At Home Spa

I love a good pedicure and manicure. It makes me feel so pampered. But it's not always easy to find the time. So last week, I went to The Walmarts (as my daughter calls it) and stocked up on at-home spa essentials. This kit from Burts Bees is my favorite. Their peppermint foot lotion, cuticle cream and pumice stone is all you need. Oh, and this handy four-way buffer. It makes your nails smooth...then my favorite Essie color for toes, Haute as Hello and nails, Pillow Talk.







And I've never tried this but I'm thinking about it...a brown sugar scrub, made at home, here's a recipe,

Mix in a plastic bowl:
½ cup of raw turbinado sugar (or brown sugar)
¼ cup of honey
Add 3-4 drops of essential oil if you have some around.

Or I might just stick to my favorite, Clinique's Sparkle Skin body scrub, can't go wrong.

Perfect Design

This image needs no words...click to enlarge and really get the full effect. Gorgeous!



*From the DC Designer Showhouse

Happy Weekend

Hope yours is relaxing and restful, with just a bit of organization (as in this closet below) and maybe a home project or two (I love this freshly painted chest of drawers). Enjoy!!






*Images via Martha Stewart Living, Canadian House and Home, Canadian House and Home

Whole Living

My new favorite lifestyle magazine and website is Whole Living, a Martha Stewart Publication. I just ordered the magazine and can't wait for the first one to arrive. There's a section entitled 10 things you should do this month. One month it featured "Thoughts on Living in the Now." I love this piece of advice; "Take comfort in the uneventful. It prepares you for what's to come."



It also offers great recipes and ideas (how to stock a healthy pantry) and easy yoga moves. One of my favorite sections is Natural Remedies, like this natural cough control tea, above. The website is great but the magazine is incredible. I read it cover to cover while getting my hair cut last week and it's only $10 right now, with a free gift.

The Possibilities....

Are endless...how would you cover this chair, the Cantrell Chair by Suzanne Kasler for Hickory Chair? Or would you? I love a textured linen with nailhead trim for a classic look. But sometimes it's fun to have a "statement" chair. To give a fairly traditional form some personality. Did you know that wing chairs were created to block cold drafts in homes before we had indoor heat? That explains why more modern wing chairs have only slight "wings," only there for the affect.

Wouldn't it be fun to cover it in this fabric by Quadrille, shown below in reverse on dining chairs in this month's House Beautiful.





Need a new upholstery piece? You will actually save money (and time) by hiring a professional designer vs. ordering or buying from a large store like Pottery Barn. Designers are trained to help you find the right piece for your space and can usually offer them for less because we are not covering overhead costs and marketing expenses. It is also much higher quality furniture construction and will last for years to come.

Sercies & Hostess Gifts

For some reason I don't like to go anywhere empty handed. I even take my doctor homemade cookies and I think I might be his favorite patient now, but that's honestly not why I do it. It gives me so much joy to give someone an unexpected little surprise (or sercie, as my Grammy called them) or leave something on a friend's doorstep when you know they could use a little cheering up. It's so easy and it doesn't have to be big...a great magazine with a bottle of tea (these are my favorite), a new CD with great music, a fresh baked loaf of bread from the local bakery...it's a simple gesture that really counts.




And when a friend or family member opens their doors for a visit, I feel it is necessary to give them a thoughtful hostess gift. We all know how much work goes into preparing for guests, so it's the least I can do! The monogrammed bag, above, from Room Service Home, is such a neat and useful gift. Fill it with a bottle of wine, cheese biscuits, cocktail napkins and a sweet note and you're set for a perfect "Thank you for having us for the weekend" gift. The notes above are from (my favorite) Sugar Paper. Printed on 100% recycled paper, they're simple and elegant.




It's always nice to take a little something to a cocktail or dinner party, as well. My friend Emily is so thoughtful and inspires me in this way. She takes a token of her appreciation with her wherever she goes and it's such a lovely gesture. Cocktail napkins, like these, from Caspari, paired with a bottle of wine (or not) are a great way to say thank you. And don't forget your tag!

