Category Archives: Misc

Spring fever…a little daydream

21 Monday Mar 2011

Posted by in Misc, Travel

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I’ve been diagnosed with “spring fever” (self-diagnosis) and as a result I find myself sitting around, staring out the window and day dreaming…

…of taking a little trip to Scotland.  I’ll use the Orient Express for an overview of the country and then stay in a few castles to round out the vacation.

Image via Atmosphere by Ingrid

Image via The Royal Scotsman, Orient Express

The Royal Scotsman (one of the Orient Express trains) offers a 2 night Highland Journey for only $3,720.  This price is per person but does include all meals and alcohol, HUGE savings there!  I’d definitely want to go with Hubby so make that $7,440.  We’d depart from Edinburgh and during our 540 miles on the train we would see Dundee, Montrose, Aberdeen, Keith, Inverness, Dalwhinnie and Perth.

Once the train portion of this dream is complete,  I’ll head north by car to Loch Ness, near Inverness for a stay at Aldourie Castle.  The region is called the “capital of the Scottish Highlands”.  We’ll look for the Loch Ness monster, visit the James Pringle Weavers operation and tour the Abrinchan Gardens.  Oh, and the price for 2 nights in this castle?  £10,500 plus VAT.  {Did I mention this little vacation will take place once I hit the lottery?  Guess I better start buying a lottery ticket!}

Next stop, Comlongon Castle, Dumfries & Galloway.  The restored Medieval Scottish Castle and Baronial Hotel specializes in a menu that is prepared with the current season’s bounty.   Lots of abbey ruins and museums to see here along with the home of Robert Burns, (Auld Lang Syne).  Cost:  £120 – £240 per night, seems a bargain!


And finally, we’ll stay our last few nights at Skibo Castle.  Andrew Carnegie, a wealthy industrialist, bought this castle in 1898 for £85,000.  Carnegie, his wife and only child spent many summers here.  Its changed hands a few times since the Carnegie family sold it in 1982.  We won’t be joining The Carnegie Club but we’ll take advantage of their policy of letting new guests stay there once while being considered for the exclusive membership!

Isn’t dreaming fun?  Any thoughts of spring floating through your head during this change of seasons?

Its so Ozzie and Harriet!

11 Friday Mar 2011

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*WARNING* I’m about to age myself, but who care’s right…it’s your outlook and attitude that matter, right.  But I digress…when I was growing up I used to love to watch the Ozzie & Harriet show.  For those of you who are now asking yourself, what television show is that again? …The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet ran on ABC for 14 years between 1952 and 1966.  Early this year David Nelson passed away, the last of the family that starred in the series.

I was only 2 years old when the show premiered so I didn’t see it until much later, but then I watched all of the old episodes the network would rerun.  I was in ♥ love with Ricky, the younger sibling of David, and was a huge fan of the lifestyle they acted out on their show.  I’ve read that the genial life they performed was pretty accurate to their real lives, at least for the most part.  If you want to read more about the show and the family members visit HERE.

When I read about David’s recent passing I thought about the show and remembered why I enjoyed it.  The show created the “ideal” lifestyle using a real family.  In fact one of the frequently used colloquialisms I heard as a young adult was “it’s so Ozzie and Harriet”, which I’m sure was a stab at the perfect lifestyle that was projected.   For me I had conjured up an image that to this day seems doable and at the very least something to strive for.  (A married couple raising 2 sons in a neighborhood where most everyone gets along).

I find I still use the “…so Ozzie & Harriet” phrase when I see a really traditional neighborhood or a very traditional home with a well manicured lawn and maybe a basketball hoop on the garage.  I imagine (perhaps wrongly) that there is a perfect little family living there!  There are still a few of those neighborhoods in Orange County and its fun to drive by to admire the architectural style and see what they’ve done to the landscape.

This is the real Ozzie and Harriet house

So, am I wrong to dream the dream…delusional?  I hope not, I’m working hard to live that dream!

Entertaining…by the numbers

16 Wednesday Feb 2011

Posted by in Entertaining, Misc, Party Planning

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While I love a dinner party as much as the next person I find I prefer smaller, more intimate gatherings over having 12, or more, guests; especially when I’m hosting the event.  I realize some of this is due to the fact that we (hubby and I) don’t have a cook to prepare, let alone a butler to serve, the meal (as in Downtown Abbey).

