One Fund Boston

Sox fans at Fenway

A wrenching, horror filled week ended today in mourning, grace and hope.

David "Big Poppy" Ortiz

David Ortiz, "This is our (expletive) city" voiced Boston's fierce pride at the Sox pre-game ceremony honoring the Marathon bombing victims, responders, medical personnel, law enforcement.

Medical costs for the injured will be astronomical. The cost to resume their lives is inestimable, emotionally and financially.

Governor Patrick and Boston Mayor Tom Menino set up The One Fund to aid victims and their families of the Marathon bombings. John Hancock, New Balance, AT&T New England, Bain Capital, The Celtics, The Red Sox and so many more have already donated. JetBlue will match your donation and give you points (JetBlue). AT&T customers can text BOSTON to 80108 to give $10. Or click here, The One Fund Boston 2013.

This terrible week is over for us. The injured victims and their families are just starting out on a rough road, longer than any marathon.

Acting humanely in the face of evil is the only triumph.

Thanks for reading,
Linda Pakravan

link for photos:
Red Sox Fans at Fenway and David Ortiz

Happy New Year!

Ade Nowrooz! Happy New Year!

Forsythia from my garden. They are the easiest of branches to force. Bring them in now and you'll have blooms in a few days.

A secular holiday, Persian New Year is celebrated on the first day of Spring. This is my Haft-Sinn table which should display haft (seven) items beginning with the Persian letter sinn, pronounced "seen". These seven are symbolic of Spring, renewal, rebirth, beauty and good luck.

Every table must have Sabzeh, green sprouts. This year I resorted to parsley. Seeb, apples, represent health and beauty. Somaq, a seasoning, (the dried red stuff in the blue bowl) represents the sunrise; or some interpret it as the triumph of good over evil. I like to think of it as the return of longer days. Somaq is actually an excellent substitute for salt. It has a slightly sour tang and is delicious sprinkled on rice.

Serkeh, vinegar, in the fish shaped dish represents patience and age. Our family traditionally has a bowl of two or three gold fish; they are quite pretty swimming in a lovely crystal bowl. This year, one family member vigorously decried the cruelty of flushing the fish after New Year's, hence the fish dish only. Garlic cloves, Seer in Persian, I'm not sure what it really means, maybe the healing powers of medicine.

the table cloth is a vintage Persian paisley. 

Our family always has vases and pots of Sanbol, hyacinth. My Sanbol are woefully late this year. They are the green things peaking through in the pot at the upper left. But the upside is they will be perfect for Easter. Now that's one of the true joys of life in a multi-cultured family. We celebrate many happy holidays, some of them twice!

Wishing you a very happy New Year!

thanks for reading,
Linda Pakravan

p.s. excuse the picture quality, I used my phone while my camera is in for repair.

Color Talks: Bright Green

I call this Apple Green.

What does bright green say to you?

No one I know is ambivalent about chartreuse. They either love it or hate it. How about you?

Today green, any green, is telling me the opposite of this scene we woke up to.

The fallen tree is our dog's favorite creek crossing. Pumpkin won't be exploring the other side for a few days. I took this picture with my phone.

Spring officially starts tomorrow at 7:20 AM.

terraces in Vietnam

Fresh, bright greens are extremely attractive on this snowy morn. Pat Healing of HB Home does Spring greens extremely well. Here are two of her rooms.

Green as a major player, like these curtains. I like the way she mixes in a little "gold glow" and still retains the casual feel of this room.

Or green as an accent.

A powder room I did for a young client's first home.

Typical of my cost conscious projects, we splurged on the wallpaper and mirror. The light fixture and faucet are from Lowe's. The wallpaper is "Toile Florissante" by Schumacher. I have a different color of Toile Florissante in my own powder room.

Here's a shot of one end of our living room. A little schizoid, Springish green stripes with grayish green. The uproar that ensued when I mentioned that I am sooo tired of these stripes and want a change was, to put a good spin on it, comical. Not everyone appreciates change.

One of a pair of chair frames we bought at a warehouse. This is their second upholstery job. Ready for a third. 

Have a great day! We are certain the snow will melt soon.

thanks for reading,
Linda Pakravan

if you would like help designing with green, or any color, email me!

links for this post:

Geisha photo by Onihide

gorgeous furniture from Moissonnier

Terraces in Vietnam photo by Viet Hung

Pat Healing, HB Home

powder room and painted stripes by Linda Pakravan

wallpaper from Schumacher