Thursday, October 27, 2011

Terrariums- Why Not?

I saw a couple of interesting terrariums at High Point Market that I just loved.  You might remember that although I love plants & flowers, I have a black thumb when it comes to indoor plants.  (Although there is 1 plant in my house that has been alive for a year now!)  I've always liked terrariums and have never given them a shot.  After seeing some "easy" (according to their owners) beauties at Market, I think I'll try them out. 


{Europe 2 You's terrarium filled with a gorgeous oregano that looks like flower blossoms- who knew??)

Here's a more modern version filled with succulents & tropical plants:

{At Bevara Design House}

I love this one:

{image via Design Sponge}

...And I can actually do moss.  Sort of.

This one is whoah:

{image via theoptimisticmuse.blogspot.com}

...And this little ferny fern I could maybe handle:

{image via weegohome.com}

My window boxes are half dead ( I have plans to add in some mums to replace the ferns I killed) and maybe when I've finished with that I'll get some terrariums in the plant hospice (my house).

Have a great one!! 

xoxo, Lauren

If you'd like help creating a home you absolutely love, contact me about our design services.

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Mulled Cider

 Mulled cider smells wonderful in your kitchen.  It also tastes as good as it smells.  Here are the spices you will need.

20 whole cloves
5 apples (I have used 4)
2 cinnamon sticks
zest of 1 orange, removed with a veggie peeler
6 star anise
Also 1 gallon of apple cider

Press 4 cloves into each apple (I forgot to do this, I just tossed the cloves in the pot.)
Place cider, cinnamon, and orange zest, and studded apples into a large pot and warm over medium heat. Let steep one and a half hour without boiling.  

Garnish with the star anise.  You can serve this all through fall and till Christmas.  I love all of the great smells in the fall like wood burning, pumpkin pie, and this cider on the stove. 
Recipe source: Martha Stewart 
This is a re-post from 2010.  
Enjoy!
Sherry
I will join:
Michael Lee for  Foodie Friday at her site Designs by Gollum.
Wow Us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style
This Chick Cooked at This Chick Cooks
Friday Food at Mom Trends

Home from Market

Whew!  We're home from a whirlwind few days down in High Point North Carolina for the Furniture Market.  Before I was in this business I had no idea something like it even existed.  High Point is literally a little city of showrooms.  In the 3 days we were there we didn't even see half of it.  But we did get to my favorite restaurant, Printworks Bistro, at the Proximity Hotel:

{Seriously the most gorgeous restaurant ever: light, airy, fresh & completely unexpected (see the Louis dining chairs in chartreuse toile??)  They have curtains separating the dining areas and hanging boxwood balls and textural drum shades add interest.  The colors are perfection (go green!! ;)  and the food is HEAVEN. 

We found some really amazing new-to-us companies & artists:


{Owen Mortenen creates works of art out of the natural things he finds on walks. }

I'm crazy about his Golden Raintree Studies made out of seed pods found from a tree that grows in Utah:


Natural & organic-feeling yet totally modern.  To read more, click here.

I loved this sconce by Luna Bella:


Some of the showrooms had the most amazing displays:

{Luna Bella}


{Spicher and Company}

The next few are of the Karen Robertson Showroom: 




I loved seeing so many of these detailed pieces jam-packed on the walls.  Totally jaw-dropping and they made me want to do a beach house STAT.


and switching up to...

{Halo Styles}

As far as showrooms/ booths at Market go, I really love going into the "more is more" type showrooms that are jam-packed because they feel like trasure troves.  Even if they're not at all my style, I appreciate them.  Check this one out:

{Genesee River Trading Co.}

And another view of the same showroom:


I loved some of their old games tables & kitchsy things.

The best part is, I was with my partner in crime pretty much the whole time sans-kiddos.  (Although we did really miss them!!)



And we got to see some of our favorite people!!

{Me & Michele of My Notting Hill.  Michele was one of a group of bloggers invited to Market to see all of the lastest & greatest.  She sweetly invited me along with her to an Architectural Digest party as her "plus 1" where we saw lot of big designers & industry people including one of my favorites Margaret Russell.   I also met Bunny Williams (more like stalked her as she was leaving the party and she seemed to be one of the kindest, most genuine designers I've met.  She asked what my name was & where I was from (go VA!  If you know about Bunny, you might know she's from Charlottesville, VA) and  } and was just very nice. 

