The Enchanted Home

My biggest announcment to date and a giveaway!

2012-03-10T10:15:00.000-05:00

Good morning....well I have waited patiently (and at times impatiently) to make the announcement that The Enchanted Home shop has officially opened! As of this morning, a short while ago, the store is now live and online waiting for a visit from you! I am quite thrilled and pleased with what I am offering as I had been thinking about this for quite a while. I will be tweaking things a bit next week but for the most part its complete! Its been great fun to watch a concept and dream become a reality!
Click on store to visit and be sure to read about the giveaway at bottom.

A few things about the new online store for you to know......

1. I decided to create a store filled with things that I love and namely things that I have found difficult to find in the marketplace. And what's better than finding them all under one roof!

2. My focus is on elegant and timeless accessories for the home, my motto is "great style is always in fashion" and I totally believe that.

3. My environment is so important to me. At the end of the day walking into a home that smells good and looks good is the ultimate reward, I need a place that envelopes me with elegance and beauty and that feeds my soul. Even when we had our first tiny apt. I made sure to add these touches to create a certain ambiance.

4. We have crossed our T's and dotted the I"s but inevitably there might be a glitch or two on the site, so please bear with me as we go through "growing pains" which are part of any new venture. And of course, if you have any questions at all...please do not hestiate to email me!

5. Looking for something you can't find....tell me about it! I am fortunate to have some truly outstanding resources, and there's a good chance I can help you.

6. I discount off of full retail for every single item I sell, a minimum of 20% and others as much as 40%. If you know your prices, you will know right away that the prices are indeed very competitive.

7. I said it on the store's webpage and will say it here, there is nothing there that I wouldn't put in my own home (and many of those things are in my home now) It is important for me to believe in what I sell!

8. This is the beginning, I have a vision and a plethora of ideas but know to take it slow and start small. I will, fingers crossed, continue to grow and stay true to what I believe in. Please also feel free to email me anytime to tell me about a product you would like to see and find if you don't see it there. Hope you will stay along for the ride.

9. In addition to the items on the site, I will also be featuring Vagabond House items which I discount 20% off of retail on. It is a beautiful and very special line.

10. The canvas art is made to order but I do have some in stock right now and the topiaries are custom and take approx. 10 days to 2 weeks. Just inquire directly about pricing for those.

Many thanks for your support, encouragement and continued friendship. To celebrate the launch of The Enchanted Home shop....I am offering two awesome giveaways!

There will two winners announced on Tuesday morning.
To be eligible....

Visit the store (click here) and come back here and tell me an item or two that makes your heart sing.

Want a second chance? Go to The Enchanted Home's Facebook page and leave a comment there too. That's it. Here's the loot.....

Prize 1

A duo of two of my most favorite Seda France products, the beautiful new scent, Viennese Bloom chinoiserie candle and hand soap in a gorgeous bottle!

Prize 2

A pair of beautiful Staffordshire dogs (your choice of color)

Best of luck. Many thanks again for your wonderful support and friendship...means the world to me truly.

Also a very special thank you to Shari of Little Blue Deer, we all know her as the super talented designer that she is and I thank Shari for her incredible patience and putting up with my OCD tendencies in certain instances, helping me to realize the vision I had conjured up in my head to create a site I am truly proud to call my own. Thanks so much Shari!

Wishing everyone a wonderful day and weekend!

Random Thursday musings and a new winner!

2012-03-08T06:57:00.005-05:00

Its Thursday and I for one, am happy the weekend is almost here. Here in NY, we are supposed to get all the way up to the high 60's! I feel spring is in the fair...at last! Today, is a bunch of different things, a little bit of this and a bit of that. Its a long post, so you might just want to grab another cup of coffee (or whatever you may be drinking)! Starting with a new winner then moving on to the homefront. I have to say its hard to get terribly motivated when I still have quite a few people working here but I did get some wallpaper ordered, and that's got me anticipating getting it up on the 19th! And we did try some rugs, which was very exciting! So here we go with all the randomness.......
Unfortunately since the winner of the gorgeous transferware pitcher did not contact me, despite many efforts, I have drawn a new winner from the same pool of names. The new winner is.....Delores Wieding!

Please contact me ASAP to provide shipping details.

Prize ID	Winner ID	Public Info	Private Info	Random Sorting ID	Weight
1: transferware	1343069	Delores Wieding		00B11159-59CB-41FF-8023-A4327BB12119	1

A few things on the homefront. Tried 2 rugs for living room and dining room. Both rugs from Safavieh. They are stunning! I am trying to conjure up some serious visuals of decorating around the rugs. The dining room I wasn't sure about, love it at night more than during the day.....so we are living with both rugs for a few days but the living room is a serious contender. Yesterday the very soft colors of the French rug in the dining room were growing on me in a big way when I had a three minute window of being able to really visualize the completed room. What do you think?

Dining room....the colors are fabulous, pale golds and blues

A few close ups when its not as sunny......

The "darker side" of the dining room rug

The living room.....shown from the lighter side, its a beautiful rug too

From the dark side

Closer up of the dining room

Stepping back

Put this beautiful french black console from Safavieh in our hallway......

And how pretty are these? Believe it or not they are resin given an old look and you can lift them with a few fingers! (will be carrying this line in my online store) About 12 inches tall, perfect for indoors or out!

You know I love your opinions...here's the current state of my closet. No top, so pay no attention to the ugly temporary wood top..am leaning towards white marble, really loved the antiqued mirror idea but it's not practical and I don't want to freak out every time I set something down on it. Any other ideas you want to throw out at me? Or do you agree with the white calcutta gold marble choice as it ties in with the bathroom right next door?

One of my dearest friends in the universe swung by and gave me such a beautiful housewarming gift..I nearly fainted it was so pretty!! Check out this magnificent domed etched cake dish! How beautiful is that? Then she gave me this fabulous crystal pitcher. I smell a batch of Sangria!

Pretty things come in big shiny gold boxes.......

A little last minute plate of munchies.....

Whoa!! How magnificent is this!!!!!!!

And this pitcher.....serious dose of gorgeous!

Almost too much pretty for one picture........

And next to my other etched cake dish..they are perfect together, like reunited sisters!

OK moving onto a more delicious topic...... more than a few of you asked about my spaghetti carbornara and Pistachio sandwich recipes. So...I am not the only one who loves good food, eh? I am happy to share the recipes with you...both actually super easy but beyond tasty. I have zilch willpower around each so only make them every now and again! Below is the recipe for the Carbonara and a few pics I thought to take with my iPhone while in progress......

Step 1. Start with four to five slabs of thick cut bacon or pancetta in about 3 TBSP olive oil

Brown with approx. 5-6 garlic cloves

Step 2. Start cooking your pasta al dente, I like Barilla thin spaghetti but any variety will do

Call me lazy but I LOVE pre peeled garlic cloves..what a cinch!

