Happy Holidays

Hi there, guess who? I know I have been MIA for months now and think it is safe to say that I have not made my blog a priority for sometime.... BUT, I wanted to take a minute and wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! I hope to be back in 2010 with lots of great posts and be more consistent. Till then...xo!

A few of my favorite rooms....

From: Domino


From: Elle Decor


From: Domino


From: Country Living


From: Country Living

A Lovely Home in Buenos Aires

Photography By: Max Kim-Bee as seen in Domino Magazine

Pretty in Pink

Here is another home from my 'inspiration binder' that I adore. I love how they have mastered the mix of antiques, bright colors and modern rugs, with a dash of the feminine. So chic!

All photos by: Henry Bourne, as featured in Elle Decor

Ooooh la la...Restoration Hardware Clearance Center!

Pages of Inspiration

This is a home I fell in love with years ago that was featured in Elle Decor (I can't remember when, sorry.) I love the colors and unique artwork and furnishings, and how about that glossy black door in the last photo? Love it! That was certainly an inspiration for me when I decided to do black doors in our upstairs!!!

Photos By: Melanie Acevedo, as seen in Elle Decor

My purchases from the 'market' !

So I did not find my chaise lounge for the garden, or any additional chairs for the dining room, BUT I did find this lovely vanity for the bathroom. I have been looking for a vanity for awhile now and this one so went with the decor and the price was right. I also purchased this adorable bird feeder (made with a vintage tea-saucer ) for the garden. Yay!!

A Paris Street Market !!!

Join me tomorrow at the 'Paris Street Market' at Aspen Grove in Littleton. I have gone the past 2 years and always love everything! On my list this year: a couple additional white dining chairs, perhaps a vintage lounger for the garden, and maybe a new bowl for the kitchen. I'll post pics. of my finds, if any!!!! Happy Shopping!!

Here I Am !!!

Photo by: Tim Walker, from 'Snippet and Ink'

Hi Friends!

So after a few months of being a major slacker (well, not really.... was figuring out new work projects, etc...) I decided to come back and I promise to do my best at regular posting. Let's see what happens :)

Ode to John Derian

One of my favorite artists/designers is the wonderful John Derian. I keep an inspiration binder of homes that I love and his are on the top of my list. The first home featured is his apartment in Manhattan from Elle Decor, and the second one is his cottage featured in Vogue Living.



The Apartment!

The Cottage!

Photos: Apartment photos from Elle Decor, Cottage photos from Vogue Living

Door to Door Organics

Yumm!!!!

We received our first box from 'Door to Door Organics' (click on title above to go to their website) and had such a great weekend eating and cooking with the fresh produce. Some highlights include.... a flavorful hash with the carrots, strawberries and yogurt for b-fast, and 2 loaves of zucchini bread. Tonight it will be either stuffed/baked acorn squash or a cauliflower cheesy casserole, yummm! What did you make/bake this weekend?

Composition

Today over lunch at the new downtown eatery "Organixx" (very yummy), the Mr. and I read about this store in Belmar called 'Composition,' (click on the title above to be directed to their online store and website) and so we decided since it was a snow day, we had the time to pop on over and check it out. They had a great selection of bags and jewelry, stationary by artists like 'Paper + Cup,' and also a great selection of design books. Here are my 2 favorite.
Check out their blog '3191,' soooo inspiring


This will be my gardening bible this spring/summer.

Check it out....

Hey Ladies, go to Anthropologie's website to see the goods. Cheers!

Tea Time

I love tea! In fact, I drink it every morning and find it such a welcoming way to start my day. Here is a little history on tea that I thought to share with you.


Images from Domino

The world’s most widely consumed beverage, all tea comes from the tropical plant known as Camellia Senensis. The tea plant grows best in a warm climate with long sunlit days, cool nights and an abundance of rainfall. Tea plants grow at altitudes ranging from sea level to 7,000 feet and on latitudes as far north as Turkey and as far south as Argentina. The best tea grows at higher altitudes and many bushes can be cultivated for over 100 years. Tea bushes cover about six million acres of the earth and are harvested every week during the almost year-long growing season. The following information provides further information on the colorful history of this fascinating drink.

