I've been playing a bit around the house. I love creating vignettes with flowers, plants, natural curiosities and antique French boxes.
I am really lucky that my husband humors my passion for flowers by accepting the fact that he lives in a very feminine home. I let him design and decorate his office/music room (aka man cave) in his own style. It is modern and dark, quite a juxtaposition from the rest of the house! The dog loves that room! That is not a commentary on my part! ;)
My love for French boxes began with this wonderful photo box given to me by my daughter's boyfriend, (fiancé, now!) It sits on my entry chest, stores little French crystals and most importantly showcases my grandmother's locket watch.
Here are a couple more of my little treasure that I purchased from a French brocante. http://www.fleaingfrance.com/ The little round one is handpainted and translates "I sing to please". I love all the detail on this tiny little surface. What's better than a pretty little box? Why, one with a petit surprise inside of course! I love old things because of their history, because they have a story to tell (even if it is one I have romanticised in my own mind!). Opening up this matchstick size box to reveal artists charcoals was the icing on the cake! Sometimes you can have your cake and eat it too!
Just give me feathers, moss, seashells, flowers and lots of glass apothecary jars and cloaches and I am one happy girl!
Oh, and did I mention eggs, nests and birds? Don't get me started!
So, are you inspired to add a little of the outdoors to your home?
Are you getting the Spring cleaning itch?
I've listed a few items at the bottom of this post from the shop that can help add a little touch of nature to your Springtime decorating and entertaining.
Here it is January and all I have to say is, "Thank God Christmas is over!".
Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Christmas. The house is decorated in silver, gold and vintage Christmas ball colors with touches of natural elements. My three daughters come home where we all spoil each other and relish every moment of "being home".
The truth is, I am a Spring/Summer kind of girl. My home celebrates those seasons year round. So, while it is fun to have all the Christmas decorations up, I am always very antsy to get my home back to it's peaceful state after the Holidays. Back to flowers, pinks and white. Back to my feather collection shown off under domes and apothecary jars.
It's easy to feel like Spring in January when you make your home in California. Today it is in the 70's (sorry to all my friends out east!). My white ice berg roses are still blooming and my ferns have not suffered any frost damage this year, so I gathered a few of each and created a very free form arrangement in my favorite vase. This willow covered curved vase makes flower arranging so easy, even for an amateur like myself!
I know that I am just being mean now, but even my herbs are still growing like mad in this crazy warm January weather! I am going to enjoy this little taste of Spring while I can. Soon enough we will get a cold snap and it will be all over!
I love to hunt and gather for my Thanksgiving centerpiece. We have always had the tradition of finding what nature has to offer us for our table decor. Sticks, berries, colorful leaves and moss.
It's amazing what you can find in your own backyard (or even the neighbors!).
This year I decided to use my Rustic Chicken Wire Trellis Planter as my jumping off point.
First I gathered birch branches and berries from my Heavenly Bamboo bush. I love how the berries are such a warm red orange color.
I had some mini pumpkins in a basket and decided to add them to the collection, as well as a pip berry heart wreath and moss of course. The heart shape of the wreath will not matter in the arrangement, you'll see!
First I filled the planter with some crumbled packing paper to give me a nice, flexible base to work with. To create height for one of the pumpkins, I nestled a drinking glass for a riser, then covered all the paper with moss. Setting the pip berry wreath around the glass made the perfect perch for my first pumpkin.
I chose a multi-colored pumpkin to be the focal point and then surrounded him with mini orange ones. Get them tucked in well then add more moss to fill in any gaps and to hide the glass completely. I love moss. It adds so much texture and makes everything look like it is growing right there!
The planter was just the beginning! Bigger is better, right? Sitting the pumpkin display down into a woven basket, I surrounded it with the branches and berries I had gathered. As you can see, there is lots of textures and nature here!
Now it's time to play with pumpkins! I propped a couple up with a wad of paper towel. (Use what you have, right?) Then I added a third pumpkin on the other side of the planter to order to direct the eye to the arrangement as a whole. Remember, odd numbers are most pleasing in most arrangements and displays.
Lastly, fill in with moss, especially to hide the paper towel!
I am very detailed oriented, okay, obsessed! I added a little cluster of berries on the outside of the planter to add interest and movement. One detail that I did not create, was the pumpkin stem poking out through the chicken wire. I love that!
Here's a little tip: once you have put the cloche on, you can manipulate you arrangement inside with a chop stick if necessary. If you do not have chop sticks in your decorating arsenal, I highly recommend them!
