Mid afternoon smoothie break...

Nothing tastes more satisfying on a hot afternoon than a homemade smoothie. They are filling, cool, refreshing and simple to make. The bonus is that they taste like you are drinking a dessert, but they are good for you!!

My recipe is really simple, children love them and it's something easy for them to make. My daughter loves filling the blender!! I just fill the blender, I don't measure anything. For about 4 1 1/2 cup smoothies (the size in the picture above) use:

• Fill blender about 2/3 with frozen fruit. I used strawberries and blueberries, but any combination will do.
• Use about 2 cups of yogurt, I use vanilla to add a little extra sweetness for the berries. If you are feeling really indulgent, use frozen yogurt.
• Add about 1 1/2 cups of apple juice. Add more if too thick. I think apple juice works the best with berries, it's flavor is mild enough not to over power the delicate flavor of the berries. I used to use orange juice but I think, unless you want a strong citrus flavor, it is too strong for the berries.

The best thing about this recipe is that it is simple and satisfying. There are only a few ingredients so it's quick and economical. You can use any combination; I've frozen mandarin oranges and combined it with orange juice and vanilla yogurt and it's like a creamsicle. Frozen bananas blend very nice, giving an almost ice cream like texture, they combine well with almost any berry (take the peel off the banana before freezing, this I learned the hard way!!). They are also good for a quick breakfast or a healthy afternoon snack. You can also leave out the yogurt and it is like a thin, drinkable sorbet. Very refreshing!!! Enjoy!!

Some of my favorite books.....

Above are some of my favorite design books. This is just a small sampling of my design library!! I look through these books for pleasure and for reference when designing a project. I never become bored with them, I find something new everytime I look through them. Everytime I look at them, I am looking at different elements and details, the way the color is used, the use of fabric, the use of lighting, how the rooms are accessorized, so many elements go into a well designed room you can never become bored analyzing them!!

I love to have design books and periodical around me; they entertain me, inspire me and amaze me. Looking at a thoughtful designer's work is like looking at a painting by a master, to me. I am always inspired by the technique and the composition. Kelly Hoppen, Mariette Himes Gomez, Vicente Wolf and Thomas O'Brien are just a few of the designers whose work I admire. Even though you can explore on the internet, there is nothing better than having a hardcover book in your hand that you can take anywhere and really study the pictures. A glass of wine, a few minutes of peace and quiet and a good design book is one of my little luxuries!! It allows me to escape, for a little while, into a world I love, the world of great design!! I hope this inspires you to find books on your favorite subject and indulge in a little afternoon escape!!

My Newest Simple Luxury........

Lynda Reeves kitchen is my dream kitchen!!

One of my favorite design publications is Canadian House and Home. I discovered it here, in the states, by watching their design show, that was on at obscure times on HGTV. I loved the show, they had tours of very chic homes and tips for recreating some of the ideas found in them. I would DVR it and then, like magic, it disappeared!! I couldn't find it on tv anywhere. I did discover that Barnes and Noble sold the magazine, which I find fresh and interesting. They present different styles and points of veiw on design, but keeping with a clean, sophisticated and friendly approach.

I did discover that their website had videos of the show, but alas, I couldn't watch it here in the states, said our browsers weren't compatible or some such technical talk. Fast forward to this week, I found that now I can watch the episodes online!! At www.houseandhome.com, under online tv, they have the episodes to view and they can be watched in the states!! They are about 13 mins long and are very well done and interesting. I have only watched a few, but am anxious for more.

It is now my new simple luxury. Before my daughter wakes up, a rich cup of coffee and a few episodes starts my day off right!! Nothing is better to me then a good cup of coffee and well done design. Check it out, I'm sure you'll enjoy!!

A weekend full of flowers.....flowers....flowers.....

This weekend I did what I set out to do!! I went to the nursery (a few times) and got flowers for my container gardening, on my deck, and perennials for the beds I had dug. I spent a great portion of the weekend planting and arranging pots. I think I did good!! Above are close ups of some of the variety of plants I chose; I will do a post on container gardening and arranging pots at a later date, I am going to wait to my pots fill out a bit.

I decided to keep it simple. I planted lavender, with a silver ground cover border, in the beds. I love lavender!! It smells so divine and when it fills out looks so delicate and lush!! I chose Hidecote Blue, which is dark purple and think it looks very elegant with the silver leaves of the ground cover. I can't wait for it to fill out!! It is at the edge of my deck, on either side of the stairs, so when the breeze blows over it, it fills the deck with such a wonderful fragrence!!

