Bench Seats

So Paul and I have been doing some serious contemplating about changing some things around in the dining area.  Right now we just have a simple little table that seats four and a pie-safe for storage.  The space is small and we are trying to ensure we optimize it as much as possible.  We think adding a bench seat area, utilizing the little weird half wall we have in the space and reconfiguring some things would allow us more seating and storage.  Here a few inspirations we are pulling from to design the project.

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I think I prefer the closed storage option just to keep things as uncluttered as possible and I know it's somewhat informal for a "dining" room but the open floor plan of our home doesn't really warrant formality.  What do you think, yes or no on the bench seating?

California Part 1

So, Paul and I are completely blessed to have family that live in some of the prettiest, coolest places in the country.  We made our way for our annual visit to San Francisco and Monterey a couple of weeks ago and wanted to share some photos with you fine folks.

We spent the majority of our time in Monterey, which is considered the central coast of California.  It is truly one of the prettiest places I have ever been.  When we are there we always make a quick little trip to Carmel  by the Sea.  It is an absolutely adorable little town and filled with fantastic restaurants and stores to boot.

We had lunch at Casanova Restaurant one day, and let me tell you it did not disappoint.  It's a cute little building, kind of off the beat and path of the main drag and it is some kind of good.

Lavender for sale outside of Casanova

Table for two inside of Casanova (how cute is this place?)

We also took a day trip just south to Big Sur.  I love Big Sur, it's stunningly beautiful to witness and pictures can't really do it justice.  We had lunch at Ventana, it's and Inn (never stayed there) but they also have a fabulous restaurant with stunning views overlooking the ocean.  Another great place we've eaten at while visiting Big Sur in the past is Post Ranch Inn.  Also great views, wonderful food and great service.

One of the many gorgeous views of Big Sur from Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park

 Wine room at Ventana....nuff said

We also took a little journey down 17 Mile Drive in Pebble Beach, it's filled with little stops along the way to admire the beauty that is the west coast.  It's a fairly touristy thing to do, but it's beautiful.

So that's it for now, I will be sure to share some more pics and places in SF.

back from california

Well, my body is  back on the east coast but my brain is still on west coast time.  It's been a slow start to the week and I am thoroughly looking forward to catching up on some things this weekend.  I will share some pics and places with you all soon about our trip but in the meantime please enjoy this pretty picture taken in Big Sur.  It's a beautiful world we live in...

Happy Happy

Happy Birthday to my oh so fabulous cousin, Ashley. She is the definition of awesome sauce and I love her to the moon and back.  We've been through a lot together and I thank God everyday for such a wonderful cousin and best friend.  Love you lady!!!

Now, since she strictly abides by drinking only champagne when she does choose to partake in the alcoholic beverages I thought I would share a recipe from watermelon.org (yes that's a real site, crazy I know).

What you will need:
1 cup of watermelon juice (puree, strained)
1/2 cup light champagne (preferably not Brut)
Champagne flutes

What you do:
Divide watermelon juice among 2 to 3 champagne flutes ( I would say 2 but that's just me) Fill with champagne and enjoy!!!

Sputnik...

Happy Monday folks, it was a great warm weekend here and now we're back at it starting another work week.  I am really digging the sputnik light and and working to convince Paul to change out the light fixture in the dining room for a sputnik light.  Fingers crossed!!!  What do you think sputnik light, too mid-century trendy or classically retro?

Here's a few to think on...

 I love this pop of red in the neutral  room and the suzani bedspread is right up my alley.

I absolutely love this dining room, the rich neutrals, the mid-century furnishing mixed with the traditional built-ins and that art work is amaze balls.  

This one is a diy from Little Green Notebook.  She used an ikea chandelier and created this beauty. (link below)

What a fun way to introduce the playful vibe to home, sputnik in the entry.

This dining room is capital D-ramatic.  The rich colors and bold choice for wall covering works well in the space.

So fun and playful... nuff said.

I love how traditional this space is and that the light fixture is the show stopper.  Absolutely love.

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The streets of Baltimore...

Sorry for the MIA status as of late.  I spent a long weekend up in Baltimore and before that suffered with a bout of vertigo.  It was the first time I have ever had vertigo, it lasted about a week and it was zero fun.  If anyone out there as had it, you know it makes day to day activity very difficult.  Well, any who I was feeling well enough last weekend to make a journey up to Baltimore and enjoy the city.  We watched two baseball games at Camden Yards (the whole reason we were there, Paul is a huge Detroit Tigers fan) and well Baltimore is a heck of a lot closer than Detroit.  

We stayed at the Tremont Plaza and it was great.  Great location, easy access parking, and a wonderfully comfortable bed that made it very difficult to motivate myself in the morning to get out of it.  We spent our days wandering the streets, taking in the "touristy" sites of the inner harbor, making a couple of trips to the Fell's Point neighborhood (highly recommend) and obviously made our way to the stadium.  

We had a great time, I love being in a big city and the people of Baltimore are fantastic.  

The view from our hotel room on the 37th floor, thank goodness for vertigo medicine.

Inner Harbor

Dragon spotting at the inner harbor

The ballpark prior to game time

Elvis watched over me while we at a delicious breakfast at Blue Moon Cafe.  

We heard about this place on Diners, Drive-ins & Dives and it did not disappoint.  The wait was long, but that's to be expected on a Saturday morning, the service was fantastic and the food was delicious.  They are known for their cinnamon rolls and Captain Crunch French toast.  I didn't get either because I had already eaten a delicious almond pastry at the Eastern European Bakery down the street so I thought it was best to not make my second breakfast of the day a sugary one.  So I was oh so responsible and got an Italian omelet. :)  All in all it was a wonderful mini-vacation and I thoroughly enjoy the people and places in Baltimore.  

Have a Happy 4th

4th of July is literally right around the corner and I know many of you have some fabulous beach or pool plans in your future.  I myself will stay away from the beach tomorrow, strictly for the sake of my sanity.  I might however venture to my friend's pool and relax and escape the summer heat there.  What are your holiday plans?

In honor of America's Birthday I thought I would showcase an American Photographer from back in the day that did an insanely good job at capturing beautiful people in beautiful locations living the good life.  Enjoy these photos by Slim Aarons.  I love how retro glam they are.

All images by Slim Aarons via