PresentPast Collection

True To You

The thought "true to you" keeps coming up in my mind lately. I've been wanting to make quite a few changes around our home and feel that at this point in my life I will finally decorate for myself. Not in a selfish way, as in not caring what The Man might like but in a way that feels comfortable and livable to me. Being a designer for so many years, I've come across many different styles and sometimes my own sense of style has been easily swayed. It can leave one feeling very frustrated that your home is never quite right for you. But not anymore.

I've been slowly getting rid of furniture, drapes, wallpaper and paint colors and replacing them with timeless colors that I love. It's actually a very serene process, not hurried at all but more of a thoughtful gathering of cherished items. We bought this home knowing that we would not be staying in it for a lifetime and I believe it strongly influenced my design of the interior. But I've come to the decision that I can take it with me. At least to the next home anyway.

I'm learning to collect what appeals to me, what draws me in and causes me to admire it over and over. Simple things displayed in a beautiful way. I hope this inspires you to listen to your inner voice and let it flow over into how you make your house a home. I'll be sharing more of my own journey with you as I learn to listen to mine.

My backyard garden is bursting with blooms. I have a sea of rose petals floating all over my back patio. They are coming from the 4 climbers I have growing on the brick columns and onto the patio cover.

See the petals all over the grass as well? The smells are so intoxicating. I'll try to walk around the garden in the next few days to take some more photos of all the roses. And write down the names for you too!

Romantic Country Office Feature

The latest Romantic Country magazine is out on newsstands now and has a feature article about my home office. It was such a priviledge to be included. I had the best of intentions of photographing my office today to show you some of the changes that have taken place since they shot the original photos but time has escaped me.

You can see that Bella wanted to make sure she was in as many shots as possible. Apparently she loves having her picture taken. Or maybe just wants to make sure everything is running smoothly.

Sweet Girl calls my office Where's Waldo because whenever I ask her to get something for me from the office she says, "I'll never find it, it's like Where's Waldo in there!" But to me it seems so organized. Go figure. I suppose it only needs to be organized for me, others won't understand my madness. I mean, system.

My dear friend and editor Fifi also had me do some photography and styling with this issue and it was terrific working with her and to be included with such a talented group of contributors. I'm looking forward to sharing some of my other works with you very soon.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter holiday weekend. The weather here was just gorgeous and our brunch was delicious. I didn't take as many photos as I would have liked to but this one of The Man and I pretty much sums up the day.

Happy and full of love from the guy who tells me he loves me every day and is always proud of my accomplishments, great or small and celebrates in my joy.

Preparing for Easter

I'm still in my nesting mode and have been Spring cleaning and preparing for Sunday. I started to put together Sweet Girl's Easter basket and thought you'd like a peek. She's not a regular reader of my blog so I think I'm safe in showing you.

There's a mix of vintage and new items which makes it so perfect for her. She has a large collection of vintage costume jewelry that she wears regularly and I know she will cherish the tiara. Every year she gets a new swim suit in her basket, it's nestled down in there somewhere along with a pretty summer blouse and other goodies.

Here's a couple photos from around the house. Little bits of Spring here and there.

We'll be having brunch at out house after Sunrise Service and on the menu this year is:

• Lobster Scrambled Eggs
  Spiral Baked Ham
  Potatos Au Gratin
  Belgian Waffles
  Strawberries & Whipped Cream
  Deviled Eggs
  Fresh Citrus Salad
  Lemon Tarts
  Angel Lush Cake
  Coconut Raspberry Cookies

Doesn't that sound delicious? We'll be dining al fresco on the patio and I'll be sure to take some photos of the celebration. I would love to hear what's on your menu or what Easter traditions you share with your family. Wishing you all a very Happy Easter!

What Saturdays Are Made For

The morning started off with an hour long walk with my sister and then some coffee. After I got home, The Man and I went to the garden center to pick up some flowers for the patio containers. They have been seriously neglected all winter. Then we stopped for lunch and a quick trip to the grocery store to pick up a few ingredients for our barbecue dinner.

Most of the early afternoon was spent watering, weeding and adding some colorful blooms to the backyard.

I added a few fresh cut flowers and some pretty seashells to one of my birdbaths. Instant beauty!