I used a lot of color this year in the pots. I usually keep it more natural and leafy, but for some reason the bright pop of color caught my eye this year. That is the fun of container gardening, you can add what you want and move them around. You are not stuck with the same type of flower every year. Go with the flow!! I created a new seating area by my daughter's play area and added a few pots there too. Now, finally, my yard is almost complete!! I hope it cools off this evening so I can sit out and enjoy it; right now, I am taking refuge from the heat in the air conditioned house, with a tall glass of sparkling water!! To me, at this moment, that is a great luxury!!!

Weekend, here we come!!

Love this stone liner, wonder if I'll have the patience for doing it!!

I always add a tall and spikey plant to my containers

Violas and pansies ,planted close together to form a big cluster, are my favorite!!

Trailing out of the pot, so elegant

I love a rooftop garden!!

Simple, green and lush!!
All images from MarthaStewart.com

Weekend here we come!! I have had such a busy week, this is my first time posting!! I am planning on taking it easy this weekend. This is the first 4th of July weekend we have stayed at home in the last 5 years!! My plan is to add my container garden to my deck and surrounding yard. I am very late this year doing so, but we had 2 families of groundhogs living under our deck and until we had them relocated, planting was a futile effort!! We had 2 last year and they ate almost every plant in the 20 planters I had on the deck!! This year we had 16 taken away!! My containers would have been a lovely buffet for the little guys!! But, now that this seems to be taken care of, I can concentrate on my plants.

I'm not sure what plants are left to choose from, so late in the season, but I will approach this with an open mind. Big, soft bundles of pansies are my favorite in a pot. In my experience, you have to buy them early in the season, they go fast. They are always cheerful and hardy. One year I found the most beautiful pale blue pansies, gorgeous!! But this year I am looking for anything lush and low maintainance!! I am using the above photos as my inspiration, I like the pots full and lush!! Wish me luck in finding some plants at this time!! I will post pictures of what I find. Give yourself the luxury of having a wonderful weekend!!!

Tile!! Tile!! Tile!!!

Fabulous tiles!! Anyone have a project that I can use these on? Virginia Tile Showroom.

I always stop by the glass tiles for a look!! Virginia Tile Showroom.

More fabulous glass tiles!! Virginia Tile Showroom.

Accent pieces galore!! Virginia Tile Showroom

Option 1

Option 2

Always look at materials the way you will see them in the space, vertical surfaces up, horizontal down.

Yesterday I went to a Virginia Tile showroom to get some tile samples for clients that are doing a kitchen renovation to choose from. I am completely in my element in a showroom, I get excited about the possibilities when I walk in the door. It always puts a smile on my face and elevates my mood (I am a simple girl!!). But I know these environments can be completely overwhelming for the average home renovator that does not do this for a living. There are thousands of choices and many stores, so unless you are focused and have a plan, you can get lost in a sea of tile!! I am going to share some of my strategies for making it easier to sort through the maze of choice!!

• It is important to have a plan and a vision!! If you are focused and know what you are looking for it is a lot easier to sort through the many choices. For example: the clients I am working for want a traditional feel to their kitchen. We selected the granites before tile shopping, 1 type for the countertops and 1 type for the new island. It was decided that the countertops backsplash would be a large stone tile, that will go to the underside of the cabinets and will compliment the cabinet color. It was also decided that there would be an accent tile above the range. I know the clients style preference, the cabinet style, the granite choices and I had a plan prior to tile shopping about what type I was selecting: a stone tile that compliments the cabinet color and accent tiles that will add some impact. Coming armed with this plan, I could eliminate a lot of the tile sections at the store and focus on the stone and a traditional accent piece.
• Hire a designer to help you form a plan before you shop. Even if you don't have the budget to hire a designer for your whole project, most do consultations that are a set price and can help you come up with a plan. I have done many 2-3 hour consultations on bathrooms and kitchens just to come up with a plan for the type of tile and the placement; the client then shopped for the tile themselves, but was able to focus on the plan with little distraction. Budgeting a few hundred dollars for a designer's time at the beginning of a project can save you a lot of grief and legwork in the end.
• Come armed with "givens" in your project. For example, have the granite and cabinet color chosen before tile shopping. It is also helpful to have decided the "style" of the kitchen, whether modern or traditional etc... This will help you eliminate tile styles at the store. (See, it all goes back to planning!!).
• Don't have competing patterns!! I see, in a lot of kitchens, a highly colored and veined granite paired with a backsplash with a tile pattern. Most often, unless you are a designer and have refined the art of the subtle pattern mix, this comes off as too busy. This is where a decision needs to be made about what will have the most emphasis. Do you want the granite countertops to have a lot of coloration, if so choose a backsplash that is simple, such as a lightly colored stone. If you want a patterned backsplash, choose a countertop that has less color.
• Remember too, that you will be living with the countertops and backsplash for a long time. My motto is to keep it simple, classic, neutral and to compliment the style of the cabinets. Trends come and go for a reason, save them for accessories that can be easily changed later. Remember the avocado shades in the 70's or the mauves of the 80's?
• Always look at the surfaces as they will be placed in the room. For example, lay countertop choices flat and backsplash choices vertically. This allows you to view them reflecting the light as they will in your room. We all know light can change a lot!!

