In this post – details from the Christian Dior Spring haute couture 2017 show
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I love watching and looking at pictures from the runways – especially those from the Haute Couture shows!
Let’s enjoy a few close ups from this show.
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I love the look of trellises, don’t you?
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We plan to do a trellis similar to the ones here.
It sees that jasmine is a popular plant choice for this type of trellis.
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You can get a similar look too with trees.
Below is the Belgian Fence or Double Lattice Espalier.
I think it is so cool that you can train a plant or tree to grow like this!
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In this Post – Chanel Resort 2018 – The Modernity of Antiquity
This post may contain affiliate links.
Like all of Chanel’s runways, you are transported to another time.
This time… Ancient Greece! You could easily be sitting at the Temple of Athena!
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The most noticeable accessory this time are the tie up shoes- echoing the shoes of the late gladiators.
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Make up is done in Chanel’s heavy black eyeliner.
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I confess, I wish all of these girls were allowed to smile – but I suppose that would detract from the clothes – we are here to look at the fashion not the faces!
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I really liked their hairdos! How pretty and romantic!
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“The criteria of beauty in Ancient then Classical Greece still holds true. There have never been more beautiful representations of women. Or more beautiful columns. The entire Renaissance, in fact, was based on antiquity.” – Karl Lagerfeld
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I love the look of cerused oak, don’t you?
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What is Cerused Oak?
It is a special technique of applying essentially a lime-wash onto quarter swan oak cabinets. It is an old French technique – which is why I think I like it!
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Here is a close-up for cerused oak.
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| Walker wood working – check out their kitchen remodel! |
As you can imagine, cerused oak is very expensive. First you have quarter sawn oak (expensive) + then lime wash it (expensive) = $$$
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See my original post on cerused kitchens here.
In this post – the straw handbag fashion trend for Summer
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The straw handbag seems to be having a moment right now and I am ALL for it!
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These bags aren’t just for the beach!
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I love how this classic bag is having a moment!
All the “it” girls are toting them around!
I have several French market bags as well as a straw clutch.
I love them all!
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You can dress them up our down.
I love how it changes your outfit looks.
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Here are a few of my favorites… I had a hard time choosing!
What I love about this trend is that it is affordable.
And when the trend comes and goes… you will have a FAB beach bag!
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Top row, left to right: Mar y Sol Striped Tote (my favorite!) || Hat Attack Round Handle Tote || KAYU Woven Seagrass Tote
Middle row, left to right: Giani Bernini Straw Tote (steal!) || Embroidered Straw Tote || Cult Gaia Small Bamboo Ark Bag (super popular with bloggers!)
Bottom Row, left to right: Samuji Circle Straw Bag || Pom Pom Tote || Hat Attack Handle Bag
Others:
MISA Los Angeles Marrakech ‘Hola’ Bag– love the tassels and blue handle!
Straw Tote With Pom Pom Trim – great bargain!
Hat Attack Embroidered Clutch – perfect for evenings and weddings, parties!
PARIS. French Market Basket, Natural – use this all the time
Merona Women’s Large Straw Tote Handbag – great bargain!
Eugenia Kim Flavia Straw Bag – total splurge but cute!
Olivia Miller Poppy Multi Striped Straw Tote Bag – good deal, perfect for nautical theme and prep!
SaveSaveI don’t know about you, but this francophile loves this trend!
Here’s one last look…
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Written at http://peoniesandorangeblossoms.blogspot.com
In this post – Toile de Nantes by Pierre Frey
I have been thinking about wallpapering a few rooms in my house and I cannot get the Toile de Nantes by Pierre Frey out of my head!
John Fowler and Nancy Lancaster
I want to use the pattern either as a fabric on a chair or curtains or as wallpaper! I cannot decide!
What appeals to me about this wallpaper is that it is based off of an 18th century design that originated in Nantes, France!
I love that it seems new and refreshing in the ikat pattern, but there is something very timeless about it.
