April Cornell A, B or C…

I’d love to hear what you think about April Cornell’s 2011 collection of table & kitchen linens. I regularly use your advice for making my purchasing decisions, and this time it’s really important ’cause they’re all gorgeous–I’m having a hard time making up my mind. Please take the survey below.

Josephine Periodot

Josephine Smoke

Zhivago Yellow

lights, camera…

Here’s a sneak peak at our location home for the Nicole Jane Home Christmas photo shoot. It’s a home of my friend, Sara, who graciously agreed to let us take over her lovely abode for a few hours in a couple of weeks. She’s a neat freak, so I didn’t mention that we’ll be trucking in boxes and boxes of props and products, lighting and camera equipment…oops.

Sara has a great sense of style! She picked up the FABULOUS silk drapery panels at Pottery Barn, the ebony table from Liberty, and the gorgeous lucite chairs at IKEA. (How come I NEVER find good stuff at IKEA? I must be blind as a bat ’cause all my friends get great stuff there!) She has beautiful, unique light fixtures throughout the house, and the lantern over the dining room table was my favorite. Sara’s also artistically-gifted…see the hot pink canvas behind the table? She’s working on a feature piece that will be mounted in her living room. I can’t tell you what it is yet, but I’m hoping she’ll have it done in time for the shoot.

The whole house is subtle shades of gray, white, and black, but she let loose on the powder room with a gorgeous shade of hot pink. My i-phone camera doesn’t do the room justice.

I could happily spend the day luxuriating in her soaker tub. The cathedral ceiling made the room feel spacious, light and airy. Just lovely.

The kitchen countertops are made of gorgeous black granite salvaged from an old school house in Bellingham, Washington.

Can’t wait to get my hands on her house and create some beautiful shots for the website. Thanks, Sara!!!

God bless you Sweet Paul…

Sweet Paul is an amazing online magazine. The styling and photography are to die for, and the recipes cause palate palpitations. I swear I can almost smell the wafts of coconut and lemon cake floating off the page. How can you tell I haven’t eaten breakfast yet?

I thought you might like to see what lies taunting me on page 54…Salted Caramel & Chocolate Cake. I could die happy!

I implore you to drop what you’re doing, whip up this cake, and invite me over immediately!!! I’ll even bring the Starbucks AND I’ll be your best friend FOREVER!!!! Hope my doctor isn’t reading this…

lovely, Lonny, just lovely…

Lonny magazine is one of my favorite online haunts. I can be found most days lurking on their website, pouring over the pages of each new issue. I was particularly inspired to see all the wonderful shots of fabulous design ideas yesterday. So it’s time to share the love…

I really like everything about this room. The wall color is so soothing and the headboard’s fabulous tongue-in-cheek upholstery gives such a fabulous pop of color. When you get tired of it, you can change it up easily ’cause the room is so neutral.

This bedroom has such a refreshing combination of really bold colors and patterns–nothing’s too heavy and serious. Again, it works because of the neutral white background, and because orange and turquoise are such a power couple! You do realize that I’m making this all up as I go along! I have no formal training–just a good eye for design (at least I think so, but if you saw my own home, you’d shudder)!

Isn’t that a fabulous bookshelf? I’ve got to find some ceramic busts for Nicole Jane Home ’cause I just love how it looks! And look at the ikat dish up on the top shelf–it’s a hot pattern right now. So it the red bamboo & zebra print chair! Someone took a lot of time and care setting up this display–I dare you to take down a book to read it!

And just because I’m heading for my book club tonight, I thought I’d throw in this cozy reading corner with the enviable collection of books! I should be draped over this chaise eating grapes and drinking wine whilst reading a steamy bodice ripper!

let's be friends…

I’m so lonesome on Facebook.  I’m lookin’ for friends. Don’t think I’m not above buying your love, ’cause I’ll do it! I’m going to entice you by offering a chance to win a gorgeous smokey topaz Swarovsky crystal necklace. See…you can’t resist!

Just click on the “You like this” button below and you’ll be entered to win.
I’m going to draw the winner’s name on October 1. Good luck my new friends!!!

run, bear, run…

For those of you fed up with hearing my harrowing story about being chased by a bear, turn away now, ’cause it’s only going to get worse each time I tell it!

Yup. I was chased by a ferocious red-head-eating black bear on the weekend in Whistler. What’s that you say? How did I manage to get away from the jaws of death? Well pull up a chair and hang on to your hats ’cause it’s a scary tale. There aren’t any pictures…and you’ll find out why.

Our group of 13 adults and kids were heading back to our hotel after a raucus evening of dining and shopping. My girlfriend, Kim, and I decided to linger on a footbridge over a rushing creek while the rest of the group went ahead on the trail. She sprained her ankle badly the week before, so we had to take it easy on the walk back.

When we turned to leave the bridge, we noticed a couple backing off the end of the bridge away from us. They didn’t say anything (I could wring their necks), and their eyes were like saucers, so we turned around to see what they were looking at. That’s when we SAW THE BEAR RUNNING TOWARDS US ON THE BRIDGE!!!!!!!!

I took off running while screaming and flailing my arms in the air. Kim was left in my dust to fend for herself with her sprained ankle. All I could hear was her squeaking, “Don’t run. Don’t run!!!”

I realize that this story is not very flattering, and it’s makes me look untrustworthy, but I couldn’t help it. My instincts kicked in and everything I learned through years of watching Gentle Ben on TV went out the door! Apparently I can run faster than I ever imagined, ’cause I passed the whole group–whipping them in to a terrified frenzy.

No time, nor inclination, for photos!!!!!

Meanwhile, all the husbands (who think they’re pretty smart) and Kim (not by choice) stood their ground and simply watched the bear walk off into the bushes. One big group of bear bait in my opinion!!!!

All kidding aside, I’m glad to report that no bears were harmed in the production of this factual story!!!

lovely lobster…

Lobster roll anyone? Growing up on the west coast meant sockeye salmon and dungeness crab. We just don’t get lobster unless it’s packed in ice and flown across the country. I rarely get to indulge ’cause I can’t afford a second mortgage!!!

But now I can die happy ’cause I’ve finally had an honest-to-goodness lobster roll in Manhattan. (I suspect all the east-coasters are rolling their eyes and saying, “A lobster roll in Manhattan?! Are you kidding?”. But it’s good enough for me!)

We found a lobster restaurant (City Lobster & Steak) just a couple of blocks from Rockefeller square and indulged, BIG time! Just look at that delectable brioche bun filled with chunks of lobster in a light lemony mayonnaise dressing. The coleslaw was awesome, but I didn’t have any room left for the fries (it takes a lot for me to be impressed by fries).