This is one of my favorite stepping stones in the garden. A friend of mine made it for me when I owned a home and garden boutique here in town. She would press fresh roses into them and add whatever saying you would like.

Here's my garden buddy Bella. She followed me all over the place today and wanted to play fetch for as long as I would throw the ball. I should have taught her how to pull weeds.

There is still lots of cleaning up to do in the yard. Most of my tables, potting bench, swing and furniture need a good scrubbing. That will have to wait for another day!

Next it was time for a little break and I headed inside to make a yummy snack.

There were fresh strawberries at the market but they weren't quite ripe, it's still too early in the season. I decided to dip them in chocolate because that's a sure fire way to make them taste better!

No laughing at my technique. I couldn't get the dark chocolate to thin out enough and my drizzle ended up more like dollops. Nobody complained though and they have all been gobbled up.

After some more yard work it was time to have our barbecue hamburgers. Perfect after a full day of fun, hard work and sunshine!

Here's the view from my dinner seat at the picnic table. The Man made the table for me for my birthday a few years back. It's my favorite place to sit in the entire garden.

The perfect place to watch the sun set through the trees. Happy Saturday everyone!

Christmas Colors

This year as I was pulling out all my Christmas decorations, I was feeling like I needed a change from the traditional red that normally festoons the house. It might be because I have a smaller scaled "extreme home makeover" planned for after the holidays. So, with that on my mind I used more subdued colors in my holiday decorations.  Simple greenery, softer reds such as the pomegranates and lots of mercury glass.

The mix of the natural wood and ironstone could be displayed year round. These will probably stay after the renovations.

In the dining room I added small bits of Christmas cheer among my ironstone collection. Nothing too over the top here. In fact, I'm finding myself toning it down to just what I really love.

And just in the nick of time for my gift packaging, I finished my Christmas Vignettes from the class I took from Rebecca Sower. These will be used as gift cards to dress up my holiday packages. Rebecca has a fantastic blog and she's sharing with us some very inspiring holiday ideas of using what you have on hand. Her style is amazing and I know you will be motivated to try some for yourself.

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like.....

Christmas! Our home is starting to look and feel more festive. I've been burning an Evergreen candle from Williams-Sonoma practically non-stop. It makes the entire place smell like an evergreen forest, which is nice since we have an artificial pre-lit tree. This week I plan on buying some fresh evergreen garland to add to the tops of my mirrors and pictures. Here is a little cathedral church I purchased at Homegoods and embellished with a few of my vintage baubles.

It's such a quick way to spruce up a store bought item and make it more personal. I used a vintage French postage stamp as the doormat and a few earrings as a wreath and bell tower topper. And lastly, I added a pair of miniature bird ornaments to the trees, simple and very inexpensive.

I thought I'd have a little Parade of Ornaments and show you some of the hundreds I've collected over the years. I love the hand blown glass ornaments and enjoy finding new ones each year to add to the tree.

Sugar topped ginger bread houses are always a sweet treat!

And a pair of fur lined ice skates, wish I had a pair that looked like these.

This large snow covered village ornament is one of my favorites and in the background is one of Sweet Girls snow angels.

Over the years I've been given many garden themed ornaments from friends and family. This tradition started back when I owned a home & garden boutique. There are watering cans, wheel barrows, picket fences, birds, roses and sunflowers, just to name a few.

I'm very partial to my rose ornaments, and this little basket is a charming favorite.

And every year since she was born, I've given Sweet Girl a special ornament to commemorate the year, isn't this one adorable! We write the year on the bottom of each one and when she gets married I plan to give her the collection as a gift. Now I'm thinking I should have bought 2 of the same each year, just so I wouldn't have to part with them!

Well, I'm off to do some wrapping and I've got my trimmings ready to top the gifts. It's my favorite Christmas chore.

I'll be posting some of my holiday gift wrapping ideas with you as I finish. And also on the To-Do list this week is making my annual Peppermint Bark to give to friends and family, recipe and photos to follow. Wishing you all a wonderful week filled with holiday memories!

