Have a "Far Out" Weekend!

Don't these photos give you a little chuckle? Discovered from Far Out Brussels Sprouts blog.

The photos were shot by Australian photographer, Julian Wolkenstein. Seems the horses like hair extensions too...

Wishing you all a fun and "far out" weekend!

Hotel Vertigo

Many of you are familiar with Alfred Hitchcock's classic film, Vertigo, that was filmed in San Francisco. I was just reading Karen at Alkemie's post about the Personality Hotels, a chain of boutique hotels in San Francisco. This Hotel Vertigo caught my eye with its wonderful color palette and design.

This room above is the "Hitchcock Suite." DON'T BE SCARED!

Formerly the York Hotel, the hotel was refurbished in 2008 and named the Hotel Vertigo. It features luxury amenities that make a playful nod toward the Hitchcock film. White and tangerine-colored thread-count sheets, plush beds with white leather headboards. Love the colors. So sleek!

I'm going crazy over these custom tangerine wingback chairs that display the Vertigo name. These could look great in my house.

The white and orange color palette looks great. Loving these horse head lamps!

If anyone has stayed here, I'd love to hear your opinion on it. Looks like a great boutique hotel.

Hotel Vertigo
940 Sutter St.
San Francisco, CA 94109
415.885.6800

Paint the Town!

I just stumbled upon this fun site, Town Toiles. Their colorful toiles celebrate famous cities across America. They carry everything from fabric and wallpaper to gift items. They have a great vintage look to them, don't they?

Charleston in pretty Oyster Blue

I'm generally not a big fan of toiles, but these are very whimsical and vintage-inspired. I would love to wallpaper a small room or bathroom with one of these, such as the Charleston (above) in Oyster Blue.

San Francisco landmarks in pale blue & chocolate

Tampa in raspberry and lime green - great combo!

New York City in cream and black

Chicago in pale blue and chocolate brown

Boston in cream and wedgewood

There are other cities and color variations. You can check out Town Toile's website here.

Sweet San Francisco

photo: Miette Confiserie, Hayes Valley (look at the gumdrop tree!)

Miette, one of my favorite "sweet haunts" in San Francisco, recently opened up their third location in San Francisco's Marina district.

Photo: Miette Patisserie, Ferry Building

Each location has fabulous vintage-inspired decor. Dreamy places of wonderment. Pastel-colored pedestal cake plates, candy-colored furnishings, vintage glass jars filled with colorful malt balls... a Willy Wonka for us older folks!

The Patisserie in San Francisco's Ferry Building has an amazing selection of cakes and cupcakes, tarts, macaroons, cookies and more. All made with the finest and freshest ingredients. Believe me, even the boxes are worth the trip!

The Confisserie has the most beautiful selection of candy you can imagine. Upon entering the shop, there is a large tree made of gumdrops. It's Candy Land! There are apothecary jars from the floor to ceiling, with imported Dutch licorice, beautiful pastel salt water taffy, and the finest chocolates from around the world. And, on the weekends they have rose-geranium cotton candy that is to die for!

One of the greatest things about Miette is the presentation. Whenever I want to buy a special "candy" gift for someone, the wonderful staff at Miette takes so much time in wrapping each little bag with care. One tiny $3 bag of candy is wrapped with a bow and sticker and looks amazing. Once I purchased a box of assorted candies and it was the most beautiful presentation--who could eat it?

If you're coming to San Francisco, be sure and visit Miette. You'll love it! You can visit their website here for locations and hours.

Etiquette: Your Comments!

I thought it would be fun to share some of your comments from the Etiquette Giveaway. The things that were most important to you were handwritten notes & letters, cell phone manners and, surprisingly, men being gentleman. Here are some of your comments:

Handwritten Notes & Letters, including RSVP's:

I'd like to see more people honoring the concept of RSVP when it comes to invitations to events and parties. It's amazing to me how people won't let people know whether or not they're coming to an event and the either don't show up or they come with extra people in tow.
-Sabrina

THANK YOU notes!!! Sometimes people don't write thank you notes immediately after a gift is received and that bugs me! It takes 2 mins people, and I for one look forward to hearing what a person thinks about a gift I took the time to pick out. -Lauren

I would like to see letters being sent in the mail again. With the technology that is at our finger tips today, there has been a decrease in romance and communication. Cell phones, text messages, email...they are so impersonal. Writing letters is an art and is beautiful. -JZ

I must say one thing in particular that I am a stickler for is written thank yous. To receive a handwritten note of gratitude is a dying art. E-mails just don't cut it. And people that cannot even acknowledge receipt of a gift that a person took their time, effort, thought and money to get are just lame. -DolceDreams

I would love it if people would kindly send a short but sweet thank you note after they receive a gift. Sometimes I don't even know if they received it as they never acknowledge it. -Casie Rachele

True Gentlemen

I would love if a man stood up when a lady was leaving the table and coming back to the table. I always love how classy that looks in movies, it gives such respect! -Fabbrunette

What happened to men opening the doors for women? I have gone into stores and had the door hit me in the face because the man in front of me didn't bother to hold the door open. men don't seem to respect their ladies like they used too! There are a few good men who still do this for women and when I see it I cry! -Carla

I particularly wish men wore hats and suits everyday. I love men in hats! And I'm not talking about baseball hats! When I go to the office, I want to see the polished look of a man in a suit and hat, not a man in shorts and a t-shirt. But if I could weave this into an issue of etiquette, I wish men would wear hats and tip them like they used to! -DesertChildAZ

