Browsing Tag

west coast

Travel Uncategorized

bittersweet Big Sur visit

August 19, 2016

I just arrived home from a few days with a dear friend in Big Sur.  Frankly, I wasn’t sure we were even going to be able to go as a huge fire was roaring through parts of the region. The fire started on July 22 by an illegal campfire in one of the state parks. As of this writing, it has consumed over 79,000 acres and is 60% contained.  It will be weeks before it is completely under control.  It…

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Decorating The Little Glass House

organic. natural. modern.

July 15, 2016
The Little Glass House, Santa Barbara

I was thrilled to be asked by the lovely ladies at Holl and Lane magazine to write an Interiors post for their online blog. Holl and Lane’s motto is:  We are more than a magazine; we are a community of women that share our hearts with boldness.  We believe in telling stories boldly and vulnerably, to cultivate honest community and authentically inspire home and add flavor to everyday life.  They were looking for me to fulfill the authentically inspire home niche!…

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Uncategorized

New Adventures in and around Big Sur

June 16, 2016

What a crazy, fun filled few days I had with my daughter in Big Sur.  We were celebrating her birthday but needed no excuse to explore this amazing part of our country.  Most often we stay two nights at my brother-in-laws ranch, and with such limited time we tend to stay close by.  With 385 acres to wander, we are never bored.  But with the gift of four nights, we expanded our horizons to some new places, and of course a few of…

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Around Santa Barbara Shopping

day trip to Ojai

May 26, 2016
Ojai Valley Inn

When my friend, Beth (of Beth Dana Design) asked me to go cactus shopping with her in Ojai, I couldn’t pass it up.  My daughter was in town, and so the three of us and Beth’s dog, Finn, headed for the hills of Ojai, just a 45 minute drive southeast of Santa Barbara.…

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Landscape Design Outdoors

the quest to create our dream fire pit

May 19, 2016
fire pit

When my hubby and I moved to Santa Barbara and bought a house six years ago, we knew we wanted to embrace the California outdoor lifestyle. This meant adding things like a hot tub, an outdoor shower, and a place to gather…a fire pit.  While my husband has incredible faith in my ability to design gardens (as I did in Connecticut), I knew that with irrigation, electric, gas lines, and poured concrete hardscaping, I was in way over my head!…

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Decorating

flowers and plants, and trees, oh my!

April 28, 2016

I’m not a floral designer and I wouldn’t exactly say I have a green thumb, but I love the beauty that plants and flowers bring to a space whether it’s the kitchen, living room, or even the bathroom.  You don’t have to spend a lot of money to have a house full of blooms.  I gather mine from my local grocery store, the Farmer’s Market, Home Depot, my backyard, and in one instance, the Internet.…

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Travel

I left my heart in Big Sur

April 21, 2016
Big Sur love

Big Sur has been the subject of many books and movies, as well as countless poems expounding on its beauty. To me it’s a place like no other. It’s a deeply personal and spiritual experience. It is nature at its most glorious and no matter how many times I go back, it takes my breath away as if seeing it for the first time. Big Sur is impossible to describe. The most incredible photograph can’t capture how small I feel…

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Around Santa Barbara

West Coast Winter

February 18, 2016

This is my seventh winter in Santa Barbara.  My friends back in Connecticut often ask me what it’s like and if I miss the seasons. The answer: I LOVE winter here and no, I don’t miss the seasons. You may be surprised, but we actually do have seasonal changes!…

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