152 Merry Lane - $65
The last couple of summers, we have been making these huge road trips across the country. Funny, I never would have considered that I would enjoy them as much as I do. This summer, we drove up to Canada, then down through South Dakota and through Colorado on our way back to Texas.
We did Priceline (can't ever say that without singing the jingle in my head) and got some amazing deals. In Colorado, we ended up at the JWMarriott Denver and seriously considered longer just because it was such a wonderful hotel. I would have loved to have stayed and gone to the spa. However, we were tired and ready to get home.
The decor was wonderful, look at the Second Home Kitchen & Bar, pictured above. Delicious food too (we ordered room service) and got some local cheeses and other dishes.
Here is our mountain view room ($89 a night)
Our mountain view
Exterior of hotel, right in the middle of restaurants, art galleries and shopping. For more pictures of the hotel
However, what really excited me, were the private label bath products - Nirvae Essentials. According to Marriott, since introducing Nirvae, it has developed a cult following. The line is based on Citrus elements: Orange & Sandalwood lotion, Grapefruit & Mint Showel Gel, Bergamot & Tea Tree Oil Shampoo and Conditioner. All smell amazing, and are reasonably priced for a spa line, $9 for 8oz.
I am always looking for tips to make my life easier and save money (so I can buy what I really want)! 50 Essential Kitchen Secrets in this month's CL, contains helpful tips and tricks, adapted from Rebecca DiLiberto's Penny Saving Household Helper.
Here is the book copy "This handy guide resurrects the fine art of frugal housekeeping with over 500 tips on saving money throughout the home and garden. Learn creative ways to cut back, pinch pennies, reduce, recycle, and re-use. Want to save on the grocery bill? Buy the whole chicken rather than individual cuts. Get more wear out of your wardrobe? Add a dash of salt to the washer to keep your darks from fading in the laundry."
And at under $10 each (on Amazon), this is an easy book to buy in multiples for gifts or stocking stuffers. To purchase: Penny Saving Household Helper: 500 Little Ways to Save Big
Just a reminder, this is the last week to win a $25 gift card to The Container Store. Just leave a comment here. Winner will be announced on Monday.
Use your winning card to buy amazing gift wrap, or any number of great stocking stuffers. Check out the selection and make sure to sign up for their e-mail to be registered to win a $2500 shopping spree!
I ran across this article on Tablesetting with Rosanna Bowles, owner of Rosanna Inc. I started seeing her products when I attended gift shows in the mid-90's and have always really like her style.
I had not seen Boho Holiday, but look, here it is in gift wrap form at The Container Store (more items from this collection are in store). It is one of my favorite collections out of all of the great wraps we have in stock.
Here are some bright fabrics for a cold and dreary day. It is raining once again, plus, I am sick - so let's all look at some happy prints. I adore fabric, but this is where my "High, Low" kicks in. I will spend money for furniture, lighting and art, but I have a hard time spending $100 or more a yard for fabric. That is too much commitment for a girl who likes to change it up. I know why it is more expensive, and I love to look at it, but when push comes to shove, I gravitate towards inexpensive fabric. So, IKEA is a fun place for me to indulge.
I originally came to buy print below, but they were sold out of it. Very Matisse looking in my opinion and obviously, very popular. Since we have orange velvet curtains, I want something just to cover the ugly blackout shades, perhaps just mounted on tension rods inside the window over the shades. This is my first choice; I may just use fusing tape to make the curtains, no sewing involved!
I like this one too, not for the bedroom, just in general. 
Here is my second choice: blue background, but with enough orange to tie it together. Definitely not as bold as the first, but when your bedroom incorporates turquoise, lime, orange, gold and hot pink, being too bold is not a worry. 
How adorable for a kids room?
More fun fabric, but as the salesperson pointed out, the squirrel has a cheese grater?
The background color is light green, but I could not get a good photograph in the store. This made me think of a little boy's room. 
Here is the website image of the fabric I have at the top of the post. You can see the overall detail from these images, but harder to tell the background is light yellow. This might be fun to use for pillows for my bed. 
Web image of squirrel print
Web image of the billy goat print.
It is always exciting for me to see friends from my New York days and their successes. Today, I thought I would share some of my talented friends with you!
A couple of weeks ago, I got an email from Decorati called The Tailored Home: Janie Hirsch.
It was so exciting to see Janie's work featured! After college, one of my roommates moved to New York and ended up sharing an apartment with Janie. When Janie got engaged and moved out, I had just moved to Manhattan, and so I took over her room. Janie and her husband then moved to Atlanta, and years later, my roommate and I moved down to Atlanta too. My roommate then met her husband and stayed, and I moved onto San Diego, then Dallas.
Janie describes her decorating style as "an eclectic combination of classic furnishings and antiques with a strong connection to architectural elements." I think her interiors show a restrained touch, making them luxurious but quietly elegant.
For more pictures of Janie's interiors:
Photography by Chris Little Photography- Atlanta, GA
In Atlanta, my roommate honed her buying skills at Ballard Designs, a great catalog. After a successful career there, she and her husband Tad, an architect, moved Asheville, NC.
For the last five years, Ashley and her partner Alyson have run Nest, a home decor retail shop in Asheville. Their vision was to have a space where they could create vignettes mixing new merchandise with old salvage and antique pieces.
Here are some of my favorite pieces from their current assortment. 
Their website is under construction, so visit their blog and see their latest inspirations. I can't wait to see what they find next.
Photos by Katie Walsh
Lastly, it may surprise you that I didn't originally plan a home furnishings career. My passion has always revolved around color, which started with cosmetics.
In college, I was enamored with Robin Burns, first as president of Calvin Klein cosmetics (responsible for the Obsession fragrance campaigns), then as president & CEO of Estée Lauder. When I met her, I told her that I had an article about her tacked on my bedroom wall; she told me that made her feel old! But she was only in her 30's when she was tapped to take the reins at Calvin Klein.
Along the way, I worked with such talented and creative people in the cosmetic industry. I was reminded of this yesterday when reading my newest Allure (yes, I still LOVE makeup and fragrance).
In a feature called "Look Alive" about winter makeup, they show Three Custom Color blush in Morning After. My first job was creating custom makeup: lipsticks, blush and more. The experts at Three Custom Color Specialists were co-workers of mine at Bergdorf Goodman. After years in the industry, they launched their own company in 1997, and are now recognized as being among the best beauty sites by the likes of InStyle, Allure and Glamour magazines!
Their Ready to Wear Collection has grown to over 250 products embracing all skin types and skin tones. In addition, their Custom Blending archives now contain over 9,000 discontinued shades of color cosmetics dating back to the 1930’s.
I hope you have enjoyed my trip down memory lane, as much as I have, and the fabulous style of my friends!
Legend has it that the luckless souls who hear the Three Squashes' song of woe shall vanish into the nearest vegetable patch, never to be seen or heard from again.
Along Came a Spider Cake
Spiderweb Cupcakes