Christmas Cheer

Boy oh Boy! Creating holiday magic around the house sure is a lot more work than I remembered. There are still boxes spread out all over the floors but I took a few "selective" shots to share with you. After my clutter is cleaned up, I'll share some finished photos. This is a vignette on the family room sideboard, an antique wooden scoop filled with pinecones and mercury glass ornaments.

On the coffee table in the family room I added a silver bowl piled with a collection of vintage ornaments. The candle pedestal is a salvaged architectural column base that The Man glued back together for me so I could use it as a unique candle holder.

A small tabletop display in the living room is a snow covered mirror and a few chosen treasures. I bought the itty bitty ornaments from a vendor at Silver Bella, but for the life of me, I can't remember who!

The breakfast nook chandelier got a glittery star treatment, courtesy of Pottery Barn. And set on the table underneath it:

is an antique wood mixing bowl filled with huge oversized mercury glass ornaments. I absolutely love looking at this everyday! Wish I could keep them out year round.

This is one of my favorite ornaments. A sweet bisque rabbit that you nestle on top of a light. I've had it for so many years, and when Sweet Girl pulled it out of the box this year we both went, "Oooohhhh, love that one"!

The Man purchased this nativity set about 8 or 9 years ago all by himself. The figurines are so realistic and full of gorgeous color, he couldn't have picked a better one.

Well, I'm off to try and finish up my festive chores. Along with decorating, I've been working on a few Christmas crafts and I hope to share them with you soon. And if I could just get my loved ones to give me their Wish Lists, I'd work on that too!  Tis the season!

The Christmas Spirit

With such a busy week behind me, I'm now in full swing of my holiday decorating. The Man has pulled out all the boxes, which now flood the living and dining rooms in a sea of festive color. All I can think is, where do I begin?

It's raining and cold outside, perfect weather for lighting the fireplace and decorating the tree. But this morning before Sweet Girl left for school, she said, "Do not decorate the tree without me!" So, while I wait for her to get home I will work on the rest of the house, which should be plenty of work for this elf. If all goes as planned I hope to have a Holiday Open House on Monday for everyone. Perhaps some of you will want to show us your decor as well? Have a great weekend everyone, see you Monday!

Thanksgiving Preparations

With the holiday fast approaching, I'm sure we are all making our menu plans and choosing our table settings. We host Thanksgiving every year in our home and I truly enjoy preparing for the day. This year I'm going with a cream and silver theme. I'm bringing out my well aged ironstone and tarnished silver.

I've inherited 2 sets of antique flatware from two different sides of my family tree and I love mixing them together. Blended, just like families.

Most of my silver has tarnished from lack of attention. When I was younger I used to be concerned that it wasn't polished, but now I enjoy the patina of the pieces. Hmmm, or maybe I'm tired of cleaning it.

We have several family traditions during the holidays and one I thought I'd share is our "I'm Thankful For" tradition. When each person arrives, they are given a card and have to write something or someone they are especially Thankful for during the previous year. Sometimes they are funny, other times so poignant that it brings us to tears. All the cards are then put into a bowl which is then passed around the table. Each person will read a card out loud and then we all guess who wrote the note. It is so wonderful to focus on how we are all so blessed by the people who love us but sometimes don't take the time to say.

I'd love it if we all play along today. Please leave a comment stating something or someone you are Thankful for and let's all be blessed by what we are most grateful for!

I'm Thankful For.....

The End of My Toile Era

I've been feeling it for a while. Thinking about it, mulling it over in my mind and the time has finally come. My black and white toile kitchen has reached it's final days. It's served me well for the last 5 years and that's a very, very long time in designer years!

I remember the newlywed stage of my relationship with toile. The first time we met I was so sure it was the perfect match for me. I thought we would have a long and happy life together, and we have. There were good times, like the time it looked so perfect with my Christmas decor, and the time I added the coordinating drapery treatments over the kitchen windows. Yes, those were good times.

But you know what they say? All good things must come to an end. And now I must move on. And my toile must move on. It deserves someone that loves and adores it, just the way it is. Perhaps we will meet again, on an accent pillow or the occasional soup bowl and we can reminisce about what a fun life we shared together. Oh, my little toile, you will always be remembered with fond admiration and I wish you nothing but the best! And know, that we will always be friends!