design

A gift from a dear friend . . . I adore the packaging.  I can't wait to do some holiday baking with it and will forever keep the bottle.  Thank you Lisa!

Oh Joy. . . Christmas comes to Juxtaposition in Newport Beach, California

One of my favorite places to shop or just for a little inspiration is Juxtaposition.  It is located along the Pacific Coast Highway in the Crystal Cove Promenade in Newport Beach, CA. 

Even as often as I visit Juxtaposition, there's always something new.  I loved these wonderful candles made from old jar and bottle molds and the reclaimed apothecary bottles to hold matchsticks.  It's a great place to buy gifts, but I have a hard time parting with anything I buy at Juxtaposition.  They wrap everything beautifully and every ticket is hand written on a three-copy sales slip...just like it used to be done everywhere...I love that!

At 3,000 square feet there's plenty of space to move about and it usually takes me at least twice through to make sure I haven't missed something new.  The staff is very knowledgeable and helpful, but will let you look around at your own pace.

I wish this were my closet...I love everything they have...from bags and shoes to boots and clothing pieces...a very well edited collection that fits my style perfectly.

I love this sign that sits out front.  There are several wonderful restaurants right in the same shopping center, like Pacific Whey  next door,  but for the best view...head across the street to the Shake Shack.

Just across PCH (north) is the Crystal Cove Shake Shack, now owned by Ruby's, but still one of the best views.  Right after leaving Juxtaposition I drove over to the Shake Shack and it was just after the rain had cleared. . . It's not everyday you get to see a school of dolphins swimming this close to shore. 

               Thank you Michele and Ellen at Juxtaposition for allowing me to photograph! 

Advent Calendar + decorating with old familiar things

  Lovely Things has moved here, please come and check it out.  Thank you!

I started thinking about decorating for the holidays with planning this year's advent calendar.  I decided to stick with things I have around the house, my recent thrift and flea finds and my usual color palette of natural, black, white and silver with touches of green.  The first thing I did was paint a 4' x 4' piece of 1/4" plywood with chalkboard paint.  Then I emptied my candy jars, washed and filled them with holiday treats.  I used my black and white ticking stripe pillows from Juxtaposition to wrap around little trees I found at a local nursery for $5 each.  The entire project including the supplies for the chalkboard were less than $50 and it's a whole new look from last year. (You can see last year's advent calendar here).

I used lunch bags and twine and filled 24 bags with little presents for Madeline and Patrick...12 each.

I can never have too much candle light...especially when the days are shorter.  I found all my old jars that were large enough to hold a votive, wrapped twine around the top to give it a little something...my favorite jars are the ones that have writing in the glass like the Bonne Maman jam jar and the De Cecco one.  The candy jars are filled with things from Trader Joe's.  I wish I had not sampled the waffle cookies with chocolate and peppermint...I can't stop thinking about them.

I searched my cabinets for anything silver, gold, black and white and a little green.  The little match holder is also from Juxtaposition and it is a reclaimed apothecary bottle that has been scored on the bottom so that you can strike a match. 

I filled silver Revere bowls with pine cones and silver balls tied with black ribbons.  My favorite bowl is one that my husband won in a ski race.  I remember seeing it shortly after we met on a shelf in his book case...Salt Lake Area Corporate Ski Challenge Series, February 4, 1984, 3rd Place was engraved on the bowl.  I said, "You are such a good skier, I would think you would have come in first."  And yet he still married me...I know....

So are you decking the halls?  Are you using old or new or a combination of both?  Enjoy the season!
 
Linking with:  Mod Vintage Life

I just noticed that this post is featured here today: blog.holamama....Thank you! And at ABCDdesign today-- Thank you Amy!  and here:  Momjeanz.  and The Corson Cottage.
  Thank you Paula  at Two Ellie!

a pretty simple life . . .

Found here:http://muro-buro.com/

I wake each morning and make the beds, fluff the pillows and put them back in their place on the sofa, put away the dishes, fresh water for the flowers and open the blinds just so...

I come home and turn on just the right lamps, light the candles and maybe a fire, set the table and adjust the shades just so...keeping it pretty simple.  How do you make your house cozy?

Guest Post + My favorite room

Rene at one of my favorite blogs, Cottage & Vine has invited me to guest post on my favorite room in the house...I am so thrilled to be included in her "Favorite Room" series.  I actually had not even thought about what my favorite room is until I received her email.  It took me about two seconds to decide that it's my entryway.  Here's what I love about it . . . Both my front door and entry from the garage converge into the same space, so everyone drops their stuff in one spot.  Which is actually kind of perfect because you only have to have one space to organize and everyone knows exactly where they can find their backpack, jacket, shoes, keys...whatever it is they are looking for...there's a space designed for it.

But first...my entryway begins outside...I adore herringbone so we added the brick, the lighting is by Bevolo as well as the mailbox.  Lighting is like the icing on the cake...it has to be perfect.  I wrote more about it here.

Once inside...this is the first thing you notice.  I designed a quarter round shelf just for this lamp.  In my old house I had a tiny, but tall black table that was about the same surface size and I had the same lamp by Jamie Young.  This little lamp is lit all the time and its 15 watt light bulb welcomes us home.

We use white religious candles to line the walkway and the steps whenever we have guests...It always makes people feel welcome.

One thing in a small house that is very important is to have a place for everything.  I knew we needed a space for cell phones, keys etc. and this little cubby was the perfect solution to avoid having it all end up on the kitchen counter. 

Our entire interior is pretty much black, white and neutral so it's fun to add a little color with things we are using for the beach, the pool or just going out.  1.  Summertime blues and stripes, 2.  Black and tan, 3.  Yellow and green and 4.  Shades of red.

Fourth of July is a really big deal in our neighborhood...there's a parade, a bluff BBQ, sand castle contest and our house is on the path that everyone sees...so we have a lot of flags and a lot of red, white and blue.

We used to have a beautiful bar set up in our living room all the time.  I loved the look of the different bottles and glassware, but in a beach house with kids, it just didn't seem right anymore.  This little cabinet is perfect and no one even knows it's there.  I didn't even put knobs on the door.

This photo was taken last winter when flip flops disappear and Hunter rain boots and jackets take their place.  It's probably not a coincidence that all our jackets, sweaters, sweatshirts are in shades of black and gray...it goes with the neutral colors in the house, so anything else ends up on the hooks just outside in the garage.  It took my husband about a week to discover that his orange and brown Northface was relegated to the garage hooks...sorry honey.

So come on in . . .  the door's wide open!  Thank you Rene!

A little Lilly....

Lilly Pulitzer Special Edition animal crackers  . . . at Walmart!  I love a little Lilly, I don't wear it, but the colors and patterns are so happy.  My twin sister and I wore it when we were young, this is a dress my daughter wore when she was 5.  My dear friend Hilary and her twin actually plan a girls trip every year for the annual Lilly sale in King of Prussia, PA.  I used to see Hilary at the school bus stop every afternoon and I always looked forward to seeing how she wore her Lilly.  Not all pink and green, she has great style and always knew how to add just the right amount.  She will definitely love the box...hopefully they have them in CT too !