Great etiquette advice from Sugar Paper:
Thank You Notes: After receiving a gift, attending an event or simply enjoying a meal at a friend's home, a handwritten note is a polite way to say "thank you." Ideally, a note should be sent within the week, though it will be appreciated no matter when it is received.

Sundays

Sundays are our day to go to church and have a family lunch together and then divide and conquer the household chores. They vary somewhat but two things remain on my Sunday To Do List each week:

Meal planning for the week followed by grocery shopping and laundry!!

I posted about the topic here, but WHEN I actually plan meals for the week, make a grocery list and clean out my fridge on Sundays, it not only makes for a stress-free week it definitely saves time and money.

I love these "Market List" pads from Sugar Paper, a precious paper company based in LA with a great on-line shop. And how cute are their "To Do" lists and desk calendars? These would also make perfect hostess gifts (tune in tomorrow for more hostess gift ideas).





And doing laundry, though not my favorite task, is made much more enjoyable with Mrs. Myers Clean Day Aromatherapeutic Household Cleaning Products. They smell wonderful and are all phosphate-free. I love their Baby Blossom line for Janie's things because they are so gentle (and I found a huge supply of them at TJ Maxx). Right now they're offering $5 off of their laundry sets.




Do you have any Sunday rituals or household cleaning products that you love? I'd love to hear and feature on an upcoming post...THANKS FOR READING!!!

Refreshing Style

I love this outfit...it's so effortlessly cool. Really everything by Emerson Made is refreshing and inspiring, wouldn't you agree?



And I love the story behind this company. Emerson Made is a husband and wife team who traded New York City for a farm "with green pastures." Emerson began by selling her hand-made flowers to people on the streets of New York and grew from there. Their clothing line is new this year. Love it!

Grey, Greige, Charcoal, Smoke...

Whatever you want to call it, the color grey is a perfect neutral to decorate with. I love that it's cool but not cold.






Then why not add a punch of color with bright accessories to lighten things up?




*Images via mysparrowblog.com (a divine blog, design firm and shop in california); all fabrics by F. Schumacher; Ikat scarf (or throw on a sofa) by Robert Roller Rabbit; florals by Diane James

It's In the Bag!

I am in search of the "perfect" bag. One that can hold my wallet, make-up bag, phone, my favorite planner/organizer, snacks, wipes, a pad and pen...and stand up by itself, be comfortable on my shoulder, have organizational compartments...I'm not sure if it exists...but these are pretty close and I love a neutral leather.

And I'm so excited that Erin Condren's new Life Planners for 2011 are available. It's a 15 month calendar so it will take you from now until the end of 2011. It comes with so many fabulous features, I am a devotee!


I'm also a fan of clear cosmetic bags so that you can see exactly what you're looking for, quickly, before the light turns green.

And I would be a bit lost without my Hobo wallet that doubles as an evening clutch.

What's in your bag??

*Leather hobo bags from endless.com

Shaker Woods 2010

If you haven't already heard.......we are at the Shaker Woods Festival, Columbiana Ohio for 3 weekends in Aug. Our first weekend was face melting hot but amazingly successful due to the fabulous attendance , repeat fabulous customers and refreshing ice tea's in multiples from the Mason's booth. Thank you , Thank you, Thank you!
Our 3 layer new candle experiment sold out , the aromatherapy line is 3/4 gone and a huge chunk is gone out of our regular line. How cool is that!
Two weekends remain so if you haven't experienced the show and are looking for something to do, hop in the car for a road trip. Check out www.shakerwoods.com for travel information.
As an ending note, we will not have studio hours for the month of August due to the show and my work schedule. As soon as I can I will post the fall hours schedule.
Again, thank you for all the support, wonderful compliments and continued patronage.
While a big challenge this year to keep up, it makes it so worth while when I hear the loving comments about the candle line.
Keep Cool!