04 Nov How Golden Boots and Chandelier Kick Cancer!

I didnt think I’d be writing this, but since I’m receiving such a wealth of love and support and I’ve run out of time to send out a fall/winter newsletter, or even do a proper blog post (the “DXV Big Reveal” post is 90% finished. Watch for it in about 4 weeks.) I’m going to share with you that I have colon cancer. There I said it.

NEWS ALERT! DEBORAH MAIN IS CANCER FREE! YOUR PRAYERS AND MY GOLDEN BOOTS KICKED CANCER OUT THE DOOR. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! 

This will be the only really personal blog post you’llget cause Im not going to blog about it. Instead, Im gonna unplug and focus on my recovery and healing for about 4 – 6 weeks.

But that’s not really what I want to talk about right now. Instead, I want to tell you about my Golden Boots and my first “Chandelier Diaries” dinner party. Plus share our new holiday ornaments and the exciting news that I made the Design Hounds TOP 100 list.

But to ease your worries, Im scheduled for surgery Monday morning, Nov 5th,  at 8 a.m. and the doc is expected to get it all and be done with it.  So please think positive healing thoughts.  I’ll be in hospital 3-4 days and recovering at home 6-8 weeks. So there goes Deborah Main Designs holiday Open Studio and no holiday parties to attend. But I’m okay with that cause my health comes first and I know a lot of you are sending me healing love and will come visit too.

And, Ive got my new golden boots AND our new crystal chandelier!! So hears the scoop and why both are now gonna help me heal.  Its kind of a long story, so bear with me.

NEWS ALERT! DEBORAH MAIN IS CANCER FREE! YOUR PRAYERS AND MY GOLDEN BOOTS KICKED MY CANCER OUT THE DOOR. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! 

First off, I won $1,000 worth of lighting from Lamps Plus this summer in an Instagram contest through Tastefully Inspired Blog. But I had to claim it by October 15th and time was running out. You try to pick out a chandelier from 8,000 lighting pieces online!!! (Nice problem to have.) I actually obsessed over it which helped keep my mind off my diagnose. So it was very therapeutic and thankfully I had the guidance of my dear friend, interior designer Patrick Landrum.

So, in the end, we chose THE most perfect chandelier, the Troy Lighting “Viola”. Wait till you see how gorgeous it looks in our dining room and with the Main family gold-rimmed crystal!!! I absolutely love it!!

But first, my golden boots story.

My incredible friend and talented seamstress Kim Schlinke surprised me with this cream lace jacket. (Im giving myself permission today to not worry about any apostrophes or poor grammar in this post. Thank you!)

Here’s the beautiful lace jacket (above) on her mannequin. (Shes gonna kill me cause she thinks her studio is messy. HA!!! She knows mine is far, far worse.)

So, the story goes, according to Kim, that I gave her this vintage lace. I said “Kim, I think you have me mixed up with someone else . You must have made this for another friend.” “No!” she said  “I made it for you!”. Evidently, amidst all our spring cleaning of Deborah Main Designs studio and two storage units I really couldnt remember that I gave her this lace.

But I accepted this amazing gift graciously and said to my daughter “Please help me! I have NO idea what to wear with this!! Its a very special gift from Kim….and I need you to style me in it please!!”.

My daughter is THE fashion expert, designer, and stylist. I wanted to wear it in just 2 days to friend Stephen Moser’s Living Eulogy, as he had requested we wear white. Stephen has been fighting cancer for 10 years. I marvel at his courage and the way he deals with his cancer. Like throw a Living Eulogy!

So my daughter and I went to my fave Austin designer boutique, Spring Frost, and sure enough she styled it perfectly. Im so lucky. Thank God for fashionable talented daughters!!

White blouse, necklace and golden boots at Spring Frost Boutique.

Thankfully I had white jeans, but I needed to find those boots in my size and fast. I bought the blouse (which I love!), ordered the boots online (cause they didnt have my size. I NEVER buy shoes online!) and I passed on the necklace cause my daughter designs all my jewelry and I wanted to wear these FAB pearl earrings she made me.

Sooo, here is the final all-cream outfit, I wore to Stephen’s beautiful and memorable event, with my “Kick Cancer Golden Boots”. And whats so interesting is that there was this amazing calm over me that night. Here we were celebrating Stephens life with him there, yet I knew I had cancer then, but no one at this event did. Then to my surprise, I stayed all the way to the end and danced the night away in my golden boots. I had no idea how significant they would become in my life.