The Origins and History of Tea

The tea story started in China around 2750 BC. During this time, the tea plant was found to have a number of medicinal properties. Legend says that an Emperor by the name of Shen Nung was sitting in the shade of a wild tea tree, boiling some drinking water, when a breeze blew a few leaves from the tree into the pot and gave the water a flavor that he found delicious. He experimented further and found it to have medicinal properties, as well as a pleasing flavor. He urged the Chinese people to cultivate the plant for the benefit of the entire nation. Over time, he has become the Legendary Father of Tea. In the early days of tea consumption, the leaves were picked and boiled in water to produce a rather bitter brew. The leaves were used primarily as a medicine and secondly as a pleasurable drink. It took over 3000 years for tea to become a popular drink throughout the Chinese empire. During the Tang Dynasty (600-900 AD), the popularity of tea was recognized by the imposition of a tax. During the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), steamed and dried loose tea leaves became popular; however, this style of green tea did not keep or travel well outside of China. In order to protect their crop, Chinese merchants started to roast their leaves in order to prevent them from rotting. The leaves that were left in the air to oxidize produced black tea (or red, as the Chinese call it). This tea was manufactured mainly for export, and the Chinese, even today, continue to drink the native green tea. The Dutch were the first to drink tea in Europe, shipping it in 1610, with the introduction to Britain around 1650. It arrived a few years after coffee had reached England. It was through the coffeehouses that the new drink spread to the people. In 1657, Thomas Garway, an English proprietor, had the idea of offering tea to the public, and it quickly became the drink of choice, far outpacing wines and liquors. Unfortunately for the government, Britain soon began to lose all the taxes accompanied with the sale of liquor. They quickly remedied the situation, however, by imposing a tax on tea. Nonetheless, it was not until the early part of the next century that it became a common beverage for the upper and middle classes. When the coffee shops became too disreputable for respectable people, it was in the pleasure gardens of London that royalty, aristocrats and ordinary working people took tea. In 1772, the tea tax was causing problems in Great Britain’s colonies in America. While many other taxes on goods bound for America had been repealed, the three pence per pound of tea remained firm. It was in place to offset the bankrupt British East India Company. Over a five-year period, the colonies paid duty on almost 2 million pounds of tea. Enraged by the tea tax and other shipping restrictions, The Sons of Liberty attempted to block the shipments of tea from arriving in Philadelphia and New York. On December 16, 1773, The Sons of Liberty let two ships sail into Boston Harbor. Disguised as Native American Indians, they emptied 342 large chests of tea into the harbor. This later came to be known as the Boston Tea Party. These actions by the colonists led the Parliament to pass a series of laws known as the “Intolerable Acts”. They limited the political freedom of the citizens and ultimately led to the Revolutionary War. In many ways, tea helped provide a cause for American independence. During the 19th century, tea drinking became an essential part of British social life. Tea parties and events were organized for all possible occasions, including family teas, picnic teas, tennis teas and elegant afternoon teas. Over the years, housekeeping manuals and cookbooks gave clear instructions about teatime invitations, etiquette, methods of brewing and serving, dress and table wares. The tea party was the very symbol of elegance and prosperity. Although the first tea was discovered in China, several other areas of the world now contribute to the overall tea harvest. The first tea used in England originated in China, and it wasn’t until the 19th century that tea growing spread to Formosa and that indigenous tea was discovered in Assam. In 1839, the first Indian tea was sold in London. The first tea in Africa was planted in the Cape in 1687, but did not progress until the latter part of the 19th century. The 20th century has seen the spread of tea in Africa, notably in Kenya. The history of tea dates back almost 5,000 years and tea itself now has more than 3,000 different variations. The most widely consumed beverage in the world has both a historical and cultural importance that cannot be rivaled. *Information from marktwendell.com

Piled Up!

This is how I am feeling at work right now..... I will be back to the blog in a few days, in the meantime have a great week. xo

Happy Weekend!!

This image sums up me and my husband so well! Scott always wears converse and so when my niece was about 3yrs. old she saw me wearing MY converse and she looked at me and said "why are you wearing Scott's shoes?" Too funny, and SMART!!! Have a great weekend, I'm going to be spending some quality time with my honey. XO

Photo taken from snippetandink.blogspot.com

Looking for something to do this weekend.....

The New Eighteenth-Century Style

Part I

On a rather lonely business trip to NYC 2 yrs. ago, I found myself spending the evening wondering the 'Anthropologie' at Rockefeller Plaza.... and there I discovered this book "The New Eighteenth Century Style: Rediscovering a French Decor." I bought it immediately just based on the cover and without even opening it up! Since then, it has been a true and constant source of design inspiration, I absolutely love it! Because there are so many great images, I decided to start from the front and work my way back. Here are a few images to begin with, enjoy!

Photographs by Gilles Trillard