Archive for the ‘Just for fun.’ Category

Merry everything!

Thursday, December 31st, 2009

Christmas is my favorite holiday! I plan menus, look forward to gatherings of friends and family and deck the halls. I am so pleased with the decorations from this year! Some gold and green, a little glitter, some gorgeous plants and alot of candles….

Some of my favorites…my glitter deer family and little birds hidden throughout the house, the gorgeous succulents, creamy poinsettias and rosemary topiaries, glowing, gold votives, our beautiful tree cut on a sunny winter morning just down the road, modern paper garlands and gorgeous candle lanterns made from fabulous paper from the fantastic Portsmouth shop  Gus & Ruby , handmade wrapping paper by Wyatt, simple yet special gold ornaments scattered everywhere, lovely little green and spiky gourds, making my favorite treat – Whoopee Pies (with some crushed candy cane for good measure!), “The Nutcracker Suite”, “A Charlie Brown Christmas” and “James Brown Christmas Collection” playing all day everyday, the ivory burlap runner on my dining table, a warm fireplace, a pre christmas trip to the farmers market to stock up, my kitchen overflowing with homemade sweets and savories….but I truly get the most joy from having all my family around my dinner table for a feast after watching Wyatt and his three cousins eagerly and excitedly open presents… and my heart is full after seeing the huge smile on my husbands face on Christmas morning as he put on his skates to teach our son Wyatt how to skate for the first time on our pond. I think I’ll hold on to that moment and carry it with me into 2010…

Snapshots of fall…

Thursday, November 12th, 2009

Fall is a lovely time of year in New England  - so much rich and colorful change! Over the past few weeks I’ve collected some snapshots of fall…all inspiring and a reminder of why I love living in New England.

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A burst of color on a gray day.

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Love the texture, movement and colors!

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Homemade cinnamon sugar donuts are the best treat at the last farmer's market!

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Perfect placement.

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Details, details, details...

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...framing a seaside view.

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An unexpected warm and sunny day at the beach.

Seasonal Finds

Wednesday, November 4th, 2009

I love this time of year…the leaves constantly changing color, the air a little cooler and visions of gathering friends and family for holiday feasts fill my head. I’ve always wanted a BIG dining table and thankfully I got my wish a few Thanksgivings ago when we fit 13 adults and a baby at each corner around a 10′ long x 40″ wide farm table made of old pine barn boards! Thank goodness my husband is an amazing craftsmen and carpenter! I have a lot of fun decorating it through out the seasons but this fall I am loving some new finds that are perfect for the table…a super cool, old chicken feeder dug up at a funky antique shop a few weeks ago, mini and spiky gourds from farmer’s market and lovely, perfectly shaped small pumpkins from a local farm…add a few oak tree branches with acorn tops from the back yard and my table is looking lovely! I’ll nestle a few votive candles in the mix when we sit for our next family gathering. My husband calls it the most unique horn of plenty he has seen…I’m already thinking about what will take it’s place for Christmas!

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Love ROCKS!

Thursday, October 29th, 2009

This is so fantastic I just had to share…one of my brides for 2010 is sooo lucky to have her mom planning all the details big and small for her Maine ocean side ceremony and reception. Below is her mom’s 3 am flash of brilliance… “Love ROCKS” from her island garden. A photo of this along with a wish rock  will be given to the  guests…very cool, very special and very inspired!!!

love rocksA great reminder that inspiration for your wedding or special event can come in all shapes and sizes and at any time of the day so make sure to keep a notepad by the side of your bed to scribble down whatever flashes of brilliance wakes you up at  3 am.

My kind of party….

Thursday, October 8th, 2009

Here it is fall already and I am just now catching up on sharing the great events from the summer! I thought I’d start off with one of my favorites…My brother Peter has a company called Tidal Rock that sells excellent clothes with cool graphics representing The Cape, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket. Our family grew up on Nantucket and even though we don’t live there anymore we are deeply connected to that very special place. This summer Peter hosted his second annual BBQ,Bocce & Bluegrass party to benefit the Nantucket Conservation Foundation. The first year was a huge success and this year’s gathering was even better! Friends and family came together to make it all happen…putting up outdoor lighting, installing last minute  bleacher seats which were a must have, creating court signs, prepping food, organizing the tournament, picking up locally brewed beer from Cisco Brewery , some of the first corn from the fields of Bartlett’s Farm and ice cream from The Juice Bar, setting up tables and chairs, laying out the courts and ALOT more! Thankfully it was a gorgeous day and all the hard work paid off. Island locals and visitors grooved to a bluegrass band, feasted on fantastic BBQ, drank excellent beer, and oh yeah played some bocce. My brother Jake and I paired up to hopefully redeem ourselves for placing second last year – we were close but had to sit on the side lines as the final players went head to head under the lights. This was my kind of party because it had all makings for the perfect gathering…family, dear friends, babies and kids, great simple food, local brews, live music that all ages enjoy and a clear summer sky that went from sun filled to a full moon with the smell of the ocean lingering in the background. Next year’s benefit is already on my calender and I can’t wait!

