We'll All Go Out To Meet Him--Las Vegas!

Our daughter's boyfriend, is moving to southern California.  He's driving across the country from Washington, DC.  So, I thought "Hey, let's meet him somewhere near the end of his trip."

Like at the natural beauty of the Grand Canyon (never been there) or, 

at the unnatural wonder of Las Vegas 
(never been there either).

Las Vegas?!

Well, that sounded like fun to my daughter, husband, cousin, sister, brother 

(you want to come, too?) 

and so... 

"we're all goin' out to meet him when he comes" 

(sung by my mom to "she'll be comin' around the mountain").

Staying at THEhotel a part of 
Mandalay Bay Resort.

And look what I got for an early birthday present...tickets from my family to a Rod Stewart concert...

Another aging well rock star, like Kenny Loggins...He's playing at Caesar's Palace.  

I will try to behave.  

Have you ever been to Las Vegas?  

Autumn Calling

Welcome Autumn!  

Those little pumpkin shaped seeds 

 are my first nod to the season.

I bought them here...

At Rolling Greens Nursery.

Rolling Greens is an interesting combination of plant nursery, gift and home store.  There are three locations in southern California.  I stopped by the West Hollywood location to buy our daughter a plant for her new office.

Look at that curtain made of...

used tea bags!

I love beeswax candles.

These crates make a nice display.

The saucer was too big so I asked the salesperson if she could fill in with some moss...then she added pebbles and twine...all set to deliver to my daughter's office.

Alie loved it.

In other news...there was a wedding last weekend across the street.

I wasn't actually invited.

But then I don't think the little girl on the scooter was either.

My mother brought over juicy fruit stand peaches.  I cut them in half and grilled them quickly on high heat.

 Then, I topped them with

creme fraiche (or you could use sour cream) mixed with a little honey and vanilla bean.

Just sprinkle chopped walnuts and/or 

chocolate on top.

These were ingredients that I already had.

  So easy.

I'm sure I'll get more into Fall later...in fact...my pillows are looking a little too summery.  

Might be time to warm things up.  Uh oh.

If you are receiving this by email, please click here (or on the post title) to see much more such as, past highlights of interiors, parties and recipes and outdoor spaces...available in tabs across the top.
Thanks so much for being here!

The Enchanted Home and Projects in the Works

  

Please come see what comprises My Perfect Fall Day 

at The Enchanted Home.

In other news...these fabrics are in the works for a client's 

new beach house living room.

The two bottom Belgian linen fabrics are pillow covers 
from Restoration Hardware.  When I tried to order them 
on-line (on sale now), they were back-ordered until 
mid-December.  Luckily, our local store still had a 
few in stock.

These items are going in their family room.  

Other clients (with a darling one year old baby boy) 
want to utilize all their living space until they move 
to a place a bit larger.

The wife inherited this wing chair from a great 
aunt and here it is with a 
kid friendly, pre-washed (important) slipcover. 

I had them remove the skirt to update it 
and we stained the legs.

It's still in the workshop here...but will be fun to show you it in their refurnished family room.

I spotted these chairs (less than $250 each) 

for their living room at

  Just Like the Model (a store that sells goods from model 

homes at a discount).  

One last thing... here is a fun cocktail that I brought to 
a party last weekend.  It's from my friend, 

Nancy's blog, A Communal Table.

I love Nancy's photography.

It's called "Queen's Cocktail."

That's rock candy or "edible diamonds."  

It's sweet, spicy and refreshing.

You can read more about this drink here.

Please stop by The Enchanted Home for

"My Perfect Fall Day." 

I look forward to visiting Tina's amazing home everyday, don't you?

Participating in 

Wow Us Wednesdays

Our Home Tours at Georgica Pond

Melinda, from the lovely, Georgica Pond, invited my friend, Debbie and me to share our homes with her readers.

 Melinda lives in Australia, has three children five years old and younger and is doing an amazing job decorating her home!

Her daughter, Poppy's room is darling. 
You can read more about it HERE.

I think that may be Poppy in the sidelight 

by their pretty door.

Skip on over to Georgica Pond in Australia to tour our 
California homes...crazily small world of blogging! 

Best wishes!  

Need a Lawyer?!

It was time to update the interiors of a large, successful law firm.  

It's still not finished, but here are some before and after photos.

The carpet sample on the lower left was already chosen.  I used that along with the marble floor in the lobby for inspiration.  Their clients come to them for business law and estate planning.

"Before"

We wanted a traditional, relaxed and secure environment.

"After"     

(The counter bottom trim will be painted charcoal to match the piece).

One of the partners said that the wall color was trendy.

It doesn't really pay to argue with a lawyer, but I reminded him that it is an historical color 

(Benjamin Moore Stratton Blue) found in 18th century architecture.  

I borrowed the antique prints from another room.

"Before" 

(see me taking the photo?).

"After"  

I didn't know how to get their client out of the shot.  We reupholstered the settee in a commercial 

linen and made one seat cushion instead of three...and thicker for more comfort.

Hey, he looks pretty comfortable...mission accomplished.

The upholsterer did a nice job.

The club chairs were also redone and I accessorized with law books.

This is one of the hallways.

The interior halls were painted a bone white (to blend with the filing cabinets)

with dove white trim. 

 Artwork was edited and rehung throughout.

Here you can see where we painted one accent wall (on the right) Benjamin Moore Wyeth Blue.  

This was done in each work station.

Below is before

the senior partner got busy purging so the Phillip Jeffries grasscloth could be hung.

Here is the office now.  We had the backs of the shelves papered also.

There are antique carved chairs and Herman Miller chairs being 

reupholstered for this office.

 We'll come back when the conference room is finished.

The entire office was disrupted and displaced while the painting and new carpeting was installed.

But now it's all fresh and clean!

If you need help with estate planning, I highly recommend this firm. 

Everyone is pleasant. knowledgable and honest

...including the lawyers!  (little lawyer joke).

Thanks so much for visiting!

Home Studios Near the Beach and Refreshing Salad

Recently, I visited my old buddy, Carol in 
La Jolla (near San Diego), California. 

 This is the ocean view from her front deck.

After a long walk on the beach, we had an 

inexpensive lunch at Caroline's Seaside Café.  

  It's located on the University of California's Oceanography campus but open to everyone, not just students.  What beautiful architecture and view!

 Then, we headed back to Carol and Mark's house. 

This is Mark's writer's studio in the back garden.

It is a one room cottage built in Canada by Summerwood Products.

Their style unit is the Sonoma (10' x 12') and costs $10k, plus approximately $18k to build & outfit.

 It is a peaceful, zen-like room and is where Mark wrote his book "Lead From the Heart" regarding advice for successful business management.

This is Carol's atelier in the garage.  She has been busy!

 Even though her studio is in the garage, it comes with fresh ocean breezes and this view just outside!

You know it's a good sign when someone asks you for the recipe...like after I made this easy Herb and Feta Salad for my sister.  It's a refreshing addition to your menu.  

Participating in
Mangia Mondays