Step 3. brown really well, takes approx. 10-15 minutes

Step 4. In separate bowl whisk two eggs and 1 cup of freshly grated Parmesan

Mix very well until you have a thick consistency

Step 5. When pasta is well drained, add pasta to the olive oil, garlic and bacon, toss well (at this point add salt and ground pepper)

Step 6. Then add your egg/Parmesan mix on top of well mixed spaghetti, immediately take off of heat and on the side and use a fork to mix thoroughly

Step 7. Once mixed very well, add about 1 to 2 TBSP of freshly cut parsley, add more fresh Parmesan on top and mix once again

Step 8.Step back and admire and get ready to feast on one decadent meal.....yummmm!

Bon Appetit!

Now these pistachio sandwiches are easy peasy but oh so good. I make them when we have people over during the summer and they are such a big hit. Simple as this.....

Step 1. Thaw at room temperature for about 15 min. a pint of Haagen Daaz Pistachio ice cream

Step 2. Get a package of butter crisps or other paper thin cookie
Take the entire package off of ice cream, put chunk of ice cream on cutting board and slice in to 1/2" thick "slices" put between two butter crisps and set aside on plate.

Step 3. I take shelled pistachios and pound them into small bits and roll the edges of ice cream sandwiches for an extra delicious burst of pistachio and voila! There you have them, your very own gourmet ice cream sandwiches!

How easy is that! I neglected to take pics of the healthy part of the meal...baby arugula salad with lemon juice and olive oil and a small wedge of Parmesan. Made for one heck of a great meal!

My bookshelves always have more space for one more great book to add to my family of books. I just did a preorder on what I suspect is going to be one great book due to come out in May!! If the cover is any indication..this is going to be a homerun! Have you preordered it?

My wallpaper sagas continue......found out yesterday that the paper for my bedroom that I have been working around for a few months cannot be fulfilled in its entirety from the same dye lot and that if I want to get it it is going to now have be a custom order!! I nearly fell off my chair when she told me the price, so its now no longer "my paper". I was like a deflated balloon, it was perfect but I need a lot and they are charging a lot of money to have it custom from the mill so its a mute point. Thanks Stark. The only silver lining yesterday was I got a box in (love getting boxes) and it was my desk alcove paper! Now this made me happy. Very happy. So I promptly called my paper hanger and asked him to please come over if something frees up before the 19th. Fingers crossed...I cannot wait to see it up!

So...whats on your plate literally and figuratively? We are supposed to get to a whopping 68 degrees today! Anything exciting happening this weekend? Anything good cooking in your kitchen? Would love to hear! On that note, wishing you a fabulous Friday!!

Which would you choose?

2012-03-07T06:13:00.000-05:00

Before I begin.......paging NITA JO, winner of the transferware pitcher giveaway. I have posted this on my blog and on The Enchanted Homes Facebook page, unfortunately if I do not hear from you by tonight, I will be selecting a new winner and announce the new winner tomorrow morning.

Hey there! How is your week going? Mine is going fairly well, a few hiccups but what is life without them. I got the idea for this post when I was invited to someones house for a beautiful girls only intimate dinner. It made me realize how much I missed entertaining and having friends and family over for impromptu lunches and dinners. Always great fun to plan an intimate gathering in your home, when you are in the mood that is! But when you are not, it can be a real chore. For arguments sake...lets imagine you are very much in the mood to plan something!
This weeks Which would you choose is a fun one. Imagine this (you know I like to set up my little scenarios) you have decided to throw a dinner party in honor of a very good friend. Maybe 8 or 10 of you, you are even hiring a chef for the occasion so you can be a guest at your own party. This dinner is going to be away to a destination of your choosing for the night. It could be wine country, the wild west, the beach, a penthouse....use your imagination! You get to plan the whole thing out, where, when and how you want it. Down to the dinner courses and dessert (best part if you ask me) So.....now its time to choose the dining room setting for this party....so here we go! Feel free to include any details of your "party' that you care to include.......

CHOICE 1 Nirvana in Napa

CHOICE 2 Country elegance

Elissa Cullman

CHOICE 3 Beach house bliss

CHOICE 4 Dinner in a barn

CHOICE 5 Brick walled beauty

Arch Digest

CHOICE 6 Penthouse panache

Charles Allen

CHOICE 7 Charleston Chamer

K. Carr

CHOICE 8 Tropical splendor

CHOICE 9 Wine cellar chic

CHOICE 10 Rhapsody in blue

Phoebe Howard

CHOICE 11 Ski house sensational

Locati

CHOICE 12 Formal and fabulous

John Bobbit

CHOICE 13 The sleek sophisticate

Keith Scott Morton

CHOICE 14 City chic

Sherill Canet

So......is it a clear cut chioce for you? Or did you waver back and forth between a few like me? I am going between the ski house with the snow capped mountains view (because I can imagine how cozy it would be) to the so inviting wine cellar dining room and Napa setting to the fabulous tropical setting because that means we are going to be in warm balmy weather and yummy tropical drinks and that sounds pretty good right about now!! Have you ever thrown a dinner party for girlfriends in your home? Tell me about it! Can't wait to hear which you choose! Wishing you an enchanted day!

One word with Mon of Splendid Willow!

2012-03-06T07:15:00.008-05:00

Good morning everyone! Today I am so excited to be here with one of my blogging BFF'S, the girl everyone loves. In continuing my One word series...I am thrilled to present Mon from Splendid Willow. I know many of you know her already, being the oh so popular blogger that she is. But for those who don't yet..think chic Swedish style to the max, and Mon delivers big time! She is so incredibly sweet, warm, full of energy and enthusiasm, and its felt every time I visit her blog or every time she visits me. Her kindness, generous spirit and friendliness have won her over with so many and for good reason.
Besides her popular blog, she has her ever so popular store chock full of amazing, beautiful and unique goodies, many from her native Sweden. And might I add some of her most recent additions are particularly fabulous,as in gorgeous boots that I haven't seen anywhere else (best part of all). Splendid Willow Avenue is a shop you must visit...with its unique primarily Swedish offerings, something you don't see everywhere. I am so happy to have Mon with me today and loved and enjoyed getting to know more about her. Mon, if its possible...love you even more now. And that book? PLEASE consider it...I would buy it in a heartbeat! Many thanks for coming aboard and to all the readers for stopping in. Without further adieu, here is Mon.....

Mon of Splendid Willow

Hi everyone. What an honor to be here today. I am very fond of Tina (who isn't)and find her to be a remarkable lady. She is so generous, kind and inspirational. Tina is everyone's best friend. We need her in blog land for a long time to come.

