Hi there and happy Sunday to you.......hope you are having a great weekend. I was in Boston which was loads of fun, got to see a few friends and met my blog buddy, Amy over at her gorgeous shop Mason Decor (more on that later this week). As things are settling down and slowly getting back to normal around here post Hurricane Sandy, I am busy busy busy with my own little shop, ordering, fulfilling orders,etc....and having so much fun. I have to say it is truly a labor of love:) One of my most popular items since I started carrying them is the magnificent napkin rings, all are custom and hand done, pewter coated and best part...made in the good ol USA!! These are truly works of art and comparable rings from well established competitors are fetching upwards of $200 per ring. I have introduced these at a very very well priced 45.00 a ring. They will be going up (slight price increase) soon but will still remain at far less than the competition. Best part you can literally customize your ring! You can say 'I love those dogs on the slide but want instead for it to be a terrier or a Cocker spaniel" or I want " a lab pulling the cart not the squirrel". You dont' get to customize much in today's world so this is partly why they are so special. I think these could well be collectors items one day! Many of my customers personalize the rings and several have bought them for large sit down holiday dinners and have personalized them according to the person who will be sitting there...love that idea!! I am happy to feature some brand new additions to the gorgeous napkin ring family..... I am offering 2 custom rings to be given away as a giveaway! One lucky winner will get to choose her two customized napkin rings. All you need to do is visit my shop under napkin rings, tell me a favorite and how you would use them. NAPKINS RINGS ARE UNDER NEW ARRIVALS.I will announce a lucky winner on Friday morning. In the meantime here are the new styles...some really fabulous additions I must say!
Lab and pheasant
Lighthouse
Sailboat
Animal conga line (can be customized with any assortment of animals and/or pets)
Schnauzer in a tub (can be with any dog or cat)
Sly fox and 2 birds
Mama kitten washing baby kitten
Love this new one! Two animals and a tea party
Another combination of animals at the tea party
One of three varieties of the "tea party"
Cat giving a "haircut" to his puppy friend
2 pelicans standing guard
Beautiful cherub holding baby
Another view
Pair of animals on moving see saw (again can make with any pair of animals)
LOVE the Santa's!!! They come in a smaller Santa holding something and a bigger Santa
Close up of the detailing....can you imagine a beautifully set table with these?
Holding a Christmas tree...so festive!
One of my personal faves, the deer!! I just ordered 12 for myself for my holiday table...exquisite!
They are each slightly different
These are the bigger Santas
Love the one of him with the little dog!
Basset Hound hanging on a park bench
Sailor boy with anchor
Other side
Basset Hound going down slide (can be any animal)
Aren't they beautiful? I get so excited when I get a delivery..they are sometimes hard for me to pack up and send off. I want to keep all of them! The normal reaction when people get them is to write me telling me how much more beautiful they are in person (very true) and that they are so heavy (also true). Just very special pieces! Click here to visit them and come back here and tell me your favorite. I will announce a lucky winner on Friday morning.
Remember....all anonymous you must put a first name and last name initial. For those of you who often email me with your entry, you must leave a comment HERE on this post. It is very easy even if you don't want to/have a gmail account. Just go to where it says "leave a comment" On the drop down you can choose either "name" or "anonymous" and then type in your comment. That easy! Just remember for those leaving a name to include your last name initial (often there are more than one with that name) Good luck! Happy Sunday to everyone......
Good morning to you! Ever feel like there simply are not enough hours in your day? Well, that's how I have felt all week and I suspect its only going to get worse as we near the holiday craziness. Thank God for coffee! This is another all over the map post but its a fun excuse for me to talk about this and that. On the home front, I am awaiting pillows and a dust ruffle to be done for the guest room which I cannot wait for, its coming out so pretty! Will share as soon as its all together! I have included a few pics taken with my camera this time of the loggia all done. (taken on a dreary morning...)
Just had the floor cleaned and grouted......cannot wait to furnish this space and light that fire!
I just have to say again how honored I am to have been chosen by Homegoods as their blog of choice for the classic look!! It was so exciting to partner with them for the wonderful giveaway from last week. More to come!! Seeing my name on their website gives me such a thrill and truly is a wonderful validation of what I am doing....thank you Homegoods. You rock! Click here to take their Stylescope quiz and see what style you are!
Saw two movies this past weekend, both which I really really enjoyed. The first one, The Intouchables I was supposed to see two weekends ago but plans changed and we didn't go, I was bummed. I was happy we got to see it and it did not disappoint. A wonderful typically European film that touches the heart and moves the soul. I so enjoyed it as I do many foreign films. The second one, Arbitrage with Richard Gere and Susan Sarandon centered around a filthy rich but very corrupt wall street tycoon and the story rings true about what has gone on for so long, its well done, riveting and I also enjoyed it for different reasons.
There are two movies coming that I cannot wait to see! Besides Le Mis of course:) I have included the trailers because I am not sure they will be considered "mainstream movies' that you will see in every theater, but the previews have me waiting in bated breath to see them! Here they are....
WAR OF THE BUTTONS.....
RUST AND BONE.....
Seen anything good on your end lately?
I have never talked about of all things, a brush before, but seriously this brush saved my hair:) I have the most sensitive scalp on the planet, ever since I was a little I cried and cried whenever my hair was brushed. To this day when I am getting my hair done I normally wash my hair at home before going to the salon just to avoid the dreadful shampoo/scrub that so many crave. Well........this little brush is a miracle, I am not kidding! I venture to say I even look forward to brushing my hair, crazy? No, its incredible and for anyone who has a sensitive scalp like me or possibly girls with one....cannot recommend this enough. I call this the miracle brush but its real name is the wet brush.....the link is included under the picture. Yes, its that good!