Alex Hitz
Sarah Bartholomew has a love affair with the pattern as well.
Sarah Bartholomew
Sarah Bartholomew
Sarah Bartholomew
Sarah Bartholomew
Sarah Bartholomew
Sarah Bartholomew
Aerin Lauder
It seems the blue color way, Bleu Ancien, is favored by the designers.
This is the Rose Ancien. I love it in this color too – in fact I would consider putting this in my office!
Beverly Field (Veranda)
It seems it did come in two other color ways as well but I cannot find the names of them!
I have some color ways of Toile de Nantes below and some similar copycat patterns I found in my search.
Pierre Frey
Kirtan Stripe by Lee Jofa
Brunschwig & Fils ZHEN VELVET TURQUOISE
Pierre Frey
Do you love toile de nantes as much as I do?
Recently found the maker of these beautiful vintage inspired velvet ring boxes.
They are from The Mrs. Box.
They are so pretty, I want to order one but I don’t know which color to choose!
There are so many pretty colors!
Which color would YOU choose??
PS This is not a paid advertisement – I just kind of love them!
Sharing a few highlights from vacation…
We went snorkeling several times. We spotted quite a few turtles! I just love swimming with the turtles… they are so graceful in the water!
Tons of fish!
We spotted Gill (from Finding Nemo,aka a Moorish Idol) which is below! We also saw a pufferfish, Dory fish (aka blue tang), the humu humu fish.. and more.
Loved all of the fresh pineapple and papaya… sooooo good! The juice is guava- I never drink juice, except in Hawaii.
These flowers were in the hotel and I thought they were so cool… reminded me of beehives!
I shared a few other pictures from my trip on Instagram.
The MET Costume Gala was this past week. Some people actually came dressed for the theme (I won’t need to point them out – it should be quite obvious that they went for the costume as it is considered a costume gala) and others went for pretty.
The question is – would you show up following the theme and wear a costume, or opt just to look pretty?
Me… a costume!
This week I’ve been studying paint colors LIKE MAAAAD.
Oh my gosh my head is spinning.
The main contenders for the kitchen cabinets ARE *drumroll*
BM 1563 Quiet Moments
SW 6204 Sea Salt
SW 6162 Ancient Marble
Odd the ancient marble on the screen looks super brown but in person it is really a lighter version of French grey.
I was shadowbanned this week. I’ll return on Saturday (tomorrow) when hopefully my little ban is lifted. Don’t know what shadowbanning is? Check out The Design Twins’ post here.
Sharing at these parties: Friday Favorites, Five on Friday, Oh Hey, Friday!, BNOTP, Thursday Favorite Things, Foodie Friday & Everything Else Best of the Weekend
Written at http://peoniesandorangeblossoms.blogspot.com
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You all have to check out this beautiful house in Texas. Look, it has a built-in boat dock!
Isn’t it so pretty?! I love the stone and the colors.
Love the beam over the door!
Beautiful loggia.
Beautiful garden room!
Cool beams.
Lovely courtyard and pool!
For more pictures go here.
PHOTO BY: LAUREY W. GLENN, STYLING BY: MATTHEW GLEASON
In this post: palm tree leaf prints for outfits and home decor
I am getting ready to go on vacation tomorrow and have been thinking all things tropical – specifically, palm trees!
This contains affiliate links
Let’s start with these Palm Tree Espadrilles that I needed for my trip but it is now too late to have them shipped to me! (this post contains affiliate links)
Lush Palm diffuser – just bought this today and it smells SO GOOD… Antica Farmacista is my favorite diffuser brand. They also make it in a hand soap and a lotion – great for your guest room if you want to spoil them, or maybe for your bathroom to spoil yourself!
I don’t have pierced ears but these earrings are so cute and fun that I almost want to pierce my ears so I can wear them!
These palm print shorts are super cute and a super good deal.
Palm Print dress is super relaxing for the Summer – and perfect for my tropical trip, too bad I just now found it!