One quality I love in people is kindness.

If my house could only be furnished in one color it would definitely have to be light gray.

One luxury I cannot live without... is a
high quality pillow to rest my head on.

If I had to have one designer decorate my entire house with 0 input from me it would have to be.. the design duo Heiberg & Cummings. (I love them! One of these days I am going to team up with them).

NYSD

If I had to choose coffee or tea it would be...

green tea in the am and coffee whenever I
start to nod off!

Zen to fitness

One place I have been that I would love to go back to...is Italy.And this time with my hubby & kids.

One place I am longing to visit is... Cuba. And
I want one of my best friend's, Gunilla, to

show me around.

One talent I wish I had is.. being able to play a piano.

I think most people would agree I am... loyal, authentic and generous.

If I could change one thing about myself it would be... My flawed sense of time. I hate it when I'm running late.

One career I could see myself having would be..

working for the FBI.I have good people skills and

intuition. And I love puzzle solving!

If food is therapy, when stressed...I indulge in anything crunchy! Chips, pickles, carrots, Swedish crisp bread, you name it!

One of my favorite brands for clothing is.... Odd Molly Just because it is Swedish and relaxed chic.

If my life were a book, the title would be... "Life with a bit of an odd accent " - A guide for enriching relationships with people across cultures and borders"

My favorite flower.... peony.

I would love to have coffee and a chat session....with Melinda Gates.

A favorite TV show is... 24. And it is coming back

for another season people!

Hollywood is..... not for me.Too few have their
life priorities right in that area. I lived in LA for 3 years.

Tuscany or Provence? Tuscany in a heartbeat!

The next presidential election will be....fascinating.

The one best thing about blogging is.... the real connections. Many virtual friends have become personal friends of mine - who I chat and have coffee with. That is when blogging started to become real fun and meaningful to me.

A guilty pleasure for me is..buying a pair of fancy sunglasses every spring. I admit I splurge!

A clothing designer I think that has great style is.. Tom Ford.

My strongest quality would have to be..That

I bring the best out of people (I had to ask

Hubby for this one!).

The best restaurant I have ever been to.. I
can't even name! There have been so many. The most memorable ones are often small, local restaurants in foreign countries with great food and
no food and no tourists. (I once went to a local snake restaurant in Taiwan)

Most overrated actor/actress is...I hate to say it, but many of the big name Hollwood stars. (who often play themselves) and they can't act! Gary Oldman is an example of a really fine actor.

If my life were a documentary, I could see this actress playing me... Noomi Rapace. We are
both globe trotters and we both speak Swenglish.

One thing I like about my appearance is my green eyes.

One thing I can honestly say I love about myself is.... that I am really happy at heart.

Town or country? Country when the kids are young. Back to city when the kids have left the nest!

One person I admire... My Mother-In-Law, Beverly. (She raised 9 amazing children)

Pick a decade to live in, any decade.... Now is good. But quite often I want to go back to my
own childhood when my Mom would say "come
home when it gets dark" and we survived just
fine without cell phones and computers!

My favorite room of my house is...our formal living room where we have a great reading chair
by a sunny window.

If I were an animal I would be... a red panda.

A book I would recommend to everyone would be.... Hanna's Daughters by Marianne Fredriksson.
(A very well written Swedish classic).

If I were planning a huge family reunion, this is where I would want to have it....In Stockholm! I would want to fly my friends and famiy over (you too Tina)! and unite with friends and family over there. We did it for a wedding and it was one global love fest!

One thing I wish everyone could be more of: Compassionate.

In one word life is.... treasurable!

Thank you again for inviting me over, Tina. I had fun putting it together and I learned a few new things about myself too! Warm hugs.

How amazing is this girl!! Mon, you delivered in a big way here and I know many agree. I loved what you said about going back to childhood, a time when things were not complicated with cell phones, texts and laptops! (though believe me I also could not live without with any of it) I kind of lost track truth be told about how many things I would have answered identically ....having lunch with Melinda Gates, now that would be fun! Heck yes to peonies, crunchy goodies, but sorry unlike you I do not give equal weight to potato chips and carrots, how I wish I viewed them the same way..lol!

Fell in love with Gary Oldman as Beethoven in Immortal Beloved, his dark, moody edgy character entranced me and made me a fan for life! Loving light gray right now and soft mushy down pillows is practically my trademark for anyone who knows me really well (and travels with me no matter where I go). And you better believe I will join you for your family love fest in Stockholm! So needless to say I love you even more and I know everyone else will too! To visit Mons beautiful blog, Splendid Willow...click here! Thanks for stopping in and have a fabulous day.

Guest posting at Pink Pagoda!

2012-03-05T08:00:00.002-05:00

Hi there, hope you had a restful and happy weekend. Ours was pretty relaxing I must say.....and yesterday I got to spend the day doing very little which was a mega treat. I actually made spaghetti carbonara, a decadent 'once in a while" treat and pistachio ice cream sandwiches which my family DEVOURS. So it was a good day...and when you have great food in the mix, that's kind of the perfect finishing touch! I also want to say how very much I enjoyed reading over all your answers yesterday......fascinating!! I made a short list of movies that I haven't seen that rank high on the list for you.....love those kinds of exercises! Thank you for participating.

This morning I am so excited to be over at Jennifer's super chic blog, The Pink Pagoda. If you love chinoiserie, all things blue and white and fabulous design then you are going to just loooooove The Pink Pagoda. She asked me to guest post for her popular "Blue and white Mondays" post and the subject had me tickled pink to step aboard. Here is just a sampling of her "beautiful with a capital B" work that is all available for sale...you go girl! Please do stop over to visit my post and say hello and discover a blog that you won't be able to stay away from! See you over there and thanks Jennifer!

I mean can we just talk about fabulous this blog header is! Think that sets the tone.....(click on the header to head on over)

And some of her amazing prints, stationary and of course those totally fabulous iPhone cases.....talk about making a beautiful statement!

Lest regular stamps just not cut it....here you go!

All of her things are available through her Etsy shop and the iPhone cases and stamps are for sale over at Zazzle. You know you want something.....I mean her things are so much fun, elegant, stylish and best of all affordable! See you over there! Click here to visit. Have a fabulous day.

Random Sunday musings and a winner!

2012-03-04T08:31:00.002-05:00

Good morning! Hope you are having a wonderful and peaceful weekend. Things are pretty calm over here, no complaints! This is one of those posts that's all over the map. A few updates, a new round of "tag" questions and a few odds and ends. First order of business however is to announce the winner of the stunning transferware pitcher from Bonny Neiman. I used Randompicker to pick a winner. Congratulations to....

