Perfect Town

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!

2010-06-16T15:10:00.000-07:00

Hubby has been chalking up BIG points by taking such great care of me while I've been on bed rest. He leaves for work at the crack of dawn each morning and at the end of the day all he probably wants to do is relax. Instead he comes home cooks dinner, cleans, does the laundry, buys the groceries and tackles his "honey do" list on the weekends. In addition, I wake up each morning to find that he's packed a cooler for me with breakfast, water and snacks to get me through the day so I don't have to get up to grab food. He also leaves my tray in bed which is full of magazines, the remote, my iPad, stationery and stamps for thank you notes, etc.

Honestly, WHAT DID I DO TO DESERVE SUCH A GREAT GUY??? Here he is with one of our nephews just the other week (excuse the poor iPhone photo quality - I was horizontal on the couch when I took this):

I think he's going to make one GREAT dad when his 2 little girls arrive!

Needless to say, he has been going above and beyond the call of duty and deserves a BIG treat for all of the extra work he's been doing around here. If you have any suggestions, LET ME KNOW!

So I was quite smitten when he came home from Trader Joe's the other day with two bunches of BEAUTIFUL peonies! Aren't they GORGEOUS? I even gave him a quick tip from the couch on how to arrange them. (What guy has arranged fresh flowers before?) Didn't he do a great job?

If you've been reading this blog for a while, you know I LOVE peonies. They are my absolute favorite and have really brightened my week so far!

I LOVE YOU!!!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Cooking with a View

2010-06-08T10:52:00.001-07:00

Spotted this great kitchen on La Dolce Vita today. I don't think I've ever seen a window behind a range and hood. Isn't it beautiful? I could envision myself stirring a pot of risotto or something else that required me to be by the stove for a while just so I could enjoy the view! So much better than a plain old backsplash. I'll be filing this one away for the day when I get to design my dream home.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Great Gift for Dad

2010-06-08T10:45:00.001-07:00

Trying to come up with a great idea for a Father's Day present? One Kings Lane is featuring a sale on Chic Canvas today. I think this would be a great gift for dear old Dad this Father's Day! They'll turn your photograph into a canvas that you can hang on the wall. Dad could hang it at work or at home. Great for grandfathers too! I love it when I see a great photograph of kids blown up HUGE in someone's home. They are so fun!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Chic Mom

2010-06-04T19:02:00.000-07:00

I am definitely not feeling chic these days. Since I'm on bed rest, I spend my days in some form of lounge wear - sweats, robes, pajamas, baseball hats, etc. I haven't been outside my house in over 2 weeks which means I haven't worn shoes in that amount of time. I can't wait until these babies arrive and I can get dressed in real clothes and wear all my cute shoes again. I know, those of you with kids are probably saying, she's crazy if she thinks she'll be getting out of the house soon after the twins are born let alone trying to look "chic" while covered in spit up and drool.

You know who was a chic mom? Jackie Kennedy. Maybe after I lose the baby weight (plus some extra) I can look great as she did with her kids.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

I'm Not Dead......

2010-05-23T12:22:00.000-07:00

Just pregnant! Yep, the reason for the lack of posts over the last few months is because I've been exhausted and trying to get plenty of rest.

I'm now 21 weeks along....with TWIN GIRLS!!! Hubby and I are pleased to introduce you to Baby A:

Yes, those are her knees next to her shoulders and her feet by her head. Apparently we caught her mid yoga pose.

And Baby B:

She's higher up in my tummy so apparently she has more room to pose for the camera. Aren't they both beautiful???

I didn't have any morning sickness at all in the first trimester. Yay! My pregnancy has been so smooth....up until now. I'm currently on bed rest so I have all the time in the world to blog now. I got a new iPad and this is the first post I'm writing with it.

I'll try and post more often now that I have the time and my iPad is never too far from me. If you have any suggestions of things I can do on bed rest, let me know! I have a huge stack of baby books to get through, but other ideas on how to pass the time are welcome. And if you live close by, feel free to visit anytime!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Pucker Up

2010-03-30T18:54:00.000-07:00

You need to get this NOW:

It will literally make your lips as smooth as silk! Put it on before you go to bed and after a few nights, you will notice a big difference! I love how smooth it makes my lips.

You can find it at your nearest Nordstrom, Bloomingdale's, Neiman Marcus and Sephora. You can also find it here and here.

More St. Patrick's Day Cheer!

2010-03-17T11:48:00.000-07:00

In case you were wondering about my other nephew, here's Brooks wishing you all a Happy St. Patrick's Day! He turns 6 months old today!

Even though he's wearing green, I still want to pinch him...he's just SO cute!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2010-03-16T17:04:00.000-07:00

These pictures made my heart melt when my sister sent them to me. Remember my post last week on the St. Patrick's Day books I sent to my nephews? This is why I LOVE giving them books. Look at their imagination run wild! Here's my oldest nephew, Chase, reading the book, The Night Before St. Patrick's Day:

Chase - 2.5 years old

He is intently looking at the page in the book where the kids set several traps for the leprechaun!

Check out the trap he made to catch a leprechaun on St. Patrick's Day! Notice the shiny cookie cutter on top of the box to attract the leprechaun? Apparently leprechauns like shiny objects.

He made a set of stairs with some of his blocks and he even used small ladders because leprechauns are small. Is this kid smart or what? (OK, I'm a little biased.)

Here Chase shows us what happens to the leprechaun when it tries to get the shiny object...

He falls in the box!

I hope that all of you are able to capture your own leprechaun and that you have a great St. Patrick's Day too!

Going Green!

2010-03-09T18:17:00.000-08:00

I can't believe that it's already March. We all know what happens in March...St. Patrick's Day! My days of drinking green beer are LONG over. Now that I have 2 adorable nephews in my life, I love to get them excited about fun holidays like this.

The other day I picked up a few books for them to help them learn more about St. Patrick's Day:

I was surprised at how many choices there were when it came to St. Patrick's Day books in the children's section at my local bookstore. The two I picked were The Night Before St. Patrick's Day by Natasha Wing and Jamie O'Rourke and the Big Potato by Tomie dePaola, one of my favorite illustrators.

In The Night Before St. Patrick's Day, my nephews will read about a brother and sister who are trying to catch a leprechaun. In the photo below, the mom has made them green eggs for the holiday. My mom used to make us green eggs, green milk and send us to school with sandwiches made on green bread!

They decide to make traps to catch the leprechaun and to lure the him into the trap, they make sure to use shiny objects (which leprechauns apparently like).

Since receiving the book, my almost 3 year old nephew has called me to talk all about leprechauns and how he wants to catch one! He even made a trap this weekend including a shiny object! I love watching his imagination and vocabulary grow with each new book.

In the second book, Jamie O'Rourke and the Big Potato, we read about Jamie and how he grows a GIANT potato. It's big enough to feed his whole town!

Tomie dePaola has always been one of my favorite children's author and illustrator. His stories are always classics!

So if you have some little ones in your life, run out and get them some fun treats for this fun, green holiday!

Design Goals 2010

2010-03-03T20:33:00.000-08:00

Sorry for falling off the face of the earth! Life got busy and things got in the way which meant that blogging was put on the back burner. I'm back and hope to be writing a little more regularly now. I hope you missed me!

I love to decorate and I am always moving things around in my house - furniture, accessories, you name it. Something I've been wanting to get better at in 2010 is accessorizing and in particular layering and creating small vignettes around my house to complete the look. So, this has become one of my deign goals in 2010.

