Country Home is Back!

Today as I was waiting in the checkout line in the grocery store I noticed Country Home on the front row of the magazine stand. Could this be true?

The once defunct magazine has made a comeback with a quarterly magazine loaded with photos and no ads. How can that be? Well, I suppose it's the $12 price tag that I didn't notice until I got home. I just got so excited and plopped it on the register next to the chicken. Oh well, it was worth it. 160 pages chock-filled with photos and a thick paper cover.

Hurray for Country Home. Let's keep supporting those magazines. Even at $12. I'd hate for them to go away!

Addendum: I was just informed that it's a compilation of old issues. A little bummed out about that, but still happy to see it.

Next issue out in September...

photo credits: Country Home Magazine ~ late summer 2010 issue}

Ada & Darcy

I recently discovered Ada & Darcy, the gorgeous blog of Australia-based interior designer Kellie Collis.

Ada & Darcy takes my breath away with Kellie's eye-catching photos of her own home, her DIY projects, and the pure & simple beauty that she admires.

Kellie has a passion for all things beautiful, especially fabulous interiors. She is always looking for new and gorgeous things for her interior design and styling business, and for her online store that will be opening very soon.

Her precious babies, Lily & Molly...

Colorful pillows & vibrant flowers grace Kellie's home...

If you're looking for endless inspiration, a romantic and ethereal place to get lost in, visit Ada & Darcy here. You may find yourself spending much time perusing it as I have! It's fabulous!

photo credits: Ada & Darcy

aah...Inspiration!

Today the online Lonny Magazine launches their 5th issue. I just glanced through the over 200 pages of eye-candy. Must take a look here...

photo from Lonny Magazine

I Need Some Color, Do You?

Happy Monday!

It's been gloomy and raining here in San Francisco, so I was looking at some photos on my desktop and came across this photo of this eclectic, colorful room. Not sure if I could pull off the multi-colored chairs in my house, but the colors are sure cheery during a gloomy Spring!

Have a great week ahead!

Latest Obssession: Edison Bulbs

photo: rewire

Okay, I'm totally nuts over these Edison light bulbs. Just the bare beauty of them, with their warm nostalgic glow. Breathtaking. I'm trying to think of where I could put one (or more) in my house.

photo: From the Right Bank

They look fabulous in groupings, don't you think?

photo: From the Right Bank

or just a single, simple hanging bulb...

These 1890 antique replica bulbs can be found at, where else? Anthropologie.

Such Pretty Things!

One day my friend Janet and I were on the phone doing our usual, "Have you seen this? Did you see that?" I wanted to show her a beautiful blog I had been following, Such Pretty Things. Janet was way ahead of me, and had been following this blog for some time now.

Jessica of Such Pretty Things is a designer, wife and mom, who loves an array of pretty vintage things. She loves to collect vintage textiles and wallpapers from the 1930's and 1940's. Reading her blog is the best eye-candy you can imagine, so come follow along...


Jessica is constantly cooking or baking up a storm...making such lovely things for her daughters' birthdays, such as these decorated sugar cubes...

Or a Princess Party for her daughter, with the best favors you've ever seen!

Custom "Juicy" invites for the party girls

How about this insanely fabulous Juicy Couture themed slumber party?

The party included a stay at a hotel and a trip to the Juicy Couture shop. Each girl was presented with a Juicy shopping bag filled with goodies that Jessica had amassed for months.

Jessica and her daughter made tiny edible fondant crowns and hearts embellished with edible pink pearls and placed them on pink cupcakes. Can I be one of your daughters Jessica?

Everything she does inspires me, such as her "Target Tuesdays." Jessica goes to Target and buys something ordinary and turns it into extraordinary, such as this floral corsage tank top.

Starting with a simple t-shirt for $7.99 and some other supplies, she adds, embellishes, cuts and sews, until walla! A creation is made. I love how Jessica walks you through visuals of the whole creating process, as well as a step-by-step guide to make it. Move over Martha Stewart!


Being the candy lover that I am, here is the part that I (and Janet) Flip Out! It's called "The Cabinet." It's a strictly off limits to all family members and holds Jessica's beloved collection of sprinkles, sugars, and candies from all over the world. They are reserved for only for her most special baking projects.

No touching...no snacking allowed!

From craft tutorials & baking, to party ideas & interior design, Simply Pretty Things is awe-inspiring! And, I must add that Jessica takes the most amazing photos.

