Antique prints and maps and a giveaway!

I have long been a fan of antique architectural prints and maps in decorating. Groupings of them are a classic and versatile look with plenty of impact.

They work in so many settings.

A dark,masculine study or library is an obvious location but there are plenty of light and airy places that are a good fit.

No room is the wrong place.

Symmetry in these arrangements adds a formal air.

I love displays where the prints are many different sizes.

Now for the giveaway...

Art by Karena is hosting the giveaway of this antique print from my Etsy store.

It is custom framed in an 11" x 14" black frame and matted in a dark gray.

Head on over there to enter and stop back here later in the week for another giveaway.

Fantasy spaces

This is the time of year that many of us make and fill wishlists. I thought a post on a wishlist of rooms or fantasy spaces would be a fun diversion.

I start with a dressing room.

It is adjacent to this bedroom--at least it is in my head.

 The view is my basis for choosing it.

And for the kids...

It only needs a sliding board.

My "mom cave" is a gloomy library like this.

The door in the shelves is my favorite part.

I might add a Christmas tree to cheer it up a bit.

The living room has a view too.

 Don't mind the geographic anomaly amongst the views!

Fancy a snack?

Indoor or outdoor dining?

And one more place to relax...

Well there it is, a bizarre collection of really cool spaces.

Which is your favorite?

Don't forget to come back tomorrow for give away details! 

In the mean time, check out these great holiday giveaways.

Welcoming vignettes

In my own entry hall I have two tables and a chair but no console table.

I have been thinking about ramping up the impact in there, somehow.

Whether your entry decor is modern or traditional, elaborate or minimalist, functional or decorative there needs to be a certain cohesiveness in the vignette.

They are meant to set a mood and welcome.

How functional they are varies.

I am a huge fan of large abstracts above a console.

I love the look of a stool or pair of them under a console but I am not sold on the functionality of them.

I mean really, how often do you plop down at a table styled to the hilt?

What would you do there?

Do you prefer a vignette composed of many things or just a few?

Stools underneath or no?
Come back Tuesday for info on a giveaway !!!

The holiday kid's table

Next year I may be the Christmas host once again.
Yay.

There will have to be a separate children and teen's table because it looks like there will be at least 11.

I am already mulling over the options for table decor.

I think green napkins with dinosaurs HERE will be kid pleasers and work with seasonal colors.

I don't think melamine plates are necessary as my kids tend not to toss their dinners across the room but the variety of adorable and inexpensive options is huge.

These cuties are available HERE

I think this vintage tablecloth is adorable and would be great but not with the dino napkins. It is one or the other. I would probably use a plain white cloth with the special napkins if only for it's bleach-ability.

These candy centerpieces would be a delight although perhaps a distraction from "real" food.

 I think a stack of "presents" would work too.
Since the little kids will be ages 3 through 10,  I'll need to figure out a fun little activity for the teenagers to help with and kill a little time.

I have all year to pull together my ideas!

5th anniversary treat

Entrance to Joel Rubuchon Las Vegas

Five years ago today, my husband and I eloped in Las Vegas.

I used to dismiss the idea of eloping in Las Vegas with a wave of the hand and an indignant noise.

He is edited out because he wants to be

I found that that there were actually tasteful venues for this sort of thing.

Our ceremony was everything that it should be, prayerful, elegant and short.

Did I mention how I loved my gown?

I wish I was still so thin

Most Vegas brides looked like the wedding cake itself. Having been a young bride before, I fully understand but this was no time for such things in my world.

After the ceremony we had hours to kill before our dinner reservation.

 We had Moet et Chandon and sushi as a time killer. Pickled ginger and Moet are divine together and continue as a tradition on our anniversary.

We strolled around casinos and then headed to Joel Rubuchon in the MGM Grand Hotel. 

I couldn't help but feel like everything was rather fake and  Disneyland like.

The view from our corner booth

I did not and still do not like the color purple and was put off by the ostentatious look of the restaurant.

 I am no stranger to fine dining in large cities and around the world and did not expect to be surprised.

I must say that this was the finest meal I have ever had, purple notwithstanding.

Eight courses with extras, a smoking amuse d'bouche, little "huts" of foie gras, white truffle slices and golden potato that were our favorite, make this the bar to be met each time we dine at a fine establishment.

No one has come close.

 I am off to Restaurant Eve's tasting room in Alexandria tonight. Fingers crossed.

Inspiration-living room

This gorgeous living room is by Bunny Williams in AD via Mrs. Blandings.

I can't stop thinking about it.

Those curtains! Mon Dieu!

Why my Christmas ornaments are so ugly

My Christmas tree is a melange of ornaments from different eras with a mainly red color theme. 

The collection of Christmas oddities is not one I am self conscious of, but rather sentimental about.

Some are mod or downright groovy.

They remind me of my childhood and hearing Santa's bells as he left the presents for me, always just out of sight.

made by me age 4

There is one that reminds me of tiny, earnest fingers trying to craft what is imagined.

I don't understand the mushroom/ Christmas connection but I have a lot of it

They remind my of my Meme (grandmother in French) and the effort she went to every year from 1948 to 1996, when I took over.

No one in the family thought she would let me host Christmas and when I timidly broached the subject she gasped with relief, saying " I thought no one else would ever do it. I am sick of it."

Some ornaments remind me of opening presents with messed up styled hair from the night before.

made by my mother for her mother

Many remind me of the people who made them.

The snowman my son made me and....

the preschool project remind me that he actually was little and cute at one time.

Things my children made are an important part of my tree decoration.

Christmas for me is about memories, not the trying to relive the past but more of an homage to all of the good things that Christmas has become and that is why my ornaments are ugly.

I wouldn't have it any other way.