These vignettes or tablescapes can be created almost anywhere - on an entry table, a mantle, bedside table, bookshelf, dresser....the possibilities are endless.

Here are a few examples. I hope they get your creative juices flowing too!

Dan Marty, photo courtesy of SF Examiner

Annsley McAleer, Domino, April 2007

Dan Marty, Western Interiors, April/May 2009

Anette Joseph, Decorating, Winter 2008

Domino, June 2008, photograph by Matt Albiani

Canadian House & Home

Dan Marty, photo courtesy of SF Examiner

The Countdown

2010-02-08T17:53:00.000-08:00

The countdown has begun! Only 2 more days until the 3rd issue of Lonny hits your virtual newsstand! If you have been trying to find a magazine to fill the void that was left when Domino went under and you haven't discovered Lonny yet, you're in for a treat!

Lonny December 2009 Cover

I can't tell you how many times I wished that my computer was handy while I am flipping through a great magazine so I can check out the sources online. I usually put the magazine down and forget about researching the items I liked. Well with Lonny, if you see an item you like, you can click on it and it takes you directly to where you can find it! Genius! For instance, the Iomoi bag in the top right corner caught my eye in the December Gift Guide:

If you rolled your mouse over the bag and clicked on it, you were directed right to the Iomoi page where you could buy the bag! I only wish this feature had existed sooner.

Vanessa De Vargas' Home, Lonny December 2009

So, on February 10th, be sure to check out the latest issue of Lonny magazine. They've been tweeting that it will feature some West Coast homes so I am really excited about that. I hope you like it as much as I do!

More Love For Trader Joe's!

2010-02-04T20:22:00.000-08:00

Like I said before, I am not someone who likes to celebrate Valentine's Day by going out to a fancy, overpriced dinner. Instead, we like to cook at home or get together with friends and celebrate.

Well this year, I can tell you what I'll be cooking for dessert! Who doesn't love molten chocolate cakes? They are so ooey and gooey, warm and yummy all in one little cake! I am sure I could make them from scratch, but why would I want to when I can buy them at Trader Joe's and pop them in the oven!

I discovered them when I read this feature in the Jan./Feb. issue of the Food Network Magazine.

They are now sitting in my freezer waiting for Valentine's Day to roll around! You can find them at your local Trader Joe's in the freezer aisle for $2.99! I plan to serve mine with a little vanilla ice cream. YUM!

When I shop at Trader Joe's, I always love to check out the shelf where they feature their new products. Look what I found this week - another treat to send to work with hubby!

Now I don't want you all thinking that I send treats with him year round. This is only a Valentine's Day thing. A good excuse to send him to work with some love that will hopefully brighten his day!

Do you have anything fun planned for your Valentine's Day? Do you like to eat in or out? I'd love to hear what other people do!

Got 5?

2010-02-01T17:07:00.000-08:00

Minutes that is! If you have FIVE minutes, you can whip up the easiest dinner EVER. I'm not kidding - FIVE minutes. Did you ever think you'd be able to cook a dinner for your entire family that fast? I bet the answer is NO! You can't even microwave a meal for more than one person in under 5 minutes, let alone cook a meal! OK, I'll let you in on my little secret:

Trader Joe's "Just Pasta" can be found in the freezer section at your local Trader Joe's. You can get either Penne or Spaghetti noodles and each bag costs ONLY $2.49. Pop it in the microwave for 2-3 minutes, and your pasta is cooked! YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE TO BOIL WATER. It's a miracle! You don't have to wash your pasta pot or colander afterward either! Having to wash fewer dishes after a meal is a great thing in my book.

Inside the bag there are two 8 oz. bags of pre-cooked spaghetti. I cook both bags for the two of us and there are usually enough leftovers for one person the next day. I think they must measure the pasta once it's been cooked because even thought it's 16 oz. of pasta, it makes a lot less than 1 pound of dry noodles would make. Either way, it's still the fastest dinner you will EVER make.

Just as I put the noodles in the microwave, I pour a can of sauce in a sauce pan to heat it up on the stove. My favorite sauce is the Organic Tomato Basil Marinara ($2.29) from Trader Joe's. I find that it has more flavor than other sauces you can find at the grocery store. And if we're going to eat sauce from the jar, then it should at least taste good right?

If you don't like to use sauce from a jar, then you can use the sauce from this post which I like to make and freeze so I have it handy when I need it.

A group of women from my neighborhood were getting together on Saturday night for drinks a few doors down so I wanted something easy to cook before I headed out. This time I browned some ground beef and added it to the pasta. I prefer to use the organic ground beef you can find at Costco that comes in convenient 1 pound packages:

I store the individual packages in the freezer and they keep well. So all you have to do for this entire dinner is brown the meat, heat the sauce and microwave the noodles. It's as simple as that and you have dinner in FIVE minutes! YUM!

Wondering about that garlic bread there? That's the Barefoot Contessa's garlic ciabatta bread. It was the best home made garlic bread I've ever made so I'll definitely write a post on that later!

I'd love to hear what your favorites are from Trader Joe's too! I hope you'll share so we can all try them out!

Domino Love

2010-01-28T19:57:00.000-08:00

I dug through my OLD issues of Domino magazine to find this photo for today's post! One of my favorite things I ever saw in Domino and implemented in my own home was to use an apothecary jar to hold my toilet paper! Oh how I miss Domino. (Sniffle, sniffle.) It was featured in the October 2005 issue and I'm sure that countless people have now put one in their bathroom too.

Photo courtesy Domino Magazine, October 2005

The apothecary jar they featured is from English Creek Gardens. I found mine at Z Gallerie shortly after I saw it in the magazine, but they may still carry something similar. If not, there are so many resources for apothecary jars - both online and in stores.

It's a great place to store extra TP, but the best part about it is that I now have it in our guest bathroom so the guests never have to search for more toilet paper when they run out! Here's what it looks like in our guest bathroom:

See it tucked away in the corner?

Don't you miss Domino? Do you have any fun decorating tricks you learned from them? I'd love to know!

More Spring!

2010-01-28T11:14:00.000-08:00

In case you didn't have time to click through the links in last night's post, here are some photos of the J. Crew items I bought that weren't on the site last night, but they are today!

J. Crew Tissue Garland Tank in dark pewter ($42.50 online, $45 in stores)

This is how I was thinking of wearing it (but with jeans...I can't rock those short shorts!):

And here's the zipper sweater...a much better picture:

J. Crew Scalloped Zipper Cardigan ($98)

There were a few more items that I spotted on the site today that I just might have to add to my shopping cart. Darn you J. Crack!!!

J. Crew Thomas Mason Printed Tuxedo Shirt ($150)

J. Crew Vintage Bateau Top ($36)

I am such a sucker for anything nautical and I love it when all the designers launch their spring lines with nautical themed pieces. It must be the sailor in me. And I love pleats - especially on blouses. Thank goodness for my dry cleaner. I think I drive them insane with all my pleated shirts!

Spring Has Sprung!

2010-01-27T20:41:00.000-08:00

Spring has sprung! Well, not if you look outside, but in the land of J. Crew it has!

A few weeks ago I was invited by one of my favorite ~~J. Crew~~ J. Crack sales associates to a breakfast in the store to celebrate the launch of the Spring line. I was so excited to see the new stuff that I could hardly sleep! (Well, not that excited, but you get the point.) The store had been a little bare over the last few weeks so I was ready for some new merchandise!

