Friday Favorites

How do you plan to spend the Fourth of July?  I'll be recovering from the baby's arrival expected for Monday!  But....I don't want to leave you empty handed....

Enjoy the Fourth of July Tablescape from my book, Tablescapes

and more....Some Fourth of July entertaining tips from my appearance on TODAY show last year.

Every parent out there needs to see this.

I'm dying over this simple white dress.

Don't y'all just love Garance?

Is this stove not the most gorgeous one you have ever seen?

Wedding Wednesday: Princess Madeline of Sweden and Chris O'Neill

A few weeks ago, the stunning Princess Madeline of Sweden married her English/American boyfriend, Chris O'Neill, a banker in a gorgeous ceremony and a Valentino Gown.

I hope it provides a bit on inspiration for you!  I certainly enjoyed looking at the beautiful couple who seem very genuinely in love.

The beautiful Princess Madeline in her lovely Valentino Gown. 

The lovely Crown Princess Victoria and her husband Prince Daniel arrive at the wedding with their daughter, Princess Estelle.  I love that she is carrying the future Queen of Sweden in her arms and that Prince Daniel is carrying her purse for her!

How sweet is Princess Estelle's perfect little chair?  So cute!
Photo Credit: Jessica Gow/AP

 But enough about the little Princess....Let's take a look at the bride and groom:

Doesn't she look stunning here?  Photo Credit Janerik Henriksson/AP

The Ceremony in the Royal Chapel.  Photo Credit: Anders Wiklund/AP

So cute!  I hear they treated the crowd to, not one, but three kisses! Photo Credit: Bjorn Larsson Rosvall

Danish Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary, Princess Marta Louise of Norway, Crown Princess Mette-Marit and Crown Prince Haakon of Norway arriving at the wedding.  Photo Credit:  Erik Martensson/ EP

  Of course, no royal wedding is complete with out a horse drawn carriage:

Photo Credit: Jonathan Nackstrand/ Getty

It seems that the Huffington Post stumbled upon their registry as well!  What to know what was on it?  Click here. 

Tents

Have you seen this amazing tent on the Anthropologie site?  It is incredible!  Well, it's on sale now - from $8,998 to $7,197.95!  I guess that is less expensive than adding a room to your home, right?

Here are some other beautiful and inspiring tents I adore:

I'm crazy for this tent from Authentic Provence.  Would love to have one in this crazy Texas heat! 

From an amazing wedding in Tokyo.  Shipro Panosian Photography

Photography: Brandy J Photography

Monogram Monday: Hardware

So, if you have been reading this blog for any length of time, you know that I love to monogram anything and everything.  As a matter of fact, I am having a little battle with my husband over what we should name our baby because I would like for her to have the same initials that I have.  Is that vain or practical?  I'm not sure....

Anyway, when I recently had to pick out new hardware for our kitchen renovation, (photos coming soon!  We are soooo close to being finished!) I came across this monogrammed hardware collection by Nanz.  Isn't it incredible?  I had to hold back the urge to add personalized knobs to every cabinet in my kitchen but maybe you want to? I think they are amazing and apparently date back to the era of the French Kings.

What do you think?

Friday Favorites

Our mantle at the beach.  Can't wait to get back there!

How amazing is this wallpaper?  LOVE it! 

Pretty Post on summer entertaining.

Beautiful post filled with inspiration for summer. 

Inspiration for your beach house beyond blue and white.

Wish I had seen this before I renovated my kitchen.

How cute are these for a summer get together?  I need them!  So do you!

I can't get enough of VEEP.  Are you watching?  It's hilarious....you should.

Summer Sun!

So, I keep forgetting to cover myself when I am running around in the hot Texas sun so I am going to print out this photo and put it next to my car keys.  The lady in front of me in the camp car-pool line had a big hat and a sun shade for her window in her car and I didn't even have sunscreen on!

My wonderful dermatologist told me to wear a "real hat" and not a visor because our scalps need protection too.  I hadn't thought of that before but it makes sense!

I have a few favorite hats but I don't think we can ever have too many...

Lola Stick Shift Hat from Moda Operandi

BCBG Floppy Sun Hat

Love this huge style for laying in the sun. 

And if you like everything monogrammed like I do, you can't let another day go by with out ordering a hat from Barbie Cobb Brim Couture!  So cute!  

Wedding Wednesday: Golf Game for the Guys

Photo by Stephen Wrubel

Planning a golf outing for the guys during a wedding weekend can be overlooked as a simple way to keep them happy and busy while the bride puts the finishing touches on her big day but I think it is a great opportunity to have a little fun with favors and make the men feel special.  When my sister married two years ago, my mother and my husband put their heads together:  my mother wanted to order the guys some nice golf shirts to play in and my husband decided it would be fun to personalize them in his own unique way.  Well, you can see what the end result was!  The date of the wedding was a nice touch but his "Game Over" theme got a lot of laughs.  Cute, right?

I'd love to know what you plan to do to keep them gentlemen of the wedding party busy on your wedding weekend?

 

Tablescape Tuesday: Mario Buatta

I'm a big fan of designer Mario Buatta.  I love that his designs are so colorful and so full of pattern.  His tablescapes and dining rooms are no different! Enjoy!

This table was featured in Architectural Digest and they said the murals made you feel like you were dining al fresco all year long.

From the New York Social Diary

New York Social Diary

Architectural Digest

I love this portrait of Mario surrounded by inspiration!  

Looking for more - check out these tablescapes by Mario Buatta from the 70s on The Peak of Chic Blog!

Friday Favorites

LOVE this chic post filled with vintage tablesettings.  Image meals with quite a few "dah-lings" and beaucoup des cigarettes!

Love the decor of this home.

So sweet - Tweet! Tweet!

I can't get to the beach because this baby is due soon but I am hoping that maybe this will make me feel like I am there.

So excited that my favorite professional organizer is blogging!  

Porthault

I've been wanting to put a post together about my favorite linens for so long now but it seemed so overwhelming!  There are so many great examples of amazing Porthault used in such wonderful ways out there but here are a few of my favorite: 

The linen closet of Alexandra Stoddard is filled with Porthault!  I wish my linen closet looked like this!

From Martha Stewart Weddings.

I love this watercolor of Jacqueline Kennedy sleeping in her D. Porthault bedroom by Jacqueline Duheme.  There was a copy of this hanging in the Dallas boutique while it was here.  

Oscar de la Renta's table featured in Vogue.

This design by Anna Burke was featured in Lonny March/April 2012.

Dina Merrill set her table with Porthault Lily of the Valley Linens and Dodie Thayer china.

DeDeBlair's Bedroom

I am a big fan of Joan Carl, the owner of Porthault.  She is gracious and kind and is carrying the torch forward!  I love this introduction to her on the Maze blog.

If you can't get to any of the beautiful Porthault boutiques, check out Sue Fisher King's selection on line.