Such Pretty Things

Shabby Anticipation

 

From literally the very first second I get into L.A., I start counting the minutes until I can get over to Shabby Chic on Montana Avenue in Santa Monica. It is truly my favorite of all of Rachel's beautiful shops - probably because it's the original one and also because it has such a dreamy, ethereal quality to it.

Here are some photos of all the shabby loveliness...

Rachel is also opening another shop in mid-September at her gorgeous new B&B, The Prairie, in Round Top, Texas.  And for those of you who can't make it to one of the brick and mortar shops, on-line ordering is now available on the website! Yay!

:-)

Jessica

Corners of My Home

As you may know, I am a big fan of Flickr.  I often post my blog photos over there and I love to look at all the beautiful photographs.  One of my favorite Flickr groups is called Corner of My Home - it features wonderful little snippets of people's houses.  I find the photos so inspiring and I love to get a glimpse into how other people decorate their homes.  So, in that spirit, I thought I'd share some little bits and pieces of my home with you today...

Here's one of my favorite Italian tole candlesticks.

My older daughter's dresser top.

Her pastel tole chandelier.

Stacks of china plates.

Flowery hooked rug detail.

Some tole cans on top of my bedroom armoire...

My living room mantel at the moment.

Shelves of floral china.

Drawer of vintage linens.

Girly headbands.

The little one's purse...

A favorite antique plate I keep on my buffet.

A very old oil painting of pink roses.

Mercury glass candlesticks just waiting for the holidays.

Ruffled, shabby chic pillows.

Oh, and lots and lots of laundry...

Happy Tuesday!

:-)

Jessica

Target Tuesday: Mirrored Holiday Mini-Bar

I am thrilled with my latest Target find!  It's a beautiful mirrored tray that's totally glamorous!

It's very well made and has a very high-end look to it.  What I love about this tray, is that you could use it for so many things - as a serving tray, to hold a pretty perfume bottle collection, or to organize papers on your desk.

With the holidays fast approaching, I thought it would be fun to turn mine into a holiday mini-bar.  I like to have a bar set up when guests come over, but I'm never really sure exactly which bottles of this and that I should include.  So, I decided to do some research on bar essentials over at Martha Stewart. Martha has a great list of must-have items and you can find it here.  Some of the items I already had, but a few I still have to get.  It will come as no surprise to you, that when picking bottles, I tend to go for the prettiest ones in my favorite colors!  :-)

After choosing my bottles, I added some crystal glasses and a silver mercury glass filled with pink roses.

All set up...

The great thing about this "min-bar" is that it's compact and portable, so you can place it on top of any table or buffet...or simply carry it from room to room.

Happy Tuesday!

Jessica

ABC Carpet and Home

One of my favorite New York shopping destinations is ABC Carpet and Home. ABC is not your typical shop...it's actually two huge department stores devoted to the prettiest and finest home furnishings and rugs. Kind of like Anthropologie on steroids!

At ABC, you'll find tons of high-end home furniture, antiques, lighting, carpets, and linens.  Walking in the front door is like walking into a beautiful, magical world of prettiness...

 

ABC is know for it's gorgeous chandeliers...

This aqua beaded one was my favorite.

 

And this white china rose one is so lovely...

 

ABC has a nicely edited collection of antiques - like these pretty floral china pieces.

 

There are tons of home decor and tabletop items.  I especially love these glitzy napkin rings...

I would love to set a table with this shabby-chicish dinnerware...

 

They were just starting to put the Christmas decorations, so I will have to go back again soon.

There is lots of antique and vintage-inspired furniture...how fab are those French dining chairs???

The children's department is incredible.  So many pretty and unique things to decorate your nursery or child's room...

 

 

The dress-up clothing is straight out of a vintage storybook.

 

 

There is an entire floor devoted to bedding, bath and linens...in every style and color imaginable.  I want this bed!

This one, too!

Piles of pillows on every surface...

 

And some fanciful toiletries.

 

One of the great things about ABC is that you never know what you'll find.  I was shocked to come upon this basket of vintage wallpapers.

If you are planning a shopping trip to ABC (and you should!), here are a few tips:  Remember to bring a big, fat wallet - these are NY prices (i.e., expensive) - and please allow yourself enough time to really wander around and take in every little detail. The store displays are truly beautiful, with incredible attention to detail...

ABC Carpet and Home: 888 & 881 Broadway, New York, NY 10003  Ph: 212 473-3000

:-)

Have a pretty day!

Jessica

Pretty Summer Reading

Well, Summer vacation is almost here (only two more days of school for us!) and I have begun thinking about sunny afternoons spent by the pool and warm, breezy days by the beach.  One of my most favorite things to do during Summer vacation is to catch up on reading all my design magazines and books.  I collect them throughout the year, but never seem to have the luxury of just sitting there and perusing each page.  Here are just a few that I am so excited to finally have the time to enjoy...

I fell in love with Atlanta Bartlett's beautiful books while I was in the UK last Summer.  Her newest book, Easy Elegance, is absolutely stunning!

The photographs are by Polly Wreford and they are gorgeous!

I think I must duplicate this bed somehow...

And wouldn't you love to have this door with the peeling vintage wallpaper!

At Home with White is another one of Atlanta Bartlett's lovely books.

 

Again, the wonderful photos are by Polly Wreford...

I think I need to re-do my kitchen to look exactly like this one.  I love the "unfitted" look...

Another great book I have on my reading list is Thriftychic by Liz Bauwens and Alexandra Campbell.

The pretty photos are by Simon Brown and the book is full of great budget decorating ideas - all in a shabby, cottage style.

Another great cottage kitchen.