As part pf my positive healing, theyve become a symbol of my recovery with cancer. Im wearing them to the hospital and visualizing myself dancing in them!! THAT is going to help me heal faster!

Me with Jackie O at Stephen Moser’s Living Eulogy party.

Now, back to the chandelier.

My whole plan this fall (since we found 5 more leaves to my Grandmothers dining table in storage!) was to throw dinner parties! I was soooo looking forward to entertaining in a new, more intimate way since we now could seat more guests at our dining table.

Well that plan went right out the window with my diagnose!

So you can imagine my husbands reaction when I said “We’re going to have at least ONE dinner party BEFORE  my surgery.” Of course he exclaimed, “Are you crazy?!?!”

Well, yes, all us artists and designers are a bit eccentric in our own ways and I was not going to let this cancer prevent me from having a dinner party to celebrate our new crystal chandelier. I was NOT going to wait until 2019!! And anyhoo, I thought it would be nice to be surrounded by some of my dear friends BEFORE my surgery. Kind of like a “Pre-Op” send off dinner party.

I quickly checked a few friends schedules and my designer Patrick and pulled it together in the middle of this week. Easiest on us for the first one was to make it a potluck dinner. Good thing we did cause I finally got to try Patricks delicious 5 cheese manicotti and other wonderful dishes guests brought.

Me and my dear friend and designer, Patrick Landrum. Photography by Vickie Flaugher.

We all had a wonderful time and it has really helped me be calm before my surgery. As well as this great book and CD my stepmother Betsy bought for me, “Prepare for Surgery, Heal Faster”.

By the end of the evening, guest Paul Heath (of #paulandamy) dubbed the dinner party the “Chandelier Diaries”.

Here’s a BEFORE of our dining room with the old chandelier.

And an AFTER with our new crystal chandelier, from Lamps Plus above my grandmothers antique table set for 14.

I got SO much joy from setting the table with my mothers china, both familys silverware, the Main family’s gold-rimmed champagne glasses (I love how it goes so beautifully with the chandeliers gold rim), a mix match of antique chairs and beautiful family silver candelabras restored and polished by Michele’s Estate Jewelry & Silver. (Yes, I have a silver addiction. Ive had ALL our family silver polished there!! Highly recommend!)

Okay, Im running out of time here as I need to prep for surgery. But writing this has helped to quell my nerves, so thank you for reading it.

Inaugural “Chandelier Diaries”. Photography by Vickie Flaugher.

Chandelier from Lamps Plus. Photography by Vickie Flaugher. Pictures hung by dear friends #paulandamy.

Please enjoy incredible photos of our 1st “Chandelier Diaries” dinner party taken by dear friend, professional photographer Vickie Flaugher who took these photos as a gift to me. Thank you so much Vickie!

“Chandelier Diaries” Dinner Party Photos

And a BIG thank you to EVERYONE who came to dinner. Here’s me any dearest husband and caregiver, David Latimer. He’s my rock!

Me and the best husband ever, David. Married 34 years. Photography by Vickie Flaugher.

On a final note, please check out Deborah Main ornaments now on our website. My son, Cason Latimer, now a professional NYC photographer with his own studio, shot this when we visited him this summer.

I know Im bragging on my son and daughter (and they’ll be totally embarrassed, but hopefully they wont read this!) But a mother gets bragging rights and they are both so very talented! Im very proud of Cason and Qin and I love them so much!!!

And last but not least, Im excited to make the Design Hounds TOP 100 list for my blog and social media. Thank you to all who voted for me!! Its quite an honor!!

Thank you to all my family and friends, and you dear readers, for all your support for my work and for my cancer surgery. A special thank you to my dear friend Sandy Alvarez who has set up the online Care site for me, the LIVE STRONG foundation, and all of you who are already helping me and David get through this.  Im wearing my golden boots to the hospital to kick this cancer and if I have a bad day during recovery, I have, thanks to Lamps Plus, my beautiful new crystal chandelier to admire.

I appreciate each and every one of you in my life!! Till next time, when I finally finish and share the DXV post, I’ll see you on the other side of this surgery. XO PG