Weekend musings.......

Hello! At long last a "catch up" post. I have a lot to share as this is way overdue, so take a seat and grab an extra cup of coffee!  I feel like one of those gerbils on a wheel this week , huffing and puffing to keep on truckin'! Its been one crazy hectic week and on top of that I ended up getting some kind of stomach bug and that coupled with the start of a nasty migraine made for a miserable 48 hours.

First things first! The winner of the fabulous Gretchen Scott "mini wardrobe"! The response was huge to this contest with good reason and one lucky lady is going to be adding some fabulous new frocks to her closet! Here is the winner as per randompicker.org. Congratulations goes to......

Result:

25

michele October 30, 2013 at 1:54 PM

oooohhhhh mama! Gretchen's silk jersey tunics have my name all over them. fabulous color!

michele
hello lovely

Couldn't have gone to a nicer person! Please contact me with your shipping information. If you didn't win....no worries, I will be having a giveaway every week from here until Christmas!! How exciting is that! Some seriously amazing ones, so stay tuned.

Thankfully the weekend though busy is all fun and games, so I am looking forward to that. I have a feeling its just going to intensify as Nov. kicks in and then comes frantic December. I have pretty much decided to make my holiday party a "post holiday affair". Too much pressure on me and too many things going on to have a clear state of mind to plan it the way I like to do things. Doing it in January takes some of the pressure off....now I need to pray for not getting a giant snowstorm that day:)

My recent batch of goodies was pure mayhem...the responses was fabulous. I am always on the prowl for the next great thing, rest assured! And as luck would have it I scored a second batch of amazing finds, so if you missed out there is a second chance! I need to find the time and rest assured I will to organize the many many boxes, price and photograph them and they will be up in the next week. So stay tuned.....

I cannot believe we are in November. SCARY. To think that Dec. is next month! My days have been so full that I cannot imagine it getting any crazier and yet somehow Dec. does that to us...turns everything upside down, a good kind of crazy though! Anywho, here is whats new on my end....

Moving along, a lot of randomness today. So bear with me as I am all over the map:) Ready? Let's go...


A MASQUERADE PARTY! We were invited to a gorgeous and I do mean gorgeous masquerade party, didn't think those went on anymore! I wasn't sure until an hour before if I had the energy to go after having been sick but I did and wore a "go to"  favorite gown with a mask. It was so beautiful, I of course felt compelled to capture a few pictures with my iPhone. (not the best quality but you get the idea).

 Upon entering the super grand foyer aka courtyard, the architecture was over the top amazing!

 Just look at that ceiling!

 I so loved the way this was set up! The crudites were all done in urns...I am copying that!

The room done by Safavieh Home was  a real showstopper.

And the all white dining room was something to behold....

 How gorgeous is this entrance!

 

 The windows were so fabulous I couldn't resist taking a picture...even in the dark!

A MAJOR BLUE AND WHITE SCORE. Bought a HUGE collection of blue and white Spode, this is like the blue and white collection to end all collections. I have not even counted how many pieces but lets say its A LOT!!!!! Hey, you can never have too much blue and white:)

Upon walking into the shop, my blue and white radar was on high alert...it was beckoning to me:)

So many gorgeous pieces from plates and pitchers to cookie jars and casserole dishes.......

To pasta holders and pitchers to scalloped bowls and bread boxes.....

Half of it getting unpacked!

Love the bread boxes and casserole dishes

It included 3 pair of candlesticks

Love these scalloped serving bowls....so pretty


Driving back from Greenwich I spotted the biggest pumpkin I have ever seen,  this monster measured  about 4 feet across, I kid you not! I am sure it's the winner of many a contest!

A VERY SUCCESSFUL E DESIGN PROJECT. A fellow reader and designer and I collaborated on an e-design project together (her family room)  and she also ordered these outrageously gorgeous custom tole sconces from my custom line, they are so stunning! She has superb taste and the way the room came out is so spectacular I just had to share it with you all. Feast your eyes on this.....

 This was the finished sconces that was custom made from my custom tole line.....so beautiful!

 How gorgeous is this room?

Ready for a magazine spread, don't you think!

HOLIDAY TRAVEL. With the super busy holidays upon us, it is likely that travel is in many of your futures. If air travel is part of your plans, this is a super informative post worth reading, all kinds of tidbits of information and sources I didn't know about. Leave it up to my buddy, Sandy, the world traveler of You May Be Wandering to enlighten us! Click here to read that excellent post.

