Bathroom Project

I've started a new project. I am all finished with testing for the moment- all my required licenses are now done so I can have some fun again. My new project is in the main bathroom. I have taken the dooes off of the closet, removed the shelves and I am working on making this a usable and attractive space. I have been thinking about this for awhile and now that I have the time, why not go for it?
I will add some pics soon of my progress soon. I can't wait to see how this looks when it is done!

Which Designer are you most like?

I found this great little spot on House Beautiful's site...14 Designers Share Their Favorite Things for the Home. You have to go check it out and see which designer you are most like. For me it was Celerie Kemble. Although, many other designers had peonies as their favorite flower, which is my absolute most favorite too!

Celerie KembleNew York, NY; Palm Beach, FL
FLOWER: Poppy
SOFA SHAPE: Tuxedo
COMFORT FOOD: Spaghetti with butter and Parmesan
LAMP: Vintage oddballs
ALARM CLOCK: Bose — black, with CD player and remote
CAR COLOR (EXTERIOR/INTERIOR): Dark green/tan
EVERYDAY DISHES: Same as my fancy — vintage china from Maddock and Sons
COFFEE TABLE BOOK: Tony Duquette
COLOR: Where green meets blue
ALL-PURPOSE GLASS: CB2 stacking tumblers — flat bottoms and taper
SOAP: Jo Malone Orange Blossom
ICE CREAM: Mint chip, if the ice cream is white
TOWEL: Restoration Hardware bath sheets. White with colored piping
CHAIR: A small Napoleon III-style slipper chair from 145 Antiques, NYC
WALLPAPER: Grass cloth in deep blue or green from Schumacher
SHEETS: Léron hand-stitched bamboo pattern
CLEANING SUPPLY: Mustela baby wipes in my purse
TOOTHPASTE: Marvis Jasmin Mint
VACUUM: Dyson
LIGHTBULB/WATTAGE: 3-way
KITCHEN GADGET: Williams-Sonoma baby food steamer and chopper
WORKHORSE FABRIC: Valtekz Torello faux-leather in dark teal, carried through Zoffany in New York
PEN: I like push-point pencils
ARTIST: Matisse

Laura's wedding

We went to a beautiful wedding last weekend. Laura from my office finally got to enjoy the wedding that she has been planning for the past year-and-a-half. The ceremony was at Patten Chapel on the UTC campus and the reception was at The Mill. Now, the ceremony was on the short side, as in if you were fifteen minutes late you would have missed it. This of course was a great delight to Steve who jokingly refers to weddings as funerals. So, quick ceremony then off for the fun at The Mill. I had recently been to a Greendrinks event at The Mill and was equally impressed with the locale this time around as a reception site. Leathher couches in the corner, band on the stage, lovely tables throughout...made a great reception spot. We had to leave early so we didn't get to enjoy much dancing, but I am sure it was a great dance spot.

Decorating in seafoam green

One of the blogs that I frequent Abbey Goes Design Scouting had a great link to another blog that had a story on the color seafoam green. This is one of my colors so I had to check it out. I found this gorgeous room

I also found this awesome poster that I have been wanting-

You can find the posters here on etsy.

Hawaiian Names

My Hawaiian name is Elikapeka... I found this cool website that will tell you your Hawaiian name when you type in your name http://hawaiiannames.hisurf.com/index.php. I'm thinking this would be pretty fun to use for the luau birthday party we're throwing on Sunday for eight and nine year olds. Along with a hula hoop contest and pineapple bowling we're talking a fun day :).

Derby Party

I finally took the Series 7 test and passed it on the first try. Apparently this is no small feat so I am very grateful for the passing score. Now I don't have to feel guilty when I am just sitting around and relaxing.

I recently went to the Derby Day party at Bluewater Grill and had a great time. We had mint juleps, shrimp and grits, chocolates...yummy. Oh, and there was a race too. :)

So here's a picture of us enjoying the pre-party. We had a great time.

I had never actually had a mint julep and so I was determined to try one at the Derby Party and you know I really didn't love it. The mint flavor wasn't strong enough and there just wasn't anything fabulous about it. Maybe mint juleps weren't the specialty of the bartender, but he did know how to make mint julep punch. Mint julep punch is a little minty and a little sweet and very delish! I am definitely going to be serving this at a party. I found this recipe online and think I'm going to try it.

Mint Julep Punch
Ingredients
1 (10 ounce) jar mint jelly
2 cups water
1 liter bourbon
1 (46 ounce) can unsweetened pineapple juice
1/2 cup lime juice
2 cups water
ice cubes
2 (28 ounce) bottles 7-Up soda, chilled
lime slice (optional)
fresh mint leaves (optional)
Directions
1Combine the jelly and 2 cups water in a saucepan and heat, stirring, over low heat until the jelly melts.
2Let cool.
3Add the bourbon, juices and 2 cups water and chill in the refrigerator.
4To serve, pour the juice mixture over ice in a punch bowl.
5Slowly pour in 7-Up, stirring gently.
6Garnish with lime slices and fresh mint leaves, if desired.

Cheers!

Welcome back to me

Okay, so I haven't written in a really long time... I've been busy!

So, the book club is about to meet again- on February 19th we are meeting at my place to talk about The Brief Wonderous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz.

Another bit of news my absolutely favorite magazine Domino has announced that it is stopping publication due to lack of advertising, rising costs, etc. I am so bummed. What are the other choices? Well, I am going to have to resort to House Beautiful or Elle Decor maybe? I am not sure any of the other options will come close to matching what Domino had. It was a little quirky and a little modern--such an interesting mix of high and low options. It will be missed.