Little B & B on the Prairie

I’ve  always loved Rachel Ashwell‘s Shabby Chic style. To me, it feels so luxurious, yet relaxed and of course her interiors are full of romantic, vintage treasures that make me swoon. So, when I heard that she had opened up her own B & B in Texas, I had to go take a peek…

Aptly named – “The Prairie” – it instantly appealed to me. Can you see why?

Isn’t it dreamy? I would love to stay here on our next trip to Texas!

xo,

Images via here and here.

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Happy Birthday Toby

Today is very Fall like. Windy. Rainy. Swirling leaves. I’m sitting at my desk feeling a little blah, to be honest. I’m finishing a pot of tea and dreading the idea of putting on actual clothes to go run errands. Why can’t sweat pants be considered fabulous? damn it.

My sweet cat Toby is always a comfort on days like this. He jumps up on my lap, purrs with contentment and curls up into a ball for a lovely nap. Cats have it rough. I just adore him and today is his 1st Birthday, so I thought I would share some pics of him that I took with my new beloved lens. He really is so photogenic…I’m biased of course. Happy B’day Toby!

Look at that face…isn’t he the sweetest?

Don’t you just love how our pets make our days better?

xo,

Pretty Rooms: Fall inspired

Behind our house, the light in the forest is changing. A beautiful and subtle shift where the sun no longer rises high overhead but instead dances among the trees, dipping the garden in gold. The once vibrant purple hydrangea now bow their heads, weary, faded and burnished with bronze. The first leaves are beginning to fall. What a magical time, what a gorgeous season.

I want to spread this loveliness throughout the house. Little touches of fall. Nothing over the top…just subtle hints that celebrate Autumn. Inspiration was needed. Here are some my favorite fall looks for the home…

I love how soft shades of chartreuse are used on this mantle….this would work well for me, since I have blues and greens through out my living and dining room…

I am also kinda in love with white pumpkins…so pretty and they go with everything!

How cozy is this room? Lovely!

This candle idea is genius! Simple strips of tissue paper wrapped around glass hurricanes…brilliant! Instructions here.

Are you feeling the Fall Love? How will you be decorating your home this Autumn?

xo,

 

For more fall ideas for the home and to see all these images go here.

A Quiet Sunday…

Hello! I hope you all have had a lovely weekend. Ours started with a very, very busy Saturday. Tennis lessons, a school picnic and a kids b’day party! Poor Grace was exhausted. We all were. Typically, we try not to fill our weekends up. The weekdays are hectic enough and in my house, we are big fans of slow mornings, lounging around in PJ’s, a pancake breakfast and several cups of steaming hot coffee. Saturday was none of those…but we did have a good time. Grace was super adorable with her little tennis racket. We met some fabulous new parents at the school picnic and the kids’ birthday party…well…the pizza was good and Grace had a blast!

So today, I had a plan – which was to have no plans whatsoever. I spent the entire day in my yoga pants and as the rain began to fall, Grace and I pulled out our arts and crafts supplies and she began a collage. After much painting, cutting and gluing, she announced – “It’s finished!” She was so proud. She entitled it: “The Bird Family”.

Soon after she was done, her little friend next door called and off she went, excited at the opportunity to play.

I was left alone. My small canvas stared at me, still blank and white as snow. Torn between a desire to create and the fear of not knowing what to do, I decided it would just be best to tidy up and get on with the laundry.  I began picking up, but didn’t get far. I wanted to make something and the stupid laundry could wait. Although my canvas would remain bare, I had a project in mind. A plain pillar candle, I recently purchased, was just begging to be adorned and so the afternoon unfolded…

I just love these plain religious candles. For about $2.00 each, they are perfect for decorating!

Once I started taking pictures of my candle, I couldn’t stop. So many pretty materials were spread out before me…

The stunning ribbon and seam binding I got from a fabulous Etsy store called The Five Dollar French Market. You must visit! Just be warned you will want one of everything!

The photos continued…you see I’m a little obsessed with my new lens. It’s my new favorite and so reasonably priced! Check it out at Amazon here.

What a peaceful day. I so needed it.

xo,

Grace, my muse.

I have been feeling overwhelmed lately. All good stuff but still. I’ve been pushing myself a little too much and it has caught up with me, in the form of a cold. It hasn’t helped that poor Grace has been home sick too. So tonight, I took it easy. I made a big pot full of steaming chamomile tea and have been peacefully editing some of my photos from the summer. Delighted with some of the images I managed to capture of Grace, I had to share. She truly is my muse…

I love how I often see such wonderment in her eyes. Such hope and innocence…

Other times, I capture moments of what appear to be deep thought and reflection. She often gazes into a flower or stares up at the trees. I once found her cradling a tiny broken bird shell that she had found on the forest floor. She kept it by her bedside for weeks in a small glass bowl. “A baby bird actually lived in here!” she would exclaim.

Sometimes I wonder if she’s my own little fairy child…I am enchanted by her…

Take time for yourself this week and be enchanted with your life and the loved ones around you.

Hope you are all having a beautiful week.

xo,