When I got there I tried to practice as much self control as I could, but it was tough tough tough! I also kept trying to remind myself of the difference between want and need, but there were four things I just couldn't leave the store without.

The first was this sweet cotton papillon blouse which I picked up in white:

J. Crew Cotton Papillon Blouse shown in soft violet ($79.50)

Wouldn't it be so cute with black capris or skinny jeans? They didn't carry black in the store, but now that I've seen black online, I might have a tough decision to make. Which color to get and keep for Spring???

The second top I got was this dark gray ruffle tank top. It's not online yet, but here's a photo I took tonight (sorry the flash washed out the color a little bit):

J. Crew Ruffle Tank ($45)

I looked for a fun necklace to go with this top and opted for something other than the usual black. This is what the sales associate picked:

J. Crew Petal and Pearl Necklace in light amethyst ($59.50)

I can picture wearing this top and necklace with a lighter gray cardigan, jeans and my silver Capri Sandals from last year.

After I had checked out and was leaving the store, I spotted this sweater. I tried it on and had to have it. It's not for sale online yet either so here's a photo:

J. Crew Zipper Cardigan ($98)

It's a light gray cardigan with zipper, ruffle and satin details. (Click on the photo to get a closer view.) There were only a few left and the store had only had them on the floor for a few hours! I got the last one in my size. As they were putting it in my bag another woman who was looking for it asked to try mine on since we were the same size. I let her, but since they were now sold out of our size thanks to me, she had to special order it. I can't wait to wear it! The zippers add such a fun unexpected detail.

So, if you are addicted like me, stop by your J. Crew store before yours is sold out too!

Spread the LOVE

2010-01-25T18:11:00.000-08:00

I HEART VALENTINE'S DAY! Not the romantic expensive dinner, spend waaaaay too much money on flowers kind of Valentine's Day, but the give cute small gifts, tell people how much you LOVE them kind of Valentine's Day.

I love telling my husband how much I love and appreciate him, so when Valentine's Day approaches, I have so many ways to show him too! I like to put little treats or notes in his work bag when he's not looking in the evening so he discovers them once he's arrived at the office the next morning. Last week I sent him to work with some tiny heart shaped sugar cookies from Susie Cakes which recently opened near my home. Last night I put a bag of green M&Ms that were printed with special love messages in his bag. I attached a little note & a HOT PINK bow and here's what he probably found today when he got to his office:

I found these special love message M&Ms at a drugstore near my home so I'm sure you can find them where you live too for your Valentine. If I find out that he has a client meeting the next day, I usually hint to him that there's something in his bag...just so he doesn't accidentally pull out one of my notes or treats in a meeting! Can you imagine???

I LOVE giving my nephews presents all year long so Valentine's Day becomes even more fun when there are kids involved. Yesterday I spotted 2 great Valentine's Books at our local bookstore for them. In my opinion, a child can never have too many books! I wrapped them up and put them in the mail today so they can enjoy them and get excited for Valentine's Day.

The first was "Happy Valentine's Day, Mouse" from the author of one of my favorite books, "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie". In it Mouse makes Valentine's for all of his friends and they are each different depending on who the friend is!

The second book I got for them was "Fancy Nancy: Heart to Heart". I know, they are boys and Fancy Nancy is very girly, but the oldest is 2 1/2 so he doesn't know that and he LOVES learning new words. He's always telling me that he wants to dine "al fresco" which he learned from a Fancy Nancy book. I love it! In this book he will learn words like bouquet, gorgeous and magnifique because according to Fancy Nancy, "almost EVERYTHING about Valentine's Day is fancy!"

I even found some wrapping paper in my stash that was perfect for Valentine's Day:

I topped the package with another GREAT find: hot pink ribbon from Costco! Check out this awesome wired ribbon I found the other day. Each spool is 50 yards and only $6.49!

I didn't get a picture of the card, but it was from Paper Source and it was letterpress with a picture of a dinosaur that read something like "you're a dino-mite valentine". I hope they love their present!

Are you getting excited for Valentine's Day too? I hope you are spreading the love!!!

Today's the Last Day!

2010-01-23T20:52:00.000-08:00

You don't want to miss out on the Aaron Brothers one cent frame sale and it ends on Sunday! You buy one frame and get the second for A PENNY! You can't beat that.

It's my favorite time to stock up on frames for projects like our photo wall. This is my favorite way to display photos. The #1 reason I like it is because it's so easy to swap out the photos over time and you can rearrange them whenever you want! I don't like to clutter up tables around the house with displays of photos, so this is pretty much the only place you'll find photos in our house.

Here is our current photo wall in the hallway leading to the master bedroom:

I can switch out the photos or I can change the mats and put in a different size photo for a completely different look. I purchased a very simple black frame and decided to keep all the frames the same. That way you focus on the photos themselves and not all the different frames.

There's even a competition going on now to see who's on the wall the most! Everyone loves to check the wall when they come over to see if there's a new photo of them!

We also had a photo wall in our San Francisco apartment where we had much higher ceilings so this is what it looked like:

For the shelves, I used the Pottery Barn Holman Ledge in black. In the San Francisco apartment I used three 4' long shelves. In our home in Perfect Town I used two 4' shelves and added a 2' shelf to each so they are now 6' long. Some of my favorite photos have stayed the same (wedding favorites and the 2 of us graduating together from UC Berkeley), but some have changed over the years as we added nephews to the family and recently celebrated my brother's graduation from the fire academy!

To print the large photos, I just take the images on a flash drive to my local photo store and they enlarge them for just a few bucks. It's so easy.

I hope this has inspired you to display photos of your family and friends in your home. If you have a favorite way that you like to display photos, let me know!

Have You Heard???

2010-01-15T14:29:00.000-08:00

In case you've been living under a rock or if you haven't read about my obsession, The Container Store is offering 30% off ALL Elfa and Elfa installation!

It's been going on since Christmas, so I'm not sure how much longer it will last, but it is one of their best sales EVER!

I re-did the closet in the last apartment we lived in when we were in San Francisco. It was a small walk-in closet (nothing about apartment living in San Francisco is BIG!) The Container Store helped me design it and they even installed it! The whole process was so easy. We were just renting, but the closet in our bedroom only had 1 rod running the length of it. That was not going to work for the 2 of us so it was worth it to us to spend the money and upgrade the closet. I don't have any before pictures, but here's what it looked like after the installation:

I looked at all my photos and counted about 82 pairs of shoes in that closet between the 2 of us! (You can't see a lot of them in just these 2 pictures.) Unbelievable!

Being able to more than DOUBLE our hanging space was invaluable. Also being able to adjust the racks was huge for us since hubby's is 6'2" and his shirts and pants are long and I am 5'2" so nothing of mine is long. In this closet I had room for everything from our hats to shoes, suits, dresses, pants, coats, etc.

My husband doesn't have a lot of free time so I had the Container Store do the installation. The guys who came to install it were amazing. They were so courteous and absolutely knew what they were doing. The Container Store I shop at doesn't have their own installation team. Instead they outsource it to independent closet installation companies. I am not sure if all their stores are like this so yours may be different. They removed the old closet rod and shelf, patched the walls and started installing. Before long it was complete and the Container Store had 2 more satisfied customers!

If you are too busy to make it to the store and know exactly what you need, they offer a "Click & Pickup" service where you order everything online, choose which store you'd like to pick it up from and tell them when you'd like to pick it up. Then when you are on your way, just give them a call and they'll bring it to the curb for you and load it in your car! How convenient is that? Just another reason I love the Container Store!