The men now maybe debonair and suave, but it isn't the way we are thinking. Go back to the era of where men were true gentlemen. Car door opened for you, chairs pulled away for you to sit down, and men would stand up as you left and came back to the table. -Mikela

Cell Phone Usage

I wish folks would curb their cell phone usage in public -- waiting rooms, grocery checkout, restaurants, etc.) How often I see someone checking out at the store, talking on the phone the ENTIRE TIME -- so rude to the cashier, as if she/he does not even exist. -The Beautiful Life

Nothing is ruder than a fellow diner talking on the phone when you are eating. -NewlywedHostess

I would like to see people put down their blackberries while attending meetings or just having a conversation with another person. -Bonjour Madame

Dressing

Dressing for the occasion~~it shows respect for others and ones self. -The Red Velvet Shoe

I love the idea of getting dressed to go to the bank or on a flight. -Paris Atelier

General Acts of Kindness

Please, thank-yous, and a general air of politeness - that would be a great place to start! -Eme

Respect always older people like our grandparents or simply people who you know have lived a lot more than you. -Ana

Opening the doors for others , or holding the door open for those behind you so that it does not shut on their person would be so nice. I think the very practice just honors a concept that "I see you are there, and I value you as a human being," which is so very lost today in almost every etiquette transgression there is going. -Karos

I miss neighborhoods that had a real sense of community ... where neighbors at least said "hello" on the street. Remember when we could go and borrow a cup of sugar from each other?
-Lisa Golightly

I'd love it if we would take a moment and acknowledge everyone we come into contact with. How awesome our days could be if we looked people in the eyes, took a breath, and spread some kindness around. -Frenchee le Trip

Thanks again everyone!!

Thank You Bloggers!

Special thanks to these lovely bloggers that mentioned my blog and shop. You gals make this job worthwhile and I so appreciate your comments!

Thank you so much to Beth at Beth's Take on Life, for the Best Blog Award. What an honor! I feel like this is the blog Oscars!

Hallie at The Glam Lamb, who so nicely posted about Paris Hotel Boutique's items. The Glam Lamb covers everything from interior design to antiquing. You can check her blog out here.

Charmaine at Beautiful Things to Share, who also posted some of her favorite items at Paris Hotel Boutique. Charmaine's blog has the most gorgeous eye candy! She definitely has beautiful things to share! Visit her blog here.

One of my longtime blogging buddies, Lizzie at Design Watcher, for the nice book mention. I've been meaning to post about Lizzie's blog for a long time and will get to more details soon!

Toma, The Antiques Diva, who lives in Germany and shares her wonderful stories with us. Thanks Toma for mentioning PHB's blog! You are always so kind and your blog is fab!

Stephanie at Bonjour Madame, who recently won a prize in our etiquette contest. Thanks Stephanie for sharing the photos with us. Stephanie is interested in all things French and has a wonderful blog!

And last, but not least, the lovely Anna at the popular, Absolutely Beautiful Things, who posted about a lady portrait on Paris Hotel Boutique...

... one of her readers purchased it that day. Thanks Anna and thanks to all of you that were so kind enough to mention Paris Hotel Boutique!

top image: Dior Paris, 1957

Lovely Golden Temple Amritsar

Just in at Paris Hotel Boutique!

We've added 70
new pieces to bring a burst of color and
sparkle to your life - just like the sun and sea. Highlights include...

• Hollywood Regency Lighting
• Vintage San Francisco Bus Signs
• Assorted Estate Jewelry
• Out of Print Kennedy "White House" Books
• Decorative Italian Chairs
• Candy-Colored Prize Ribbons
• Vintage Seascape Oil Paintings and more!
  

Check out our new arrivals here...

The Stylish Bungalow Hotel

I recently heard about the opening of the new Bungalow Hotel at the Jersey Shore. This charming 24 room luxury boutique hotel is just steps away from the ocean! (don't you just love this gigantic tulip in front of the guest room?)

This stylish hotel was designed by the talented Robert and Cortney Novogratz of Sixx Design.

They mix vintage and modern for a truly whimsical look.

Great news! Fellow blogger and shop owner, Ruth Harsham of A Beautiful Life, was recently commissioned to make 24 of her "mathematic pillows" for the Bungalow Hotel's guest rooms. How clever is that? Each pillow was done specifically for each of the guest rooms, with the number specific to each room. Of course, the hotel fanatic that I am, I rushed over to Ruth's website to buy one for myself! You can check out Ruth's pillows here on her website.

The Bungalow Hotel's rooms are oversized with king beds, flat screen tvs, ipod docking stations, kitchenettes, cafe tables, expansive window walls, and fireplaces. I'm liking this...

The hotel has 50 works of original art. Love the framed British postage stamp print and those fabulous settees!

Cocktails anyone?

Ahhh, so close to the Jersey Shore...

For more info on the Bungalow Hotel, visit their website here.

Photos from bungalowhotel.net
and thebeautifullifeblog

Brrr.... Summer has Arrived!

Summer arrived in San Francisco today, a bit early, with thick fog and wind. People that haven't been here assume that all of California is sunny with warm beaches. Oh, not here in San Francisco. As Mark Twain was famously quoted, "The coldest winter I ever saw was the summer I spent in San Francisco." Yes, no sandals or sundresses for me!

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend with lots sunshine and fun! I'll be thinking of you all while I sit in front of my heater with my down jacket. Don't worry about me...