Eat Pray Love~On the Italian Culture

I did this post in 2008 before our first trip to Italy. After spending an accumulative 7 weeks there and having kids live there for three years I can clearly see that Luigi Barzini was right on. It will be interesting to see the new movie, Eat Pray, Love in August when it is released.
"I recently read Eat Pray Love in anticipation of our trip to Italy. Elizabeth Gilbert summarizes Luigi Barzini, in his 1964 masterpiece, The Italians, that was written when he'd finally grown tired of foreigners writing about Italy and either loving it or hating it too much. He tried to set the record straight on his own culture. He tried to answer the question of why the Italians have produced the greatest artistic, political, and scientific minds of the ages, but have still never become a world power? Why are they the planet's masters of verbal diplomacy, but still so inept at home government? Why are they so individually valiant, and yet so unsuccessful as an army? How can they be such shrewd merchants on the personal level, yet such insufficient capitalists as a nation?

He said it had much to do with a sad Italian history of corruption by local leaders and exploitation by foreign dominators, all of which has generally led Italians to draw the seemingly accurate conclusion that nobody and nothing in the world can be trusted. Because the world is so corrupted, misspoken, unstable, exaggerated and unfair, one should trust only what one can experience with one's own senses and this makes the senses very strong, in fact they are stronger in Italy, than in all of Europe. This is why, Brazini says, Italians will tolerate hideously incompetent generals, presidents, tyrants, professors, bureaucrats, journalist and captains of industry, but will never tolerate incompetent 'opera singers, conductors, ballerinas, courtesans, actors, film directors, cooks, tailors...' In a world of disorder and disaster and fraud, sometimes only beauty can be trusted. Only artistic excellence is incorruptible. Pleasures cannot be bargained down. And sometimes the meal is the only currency that is real. (This is a thought worth some reflection.)

The Pieta~Michelangleo

To devote yourself to the creation and enjoyment of beauty, then, can be a serious business---not always necessarily a means of escaping reality, but sometimes a means of holding on to the real when everything else is flaking away."

I really found this so interesting and it struck a cord with me that I don't fully understand but I want to ponder. I find some truth in it in relationship to my profession as a decorator, how my senses can be trusted to find the beauty in the chaos. It is all rather worth some serious thought and reflection for me."

Luciano Pavarotti

Decorating a Mantel~Wedding Style

Yesterday was such a fun day. Our friends, Timme and John's son, Alden is getting married in another week in Idaho. So they had a "pre-ception" for them here in CA at their beautiful home last night. It could not have been a more lovely evening! The weather was gorgeous, the dinner delicious and the company outstanding. They had the dinner catered and we dined outside by the pool~ it was heavenly!

Timme asked me to decorate the mantel in her living room with something nice. I was delighted to help out. A mantel is simple enough but I wanted to ask my friend, Maureen, to help me. She, you may remember, use to help me stage homes and she is also a floral designer.

Neither one of us had ever made a live garland we confessed when we sat down to do it! Ah, the pressure...but we decided to give it a go. Actually it was remarkable easy and a lot of fun. The hardest part is keeping it fresh looking for a few hours. We started out tramping through our yard just cutting various greenery and then we brought it all in, layered it and wired the seven foot garland together. The heartier the green the better they held up!


I bought two beautiful hurricane candle holders, some white sparkly sand and some light yellow candles to blend in with her Tuscan wall treatment. I ♥ her walls, all mottled looking and so Italian! Scrumptious! Look at the detail below.


The bride had selected a dove gray and white as her wedding colors so since there are no gray flowers we were aware of, we decided to complement the room with a little touch of saffron yellow. We also used some little white flowers and some baby's breath pompom thingies ( my highly technical description since I have no clue what they are called) that made up the bouquets for the tables. We grabbed some white lights and a couple rolls of wired, delicate, white ribbon with a little shimmer and this is what we came up with for the party. They seemed pleased and it made a nice focal point being the first thing you saw when you entered the room from the foyer. The fireplace is just fabulous with the granite surround and hearth and the beautiful carved wood detailing.

Most of the evening they had a video
of the bride and groom playing on the
flat screen above the mantel.
For this shot it was music.

Maureen and I had a lot of fun doing it!
We are constantly laughing when we are together...
so it was a win/win for us all!

Whimsical Tablescape

A corner of our family room

I took these photos not long ago to show how I like to do some whimsical things in my home decor. I had this primitive black cat carved out of wood and this cute bird cage. I didn't want to get rid of my primitive cat as it has sentimental value to me but I don't do primitive either. So, what to do???