Palm print swimsuit is super nice!
Ok well I only meant to pick 5 for 5 on Friday but I just kept finding cute palm tree prints so I’m just going to keep on rolling with it..
Cute palm tree water bottle
Palm Leaf Bread Plate that I love!
Palm Leaves Wallpaper – wallpaper is coming back and this is super chic!
And last but not least, I found this palm tree cupcake recipe on Pinterest and just had to share!
In this post: French Empire Chandeliers, Kitchen Faucets
This post may contain affiliate links. See my disclosure policy.
I’ve got some housing updates for you for the month of April…
For our dining room, I want to have a French empire style chandelier.
Yes it is formal and I love it!
We are wiring the house this week and I have been busy looking at lighting!
I have rounded up a few chandeliers I have been looking at.
Julie Neill
(affiliate links are used and provided for your convenience)
Julie Neill
Eloquence
Shades of Light
Obviously the Home Depot one is the cheapest BUT it is not crystal. Sigh.
Staring at all of these chandeliers has me thinking of the Phantom of the Opera.
So I’ve been humming the tunes from that in my head as I stare at these lights!
Looking at the one below for the living room..
Shades of Light
Currey and Co
Aidan Gray Castleblouc
We purchased our kitchen faucets! I debated and debated about what finish to go with and ultimately chose polished nickel.
And the day before we ordered the faucets I had a dream about a pot filler. I previously said I didn’t want one but then I had a dream about it and decided I was going to go for it – perfect timing, the next day the plumber was able to plumb it in and we ordered it in the knick of time!
Okay I need to talk about my new favorite beauty product.
It is Oribe (no idea how you pronounce it!) texturizing spray!
If you want your hair to have some volume that I *highly* recommend this spray.
I debated about buying it for years because of its price tag…
but I bit the bullet and bought the travel size to test it out…
and I LOVE IT!
It made my hair have so much volume – like way more than any other product ever.
Oh, did I mention it smells amazing?
Full size, travel size or get it on Amazon
I also bought the Oribe Beach Wave and Shine spray.
Louis Vuitton and Jeff Koons teamed up and created this collection based on the masters’ artworks.
My favorite one is the Van Gogh, which one is your favorite? (should you have an unlimited budget?)
(all pictures from Louis Vuitton)
A bunch of celebrities showed up for the opening and posed with the bags…
And here’s my favorite shot…
Cate Blanchett, posing with…. an empty stand. Yeah, where’s the bag?!
This is cracking me up!
She looks a little upset about that too.
And with that, I’m out.
Have a happy weekend!
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Written at http://peoniesandorangeblossoms.blogspot.com
In this post: 5 Spring Fashion Trends and Must-Haves
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Happy first week of Spring everyone!! I have rounded up FIVE Spring fashion must haves for this season! I could have rattled off more, but it is Five on Friday!
Block Suede Heels
Splurge: Nearly Nude
Steal :Steve Madden (a near copycat of the Stuart Weitzman above!)
A Crossbody or Straw Bag
Splurge: Kate Spade straw crossbody, Chloe and one pictured
Steal: Straw, Crossbody (under $50!), striped straw tote
Cold Shoulder Tops
Splurge: Silk Ivory Blouse, Bow Stripe Top, Ruffle Shirt
Steal: Topshop, EveryDay Shirt, Denim off the shoulder, striped cold shoulder
Romantic Prints: Lace and Florals
Splurge: white lace, maxi lace, blue lace, Floral Sequined dress, floral slides, floral scarf
Steal: fit and flare lace dress, midi lace dress, short lace dress, Floral Maxi, Silk Maxi, floral block heels
Lariat Necklace
Splurge: 14k gold twisted lariat, diamond lariat
Steal: Rebecca Minkoff, Tassel Lariat (love this!!), moon and stars lariat (just bought this one!)
What fashion must-have are you getting this season?