HALLOWEEN IN NEW YORK CITY. I went on a Junior League house tour last weekend, and from the car snapped a few pictures of some gorgeous and festive entrances decked out in their Halloween finest! I am going to do a post on NYC entrances sometime in the future, maybe if I can swing it sometime in Dec. when NYC comes alive with holiday festivities.

 This one had all 7 stories done! You know this was as a serious labor of love!

 Always a sucker for beautiful old buildings and breathtaking architecture........

 

 Loved this one too, the colors are so rich

A GREAT NEW BOOK YOU MUST OWN. My blogging friend, Tish from  A femme d' Un Certain Age came out with her new book, Forever Chic.  I was beyond excited to get it. I have to say and I am so not "just saying this" this is one of the best books I have read  in a very long time. It is totally captivating and lures you right in to her world and authentic voice about an Americans take on French culture, women aging and all the wonderful behind the scenes secrets and tidbits. Everything you always wanted to know is explained with an honest and entertaining voice through Tish. I have to say....those French women know what they are doing and just having read this book is prompting me to make a few changes and readjust the way I look at a few things.....just love it!

 I love her honest account and let me tell you.....I am learning a lot! I am almost done and its absolutely one of those books that I just don't want it to end! Tish you might need a second edition...........click here to purchase. You WILL thank me:)

A TRUE SINGING PRODIGY. Have you seen this nine year old sing on Hollands X Factor? That's right I said nine years old. Talk about the voice of an angel! I was bowled by her voice at any age but to think she is nine is just hard to comprehend. She is self taught and no doubt destined for great things......this is guaranteed to give you chills (the good kind).

MY ONLINE SHOP. Going to soon be adding some new products to my shop. A lot of what I sell are staples and therefore remain but I do add new items here and there. I am really a "staples" kind of girl. I like what I like and those things never get old. I only sell what I love and use so you can be sure that anything on my online has been tested and tried by yours truly. A few new porcelains getting added.......

New accessories just arrived too......

Lots of people have requested this crystal obelisks, super decorative and works in any kind of decor, the highest quality....really gorgeous.

 LOVE this decanter set, includes the holder in silver or ant. brass and two lead crystal cut decanters.

The three top trays are all being added as I do get many requests for ant. brass trays...and these are beauties.


The success of my recent steals and deals was amazing and so validating to me personally that there is a huge demand still for beautiful, old world traditional accessories.. It so made me wish I had more. Incidentally I got in another smaller batch from the same vendor so will be offering those things up sometime possibly this weekend. Just need to get organized, take pictures and tag everything. Definitely worth a look if you missed out last time! Here is a sneak peek.....

As scary as it sounds, Christmas is next month....crazy!  So I will be posting on a few deadlines, mostly for my custom napkin rings and statuary. I plan on suspending my shop for about 8 days during the Christmas season, I know how crazy busy it gets so will close up my shop on or around Dec. 18th until after the holidays for a much needed hiatus. I will be very busy and fulfilling orders until then so its not too early to start thinking about gifts.

For anyone who is thinking of the custom napkin rings for the holidays, it is not too soon to start placing orders. The latest you can order for guaranteed Christmas delivery is Nov. 18th.  Some are in stock, as extra have been ordered in anticipation of the holidays, but most are custom and take about 3 weeks however by mid November it will be closer to a 4 week plus lead time. I plan on doing a post next week on these wonderful treasures for the table.....they are still one of my favorite things, so special! Click here to see more online.

 A popular ring, the animal conga line......talk about a conversation piece!

 The Santas come in two sizes...this is the large, how amazing are they for a Christmas table!

 How charming is the chinoiserie man?

 There is a collection of about 8-10 different horses, very impressive!

 Of course had to get this one for myself...reminds me of Teddy!

 LOVE the stag deer.....so elegant!

As always any questions about anything from my online shop, feel free to email me here.

Phew...still with me? I know I know this was a lot to read, as I said this was so overdue that there was a lot to share, and there is even more but I will do that next time:)

Brace yourselves for this weeks "Blue and white love" contest which starts tomorrow!  It is beyond description in terms of the sheer beauty and talent of my readers. You are in for a mega treat, that I promise you! I will also feature sometime during the week my most recent steals and deals and finally the end of the week, will announce the winner(s) of the blue and white love contest and announce a spectacular new giveaway so lots of good things happening. Thanks as always for stopping in....wishing you a wonderful day and relaxing end to your week.