Recently I closed down the staging aspect of my business. In the process I sold or donated all of my household items and accessories. The little black cat had been sitting down in my warehouse but I just had to hang on to her. But my space is so limited. I also had the little green bird with the upturned tail. I grouped them together in this way with the cat inside the cage and the bird on the outside looking it. It is just a fun way to create a little point of interest in an area with a whimsical tablescape. The non-observant will walk right by but it does put a smile on the face of some, including me.


Accessorizing is so much fun and really sets the tone of the room. If you like a comfy, less formal look try a little whimsy~it works. A little surprise now and then creates fun and an opportunity to take yourself and life a little less seriously.

I Am IN LOVE With This

I'm sorry...This is Flat Out Gorgeous! Woohoo!

I participated in this new meme today and discovered this wonderfully talented lady that made this and explained how she did it here. I love the metallic look, the gems, the rustic embellishments, the glitz...in short everything about it! I love that it is not practical...it is simply beautiful! This is bedazzling at it's finest!

I am on it, thus begins my new sparkly button collection! Stop over and meet Ann. And check out the meme called WooHoo Wednesday! I can see it is going to be a FUN way to celebrate your gratitude!

Welcome to the Cottage

From the Street you see this...

I was asked by a few people to include more outside photos of the house so here you go...


I have always loved the beautiful wrap around porches we see in the design magazines but I am just as happy with our little one. Yesterday after the "cat nap" and cleaning up I decided to fool around with the porch a little. I rescued the wicker chairs from the warehouse and put this together. As you can see our bricks are cracking and separating...a hazard when the ground shifts here in CA. Fortunately our good friends own a masonry company and I have put in a call for a repair soon. So these can be the before pics.

Tic Tac Toe with frogs and dragonflies anyone?

If you come to this door I will know you are a perfect stranger or you really are coming to play tic tac toe. Even though this is the front door we never use it except to come out on the porch. I seriously think we don't even have a key to the door. We and all of our family and friends enter into our backdoor. "Backdoor Friends Are Best," it has been said and in our case it is very true. Here is a photo of the porch we normally use.

After coming up the drive way you can turn left at the bricks to go to the porch I just showed you, or you can go straight to the "backdoor." I guess technically we have two front doors!

I got the cute sign from a shopkeeper
who had a little gift shop called
"No Place Like the Cottage."
I ♥ it!

This is a chair that l like that
I had down in the warehouse.
I would sit on it and look at all the
stuff and figure out a design plan
for each house.
I want to keep it and I haven't a
square inch open anywhere
else so it is on the porch!

I am really glad we painted the doors black
to go with the shutters on the house.


I really enjoy decorating with whimsical things.
I don't want our house to feel stuffy or too formal
so I love to put things around like this
lawn jockey. I have been meaning to paint his vest and hat
a different color than green for years. Any suggestions on
a good color? I will be doing it this year.
Some of the shutters have not been put
back up since we had the house painted!
Workin' on it though!

This is a wind chime I found down in the valley
near Yosemite last fall. It is a fun piece and so vintage.
Just right for the cottage.

This is a fun welcome sign. It pivots to..

I love the whimsy of the back side!
I know it's there but you won't ever
see this side if you come over.

These are my hydrangeas from Easter.
They are looking kinda over.
I think the big rains around
Easter took their toll on them!

Well, thanks for stopping by.
I hope you felt welcome because you always are!

P.S. I really like taking pictures of the house because it makes you see things you haven't really noticed before. I realized through these photos that both of our porch lights are too small. The scale is just not right. Do you take photos of your home and analyze them sometimes? It is a good idea. It is so easy to just not notice things otherwise.

China Cabinets and Butler's Pantry Get Fluffed!

A little faux treat I made in my cabinet.
One thing a home stager has is
plenty of faux food!

I think I am really going to enjoy having Jim home more. He is just so happy working out in the yard and he is really overjoyed about closing down our warehouse as he gets all the shelving for his things. He has plans to build a workshop one day and then he'll have plenty of room for his man stuff. Yay! In the meantime he is fixing up an old cottage we have in the back with the shelves and he is excited. In its day it was quite the cute little bunkhouse but now it is on its last leg and ready for a redo. But we are not going there at this point! It will be fine for storage.
Someday I'll have to take you on a guided tour outside on the property. It is a fun place to be.

Jim is such a productive, happy person. He has inspired me to get a lot done this week here at home. We are even having so much fun we canceled our date to the city for tomorrow so we can stay home and keep at it. We (mostly he) have just accomplished so much this week. Spring cleaning is almost done and the stuff in the yard is getting either thrown out or organized after being out there for nearly a year during the construction phase. I feel the burdens lifting as we get things back in order. Yay...I love order. And we have decluttered considerably as well. I got rid of so much junk in my china cabinets.

