Supernatural Botanicals

     And from the drop-dead-gorgeous files, we have the Tuscany Bramasole bed.  (think Bramasole villa in Under The Tuscan Sun.)  This is luxury bedding at its finest (a favorite indulgence of mine.)    How could you leave this room?  Ever?  Gorgeousness!  A total sanctuary. 

I mean, it’s completely unattainable to recreate.  Unless you are sharing your room with a really great carpenter, you are probably not going to achieve ceilings this high or columns and wall architecture this intricate.  I think I could do my best DIY project and recreate this room somewhat, but that ceiling height is untouchable.   I’m loving those argyle columns at the top.  Very chic.

It’s a great look to steal.  Rich, buttery hues of golds and yellows against the deep dark finish of the bed…perfection.  The khaki bedding works well with the overall hues, as opposed to fighting them with patterns or opposing color combinations.  I’m against the rug, however.  Upon first glance, I see Santa Fe.  I need something more Italian and less New Mexico.  The colors work, the pattern does not, in my opinion.  I’d like to see a longer fibered, softer, more luxurious rug.  Bedrooms need a soft place for your feet, espeically if you have hardwood or tile as the main flooring.  A rug is also a great way to update a room and make it feel completely different in one step.   

If you adore interior design and houses, you’ll love my friend, Julia’s, blog, Hooked on Houses.  Such a great blog.  Check out her Dali Wall Decals today. 

You know those someday aspirations?  As in…someday, I’m going to accomplish __x__.  Someday, I’m going to have the career I love.  Someday, I’m going to backpack around Europe.  We all have someday aspirations.  One of my small, but significant, ones is having a greenhouse in my yard.  I’ve dreamed about it forever.  To be able to grow herbs, fresh veggies, and flowers in your yard without having to guard them like Fort Knox from the elements and animals is absolutely divine to me. What a sanctuary that would be!  I’d probably move my office in there just for the ultra zen appeal of it all.

Someday, I’m going to have a greenhouse in my yard.  And what a day that will be!

Here are some examples of unique and seriously beautiful greenhouses.

   Ah, luxury bedding.  Is there anything better than luxury bedding?  You could have the worst day in the world and your mind could be in 25 different places, but something about slipping into a bed dressed in luxury makes it all go away.  There’s something very meditative and calming about beautiful bedding.  It’s very zen. 

Your bedroom is a place you don’t want to skimp on.  It’s the ultimate spot for indulgent “me” time.  I throw “me” time around like I get a lot of it.  I don’t.  I probably get as much ”me” time as you do.   But remember the term “quality, not quantity” coined by guilt-ridden parents in the 80s?   I’m not sure how effective that was on children, but it certainly applies well to other areas.  So we all can’t lay around in bed all day, but at least six hours a day will be spent in your bedroom, so make it your sanctuary.  Your ultimate “me” time place.   

Luxury bedding means something different to everyone, it’s all relative obviously, but to me, it’s about thick, ultra-soft cotton sheets (flannel actually feels like the thickest, most soft cotton you’ve ever felt after you’ve washed it several times and use lots of Downy.)  A luxurious blanket made of the softest material you can find, and a fluffy white down comforter rolled down to make it look tripled in size.  Back in the day, I had tons of accessory pillows on my bed.  Today, I go with what works…practical and beautiful.  I use three king sized pillows pillows for each side of the bed, meaning six in total (see picture.) 

If your mattress hasn’t seen new sheets in a while, it’s time to stage a bedroom intervention.  Stick with simplistic colors, like white or camel, as it’s (A) more zen and (B) easier to accessorize the rest of your room with.  Keep the overall goal of zen/beautiful/luxury in mind when shopping.  Don’t get too far off track .  Yes, Calvin Klein will try to tempt you with wild animal prints and Laura Ashley will tempt you to sleep in the land of precious with dainty flowers, but that’s not zen.  And, it’s just downright mean making your husband sleep in Laura Ashley.  Seriously!  Men do not want to wake up like a princess. 

And no time like the present!  Tomorrow is Valentines day, so do a room intervention tomorrow morning so your luxury bedding will be ready for your Valentines picnic in bed.   Just watch the red wine on the sheets.

*If you adore interiors and homes as much as I do, you’ll love my friend Julia’s blog, Hooked On Houses.  Such a great blog if  you are hooked on houses like we are!  Go say hi to Julia, she’ll be glad you stopped by. 

