Tantilizing table settings.......and a winner!

First things first....I am happy to announce the winner of the gorgeous watch so generously donated by elegant Marsha or Splenderosa. If you haven't visited her increidble boutique, click here, its a must see!The lucky winner was selected via randompicker.org. Congratulations goes to.....

Prize ID	Winner ID	Public Info	Private Info	Random Sorting ID	Weight
1: watch	1761944	sam carolina kitchen		10059617	1

And Marsha so generously decided on a second giveaway for the cuff featured in picture 17! That lucky winner is....

Prize ID	Winner ID	Public Info	Private Info	Random Sorting ID	Weight
2: cuff	1761976	design chic		101425	1

                              Please contact me and congratulations to you both! 

If you have been reading my blog for any length of time, by now you know I am obsessed with all things blue and white, letterpress and monogrammed anything, beautiful silver and linens make my knees buckle as do magnificently decorated wedding cakes and last, but not least I am a sucker for a beautiful table. I could just stare at them all day long. Forget whats being served, just show me a beautiful table! Flowers are an absolute must have, monogrammed linens take a table setting to new heights, gleaming silver.....now my hearts racing. All ingredients for one magnificent table...and there's no such thing as "too much"!

 In light of the fact that the summer and spring entertaining  season is upon us, I would venture to say that some of us at some point be attending a party, wedding or fete of some sort?  So here's inspiration that I think might just knock your socks off. This makes me want to throw a party but I am so so far from being ready. It does motivate me to quickly get this house in gear so hopefully by 2013 I am ready for some kind of shindig! How about you? Do they have that effect on you too?

  

This is just downright breathtaking....I wouldn't eat I would just sit and stare! Carolyn Roehm working her magic

Carolyn works her magic yet again....jaw dropping gorgeous!

This is as elegant as any buffet table could ever look.....River Farm

Leave it up to Martha Stewart to make a vege centerpiece look glamorous!

The elegant monogrammed napkins, sterling, crystal and fabulous flowers make the perfect table, Carolyn Roehm

The colors here with the rich use of gold as an accent is so elegant, Preston Bailey

Love the idea of creating a Tuscan themed table with lots of lemons, lavender and some statuary, Alchemy Events

This is just beyond beautiful....perfection!!

Carolyn at it again, this all white theme set off by the gold is spellbinding!

Love the vintage vibe of this exquisite table setting, Gumps

Really like the fresh crisp feel here, the pop of yellow adds so much. Homemag

Something about all white at night is just magical! A little of this

Adore this look for a spring or Easter luncheon, and its so easy!

Yes this has been used a thousand times but how can I not include it! Lisa Luby Ryan

Fabulous colors, love bamboo anything the pinks and greens...perfect for a summer affair! SA

The use of texture all in one color here is spectacular, Preston Bailey

This is pretty peachy! Love the fresh spring vibe! Martha Stewart

This just makes me happy. Sunflowers, glistening silver, white linens...perfection!

I so want to copy this. How magnificent, you could be serving juice boxes at this bar and it would still be amazing!

Look at how vibrant this table rich with color and texture is, ala Preston Bailey

I think the simplicity of a weathered wood table and all the crisp white is stunning, Williams Sonoma

Gingham and daisies never looked so beautiful! Fotobank

This is so beautiful and eye catching. The focus is on the lime green but they used pops of pink for the contrast....fabulous! Martha Stewart

Wow......makes me want to have a party!! How do you like to set a table? Do you have a favorite theme or color scheme? Would love to hear all about it! IF you were planning a party, how would you like to decorate for it? Wishing you a wonderful day.

tuesday's favorite

Just in time for Mother's Day!

This week we are featuring...

 ALL Bath, Body and Candles!  

We have so many treasures to be found and if you mention this blog post, you get 20% off any bath, body or candles from now until Mother's Day!  (Don't forget our Vietri special lasts thru Mother's Day, as well!)  Come in and find that perfect gift you have been looking for!

White Wednesday

Hello everyone,

      It was a great day here for doing garden cleanup so we spent the day edging beds, weeding,pruning, and transplanting. So...., no time for playing with my camera again so sorry more previously viewed pics again.

I am joining in White Wednesday today.

My snowball bush from last year- it is just starting to leave out now so it will be weeks before it blooms.

Fluffy white plumes on one of the grasses at my daughters. I like how pretty it looks against a blue sky.

Our little garden cottage.

I love hyacinths and also the little fairies.

I am looking forward to these all blooming in our garden soon.

Another  view of the cottage.

Cake anyone?

I couldn't resist adding this tea photo of our two little grandchildren.

A creamy rose with a hint of green.

I hope you enjoyed some of my whites for White Wednesday over at Faded Charm.

Thank you for visiting,

Carolyn

Deconstructed Furniture?

I spotted this deconstructed French chair while shopping in Postcards From Paris a few weeks ago.

Here is one similar from Restoration Hardware.

Just curious.....would you buy something like this for your home?

It looks like a chair I am in the middle of tearing apart.

On another note, I am taking a little blogging break to go to Florida for a week.  I will catch up with all of you when I get back.

Mr. Comforts and I plan on spending a lot of time figuring out our next move.  Will we build?  Will we buy a fixer and House Whisper to it?  That is what we will be talking about on the drive down to Florida and back.