Prize ID	Winner ID	Public Info	Private Info	Random Sorting ID	Weight
1: pitcher	1288801	nita jo		00294FA9-A9F8-45C0-81B8-520D474E964F	1

Please contact me ASAP to provide your shipping details.
A few things happening on the homefront. Not a whole lot this week. I must say my concentration has been trying to wrap up the remaining work here in the house, yes we still have quite a few workers here so it doesn't totally feel like my house yet as I am sharing it during the day with a bunch of workers. I am ready to close the door to all of them however. I want my house back! I am also busy working on the online store which I have to say is really exciting for me as I love the things I am carrying, very anxious to show you everything! As far as the lantern debate, thank you all of you who commented, but to be clear the lanterns are not black, they are a antique brass and are a very nice compliment to the hardware on the stove, FYI. At this point I have decided to keep them on order and will get them in April. I am likely going to hang them and try them out for a few days...then make my decision. You know you are going to be right there with me and that once again I will be asking for your help.

So first another picture of the lantern which shows the finish better...

And speaking of new lighting...meet the newest addition to our lighting family..this in a small vestibule between library and living room, its a beautiful antique fixture we were told from France.

Wallpaper has been a buzz word this week. For a few bathrooms......

This is a small guest bathroom.....what do you think of the white and tan toile with the white and tan basketweave floor? I want it feeling French and feminine

Close up of the floors

Decided on this one for the powder room...both were beautiful, not a bad choice but somehow the yellow adds a certain freshness to this room and it gets a lot of sunlight, so I think this will be a nice compliment to the pale gray and white marble

Horrible pics...I apologize. But remember this one? Well as is often the case its the very first one I chose for the main powder room and I have gone back to it, as my favorite. It really works so well. Thoughts?

Remember this great little French chair? Thinking of reupholstering it in a pretty soft blue and white linen and adding it to my bathroom.

OK moving on......

Next item up for discussion....Stacy from Conspicuous Style, yes that Stacy, the uber talented designer who has that gorgeous droolworthy home, "tagged' me and though I had already been tagged and participated, her questions were too good not to take on. So here I am in another round, I think this is actually a fantastic way to get to know more about our favorite bloggers, what excites them, makes them tick and how they view life in general. So here is Stacy's very insightful and thought provoking questions.....

How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you are? This really made me pause Stacy, I had to wrestle with this one a bit…... but finally I think I would be 20, my whole life ahead of me, anything is possible! No aches and pains, like a young chick, eager and ready to take life by the horns!

What is your least favorite quote? Probably when someone says "hold on a second" I mean seriously why say it, and it REALLY gets to me when someone says hold on "half a second" I mean do you really think its going to a be half a second? Do you just feel cool saying "half a second"? Why not say what you mean and just say can you hold for 2 or 3 minutes? Geez!
(As you can tell this is a sore subject..... I was kept holding today for far too long)!

What’s something you know you do differently than most people? How I sometimes get myself to sleep if I am having trouble.I imagine I am "stuck' in a small but beautiful ski cottage way up on the mountain in the middle of a major snowstorm, the fireplace is roaring and its the ultimate in comfort/cozy. Somehow this image soothes me and normally I drift off like a little baby.....

What one thing have you not done that you really want to do? Well if you asked me this 2 years ago...my number one thing to do would be to ATTEMPT to Climb Mt. Everest! I kid you not...I was totally obsessed with it, seeing every movie/documentary, devouring every book, really taken with the idea. No, I am not a mountain climber and the only time I climbed a mountain worth mentioning is when we were in Scottsdale and did a day hike, (all the while I was envisioning it was me climbing Everest and my husband and kids were my sherpas...lol

Has your greatest fear ever come true? No and I hope it never will!

Would you rather lose all of your old memories, or never be able to make new ones? Never be able to make new ones.....I could and never would be able to give up my old memories, they are far too precious and keep me connected to the past.

What would be the hardest thing for you to give up? COFFEE no hesitation there! But chocolate would be a very close second, and truth is if you included caramel and nuts in that chocolate, the coffee and chocolate might have to wrestle each other to the ground to see which really is the one that would be hardest to give up:)

What's your worst/best memory of high school and why? Best memory is all of my friends, being in the Prom court and overall having a great time in High school, worst memory is my boyfriend Jim and I breaking up right before Prom. Major drama...and imagine all that with no cell phones, no facebook to make this announcement, no texting! How did I survive!

What is the most rewarding experience you have had and what made it so? Probably despite its peaks and valleys, the experience of motherhood, its been overall really rewarding, cannot imagine life without my boys, and its really incredible to play such a big role in helping to shape someones life.

If you had the chance to go back in time for 24 hours, where and when would you go? Honestly to some point when all three of my sons were all young, like under 8. I have such great memories about bathing them early, putting them in their freshly laundered cozy pjs, ALL OF US being dressed for bed at 5:30, hunkering down for Barney or some other cartoon and eating together as a family! When I closed my eyes knowing they were all safely ensconced in their little beds....priceless! Good times!

If you could have only 3 electrical appliances in your house, what would they be and why? Coffee maker, computer and washer! I need my coffee, cannot live with my computer and simply cannot imagine hand washing clothes:)

Now my turn! This time I am asking every reader to participate! All you need to do is copy and paste the questions in the comment section below and answer in one word. I cannot wait to hear from you! Thanks Stacy for keeping this going....love these thought provoking exercises that allow us to think about whats really important and get to know each other better in the process. Wishing everyone a fabulous Sunday!

If there could only be one season year round which would you choose?

You get to spend a month in Europe, and can only go to one place..is it Italy or France?

Red wine, white wine or champagne?

Dogs or cats?

One word that best describes your life right now.

One job you haven't had that would be a dream job.

One famous person you would love to meet.

One movie that you could watch again and again.

You are given a plane ticket to fly anywhere in the world this weekend, where are you going?

One decade you wish you could have lived in (including this one).

If you had to change your name, what would you name yourself?

Have fun!

Decorating with transferware and a beautiful giveaway!!

2012-03-02T06:45:00.003-05:00

Hi there! Today's post is such a pretty one if you are like me and love transferware. Decorating with it has never been so inspirational as it is today, you see it positively everywhere! If you are asking what it is, its simply pottery that has a pattern that's been applied from a copper plate to a specially sized paper and then to the pottery. It is produced mostly on earthernware, but not exclusively and you can find it on china, ironstone ans porcelain.
On walls, on bookscases, on coffee tables and consoles, heck you even see it on bathroom walls! There is no limits as to where it can go. Today is all about transferware inspiration in a big way. I am in love with every single picture here! How about you? Do you have the same feelings over it? Then when you are done ogling over how beautiful it can be......are details for a fabulous trasnfersware giveaway courtesy of antiques dealer doyenne, Bonny Neiman!

