lovely things thursday + the afternoon light

The afternoon light on my beautiful Glassybaby,  the amber bottles I found while thrifting recently and a few See's Candies Halloween chocolates made their way into this shot as well!  Hope you have lovely day!

Pink, more Glassybaby love and we have a winner!

First, to honor National Breast Cancer Awareness month I have changed my background color to pink.  Secondly, thank you Valerie at Glassybaby.  I absolutely adore my new "bff" glassybaby and use it all over my house.  Valerie sent me a link from You Tube and it sort of explains the feeling people have about the company and the product.  During the last year, two of my closest friends have been diagnosed with cancer and that is when I came across the company Glassybaby..  So, thank you to those reading my blog, leaving comments and sending emails.  I really really appreciate it. . .  the winner of a Glassybaby of your choice is:  Adrienne of the beautiful blog, The Rich Life (on a Budget).  I used Random.org and the winner was #16 and 16th comment was from Adrienne.       

Small But Charming . . . flowers in the house

Jane at Small But Charming is having another "Flowers in the House" party...go over and check it out.   Jane has some pretty fall blooms from her garden in her kitchen. 

White roses are ubiquitous around here.  I'm not even sure what they are called, but they are everywhere....Not very seasonal, but I like the way they look in my glassybaby votive called Ocean in our powder room.  Don't forget to enter my giveaway for a glassybaby.

with gratitude

September marks one year of starting my blog.  I have learned so much and still have so much to learn, but I must say this last year has been wonderful.  I have "met" so many amazing people.  Through writing and reading blogs I have really figured out a lot about what I like.  Style when it comes to fashion, food and home decor have always been important to me, but through blogs I think I have defined my true style.  One thing that maybe surprised me is that I have defined my style to fit one word and that is simplicity.  To mark my one year anniversary I would like to do my first give away.  Through blogs I have fallen in love with the company Glassybaby Forever.  I love the story behind them and adore having them in my home.  So I'm giving away a Glassybaby called appropriately "Gratitude" to one of my readers.

Thank you for reading l o v e l y t h i n g s  and for your comments and encouragement.  A winner will be selected through random.org on October 16th.  Remember to check back on Monday to see if you've won.  To enter you must be a follower.  Leave a comment here and tell me which Glassybaby is your favorite.  To receive an extra entry, please mention this giveaway on your blog.  Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

as summer begins to fade...the colors turn to yellow, gold and rust

I pass by this shop on Pacific Coast Highway everyday and love to see what they have out front.  You can tell the summer is coming to a close when the flowers are going from vibrant hues of red and hot pinks to shades of yellow and gold.

The colors around my house are getting more muted too...not as much red.

Nothing makes me happier than the mailbox full of new magazines...just in time for the weekend.

Everything is getting softer inside and out...as we get ready for cooler weather.  I love the fall and I can't help but miss the crisp feel in the air once summer begins to slip away.  There's something about the seasons and seeing one go to the next that just feels right.  There are seasons in Southern California, but not like the East Coast.

I must be ready for fall before it's time...I was at Roger's Gardens and there were no mums to be found.  I was able to change my pots from red geraniums to a bit of yellow for only a few dollars...these plants won't last long, but just til I can find a yellow mum plant.

summer colors at home

Lemon lime has always made me think of hot summer days.  This beautiful lime green hydrangea was hiding, just waiting to be picked and brought into the house.

I adore Glassybaby votives for a million reasons.  I wrote about them here.  They come in so many colors and to see them is one thing, but to have them in your home lit by a votive or by the natural light...they are truly amazing in any color.  These just happen to go well with my summer color theme. 

 

Nothing says summer more than fresh guacamole.  I make it the simplest way possible with few ingredients and it's sooooo good!

2 ripe avocados

about one TBSP small diced red onion

1 garlic clove minced

a squeeze of fresh lemon & lime

about 5 or 6 splashes of Tobasco

salt &pepper

Mash the avocados with a fork and add the other ingredients and serve!  Enjoy!

 

Summer in the City - Part Two

There was a definite feeling of celebration in the air as you walked through the city once the news broke of New York legalizing same sex marriage.  The next morning, quite early we were surprised how quickly stores changed their window displays to reflect the new law.  Here's just a few of our favorites . . .

I was pretty excited about the chance to visit a Glassybaby store.  Unfortunately our timing was off...The store was closed when we arrived.   Anyway, we loved their display and if you don't know about Glassybaby, please read the story here.  It touches my heart way more than I can say, but I think you'll love it too!

Love is love.  That is so true.

The Gap.

Michael Kors.

A candy store on Christopher Street.

And the Empire State Building in color as we exited the subway on East 60th Street.