Downtown Abbey – Highclere Castle we’re not.

My favorite dinner party is hosting 2 other couples.  There is something about a total of 6 that seems to work very well where conversation is concerned.  I think it allows for a single conversation at the table since it is a smaller venue.

We entertain pretty informally; it’s all about the table settings and flowers for me.  I still love a couple of our groups of friends that bring the number up to 8 and 10 respectively but somehow when we host 12 it becomes less satisfying for me.  I think it’s because while cooking and serving I have less time to get around to visiting with everyone…sometimes that’s okay and sometimes I feel cheated out of a good visit with a friend.

That said here are some dining rooms I’d like to entertain in.

Ina Garten’s barn offers such warmth and style, while being so inviting.  I’d love to have this kitchen/dining area in my house.

We have chairs on the ends of our dining room table, but I do love the way this looks with chairs on each side.

Isn’t this the most cheery room.  Love the exposed beams and the lighting.

Gray…{sign}

Any room with a lantern light wins my vote.

I think these wicker chairs are great.

I wonder if a round table would require a larger number of guests so that you didn’t feel like you were talking across a great expanse of table?

I like the idea of having a table for 2 in the library.

Who wouldn’t enjoy entertaining with a fireplace in the dining room?

This is pretty, not sure about the color of blue, but I like the essence of the room.

Another great dining space in a library.

What is your preference when you invite friends over for a meal, formal or informal?





Identifying your style

08 Monday Nov 2010

Posted by in Decorating, Misc

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Do you know what your ‘style’ of decorating would be called if your home was featured in a magazine?  I don’t.  I know what I like and I’ve tried to be objective about the rooms in my house but labels seem to elude me.  Sometimes words get in the way.

This was the image of the house Peter Dunham (House Beautiful, November 2010) had recently decorated...they identified the house as a 1920 "Classic American" house. I love it.

I have a vague idea that my ‘style’ is “eased-up traditional” a term I found in an interview of Peter Dunham in the latest House Beautiful magazine.   {love that term}  The house had touches of French and British Colonial among others.  I love French  ‘Country’ (I believe that just means a little less formality) and I love English (again, more ‘country’ than the highly polished/preserved furniture).  Our home is small (relatively speaking) so I often refer to it as cottage.  I occasionally pick up magazines that declare themselves “cottage” or “romantic” living publications and often only see one or two rooms I like…what’s that about?

This was the young girl's bedroom in the Dunham house---French bed with bamboo accents, isn't it pretty?

I really like the stone table and fireplace. (Dunham house)

My natural affinity for furniture and accessories that are MUCH less than perfect, even slightly beat-up or tarnished, makes me wonder what style that might be.  Words can conjure up an image based on experience or exposure that sometimes is unfavorable as a descriptive.

This Cabbages & Roses room would be French, I believe. I've really grown to love the gray paint they are showing.

Industrial style is really popular now...where does that fit in the grand list of styles---modern, traditional with a twist?

{Above image was recently shown on the blog site Greige}

An example of this whole “words creating an image” backfired when,  some years ago, hubby and I talked to someone about landscaping our back yard, including some changes we wanted to make to the patio area.  Some of you may know, I used to have a landscape business but I wanted an outside perspective.  So we were going to pay an “expert” for plans and then implement them ourselves. After a detailed walk through the yard and showing him some of the pictures I’d saved from magazines (which I believe reflected an English cottage-garden look with a formal knot garden) he looked at me and said, “So, what you want is a “funky” look, right?”  Hubby said I visibly blanched and needless to say I never called him back.  For some reason “funky” for me equates to a disorganized, mismatched, even cluttered or junky look, which I don’t believe is anywhere near the look I was going for.  Is it me?  It’s him right?

I love English pewter and dark oak furniture.

Not sure what "style" this is but I thought it was interesting...the walls are lined with birch bark. Rustic but really effective.

If you Google “design style” you will find plenty of entries that address the styles that are considered ‘standards’ but as one design blogger stated, there are as many combination’s of styles as there are designers and they (styles) are as individual as the person doing the room.