Brown transferware is just stunning, Southern Accents

I like it here displayed with antlers, beautiful! HB

A grand old dining room gets a beautiful collection to grace its wall, Ruth Berts

Blue and white is always a winner! Jennifer Jordan

Jackye Lanham filled a big wall with transferware in soft tones, the effect is ethereal

A beautiful way to add a decorative accent to a pretty chest and vignette, Common ground.

Charles Faudree regularly uses transferware as part of his decorating story in his sumptuous rooms!

Tranferware makes one heck of a beautiful statement at a dining table, Southern Accents

It can make a room feel so opulent and full such as this elegant dining room, Nancy's daily dish

Yes, I know we have all seen this countless times but how can I not include it! Charles Faudree

A perfect accent in this beautifully creamy kitchen, Maison Decor

It is beautiful when also mixed with other types of pottery, HB

Love the character the transferware gives this beautiful and charming kitchen, Myplacetoyours

How gorgeous is the green transferware next to the rich brown woods? Nancysdailydish

Purple transferware is beautiful on a dining room wall, this is Amy's beautiful room, Maison Decor

Mixed with crisp white, this green transferware makes a beautiful breakfast table! Happytodesign

Always loved this dining room by Cathy Kincaid, the transferware is the perfect touch!

Heather Bullard fills a large hutch with a stunning collection

Could it get any prettier than transferware and toile? I don't think so. Nancydailydish

Boy, it sure makes a beautiful tea party!

A pretty collection lines an upper shelf in a beautiful room

It always works in a kitchen, even one or two pieces can have impact, Myplacetoyours

The blue and white on this mustard gold wall is spectacular! Nancysdailydish

Blue and white transferware in this sunny yellow room just makes me smile, Pinterest

How beautiful green transferware is displayed here in a hutch next to the richness of pewter...fabulous, French country cottage

I absolutely love blues and browns together, this is so beautiful! Andrea O Meara

Wow. Just wow. I would even give up on my fears that one of these would drop on my head while in the bathtub, in the name of beauty:) And technically, this isn't transferware but I had to include it......you could certainly get the same effect with it!

Now onto the giveaway, which is for, you guessed it..... a scrumptious piece of transferware. And not just any transferware, but a gorgeous antique pitcher. This beauty comes from the beautiful shop of Bonny Neiman, who so generously donated this stunning pitcher for this giveaway. If you don't know of Bonny's shop, you must must must pay her a visit. Click here to visit Bonny and be prepared to get wowed! No worries if you don't live in NJ....she offers her inventory online. Isn't online shopping the best! She gets in the most beautiful things and her prices are amazing, and that is always the icing on the cake, don't you think? Bonny's thrill of the hunt has turned her into a successful antiques dealer, but her infectious love of what she does and passion is so obvious. I mean seriously, do you know of any dealer who offers drive up service...lol! Her motto is "Work really hard and be nice". You have to admire that.

So here's the lowdown, leave a comment on this post to be eligible for the giveaway. If you want a second chance, leave a comment on Bonnys Facebook by clicking here. And finally if you want a third chance, leave a comment on The Enchanted Homes' Facebook by clicking here. Remember anonymous, you must leave your name or email in the comment otherwise I have no way of identifying you! Simple as that. Winner to be announced on Sunday!!

Here's the beautiful antique 19th century transferware pitcher from England giveaway waiting for its new home!

And a little about Bonny.....

Looks like she loves what she does!

If you want to read about her 10 things to spruce your home in the spring...you must read this! I found it so informative. Click here to read.

And this amazing woman's store was also featured in the following movies!!

And some of the wonderful goodies in her store now (all priced amazingly I might add)

Click here to visit Bonny's wonderful online store.

Thanks for stopping in and thank you Bonny for this wonderful giveaway!! Good luck!

Wishing everyone a fabulous Friday.

A few updates, some questions answered and a little bit of this and that.....

2012-02-29T07:17:00.008-05:00

Good morning! Hope everyone is having a great week. I have been so busy over here, truly non stop.I try to answer all the emails I get, and lately I have gotten many....so I apologize if haven't gotten back to you but I decided to try and answer many of the questions in this post as well as address certain inquires many of you have had. In addition, I have not been able to make my usual blog rounds as regularly as I normally do but hope to get back on track soon. Know I am thinking of you and cannot wait to catch up! Thanks as always for your continued support. First a few updates, then your questions answered and finally a little bit of randomness and some fun.
Before we begin.........a favor to ask of you IF you think I deserve your vote!

Yesterday I was made me aware of my name being in the hat for "best home design blog nominations".....I am soo excited and honored! If you care to vote, it would be amazing to get your vote!! Click here. Thanks everyone......you can sign in with Facebook if you have it or if you don't have an account its really easy to vote, just answer 3 short questions to register and be eligible to vote. Thanks in advance and to all of you who have voted! SO appreciate it!

And now your questions........
Many wanted to know about the fabrics for my bedroom and small office. So here they are:
The wallpaper name for the small office walls (btw I pulled the trigger and just ordered it) It makes me so happy and I love how fresh all the colors are! Sometimes you have to just go for it when you see something you love....

For my small office nook-Zoffany- Design Nostell PrioryPattern NTP060002

And for my bedroom-

The wallpaper is from Stark, Tracy Andrew collection, Design- Grand Siecle

Color Buff

The carpet is from Patternson Flynn and Martin

This striped velvet is from Stark, Old World Weavers, Pattern- Cimmeria Sky, WC 0002 U32A

This is so sumptuous and is from Stroheim- Pattern- 2317C Jardein de Lien

Color- S0516 Ice Blue

The palette

This is another beauty from Sanderson- Pattern-Coralie

Eau de Ivory

Pattern number- DCOROC301

I had several inquiries about the two wallpapers that are contenders for my family powder room, they are:

Zoffany- Pattern- Cordoba Pattern number- TORO7002

Sanderson (Zoffany) -Design PalamporePattern DCAVPA105 (leaning towards this one, it makes me happy)
What color is my kitchen cabinetry? This was a custom mixed color, so I am sorry but there is not a "name" I can give you, and then we glazed it subtly with a light taupe glaze.
When will my online store be opening? I am working on things as we speak and spending a lot of time trying to get it off the ground, am hoping to launch it within the next few weeks, fingers crossed. Orders have been placed and due in but there are many logistics to be worked out. i promise to keep you posted as things roll along!
Will I ship internationally and to Canada? Definitely will be able to ship to Canada, not sure about international, looking into it. Will keep you updated.
What is the fabric name that I want to use in the back window seat and in the kitchen? OK for the window seat here's the info....

This is the one I will likely be using for windows

Brunschwig and Fils- Pattern number0 BR79743-222

The second one for the window seat and possibly the stools is....

