Succulent Wreaths

I have wreaths on the brain lately and I am loving these succulent wreaths. They are so beautiful and unconventional.

Time for a walk

Today there is a break in the rain so the beagles and I are going for a walk. I happen to love the rain, but Bailey & Oliver are somewhat less enthusiastic.

I also wanted to show off my little door step halloween decor. I put out some white pumpkins I bought at Ralphs. I just love pumpkins. They are so friendly. I got the small black lanterns from Micheals craft store. They were in the wedding section, but something about them screamed halloween to me. I also put out my deer antlers. I bought these years ago on ebay and am always moving them around. A lot of people think they are creepy (which makes them perfect for halloween), but I think they are beautiful. They are so sculptural.

Months ago I went to armstrong gardens and bought several little plants to put out by the front door. The silverdust is the only one that survived and it is actually flourishing, which amazes me. Nothing I plant ever lasts very long.

Love this tree right outside my front door. It actually has moss hanging from the branches, which brings back fond memories of living in the south.

Before & After: Laundry Room

I have to warn you that this is no grand before & after, but rather a "hey lets see that I can do for as little money as possible before & after". Here is my laundry room or rather laundry closet before....

First of I have to say that while this laundry facility may look sad, I loved it just because it was all mine. That's right folks, no more trips to the laundry mat or hoarding of quarters. For the first time in my adult life I had my very own washer & dryer. The novelty of its convenience, however soon wore off and I decided it was time for a face lift. As a renter and a girl on a budget, I couldn't do what I really wanted to do - replace the linoleum, buy front loading machines topped with marble counter tops, new overhead cabinets, and make it look a little something like this...

{martha stewart}

A girl can dream, right? So maybe I couldn't have Martha's laundry room, but I could make improvements. I cleared out all the junk and beefed up the bottom of shelf with some molding from home depot. This accomplished two things 1) concealed the sag in lower shelf and 2)covered up most of the ugly MDF support brackets. I painted out the red shelving and the new molding in high-gloss white left over from another project. By the way, that lovely shade of red was also the living room wall color when I moved in. You can imagine how long that lasted. Finally, I accessorised...

The cubbies now just hold towels and bath mats. I moved my glass vases out of the pantry and put them on the upper shelf for display.

Using fishing wire, I hung my two seascapes (a thrift store find) from the bottom of the shelf. I love that they cover up the ugly plumbing.

I repurposed a black wicker tray I had, for holding, laundry supplies like detergent. The brass jug holds my Tide Stain-Release Booster pouches. A little vase holds some green berries I snipped from a shrub outside. But the piéce de résistance is my chinoiserie lamp. I picked her up from Consignment Classics (one of my favorite local shops) for a song. I love everything about her...

She is so graceful, even with her messed up nose...

She reminds me that you don't have to be perfect to be beautiful. Ok, I know that sounds really sappy, but its true. We can't all be perfect like Martha Stewart, but we can appreciate her motto, which is to be creative with the mundane and find beauty in the everyday.

Kiwi Pineapple

I have an amazing neighbor named Aaron. Aside from always being friendly and cheerful, he brings me fruit at least twice a week. Ok, so this last part might sound strange to some people (like my husband) but I love it. Aaron spends most of his time helping the elderly - visiting with them, helping with house hold chores, cleaning up the garden. Thankful for his help, they are happy to let him pick a few lemons or snip some rosemary from their yard to take home with him. I have a feeling that they probably have more lemons and rosemary than they know what do with. And Aaron always stop by to bring me a little something or leaves it on my door step. It's always I nice surprise. Well, this week he stopped by with a green fruit he calls a Kiwi-Pineapple. I have a feeling that is not it's official name, but it is a very accurate description of the taste. They are DELICIOUS! I can't get enough of them. I told him so when I ran into them yesterday and he stopped by this morning with more. This time I remembered to snap a picture before I ate them all.

Naples (thats Florida not Italy)

The beaches were beautiful...

caught this birdie in action

the water was clear & warm

the pier

fishing

view at the end of the pier

The houses were to die for...

i'll take this house, please

with a walkway right onto the beach

or this house with a watch tower

love this garden gate

can you spot the ceiling fan on the back porch?

i can just picture sitting there with a tall glass of lemonade

even the 7-11 was cute

i have a bit of a crush on the metal roofs

they felt modern yet classic

not so into the sherbet colors though

The Palm Cottage...

a.k.a. the oldest house in Naples

it has a screened in porch to sleep in on balmy nights

and an adorable garden gate into the side yard

The number of palm trees did not disappoint...

they were everywhere

along with lots of these trees

aren't they magical, like something out of a fairy tale?

Florida

I am off to Naples, Florida today for the weekend. My husband had to be there for business this week, so we are staying through the weekend and making a mini holiday out of it. I hear that it is a small but picturesque town. Since I have never been to Florida, I am eager to see whats in store for me. I'm picturing beaches, palm trees and pastels (but maybe thats just Miami)....we shall see.

Antique Warehouse

Yesterday I stopped by the Solana Beach Antique Warehouse on a whim and was NOT disappointed. Like most antique warehouses the sheer volume of nick-nacks can be overwhelming, but I found more than a few treasures I would have loved to have taken home with me. I could easily become a hoarder if I didn't restrain myself. Hold me back!

loved this small pear painting with thick linen matting

perfect for a kitchen and marked down to $65

i was drooling over these gold & crystal sconces. only $95 for the pair!

if i had a Parisian apartment i would buy these in a heart beat

and hang them in my powder room which would look like this...

and i would hang this chandelier...

also only $95

loved this brass rams head coffee table

it reminded me of the coffee table i just saw in Lulu de Kwiatkowki living room

you can see it here in this months issue of Lonny magazine

i loved this pretty painted lady

this booth was my favorite (they had me at the cow skin zebra rug)

not only was everything on display divine but also extremely reasonably priced

wood & leather horse

i want these iron sconces so bad even though i have no where to use them.

for only $45, i would be crazy not to get them right?

oh and i have to have this faux bois covered set

of Sunshine Magazine books, just $36 for 4

faux bamboo console table $395

vintage antler trophy $39

this adorable paper mache zebra reminds me of the one

Betsy Burnham used in writer/producer Bryan Fuller's home...

to read the article and see more pictures of his home click here