{books: design book shopping}

a good article in the NY Times about LA based interior designer, Kelly Wearstler, and her quest for design books. i myself am overly obsessed with design books, and have tons of them, several of which are penned by ms. wearstler herself. that being said, i like her design aesthetic, very LA and hotel-ish, which is not my first choice of design, but she makes it work. what i do like about her, although, to date, i have not met her personally... but i like that she seems a little off and kooky. so much more interesting than, on and predictable. go kelly.

click here for NY Times article

{fashion: project runway winner on bluefly.com}

i was recently searching for (and still am) uli herzner from project runway, and look who pops up in my inbox for bluefly.com.... christian siriano! i guess they are pulling it together and actually making it easier for us to find the designers now. loving every second of it!

click here to shop

{design challenge: an oversize mantel}

i have an oversize mantel in my dining room that has been longing for something the right scale. finally, my search is over! i found these gorgeous antique iron urns that are not only adding the correct design element to the mantel and dining room, but inspiring a whole room around it.

the other challenge to this space is that the house was bulit in 1923 and won't allow just anything to accessorize. while trying to be complimentary to the integrity of the house, i am also trying to match our own personal style to the space and not get bogged down in tradition.

i'll keep working on it and show the final product...

{dog heaven}

bill & i took our little angel, maxie, to her favorite beach by our house. all the dogs in the area go there and run free without leashes. it was a gorgeous day, we relaxed and took the pooch for a swim. all in all, a perfect day.

{craziness & happiness}

i don't know how it has been almost a week since i last blogged, but the time flew, as they say. i had my gorgeous and wonderful best friend, jen, in town from new york.... and it was a week of long talks, lots of gut laughing, shopping (as seen here on the 3rd street promenade in santa monica), and cocktails.

it's easy to forget how important it is to get out and be goofy with your friends. becoming an adult, ugh... and being married, double ugh... can leave you frazzled- and it was cool to roll down the windows, turn up the music, and feel free. man did i need that!

{kids lemonade stands in NYC}

joanna goddard, a writer and blogger , did a piece for New York Magazine, on kids who have lemonade stands in new york. the interviews are funny and really do represent the smart nyc kid.

it is the never ending discussion in our house, if/when we have kids, where will we raise them?

my vote, of course, is to go back home to nyc. i will win this battle.

{travel: Granada, Spain, The Alhambra}

last year, my husband and i went to granada, spain, some would say the birthplace of classical guitar. while there we went to the alhambra which is an incredible snapshot into life in spain in the 9th-13th century. this place has gardens, art, architecture, pools, you name it. if you are a lover of history, this is a must see.
the alhambra is huge, and even with all the tourists, you still get many moments to find a quiet nook and daydream about who lived here, walked here...

the water features were the show stopper for me. the huge pools and fountains at every turn were magical. i painted a room in a clients house this shade of green and it looks so earthy, natural, and cool.
there is a not so subtle moorish influence, and there are many buildings and structures that have these ornate doorways.
this was my favorite place on the grounds. it felt comfortable, like i had been there before. my husband had to drag me away from this pool.

the gardens that are spread throughout are meticulously kept up and mysterious.

granada, spain, in general- is an incredible place to visit. i stumbled across little squares that had churches, coffee, restuarants, shopping- it just had a wonderful vibe. we'll be back someday.

{travel: Barcelona, Spain}

we traveled around spain last year and there were so many memorable things, and pictures, but this spice market was outside of a church that we explored ans was so beautiful and simple to me. it felt like a throwback to older, simpler times.

{design: love at first light}

{design: rug love}

I sell these Dash & Albert rugs in my store and absolutely love them. i especially love how they photograph them.don't you want to go camping? ok, seriously, neither do i....

to buy contact {http://www.surlamerdesign.com/}
to check out the entire line {http://www.dashandalbert.com/}

{dear...}

...Uli Herzner, I loved your Spring '07 collection! Where are you now? I was just glancing at the tv that is playing a marathon of Project Runway, and the Season 3 Bryant Park shows happened to be on. I forgot how much I loved your designs!

Anyone know where she is and what she is up to?

See slideshow of collection {http://nymag.com/fashion/fashionshows/2007/spring/main/newyork/womenrunway/ulrikeherzner/slideshow.html?0}

{shop: found on etsy}

my very talented and creative brother, david, has a cool & funky line of handmade scarves for sale on etsy {http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5655561}


you must, must, must check them out!

{pre-renovation: Sur La Mer}

as you may or may not already know, i own a furniture store in manhattan beach, california, called Sur La Mer.

i've been open now for four years, and am about to do some interior touch ups. i have nailed hundreds of pieces of art, mirrors, and things-in-general to the walls and they are a little worse for wear. the harsh rays of the sun have also wreaked havoc on the color, so i'm going to change it, as well as, add crown mouldings. i'm so excited. it's going to be gorgeous!

post renovation pics to come.... stay tuned.

http://www.surlamerdesign.com

{shop: bought on etsy}

from blogger abbey nova's {http://www.gogoabigail.com/blog/},

etsy store {http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5042068}

how cute is this!

{summer vacation: Southampton, NY}

hal·le·lu·jah: house in Southampton, right in the heart of the Village on Lake Agawam. We officially have our summer plans...

Master Bedroom view to Lake Agawam

Pool Area

Living Room

Family Room

Living Room (different view)

I'm loving the plank table in the ridiculously roomy kitchen {note fireplace}.

More pics:
http://pde.realnet.com/realtyeco/pde/photosViewer.cfm?ptype=R&folio=65255

{in a funk}

today is my day to be a pissy bitch, and i'm taking it! when i'm in this place, my go to movie is Grey Gardens. don't ask... it just is. it's one of my absolute faves.

"Grey Gardens is the unbelievable but true story of Mrs. Edith Bouvier Beale and her daughter Edie, the aunt and first cousin of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. "

{jacaranda tree obsession}

these trees are oh, so pretty while they are bursting with their bright purple flowers {did i mention oh, so messy?} fortunately, they are equally beautiful when they are in transition, as seen here from my family room.


{photography by juan turcios}

{entertain: a smile by way of flowers & cake}

so, a few months ago, i threw a bash for my inlaws 50th wedding anniversary. there are certain things i never scrimp {word?} on- flowers, cakes, food, photographers, and stationery. i wanted to pay homage to this lovely bouquet {and the houseful of gorgeous works of art} made by my friend Jeff at Rolling Hills Flower Mart... sorry so small, i can't seem to enlarge.

and this gorgeous buttercream cake from Torrance Bakery {with jeff's accent flowers}

divine.

{shop: dessert, anyone...}

i'm in love with these plates from anthropologie. can't you just imagine serving a luscious dessert on these? alone or with friends, they are a sure thing.

{dear...}

...Minnie Mortimer, your dress is fabulous, can't wait to receive it next week.

For those of you who don't know... http://www.minniemortimer.com/

{design: blog mention}

Abbey Goes Design Scouting is one of my favorite blogs and has just mentioned my store, Sur La Mer, in it.

Abby's Blog

Thanks Abbey!

{travel: back for now...}

We spent the last 10 days at our cabin up at Donner Lake in Truckee, CA. It was smokey every day since the entire state of CA is on fire, but July 4th was clear and beautiful.