To TULUM!

I'll be in Tulum for a while...

AHHHHH I'll post again on Dec. 1st

Happy Birthday MOM!

babes, bikinis and hard drinkin'

The Last time my little one was in Mexico was 4 years ago!

She has been to other beaches since but it's fun to remember...

This time she has a whole arsenal of Spanish at her disposal. She can ask to go to the bathroom, ask to get her water bottle, count to 99, recite her colors and say hello and goodbye. FLUENT! Just like Mama!

4 years ago, A dear friend of mine was just coming off chemo and our families decided to test her health in a nice, safe, germ free third- world environment- clever bunch aren't we!? We had a magical time.

To tie this post in with the whole design aspect I seem to be running with, let me just say, we found some very inspiring finds- 2 beautiful lamps that we drug home for my friend, a weighty cactus wood bowl, and some woven lampshades that I was convinced I'd be using in my new home but never really did-even though we haggled hard for them.

I find the Mexican use of natural fibers to be very intriguing:

Palapas, fencing, floor mats, woven hammocks, coconut shell daiquiris...
maybe it's the "I'm on vacation" lifestyle I enjoy so much....

Near Ixtapa, Mexico.

Modern Musicals

ONCE

Best musical I've seen in ages- fantastic Film....Scott called it "some damn musical from Netflicks," that is until he saw it. He loved it. He's Mad fer it, as am I.
ENJOY.
Notice the battered guitar-love the story behind it and that he still uses it. The best stuff has the patina of personal history.

A little bird told me...

Figs and Ginger! Love this jewelry company. The Necklace reminds me of my friend Heather who has four of the cutest little New Englanders you've ever seen!

I'm thinking of Rob, the pappa- and wishing him health and lung power!!

29 forever...When I was born this was hot!

Lordy! So glad we've evolved!

I think my mom had this bread box!

Me and my mom- thanks for all the hard work- I know I wasn't easy.
What I'm most proud of to date!
I'm usually a little bit embarrassed by my Birthday- don't know why...I could trace it back to my 3rd grade teacher snapping at me about not being so special even if it was my birthday... but...ok I guess I just did.

Ask KB Fridays A little yarn about cosies...

KB:

How Can I make my home cozy for the Winter without breaking the bank?

Darling,

Wild spending is as passe' as summer 07!

It's as gauche as saying "gauche."

I love the very affordable Pottery Barn throws in the first 2 photos, but rest assured, you have plenty of things right in your own home that you can re-purpose and spend hardly any dough at all!
Top 10 inexpensive ways to make your home cozy and warm for the winter season:
1. Candles
Nordstrom has candles and scents on sale right now! If your home smells like gingerbread or fig or spice-ahhhh isn't it nice? Candles in the fireplace, on the mantle- even tea lights on window sills are so very lovely this time of year. My dining room window sills are free of curtains so I don't worry about fire hazard-

Also, don't forget to round up random candlesticks and unite them using paint-metallic spray paint is really good. Alternatively, unite them by wrapping yarn around them . This will show off the contours without highlighting their age or any flaws.

I've seen knitted candlestick cosies that are really fun as well.

2. BOWL ME OVER WITH CONTENT!
Fill all your beautiful large bowls and vessels with pine cones or balls of yarn, twigs, white rocks, photographs or postcards with winter themes.

3. Fill lidded glass containers with yarn too, or vinegar colored water in hues of red, green or blue! I say vinegar because water evaporates so quickly.
Glass cylinders look great as frames. Put a similar size photo in a wide mouth jar and voila!

4. Vignettes! Seasonal vignettes are fun, easy, and set a tone for your home. A collection of old fashioned mittens atop a branch in a vase or set up on wooden dowels would look great on top of a table.

5. The books on your table should reflect the cool season as well. Hide the tropical local tomes, toss dated summer catalogues. Bring out antique books, black and white photography books, classic novels, and all white or red covered books.