Oooey Gooey Goodness

2010-01-14T19:00:00.000-08:00

Last night I made baked ziti for the first time. All my husband and I could say was YUM YUM YUM. He loved it SO MUCH more than lasagna. I'd had it before at my sister's house. Her grandmother-in-law is Italian and makes the most AMAZING food and ever since I'd tasted her baked ziti, I had been wanting to make it!

My sister's recipe calls for "sauce". Seriously, that's what the recipe said...SAUCE. I knew that it would be a SIN to use pasta sauce from a jar as far as she's concerned so I thought about what sauce to make. My sister's recipe doesn't call for any meat, but I wanted to have meat in our recipe (we are DEFINITELY meat eaters in this house) so I used the Barefoot Contessa's recipe for her sauce in the Lasagna with Turkey Sausage Recipe. I have used this sauce for both lasagna, pasta and now baked ziti and it's GREAT on everything.

Now that I knew what sauce I was going to use, here's the rest of the recipe:

1 pound ziti or rigatoni pasta
Sauce (see link to the Barefoot Contessa's recipe above or you can used store bought sauce if you'd like)
1 15 oz. container of whole milk ricotta cheese
1 8 oz. ball of mozarella cheese (can use pre-shredded kind)
2 Tbsp. Parsley (you'll need more because the sauce recipe also calls for some)
1 egg
Parmesan cheese
Salt
Pepper

Preheat oven to 375˚. Cook the pasta in a pot of boiling, salted water. Mix ricotta with parsley, egg, salt and pepper. Combine the pasta, sauce, ricotta mixture and shredded mozzarella in a large bowl. Pour some of the sauce in the bottom of a 13x9x2 baking dish. Spoon the pasta mixture into the dish and top it with more shredded mozzarella and some parmesan cheese. Bake for 30-45 minutes or until sauce is bubbling and it is heated through. This recipe can be made ahead - just bring to room temperature and bake for 45-60 minutes instead.

Oh, I forgot to mention - this recipe ISN'T LOW FAT, but it's SO good! I served the ziti alongside a simple green salad with balsamic dressing and some warm, crusty bread. You don't even need the bread (I didn't even touch mine, but hubby used his to scoop up all his extra sauce) because the pasta and salad are filling enough!

Since this was my first time making the recipe, I wasn't sure if I could split it or not. Next time I make it, I'll make the entire recipe, but split it between 2 smaller baking dishes and freeze one so we have dinner for another night. This is the type of recipe that I also like to make when I want to bring dinner to a neighbor or friend because I can make one pan for us and one for them. I just use a disposable foil baking dish from the market and wrap theirs in with tinfoil. Before I wrap it I write the cooking instructions on the outside so they know what to do with it. And just in case someone has a food allergy, I usually list the ingredients so they know they'll be safe eating it. You could also make this when you need to cook for a crowd.

This recipe makes a TON of food so guess what we're having for dinner tonight? LEFTOVERS! I love those nights.

Who Doesn't LOVE to Save!

2010-01-14T10:59:00.000-08:00

In case any of you loved checking out Erin Condren's great site, she is offering 20% off on EVERYTHING Valentine's now through January 31!

She has great ideas for personalizing Valentine's Day cards whether you send them out as a family or if your little one has to make them for school. For Valentine's Day she has special heart shaped labels like these:

How much fun would it be to bake up some heart shaped brownies or one of my favorites - those peanut butter cookies with the Hershey Kiss stuck in the middle - YUM! Then place your goodies inside a cellophane bag with your heart shaped sticker on the outside - so personal and cute! Or you could attach the sticker to a Chinese food carton and place all your yumminess inside!

Translucent Take-Out Cartons from the Container Store

Hope this gets you excited for Valentine's Day - it's only one month away!

High/Low Dining Chair Find

2010-01-13T14:27:00.000-08:00

New dining chairs have been on my wish list for quite some time. The black Windsor chairs I currently have are perfectly fine and only about four years old, but I have tired of them and would like a new look. (You can see them here in my post on entertaining.) So I don't NEED new dining chairs, but I WANT them - my husband always likes to point out the difference between WANT and NEED. I'm still learning.

I've been checking out these Williams-Sonoma Home dining chairs for some time, but at $445 per chair, I couldn't justify buying 6 of them! That's about $2,700. They do look so comfy though!

Williams-Sonoma Home Farallon Chair ($445)

I have seen similar chairs in high-end home furnishings stores, but they are in the same price range. However, I got an email from Pottery Barn this morning that featured a new chair this season, the Wingate Rattan Dining Armchair:

Pottery Barn Wingate Rattan Dining Armchair ($299)

Still pretty expensive when you take into account that I ~~need~~ want 6 of them (about $1,800), but still cheaper than the Williams-Sonoma Home Farallon chair. Usually I am not a fan of Pottery Barn because of it's generic look (I can count the number of Pottery Barn items in my ENTIRE house on one hand), but I thought these chairs were pretty cute and had some character. The rattan would also contrast nicely with my black table.

These chairs just look so comfy - like your dinner guests would linger, enjoy themselves and be comfortable for hours. When it comes to dining chairs, I am a HUGE fan of each chair having arms rather than just the chairs at the head of the table. This way all of your guests are comfortable and I think it encourages them to stay longer if they are comfy.

If you want an even better deal on a rattan dining chair, check out the Majby chair from IKEA.

Ikea Majby Chair ($79.99)

At $80 a chair I can get all six dining chairs for under $500! What a deal! Now the IKEA cushions don't look as thick as the other chairs, but for how inexpensive these chairs are, you could get the cushions re-stuffed or remade in a few years when they aren't as fresh looking anymore.

You could also spice up all of these chairs with a great lumbar pillow and your guests would be even more comfy! I found a few on etsy that are so much fun!

Imperial Trellis Lumbar Pillow from Thieverie ($81)

Zimba Lumbar Pillow from Thieverie ($75)

Maybe hubby will read this and realize that I NEED new dining chairs. Yeah right!

A Very Thoughtful Gift

2010-01-11T20:12:00.000-08:00

I received the cutest gift from my sister in the mail the other day. It absolutely brightened my day! She sent me the greatest gift labels from Erin Condren. They are so colorful and cheery that you can't help but love them! And they are personalized too! I love receiving personalized gifts - it makes you feel like the person actually put time and effort into thinking of a gift you'd like. I can hardly wait to use them. You can use them on gifts like this:

SO cute right? Or you can stick one on a bottle of wine as a hostess gift (you can even order waterproof labels for chilled white wine or bubbly), put one inside a book that you give to a friend or child at their birthday, attach one to the front of a gift bag, a plate of homemade cookies, party favors...the possibilities are endless!

I can't tell you how many times I have been on the way to a party or shower only to have to stop at a drug store to pick up whatever cheesy card they have available. These gift labels will make our gifts so much more personal and fun.

Here's what our labels look like (note: the poor photo quality does not do them justice!)

You should definitely check out her site and see all of the products that she offers. All of her stuff is so cute you will want one of everything! The clever Super Bowl invitations make me want to host a Super Bowl party:

The life planner makes me want to become a paper calendar person and ditch the iPhone calendar:

And I thought the call me cards would be so fun for parents to use for play dates!

All of her items would also make great gifts for friends. Wouldn't you be excited to receive a personalized notepad or gift labels? I know I was SO excited to receive my labels. I am always making lists so I'm about to order a set of her notepads. How cute will my to do and grocery lists be now? The only problem is that I can't decide which one to order!

Oooh La La!

