Hand Carved Wood Vases

On my way to West Elm to buy these new log vases! The hand carved natural mango wood looks so rugged and no two are alike! FYI- right now you can save an additional 10% when you use your west elm card!

SATC Set Design

Living with 9 girls in college, there was always an episode of Sex and the City playing in the living room either to wind down from a long day or to get ready for a night out. The characters have become such a big part of our lives. We look up to their stylish lifestyles and can also relate to their day to day experiences. I have been so busy lately that I haven't been able to go see the sequel! But I found these pictures for a little teaser to what is in store...

Carrie and Big's living room- I LOVE the intense blue sofa with the striking yellow artwork and gray walls. Very rich.

In Carrie's words- "Hello lover!" The master closet is a functional his-and-hers space, with Big’s clothes on the left and Carrie’s (mostly) on the right. It’s more subdued than the flashier closet of the first film, set decorator Lydia Marks says: “The ‘wow’ factors are the woodwork and the hardware. It’s more grown up and sophisticated.”

Grilled Guac Recipe

Check out this grilled guacamole recipe over at "the kitchn"! The grilled avocado's look beautiful- I can't even imagine what they taste like!

Meg Ryan's Beach Home

Compliments of Elle Decor (which might be my next magazine subscription)- Here are some photo's of Meg Ryan's amazing beach home on Martha's Vinyard. You will drool over the vintage lighting, blue stone counters and shelves, reclaimed wood, white backgrounds and dark wood floors. The post-and-beam home was actually built more than a decade earlier in England, where the parts were collapsed into a puzzle like kit and barged across the ocean to be reassembled on-site! She thought the raw wood made the interior very dark and cavernous so she covered it with white paint. I am so jealous of the vintage "FLOWERS" sign hanging in the dining room which had birds nests in it when she picked it up. The bedrooms have roman numerals on the doors to identify guest rooms. Boy, do I wish I was a guest at this peaceful retreat!

Spanish Water

I am loving this stylish new glass water bottle from Penaclara 22! Penaclara comes from northern Spain where apparently there are a bunch of swanky people walking around with super cool glass bottles of water :) (or that's what i'm picturing atleast) And there is an interesting story to go with it! ...

The source of Peñaclara 22 lies in the heart of Sierra de Cameros in the La Rioja area of northern Spain. From a depth of more then 1600ft (550m)the artesian spring emerges underneath a magnificent mountain called Peñaseto, and all the surroundings are forbidding any kind of human or industrial activities, assuring the quality of this artesian aquifer.The source was well known by the Goths, but the first hand-written document was dated the 7th of July of 1029, where in her will, Lady Onneca handed over Torrecilla territories and their baths to the King Sancho II. In 1859, Dr. Ildefonso Zubia e Icazuriaga, Head of Department of Physics, Chemistry and Natural History, analyzed the properties of this now famous mineral water. Due to the geological strata, the depth of the source and a very slow absorption process spanning about 150 years Peñaclara 22 has a very distinct terroir. The source has a flow unchanged by seasons and the water emerges at a constant temperature of 73ºF (22ºC).

Roasted Peaches

I have been craving summer fruit lately. These Roasted Peaches might just be the perfect solution! Pistachio cream- yummy!

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C, 350°F, Gas Mark 4.
2. Place the peaches into an ovenproof dish, drizzle a little condensed milk over each peach. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until the peaches are soft.
3. Meanwhile, lightly whip the cream and remaining condensed milk together then fold in the crushed amaretti biscuits and pistachio nuts. Chill until peaches are baked.
4. Cool the peaches for 10 minutes. Place two peaches onto a serving plate and serve with a dollop of pistachio cream.

Coming down from Vacation High

Well- it's back to the grind stone after a long weekend in Northern Michigan full of fun, sun, swimming, drinking, eating, sleeping and boating. I keep thinking it's going to get easier to leave but it's always so hard! I am very lucky to come from such a beautiful place. My husband and I are very lucky to have most of our family up there as well!

Hanging out at the lake got me thinking about the practicality of an outdoor shower! Not only are they very shabby chic stylish, but they are so functional. I couldn't count the times that I thought, "I really need to take a shower to get this sunscreen, sweat or just a full days worth of swimming in the lake off of me!" It would be nice to have one of these to feel clean again and be able to do it outside instead of stopping the fun and going inside to take a shower. Plus the blond unfinished wood is so pretty with the old school simple polished chrome hooks and shower system.