A few years back when my husband and I were in the beginning stages of designing our home, I must have spent hours pouring over interior design books and magazines, trying to pinpoint the exact style we were going for and identify commonalities in the rooms that stopped me in my tracks. I realized that the spaces I'm most drawn to often incorporate hand-blocked, Indian textiles and wallpap[...]
As I make my way through my 40’s, I've realized there is no product out there that will completely reverse the clock. Sometimes half the battle is finding the time or even remembering to apply my skincare products twice a day. I've also been frustrated by products that seem to disappear half an hour after I've applied them. Can anyone relate? Although we may have different skin[...]
Sometimes it's best to keep things simple, especially when we're hosting and there are a million other things demanding our attention. This crisp and refreshing Autumn Apple Cider Mule is the easy cocktail we'll be mixing up throughout the fall season as it's equally suitable for Halloween night and Thanksgiving celebrations. You could even multiply the ingredients and mix up a batch[...]
I lived in Italy for over a decade and this recipe is a must-know for anybody who truly loves Italian food. This is the most basic Italian recipe that every Italian can make. Even the men! If you’ve ever traveled to Italy or eaten at a really amazing Italian restaurant here in the States, you may wonder “How can a simple plate of pasta with tomato sauce taste so amazing?” There’s[...]
Open any shelter magazine and you'll find bamboo, wicker and rattan furniture and accessories adding warmth and texture to homes of various styles and in locales ranging from mountains to beaches and everywhere in between. While rattan is certainly on trend, it’s also true that decorating with woven and natural materials has been en vogue for decades. My feelings about rattan as a mainst[...]
Whether it’s to relax or purely out of interest in the book’s subject, reading is a pastime that never fails to bring me joy. I rarely read more than two books at a time. I like historical fiction and action/adventure, but I often throw in a random genre like romance or science fiction if it’s a great story. For me, an amazing book can pull me into its pages and I’m transported to[...]
Of all the five senses, scent has the strongest link to memory and can conjure up feelings of nostalgia. To this day, the musky-sweet smell of fallen leaves takes me back to childhood autumns when crisp, fall days were meant for jumping in leaf piles and taking walks in the nearby woods. In addition to bringing back fond memories, fragrance is one of those little pleasures that enhances[...]
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