I must have every cupcake book out there, but Bake Me I'm Yours Cupcake by Joan and Graham Belgrove is one of my favorites.

Not only are the photos pretty to look at, the book has terrific recipes and lots of great decorating tips.

And finally, have you seen the June 2009 British issue of Country Living?

The issue is devoted to roses and filled with glorious photographs...

Do you have any beautiful design books or magazines that you've read lately and would highly recommend? Please let me know and I'll publish a list for everyone in an upcoming post...

:-)

Jessica

Target Tuesday: Finally!

Luckily, I managed to make it out to Target before I came down with the flu last week.  They had just re-stocked the "Dollar Spot" with some new Spring items and I was thrilled to find these...

Aren't they adorable?  These little bottles remind me of old-fashioned milk bottles.  They were available in several colors with a variety of different saying on them, but I choose these classic white ones with "dream" imprinted on them in pink.  I bought ten since they were only $1 each, but I am already regretting not having bought more. :(

There are a million ways to use these, but I knew instantly that I wanted to make a pretty floral arrangement with mine.  So, I stopped on the way home and bought a bunch of pink tulips.  All I needed to do was trim the stems and add water.

I just placed them in a grouping on my mantel.  I love the simplicity of the bottles with the elegant lines of the tulips.

These would also look nice all lined up in a row down a mantel. Or down the center of a dining table.

I just know that I will use these again and again for many years to come.  They are so cute and versatile!  I just hope there are still some left by the time I feel well enough to venture out of the house again!  :-)

I also want to say thank you all for all the comments and emails wishing me a quick recovery!  It really brightened my days!  Thank you!

Jessica

My Very Own Mini Me

I am very fortunate to have two daughters who happen to really love and appreciate many of the same aesthetics that I do.  This not only makes it a lot of fun to shop and decorate with them, but it makes me so happy to have something that we can all share together. I was collecting the laundry from my older daughter's bedroom this morning and I was really struck my how beautifully she had arranged everything on her vanity.

    

She is naturally very artistic and I think she has incredibly good taste for such a young girl.

  

She picked out almost everything you see in these pictures.

 

She loves to go antiquing and flea marketing with me.  She has a great eye.  Sometimes we even argue over who saw something first!  She usually wins.  :-)

I love her sense of color.  I wonder why???

She's put this collection together over the past year.  Aren't they sweet?

Now, my little one's vanity is still of the Barbie variety, so I'll spare you those photos, but she's definitely my other "Mini Me".  When asked what colors she wanted to use for her birthday party, she replied: "Shabby Chic, Mommy.  Lots of light pink and aqua."  Ah, another girl after my own heart!

Vintage Trinket Boxes

I am super busy putting the finishing touches on some Valentine's Day projects, so I just thought I'd post some pictures of my trinket box collection today.

 

I have been collecting these pretty little china boxes for many years now.  I pick them up whenever I see them at estate sales or antique shops.

 

I was initially drawn to their soft, pastel colors.

 

And I love the sweet paintings of flowers...

...and romantic couples.

 

O.K., now I must get back to my projects!  Have a great day!

:-)

Jessica

Vintage Wallpaper Hat Boxes

One of my favorite things is vintage hat boxes.  I found my first one in an antique shop about ten years ago and I was instantly smitten.

 

I love that they are often covered in one of my other favorite things - vintage wallpaper from the 1930's and 40's.

 

And I love that they are not just pretty, but practical for storage as well.  I use some of my sturdier boxes to store my smaller collections of vintage craft supplies.

Some boxes I just use to decorate my home.  These sit on top of the armoire in my family room.  It can get pretty dusty up there, so I need to remember to dust them frequently.  : )

 

It's rare to find an affordable vintage hat box in good condition these days. Since they were made of paper and board, many did not survive their years of use.  I adore the beautiful creations of Hannah's Treasures.  The incredibly talented owner and designer, Marilyn Krehbiel, makes gorgeous, newly constructed band boxes that she covers with authentic vintage wallpapers.  They are so pretty and well made - you would never suspect that they weren't actual antiques.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Jessica

Happy Thanksgiving

I just want to wish all of my new blog friends a very happy Thanksgiving.  Thank you so much for finding me and for all your sweet comments and emails.  I can't begin to tell you how thankful I am for all of you!

 

I will leave you with some photos of my table decor from last Thanksgiving.  I am usually in charge of Thanksgiving dinner, but this year I am (happily) letting my parents do the hosting and most of the cooking.  I won't miss all the slaving over a hot stove, but I will definitely miss the opportunity to decorate!

This was my place-setting.  I always break out my transferware dishes for Thanksgiving.  I have them in several color ways - chocolate brown, danish blue, pinkish-red, and even a pretty lavender.  Some of my china is antique and some is reproduction, but I love to mix and match them.  I try a different color scheme each year.  Last year I chose chocolate brown, pale aqua, and cream with touches of silver.  I was very happy with the way it turned out.

My wonderful double-ruffle tablecloth and napkins came from one of my very favorite stores, Anthropologie.  I had seen the tablecloth while shopping one day and wanted it DESPERATELY. Unfortunately, it was a bit pricey - even for a double ruffle.  :-)  So, I "visited" it weekly until it went on sale and then I gleefully snatched it up!  As for all the little details, I tied brown velvet ribbon bows around the napkins, added a simple white stoneware vase filled white roses, and placed silver mercury glass votives and candlesticks around the table.  

Oh, and I recently found this wildly colored toile tablecloth on sale at Williams-Sonoma...

...so I'm already planning - bubble gum pink and cobalt blue for next year's table!  And don't worry, Mom, I'll resume my cooking responsibilities as well.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Jessica