Please do yourself a favor and go visit her blog here and her photos gallery on Flickr here. You will be in for a treat!

All photos from Such Pretty Things

Cirque Decor? A New Look?

Parasol Bar Wynn Hotel; photo credit: jochibi

I just returned from Las Vegas last week. Had so much fun! One highlight was Cirque du Soleil's, LOVE. Amazing. A "must see" if you go to Vegas.

The other highlight, or shall I say, huge inspiration, was a visit to the Wynn Hotel. It got me thinking, is there possibly a new look for decor that we could call "Cirque?"

Upon entering the hotel, I had no idea of the whimsy that was awaiting me. From floating parasols to a lake of dreams, The Wynn was a treasure! This photo above is from the registration area of the hotel. Amazing tall rock crystal bird table lamps graced the counters with a circus-themed painted mural behind them.

Wynn's inspiration; 1932 Picasso painting Le Rêve

Steve Wynn, a casino/real estate developer, has been credited starting the dramatic resurgence and expansion of the Vegas strip in the 1990s. His companies built some famous resorts in Vegas such as the The Mirage, Treasure Island, Bellagio, Wynn and Encore.

The Parasol Bar; photo credit: cabayarea

Here's what Roger Thomas, Executive of Wynn design had to say about the Parasol installation in the Wynn: “Very early on in the resort’s design and conception, Steve gave me an assignment: His initial inspiration was the 1932 Picasso painting Le Rêve, which is French for ‘the dream.' And so he asked me, ‘How do we convey the feeling of a dream?’ Parasols are among the images I find very dreamlike—I think of Chagall and of people floating in the sky, carrying mini parasols over their heads—so I liked the idea of this ballet of parasols that both turn slowly and move up and down slowly. I often think of guests sitting at Parasol Up; they look at the parasols, and when they look back a few minutes later, they think, Have they changed? Am I dreaming?”


“I came up with their design, the whimsical shapes and colors and embroideries, by closing myself up in a room and large sheets of paper, and I put on Vivaldi and just started drawing these fanciful shapes. They took more than a year to create, and we constructed them here, just outside of Las Vegas. Ultimately I’m thrilled that they’ve become such an iconic element of the resort; they were meant to be a heart of Wynn, with a sort of pulse and movement. One of my favorite things to do is to stand off to the side and watch the reactions of our guests—they always seem entranced, and that’s really fulfilling.”

photo credit: mailgirl333

Yummy candy-colored parasols! The colors are magical at night!

photo credit: catnipmusic

Amazing colorful mosaic flooring throughout the hotel...

The Wynn Hotel reminded me a lot of the historic Cirque Room in the Fairmont Hotel, San Francisco. The Cirque Room was the first bar to open in San Francisco following prohibition. It was decorated by architect Tim Pflueger in a beautiful Art Deco style with an incredible bar, and murals by the celebrated Bruton sisters. Before the Venetian Room was opened, the Cirque was the place to go for entertainment in San Francisco.

Having fun in Fairmont's Cirque Room...

Blush Lounge Wynn Hotel - photo credit: stars4esther

The Blush Lounge at the Wynn features a ceiling hung with 300 lanterns that change colors. Amazing.

Blush Lounge Wynn Hotel - photo credit: stars4esther

The Wynn Buffet

I wish I had brought my camera with me. Some of these photos are from my cell phone. Oh well. I had to share this photo of The Buffet at the Wynn. An Alice in Wonderland-evoking atrium styled with towers of fruit flowers and foliage and even some natural light. Insanely beautiful in person!

photo credit: CourtneyMay

I found the photo above on Flickr. The cabanas near the pool are very circus-like. Unfortunately the pool isn't open during the winter. But, how cute, right?

We took a little walk over to Wynn's newest hotel, The Encore. These glass peacocks
are at the entrance to the High-Limit Baccarat room. Woah!

The peacocks are created out of cast glass, with their eyes crafted in jade. Their tails are crafted out of open-work metal, accented by hundreds of Swarovski crystals that were then lit from beneath to give the tails a wonderful glow.

And finally, the Wynn Theatre at the Encore. The rotunda outside The Wynn Theater has 39 crystal-encrusted butterflies hanging from the ceiling that are covered with 8 million multi-colored gems. Unbelievable.

I love the fact that Steve Wynn thought 'out of the box' and came up with a whimsical theme like none other. Not modern. Not Hollywood Regency. Not make believe Paris. Just circus-themed whimsy. Refreshing for a change.

The Wynn Hotels just blew me away.