Friday, October 26, 2012

Natures Flames



On Monday,
my daughter and I were
driving home from school
and we passed the same church
that we pass every single day.



But on Monday,
 the back side of the church
appeared to be 
on fire!

Engulfed in flames.



The glorious color.... 
oh my heavens.


See the flames?


I just had to pull over
to take some shots to share
with my blogging friends.
(Pan now to daughter's face as she rolls her eyes.)

:D


Beautiful, right?


The winds were whipping through here
 this evening 
and a cold front has blown in. 
It went from the mid-70's
today to the mid-30's 
this evening .... it is chill-eeee.

I'm just afraid to wake up tomorrow 
to see the leaves on the ground 
and off the trees.

:(
You know what THAT means....
winter is not far behind. Shhh.
Maybe if we don't say it out loud 
it won't happen?


A view of Lake Michigan last week from our city park. Great colors.

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

OMG -- OKL has gone Equine!




For any of you who love
equestrian style
RUN!
HURRY!!!
ACT NOW!



One King's Lane  
 is selling a number of great
VINTAGE
equestrian items 
right now!


In case you are not familiar
with One King's Lane,
here is a description
from their website explaining
who they are:

"Every day of the week, One Kings Lane 
launches multiple new sales, offering a range 
of products, categories and styles. Most sales 
last 72 hours. Note: Quantities are limited. 
Shop early so you won’t miss out!"


Take a look at all these goodies.
There may be something
here you cannot live without.



To locate these items,
click on
"Vintage Market Finds"
and or "Decorative Accessories"
when you get to OKL.
And to get to OKL,
here is the link:


Oh, and here are a couple
other vintage things 
that I love to collect.
You might like them too!?





P.S.
FYI: This post has nothing to do with
OKL and I am not being compensated
in any way for sharing these items.
(However... OKL.... if you are reading this,
please feel free to send me a 
gift certificate for shopping or whatever. 
I sure could find a few things I
cannot live without --- with no problem!)
:D





Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Lighting the Hallway




The wall sconce 
in our back hallway
needs to be updated. 

So I started looking around 
and found 
so many wonderful 
 options that would 
possibly work.


Frederick Cooper
Link






Frederick Cooper
link


Robert Abbey

Visual Comfort


Link







Thomas O'Brien
Suzanne Kasler


Really handsome.... but how DO these work?
Seems more like a headlight than a wall sconce, right? link

Link


Link


Link


Are there any here
that might work in your home
as well?

Thomas O'Brien


Thanks for stopping by today and always!

Sunday, October 21, 2012

Time to think about gift-giving

Personalized stationery from the Happy Hound on Etsy


Ralph Lauren's Wentworth Candle
(The silver lid and base become a trinket box when the candle is gone.
Just remove the glass and you're left with a handsome keepsake
tortoiseshell lidded box. So smart.)


Just a little reminder
that this November 1st 
is another edition of 
Favorites on the First
and the theme this time 
will be
Your Favorite Gifts to Give!

Just in time for 
holiday gift-giving.

Why not share some ideas
on what you LOVE to give?

Small children on my list will get a copy of my dear friend
Sherri Duskey Rinker's
New York Times' best-selling book (for over a year now)-
Good Night Good Night Construction Site"


It's always fun to learn about
new things 
and since the holidays
are right around the corner,
 we can inspire each other
with our favorite gift ideas
 that others may not
know of.

Monogram key chains from Periwinkleonline.com


I am very excited to learn
about what YOU 
are planning to give this season. 
I need some new fresh ideas!


Lovely monogrammed linen napkins from Horchow.com 


So start thinking about 
what you would like to share.
 In the meantime,
here are a couple ideas I have added
to my gift-giving idea list for December.


Fresh handmade Danish kringles delivered to your door
from OhDanishBakery.com   To DIE FOR, omg!

What sweet things will you share with us?

BONUS QUESTION! 
Just had an idea...
please post a BONUS GIFT item....
a gift that you would give to
your friends if you were
to WIN THE LOTTERY!
If you had no budget!
(Sort of like... what would Oprah give?)


WHAT would you give?





Friday, October 19, 2012

Fall Colors




Is it just me,
or are you finding yourself
noticing and appreciating
all the fall colors
this year 
more than ever?




The local weathermen
were reporting that our colors
would not be as vibrant this year
due to the lack of rain
this summer.






I have not noticed any
lack of color around here!

This is what the yard 
is looking like this week.




I love the fall.
How about you?



Hallie thinks we have some raking to do this weekend!

Sunday, October 14, 2012

English Bamboo





This weekend
my dear friend Maureen 
and I were out antiquing.

She was looking for antique
English bamboo pieces.



cocohouseandcompany.com


They are so wonderful!





I wanted to pull up and post
a brief history on bamboo furniture,
but the history is very long and tedious
and I didn't want to bore you with the details,

So here is a Cliff Notes version
of the history of bamboo furniture.

The first pieces date back to early 
China in the 1500's.
There are also examples appearing 
throughout the Far East and India
dating from the 1600's.

But let's fast forward
to the turn of the nineteenth century --
to the early 1800's in England -- and to the 
British East India Company that was formed 
by European investors to carry on trade with 
the East, Southeast Asia and India. 

As a result, chinoiserie goods such as silk, bamboo,
lacquered decor and porcelain became 
extremely popular in the United Kingdom.
Which brings us next to the Royal Pavilion at Brighton. 







Royal Pavilion at Brighton


Brighton Pavilion was built as a seaside residence for George IV (1762-1830)
who was a huge fan of chinoiserie style. Though rooted in Chinese design, chinoiserie is a product of the imagination of the Europeans designers.
It was an artistic representation of all that was strange and unique to the Europeans about the Far East. The pavilion's interiors were heavily influenced with Chinese and Indian fashion -- with Mughal and Islamic architectural elements. It was a prime example of exoticism -- a shocking alternative to the classic mainstream taste of Regency style of the time.


Spectacular at dusk.


Here are some photos 
of a few details at the Royal Pavilion.

(Now that I have seen the photos, I am dying to visit there!
Please comment and tell me if you 
have had the pleasure of visiting this place, ok?)



The Pavilion then.



The Pavilion now.



So on to the main reason for the post....
to take a peek at some of the lovely
pieces out there that you can put in your home
to capture a little bit 
of  English style.



1stdibs.com





Pinterest



1stdibs.com

cocohouseandcompany.com

supply.com


1stdib.com





Pinterest


1stdibs.com


Barclay Butera for Traditional Home




Pinterest

1stdibs.com

Does this make you want to
put a little bamboo in your home too?

Traditional Home