Grandma's Ornaments

Every year I have this big plan to get crafty with the christmas tree and yet I always end up carefully hanging grandma's ornaments instead. They are incredibly delicate and many have seen better days, but I guess thats what I love about them. The patina is a reminder of all the years my grandma put them up. I'm so glad she saved them! 

Thanks be to Blogs!

These days I seem to spend more time than ever scanning blogs for instant satisfaction and design inspiration. How luck are we that we can get on our computer/phone/ipad and see amazing photography of people, homes, clothing and lifestyles. Here are a few that put a smile on my face tonight - clearly I still have an obsession with black, white and gold.

Giving Thanks

Thanksgiving has come and gone and I certainly had a lot to be thankful for this year. We had dinner at our house for the first time and it was wonderful. Luckily the food turned out great and it actually all fit in the oven! I hope everyone had a wonderful day and now..... tis the season! 

Early morning walk before the oven turned on

The sides all fit 

Thanksgiving lunch with grandma and grandpa - on the top of my list to be thankful for.

Dinner is ready! Side note - I picked up this horrible painting from a thrift store for $5 and spray painted the frame gold and rolled over the less then pretty painting with chalkboard paint. Now it can be used for many things (including our wedding).

So thankful for this crazy boy (the cat that is)

High Street Market

Check out this gorgeous shop I stumbled upon from another blog. Vintage and new, everything is eclectic, chic and still reasonably priced. Here are a few of my favs:

HAPPY SHOPPING: High Street Market 

Jenna Lyons Gorgeous Townhouse

Many of you have probably heard about Jenna Lyons personal life recently, which is not why I'm posting this. I would just love to bring to your attention the amazing 1880's four-story Brooklyn townhouse that she has put on the market. It is absolutely stunning. The shades of grey and near black she used look great against the dark wood floors. Our new home has lighter, gymnasium style hardwood and I have found it much harder to match grey paint rather than dark wood.

Every room is oozing with style, yet still practical looking. The room converted into her closet.... I'm not sure I have words? That is an absolute dream! Too bad the house doesn't include her incredible wardrobe.

All photo's via Trulia

Portishead Under the Stars

On this beautiful night in Berkeley, Ca I will be seeing, for the firt time, a band I have loved since high school at the Greek Theatre. Since Portishead hasn't had a US tour in 12 years this will be my first and I've waited for them forever!! If you haven't listened to them yet, you must! Adios.

My Home Sweet Home

I was recently visited by Mimomito, a fabulous blog that focuses on mid century modern style and decor. They were gracious enough to share photos of our new house. Check it out: http://mimomito.wordpress.com/2011/10/08/homes-sweet-homes-lauren-and-greco

New Arrivals at West Elm... Drool

West Elm's fall catalog is heaven! It's full of luxurious and fun goodies for entertaining during the holidays as well as entertaining your eyes. And news flash: they will start having registry as of January 2012. Phew!

Here are a few of my favorites, all available at http://www.westelm.com/

On My Mind...

A quick little post to say hello and some photos I've been staring at these days...

Amazing dress!

Love the place cards. I'm pretty sure my grandpa still has one of these label makers. I remember he used to label EVERYTHING.

Another gorgeous dress.

Love the black and white.

Yes please!

Black and White Tile...Très Chic

Continuing with the love of black with just about any color... I thought I would share some gorgeous pictures of black and white tile. NOTHING is more glamorous, regal, edgy and rich than this color combination. And decorating is a blast because it helps any color stand out.

This black marble is very mature and rich looking.

A very easy pattern to create - you can buy plain black and plain white floor tile at Home Depot for a great price and create whatever size stripes you want. I highly recommend the dark grout on the white. We used  "Delorean Grey" in my kitchen with the white tile and it makes it look more interesting.

Black subway tile - a great alternative to the standard white. Using the white grout (I always like using the opposite grout color) looks gorgeous.

Have fun with patterns for a more modern feel.

You can never go wrong with this classic. You will find it in many homes built in the late 1800's to early 1900's.

There are so many showrooms and tile stores you can go to to find these tiles but I really suggest shopping around. I went to many high end places to find the patterns I liked and then looked online and found them for a fraction of the price!

Mr. Thomson... Please

Yesterday I found some amazing vintage gems at the Sacramento Antique Fair and Fringe. While Fringe is always loaded with treasures, the Antique Fair every second Sunday of the month is definitely worth a visit! I try to go every month if nothing more than just to look... Although it's rare that I don't find something worthy of the house or my closet - the prices are great too!

This visit I found an awesome pair of vintage fuchsia trousers that fit like they were made for me. No alterations needed! Even better... The original tag is just perfect! Take a look:

At the antique fair I found a painting to go in my dining room and an over-sized mod letter. Both will go great mixed with something new. While the painting could be seen as overly feminine because its of flowers, I am placing it with a  few black and white photographs that will help balance it. When going to an antique store and you see a collection of old paintings, decor, etc, it might seem like everything just looks "old", in a bad way. BUT, if you look at them individually, they can really look great on their own or mixed with other more modern pieces. Sometimes, even just replacing the frame with a gallery frame or painting an old table, vase or knick knack does the trick.

Happy hunting!

Kings and Queens of Style: The Swedes!

Today I thought I would share some amazing photos with you of homes with crazy style from Sweden. Since I will be marrying a Swede, I have been fortunate enough to have a few awesome pieces of furniture brought over from Sweden in our house. We will be going there for our honeymoon next year and I can't wait! Their sense of style and understanding of how to mix mid-century pieces, flashy and bold antiques and country style  is very inspiring. And I love the simplicity of the black and white mixed with natural woods. I can only imagine all of the great boutiques we will see.