need it! canvas tool bag

If you are like me,

you are schlepping who-knows-what to who-knows-where

any given day of the week.

SO I think one of these is rather justified, don't you?

klein superior labor

jcrew  denham

That's a much chicer way to schlepp, non?

destination friday: absolute sanctuary in thailand

We haven't had a Destination Friday in a while,

and so here is a lovely one for you.

Absolute Sanctuary is a wellness resort in Koh Samui, Thailand.

The perfect place for a little cleansing and rejuvenating of mind and body.

Spa, yoga centre and healthy fare.

Think my time would be spent right here :)

(the color - look at that luscious color!)

ahh, the spaaaa.. how I love that word.

find a sliver of namaste...

the Love Kitchen menu is tantalizing.. and healthy!

Afternoon naps are a holiday must...

how wonderful are these rooms? 

I love white bedding - it always feels crisp and cool,
here it provides great balance to all the color.

Think leaving the computer behind may stretch you a bit thin?

If you must :)

I can feel my muscles relaxing...

hard to leave this one, isn't it?!

imagine a whole week...

It's been crazy here for work, 

spring is on the way and everyone is beginning to get that

"let's freshen up the house" itch..

Here's hoping we all find some moments like these this weekend...

although they definitely won't be beside an gorgeous infinity pool,

immersed in the warm sea air ... sigh :)

**just a quick note - next week I will be over at Project Gadabout,

the fabulous Poppy has done a series of posts about her fellow bloggers 

and generously invited me to take part - pop over if you like! 

Since Poppy's blog always makes me feel like

 throwing on some red lips and dashing down to the beach in a convertible,

 I am going to have Palm Beach Week on the blog :)

Eye candy galore! You're going to love it - x ***

guest post at gallery no 8

I have a guest post today over at Gallery No 8.

the theme is winter getaway... sounds good, right?

Brittany has got a great blog going, 

clean design and lots of eye candy.

I always gravitate toward blogs with a positive vibe,

and Brittany's really comes through.

if you don't already read this one, 

you'll want to pop over and check her out...

I won't tell you about the post,

except it involves a trailer park, lol!

Intrigued?!

x

the right way to paint furniture

My love for painted furniture runs deep.

I have no qualms about transforming a worn old wood piece with a lick of color.

It's like painting a wall, 

my heart is bursting when that first bit goes on and it is PERFECT!

  1 2 3 4 5

One of my must-reads every day is Better After -

do you visit?

Lindsey features fantastic readers re-dos (say that five times fast!),

and her charismatic writing is not to be missed :)

source

That said, there are so many redo's out there people begin to think it's easy.

It's really not.

You can slap on a quick coat of paint, of course -

and it will look just that, slapped on.

To really bring a tired piece up to par it needs LOVE.

And by love I mean elbow grease.

Preparation is a must.

 1 2 3

This morning I read a fantastic primer at Effortless Style

detailing how to properly paint a piece of furniture.

I must say, I usually use the wood putty first, sand, then prime and sand,

but Camila is a painting star, and really goes the distance to ensure a proper finish.

Pop over and read her process..

it's rather full of great tips for reviving your latest thrift find.

Great color, yes?

Today I am picking up materials to get the blinds started..

hope to show them to you by weeks end!

Have a great day :)

does bird art feel modern?

Birds have become such a popular motif the last years.

I am seeing them in prints in in almost every clients home I enter.

I don't generally buy art or advise clients to buy art based on trends.

Buy what you love, 

invest in better pieces, 

and you will build an interesting, cohesive collection.

Sometimes bird prints verge on "cute",

which doesn't appeal to me much.

But these large works,

with their dramatic scale,

feel modern.

grounding a casual grouping..

source

John Derian uses a graphic pen and ink pair in his Provincetown home.

source

Natural Curiosities

 is a great source for prints like these beauties.

source

My dream piece -

 the off-kilter arrangement lends even more emphasis to this 

spectacular painting by Katie Van Horne.

 source

Some beautiful smaller options..

  1 2 3 4 

Really great use of negative space,

in the paintings themselves and the arrangement.

source

What do you think of these?

Are you tired of birds?

Or do you see them as timeless?

Whew! What a weekend!

How was yours?

Did you find yourself making goodies for Valentines day?

The darlings are allowed to take treats to school to share with their classmates,

and we always bake up a version of these sugar cookies.

They are really easy to make,

and taste fantastic!

Soft but slightly crisp on the outside,

sweet but with a little zing...

They are drop cookies,

but this weekend we decided to roll them in colored sugar 

and add conversation hearts.

Sugar Cookies

3 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 3/4 cups white sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 cup butter

2 eggs

1/4 tsp salt (optional, I skip it)

Mix flour, baking powder and salt, set aside.

blend sugar and butter in mixer for 1 minute.

Add eggs, lemon juice, blend.

Gradually add flour mixture until combined.

Scoop onto (parchment paper lined) cookie sheets,

flatten slightly, bake for 15 minutes.

Usually I press a candy on top before baking :)

For our Valentine cookies, 

I rolled the dough into small balls (1-2"),

  rolled them in colored sugar

(food coloring mixed into white sugar),

then popped a conversation heart on top.

This makes them smooth, round and sparkly..

We made a double recipe and ended up with about 150 cookies,

which were then packed up in cellophane bags 

and the kids added homemade valentines to each.

I do the cookies, they are on their own for the valentines.

Tash made hers on the computer this year :

Coco's involved lots of sparkles and glue,

and Cam's were "from Cam" written on a piece of red paper :)

By the end I am always asking myself why I do this -

but the next day when they are proudly carrying them off to school...

I remember.

Cam's party was a blast,

thanks so much for all your notes,

I showed him the comments and he was amazed!

thought you may like to see the mud cupcakes :)

Sour gummy worms, crushed oreo's and colored sugar

 atop tinted vanilla icing and vanilla cupcakes.

(asked Cam what color he wanted and he said "vanilla")

They were a hit!

Going to run and do a quick Valentines Day post -

Hope you don't mind these recipe bits, 

someone always asks how to make the goodies so just thought I'd share -  x

day of love

source

forget the fancy restaurants,
all I want is something like this..

somewhere like this...

and an entire day devoted solely to this :)

source

Hope today finds you sharing kisses with someone wonderful.