I have bought a straw bag, a lariat necklace (the one above!), and floral prints! I don’t wear heels very frequently very much anymore but love how cute they are! I tried on a ton of cold shoulder tops and I hate how they look on me but I love how they look on everyone else!
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Written at http://peoniesandorangeblossoms.blogspot.com
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Have you heard of the Daily Harvest? I had not until earlier this year when one of my coworkers introduced me to it.
This post may contain affiliate links. See my disclosure policy.
What is it?
It is a subscription service of ready to blend Smoothies and ready to heat Soups – for those that are smoothie obsessed this is for you! They are delivered right to your door front! WHAT!
How Does it Work?
You select one of three plans – you can have 6 or 12 cups sent you to weekly or 24 for the month!
Who is For?
Smoothie obsessed, those trying to diet – some of the smoothies are 90 calories per cup and others 400 – depends on what you are looking for.
What I liked about it was that it had interesting ingredients that I would not normally blend together. All of them were super tasty! They were a little pricey ($7 per cup) but for those on the go… it is nice. They tasted super fresh and were super healthy!
Below is how the smoothie arrives in the cup. I added almond milk to blend mine together.
Here’s what it looks like
Below is the Zucchini and Black Garlic soup which was SO GOOD. And it is perfect for this looking to go on a diet. And it was filling. Can you tell I loved it??
If you would like to join, I can refer you by clicking here – you will get two free smoothies by joining through my referral and so will I!
PS – They did not pay me to write this. I just thought it was cool and wanted to share it with you!
As it is now finally feeling like Spring I am finding that I need a pair of garden shoes – something to get through the mud but not that I need a pair of boots as it is warming up outside!
I previously was wearing my LL Bean Boots or my Hunter boots but I find they are not so easy to just slip on and off when running in and out of the house.
Spring Shoes
Anyway, while I was browsing online, I ran into some fabulous shoes.
LOVE these sandals below! Love love love.
I was scrolling online trying to find a knock-off pair, but instead I find another drool worthy pair. A beautiful pair of floral espadrilles!
Although these ones look very similar to the Chanel ones.
I found this almond flour at Costco and it is a good deal! Perfect for macaron bakers or those who are gluten-free!
Victoria
Did you watch the season finale of Victoria last week?
I have been enjoying this show and I just looked up today that it is indeed renewed for a second season that will start approx 6 weeks after this season’s finale. It will be 8 episodes long and have a two hour Christmas special as well!!
Chef’s Table
I looove watching the documentary series on Netflix called Chef’s Table. Have you heard of the show? It is about chefs, most of whom have won James Beard awards or Michelin stars, etc and their journey into cooking and their attitude towards food. It is very interesting and the food on the camera is so beautiful my mouth waters when I watch it!!
Game of Thrones
It was announced today that Game of Thrones Season 7 won’t premiere until July 16 on Sunday! Why the late start? They needed to film in the snow (um, spoiler, Winter is Here) and couldn’t film in the middle of Summer!
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Yes! I LOVE scarves and I am so excited to see that for this Spring companies are coming out with silk scarves at reasonable prices! No longer do you have to pay $$$ for a nice silk scarf!
This post may contain affiliate links. See my disclosure policy.
The silk scarf is wonderful because it can be worn is so many different ways – like a scarf, or a necklace, or a hat, or a belt…
Here are some 100% silk scarves that I found for a good price!
It comes in White w pink edge, Navy, Pink, and Red. – only $29!
“Chapel” Scarf – love the colors in this one!
Tory Burch Sailboat Scarf – only $65 (good for TB!!)
Tour Rose Uniacke’s London Home
Rose Uniacke is a London antique dealer-turned-designer who decorates for the Beckhams and Jo Malone. Tour her London home here.
Thought I would share some of these close ups of details of Giambattista Valli’s Spring 2017 Couture. All pictures are from Vogue.
I am in love with all of the beading. Imagine how many hours it spent hand sewing all of these!
Here are my favorite photos from the week.
