Happy Holidays!

Wishing you and yours a beautiful, happy, and safe holiday. 

Cheers to a wonderful New Year!

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Gorgeously Green Christmas Decorating

Every time the Christmas season approaches, I find myself drawn to gorgeous greenery for holiday decoration. Pine boughs, rosemary wreaths, ivy, palm fronds--almost any greenery can become beautiful holiday decor. I especially enjoy seeing greenery paired with the always-beautiful colour combination of blue and white. It's such a classic look. Gold adds the perfect shimmer. I found some lovely examples of these styles, which I hope you will enjoy as much as I do.

Happy holidays, everyone!

{image sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15}

Daddy's Day

Wishing all the Dads in Australia a happy Father's Day on Sunday. 

My beautiful little boy is the greatest gift ever, and I have my wonderful man, Glen, to thank for it. Thank you, darling, for everything you do for our family. We love you.

{image found here}

Happy Mother's Day!

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Happy Mother's Day to all of the moms out there! I hope you will be surrounded by love and loveliness, and get to relax on this special day.

I'm so excited to celebrate my first Mother's Day tomorrow! Having my sweet baby boy is certainly the best gift I could ever ask for. Now I feel like I truly understand the meaning of this holiday--and it will be fabulous to enjoy being the one celebrated, of course! My fiance is going to make dinner, which will include oysters Kilpatrick, I'm told. Sounds fancy. I'm liking this holiday already!

my sweet boy, Levi, age 6 months

Here are a few lovely things which, I'm sure, many moms would love to have...

oh happy day

 Ariel Dearie flowers

 meyer lemon-raspperry scones

zulily earrings

Easter Inspiration

Since Easter is coming up this weekend (is it here already? Wow, time is flying by!), and I'm getting ready to play hostess-with-the-mostest (in other words, stressing myself out over all the cooking, baking, decorating, etc--which I love to do, but always want to be impossibly perfect, so something's gotta give, I know, especially now that I've got a baby to take care of, as well)... Sorry, I'm rambling. Anyway, here are some pretty pictures, and a few recipes, which are my inspiration for this year's Easter get-together. I hope you will find them inspiring, too.

Have a lovely holiday weekend, everyone!

DIY sprinkle eggs

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 Martha Stewart

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 pastel meringue cookies

 Style Me Pretty

 Dark chocolate chiffon cake with fluffy rosewater frosting

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 Martha Stewart Weddings

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 Roast leg of lamb on Simple Bites

 House Beautiful

 Skinny Easter egg cake balls

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{For more inspiration, see my Easter Pinterest board here}

A Fairy Tale Chateau

Imagine being greeted by a pair of unicorns upon your arrival at a fantastic French chateau...

While this fanciful introduction may not be entirely real, there is a bit of truth to the idea. A pair of horses' heads, with narwhal tusks added, mounted up high in the entryway of this whimsical French chateau do, indeed, make their presence known. The rest of this extraordinary mansion is equally marvelous. Full of treasures ranging from antiques to modern design icons, artwork, and objects from all over the world, this magical chateau is a wonderland of strange and beautiful things.

The Chateau de la Goujeonnerie, located in the Vendee, France, is the creation of the three men behind the famous London restaurant, bar, and design shop, Les Trois Garcons, who designed it to be a holiday getaway. Built in 1872, this national treasure has 22 rooms over three floors, a lake, and views of rolling green hills in the distance. The chateau is available to be rented by visitors, going for around $12,000 for a weekend, in case you are interested in seeing this amazing abode for yourself.

When the trio bought the chateau, in 2006, it had been derelict for eight years. They set about transforming the chateau from top to bottom. Finally, in 2011, the work was complete. All 22 rooms are used. With respect to the chateau's rich past, modern comforts and amenities are also found throughout the mansion, including a heated pool between the rose and vegetable gardens, a gym with massage room/ sauna in the basement, and a media room/ disco near the kitchen. 

I would imagine there must never be a dull moment in such a grand place. 'When we leave the chateau we are always thinking about returning as soon as possible,’ one of the owners said. 'In fact, we never want to leave. That’s how we know we have created something really special.'

Maybe in the next lifetime, I will have a ridiculous amount of money, so I can design a fabulous chateau, like this, to play in. 

Dare to dream...!

{Sources: Les Trois Garcons, Habitually Chic, The Telegraph, Urban Kaleidoscope, and Design Tripper}