My A-ha Moment

Have you ever had an aha moment?  A moment when you realize you are on track and everything just clicks.  Newell Turner from House Beautiful talked about aha moments at Blogfest and encouraged us to blog about our own aha moment.

My aha moment came to me while decorating our bedroom.  I have design ADD when it comes to my own home.  I just love so many things and appreciate so many styles that sometimes I have a hard time picking what direction I want to go. 

We finally settled on the Riviera rug from Calypso Home...

And a nightstand similar to this dresser at Mecox Gardens..

So we brought them both home and I was really excited and pleased that things were coming together but something was missing!

Then my boyfriend's father(who owns a custom upholstery shop in NY...see here) sent us this crazy modern chair upholstered in leopard.  He was commissioned by Ralph Lauren himself to make the chair, I don't know the whole story but for some reason he didn't want it and we are now the happy owners.

We decided to put it in our bedroom!  And that is when the Aha moment happened...where modern, traditional and a little bit of California casual colided and made our bedroom pop!  It gave me faith that everything was going to come together just fine!

 AHAAAAA!!!!!!

New York and Blogfest 2012

I can't believe that I did two Travel Tuesdays back to back!  I was in New York for a girls trip and for Blogest 2012 and then we had a busy Memorial weekend...before I knew it, it was time for another Travel Tuesday! 

Anyway, I had an amazing time at Blogfest and in New York so I wanted to share a few pictures of our trip to Hearst Tower.

I was able to hang out with old friends and meet some new blogger friends!!...from left to right....Elizabeth Moyer of Pretty Pink Tulips, Kirsten Nease of Living in Design, ME, Erin Olson of House of Turquoise, Amy Meier of Amy Meier Design, Shelly Van Rozeboom of Van Rozeboom Interiors, Laura Trevey of Bright Bold and Beautiful and Lisa Mende of Lisa Mende Design.

We were lucky enough to visit the Hearst Tower which is pictured above.  I love the contrast of the old base of the building with the modern glass architecture.  It is magnificent!

We went up to the 44th floor where the Hearst Design Group(which consists of the fab shelter magazines Veranda, House Beautiful and Elle Decor) hosted breakfast and coffee.  After coffee, we heard from Kate Kelly Smith, SVP Publishing Director, Hearst Design Group.  Followed by Jennifer Levene Bruno, Publisher of Veranda, and Dara Caponigro, Veranda's Editor-In-Chief.   Dana lead a panel of designers including Darryl Carter and Timothy Whealon.  Next up was House Beautiful Editor-In-Chief, Newell Turner who lead a panel with designers Michael Herold, Jill Goldberg & Jon Call.

(Elizabeth Moyer has a great, detailed recap on her blog Pretty Pink Tulips if you want to take a visit)

Pretty peonies on the table. 

We were in awe of not only the phenomenal view but also of being in the presence of such accomplished and talented people!  It was definitely an amazing morning!

 Look at these views!  It was a bit cloudy but not cloudy enough to spoil the view!

Thank you to Hearst and Kravet for hosting an amazing event!

Travel Tuesday - Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc

Over the past few weeks celebrities from all over the world have gathered in France for the Cannes Film Festival.  It has finally come to an end so I thought it would be fitting to visit a hotel where many celebrities were caught mingling and where numerous parties were hosted...Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc.

Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc is located on the tip of the Cap d'Antibes, just outside Cannes on the Côte d'Azur.  It looks like heaven to me...

photos via Hotel du Cap, The Telegraph, Statle and Vogue

Travel Tuesday - Alys Beach

When I lived in Atlanta we used to spend Memorial Day in Sandestin or Seaside, FL.  It is too far of a trip for a long weekend from California but I would love to go back and spend a week in the "Emerald Coast"...maybe in Alys Beach.

I have always been intrigued by Alys Beach, a community on the Gulf Coast...it looks like a little piece of the Mediterranean right in Florida.  The development has restaurants and shops and vacation homes that you can rent.  I wouldn't mind spending the week in this little beach rental...

images via Alys Beach

Anchors Aweigh

I am loving my new Equipment shirt with tiny anchors...

 

With Summer around the corner, here are some anchor products to freshen up your decor.

Monogram Anchor Melamine Plate/Anchor Rug/Anchor Pillow/Square Anchor Plate/Anchor Wall Art/
Thomas Paul Set of Four Plates

Outdoor Summer Dining

I made this olioboard last night.  If you click here you can see all the sources and the image is better.  I was in World Market and saw the  above glass cloches...such a great idea for summer entertaining and they are inexpensive!  Then I got to thinking about a dining table and chairs for our courtyard.  I am thinking a wood table with blue and white bistro chairs would be really cute...but that could change at any minute!

Sprinkles Ice Cream

Yes, this is ice cream between two cupcake tops.

First it was the Sprinkles ATM and now there is Sprinkles Ice cream! Ice cream is not on the top of my list of favorite desserts.  I would rather have a cupcake...so as I drove past the new Sprinkles Ice cream location on Sunday, I thought to myself how glad I am that I am not a huge ice cream fan, that way it will be easy for me to pass by without wanting to go in...it is swimsuit season and all.

But then I saw the picture above on twitter and then the picture below on laist.com.

 

Yes, that is red velvet ice cream in a red velvet waffle cone...what?!?!?

Sprinkles Ice Cream opens in Beverly Hills on Thursday, May 24 at 10 a.m.

Images via Sprinkles Facebook and LAist.

Travel Tuesday - Esperanza Resort

Esperanza Resort is a luxury hotel located in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.  Esperanza is part of the Auberge Resort  family, which is the same family of one of my favorite hotels, Auberge du Soleil.  Esperanza is one of three luxury hotels in Cabo San Lucas.  I have not stayed at the Esperanza, but I have stayed at the One and Only Palmilla...one of other top resorts in Cabo and also one of my favorite resorts in the world.  I have friends that have stayed at both resorts and some prefer Palmilla, while others prefer the Esperanza.  I think I need a trip to Cabo soon so I can check them all out and report back!  In the meantime, enjoy some pictures of the Esperanza Resort.

images via Esperanza Resort

Gorgeous Santa Barbara home by Appleton Architects

Appleton Architects is an architecture firm with offices in Santa Barbara, CA and Santa Monica, CA. 

Appleton Architects has been featured in Architectural Digest, Town and Country as well as in numerous other forms of media.  Their style leans toward traditional but they all have a California feel.

This home in Santa Barbara, CA is a perfect example of the quality of their work.  Blending the landscape in with the home is one of their specialties and this project was done perfectly.  There really is no need for any captions as these pictures speak for themselves. Enjoy!

images via Appleton Architects