I love to cook during the cozy season.....fall and winter. When its cold outside, nothing beats a warm something cooking away on the stove inside. I have posted about this soup before but its worth repeating, this is a very hearty soup for all you soup lovers. If could stand on its own as a meal, served with crusty french bread, yum! This is a staple in our home and it never disappoints on a cold wintry day.
Pasta e Fagiole Soup
Ingredients
2 tablespoons (2 turns around the pan) extra-virgin olive oil
1/8 pound (about 4 slices) pancetta, chopped (I do not chop it, it naturally falls apart while cooking)
1 (4 to 6-inch) sprig thyme with several sprigs on it, left intact (use sparingly)
1 large fresh bay leaf or 2 dried bay leaves (I use 3 fresh)
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 small carrot, finely chopped
1 rib celery, finely chopped
4 large cloves garlic, chopped
Coarse salt and pepper
2 (15 ounce) cans cannellini beans
1 cup canned tomato sauce or canned crushed tomatoes or fresh tomato sauce
Heat a deep pot over medium high heat and add oil and pancetta. Brown the pancetta bits lightly, and add herb stems, bay leaf, chopped vegetables, and garlic. Season vegetables with salt and pepper. Add beans, tomato sauce, water, and stock to pot and raise heat to high. Bring soup to a rapid boil and then simmer. Rosemary and thyme leaves will separate from stems as soup cooks. Remove herb stems and bay leaf from soup and place pot on table on a trivet. At this point, once you have removed your pot from heat, set aside and then put in your pasta. The heat will naturally cook the pasta but just perfectly, not too hot..and will result in a soup with al dente pasta as it should be. Is anything worse than a great soup with mushy pasta? Let soup rest and begin to cool for a few minutes. Ladle soup into bowls and top with lots of grated cheese. Serve with bread and enjoy......this is a real treat!
Its fun sharing the results of which Would you choose and this weeks was particularly fun, so want to know who took top prize? Wellthere were several who vied for top spot, and a few ties. I am happy to say everyone got at least one vote, I was feeling sorry for poor Steven Spielberg but finally he got two votes, so he can sleep tonight:) Here's the top four.........
Bill Clinton with 25 votes
Princess Diana with 23 votes
Thomas Jefferson (oh yea) with 17 votes
Leonardo Da Vinci and Meryl with 15 votes
And Mother Teresa, Maya and Coco were right behind Leonardo in a dead tie.
A fascinating bunch to say the least!
Did you know Isaac Mizrahi came out with a shoe line? I fell in love with these darling pumps, am a sucker for anything with bows. Love the combinations...ordered them in two combinations and will likely keep just one unless I happen to fall in love with both. Aren't these so much fun?
Shop news......a few of the planters/statuary items are being phased out and some beautiful new pieces added. Two of the new additions are pieces I already own and love! All new ones will be added as of tomorrow. This is one of my favorite lines, so versatile and love that you can pick them up and carry them around, the look of real stone with the ease of fiberglass. These will all be offered in one of six finishes, so you can truly customize it to your liking! Click here to visit my shop. I cannot wait to fill mine with sprigs of holiday greenery and pinecones!
The popular white moss finish
Love this pine cone topiary....ordered a pair in the white moss finish, so perfect for a holiday console table! Stands about 22" tall.
And one of mine filled with artichokes......
Napkin rings...oh those napkin rings are such a hit. It is so funny because as soon as people get them they want to order more. They are like a healthy addiction. They are one of those things you have to see in person, to feel and touch, they are truly special. I got in a few new styles. I cannot wait to set my holiday table with these babies! Here's a few of the new ones.......
One of the Santas holding a tree
Sly fox pulling a cart
The adorable whimsical conga line (can be made with virtually any animal or breed of dog)
The hare atop the tortoise
The owl and bunny on a moving see saw
Bunny pulling the cart
Bunny in the garden
Sly fox with pinecones
Another adorable version of an amimal conga line
A Basset Hound next to two birdies
Humm...is this a Scottish terrier with his dog bowl? I need to know all you dog experts!
A type of Terrier
The hare atop the tortoise
Pretty awesome aren't they? They are soon going to have their own section on my online store but for now can be found under new additions, click here to visit.
You know I love showing off my customers homes that are featured in "Your enchanted homes" on my store site where I feature my customers homes and the items they bought from me, here's a few new additions..pretty gorgeous! Click here if you want to see the rest of them. Keep em coming!
Another dough bowl finds its way to a happy home:)
Love this amazingly beautiful vignette....soooo pretty!
My silver planter with horn handles being used in all the gorgeous bathrooms in a super elegant new bed and breakfast (more on this next week)!
How about this gorgeous gracious hallway/entrance with the floral etched lantern? Stunning!
OK, time to fess up. How many of you have gotten a new phone or were very tempted to get a new phone just because you totally fell in love with a phone case that is not made for your current phone? My hands way up in the air. I cannot wait to get my new phone.....all so I can order one of these amazingly cute, chic phone cases from the ever so talented The Pink Pagoda. I mean seriously, people...is this not the cutest phone EVER? Click here to visit and get one for yourself. Forewarning, she makes a boatload of other AMAZING items like stunning prints, pillows,etc......don't say I didn't warn you:)
Well that's about it over here. I will probably be back on Friday to wrap up the week. What's new with you? Are you enjoying beautiful fall foliage where you are? Here, things are really starting to rev up and its looking spectacular. I will be sure to share some of my pictures next week. We are headed up north this weekend and I will be sure my camera is charged and ready for what I know will be plenty of photo ops, I think the further north we travel the more " peak" the foliage will be...cannot wait! Wishing you a wonderful day!
Lab and pheasant 
Lab and pheasant 
