A Bitter Sweet Christmas........

Before I start rambling....I wanted to post the two readers who won the gift certificates from Novica..
Congratulations to
 Leslie Ham and Carolyn Bradford.... have fun shopping!



 I have been trying to get a post ready for you, but my heart is so heavy that my creativity is just not there...

Its going to be a bitter sweet Christmas.

Celebrating with family and friends is my favorite thing about this time of year.

 Its what this season is all about.....but this year its  going to be well.....

It might be the last time I have Christmas with my Dad.

  My father was diagnosed with Cancer....
He has a tumor behind his eye which has left him blind in one eye.....

 He also has Alzheimer which complicates things.

 He still knows who we are but he is slowly losing his world around him.....
and we are losing him.....

source..Wistfully Country

 



 

I didn't have the energy to decorate and put up the Christmas tree......  I bought some poinsettias and did a couple of vignettes and called it a day! 
 

 

I had to remind myself that its not about the decorations, but its about a birth and giving.....
a time to celebrate the relationships that have been 
so freely given. 
 And for the time my family has with my Dad.

Source....Haus Design blog

One sweet blessing this year.....is our sweet grandchild......
As one life begins and another ends....my father will leave his legacy down through the generations within her...

Like I said...bitter sweet....



I have decided to take sometime off so I can spend time with family and help my parents.

 I will be back sometime in January and back to posting decor, life, and just random things....

I hope you have a Merry Christmas and happy holidays to all.

Thank you for visiting our blog and its been such a blessing to get to know so many of you in blogland.
 




 

Velvet and Linen..One Kings Lane

I hope all of you had a fab weekend....The malls were so crazy and believe it or not Im finally done with my Christmas shopping......at least I think....

Any Who.....

I was really excited to learn that
  Brook from Velvet and Linen blog has a sale on
 One Kings Lane, Monday

 Velvet and Linen was one of the first blogs I started following.
 Brook Giannetti shares with her readers her home and her decor style. 
  She has a love of vintage finds and has taken her readers to flea markets around Santa Monica and through out Europe.
 Brook finds the most unique items and display's them in the most creative ways.  
 Her and her husband Steve, both are creative and have created a brand that is just them....Patina style!
 Here are some of the items that are going to be on sale.....

This clock was in her entryway at her Santa Monica home.

I believe she had an ottoman like this one in her bathroom....

Brook has decided to sell her beautiful canopy crown on One Kings Lane....

Hope you will check it out....over at
One Kings Lane- Starts Monday the 17th of Dec.


Have fun!
 Don't forget to see who won the gift certificates...posted Tuesday...

 

Novica Give Away...

Have you heard of Novica....
Well, if you haven't..... your missing out......
 Don't feel bad...

I just found out about them myself and they are giving 2 of my readers gift certificates for $50.00 each. 
 Fifty  bucks! 
Not bad...

NOVICA is one of the leading fair trade artisan websites. 
They work with National Geographic to give talented artisans around the world a place to express their artistic talents and provide access to the world market. 

They have just about everything you can think of...... home decor, clothes, jewelry... you name it, they probably have it. 

Doesn't this shawl look like its from Anthropology?

Zebra pillows.....ou... la...la

They have bed spreads too! 

All you have to do is leave a comment and like us on Facebook, its on the side bar. 
We will randomly pick two winners on Tuesday the 18th. of  Dec....
Check out Novica's web site here......


 

A Day with Penelope Bianchi....

Have you ever spent time with someone you just met and felt like you have known them forever......

Well, I have....

Interior designer Penelope Bianchi is a free spirit that oozes creativity. 
She is the first one to admit that she can't draw a chair, but an artist she is.......
She creates visual portraits with her interiors. Everything about her is artistic, from how she dresses to how she expresses herself.  

 

As I drove up her driveway I knew why her home was voted one of the top 10 most romantic homes. Her and her husband had it built to look like a chateau in Europe.  

Penelope was surrounded by beautiful things as a child.
 Her early education of design was encouraged by her Mother. 
 Her Mother had black tie dinner parties every Friday night for twelve.
 Penny's Mother's home was an Italian Villa in Pasadena and at 6 years old Penny would rearrange her mothers living room. 

 

Penelope was an English major and started designing homes for her friends which blossomed into a lifetime design career. 

 

 As she was sharing her life with me.. I couldn't help noticing how I was surrounded by the most beautiful gardens and everywhere I turned there was something else to see.....oh my gosh....her home is even more beautiful in person than in these pictures.

I asked Penny if she could share with you some recommendations  on how to get started in design.... 

Here are some tips that Penny suggested...

  

Penny believes your born with an eye for design and and you can't learn it..... that its something your born with.....  She doesn't believe in going to design school...and feels it could stifle the creative process......

 

She recommends working for a designer who's work you like. 

Train your eye.....get your hands on as many design books as you can and study them.
 

Don't follow trends.....

 

A home needs to look collected.

Penelope's mother gave her one great tip.....
Don't ever give discounts.....
keep it professional!
 

As Penelope was showing me her house I couldn't help to notice how unique everything in her home was.
 It was a collected home...

 

I took this picture as I entered through the front door.....
It was a table in the middle of the room which had several different conversation areas..
Penny has slip covers for her furniture for every season...
 Which makes so much sense to me...
A lot of people and clients don't understand how color and seasons effect us....
Shoot, look how the moon effects the tide....
Our surroundings effects us emotionally.
The color of our home can effect our moods, how hungry we are...... it can effect our well being. Color has a psychological effect on us.

 

My favorite room was her bedroom.. 

 

I loved the sitting room that was connected to her bedroom. 
You could see her pond from the window.

She also showed me her closet....
I love this picture of all her shoes. 

This is her husbands closet....every mans dream. Everything right in front of their nose.

 

This is her how her dinning room looks most of the time......

 

But....when I was there she had all her decorating books out as if she had been looking through all of them, which I loved.....
 Her husband said that Penny owns every design book that was ever published and still collecting. 

Penny is a dog lover..this is one of her little pups.

I loved this bowl in her living room....
it was as though it was saying.....sit down make your self comfortable and have something to eat....
There's something about sitting together and breaking bread that forms a covenant between friends...

 

This is her kitchen photo from her web site.

This cart replaced the table that use to be in front of the window.
 I loved this cart...the color was wonderful and I loved her silverware in the baskets....

It looked like an art piece all on its own..

Remember these.....they were for candles, but look how Penny used it.....Great idea!
 

The Lanterns are copies of a lantern belonging to "Sister Parish"; (it was in her estate auction) and copied by John Rosseli. 
 Bunny Williams worked for "Sister Parish" for 20 plus years, and is married to John Rosseli!

  

 

These wonderful images were in her husbands office.....they told the story of Adam and Eve. They are antique copper etchings by the artist, Ridinger. They also were purchased through John Rosseli.
 

Here is a close up of Adam and Eve in the garden..

This is the little guest cottage....it was so quaint and charming. 

I had a wonderful day with Penny...
We went to lunch at the Coral Casino and she drove me around Montecito and showed me all the homes she loved.
 It was fun to talk about design and our goals as designers.
 I just was so mad at myself...I forgot to get a picture of myself with Penny! 
Oh well, next time....

 Penny has a blog and a website.....She has a great post about here slipcovers.. go here...
Hope you enjoyed learning more about Penny and seeing her home. 
Thanks for stopping by...


  

Source....some pictures were taken from Penelope's web site and myself.