2010-01-08T15:59:00.000-08:00

I'll never forget the day - June 18, 2004 - the day that changed my underwear drawer. I was sitting at work one morning reading the Wall Street Journal and there it was on the front page...hello Hanky Panky:

I knew what I was doing after work! I went to the Hanky Panky website to see where they were sold. I just HAD to have them so I headed to the lingerie shop the minute I left the office.

By the time I got there, they had already sold out of most of their stock! The saleswoman said that men had been coming in all day long looking for the underwear they read about in the Wall Street Journal and buying 10 or 12 pairs for their wives! (My husband wouldn't be caught DEAD in a lingerie store buying me underwear.)

I bought a few pairs and headed home. I changed out of my work clothes into jeans since I was meeting a few girlfriends for drinks after work. I tossed on my new Hanky Panky underwear and off I went! They were so comfy! I had tried other brands like Cosabella, On Gossamer and Natori, but these were now my favorite and have been ever since.

When I got to the wine bar I HAD to tell my girlfriends about my new find! I knew they'd love it too. I relayed the story to them and pulled out a tiny bit of lace from the top of my waistband so they could see what they looked like. They are hooked now too!

Over the years I have accumulated MANY pairs of Hanky Pankys. My drawer is full of them - the low rise and the originals. I have pretty much invested a small fortune in this company (they are now $18 a pair versus $15 when the article came out).

You're probably wondering why I'm writing about Hanky Pankys - EVERYONE knows about Hanky Pankys by now! Well, my sister also loves her Hanky Pankys. Being the amazing Target shopper that she is, she told me that Target now has a version of the Hanky Pankys...FOR $4 A PAIR! Aren't sisters the BEST? I had to check them out.

You know what? I think I might like them a little MORE than the originals! They fit and feel the same, but the back is a little smaller so when you wear them under things like workout clothes (or my uniform) you can't see the outline of the fabric like you can with the Hanky Pankys. They are made by Gilligan & O'Malley and have held up so far in the wash, but I am not expecting great things when it comes to longevity (I mean they ARE $4).

So, next time you are at Target, look for this display....

and pick up a few pairs!

Peonies!

2010-01-05T21:05:00.000-08:00

I spotted the first peonies of the season today at my local Trader Joe's. I saw them at the San Francisco Flower Mart over the holidays, but at $30 a bunch, I couldn't justify bringing any home...even if they are my FAVORITE flower. (I love them so much that I had to have them at my December wedding...in Idaho...flown in from somewhere exotic like Chile at about $15 a stem!!!)

They were still a little pricey at Trader Joe's ($6.99 for 3 stems), but I had to bring some home anyway.

I'll see how they open up after a few days as they were pretty tight. It may still be early in the season. Typically they aren't readily available at Whole Foods and Trader Joe's for another couple of months. Here are a few photos of peonies around my house last year. They make me so happy!

On my bedside table

In the family room next to the couch

My Mecca

2010-01-04T20:03:00.000-08:00

The Container Store is my Mecca. It is a type-A person's dream come true when you walk in that place. Everything is organized and they have a spot to store all the things in your home, office and garage. I bet my husband wishes it was more than 1 freeway exit away so I wasn't there so often!

In case you couldn't tell from yesterday's post where I organized the guest bathroom, I LOVE LOVE LOVE their clear shoe boxes. I store so many things in them besides shoes including toys, medicine, extra toiletries under the sink, batteries, light bulbs, etc., etc. The list is endless! They are perfect for everything because they are see through so I can always tell what's in them (although most of them are labeled as well - I know I have a problem!!!). The boxes also come in a few different sizes (women's, mens', boots, etc.) so you can store different sized items and stack the boxes up on top of each other. I ONLY buy the Container Store shoe boxes - not any of the imitations I see elsewhere!

Here are a few photos of where I use the clear shoe boxes around my house. You NEED to get some of these and get your stuff organized!

I use them to store small toys, sidewalk chalk, etc.:

I use them under our sink to store makeup that I don't use everyday, extra toiletries like razor blades, deodorant and dental floss:

I use them in the garage to store extra light bulbs, batteries and extension cords:

More storage in the garage for votive holders and table linens:

Note the Elfa shelving in the garage from The Container Store...LOVE IT TOO! It helps me keep all the junk in the garage organized and off the floor which is huge because now we can park TWO cars in the garage!

Hopefully you are lucky enough to have a Container Store near you. If not, you can always order here.

Day Three of Out With the Old....In with 2010!

2010-01-03T21:31:00.000-08:00

The fun never ends! Have you been cleaning and organizing around your own house now that it's 2010? I hope so!

The next project I took on was the guest bathroom cabinets. This is where I store all the extra toiletries, medicine, etc. because we don't have room for it all in the master bathroom. After several rounds of house guests over the past few months and a few illnesses the medicine cabinet was a mess. Here it is before:

I know, you're probably thinking, "this girl is crazy...that looks pretty organized to me!" Well, the recently used medicine needed to be put away and all the expired medicine needed to be TOSSED and replaced if necessary. Check out this REALLY expired Neosporin I found in the cabinet! The expiration date beats the expired oil I found in the pantry yesterday!

Expires April 1998!!!

After tossing all the old medicine and adding what needed to be replaced to my shopping list the cabinet was starting to look better. I got out my label maker and re-labeled a few boxes as well as added labels to a few that never got one. Now the next time one of us or one of our house guests gets sick, they know just where to go to find the cure!

This is a quick and easy project that will only take you a few minutes so go ahead and try it today!

Day Two of Out With the Old....In with 2010!

2010-01-02T21:54:00.000-08:00

I hope yesterday's post on cleaning out the refrigerator and freezer inspired you to start some projects of your own. Since I was on a roll, I continued cleaning and organizing by taking care of the pantry next. Here are the photos you saw yesterday of the pantry before:

Here is the kitchen counter as I was in progress of cleaning off the shelves of everything that had expired or needed to get tossed:

Somehow I had accumulated things like 3 bottles of white vinegar, 3 boxes of powdered sugar - the types of ingredients you only need a little bit of when you're making something and when you get to the store you forget that you already have some at home. I do this all the time even though I am such a diligent list maker! I have no need for all of this extra food so I TOSSED IT ALL! Such a good feeling!

I clean out the pantry pretty regularly, but apparently I have missed some things along the way. The BIG expiration date SURPRISE was when I saw this:

EXPIRES DECEMBER 3, 2005!!!!!

Can you believe it?!?! Clearly I needed peanut oil at one point and haven't needed it since! I'd like you to know that not only have I cleaned the pantry every couple of months over the past few years, but I have also moved not once but TWICE since December 2005 which means I have packed up this particular bottle and moved it from one kitchen to another and then again to my current kitchen. I bet this will amaze my family that something like this could go unnoticed by me!

We have more storage above the pantry which is where I like to keep serving platters, place mats and other things that I don't necessarily use every day. Here is the storage section above the pantry before:

Up here I came across 3 bottles of tonic water that were so old they were FLAT, two French press coffee makers and many bottles of random wine that we've accumulated over time. Several of these items can be donated including this treasure that I had leftover from a costume party that I found waaaaaay in the back of the cupboard:

I can't imagine I'll use that again anytime soon and I bet someone will love finding it at the local thrift shop.

After tossing the expired stuff and making a pile of kitchen items to donate, here's what the pantry and storage space looked like after:

The baking shelf looked so much more organized and the honey bear was probably so much happier!