Also Brunschwig and Fils- Pattern BR-71557-222, blue (sorry its not right side up)!

Where did I get my lanterns in the kitchen? This is a line that I will be carrying of beautiful bell jar lanterns. There are a wide range of patterns that are so beautiful and they come in various sizes. I promise you..... its a line worth getting excited about.
Where did I get my kitchen floors? They are french reclaimed limestone and are from Paris Ceramics.
Who makes the kitchen stool that I am considering? VanGuard makes this beauty....here's the link to their site. Click here.

Is my kitchen hood limestone or cast stone and where did I get it? It is limestone from Francois and Company
Am I happy with my Ilve stove? I have gotten a lot of emails...and the answer is yes!! I love it, actually, but in fairness its only been a month and I have yet to explore what this big mama can do, but will keep you posted. Its very user friendly...and a thing of beauty to wake up to!

Here's a few odds and ends on the home front....
Onto other business...... remember when I told you about the fixtures I ordered for my kitchen? They were back ordered for Feb. and now its April. I really liked them so kept the order going then lo and behold I found my beautiful bell jars which I figured I would use temporarily and much to my surprise they looked amazing. But I still have these looming thoughts of the original fixtures and finally I got around to playing a bit on Olioboard and superimposed the fixtures into my kitchen. Now its a pretty lame picture but you get the idea. When you take a look to give me your honest opinion, do what I do...a little squint to get the effect and this way you don't see all the shoddy details. I really want to know which fixture you prefer. You know I love to hear from you!
So first how it looks now.....

Close up of lantern....

Wow that's even worse than I realized...squint real hard:)

Heres a close up of the lantern

Amazing what a few little lampshades can do to a chandy, don't you think? Added them to the chandelier in my bedroom and it took on a whole new persona...I loved it before but I really really love it now!

Did you know Ivanka Trump as in "The Donalds daughter' designs clothes and just launched a line? Who knew! Is she trying to become the next Tory Burch! She is doing it all...clothing, shoes, handbags (didnt' care for those) and jewlery. What's next? Some of the pieces are actually quite pretty, classics with a twist.....fun and affordable pieces. Click here to visit her site.

For anyone who watched the Academy Awards, there was no misssing Angelinas mission to make sure she showed "the leg" (yes it has its own identity now) as often as possible....I got this in an email yesterdday and had to share it. Too funny. Who would have thought a single pose could cause so much poking fun!

OK so this is the pose she struck every time she stood still....

And this is the newly "embellished evolved pose"

Come on...you know its funny!

I know this post was all over the place but as I like to say, life is not a script...just gotta go with what and how you are feeling! Love to hear from you and welcome your thoughts, opinions and comments!! Hope I covered most of what you have asked, if I haven't already gotten back to you. Have a beautiful day!

One word with Luciane of Home Bunch!

2012-02-28T07:11:00.001-05:00

Good morning and welcome to my "One word" series, today I have the good fortune of having one of the sweetest, kindest persons in all of blogland with me. For those of you that know Luciane, you know just what I am talking about. A real gem. Luciane is the maestro behind the wonderful blog, Homebunch. Suffice to say if you are not already a regular, you are missing out big time! She posts the most spectacular homes, from all over the globe, things you have never seen that are to be believed. She also has a really fun series "cool or fool" which asks the readers to tell how they feel about something that is unusual or out of the ordinary. Once you visit, I promise you too will become a regular reader, its kind of addicting!Lucianne is a busy mother who lives in Canada and just had a baby a few short months ago. Quite the accomplished multi tasker she is! She keeps readers engaged, always has a great message and always and I do mean always provides lots of eye candy. I know Homebunch for me is a regular stop every morning as I make my rounds in blogland. I was so happy that she came on board for this post...love her even more after reading all of her wonderful endearing answers! So without further adieu..here's Lucianne. Click here to visit her fabulous blog, Home Bunch!
Lucianne of Home Bunch

One quality I love in people is: Kindness. Can you picture how pleasant life would be if people chose to be a little more kind to one another?

If my house could only be furnished in one color it would definitely have to be: White. You can't go wrong with that one.

One luxury I cannot live without: Interesting question... I'm stuck with this one. I can't imagine having anything so necessary that I can't live without. I'm trying to analyze this because "luxury" is so relative. It's inappropriate for me to say "I can't live without my Chanel bag" when many people in other countries consider luxury having electricity and water.

If I had to have one designer decorate my entire house with 0 input from me it would have to be... You! I would love to have you to do what you're doing in your home. Your taste is a gift!

If I had to choose coffee or tea it would be... Coffee! Strong, please.

One place I have been that I would love to go back to... Florianopolis, Brazil.

One place I am longing to visit is....Italy.

One talent I wish I had was.. play piano.

I think most people would agree I am very.. social.

If I could change one quality about myself it would be... I'd like to be more patient. I wasn't patient at all before, but then you start to mature and notice that the world doesn't work at the same paste all the time and there's things you can't control. So you do you part and wait for the rest.

One career I could see myself having would be... an entertainer. I love people.

If food is therapy, when stressed I indulge in... Oh, God! Dark chocolate and fresh bread. I'm crazy about both!

One of my favorite brands for clothing is... Ralph Lauren.

If my life were a book, the title would be: "You envision, you have." For me, everything starts to happen when you start believing.

My favorite flower is: tulips.

I would love to have coffee and a chat session with this famous person: Meryl Streep. She's sweet, smart and funny.

A favorite TV show I can't miss: "Revenge" and "Dexter".

Hollywood is: unreal.

Tuscany or Provence? Tuscany.

The next presidential election will be: interesting but tiring, like they usually are.

The one best thing about blogging is: the genuine love and support you receive.

A guilty pleasure for me is: it goes back to dark chocolate and bread!

A clothing designer I think that has great style: the timeless, Valentino.

My strongest quality would have to be: a good listener.

The best restaurant I have ever been to was: Five Sails, Vancouver.

Most overrated actor/actress is: Alive: Kim Kardashian. Not a "real" actress, but I'm sure she's acting more than living, so... Not alive: Marilyn Monroe. Gorgeous woman, had a very interesting life, but I'm sure people wouldn't be as fascinated as they are if she was still alive.

If my life were a documentary, I could see this actress playing me: Wow! Interesting question! Natalie Portman. She's much prettier, don't even waste your time comparing us! :-) But I'd choose her because she's super talented, smart, funny and deep.

One thing I like about my appearance is: my hair.

One thing I can honestly say I love about myself is: how much I enjoy being a mother.

Town or country: country.