Hmm. Do you think the turkey will be jealous that he is not the show stopper this year?
Until the feast, this bounty will decorated the trunk in my family room. I added another pumpkin nestled in moss and a Park Hill Candle on the outside of the basket on the trunk. For the dining table, I may add more branches and berries running down the length of table and plenty more candles!
The best part of creating this arrangement in a basket is that it is not only beautiful, but portable too!
Cheers and happy gathering!
Jamie
You can find the Rustic Chicken Wire Trellis Planter here: https://napavalleyhomeandgarden.com/products/rustic-chicken-wire-trellis-planter
and Park Hill Candles here: https://napavalleyhomeandgarden.com/collections/candles
Today my inspiration came from my last pinch of Herbs de Provence for my scrambled eggs. I love French herb crocks, as a matter of fact, I love all things French! They always pay note to every detail, every aesthetic, every nuance. You would never hide this herb container in a cupboard or drawer!
It only took me a moment to decide that I needed to make a petit floral arrangement in this wonderful crock. I wanted something natural, something casual to keep with the theme of Provence.
I hurried out to the garden and discovered that with the waning of summer, all my herbs were flowering. Could it get any better than this?
I gathered creeping thyme, lavender (of course!), basil (Italian and Vietnamese) and tarragon.
Creating a little nest of creeping thyme, I then added the lavender for height and then filled in with basil and tarragon.
I love how rustic and natural it turned out. The creeping time really added a casual form with a touch of whimsy.
It looks so pretty perched upon this antique French grain sack. (Another project some day!)
Finally, this little ode to Provence ended up on my kitchen table. The yellow of the tarragon and blue/purples of the lavender and basil make me think of fields of sunflowers and lavender as far as the eye can see. My petit Provence countryside!
I have a large Herbs de Provence crock as well. Thinking sunflowers and iris. . .
If you have never added fresh herbs to your flower arrangements, you should! They smell heavenly and add such an organic element. One of my favorite herbs to use is mint, it fills your kitchen with such a fresh scent.
So, now it's your turn to think outside the box, or should we say container?
Cheers!
Jamie
P.S. I love using my twine snips for flower arrangements. They are super sharp. I love them so much that I used them n my table vignette!
One of my Mother's Day gifts this year was a subscription to Canal House Cooking. When Volume #7 "La Dolce Vita" arrived, I dove right in and devoured each and every page, savoring every beautiful photo.
It was nearly impossible to decide what to cook first, but I finally settled on Green Lasagne With Tomato Sauce & Fresh Ricotta.
First I gathered my ingredients (this is where the cheating comes in!). You start with one pound of Spinach Pasta, my pasta machine had to be thrown out a while ago, so I purchased fresh pasta sheets from a local pasta shop. I also purchased fresh whole milk ricotta, but seriously, fresh ricotta is so easy to make. If you haven't ever tried and tasted fresh ricotta, you owe yourself this wonderful treat!
After making their Simple Tomato Sauce, which is so delicious and fresh, I proceed to make the Balsamella sauce. You may know this sauce better by it's French name, béchamel. Now I am not bragging or anything, (yes I am!), but mine turned out so spectacular. It was smooth and creamy white. I think Christopher and Melissa would be quite proud of me!
All the delicious ingredients were layered in the traditional lasagne style. Fresh pasta, tomato sauce, parmigiano-reggiano, fresh ricotta and the decadent balsamella. Into the oven to bake, bubble and set for an agonizing 30 minutes!
Are you drooling yet? I am as I load these appetizing photos! Thankfully, I have plenty of left overs for a very satisfying lunch!
One of the things I love best about this dish is that it is a perfect go to if you are planning a dinner party that includes vegetarians. I have one daughter who is vegetarian and it is so lovely to be able to create a meal that we can all enjoy together and not leave her feeling like all she got was side dishes. My other daughter is paleo, now tell me that doesn't cause a menu planning delima when they are both visiting!
I was so excited to receive this cook book and thrilled when I opened the cover and discovered it was a signed copy. What a treasure! Each year for Mother's Day my daughter has given me one of their books. If you have not discovered the amazing recipes from Christopher Hirsheimer and Melissa Hamilton, I highly recommend that you do!
http://thecanalhouse.com/
Considering making lasagne for your next dinner party? Here's cute way to display your silverware in our French Vintage Trophy Cup!