    Oh how I love Christopher Lowell, interior designer extraordinaire!   Christopher has been working his magic for years across Hollywood and beyond.  His design is just magic.  His design made me fall in love with neo-classical style.  From tricked out sleigh beds to gorgeous crown molding, he teaches you how to work your own room and make it gorgeous.   He proclaims, “no white walls”, and teaches us how to use color to warm a room, to make a room larger, and to make your house feel like a home.  I’m so excited to learn of Christopher’s new show on Fine Living Network, (a station that’s on my TV regularly.)   His new show, Work That Room, will show room makeovers and how to achieve them.  He’s the answer to interior design junkies everywhere.   His fun, infectious spirit will inspire you and make creativity flow from your thoughts to your hands.  You’ll absolutely adore Christopher Lowell.  Make sure to catch his new show, Work That Room, on Fine Living Network.   

If you open your closets and half the contents come tumbling out, or if your cabinets haven’t been cleaned out since 1998, it’s time to assess your environment.   I believe this to be an extension of what’s going on in one’s life.   When your environment is a mess, in most cases, your life is a mess. 

Being orderly and clean is a sign of power, in actuality.  By having things in their place, you take control of your life, your environment, your surroundings, your being.   By mastering your environment, you take control.  It’s an odd connection, but one I have found to be true over and over again. 

I’ve known people who had unkempt homes.  I’ve known people who had unkempt cars.  And when I say unkempt, I mean grotesquely and utterly filthy.   What’s interesting is to see how out of control other things in their life are as well.  For instance, the aforementioned dirty house/dirty car person also had a huge weight issue they were dealing (or, moreover, not dealing) with, the aforementioned had debt due to a mismanaged (or a non-managed) budget, the aforementioned was divorced and lonely, the aforementioned had children that could have been shown better values by example, etc.  The list goes on and on. 

Having a place for everything and being tidy says much about who you are.   And that can go to both extremes, in fact.   If you are sloppy and unclean, that says something about you and what’s going on in your life (step it up.)  If you are Sleeping With The Enemy organized, that also says something about you (take it down a notch before someone shoots you.)  If you remember, Julia Roberts shoots him in the end, so lets not get crazy.   

If you’re not already, you need to get in touch with having some order in your life and surrounding yourself with beauty.   It makes your life far less chaotic, and calms your mind.  It’s your sanctuary, after all.  If you need to, start small.  Tackle one closet a weekend.  You can’t fail if you’re still trying, so do just that….try.  Being unclean and cluttered just screams….I don’t have control over my life!!   Take control.   We can all do work on ourselves.  I tend to border far to close to the Sleeping With The Enemy edges, personally.   I’m working on that.  And if you know someone who is overwhelmed with this, give them a hand.  It’s nice to help get others going in the right direction.  It’s the right thing to do. 

Now go clean your closet, please. 

     I’ve had an ongoing love affair with the library ever since I can remember.  I love everything about the library.  I love what the library represents…..intelligence, sanctuary, free resources of audio/video to the masses.  I’ve spent countless hours of my time at my library and have never once regretted it.  It’s an indulgence that I can’t get enough of, and I have loads of random facts in my head to prove it. 

I love the New Release shelf.  It sits right at the entrance of the library and after I hear the librarian say hello to me (by name, of course), I transfix my eyes upon the beautiful books.  I love the smell of a new book.  I adore having access to every new book written.  I’m a non-fiction girl personally, but occasionally, I’ll venture to the other side. 

Being a library “regular”, like I am, makes you feel that you are in the loop.  You’ll always have fascinating topics to draw from your memory bank of recently read books.  You’ll be current on your current events.  You’ll be more informed on happenings in your community.  The library provides a wealth of networking opportunities.  And you’ll have unlimited access to every book on any subject your heart desires. 

My fascination started innocently enough as a young girl, reading titles from Judy Blume and Laura Ingalls Wilder, and my innocent curiosity built over the years, making me the strung-out-on-non-fiction-and-self-help-books adult that I am today.    I’m okay with that though…it could be worse, right? 

Here are some hot new releases:

   Rescue Your Nails By Ji Baek.   This is a how-to for great fingernails and toe nails. 

     The Little Green Book Of Beauty by Sarah Callard:  250 Tips for an Eco Lifestyle.

     Practically Posh, the smart girl’s guide to a glam life by Robyn Moreno

      The 5 Minute Face, the quick and easy makeup guide for every woman by Carmindy (the Kim Cattrall look-alike from the show What Not To Wear.) 

    Passport To Beauty, secrets and tips from around the world for becoming a global goddess, by Shalini Vadhera