-class experience, whether the orders they place total $50 or $500. Shop with confidence. At Payne Street Doll Boutique, customer service has made a comeback. And it’s got everyone saying, “Ah baby, you never looked so good!” Thanks for the click. P.S. You’re a doll! |
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Rachel: Posted on Wednesday, March 23, 2011 3:49 PM
Successful pairing of prints and colors is risky business. There is a delicate line between lively and obnoxious, just ask any parent hosting a slumber party for half a dozen 9-year-olds. Tampering with the balance can result in ugly consequences. Still, I toe that line like a tightrope walker and keep reminding myself, “Don’t look down.” I’m daring and edgy with my choices, and so far my bravery has paid off. I wouldn’t recommend bold patterns and bright colors in every aspect of decorating, of course. When it comes to choosing fabrics for kids, pull out all the stops. We are creatures of visual stimulation. I believe fun patterns and vibrant colors inspire creativity in children. Think of décor as food for the imagination. Totally agree but have no idea where to start? Welcome to Fabric Finesse 101! Here are some (hopefully) helpful tips for pairing fabrics: Use quality fabric. This tip should be a given, but for many of us on a budget, it’s a hard one to practice. No matter what you are making, you are putting a fair share of time into the piece. Investing in quality fabric is insurance for your effort. Quality fabric not only tends to cooperate better than cheap fabric, it will wear longer. Respect your talents enough to give them the tools that will bring the best results. When in doubt, stick with a series. If you are a newbie to pattern blending, fabric series take some of the guess work out of the pairing process. Quilting fabrics typically debut within a series. Each series features a number of fabrics in complementary prints and matching colors. Series are a sure-fire way to make sure your various fabrics will have a fantastic first date. Keep in mind that popular series sell out quickly. Quilters like variety, so manufacturers rarely rerun a series. If you like a particular series, buy plenty of it while the gettin’s good. Don’t play it safe. The word conservative makes me cringe. (Please remember, I’m talking about decorating with fabric here, not politics.) Whenever I hear it, I almost feel the walls closing in on me, like an expansive world has suddenly been reduced to a closet. I hear the doors to the right side of my brain slam shut and discover they’ve been slapped with a “do not disturb” sign. When it comes to choosing fabrics, all things conservative must be checked at the door. Safe is boring. Your fabric wants to be the life of the party, so give it the freedom mingle. Florals and stripes are fabulous friends, and paisleys love nothing more than being introduced to hot polka dots. Try coupling tiny prints with large ones. Think of colors as the personality of the fabric. If the colors match, the fabrics have something in common. Put together on a sewing table, they might really hit it off. Three is not a crowd. As in decorating with knick-knacks, group your patterns in threes, for the most part. If you want to tally more prints, add them with something small, like a throw pillow or a chair cushion. You want your décor to be eye-pleasingly lively, not a crazy three-ring circus. Color is in the eye of the beholder. Only you know what colors make your eyes giggle with delight. Some kids like bright colors. Others prefer pastels. The only advice I will offer in the color department is this: When you hear yourself say, “Well, this color is close enough to that one,” put the fabric down, and start over. Colors that are “close enough” often clash. If you can’t find an exact match to a particular color, try choosing a pastel or softer shade in that same color palette (or vice versa). For example, instead of trying to match two dark pink colors, I will pair the dark pink with a soft pink. The colors blend because they are part of the same family, yet they are far enough apart in shade that the risk of clash is lifted. By the way, I may by a color junkie, but some people get their fix from neutrals. All of these same rules apply to mixing neutral prints. For a pop of excitement, choose a fabric in your favorite vibrant color, and use it to add a few accents. Color, even in subtle use, adds dimension to neutral décor. I don’t have a degree in interior design, just a love for fabrics and some experience stitching them together. Not all of my combinations have become the masterpieces I originally envisioned. Don’t let the fear of failure leave you faint-hearted, which brings me to my final tip. Have a seam ripper handy, and don’t be ashamed to use it. If fabrics seemed to match under florescent lights but look hideous in natural sunlight, by all means separate them! If it’s not true love, it’s a mistake. Save the culprit fabric for another use. Someday, a different “print-charming” will sweep it off its threads. Thanks for the click! P.S. You’re a doll! |
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Rachel: Posted on Tuesday, March 15, 2011 12:27 PM
Here I am, 37.6 years old, entering what would appear to be my second childhood, reobsessing about dolls. Honestly, I hadn’t given dolls much thought at all since my daughter, Victoria, turned 12. We stuffed a line of Rubbermaid totes with Barbie, her friends, and the hundreds of dollars of accessories and playsets Victoria had accumulated in her short life. One by one, we sealed the totes like sarcophaguses and buried them in a closet crypt to await exhumation by my future granddaughters. The doll era of my life had ended. Or at least I thought it had. After 10 years as a writer and editor, I found myself face-to-face with a peculiar career change. I traded my pencil for a needle and paper ream for a spool of thread. I had never sewn a stitch in my life, at least not without my mother standing over my shoulder. Nevertheless, desperate times were calling for desperate measures. My husband, a gifted craftsman, began building doll bunk beds when American Girl sold out of Camp Bunks in 2009. Customers were clawing at our Ebay listings like starving coyotes after fresh meat. They wanted bedding to go with their bunks. Now, I don’t know whether or not you’ve ever watched a coyote tear into a rabbit, but I wasn’t about to tell them ‘no.’ Embrace the “do or die,” my friends, because these moments are pivotal. I sat down in front of a sewing machine, which felt as wrong to me as a pistol in the hand of a pacifist. But by golly, I pulled the trigger. I sewed. Perhaps it wasn't the gunshot heard 'round the world, but it certainly resounded in the world of Rachel. At that moment, the Payne Street (PS) Doll Boutique was born, and my life headed down a road I scarcely could have imagined. The quirky unpredictableness of life became my most respected ally. My keyboard probably thinks I’m having an affair with my sewing machine, and it may be right. Out of the past 550 days, I’ve spent at least 365 sewing. Instead of burying my nose in research books, I find myself paging through AG catalogs. I now use my pencil to draw doll furniture designs and my writing experience to set up product listings. Moreover, I’m loving every minute of it. Still, I never broke up with my keyboard, and my passion for writing is as strong as ever. Today as I type my first blog, these two loves melt into a common purpose. My creative writing degree offers its full support to my new-found obsession with everything that is dolls, both sewn and unsewn. I’m throwing open the shutters of my creativity, no longer exclusive to the written word. Artistic flare is free to date colors and patterns, pairing polka dots with paisleys and pinks with lime. Images once held to a page can flirt with the three-dimensional, perhaps as a doll futon or chiffonier. I no longer think solely as a writer. I have the freedom to think like a doll, devoted to making sure the PS Doll Boutique is without a doubt the place your doll would shop. Thanks for the click! P.S. You're a doll! |
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