I thought this John Jacob designed kitchen area was a great mix of traditional and classic. The black pieces and classic black and white floors are striking.

The neutral palate of A Country Farmhouse makes me re-think the meaning of "country" design...her rooms are so fresh and welcoming.

{If you’ve never visited A Country Farmhouse blog site I think you might be surprised}

I guess that’s what makes this hobby in decorating so much fun for me;  to see how individuals communicate their style and the “rules” are often not applied.  That’s the way I like it!  What about you, do you have a definitive style?

Cote de Texas featured this room at an estate called Balderbrae...the room is beautiful and it hasn't changed too much in 10+ years.

{Visit Cote de Texas for this post HERE}

Off to Austin

16 Thursday Sep 2010

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I’ll be headed to Austin tomorrow morning.  I’m attending a baby shower for my daughter-in-law and GRAND BABY #1 for moi!  Can’t wait.

It’s also going to be fun for me to see Son#1 and his lovely bride’s new home—not brand new, but their first home that they own!  I hope to get some pictures for you—places to eat, things to see.  I’ll be back next week.

Meanwhile—I’ve scheduled my Friday/Saturday post on our trip to Napa Valley for a wedding.  Very fun.

Why is it I don’t travel for months and months and then have 2 trips within the month?  Go figure.

Have a great weekend and I’ll catch up to you next week!

Crossed Wires

30 Monday Aug 2010

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Dear Readers,

As you may know, Son #1 created this website for me.  What you may not know is that he works for a huge interactive ad agency all while managing his own websites, one of which is Trojan Wire.  (Please give him a few days before trying to link to this site, he’s in the process of moving the site to serve his readers better).  Trojan Wire is a football site dedicated to USC Trojan fans—I hope this admission didn’t just cost me any UCLA (or other competing football schools) readers!

In any event, he recently moved my site to a new, better server and subsequently moved Trojan Wire.  Some of my subscribers may have gotten an email from Trojan Wire (that showed Garden, Home and Party) in the RE: line.These are little glitches that Son #! is working to remedy.  Thank you for your patience and Fight On!  {Sorry, once a part of the Trojan Family, always a part!}

Toile, my favorite

26 Monday Jul 2010

Posted by in Decorating, Misc

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,

I guess it all started here, in this incredible country…toile’s roots, so to speak.

It all started here...

I know you don’t have to be French to love toile because I have German, Irish, Scottish and a little American Indian blood coursing  through my veins and I absolutely love toile!

The ladder back chair in my library has a khaki and black toile.

My husband is very tolerant and supportive of my decorating style but he has asked that we keep the whole ‘toile’ thing to a reasonable minimum.  I try to comply, honest I do.  Don’t get me wrong, he’s comfortable with his masculinity.  I know this because I tested it early in our marriage when I painted our master bedroom a pale pink and used Ralph Lauren’s Allison pattern on our bed!

In a piece written by Patricia Cummings she tells us…”Toile (pronounced twahl) means “cloth” in French.  “Toile de Jouy,” or “toiles de Jouy,” are terms that refer to fabric that was first manufactured at a factory in Jouy-en-Josas, a village located southwest of Paris, near Versailles.

Our master bathroom has Pierre Deux toile paper in red, although in this picture the paper looks orange!

We renovated this bathroom in 2001 and I'm still not tired of the toile wallpaper.

Founded in 1760 by German-born Christophe-Phillippe Oberkampf, (1738-1815), a textile entrepreneur, the factory site was chosen primarily because of its proximity to the clear running water of the Bievre River”…

Charles Faudree uses toile with checks, a look I love!

Hey, there is a German-born link to toile—no wonder I love toile, it must be in the genes. 🙂

I found this picture of the beautiful brown and white toile while visiting Layla at The Lettered Cottage. This bedroom belongs to a friend of hers.

I’ve found that I never grow tired of toile, in fact, when  I see a new toile design in a shelter magazine or design book my mind immediately starts trying to figure out where I can use that particular color combination/pattern.

Rosemary Beck of Content in a Cottage posted this picture from a child's book (French, naturally)---notice the wallpaper? Toile is charming even in illustration.

Do you love toile too?

Notice how simple the room is and how the red toile curtains makes the room perfect?

Do you have it anywhere in your home?