6. Change your cushions!Mintbasil shows you how to make a sweater pillow- short of that wrap one around a summer pillow. Simply tuck in the sleeves and use an envelope wrap. Secure with a pin, knot or simple ribbon if you must.

If you must buy one-West Elm has some rather affordable finds.

7. Let your throws be woolly, faux furry, or heavy!

8. Leave a basket of warm slippers by the door.

9. These recycled sweater pillows can be found on Etsy. Consider raiding your local thrift store for cashmere and wool that may not be perfect but can be refreshed, renewed, and reused.




10. Curtains. If you don't usually change your curtains seasonally- from linen to velvet or light cotton to heavy silk- Use weightier tie backs- wide velvet ribbon works well for instance.

So...

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

Dropping Acid- my new passion.

The Sunday New york Times had an article that was momentous for me!

I love fizzy drinks- but dislike the cloying sweetness of most soft drinks. Rootbeer with pizza is one exception to the rule but the sugar content makes me worry about my delicate, cavity prone teeth.

Alas, I was born into the wrong generation- I knew something was wrong! Apparently the Romans, as well as others, were vastly adept in the making of an ultra-thirst quenching beverage with vinegar. Yes, my family has already made that face. Until recently is hadn't made a come back....UNTIL NOW!!!!!

The last couple of nights I have been enjoying a vinegar fizz. Sophia's Great Aunt Gina sent us a wonderful bottle of blackberry vinegar I had yet to open...now served with 3 cubes of ice and soda water I am enjoying it immensely!!!

AHHHHHHHHHHHHH

The English, I believe, call this brilliantly acidic and delicious concoction a SHRUB!

The following is a recipe from the Times:

Recipe
Shrub Makes about 1 1/2 to 2 quarts, depending on fruit used.
These measurements can be played with quite liberally, as some fruits contain more natural sugars.
2 quarts fruit, use any fruit, pears, figs, raspberries, cherries 1 liter apple-cider vinegar (preferably Bragg) or other vinegar. 1/2 to 1 cup raw sugar Soda water Ice.

BUY JARS IN BULK AND MAKE YOUR OWN!!

Gothic Wedding decor.....

I forgot I took a few pics of the Halloween "degore."
The cheese labels were tombstones.
Biscuit bone fingers, red velvet wedding cake, shrimp with coctail sauce,olives, black grapes, black and white candy, black bean chips and guacamole. Savory and edible treats with a spooky edge.

A Bridger Home

 

This is a home our company, Bridger Construction Services is working on right now. The escarpment views are outrageous.
I love these log beams. The are extremely heavy and beautiful.
These homes are constructed using an old European building style that are truly made to last generations.

To all you Fashionistas

Ghost Ranch and Santa Fe Get away

From the website:

In this land of shifting light, boundless skies and fused cultures, Ghost Ranch offers two locations. The towering rock walls and vivid colors of our Abiquiu location -- where Georgia O'Keeffe painted for fifty years -- and our Santa Fe location, an oasis in the city different; both places for renewal, retreat and transformation.

By the time you read this I will be in Santa Fe- with a quick stop along the way for a hike in Ghost Ranch.

The tip, top photo is the dinining room at Geronimo. It will, of course, be one of the destinations. Geronimo restaurant- my favorite. It was the decor that struck me first. So, so simple, elegant and rustic.

Greek to Me

So this is the lovely, dare I say... rustic modern Belvedere Hotel in Mykonos, Greece.

What really struck me was that right this moment Telluride is covered in the purest white powder and the sky is an azure that can usually describes the Mediterranean Sea.

This hotel combines earthy rustic wood with the sun bleached Greek island whites we love. That's not the royal we - I'm just assuming you love the combination as much as I do.

Magnificent, no?

My big, fat Greek snack!

We'll be in Mexico in a few weeks. This reminds me of the showers there- and my own shower. I appreciate the natural elements side by side with the more crafted tiles and hardware.

So simple, so pure, a space perfect for thinking, and relaxing, and allowing the vacation to work it's magic.