Welcome Home,

Penny

Small Space Gardening

I wanted to touch base with everyone.  The weather is getting warmer here, and I can see this is going to be a big year for pruning and weeding the garden (peonies, roses, holly, comfrey, lilacs, hedges).  I'm getting behind in my landscape maintenance chores, which is a bear, especially when it means the climbing roses are staking a claim to just about everything they can reach (which is a lot

By Invitation Only- My dream day!

Hi, Happy May! Wow times going by awfully fast!  As you might know by now,  its our monthly "By Invitation only" post, when a group of like minded bloggers get together and offer up their own interpretation on an agreed up on "theme of the month". This months theme is a fun one...... we are each to describe a perfect dream day. So many things come to mind.....being in Rome for midnight mass on Christmas eve, only for it to start snowing lightly while Andrea Bocelli makes a surprise visit to the Vatican singing Ava Maria.....yep that's always been a dream of mine! However other things come to mind, could be just staying in bed all day surrounded by magazines, books, and my favorite foods, jetting off to a spa day with a bunch of friends, being at the perfect beach house with my family on a picture perfect weather day, it goes on...........
On any given day the "ideal"for what would constitute my dream day could change depending on my mood. But my frame of mind right now, which is one of being a little frenzied, very very busy, overwhelmed at times and  desperately needing a serious dose of downtime, has me craving a vacation with a lot of R and R, so my dream day today reflects just that. When I think of getting away to a place that feeds my soul and heightens every one of my senses I can only think of one place.......Napa Valley. So imagine the shock on my face when my husband tells me he is whisking me off to Napa for the day!  Ready to see what it entails? Here we go.......
Wake up at around 8am- You see for me this would be considered "sleeping in" I am normally up around 5:30 or 6 so 8 sounds like a nice civilized time to arise. Oh....whats that I see? Breakfast for moi? My sweet husband has decided to bring me breakfast in bed, a really indulgent kind of breakfast with all the fixings and my favorite kind of coffee...Peets ala french press. Yum! How thoughtful he even brought me the book I am reading, awwwhhhhhh!

Get up to take a hot shower and when I step out, I am met by a couple of beautiful new suitcases on my bed bursting at the seams with a brand new wardrobe all in size 6!  Before long we are off to board our flight, he has surprised me with having booked our own private plane, but being the smart man he is, he made sure its a nice big one, because he knows of my severe claustrophobia...doesn't want me having a meltdown to ruin my dream day!

On board I am lavished with English tea and Laduree macaroons...can't turn those down!

Finally we approach the unmistakable fertile dream valley..the one and only Napa Valley

Off I am whisked to our surprise destination, and see a bottle of my favorite wine, crusty french bread and an assortment of fine cheeses awaiting my appetite (which unfortunately is always alive and well)! We sit just the two of us gazing at the idyllic vineyards, lost in tranquility......

He then tells me the next part of my surprise is that all my favorite people in the world including my sons, my family and all our close friends have flown in  to join us for this dream day! Before long we are seated at a spectacular sunflower laden table with 30 or so of the most important people in our lives. We feast on local homegrown fare paired with incredible wine and its a lunch to be remembered with plenty of laughter and story telling!

After lunch, my husband tells me he has rented a house for us to stay in for our short stay, one look at it, and I am in love with this Tuscan vision!

We spend the afternoon sitting by the tranquil storybook pool seeing which overlooks the vineyard. If I didn't know better would swear I am in Tuscany. I plant myself on the chaise and don't move a muscle for hours,  except to move my right arm to reach for.........

Non stop rounds of fabulous antipasta that is served to us and our guests, as we feast yet again poolside taking in the warm Napa sun and ZERO humidity (even my hair is happy here)!

Accompanied of course by a delectable glass (or two) of some yummy Chardonnay, helloooooo........we are in Napa afterall! Drinking at lunch AND the for afternoon snack is de rigeur!

At sunset we all go in to change, and hubby has stunned me yet again with the most beautiful catered dinner by a famous local chef, none other than Thomas Keller. Way to go!  The weather is perfect, 60's, dry, beautiful sunset, smooth jazz radiates throughout the house and we all gather again for a sumptuous feast.

After dinner we mosey on out to the pool area again where there is a lit firepit and after dinner drinks and all kinds of wonderful stories are shared........

Finally I spy the most beautiful dessert table  under a massive oak tree, with dozens of tiny lanterns sprinkled about...it looks like its out of fairytale! We all walk over and indulge in all my favorite sweets. We sit back by the pool and carry on until the wee hours........

This day has been just beyond. Total Perfection. Surrounded by those I  love and cherish, being in a place that makes me feel alive but relaxed, indulging in all my favorite foods and wines, all the while being a size 6......does it get better? Oh and did I  mention that on this dream day, absolutely no calories count? Talk about icing on the cake! Before long we are boarding the plane to go home sweet home, which I am really happy about because I love home, truly the perfect ending to a perfect day!

Want to know one of the best parts of this dream day? Coming home to this cutie pie........we invited him to come but he told us "he doesnt do" Napa" :)

Hope you had fun with me in Napa Valley..now its your turn, what would your dream day look like?  Would love to know! Wishing you a dreamy day!

Want to see more interpretaions of this dream day? Click here to be taken over to the brainchilds blog, Marsha of Splenderosa. Yep, that glamorous vixen who so generously is offering that fabulous giveaway from yesterdays post. Winner to be announced tomorrow!