I moved some of the appliances that were on the lowest pull-out shelf to the cabinet above the stove where I can still reach them. This freed up space on the lower shelf for the items I use more often like our panini maker and juicer.

I am loving the feeling of getting off to a FRESH start in 2010! You should try it too! Tomorrow I'll let you know how organizing the guest bathroom went. In the meantime, go into ONE room in your house and fill up ONE bag of stuff to TOSS or DONATE. It will make you feel like you're off to a great start in 2010 too!

Out With The Old.....In With 2010!

2010-01-01T18:34:00.000-08:00

Today was a PERFECT day! I got to sleep in, watch part of the Rose Parade from bed then roll out of bed and dive into one of my favorite things of all time...CLEANING and ORGANIZING! New Years Day was an ideal day for this. My husband was content to be on the couch ALL day with endless football games, most of the stores were closed so I couldn't really run errands or shop and it was raining so who wanted to go outside anyway?

After hosting both Thanksgiving and Christmas the kitchen needed some serious HELP! First I attacked the refrigerator and freezer. Here they are BEFORE I got started:

Inside of door before

Inside of refrigerator before

Top shelf of freezer before

Bottom shelf of freezer before

I know, some of you may be thinking that it doesn't look that bad! But trust me, I am pretty good at staying on top of keeping the fridge clean so when it looks like this I feel the need to take action! So while the football games were on TV I emptied the fridge and freezer, got out the 409 to clean all the shelves and TOSSED anything that had expired. The oldest thing I found in the fridge was some hot fudge sauce that had expired in January 2009! After a while this is what it looked like:

Inside of refrigerator door after

Inside of refrigerator after

Top shelf of freezer after

Bottom shelf of freezer after

Another reason this is such a great project is because you can also take stock of what you have on hand. I clearly don't need unsalted butter or yogurt anytime soon! While I am tossing everything, I like to keep a list going on the kitchen counter of the things I want to restock next time I go to the store.

After conquering the refrigerator and freezer, it was on to the pantry! My husband laughed at me as I did a little dance while cleaning out the shelves. He knows how happy organizing makes me! The pantry also needed some serious TLC after the holidays. Here it is before:

What a disaster! That honey bear looks like he's screaming "Help! The baking shelf is a mess!" Again, some of you may think this looks pretty organized, but trust me I found some real TREASURES in there! Stop by tomorrow to see the pantry get organized as well as the guest bathroom I took care of today. Like I said, it was a PERFECT day!

Holiday Entertaining

2009-12-28T19:08:00.000-08:00

I love to entertain and especially love setting a beautiful table. Now that we've moved out of San Francisco and have a little more space in the suburbs, it's a little easier and much more fun to have friends over for dinners.

Below is a table I set just before the holidays got under way. We had 2 other couples over for drinks and dinner. It was such a fun evening! This night I chose to use our "everyday" dishes which are some of my favorite. When we were married 5 years ago we registered for blue and white Spode dishes. I love that I chose to have each plate a different pattern. Over the years I have continued to collect pieces as I come across them. One of my favorite places to look is eBay!

I picked up the orange napkins at my favorite kitchen store, Tyler Florence Mill Valley, last Thanksgiving. I have so much fun using them because they add such a splash of color to the table!

One year I had to have the FIJI water canisters so I asked for them for Christmas. I loved seeing them at hotels and restaurants and thought they'd be so much fun on our table. I always get compliments on them and you can order them here if you want them too! (Scroll down to the bottom where it says: Where can I find the FIJI Water Signature Sleeves I have seen in restaurants?)

Below is our table for Thanksgiving. This is when I break out our wedding china which I really LOVE. In fact I love it so much that the first time I used it I didn't want anyone to use their knives because I was afraid they'd scratch the plates! (Neurotic, I know.)

The bay leaf and berry garland was only $25 and made custom for our table by Pacific Coast Evergreen, one of my favorite vendors at the SF Flower Mart. It was very festive and smelled amazing too. Big bang for your buck!

I hope you have the opportunity to gather around the table with your family and friends this holiday season. Happy entertaining!

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-25T10:34:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas from Perfect Town!

It's That Time of Year!

2009-12-22T22:30:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year when the pile of presents to wrap never seems to get smaller, right?

I saw Colin Cowie do a segment on the Today Show the other morning where he was trying to teach the hosts how to wrap gifts. I realized...Colin Cowie's got nothing on me! (I'm kidding of course - he's FABULOUS!) I thought to myself, I can give better tips on how to wrap a gift!

Let me introduce you to the tool that will save your life (and sanity) when it comes to wrapping presents: the Scotch ATG 700.

I use this tape gun for everything from wrapping gifts to assembling my Christmas Cards. No more fumbling with the tape dispenser or visible tape along your edges! It is really so easy! Check it out...

First, I gather my supplies:

Then I choose which gift I'm going to wrap and cut the paper accordingly (let's hope my husband reads this AFTER Christmas otherwise one of his gifts will no longer be a surprise!):

First apply tape to one of the inside edges and stick it to the box. Then fold over the second edge so you will have a clean edge showing. Apply tape to the inside of the folded edge and bring it over so it sticks to the other half of the paper like this:

Look! No tape showing!

Fold in the edges along the ends of the gift like this:

And apply some tape with your gun:

Look closely and you'll see the clear tape there!

Then fold over the bottom of your gift like this:

Again, you can't see the tape! How great is that?

When both sides have bee folded it will look like this:

All that's left is to tie the bow and your present is finished!

My favorite wrapping is simple kraft paper and Offray red double faced satin ribbon in varying widths depending on the size of the package. It's just so simple and clean. What's not to like?

I hope this inspired you to make a dent in that never ending pile of gifts! Get the tape gun - I PROMISE it will make your life easier when it comes to wrapping!

Christmas Cards

2009-12-21T19:11:00.000-08:00

Now I can celebrate! Our Christmas cards went out in the mail last week. We sent out 225 this year! Apparently that's a lot. The man behind me in line at the post office said, "please tell me those are for work and not all your friends." I had to tell him that they indeed were all personal friends and joked, "aren't you offended you didn't make the cut?" It probably looked like I was sending them to everyone in California!

Much to my (and my husband's) chagrin, I typically make our Christmas cards by hand. Yes, call me insane. And if I had my way, they would be 100% completed before Halloween. It seems like time flies each year once the holidays arrive and every year I tell myself that next year I will get them done early! And each year that never happens.

Below is our dining room table when I made our cards in 2008. It was one of my favorite cards and definitely worth all the time and effort. Yes, we (I'll give my husband some credit) tied all those bows, cut the hang tags, stuck the photo to white backing and then applied it to the red card. Since the cards were bulky, I had to hand cancel all 220 of them at the post office!

This year as Thanksgiving quickly approached, I realized that I hadn't even begun to think about our Christmas card. I knew I was in trouble. So I took the easy route this year and headed to my favorite stationery store, Soiree San Francisco. I flipped through a couple of books and ended up making a custom card ordered through Crane's.

I loved this year's card because of how much it saved my sanity (and my marriage - my husband hates tying bows & stuffing envelopes at the last minute!) From the moment they arrived I knew that this year my job would be much easier...

All I had to do was attach the photo...

Done! That was easy and took no time at all!

I was happy with how the finished product turned out. Since I wasn't making them by hand this year, I wanted the whole process to be SIMPLE.

Here they are all stuffed and stamped.

The return address labels went on...

I used labels on the front as well instead of hand addressing them this year (again...SIMPLE was the theme). The labels were printed with red ink and green design on the borders....