Most of all, have fun!! Walking into a showroom full of possibility is exhilerating!! Walking in with a plan is practical and refreshing!!

Hey Mr D. J..... Keeping a Design Journal

All Journals shown available
at BarnesandNoble.com

I truly believe that part of knowing yourself is knowing what you like in your environment. Your home is your most personal space and it should reflect your personality and contain all the things that you love to be around. Your home should be all about you and your family. It should have the colors that you love, the textures that you love , the items that you love and the spaces should be arranged to fit your family's needs. One way of exploring and getting to know your design sense is through keeping a journal.

One of the things I love most about my job, as a designer, is discovering how others like to use their space, what their design style is and what type of things they like to have in their environment. At the beginning of a project, I spend time with the homeowner exploring these things. I ask lots of questions about how they use their spaces, I look at pictures they've saved of rooms they like, I look at items that are important to them, in general I try to get an idea of what their personal design sense is. My main objective as a designer is to make my client's space reflect them and work for them. Most people will say to me, "I don't have a style". This is not true!! Everyone does!! Everyone is drawn to certain items, colors and styles; the trick is, if you don't recognize these, is to look for patterns. Keeping a journal is perfect for this because you can look back at your entries, notes and pictures and say, "everyone of these pictures have celedon green in them, I should add some of that color to my room" or "I keep noting the crystal candle sticks in every entry, I must need a few". It's fun, easy and a useful tool for working with a designer.

The first question I ask, when starting a new project, is have you saved any pictures? If they haven't, I give them "homework". I give them a pile of magazines to mark what they like in. I tell them, mark anything you like, it can be an advertisment, a bedroom (even if we are doing a living room), a piece of jewlery, anything that catches your eye. I am not looking for a room to "copy" for them, I am looking for patterns. I will see the same colors showing up, the same textures, the same style of furniture. I can see what your eye is drawn too, you can do this for yourself!!

Tips for design journaling:

• First get yourself an attractive journal. It can be small to keep in your purse, or large. Barnes and Noble has a great selection.
• Look through magazines and paste in things that you are drawn too. It can be a place setting that you like, a bedroom, a lamp, etc.
• Make notes of spaces that you like. Why do you like being in your friend's living room? Aside from the company, is it the lighting, the fabrics, the colors? Jot it down. Be a keen observer of spaces and write about what you like(refer to my earlier post about this).
• Stuck in a rut with your home? Jot down why you are picking the same things. I hear a lot from clients "I am always picking the same things". Before you buy something that you know is the same and you will be bored with, jot down why. If it is the same shade of blue that you always buy and think your space is too blue, give yourself "homework" before you buy. Look through magazines and find pictures of rooms that mix blues with different colors. I did a post on blues and browns and found pictures that combined them in different ways. Find inspiration to shake up your rut!!
• Having a dinner party? Keep notes on the way your favorite restaurant serves or look through magazines and paste in pictures of table settings and food serving ideas. Take this with you when shopping so your inspiration is at hand.
• Get paint samples and make different color combos, paste them in your journal for future reference.
• Have fun!!

As you can see, a design journal can be fun to keep and a great tool to take with you shopping or hand over to a designer that is helping you. Afterall, isn't it a great luxury to be surrounded with the things you love and be able to recognize the things you like when out? Your home should be your haven!!