One person I admire... It's easy to admire people you don't know profoundly. Hard to admire people you truly know, because the more you get to know someone, the more you'll notice that no one is perfectly admirable. The great thing is when you actually truly know a person and still admire him or her. This person for me would be my husband, because even though he's not perfect, he has some impressive qualities and I keep learning to be a better person with him. He is even better than he knows and I admire him even more for that.

Pick a decade to live in, any decade..

My favorite room of my house is: my bedroom.

If I were an animal I would be a: Have anyone chosen "snail" or "hippo"? Guess not, right? I could say I'd like to be a lion but I actually I would like to be "Teddy" (your dog), so I could live in your house. :-)

A book I would recommend to everyone would be: "By the River Piedra I sat Down and Wept", by Paulo Coelho.

If I were planning a huge family reunion, this is where I would want to have it: in a spacious villa in Italy with vineyard views.

One thing I wish everyone could be more of: relaxed. People are rushing all the time, including myself (oh, well... I have three kids!), but I think we all should stop for at least few minutes every day and take a look at where we are if that makes us happy. If not, close your eyes and picture a better place. You can achieve more than you can comprehend.

In one word life is: the warmth I feel when I'm hugging my kids. Simple and irreplaceable.

So wonderful Luciane! May I please crash your family reunion at the villa in Italy overlooking the vineyards? And you so had me with the fresh bread and chocolate indulgences, its mine too! I can feel your love of being a mother through this post and every time you write about your kids and family...that's a beautiful thing! I would love to join you and "Meryl' for that sit down....I feel like she is someone we would all love and warm up to instantly, like an old friend. And I am soooo with you on Kim....remind me what she does again?

Such fun getting a peek into how you think and you better believe I would be honored to decorate your house...thanks for the vote of confidence!! Do be sure to stop over at Homebunch and tell Lucianne yourself how much you enjoyed this....click here to visit. Wishing everyone a fabulous day!
One last request to my readers......
Yesterday I was made me aware of my name being in the hat for "best home design blog nominations".....I am soo excited and honored! If you care to vote, it would be amazing to get your vote!! Click here. Thanks everyone......you can sign in with Facebook if you have it or just answer 3 short questions to register and eligible to vote. Thanks in advance and to all of you who have voted!

Which would you choose? Academy Award Edition!

2012-02-27T06:55:00.005-05:00

Hi before I begin someone just this morning made me aware of my name being in the hat for "best home design blog nominations".....I am soo excited and honored! If you care to vote, it would be amazing to get your vote!! Click here. Thanks everyone......

Hi there, hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! Ours was actually quite relaxing, my son got home from snowboarding in Utah...phew! I was a nervous nelly all week long with him being gone and when he sent me a few pictures on the iPhone showing me the mountain...I said do not even tell me you are snowboarding on that cliff, (it was a vertical cliff I kid you not) and when he answered yes, is when I went into serious panic mode. Thankfully that was Friday with just one day left on their vacation. So...now I am much calmer. They got home yesterday he is home safe and sound...yay!
Anywho, did anyone watch the Academy awards? I must confess I do love watching all the pre shows, normally watch a bit of the actual awards show but rarely make it through its entirety....so long! I was a little disapponted in the fashion choices, saw only 2 or 3 that I really thought stood out and looked fabulous. Last year I thought there were so many prettier looks. This year I found myself saying over and over (to myself) " with endless resources, thats the best you can do"! But in honor of the awards, here's our little scenario. venturing a little off track fom the world of decorating but this isn't a script! SO lets just imagine you have been invited to attend the Academy awards. In fact lets elaborate on this little scene, lets say you have been nominated. Not for just any award but for best actress. So.....you know whats coming....which would you choose? I am so anxious to see which dress takes the gold! Here we go......
CHOICE 1

Jason Wu

CHOICE 2

Ellie Saab

CHOICE 3

Michael Kors

CHOCE 4

Oscar De La Renta

CHOICE 5

Valentino

CHIOCE 6

CHOICE 7

Elllie Saab

CHOICE 8

Valentino

CHOICE 9

Chanel

CHOICE 10

Elie Saab

CHOICE 11

Marchesa

CHOICE 12

Zuhair Murad

CHOICE 13

Zuhair Murad

CHOICE 14

Elie Saab

CHOICE 15

Oscar De La Renta

CHOICE 16

Valentino

So....which one rocks your world? I cannot wait to find out! And if you care to elaborate a bit on what kind of shoes and bag you are going to sport...tell me! I love putting things like this together... theres not a bad one in the bunch! Wishing you a wonderful Monday!

Random musings on a Saturday afternoon and winners!

2012-02-25T09:54:00.008-05:00

First a quick thank for your tremendous outpouring of support and encouraging words for my post yesterday. Yesterdays post generated the most comments I have ever gotten since I started blogging a little over a year ago.....almost 200!!!!!!! Just to be clear...this IS going to be an online shop....so everyone can come visit!
I was totally overwhelmed and bowled over by your positive words and kindness!!! I wore a smile on my face the entire day! I am very excited about this project and am working hard and doing my research behind the scenes. Some orders have been placed, am working on the actual site and the wheels are very much in motion. I promise to keep you posted and hopefully sooner than later will announce the official opening of "The Enchanted Home" store. Thank you for your support. The two lucky winners of the monogrammed linens are........

Congratulations to

Dona Nordstrom and Beth from Houston

Prize ID	Winner ID	Public Info	Private Info	Random Sorting ID	Weight
1: 1 dozen monogrammed cocktail napkins	1228607	dona norstrom		002C48C9-1C44-44A1-A517-B48E8B26DE7B	1
2: 3 monogrammed guest towels	1228732	beth from Houston		0079AAEA-C19E-452F-AAD6-314DCA3FFF8B	1

Step right up and claim your prize! Please email me with the initial you want on your towels/napkins and provide a shipping address.

On the home front...... things continue to settle down over here, its going to be a long process, one that will not be a short stint, but surely a labor of love. I have days where I have a surge of energy and feel unstoppable and days where I do absolutely nothing productive! I am however concentrating on completing a few rooms but there have been a few hiccups. Remember the beautiful rug for the family room? The one that I ordered furniture based on? Well, its too small! We tried it and the colors were magnificent but it was far too narrow. We had made some structural changes to the room which changed things a bit. Big problem. Furniture already on order. A few things we were able to stop but most of it is a done deal so we are now looking for a new family room rug, in the same colors. A challenge indeed.I think I am going to go with the fabric for back stair hall cushion and window seat, it looks great and in the searching I have done, see nothing I like more.
Did get to the D & D building last week which was fun, I am truly like a little kid in a candy store when it comes to me and fabrics. I only had three hours but used it wisely! So..... below are some of my findings and a few (not many) new things going on over here......

The beautiful chandelier we just had installed in stair hall

It has to be raised a bit, but I love it!