After that I was off to the post office! The whole process this year was so easy. I might be INSANE if I go back to making them all on my own in 2010 (and my husband might threaten to divorce me)! But if I do, I'll have them completed before Halloween....yeah right!

Merry Christmas!

A Cup of Christmas!

2009-12-20T21:37:00.000-08:00

There's nothing that says Christmas like a fire in the fireplace, cold weather outside, music playing and a warm beverage in your hand.

I always love finding new products at my local Trader Joe's. The other week I discovered Trader Joe's Sipping Chocolate and I'm hooked.

It's the perfect warm beverage to keep you cozy on those cold winter nights. You can make it very rich or just add more milk to make it creamier.

So go ahead and make yourself a glass. Top it with some whipped cream or marshmallows or toss in a mini candy cane for a peppermint twist (or some peppermint schnapps if you want to be really toasty!) and curl up with a good book by the fire. Sounds like a great evening to me!

It's like Christmas in a cup!

Hello Gorgeous

2009-12-14T21:21:00.000-08:00

I have seen some of Scott Wood's work before, but this video of his San Francisco flat just got me very excited about decorating for the holidays. I love these images of his home decorated so beautifully for Christmas. It's homes and decorators like this that make me miss living in San Francisco.

I think it would be so much fun to decorate a man's living space to look like it just stepped out of a Ralph Lauren ad. The fact that he spent years working for Ralph Lauren is evident in his work. I wonder if Scott worked at Ralph Lauren at the same time I was there? The guys who created all the window displays and vignettes within the store were always doing amazing work. I was always trying to get some tips from them!

Enjoy the video and music. I hope it inspires you to decorate and entertain during the holidays as well! Merry Christmas!

My Favorite Pen

2009-12-13T21:33:00.000-08:00

I know...again with the office supplies??? I warned you...I HAVE AN ADDICTION!

Well, I have found a new favorite pen that I absolutely cannot live without. It's the Sharpie Pen. The Sharpie is a classic that has made a name for itself. The Sharpie Pen is something you can use for everyday tasks - list making, thank you notes, etc.

I carry several in my purse because I no longer want to write with anything else. It lives up to it's claims - I have yet to see it bleed through paper and the tip doesn't get dull so you get a consistent line each time you write. It's amazing.

Who knew I could get so excited about a pen? Embarrassing I know. If you are excited too, you can find them at your local office supply store or here.

Canvas

2009-12-11T10:24:00.000-08:00

Lately I've noticed that the Lands' End catalog has been looking a little more current and updated. Have you noticed too? Usually I only buy their famous tote bags, but I've actually been looking at the clothes thinking, "hey, I'd wear that" instead of what I used to think: "look at those clothes my mom would wear!" I knew they were launching a new line, but honestly I had forgotten all about it until now when I stumbled across it. Meet Lands' End Canvas:

You can find it here. I doubt the first guess in anyone's mind would be that you were wearing Lands' End if you dressed like this!

Great Stationery

2009-12-11T09:11:00.000-08:00

I have an addiction to all things that have to do with organizing...especially office supplies and paper goods. I don't know what it is about stationery and paper that get me so excited! Maybe because it reminds me of "back to school" time when you got to stock up on school supplies and get organized for the year ahead. The smell of paper and freshly sharpened pencils....yum!

The West Side Letter by Pressed, Ink is one of my favorite go-to cards for when I don't feel like using my traditional monogrammed stationery. For a pack of 10 cards and envelopes it's only $12.50.

It's fun because unlike your traditional stationery it's more horizontal and the black background makes your initial pop! Right now Pressed, Ink is running a special where everything on their site is 30% off! That means it's less than $1 per card to send a personalized note! What a great deal! I may have to stock up & hope you do too!

Enjoy!

My Uniform

2009-12-09T11:33:00.000-08:00

Growing up I went to a private school from kindergarten through 8th grade. Each day we had to wear a uniform to school. I actually liked wearing a uniform because it meant that I didn't have to wake up every day and pick out an outfit to wear. In the end, that meant I could sleep in longer and I DO like my sleep.

Well, apparently the concept of a uniform has stuck with me although it has evolved over the decades. Most days I tend to wear the same thing: black sweatpants, a white long sleeved t-shirt and a down vest and if I rolled out of bed without showering then add a black hat.

For the past several years my go-to comfy black pants have been my Lululemon Groove Pant in all black. I like them because they have a higher waist so they cover that part of my stomach that won't get flat no matter how many crunches I do. When it's cold outside (like now - 20s in the morning!?!? Brrrrr.) I thrown on my brushed Groove Pants because they are fuzzy on the instide which means they are a little more toasty!

On top I typically wear a white long sleeve t-shirt. Sometimes I'll get CRAZY and wear a black one instead. Very adventurous of me, I know. Then on top of the shirt I wear a down puffy vest. Currently my favorite vest is the Lululemon Huf f N Puff Vest in....black (surprise). I own other down vests from Patagonia, North Face and JCrew, but the Lululemon one is by far my favorite because it is flattering and cut longer in the back so it covers more of your rear.
If you don't have a Lululemon near you, they now have a website and shipping is FREE! I highly recommend their workout pants whether you are working out or not. Like I said, they have been my favorite pants for years. They are flattering and somehow smooth everything out and lift your rear end at the same time. Amazing. Now run out and get a pair!

Restoration Hardware - The Gallery

2009-09-03T16:30:00.000-07:00

I stopped into the new Restoration Hardware the other week to see the unveiling of their new look. I must say, I'm pretty impressed. Gone are the pale colored walls and traditional looking furniture. Now the look is more updated and has more personality albeit the furniture is still pretty large in scale. I think you'd need to live in a 10,000 sq. ft. house to accommodate some of the pieces. They make a "studio" line of smaller pieces in their upholstery collections, but unfortunately most of their tables and case goods will not fit in my home.

I think we got the remodel before New York or anyone else which is pretty exciting. One of the perks of shopping at the store closest to the company headquarters I guess! Here are a few photos of the store:

Love the Brickmaker's Coffee Table (think of all the things I could display on it!), but who has room for a 59"L x 43" W coffee table in their living room or family room? I don't.

English Roll Arm Sofa (starting at $2,545); Brickmaker's Coffee Table ($1,495)

Think of all the fun dinners you could host with the Flatiron Dining Table (if your dining room can fit the 107" long table):

Flatiron Dining Table $1,795; Vintage French Round Side Chair ($295 ea.); Filament Chandelier ($895)

Yes, the new store is much darker

There are several displays of reproduction subway signs:

Part of the new hardware display

The store now carries the baby & child line:

Boy's side

Girl's side

Gone are the white columns

Impulse Control

2009-08-31T11:11:00.000-07:00

I have none. It's no secret.

I happened to be in Union Square the other day and since it had been a while since I'd been down there all by myself I decided to do a little exploring. Well, I ended up in the new Tory Burch store and lost all control.

I ended up leaving with this:

It looks like it's woven straw, but it's actually woven leather so it's incredibly soft. It's fun to wear with an all black outfit and it looks nautical when I wear navy and carry it to cocktail parties at the yacht club.

I also picked up this scarf which can double as a wrap poolside:

The reason I stopped in was to find a pair of Romy flats:

My sister and I had wanted to get the Romy flats when they were on sale during the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale, but they sold out during the pre-sale. While at Tory Burch I learned that Tory changes some of her shoes so the version you buy at Nordstrom is slightly different than the pair you can find in her store. For instance, the Romy flat at Nordstrom has a lizard print covering the toe and silver hardware. The version at Tory Burch has a croc print covering the toe and gold hardware. Here is the Nordstrom version:

It's probably a good thing that I no longer work around the corner from where the store is. I have a feeling that each of my paychecks would end up here and London Sole across the street!