I decided to go back to doing screen shots because when I embed them they never seem to load!
From the Blog
Did you miss the table setting I put together celebrating Pantone’s color of the year, Greenery?
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I was busy shopping away this past weekend and thought I would share some Spring shopping finds as I know some of these items will sell out!
This post may contain affiliate links. See my disclosure policy.
Shopping for the Home
White Ceramic Bunny with Basket – will sell out guaranteed.
Basket Egg Cup will also sell out.
Floral Bunny Salad Plates – will sell out
Pictured above:
Bunny Bowl with Butterfly – will sell out
Mackenzie Childs Black and White Rabbit
Shopping… Clothes, Shoes and Accessories!
This Breton ‘Mon Amour’ Striped shirt is sure to sell out! I bought it and LOVE it!
Tory Burch Fringed Miller Sandal
I *almost* bought these but I decided to hold off (pretty sure I’ll regret that decision)… I know these are going to sell out in this color because it is CUTE!
This loafer is super cute and comes in 10 different colors!
I recently bought this shoe and it is soooo comfortable and right on trend for slip-on penny loafers this year!
A cute Paris Apartment
How cute is this apartment in Paris? I was just daydreaming and was looking around on the website Paris Perfect.
Almond Flour!
I was at Costco this week and found that they are now carrying almond flour for a good price! If you bake macarons this is a MUST have. This is also used in many other French or European desserts so if you like to bake those things check it out!
Favorite Instagrams
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Bouchon Bakery
About two weeks ago we went to Bouchon Bakery in Yountville in the Napa Valley. I thought I would share a few pics I snapped.
This post may contain affiliate links. See my disclosure policy.
*to die for Pain d’Epi bread*
Their bread is seriously THE BEST I have had outside of Paris.
*sipping a yummy salted caramel latte*
*First time I had a Paris Brest and I LOOOOOOOOOVED it.*
A peak at some chocolates at Dean & Deluca…
A French Country Chateau for Sale
I regularly follow Sharon Santoni’s blog, My French Country Home, and I just had to share this 18th century property she featured that is for sale. Isn’t it lovely? For some reason not all of her pictures load, but the few that do are fantastic!
Neato Botvac Review
We have had our Neato Botvac for just over 1 month and I feel like that is a long enough trial period where I can give it a proper review.
The Neato Botvac is a robot vacuum, just like the original Roomba, however per other reviews that I read, it has more suction power than the Roomba.
It has a square shape on one side which allows it to clean corners better than the Roomba.
Pros
It cleans while you are not home
It cleans when you are home and you can do other things and not vacuum!!
It goes under furniture that the regular vacuum does not routinely get to
GREAT for those with pets – as it goes under the furniture (where the pets hang out) it picks up tons of fur/hair!
It can be programmed to run when you are not home, it can spot clean a certain area, or you can just pick it up and place it in a room and will clean the room!
It isn’t TOO loud as far as vacuums go.
Good size dirt catcher
Cons
It is not good at picking up sand/cat litter
It can get stuck on the thick rugs or sometimes under furniture (like under the bed)
battery life has been about 2 hours – depending on the size of your house it may not be able to clean the whole house on one charge.
It does lightly tap the furniture. It comes with a magnet strip which allows you to block off a certain area if you don’t want it to hit your antique furniture or if you don’t want it to go into a certain room.
We got ours on sale for $400 and I think it was well spent! We bought this model. I had pretty much no expectations of it as I had never had a botvac before, but I really love it.
Our house is much cleaner than it used to be and I learned our little Chloe cat sheds way more than I previously thought!
I also love the lines it makes in the carpet… looks like a professional cleaned it!
We named our vacuum Rover. Felt like it deserved a name given how much work it does for me!
From the Blog
Did you miss the little macaron tower tutorial I shared?
Andddd I don’t have a FIVE today.
Oh wait, I know.
I’m sick of the RAIN! I moved to California to get away from the rain of the Northwest!
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