Thanksgiving.. happy

 

We are celebrating our second Thanksgiving here today (this one is from Saturday).  I was so excited to have a few hydrangea left in the garden to grace the table.  

Wishing you a wonderful day filled with friends and family!

xo

 

 

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falling...

 

I am wishing for a real feeling of fall here in California, it has been so warm.  I love the beautiful colors that even that creates, but it is not quite like cool mornings and snuggling up.  I am ready to wear boots and scarves and snuggly things!

 

 

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Dahlia Galore in San Francisco

Have you seen anything as amazing as this? This is the Dahlia Dell at Golden Gate Park, San Francisco - and the dahlia flowers were in full bloom early this October. I did not know that the Dahlia is the official city flower for SF and when they're planted together like this, they look stunning. Read more about them here.
Photographs by Michelle Slatalla for Gardenista.

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happy...

 

Busy busy days... I thought I would lighten the mood with some of my favorite things... flowers and vintage papers...  I will be installing again today and hopefully I will have something interesting to show you tomorrow!!

Wishing you a beautiful Wednesday and thanks for stopping by!

 

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Weekend wishes

 

Wishing you a beautiful Sunday!  We will be visiting the Long Beach Flea to pick up some items for the installs next week and just trying to get it all organized! 

What are you up to?

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Walls of Flowers for Dior

Stunning walls of flowers for Raf Simons' couture debut in Paris.

Fashion designer Raf Simons with Diane Kruger for Vogue magazine.

"There were peonies, goldenrod, dahlias, carnations, delphiniums, orchids and all kinds of roses. Flowers splayed from floor to ceiling."
This is quite sensational - in early July, Dior created this visual feast for Raf Simons' couture debut. Five salons in Paris become the backdrop of colour as a million flowers were cut and arranged to create these stunning spaces. Imagine the fragrance!

Come behind-the-scenes as the Dior team painstakingly build the elaborate floral set for Raf Simons' couture debut in Paris.
Photographs via Dior Mag and Bureau Betak.

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mellow yellow

 

 

Sometimes all you need is a little touch of color to make you smile..  What are your plans for the weekend?  I am going to try and get into my copy of The Great Gatsby this weekend, of course it is not vintage and covered in yellow but I am sure that the story is still just as good!

 Enjoy your Friday my friends!

images via pinterest

 

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greige greenhouse

 

Just a little something pretty for a Monday morning (because I know we could all use a little something).  I love this color is it sooo mellow!  

Wishing you a wonderful start to another busy summer week!  I promise I will try to get to my photos and recommendations from Puerto Rico, and to a few other semi interesting things around here.

Image via pinterest

 

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Vintage blues

 

Soft warm blues.. so lovely.  I cannot believe it is already Friday (again).  What do you have planned for the weekend?  We are just catching up around here, breakfast plans with friends and the flea market on Sunday morning.

images via pinterest

 

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greige and flowers

 

Just about everything is better with flowers I think.  I have been buying fresh flowers to put around the house lately as my roses are not doing their best this year.  Soon though it will be time to cut the hydrangea and that I have a lot of!

image via pinterest

 

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Things I'm loving at the Moment

Now for some total randomness.  I've been juggling design work and kiddos at home over the last couple of weeks.  I have to confess it's been a bit crazy - but fun crazy.  Summer seems to fly by, and I really want to take it all in and enjoy every minute of it.  I thought I would share a few things I've stumbled upon - a little summer randomness.

White Walls
I adore this space.  It looks like something you would find in a beach house.  Notice the white walls, ceiling, wall sconce and simple roman shades.  All this white accomplishes a couple things.  It makes the space feel bigger and it creates a backdrop for the pops of color on the beds.  Also, notice the headboards are actually upholstered cushions tacked to the wall.  So simple, but so much impact.    

Contemporary Bedroom design by Other Metros Interior Designer Joel Snayd

Sheep Artwork Tutorial
This simple tutorial for affordable artwork really packs a WOW.  Wouldn't it be precious in a nursery?!  Great Job, Em and Elle!

via

Gourmet Popsicles

Everybody in Birmingham is talking about Steel City Pops.  These gourmet popsicles are all the rage.  I was having dinner with some girlfriends a couple of weeks ago and one of my friends could not say enough about them.  Then, my husband's firm hosted a dinner last week at the baseball field and Steel City brought a popsicle truck!  The flavors are so unique like avocado and blood orange, and they are all made fresh daily.  And to sweeten the pot (as they say), the owners are giving back by donating 100% of the profits made on their bottled water to developing water sources in third world countries.  So, a true community leader!

Do you remember my post recently of this picture?! . . . Wouldn't these gourmet pops make the most amazing dessert for a summer time dinner party?  Oh yea, I'm on it.  

via

Crawfish Boils

Talk about a laid back party.  This past weekend we celebrated the birthday of a close friend.  She and her husband spent several years in New Orleans and all that culture, food and NOLA lifestyle is now in their blood.  So, of course, celebrating big for this cute couple translates into a crawfish boil!  I ate so many I finally had to stop when my fingers were numb from peeling them.  You just can't beat good food, good friends, good music and yummy drinks in the summer!

Hammock Chairs

At the beginning of the summer, I ordered a pair of hammock chairs for my kids.  They are getting too big to use the swing set in our backyard (which makes me a little sad).  But, I'm not ready to tear the whole thing down. 

 Instead, I converted the swing portion of our set using the hammock chairs.  Both my kids love to read, so they've been hanging out up there in late afternoon/early evening with a book.   

I'm thinking I extended the life of that swing set at least more summer!

Wall Container/Window Boxes

My husband and I took a recent trip to one of our favorite nurseries here in Birmingham.  It is a bit farther out, but their plants are always so healthy and really put on a show during the summer season.  If you live in Birmingham, it's truly worth your time to check out Collier's nursery.  

During our most recent trip, the cutest girl helped us (which is another reason to go there, the customer service is spot on).  She taught me something about planting window boxes.  Now, mind you, we've had this box for at least five years; and I've never thought about what she told us.  

The trick is to plant two different trailing plants on each end (so a total of four plants, rather than just two) - one in the back and one in the front.  I've always done just one plant on each end since the container is so narrow, thinking it would fill out nicely. 

 Well, the box has never looked this great, even at it's peak.   I think it's the contrast in color that really gives the container the depth you can't get from a single plant.  Simple idea, but huge impact.  Love it. 

San Tan-tonio Nail Polish

(I told you this post was random!)

I treated myself to a pedicure (which is rare for me, I usually do my own pedicures at home), and I'm loving this color!  I think it helps when you've had a little sun on your feet for color, but every time I look down at the polish it makes me smile (the name just kills me!)

(Bet you didn't expect to see my feet on a Monday!  I kept the picture small in case you tend to get queasy in the morning! Ha!)

Did everybody have a wonderful Father's Day?  We made steaks on the grill last night for our man of the hour; and I called my sweet Dad and wished him a wonderful day too!  

What's everybody been up to lately?! M.

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