{scaaaary red eyes on me with my friend Paloma of La Dolce Vita & Visual Comfort.  Paloma is also an old blog friend & I've loved watching her career evolve.  She's now the director of marketing for Visual Comfort, one of the best lighting companies in the industy.  }

{Roxanne Lumme, one of my good local design friends.  We ran into so many people from home!!! }

{Me with one of my first & closest design buds, Eddie Ross.  My camera ended up going out on me that night and I didn't get a group shot Dave & I with both Eddie & Jaithan.  We're always all pretty much laughing the entire time we hang out. }

I also got to see  bloggers (but didn't get pics with- arggg!) Erin of House of Turquoise, Stephan of Architect Design , Jen Sergent, and Traci of Traci Zeller Designs.  We got to hang with Traci for a while at a party one night & it was so good to catch up.  At a Hearst Magazine party we saw our good friend Matthew Talomie of Elle Decor & got to meet the team from Elle Decor Magazine, who were all really sweet & down to earth.  We also ran into a bunch of DC Designers & friends throughout the weekend: Patrick Sutton, Erin Paige Pitts, David Mitchell, Victoria Sanchez, Barbara Franceski and Sally Steponkus.  It was SO much fun.

We got a TON accomplished at this market.  I found so many new great sources for projects that I can't wait to use.  Even though I'm exhausted right now I'm feeling pretty charged design-wise.


xoxo, Lauren

If you'd like help creating a home you absolutely love, contact me about our design services.

A Cottage Tea

I have a new little teapot that I used today for a cottage tea.  This teapot has no marks.  Any body have a guess as to who made it?  I loved how it looked. 

I also have waited out two little teacups at the thrift store and I got them for half price, $2.50 each.   They are Wedgwood.

I found this vintage hanky too.  Love the crocheted edge on it. 

So, altogether I have a little cottage tea.  I am using my new white backdrops.  I will be using these a lot for Christmas.  Do you like the look?  I don't have a white house.  My husband and I did all white and cottage back in the early 90's and then we had three boys.  LOL  So, we both have decided not to go back to white.  Although, I still love it!  This lets me blog in both worlds.  
Sherry
I will link to these lovely blogs, go and visit:
Table Top Tuesday  at A Stroll Thru Life
Tea Time Tuesday at Lady Katherine Tea Parlor
Tea Time Tuesday at Rose Chintz Cottage
Tea Cup Tuesday at Martha's Favorites
Tuesday Tea for Two at The Plumed Pen
Tea Pot and Tea Things Tuesday at Breath of Fresh Air
Tea Cup Tuesday at Artful Affirmations
Tea Party Tuesday  at Sweetology 
A Return to Loveliness  at A Delightsome Life
Nifty Thirfty Tuesday  at Coastal Charm
White Wednesday  at Faded Charm

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Bittersweet and Broomsticks

Here is a really fun way to decorate the center of your fall table.  I took a 12-inch grapevine wreath and cut it open and unwound it.  It has been wrapped with a faux English ivy and a garland of bittersweet.  I wrapped this around a broomstick in a S-shaped fashion.  

So then you just need to place some pumpkins, gourds, and pillars all around the broom for the full effect.

Here I set the table with my main ironstone pattern, Coaching Scenes by Johnson Brothers.  The goblets are by Wilton Armetale and the silver is English Gadroon by Gorham.

This is a repost from October 2010.  It is fun to go back and see what you were doing a year ago.  I had more free time last year and you can tell by how many tables I set up.  Not so much time this year but, still having fun and focusing more on photography.  
I will link this up with:
Chari at Sunday Favorites at Happy to Design
Seasonal Sundays at The Tablescaper

Bittersweet and broomsticks
Pumpkins on the vine.
Will anyone come to tell us
When it is haunting time.

My Favorite Thing About Fall

My favorite thing about fall are the colors in the trees.  Some of our trees have peaked and then others are still green.

Sherry
I will join:
Mary at Little Red House for Mosaic Monday





The Winner of the UPrinting Giveaway is....


Here are your random numbers:
7
Timestamp: 2011-10-23 23:46:57 UTC

Annie at Savor the Moment.   Congratulations to Annie!  Thanks to all who entered!

And a big thank you to UPrinting for the giveaway!

Sherry