white tulips..

 

My goodness did the weekend go quickly?!  I did get my fill of the whole taking care of business though.  Now back to regular work I suppose.

Doesn't it feel good to do a little bit of clean up and organize in your personal life?  Some Saturdays I feel like I spend hours just organizing the mess that my house has become during the week.  Then on Sunday I can take some time for myself, just a smidge though, they certainly don't want me to get spoiled!  

I picked up these tulips for  myself on Friday and finally used one of my favorite little vases. I am so excited for Spring this year and cannot wait for it to warm up and everything to start blooming again, these give me a little something to keep me going.  Usually January is the most difficult month for me to wait through in anticipation of the coming warmer days ahead.  How about you are you ready for Spring to arrive?

image via  

 

Pimlico Magazine {thank you}

  I wanted to say a big thank you to Pimlico magazine for including me along with the other wonderful bloggers in their Winter 2012 issue.  They asked me to share some of my holiday table setting ideas and I think that setting the table can be one of the best parts of entertaining so I was happy to put together some of my favorites!  I offered a little sneak peek a few weeks back and here is the final result. Hopefully my schedule will allow for some entertaining this holiday season that I can share with you here on the blog too.  This issue is full of great ideas from wrapping to what to wear, check it out here.  

 

Here are a few other shots from that day.  It is always fun to have a little photo shoot!

 

The china cabinet

 

I spent most of the day yesterday trying to empty out my china cabinet and get ready for our new wood flooring to be installed and I started thinking about how lucky I am.  I have waited 4 years for the flooring I wanted, after pulling up some damaged wood when we first moved in, I am excited.  But I was really thinking more about all of the wonderful pieces I have accumulated over the years.  I LOVE dishes and when I was on a trip to Paris about four or five years ago, I found out how very much fun it could be to buy beautiful pieces while I was there and bring them home with me.  I fell hard for Astier de Villatte and my life has never been the same.  Each trip I have taken I have bought pieces and brought them home with me, very carefully.  I have a large collection now and although I don't use it as I should, each piece seems to hold a wonderful memory for me.  There are many other beautiful pieces in there too but each of these is like a little treasure to me.  

As I have been going through emptying out our kitchen and now the china cabinet I have realized something else too, I need to buy only what I love, not what is a good deal or something I may never use.  I have donated boxes and boxes of pieces over the last few weeks that have never been used or were still in the original packaging.  So this project or combination of projects has given me the jump start I need to spend more wisely and maybe just maybe start using those beautiful pieces I have been sheltering from my loved ones for fear of breakage.

Do you use what you have?  Do you save the best dishes and glassware for only special occasions or do you use them everyday? 

 

Rocq Macarons in Oprah Magazine..

Rocq Macarons has teamed up with Oprah to recognize October as National Breast Cancer  Awareness month this year.  They have created a special grouping of pink macarons just for the occasion, with flavors including Strawberry, Lavender, Rose Water and Bourbon Vanilla.  With the purchase of each box 25% will be donated to Mission Hospital Wellness Center.  Please take a moment to visit their site and order a box today!

 

This is not all that they have been up to - stop by the OC register to see all of their plans to bring the love of the macaron to you!

images by christina for greige

A LITTLE BIT FRENCH: ASTIER DE VILLATTE IN NYC

Astier de Villatte patterned journals in sophisticated color combinations

Candles and heady incense hit the states at the John Derian booth at the Gift Show

John Derian has long imported the design world's favorite from overseas, Astier de Villatte. Carrying the Parisian line of whimsical white glazed terracotta tabletop in his lower east side curiosity shop has been a success -- the clamor for it just never seems to die down. Now, you can get the entire line of Astier wares from John, as he is representing the line straight from it's Parisian Rue Saint-Honore locale. Take a minute to look at their website, it is one of the kookiest and charming I've seen. MC Escher like graphic patterned notebooks, scented candles, and incense can transport you to the rainy foggy narrow streets of Paris in an instant.