Lately, I’ve been drawn to beautiful photos of spools of thread. Maybe its the soft sheen of the thread or all the luscious colors, but its definitely been on my mind!

Thread + cake stand = adorable!

I love the vibrant pink tones of this still life. So pretty!

Photos from top: 1. Johnny Miller 2.Styled by Martha Bernabe 3. Dasha Wright

I know its only Thursday, but I’m so excited for a non-working weekend that I’m already plotting an al fresco dinner party.

A farmhouse table setup under a tree? Perfection.

Linen tablecloth? Benches? An adorable puppy head? The countryside? Yes, please!

Photos from top: 1. via House & Garden 2. Miki Duisterhof 3. Alexandra Rowley

I’ve been gathering inspiration photos to finally decorate my house. It always seem like I’m getting somewhere and then wedding season hits… But this year, I will finally finish darn-it! So far I’m loving the cheery combo of aqua and pink. I just think its so fun and playful, how could you ever be bummed in a space like this? I especially love how the darker wall color actually calms the aqua of the sofa, if it were against a white wall it might be too much.

And oh, to have a proper vanity to put all sorts of pretty things. I love the way the black and white floor anchor the light blue vanity and pale pink chair. The bungalow I’m in is so small and the bathroom, well it might very well be the smallest on earth.

I love the punch of aqua in the lamp bases, I actually have a similar thing going on, but I desperately need new lampshades. Finding simple, tall, skinny white cylinder shades seems to be the hardest thing to find. The dainty floral on the pillows is a bit to frou-frou for me, but I do love that simple khaki headboard. And, oh yes, I will gladly take those aqua slippers any day.

Photos from top: 1. via House to Home 2. Styled by Virginia MacDonand 3. Styled by Jen Everett

Today I’d love to lounge around in bed and read that stack of magazine that’s been accumulating on my bedside table…

But there is laundry to do and a whole weeks worth of chores…

Not to mention puppy sitting and some very important phone calls to made. Happy Monday everyone!

Photos from top: 1. Polly Wreford 2. Chris Everard 3. Kate Powers

The sun is finally shining and the beach is calling my name.

I’d bring a picnic and decorate in a palatte of sunny yellows and cobalt blues.

And, of course, I’d bring a beach ball and a good book. Happy Monday!

Photos from top: 1 & 2. Amanda Pratt 3. Roland Bello

I love picnics, and this appears to be the most perfect picnic ever. Vintage paper straws for your fruity summer drink? Check. Strawberries to snack on? Check. Mint lemonade? Check. I seriously want to live in this photo. Photo by Aran Goyoaga discovered through Decor8.

Its been so very gloomy in Santa Barbara and I’m dying for a glimpse of summer light.

I would wear my best floppy hat and take a drive…

To the beach with my diana camera in tow. Here’s hoping the gloom goes away this weekend, I need a break from work and some serious beach-lounging-doing-absolutely-nothing time.

Photos from top: 1. Candace Meyer 2. Mario Sierra 3. styled by Lynsey Fryers

I’m madly in love with this photo shoot by Luis Monteiro.

The soft pastel colors…

In contrast to graphic patterns and black elements in the model’s clothes is pure perfection.

All photos by Luis Monteiro.

I’ve been looking for pretty photos for my office and this one certainly fits the bill (and its  picture of shoes, shocking I know).

I have a thing for vintage phones and I love the soft yellow color and the adorable wall paper.

Doesn’t this scream party? Love it! You can see more pretty photos right here.

All photos by Lola’s Room.

I don’t know about you, but sometimes its hard to deal with reality of Monday and all I want to do is just escape for a bit. I thought maybe a new series highlighting some awesome vacation real estate might just do the trick. Shall we a hop a plane to Italy today?

The idea of staying in a 12th century castle with 30 of your closest friends sounds like a rocking good time to me.

We could admire the old wood beams in our bedroom or read a book on the hot pink couch…

We could ride bikes to the village…

And setup dinner in the courtyard…

And then perhaps a nice walk after a dinner filled with local wine and cheese? Yep, that sounds just about perfect. Available here to rent, if you’re so inclined.

