Sunday, November 14, 2010

Time Flies

Time happens. It does fly when you are having fun! Here I am after a whirlwind autumn
season of celebrating our daughter’s wedding at Oceanside Resort in Brewster, MA and
being with our dearest and newest friends and family. It seems I am now gearing up for
the holidays and travel to Egypt and then off to the Caribbean for a joyous holiday with
my wonderful husband. Last year we took our entire family and grandchildren! New
projects on the horizon are re designing the Historic White Elephant Hotel on Nantucket
and a private home. I have much to say this coming 2011 and will slowly expand my
blogging. Look for my newly redesigned websites where I can display and share my
passion for seaside living.

Christopher Merrill Sunday, November 14, 2010 | Comments (11) | Trackbacks (0) | Permalink

Saturday, July 31, 2010

AUGUST is here

THE MONTH OF AUGUST

It is the height of the summer when August 1^st arrives. The light is still soft and bright and lingers into the evening hours tugging at our senses that around the corner lurks September with it’s changing light. I’ve been taking textile workshops at NISDA out in Wauwinet this summer and has inspired my work for a new outdoor pillow collection for next season. I’ve been sketching the landscape this time of year and the seacolors are enhanced by the myriad of colors in the dunes with the contrast of the sand. This time of year reminds me of change on the horizon. Knowing the calendar says that autumn is lining up its fortune for us, I want to savor all I can of this most spectacular summer we have had in 20 years.

Donna Elle Saturday, July 31, 2010 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0) | Permalink

Wednesday, July 07, 2010

Flow

We’ve all heard the expression "go with the flow…"

Working in the design service industry for over 30 years is a business regarding a field of variables beyond the designers control. Coupled with living on island and being dependent upon boat or plane to deliver clients goods on some days can be challenging. Packages being mis-delivered, damaged or delayed by fog and high winds seems to be a pretty regular occurrence. Over the years I would incessantly fret over this and have learned to deal with it on an empathetic level with my clients. Having attempted successfully to orchestrate all coordinating efforts with the projects deliverables exhibits a high level of responsibility on my behalf. I can only accept the fate of the circumstances and wait for a miracle of self correction. That is the paradox of this flow. In plans gone astray there is always a lesson for everyone that is all good. 

Donna Elle Wednesday, July 07, 2010 | Comments (5) | Trackbacks (0) | Permalink

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Island Air

Today is filled with crisp air and dry, clearing winds out of the north ushering in an amazing 4^th of July, 2010 forecast. No this is not your weather channel………it’s a reminder that the simple things in life can provide us with a pulse to the day. The sounds in the air are lapsing in tone as the horn from the 630 am ferry is carried over the island landscape echoing a reminder that we are 30 miles out to sea and providing us abundant sunshine in her midst.

I cherish days beginnings such as these and carry the memory with me. To enhance the island seasons bring the joy of summer living inside as well of blooming hydrangeas into your space.

Donna Elle Wednesday, June 30, 2010 | Comments (1) | Trackbacks (0) | Permalink

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Beach Walk

Walking the beach in any season allows us to expand our thinking as we let the waves take us away in thought and rhythm. There are many beaches in the world offering its unique forms, textures and sounds. There have been countless days I have walked the shores of near and faraway lands that offer me a message. It is this experience where I have learned to listen and be still and revel in the offering of a message to something I may be struggling with or pondering. Bringing myself to the shoreline and being at the edge of my universe looking out at the expanse of color and light offers my soul a sense of place. The scents from nearby rosa ragosa and the textures from the seagrasses offering reflections of light from the drifting westward setting sun graces me with all its glory in the majesty of a day coming to closure.

Collecting or observing the myriad of shells, seaweed, coral and stones along my path offers delights in the beauty from the deep. Somehow magic happens. Getting in touch with my ‘beingness’ in the universe and being present on my beachwalk renews and refreshes me with a deep sense of gratitude for the days gifts.

Have you had a beachwalk yourself lately? Take a walk on one of my Beachwalk rug collections offered in 3 colorways and allow your mind to wander…..

Donna Elle Thursday, June 24, 2010 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0) | Permalink

Friday, June 18, 2010

She sells SEASHELLS....

Call it a ‘calling’ but I had always known I belonged somewhere else. At 17 years of age I left my hometown and traveled to the shores of the island of Nantucket. It was as if someone had done it for me and was already in the cards. As I put foot onto the cobbled streets off the ferry that foggy April day in 1974, I knew within, this is where I belonged……on the edge, by the sea, under a canopy of a cornflower blue sky amidst the fog and complacency, on a spit of land dependent upon boat or plane to connect to the mainland. The solitude and intimacy of the island spoke to my sense of place and I knew I was ‘home’.

It is here the inspiration of island living became a passion of creativity and expression that has turned into a global business.

Collecting seashells from the beaches became a weekly occurrence. My youngest daughter had sculpted seashells in an art class and using her original sketches I turned the drawings and molds into hand silk screened textiles and seashell curtain hardware.

It was never a focused goal in my early years of becoming a product designer. Rather I allowed it to all evolve over a thirty year period around my first passion of sewing and designing as a young girl. Becoming aligned with your journey and passions during your daily experiences will lead you to the right people. It is in the listening that we discover our sense of purpose.

Donna Elle Friday, June 18, 2010 | Comments (3) | Trackbacks (0) | Permalink

Friday, June 11, 2010

Letting the Journey Continue..

This being my first official blog entry, I want to make it full of good intention for the voice that follows from this point forward. I hope you will find inspiration to set goals and discover a sense of wonderment and passion for yourselves thru my ease of sharing what I have come to understand about joyful living on an island. It has been said that you are never quite the same after you have slept on an island.



The 36 years I have dwelled on this spit of land, 30 miles out to sea east of Cape Cod, Mass is where my story unfolds and continues so..…please read along with me in hopes of uncovering the quest of self mastery in soulful living no matter where we dwell in the universe.

Donna Elle Friday, June 11, 2010 | Comments (2) | Trackbacks (0) | Permalink