Window Shopping In Santa Fe

I'm not going to lie, I've been doing a lot of shopping while in Santa Fe!

The first night, we found ACC, a fabulous home store, right on the square, with these two chairs in the window.

Also in the window, a unique bar stool. Isn't that upholstered seat cool with the woven upholstery webbing?

I'm in love with it!

Santa Fe has beautiful clothing boutiques also.

Boots galore!

And my personal favorite: jewelry. Especially turquoise jewelry!

Ortega's, also on the square had the best selection of turquoise.

We have had such a great time in Santa Fe. We took a side trip to Taos also, which I'll tell about later. Let's just say it was quite the adventure!

An Evening in Santa Fe

Evening in Santa Fe is a magical time. The sunset, the street musicians, the window shopping. Just strolling through the streets, taking it all in, is what we did our first night.

More to come....

Tuesday Inspiration: Santa Fe

Our bags are packed and we're on our way to Santa Fe today, my favorite city in this country besides San Francisco!

We last visited back in 1993, so we're very excited to see Santa Fe again.

A side trip to Taos is also planned, so stay tuned!

Everything Is Just Rosy!

Suddenly last Saturday night, the whole sky turned pink, casting a warm glow on everything.

I grabbed my camera and tried to capture the world through a beautiful rosy tint.

From rosy to orange, the northern sky was ablaze.

Eventually, the sun went down, the moon came up...

... and we had our first alfresco dinner of the summer.

For just an evening, for just a few hours, everything was just rosy!

Cuckoo for Kubu!

I'm cuckoo for kubu wicker these days! So much so, that I searched high and low, at every Cost Plus in the Bay Area for these chairs because Cost Plus has decided to discontinue them! I eventually found six.

Priced at $150 each, they are quite a bargain. The same chair is at Pottery Barn on sale for $280.

I really like how these chairs changed the entire look and feel of the kitchen dining area, lending texture and a rustic element.

Inspired by the new look, I re-staged the tabletop with this succulent arrangement, found at the antiques show Sunday and added a rustic vintage grain sack runner.

Thank you Joni from Cote de Texas for giving me the incentive to finally buy these chairs! You can read her post here. The problem with these chairs, is that I could put them everywhere. Inside and outside. Everywhere!

It's probably a good thing that they're being discontinued!

A Tablescape For Father's Day

This tablescape is in honor of Father's Day!

And specially dedicated to Mr. A., the best father my children could ever ask for!

Hence, the fishing theme on the plates--Mr. A's favorite thing to do!

The chargers are faux bois, perfect for highlighting the plates. Both are enamelware, and were another great find on OKL.

The tablecloth, a tartan wool throw is Ralph Lauren.

The centerpiece is a bouquet of sunflowers and olive branches from our trees in a cork vase.

Found antlers keep it masculine.

The water glass is Ralph Lauren. The wine glass may say "Provence,"

but the setting is California Wine Country!

It's magic hour, when the sun sets the hills aglow.

As the light fades...

...the new pendant casts its own glow.

It's Mr. A's favorite time in the evening because he gets to turn on all the lights!

Happy Father's Day Mr. A!

I'm joining Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday, as well as Kim's WOW party at Savvy Southern Style.

Tuesday Inspiration: The Backyard Cottage

If you are fortunate to have a backyard shed that you're using for storage, think about repurposing it as a cottage retreat.

Maybe it could be a potting shed, a summer sleeping cottage, an outside dining room, or a private retreat for reading or meditation.

This is my BFF Maureen's backyard cottage. I have been asked to re-design her backyard, and one of the things I'm insisting is that we remove the tools, paints, lawnmowers and motorcycle and turn this darling cottage into a usable space. So this post is to inspire her of the possibilities....

Schappacher White

It could be a summer sleeping cottage--perfect for her frequent out-of-town guests.

I like the idea of an office--just hang a "shingle" outside. The commute would be so easy!

Her cottage could also become a dining pavilion. Oh, I would kill for this!

There are so many possibilities that it will be hard to choose which one.

My idea is to give her cottage two purposes. Think of it as a "two-fer!"

Just like The Fancy Farmgirl did, we would divide the cottage in half with chicken wire. Put a screen door in the middle for a chicken coop on one side and a sitting area on the other that would also hold basic garden tools. I'll even give her the ratty wingback chair!

Hopefully, she is inspired!