Images: 1, 4, 6: Phil Poynter 2, 3, 5: via Home in Italy

I had the most amazing day at Unveiled’s Bridal Style wedding event in West Hollywood last Sunday!

All of the best were there, including Mindy Weiss (the Queen of the wedding planning industry), Marc Friedland (known as the godfather of the invitation), Eden Rodriguez (event designer to the stars, including her recent work on the Bachelor: Molly & Jason’s wedding), &  Joachim Splichal (Chef and founder of the amazing Patina catering)

The dresses were breathtaking…such as this amazing blue and white polka dot ballgown from Carolina Herrera (inspired by Degas)

The food and drinks were to die-for…

…and, that doesn’t even speak for the amazing desserts & cakes!

We’ll be spending the next of couple days highlighting some of the amazing vendors at the event…but, all-in-all it was an amazing day & hands down…the best wedding event of the season!

Tomorrow morning I’m jumping on a plane and going to Spain for my two year wedding anniversary.

I’m doing laundry and…

I’m packing my party dresses and my appetite.

I’ll be there through mid-April and then I’m onto the fabulous B-List in Washington DC. I’ll be checking email pretty regularly, but you can always email Ms. Cynthia if you need something right away. Blog posts will be light while I’m away, but there will be plenty of pretty photos when I return.

Images: 1. Jane Roarty 2. Chris Everard 3. Corrie Bond 4. Emily McGregor

I’ve been searching for inspiration for my house for a while and I do love the idea of a pop of yellow against a clean white background. The look is so fresh, pretty and just darn right happy.

How awesome is this yellow headboard? I love the modern take on this classic headboard shape, not to mention the layering of traditional molding on top of industrial brick. Love it!

Photos: 1. Chris Everard 2. Richard Powers

Its finally feels like spring is here! My cherry tree is blooming, the daffodils are out, and all I want to do is host a fun, springtime, brunch.

We could play lawn bowling and sport our cutest wellies.

Then I’d set the table with a simple taupe runner on an old beat up white table. I’d serve a menu of quiches along with a platter of fantastic cheese. I’d use loads of potted plants for decor (economical and a great hostess gift) and serve champagne. Aww, springtime…

Images from top: 1. & 2. Anna Skoog 3. Atlanta Bartlett

Just in case you missed the post at The City Sage, I thought I’d share some of my favorite photos from my Valentine’s Day table.

Anne from The City Sage asked me to create a cheap, chic table that her readers could replicate at home. Since I’m not in red roses, I decided to pick a color scheme based on two sources: 1. The wall in my kitchen is painted a super saturated orange, so I figured why fight what’s already there! 2. Pink Depression Glass. I had been looking at pink depression glass for another project and I thought it would be perfectly cheery paired with the orange. Better yet, Anne, unknown to me, has a thing for pink depression glass and sent me her dinner and salad plates for the shoot.

Once I had the color scheme set, the decor was easy. Anytime anybody mentions Valentine’s Day to me, all I think about is the copious amounts of chocolate I eat (my hubbie and I generally kill a one pound box of See’s nuts and chews). So I thought using chocolate for decor would be perfect– cheap, easy, and delicious! I used stemless wine glasses and martini glasses that I already owned and then I bought some pink depression glasses on ebay ($10 for 5).

The piece de resistance, though was the woven crepe paper table cloth. For a whopping $3 bucks the look is chic, but easy to copy and so darn cheap. I started by cutting all the long and short pieces. Then I laid out the long pieces and taped the crepe paper to the edge of the table and placed books about halfway down the table. Then I started to weave my colors. After the first section was complete I glued all the intersection with a glue stick. I then repeated the process on the last half of the table.

I have pegboard in my kitchen which I usually hang my pots and pans on (1920′s cottage = pathetic amount of storage space). I took off the pots and used cut carnations to make a heart (it is Valentine’s Day after all).

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I hope you’ve been inspired! Big thanks to Anne for asking me to contribute and to Tim Halberg who shot all the photos!