I Love NY & My Girlfriends!!

This picture says it all. Spent the day in NY yesterday for our annual girls' play and dinner. The weather was picture perfect for October. We sat outside for a light lunch before our play in a little corner shop. We saw "Time Stands Still" with Laura Linney and Christina Ricci. The acting was impeccable and we were all charmed by Christina Ricci's performance. We had dinner at our never-fail restaurant in the theatre district, Becco's. They do a great pre-theatre dinner, by the way, and always make sure you get to your play on time! Pre-theatre reservations go quickly, so if you decide to go, book early. After a leisurely walk on a perfect fall evening, we came upon a bar with outdoor seating. Naturally, we were not ready to go home yet, so stopped to chat some more. Turned out that the "Mercury Bar" on 9th Avenue is the official Penn State Alumni hangout in NY! We laughed, chatted and laughed some more and realize how important these traditions have become to us. In fact, last year, we added a beach gathering for our little group because it seemed like such a long time until fall. We decided last night that perhaps we can make this a monthly event??

California Sunshine

We just returned from a relaxing and scenic trip to California. Palm Springs was very warm and yes, it is still hot even if it is a dry heat! One of the highlights was visiting the San Jacinto Mountains National Monument. You reach the top of this summit (8,516 feet) by a large rotating gondola that traverses the steep incline. It is quite an experience and, well, the view from up there is spectacular. We happened to meet a fellow East Coaster on the tramway up who lives in the Palm Springs area and uses this mountain as part of her exercise routine. After a few days in the desert, we headed for the OCEAN. As soon as we were able, we switched our driving route to the Pacific Coast Highway to enjoy endless sea views on our journey to Santa Barbara. We stopped for lunch with friends in Malibu and drove admiring one vista after another. When we finally reached Santa Barbara we fell in love with the charm of the downtown area where we stayed. It was wonderful to walk out your door and have a great selection of shops and restaurants. The Santa Barbara harbor was picturesque and offered a few great breakfast spots overlooking the ocean. We took a day trip to the Santa Ynes wine country right outside of Santa Barbara for some wine education (hahah) and came home with an extra checked piece of luggage containing our wine purchases! We drove further up the coast to the historic landmark now owned by the State of California, the Hearst Castle. On the way back to Santa Barbara, we drove through the adorable seaside community of Cambria and had a bite to eat on the pier in Morro Bay. Sun everyday, perfect 72 degrees in Santa Barbara, much warmer inland . . . I have one question . . . is the weather always this perfect?

Autumn Colors at the Beach!

So, autumn has arrived here in New Jersey and the leaves are beginning to turn their spectacular colors. Now is a great time to redress your dining table with some of these fabulous colors. These dark brown woven round placemats are a great starting point. Use them with the solid brown napkins sold with them, or choose a set or two of Isola Bella's hand painted linen napkins in either orange hibiscus or gold coral. An array of all three different napkins will give your fall seaside table an eclectic, yet together look. Choose a few wicker serving baskets to fill with your favorite beach finds, or a fresh loaf of bread at your next gathering. Use one of your extra napkins as a basket liner to bring some more color to your table. The natural shell napkin rings will give your table a classic beach feel. It's that easy!

An Inspiration Piece!

I find when I am tackling the decorating of a new space, I always start with an inspiration piece . . . maybe a piece of artwork or a pillow. It is amazing how a room can come together from one inspirational item. In our beach house renovation, two pillows inspired my color choices for our living room area. When I found this lovely taupe linen Sanibel pillow by Tourmaline Home, I knew that accent pillow had the "feel" I was looking for in our space. The wall paint color was picked up from a throw pillow we used to carry at By the Sea . . . a perfect tranquil aqua shade. These two pillows became our renovated living room and dining space colors. In our new master bedroom, I found a pair of curtains I loved before we even started renovating. The whole room . . . paint color, linens, and accessories, all came from this pair of curtains. A guest bedroom started with a tropical piece of artwork. Everyone probably has their own way of tackling decorating or redecorating, but for me, starting small with an inspiration piece or two is easy!

A Home Office at the Beach

A home office at the beach can become a calm, tranquil space to get your work done. A farmhouse desk with a linen upholstered chair can bring a relaxed ambiance to your beach decor office. A simple set of antiqued bronze bookends to hold your favorite seaside editions. A practical corkboard with a seashell theme to hold your messages and keep you organized. A beach frame here and there. A faux shell lister's conch accent piece to sit on your desk. Let's not forget lighting. A chandelier done in subtle beach decor can complete the whole look. Have fun pulling this room together!

Decorative Hardware

Decorative hardware is such a simple fix to update a look. We used different hardware as much as we could during our renovation. Our louvre closet doors came with the standard round knobs, so we added some silver starfish. Some of the bedroom windows in our home have simple linen gauze curtains with decorative window tie-backs. All of our new bathroom vanities came with hardware, but, of course, I changed each one to something more beachy. Our new kitchen cabinets did not come with any preset hardware, so I was free to choose whatever I wanted. I love the way the kitchen cabinets came out . . . on the drawers we used simple nickel finish contemporary handles . . . but on the drawers . . . different sealife decorative hardware all in the same finish. This style may not be for everyone, but it suits me!

Accessorize!

I am a big fan of accessorizing, whether it is jewelry for an outfit or another pair of shoes for my never ending collection, I do think accessorizing can pull a whole look together. In choosing accessories for your space, I think you should select items that make you feel good, not just your room. I tend to surround myself with beach decor accent pieces that make me feel like I am right on the beach. I have used quite a lot of faux shell pieces from our store (oh, what a surprise), but I think one of my favorite pieces is the large replica coral we have sitting on our new driftwood coffee table. It is rather large, but to me fits perfectly on a small table space. I added the linen wrapped votives that you can shape into whatever size your space calls for. The bedrooms all have a faux momento from the sea also. Sometimes just a little accessory here or there can give your room (and yourself) that ahhhhhh feeling.