I like switching things up.....and played around with my "blue and whites" for the island...what do you think?

I know, I know...enough already! Sorry...you know I can get carried away!

We are waiting the for the shades to put on the chandelier

Pretty chair in my closet.....

Guest bathroom, now I am looking for wallpaper

Another spot for the ginger sisters

Don't worry all the unsightly wires you see under the sofa are temporary....see I can read your mind!

Husbands bath....

Hubby's bath lighting is done...now working on the window treatment unless visitors pulling up the house want to be greeted by my husband in the flesh:)

And I wanted to do something different for my very teeny tine computer room/small office, literally it measures 6x10 but its a small alcove off our bedroom, and enough for a good sized desk and bookcases, so...I am kind of liking this, what do you think?

The little lame "alcove/office" needs some help. As in "911"....looks like a mess with no where to go. But rest assured, I am going to make it pretty. Real pretty!

What you don't see is it also has beautiful little butterflies in the paper, a chinoiserie style...love the colors.....

Reminder this is the palette of the bedroom

And a few close ups of the ones making it as finalists in my seletions.......

The wallpaper which I am sold on

The carpet which I love, has a trellis pattern which I adore but tone on tone..so very soft

This is a velvet stripe, thinking it would be pretty for a bench

Newly discovered, this is a beauty...maybe drapes?

Another new discovery, very soft, pretty and a little more open feeling...not sure but it is pretty

Starting to look a bit orderly in the pantry...still tons of tweaking to do though!

And last but not least two very different looks in wallpaper for the powder room off the kitchen, both work and both look actually really great. I would love your opinion on which you like!! I always love to hear......

Definitely a little more transitional than the other and than most of my house is but its a family powder room and the colors are so pretty

The soft grays and yellows are very soft and work beautifully, its a more traditional pattern....thoughts??

Wishing everyone a fabulous Saturday and rest of the weekend!

If the Enchanted Home were a store...and a great giveaway!

2012-02-24T07:51:00.007-05:00

Good morning, have been contemplating this post for awhile but as there's no time like the present, so here it goes......just don't read it standing up, there's A LOT of pictures!! Before I begin, I want to announce the winner of the signed Segreto book of Secrets! Drumroll please........

Congratulations to .....Elizabeth Eiffel

Prize ID	Winner ID	Public Info	Private Info	Random Sorting ID	Weight
1: signed book	1227775	elizabeth eiffel		018000E2-C754-4B45-9554-76DD7CE12FA4	1

(Please contact me to provide your shipping details and how you want the book signed)

OK this is hypothetical at this moment .....as I have eluded to in the past, I am hoping to set up shop and start a small business selling things that are very much "my style", think old world meets European meets French rustic elegance......best way to describe a look that doesn't necessarily fit in a perfect neat box all the time but loosely that's the look I am after. I am doing my "research" right now and having quite a lot of fun. I like to know what excites people in the marketplace. Below are a host of things I have my eye on to "carry" and I would LOVE your feedback. Just let me know what you think about the feeling of the overall vibe of the accessories here, is there an item or item(s) that you think the marketplace needs more of/is saturated with?
Some of these things I found through my own needs and frustration in not being able to find them ......figuring if I was having a hard time finding something like this, then there must be many others having that same frustration. Would love to know what you like, what you don't like, what excites you here. Thank you so very much, your feedback is appreciated more than you can possibly imagine. To thank you for your time and contemplation, I am doing a giveaway! All details on bottom of the post. To be eligible for the giveaway just comment on this post and I will select a winner and post the winner on Saturday afternoon. If you want an additional chance to win, like me or leave a comment on my Facebook page. (can't believe I am saying that, feel so "hip") Click here to visit The Enchanted Home on Facebook. Thank you and happy make believe shopping!

This would be a labor of love and a great way for me to restart my design career slowly as I finish my own house (well we all know its never really finished but you know what I mean)! I look forward to hearing your feedback, here we go......

Love this line of very elegant old world silver pieces, trays, cache posts, planters, serving pieces...really exquisite! Well priced too:) Imagine a pretty orchid potted in these or rolled hand towels for an elegant powder room, beautiful perfume bottles displayed on the gorgeous scalloped trays......

And for a European touch in the kitchen...some fun reproductions of old European faves, bread bowls, wood trivets and cutting boards, dough bowl, grain feeders, olive trays. These pieces are just gorgeous and are vintage reproductions finished with natural beeswax, vintage hardware and weathered detailing adds to the beauty of these pieces!

And you know I love my decorative porcelains......

How great are these pieces for the ultimate blue and white statement in a bathroom?

Can we seriously ever have enough pillows!! One of my favorite looks, needlepoint and aubusson pillows....a total classic! A little something for everyone from very traditional to more fun and transitional.

And you know how I feel bell jar lanterns, so pretty and works in virtually any space. These are offered in a host of patterns and 4 sizes, S, M,L and Jumbo.

More beautiful porcelains.....can never have enough blue and white jars!!

How about these pretty chandelier lamp shades? Again had a hard time finding some I liked so was happy to discover these!!

Love white staffordshire dogs!! Will have them in several colors, they are great decorative objects!

Painted pieces......

More cute dogs.....

And for all you blue and white lovers.....

And for all you lovers of old world feeling linens with monograms.....(best part is this are REALLY reasonable and oh so pretty)!

This is a beautiful line of canvas art, very old world, antiqued feeling and nothing over 150 dollars!!! There will also be an option to have these framed, and on average they are about 26x19 to give you an idea of sizing..they are really beautiful in person!

Heres a picture of one in my house so you can see what it looks like a bit better..

And last but not least I will also carry a line of custom topiaries.....like the ones I designed in my own kitchen that many asked about. They will be offered in a variety of sizes and containers....

The lemon leaf topiaries are such a classic...they work in almost any room, any interior

Phew!! This was a lot to take in. But you know I highly value your opinions so now its time for me to hear from you! What excites you here? Anything? All of it? What does the marketplace need more of/less of? Cannot wait to hear. Above all else I want to stay true to what I love, my style and stay with what I know and love. That is my mission and realize you cannot be all things to all people. Can't wait to hear from you!

Now to be eligible for the wonderful giveaway (below) it is simple....just leave me a comment below telling me what you love here and if you want a second chance, you can either like me on Facebook or leave a comment on The Enchanted Home's Facebook by clicking here. Wow, I have come a long way just saying that about Facebook!

Here's the goodies!

One winner will receive a dozen monogrammed linen cocktail napkins!

And.....

One winner will receive 3 linen monogrammed guest towels in your choice of white/white or ecru/white.

Good luck everyone and thank you again for your support always...I cannot think of a "panel of great minds" whose opinions could possibly count as much as yours!