J CRACK

2009-07-29T19:15:00.001-07:00

J Crew, or J Crack in my house, came out with their new fall merchandise this week. As most of my friends, family and husband can attest to, I am a sweater addict so I get a little excited when the catalogs and stores hint at the cooler weather around the corner.

I picked up the pointelle twilight-stripe V-neck cardigan in shadow black in the store when my mom was in town:

I ordered the Anton sweater online last night in black:

I picked up the endless summer cardigan today in the store in 3 different colors:

I purchased one more sweater today that is not online. It's a black cardigan that is open in the front with pockets. Very comfy!

Now if only the weather would start to cooperate so I can wear my sweaters!

Family Visit = FUN!

2009-07-27T13:28:00.001-07:00

Last week my family (minus my brother, Grant) came up from Southern California for a visit. Now that we live in the 'burbs and have 3 extra bedrooms it's great that they come up more often. I love love love it when they visit! What made this visit so much fun was that my sister and her husband decided to get away to Carmel for the weekend which meant they were leaving Chase, our 2 year-old nephew, with us!

Chase and Aunt Whitney

My mom, sister and Chase all arrived on Wednesday morning. Chris, my sister's husband, arrived on Thursday night. Just as they were getting into the car to head to Carmel on Friday morning, Chase fell in front of our house and hit his head on a fire hydrant! This delayed their departure by a few minutes. Needless to say I was happy the head injury happened while they were still here & not while Chase was on our watch!

The head injury later Friday evening

We had a great time playing mom & dad while they were away. Thankfully my mom, a.k.a. Gigi, was here to help us out! I don't think I could have done it on my own! Keeping up with a 2 year-old is hard work! I know I left the house multiple times with stains on my clothes and once without brushing my teeth!

First we went to the park then after his nap we got ready for Friday Nights on Main. It was definitely fun to go to Friday Nights on Main with a kid! Chase loved getting his face painted like a lion. Rawr!

Grrrr! Our little lion.

He had a great time. Chase had fun running around growling like a lion and climbing on the fire truck when the firemen came to visit. Saturday was filled with more trips to the park, checking out the Tiburon fire boat, a trip to the toy store and reading lots of books - one of Chase's favorite things. Another highlight of the weekend was the San Rafael farmer's market - especially the pony rides and all the good food samples!

Chase enjoying eating peas straight from the pod

After his nap then it was off to the Belvedere Concerts in the Park! There we listened to music and danced. We had a blast, but I think the highlight was when mom & dad met us there after their drive back from Carmel! Chase was so excited to see them.

Chase enjoying the music at the Belvedere Concerts in the Park

We can't forget the whole reason my family came up to visit...Gigi's birthday! We had a great dinner grilled by Joey followed by some yummy strawberry shortcake. It was a great week and I can't wait for their next visit! I can't believe that when they visit next Paige and Chris will have TWO boys in tow! How fun!!!

Happy Birthday Gigi!!!

Trader Joe's Opens Tomorrow in Larkspur!

2009-07-23T13:13:00.001-07:00

Tomorrow is an exciting day in Southern Marin. A new Trader Joe's will be opening in Larkspur! This means that I will no longer have to drive the 7.5 miles to the San Rafael Trader Joe's. Yay! When I lived in San Francisco I was so spoiled by having 2 Trader Joe's within a short distance of our apartment. I have missed it so much since moving to the 'burbs. Now I can get my quick fixes for dinner and great priced wines again!

Tiburon to Install License Plate Cameras

2009-07-14T13:47:00.000-07:00

The Town of Tiburon has been talking for a while about installing license plate cameras in 2 locations - Tiburon Blvd. and Paradise Dr. - to help the police catch thieves by identifying out of town vehicles.

On Friday an article ran in the SF Chronicle and it was interesting to read the comments left by various readers. Personally I support the installation of the cameras. I have nothing to hide and I figure that my license plate is already being photographed each time I cross a bridge in the Bay Area. So if it will help the police catch criminals, then go for it!

Smith & Hawken Closing

2009-07-08T18:37:00.000-07:00

Smith and Hawken has bit the dust. The website is no longer operating. I'm sure there are some good deals in the store. I'll have to check it out. Their flagship store is right down the street from me so I'll be sad to see it go.

Tango is back at Z Gallerie!

2009-07-08T18:07:00.000-07:00

The Z Gallerie Tango pillow is back! It was carried in the stores before, however it vanished and there were rumors in the blog world that it was pulled because the pattern was too close to Kelly Wearstler's Imperial Trellis. I missed getting my hands on a pair of pillows the first time they were in the stores, so I have been stalking Z Gallerie since then hoping they would carry them again.

The Z Gallerie closest to me has both the 24" pillows ($39.95) and curtain panels available. When I saw the pillows, I immediately bought 4 because I had been dreaming about getting the real Imperial Trellis pillows, but couldn't stomach the $225 price tag - that's per pillow!

When I was in San Francisco the other day I came to a complete stop and reversed back up the street to look at the curtains in someone's apartment - I thought they were the real thing, but when I saw the panels in Z Gallerie later that day, I knew that she had purchased them there.

The bad news is that the fabric is 100% polyester so it has a sheen to it and you can tell it's not the real thing. So I just returned them. I also didn't like the colors against my white couch. The background is chocolate brown and the pattern is a light coffee color. Here's a photo of them on my couch:

A girl can keep dreaming of owning the real pillow someday. (Christmas present idea for the husband!)

Why "Perfect Town"?

2009-07-08T08:46:00.000-07:00

You may be wondering, why the title "Perfect Town" for my blog? Well, I'll fill you in....

After living in San Francisco for 8 years, my husband and I decided it was time to buy our first home. We looked in both San Francisco and Marin and decided we were ready to settle down in the 'burbs. We were lucky enough to find the perfect house for us. So in May 2008 we packed up our apartment and moved across the Golden Gate Bridge to Tiburon.

The New House

We originally fell in love with Tiburon because of it's proximity to the San Francisco Bay. We wanted to be near the water because of the beautiful views and the cooler weather. Tiburon also reminded me of growing up in Newport Beach where as kids we spent most of our time in the water whether it was sailing, swimming, or rowing boats around the bay to visit our friends. We also knew that someday we'd have kids and the schools in Tiburon were great too.

We love that our friends enjoy visiting us in the 'burbs. After all we are only 15 minutes away from our old neighborhood, the Marina. It was one of my best girlfriends, Sarah, that dubbed Tiburon "Perfect Town". Every time she visits, she is amazed at how the weather is almost always better here in Tiburon than in San Francisco and that we have events such as Friday Nights on Main each Friday night during the summer. Sarah is also convinced that all of the children are polite and adorable and comments on how lucky they are to be growing up in "Perfect Town".

After 14 months of living here, we are very happy. We love living in Marin and haven't missed living in the city at all. I'm glad we made the move to "Perfect Town"!

Here it goes!

2009-07-07T17:15:00.000-07:00

I have been saying for months now that I want to start a blog. People have asked, "what are you going to write about?" I plan to write about the things that I love and whatever inspires me - from family and friends to decorating and shopping. Who will read this and who cares about what I have to say? I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

Here I go! Wish me luck!!!