Honestly, how does it jump in there? I am not kidding I didn't even recognize some of it. Like it reproduces in there or something! I think I'll add some photos of that now that they are all redone. Maybe I'll even give you a peek into my butler's pantry that Jim built for me out of an old coat closet a few years ago.

Here it is. You can barely see it but it
has a glass door on it that is original to the home.
Here you can see our Christmas dishes,
the china we bought when I went back to work
after Laura started school,
and my grandmother's dishes on the bottom.
Click, click for a better view.

This curio cabinet is where we
keep our glasses and stemware.
I love this cabinet because the door is
curved glass.

So they look like this after I purged through them. Yikes. Anyway, at least now they are all dusted and cleaned and orderly again. Because our house is not huge I have to be really careful about keeping things in order or the chaos is crazy making. When it is in order it makes me want to actually have some company over soon. The butler's pantry is very convenient for large gatherings as we don't have to dig through everything to find what we need.

We just don't realize how much stuff can over burden us. I think we all function better with a house of order. I know I can feel the difference, in a physical way, with every little corner than is getting cleaner and refreshed and becoming the way it should be. I never could function in chaos, but the older I get the more I need the order and peace. I love changing the seasons with the decor and just lightening up for the months ahead.

Tomorrow I am attaching the library bookshelves. Ugh, but I know it will look so much better. Why are bookshelves just little junk catchers?

So then, about retirement...I just love the synergy of two~so far, so good~ projecting into the future of twice as much husband and a little less money and all is well ! We have reached that time in life where more time=more wealth in the things money cannot buy. It is a nice place to be, I am liking it a lot already.

Recycling Our Old Bathroom After 32 L-O-N-G Years

We have recently remodeled our ancient bathroom and added 55 square feet to the footprint. We went for a 'tiny barely can turn around in it' unused space, to what you see below in about 3 months. It was a lot of fun to design it, and mostly fun when the construction was done and the decorating could get underway. I had been accumulating things for quite some time but it is always fun to put the icing on the cake.

View from the door

Love the crown on the window tops
Click Click for a bigger view on all photos

The tub!

The fun tub caddy

The shower faucetry for the tub

The fun stuff on the window sill
The glass picks up the morning sunlight so beautifully!

The sink~love it!The sconces up close ~ They can point up or down!
Restoration hardware cannot be beat!The baffles for the can ceiling lights. There are five. Home Depot!!

More fun light catchers on the other window sill.

Our garden boy from the nursery
wanted to bring the outside in!
He has a little nest with eggs on his head
~urging spring to be ours~

My beloved funny angel with the glass eyes~Angelo~
Yes, I have been robbing a lot of other rooms!

Sunflowers snagged from our bedroom!

Corner of the sink and window that faces
the pond and waterfall outside. Toto Sink

Outside view above the tub

On the shower wall behind the tub. The towels and little architectural element holding the place where Laura's La Dolce Vita (The Sweet Life) sign will go when she is done making it. Check out the glass rod on the chrome towel bar holders. Be still my beating heart!

The throne as I know the kids will want
to see every square inch!
We got a tall one for people over 5 feet.
Toto

The Fresco we received from some past tenants of my mom's when they moved! So Italian..I have loved this thing for years~ it finally has the proper place to be.

Close-ups
Our cottage has lots of brick so love the glass
tile root beer colored brick trim in the shower.
We got the flooring and tiles from The Floor Club!

The shower 4x5 feet and no door..love that part!

Grohe Shower Fixtures

Another tub shot
Barclay Cast Iron Tub
With Chrome Feet

The art work~ 2 etchings by a street artist
in Venice. Given to us by our daughter, Laura.
Artist: Ugo Baracco
If you get yourself to Venice see his work
on the pathway leading to St Mark's Square on the right!
He is amazing!

Our Italy trips have influenced our remodel of
both our kitchen and bathroom this year.Can't really capture these with a camera
too well but they are so neat!

The colors are perfect and they were purchased
long before this bathroom was conceived.

Ahhh, Venice! Who Can Forget Her?

Usually I would start with the art work as inspiration for the room but everything was selected before I saw these and Laura was sweet enough to part with them. They were in her garage in a tube just waiting to be whisked to America and framed! Lucky us!

Can I just tell you how happy we are to have this bathroom and to finally be done with the construction. Our contractor, Steve, and Jim worked themselves silly over it and it was a bit like giving birth. Now that the labor is over.. it is time to be thankful and to enjoy! I don't know what our favorite part is...it changes daily. What do you like best?