These glorious balls of gradient color are most definitely my favorite flowers. I wait all year for my backyard to turn into the most spectacular show of color that nature can offer to a romantic country girl at heart!
http://www.hydrangeashydrangeas.com/
Did you know that you can alter the color of your hydrangeas by what you feed them? (Wish that worked for my hair!)
Click on the above link and learn how to properly care for these beauties.
Most of my hydrangeas are pink like this, but I have one that always surprises me. It started out pink and turned blue and purple last year. I wonder what color she will show up in this time!
Until the tiny buds open into a giant burst of color, I will sit back in my favorite chair next to a true treasure I found last year at a barn sale. I knew this gorgeous piece had to come home with me! It was truly "love at first sight"! She is from Europe and had been totally striped down to bare wood. Thankfully, they had second thoughts when they started to remove the hand painted design!
I kept her as is for a while, then decided to add a little robins egg blue chalk paint to the sides and a good waxing to the top. Don't you think the pillow is the perfect compliment? It was created by Rue Piper Designs from Sonoma. https://www.etsy.com/shop/RuPiperDesigns
If you are waiting for your Spring/Summer blooms too, you might need one of these to make the perfect "instant" arrangement!
If you are like me, you have been saving all your corks to make a really cool project. I save them then ask myself, "What can I make out of all these corks that will not be tacky or look like it was created while I drank all that wine?"!
I decided I needed to get inspired. After a bit of research, I found some really great ways to re-purpose all those corks. Who knew you could make more than wreaths and reindeer Christmas ornaments?
I love this bath mat! This clever water catcher was created by Danny Seo of Daily Danny. Check out Danny's blog for inspiring how-to projects, ideas and tips for living green and up-cycling. http://www.dailydanny.com/?p=4366
A Bistro and Bubbly? Naturellement! I know, there is no corks used in this project, but I just could not resist! From this day on, I am going to make a petit bistro chair every time I pop a bottle of sparkling. You could even document each occasion on the bottom of the seat. Finishing the laundry is an occasion isn't it? I discovered these little treasures on Messy Nessy chic. http://tinyurl.com/c58ne8p
Perhaps we should start with something simple. These succulent magnets are so cool! http://cutediypins.com/2013/01/29/32856/ Wouldn't these make great little gifts? I think I am off to experiment with this idea and take it a little farther. I'll share my idea with you next time we visit! Until then, raise your right hand and repeat after me,
One of my favorite things to do in Napa Valley is to take a leisurely drive. No matter the season, the valley always puts on a spectacular show.
A few weeks ago, we were making our way over to the Silverado Trail via Rutherford Road. The grape vines were just starting to bud ( a couple of weeks early this year), the day was warm and the promise of Spring lies just around the corner!
Have you ever seen such a beautiful shade of pink? I think natures accent of black makes this tulip pop!
These magnificent tulips went on forever! We felt as if we were given a gift. So gorgeous and so graciously planted. Look closely, and you will spy a few daffodils starting to show their pretty little faces too!
We looked only with our eyes and the lens of our camera, careful to preserve this glorious show. We left feeling so grateful and appreciative for this first showing of Spring.
Happy Spring to all of you! Have you started your garden yet? What will you be planting?
It's taken a little time, but we are so excited to welcome you to Napa Valley Home & Garden!
Each item has been hand selected with a Napa Valley and California Farmhouse lifestyle in mind. Offering you the perfect home and garden decor, as well as thoughtful gifts is just the beginning. We cannot wait to share favorite recipes, decorating ideas and wine country adventures with you!
We'd like to personally welcome and invite you along on our new journey. Here's to many happy days filled with great food, delicious wine and good friends living an inspired life in a beautiful way.
From farmhouse to your house, www.NapaTouristGuide.com presents Napa Valley Home and Garden. Let us inspire you with the essence of Napa wine country living, featuring Napa inspired gifts, home decorating items and garden accessories. The smell of grapes on the vine mixing with a distant scent of hickory smoke from a barbeque, a walk through the vineyards at the end of the day, relaxing with friends and family in your backyard, this is Napa Valley Home & Garden.
https://napavalleyhomeandgarden.com/products/one-dozen-araucana-eggs
https://napavalleyhomeandgarden.com/collections/home/products/birds-nests-for-lazy-birds
https://napavalleyhomeandgarden.com/products/nest-print-in-rustic-bird-frame
https://napavalleyhomeandgarden.com/products/rustic-bird-frame-with-araucana-egg-print
https://napavalleyhomeandgarden.com/products/rustic-chicken-wire-trellis-planter