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It’s all in the details…..

Tuesday, June 16th, 2009

I am very excited and honored to be part of the Taste of the Nation party at historic Strawbery Banke in Portsmouth New Hampshire next week. It is a fantastic fundraising event hosted by Share Our Strength, Seacoast which is part of the national anti-hunger organization, Share Our Strength. The money raised directly benefits local organizations that help feed hungry children in our area.

I am helping to decorate the VIP tent with flowers, lighting and some extra special touches. One of the unique accents will be custom, silkscreened pillows for adirondack chairs generously on loan from our good friend Scott Masi of Chairman of the Board in York, Maine. I could not make the pillows happen with out my neighbor Rachel who is a very creative and talented artist and graphic designer. We were at her studio on Sunday printing the pillow covers and we were so excited with the results. As I looked at the covers drying on the line I was inspired to create custom banners for a ceremony, decoration in a tent or draped in trees with lights for evening cocktails…the possibilities are endless and I hope I get to work more with this process for my clients! I think the pillows are going to be too cool and couldn’t wait to post photos of our work from Sunday.

Professional photos will be posted asap following the event but for now here is a taste of what we are cooking up for Taste of the Nation. Share Our Strength is a nationwide organization that has Taste events throughout the states – look for one of their benefits in your town and go out and have a good time while supporting a crucial cause in our neighborhoods!

Rachel getting the screens ready. I am so envious of her studio space!

Rachel getting the screens ready. I am so envious of her studio space!

Our little bird ready to be printed.

Our little bird ready to be printed.

LOVE the bird silhouette!

LOVE the bird silhouette!

Completed coral covers.

Completed coral covers.

Our sea bass design waiting to be printed.

Our sea bass design waiting to be printed.

Photo Shoot.

Friday, June 12th, 2009

I am in need of a new head shot for my web site so I turned to my good friend and fantastic photographer Geneve Hoffman. Instead of the standard studio head shot we decided to create some “scenes” that hopefully express who I am and what Beautiful Days is all about. I packed up the car with flowers, cherries, champagne, tulle, paper lanterns and a picnic and my husband Daytes and our son Wyatt followed with one of our old cruiser bikes. Our first stop was Chauncey Creek Lobster Pier in Kittery Point. This is my favorite spot for fries and a lobster. The photos turned out bright, fun, a little whimsical, and very special…what more does someone need for a great celebration than a gorgeous setting , champagne (in a can!), lobster (rolls), cherries and blueberry pie (with extra whip cream please!). After Chauncey (and eating all the fries!) we headed down the road to Seapoint Beach….low tide, sun setting through the sea grass, the beach almost to ourselves….perfect! Our shoot definitely came together more organically on the beach and I was just so happy to have a picnic with my family and dear friend on a beautiful late spring evening.

I haven’t picked a shot yet so I welcome your vote!

Arranging flowers on site at Chauncy Creek. Sunflowers, proteas, oncidium orchids, calla lilies and wired orange cherries.

Arranging flowers on site at Chauncey Creek. Sunflowers, proteas, oncidium orchids, calla lilies and wired orange cherries.

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A festive paper lantern on a bamboo stake.

A little funky, a little modern....love the cherries!

A little funky, a little modern....love the cherries!

Dinner!

Dinner!

With sunglasses?

With sunglasses?

Or without?

Or without?

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LOVE the colors and textures!

Hitting the beach - this is honestly not staged! This is how I am on site for every party - arms full and ready to put it all together!

Hitting the beach - this is honestly not staged! This is how I am on site for every party - arms full and ready to put it all together!

My boys!

My boys!

Geneve wanted to play around so I indulged her! The skirt is actually my prom dress which I just can't part with.

Geneve wanted to play around so I indulged her! The skirt is actually my prom dress which I just can't part with.

Our little family - just missing the dog.

Our little family - just missing the dog.

It doesn't get any better than this!

It doesn't get any better than this!


 

 

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