Monday, March 31, 2014

Spring Floral Inspiration

Style Me Pretty
Spring has sprung in California with true spring-like weather of unsettled weather.
We are finally getting some much needed rain and that means flowers!

Save-On-Crafts
I'm always looking for floral inspiration, especially today as I head out to the garden with clippers in hand.
Although hydrangeas aren't blooming in the yard yet, this fun arrangement of white hydrangeas mimicking cauliflower set inside leaves would be perfect for the Easter or Passover table.

Last week I visited a friend who always inspires me with the flowers in her home.
I like how she uses a dried boxwood wreath to support the simple hydrangea plant in this urn.

She used a dried boxwood wreath as well for this simple kitchen arrangement of lettuce in an antique dough bowl.
How cool that it's edible too!

Little vases of roses fill this rectangle stone pot on the coffee table.
I certainly left her home with lots of floral inspiration and determination to decorate my home for spring.
Stay tuned to see what I come up with!

(You can find me at A Stroll Thru Life for Inspire Me Tuesday, and Confessions of a Plate Addict)
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Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Move Over Canon, There's a New Kid In Town!

 Since so many have asked about my new camera, let me introduce the new Sony Nex-6.
It's smart, sexy and very petite!

 In fact it weighs nothing!
Compared to my old Canon Rebel XTi, it is so much easier to lug around, even without the extra weight of the Tamron lens.  

 It comes with an all purpose lens and has WiFi built in.  
Although I don't know how to use that feature yet, apparently you can send your photos directly to your social media like Facebook, Instagram or your computer.

Let's compare the image quality of the Sony vs. the Canon.
Above, is an unedited photo taken with the Canon.

Same photo was taken with the Sony, also unedited.
I don't see much difference, do you?

The Canon.

The Sony.

The Canon.

The Sony.

The Canon.

The Sony.
Wow, I really cannot tell the difference in quality.

This unedited photo was taken of my dining room using the 16mm F2.8 wide angle lens that I also purchased.  At first I couldn't tell that this lens made much of a difference and was ready to return it.

Then I put the original lens back on and compared.
Hmmm, maybe I'll keep the wide angle and experiment more with it.
This could be fun!

I was so skeptical when I purchased this camera that it would take the same quality photos as a Canon product.  The sales person at Best Buy told me that this is the direction of DSLR cameras and Sony is at the forefront.  I've always been partial to Canon vs. Nikon and never would have given a Sony camera a chance.

Move over Canon, there's a new kid in town!

(I'm sharing this post at Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesday)

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Friday, March 21, 2014

Flowers And Perfume

 How about some beautiful Parisian flowers and perfume to start the weekend with, starting with the flowers at The George V.
  They were truly breathtaking!


This floral display is the first thing you see when you walk into the lobby.
It's almost overwhelming!

I would never think of combining red and pink together but it works.
Just look how many orchids and roses!

This arrangement was at the Bristol Hotel, another fabulous hotel that we visited one evening.

Flowers and fruit at the Cacharel showroom.

Just as pretty as flowers are these Chanel perfume bottles...

...I found myself reminiscing about my Grandma Ila who alway wore Chanel No. 5!

I'm in love with the flower stands in Paris.
How can one resist not stopping for a bouquet while walking home to your Parisian apartment?

The French have a way of making everything look better.

From flowers to perfume, I was so inspired to capture it all with the new Sony camera I bought two days before the trip.

Have a fabulous weekend!

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Thursday, March 20, 2014

C'est Les Printemps

I could tell spring was near by the way the air smells at night with the sweet scent of lilacs.


 Lilacs are to me the quintessential spring flower, their blooms ever so brief yet dramatic with their perfume.
Of course I cannot wait to pick them and bring inside to inhale!


C'est Les Printemps! (This is spring!)
“That is one good thing about this world...there are always sure to be more springs.”  ~L.M. Montgomery
(Which means more lilacs!)

Happy First Day of Spring!


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Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Paris Fashion Week With The Fashionistas

The whole point of going to Paris when we did was to be there for Fashion Week.
Although I'm not into fashion and was the least fashionable of the four of us, it was certainly an experience to be there with these two fashionistas!

Kathleen has a popular fashion blog called KatwalkSF, so it made sense that she would pack two gigantic suitcases for the trip.
She was very prepared for all the fashion shows and for photoshoots that Ashley or I took for her blog.
I love this look, day one on the Champs-Elysees.
Very chic!

Kathleen talked Ashley into posing in the Jardin deTuileries for her post on Paris street style.
There's that cape again.  
(From my closet.)

They would meet us in the lobby every night, and it was always exciting to see what they were wearing.

The girls usually attended two or three fashion shows during the day...

...and since my friend Teresa and I couldn't get in, we walked and shopped!

We were able to visit some showrooms though.
This was Ashley's favorite.

I enjoyed the Cacharel showroom and how everything was displayed simply on makeshift plywood tables and racks. 

A model in Cacharel.

Ashley modeling her wicked witch of the west ensemble!

Kathleen the night we ate at La Société in her Trina Turk pants.

 "The Fashionistas" in front of Notre Dame.

Ashley channeling The Monuments Men look!

You never know when there will be an impromptu photoshoot!

There's never a dull moment when traveling with "The Fashionistas." 
For a whole week in Paris, being with these girls made me feel like I was their age again.
Well, almost!

They even have a new name, thanks to a very nice waiter who called them "wicked trendy!"
Perhaps it could be the name of our someday boutique?

Be sure to check out Katheen's blog for more Paris Fashion Week inspiration.
I'm linking up to The Tablescaper for "Oh The Places I've Been"
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