Keeping Cool in This Humidity

A great idea for those Hermes ribbons for those who can afford it or are lucky enough to get something from Hermes as a gift.

image: gabrielle, paris, photographed by aram bedrossian for terms of endearment

Nautical Inspiration

More nautical inspiration from My Paradissi.

A Cozy Nook as a Mudroom

Isn't this a great mudroom.  I crave this type of room everytime it rains and I have to let in my muddy golden retreiver or my son comes home from school ready to dump everything and run for the fridge.

Image - Greige Design

Photography School with Camille Styles

I've been really bad keeping up with my photography lessons that I've been following from Camille Styles.  So here is the last one along with links to the other four.

Photography School #5 :: Which lens do I use?!

Photography School #4 :: Candidly Speaking 

Photography School #3 :: Filling the Frame

Photography School #2 :: Ambient Light

New York Carriage House

At the moment I have two cars parking at my home.  This is temporary but it's brought home the issues of those who don't have parking available.  I'm lucky that I have a garage to park my car in and a driveway for any other vehicle.  But the recently ramp we put in the garage for my dad means we need to find parking for one extra car.  Buying a parking space is an option or even renting, but wow the price.  This got me thinking of place like Toronto, New York, London and so on where they don't have the luxury of a garage and parking space.  This then got me thinking of one solution that I saw a while ago in World of Interiors Magazine that impressed me.  The owner is or was interior designer Bruce Budd.

A sophisticated and elegant New York Townhouse - yes

But it's more than meets the eye...

Those beautiful double doors conceal the entrance to a garage which reveals the entrance to the carriage house it once was.

However that's just one part of this amazing transformation. 

Can you imagine a master bedroom this large?

Elegant and Beautiful

Full of wonderful light

And let's not forgot the lovely room garden.

An update on this property...

"In August 2009 Buinny Mellon sold a second townhouse, also on East 70th Street, for $13,500,000 to —Morgan Stanley executive John J. Mack and his wife Christy. Miz Mellon reportedly used the 30-foot wide and 9,475 square foot limestone mansion, designed as a carriage house by C.P.H. Gilbert just after the turn of the 20th century, as a very posh storage space, car garage and housing for her friend and on-staff interior decorator Bruce Budd who had his private living quarters in the townhouse photographed for an unknown issue of World of Interiors."

Looks like it might belong to someone else now.

Cool Flavoured Waters

Here's a great idea that I'm going to try this coming weekend.  I'm taking this weekend to just relax and socialize for a while, something I don't get to do much anymore and this seem like a cool idea to help beat the heat and humidity we've been having lately.

Cupcakes & Cashmere

Virtual Vacation by the Sea

With my father's illness I'm pretty much stuck at home nowadays.  On beautiful sunny days I crave the water, beaches, sailing... that's how I grew up and in the summer being confined to the city makes me feel hemmed in.

However, this is too important and there will be other years, so I'm going to go there virtually via the internet.

Image Source Unknown

Pininterest

Gluckenstein Home

Image Source Unknown

Image Source Unknown

Tumblr

 

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Summer Treats

My life is crazy insane right now with no time off for good behaviour.  So I'm always happy when I find that someone has done the work for me.  Bree of Baked Bree has done just that by putting together a listing of some terrific summer receipes. 

I'm going to try this one first.

Lemon and Blackberry Crumb Bars - Betty Crocker

A Pretty Summer Coverup

From Ralph Lauren of course - the Rancho Distressed Leather Cape - hmmmm wonder if I'm ready for a cape - I haven't worn one since I was a child.

 

Ralph Lauren

 

Palm Springs Mohito

Another great drink to try this summer is the Palm Springs Mojito. 

Image source - JL Designs

Palm Springs Mojito - (in case you can't read it on the card)

• Muddled mint and cucumber
• Vodka
• grapefruit juice
• soda water
• simple syrup

Happy Fourth of July America!

Peach Margaritas

I survived on these this past long weekend.  Thank you Camille.   Try it I promise you you'll love them.

Image - Camille Styles

Peach Margaritas

• 1/2 cup silver tequila
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1 1/2 oz peach schnapps
• 3 ripe peaches, peeled and pitted
• agave nectar

Place 2 peaches and a little agave nectar in a blender. Blend until smooth. Slice the 3rd peach and set aside.

Fill the blender 3/4 of the way with ice. Add all of the ingredients except 4 slices of peach. Blend together and garnish with slice of peach.

Calvin Klein in Miami

I'm an on again off again fan of Calvin Klein.  I do love his minimalistic cut when he goes with classics, and there is a serenity about the lack of clutter, but sometimes it's just too plain (and I will admit Ralph Lauren can sometimes go overboard and be too cluttered).  I'm talking room design here.  But given the hot weather we're suddenly experiencing this long weekend, I would love to be at his place in Miami.  It looks so inviting right now.

Images - Vanity Fair

Happy Canada Day

It's a long weekend for us and fireworks are at the forefront tonight.  I can actually view them from my front porch so I'm planning on relaxing with a glass of wine, bug spray and prepare to be impressed.

Happy Canada Day!