I love this chair and not just because it is upholstered in toile, but that certainly helps {smile}.

If you have some new ways of using it, pass them along.  I’m always looking for new venues for toile.

House Beautiful had this photo of a wonderful room and the touch of toile is on the lampshade...doesn't it look great?

I love the idea of toile in unexpected places, like the back of this cupboard.

Picture via HGTV

Atriums, Conversation Pits and other tract house trends

12 Monday Jul 2010

Posted by in Entertaining, Misc, Outdoor living

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In the early 70’s, when my husband and I were looking to buy our first home many of the new housing tracts offered things like atrium’s, conversation pits and cottage cheese ceilings (ugh!).  When I was a newlywed I thought I wanted a brand, spanking new house.  Boy, did I figure out quickly that I wasn’t a “new home” kind of gal.

This is my friend Jane's house---the charm comes from years of work on various parts of a home. It makes it livable and cozy.

Our first home had an atrium.  At the time this feature was a relatively new innovation for bringing the outdoors in—a Southern California passion (maybe this is common in the mild-winter states).  We purchased the “model” so our atrium came with a lovely built-in, brick fountain which rarely worked but at least it was a finished space as opposed to the barren ground that the new non-model homes had.  I admit that my current house, built in 1968, has an atrium and I’ve grown to love it.  We enjoy the large outdoor wicker chairs and will often read and relax in this space.

Atrium / Courtyard outdoor living spaces

Even the cat is happy about the atrium.

My friend Jane has an atrium/courtyard that rivals most. This gate is a hint of the welcoming atrium just inside.

Jane often sets the atrium dining table with beverages for a party.

This wall hanging and a fountain on a nearby wall create a room that is as pretty as it is inviting.

Jane's Front Door is as pretty as the atrium it resides in.

Conversation Pit

Just typing the words “conversation pit” cracks me up.  It reminds me of one of my all-time favorite movies, “Father of the Bride” when Steve Martin (playing the father) says, “we could have the wedding in one of our all-time favorite restaurants, Bob’s BBQ Pit” and the young son says, “Ah Dad, I don’t think we want the word ‘pit’ on the invitation”.  Hilarious.

If you've never seen this movie, rent it, you will laugh out loud.

Our second home featured a conversation pit—I wonder what the thinking was behind this design detail.  The pit in our house was a step-down space between the living room and kitchen.  Our ‘pit’ was much smaller than the pictures below (and I’ve never had a contemporary house, maybe that was the problem for me).  There was room for a sofa and we installed shelving to accommodate a television—therein lies the problem, we wanted to watch TV and the design team wanted us to converse.

Our "pit" wasn't nearly this large and our house has never been contemporary.

I don't have pictures of our conversation pit but you get the jest of it from these photographs.

The final trend in the late 60’s and early 70’s (at least for tract houses in and around Southern California) was the acoustical stuff they sprayed on all of the ceilings.  I didn’t like the way this “cottage cheese” texture looked and I am not sure of why they used it but it seemed to be in most newly built homes during that time period.  It was later discovered that a lot of the materials used in the product contained asbestos and we were very happy to have found someone to remove it from the house we are currently in.

What are the trends you find in your region for new home construction in your area?

In a former life…

28 Friday May 2010

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…I might have lived on a houseboat.   Seriously, I’ve always thought I’d like to live on a body of water.  I have never wanted to live right on the ocean but give me a bay, lake, brook or pond and I think I’d be in heaven.

This is the Sleepless in Seattle houseboat

That’s why when I saw the movie, “Sleepless in Seattle” (Tom Hanks & Meg Ryan) I was totally in love with the houseboat Tom Hank’s character live in.  It came on the market in 2008 for only $2.5 million {yikes}.  The houseboat is 2,075 square feet and was built in 1978.  It has 4 bedrooms and “nearly” 2 full baths (this is a direct quote from the ad that ran).

This has possibilities.

I was surprised at the square footage—it’s bigger than my own house and has 1 more bedroom than mine.  Just imagine living on the bay or lake or whatever that body of water is, hearing the water gently lap up the sides of your house at night.  Ahhh, what could be more relaxing that that?

Surprisingly roomy!

What do you think, could you live on a houseboat?