Great White

These images make me happy!! The color white makes me happy!! Dishes make me happy!! We just finished up our wedding registry and I can not wait to get a few of the white dishes to display. We have an empty wall in the kitchen that I would love to put shelves up. But for now I can just dream of the possibilities. So many options!

(Image via Darryl Carter)

Sorry, I always love to give credit where credit is due. I don't remember where I got a few of these images. I promise to start keeping better track.

Green Space

Every year I plant fresh herbs, and they are all in full growth!!! So much so that I can not use them up fast enough. My basil is starting to flower so I had to cut it back and put it to use. My favorite recipe is a fresh homemade pesto sauce.

Fresh Basil Pesto

1 cup fresh Basil Leaves (packed)

1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese

1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1/4 cup Pine Nuts

1 medium Garlic Clove, minced

Salt and Pepper to taste

Add basil, pine nuts, and garlic and pulse a few times in a food processor. Slowly add the olive oil until blended. Add the grated cheese, salt and pepper and pulse again until blended.

The possibilities are endless for the use of pesto sauce. Serve with any pasta, with steamed zucchini or squash, with baguettes, on bake potatoes, with chicken. I love mixing a little mayo and making a spread for sandwiches.

Here are a few more herbs growing strong.......

Mint around my lime tree

Parsley

My fountain that needs fixing.

A Womb With A View

I am in the process of learning Lightroom. It's an editing program from Adobe and I find it to be a lot more user friendly than Photoshop. Lightroom geared more towards photography and photoshop is geared more towards the graphic designer. I am neither of these professions but I like to play like I am sometimes.

Learning Lightroom has been a lot less frustrating than Photoshop, the only complaint I have is having to export and import files rather than just the universal "save as." I still go back and forth between the 2 programs to get the end result.

Lightroom comes with what they call "presets" it is the equalvent to "actions" in photoshop. Here are some pictures I took of a cute little baby bump with all my new favorite presets!!!!

I took the SOOC (straight out of camera) pictures, imported it into Lightroom, and literally just pressed the desired presets button. It really is that easy.

B&W Low Contrast

Direct Positive

Antique Grayscale

This little munchkin in Mommy's belly came out to enjoy the big bright world we live in yesterday. Everyone is healthy at 8lbs and 7oz and very very happy.

Something You Don't Know About Me

Yesterday was my Birthday - it was a perfect day filled with flowers, jewelry, sushi, wine, aveda products, bubble bath, steak, friends and family, and even a little loot. I love posting embarrassing baby pictures of the ones I love on their birthday I figured it was time to have a little taste of my own medicine. I am now 33 years old, and I am proud of my age - still young but just a little more wise.

When I was a little girl I had curly hair, and my checks were so fat that I could not close my mouth. I literally have hundreds of pictures just like this one with my tongue hanging out my mouth. It didn't help the matter that my dad was into photography and he thought this little problem was adorable.

Have a great weekend!!!!

Home Plate

It's a very important decision, one that I will have to live with for a lifetime. What China pattern do we pick for the wedding? I have gone back and forth between plain, designs, white, platinum, gold??? I absolutely fell in love with Michael Aram Jaipur Design but could not find a store that had it for show and tell. I could not make this choice without putting my hands on it, so I bit the bullet and ordered this adorable accent plate just for my grimy little fingers to touch. The verdict: LOVE. It's from Waterford and the quality and details are breathtaking. I can not wait to get the place settings and have lovely romantic dinners in our courtyard. Life is to short to wait for special occasions, I will get my use out of these beauties.

Accent Plate

The description: "Add sophisticated contrast to the table with this versatile accent plate from the Jaipur collection by Michael Aram for Waterford. Featuring a brilliant window motif evocative of a lush chrysanthemum."

I am sold!!!

5 Piece Place Setting

The description: "Transform your table into a sweeping ode to the East. Jaipur by Michael Aram for Waterford expertly distills the essence of India's resplendent architecture in fine bone china enhanced with glistening platinum."

Who writes these things?

The designer is a true craftsman, he has a home in India and first traveled there in 1988. Jaipur is the capital and largest city of the Indian state Rajasthan, and the first planned city of India. The details of the china collection are inspired by the architecture of this age old city.

Complete and utter eye candy, I can not believe I get to own this!!!!

And because I love history and the story behind it, here are some pictures of the architecture that I am sure inspired Mr. Aram.....

This is the City Palace of Jaipur, also called the Palace of the Winds.

I love the fine trelliswork and intricate balconies.

Amber Fort - do you see the resemblance?

Your My Inspiration.....

Still patiently waiting for my Kravet Riad fabric to show up on my door step so I can make some pretty pillows for our big brown sofa. (It's been 3 weeks, I need my fabric fix - ugh). So while I sit here waiting "patiently" I wanted to share with you guys some inspiration for my living room, such a nice calming blend of brown and cream. Going check the front door again, Happy Monday!!!!

(Barbara Westbrook)

(via Anne Turner)

Image from the movie "Holiday"

(via James Michael Howard)

Sew-a-thon

A friend I work with "hired" me to re-cover her patio cushions. I needed some dollars bills to help pay for my completely out of budget wedding invitations, and she needed some new patio cushions. The arrangement worked out great. This has been by far my biggest sewing project, so big that I had to call in help to get it done in time. Clare and I spent a many of hours staring at each other across this table....

We piped, hemmed, measured, cut, drank lots of coffee and wine till the wee hours of the night. I am really happy to publish this post because it means the long hours in front of my sewing machine and the tons of brown thread all over the house are over. But it also means that someone gets to enjoy her beautiful patio furniture again!!

Now if I could just get my patio to look like this!!!

Photo Finish

More wedding stuff!!! Things are flying into high gear this past week with engagement pictures, bridal pictures, and our engagement party this weekend. It's going to be a fabulous party hosted by my awesomely amazing friends, I can not wait.

I wanted to share with you guys a few of our pictures. My uber talented brother-in-law took our engagement pictures. They came out so good and I thing he really captured our relationship and playfulness with each other. He will also be taking a few pictures for our engagement party so yes - more fun pictures to post on my blog!!!

Enjoy.....