Black marble! Gahhh, so dramatic and elegant.  I'm in love with this bathroom so I just thought you all needed to know about it as well.  Last fall I discovered gold nail polish and basically used it every other week through the fall and winter trading off with a dark grey color, so this fall I'm very excited about this particular color from butter london.  Its called The Full Monty- oh no! the images this conjured up in my mind (did you see the movie?)  Also, exciting for me is this fabulous collaboration between Cire Trudon candles and Yazbukey a Parisian accesories' designer who “ wanted it to smell like leather, lipstick, and hairspray”.  Wao, now I really can't wait to smell it. Its a limited edition, so don't think about it for too long.

Ok, so this was an experiment and it was a success.  Not because I said so but because everyone around me had seconds and was highly praised.  But most importantly the birthday girl thought it was heaven in a dish and this is all that matters.  This dangerously decadent and delicious concoction will be a fave of yours if you make it. I grabbed different parts of some of my favorite recipes for the different layers, so it was a no-fail project.  Here are the deets-

I'm pooped!  But what an exciting Birthday weekend it was.  Here are some shots of Little Miss A's party that was small and adorable.  I love how kids are so thrilled with their birthdays.  Birthday and Christmas are the two best days of the year. The theme?  Kokeshi dolls. Hmmm...what are those? Well they are Japanese dolls made out of wood with a simple trunk and larger heads. So cute! Let me share with you some images of the special occasion.  But really, place close attention to the paper lanterns which I was so happy with....hopefully it will spark some DIY ideas for any of your upcoming parties.

After spending a few weeks in the country we are used to seeing the stars at night shine so vividly.  And I wonder, how can I not miss them more in the city?  Barely do we see stars at night here in Dallas.  Stars just make you dream and hope and boy do these constellation sconces have me dreaming and hoping!!  Absolutely beautiful.

One of my favorite things about summer is that I have more time to read- with more lounging time by the pool or beach, in planes, or just before bed.  I was starting to think about what my next reading adventure should be when a post by Jennifer from the Pink Pagoda led to me to this post about Edith Wharton's home.  And I was instantly smitten- aside from being a pulitzer- prize winning novelist, she was also an interior designer and considered as a taste-maker of her time.  A few emails back and forth with Jennifer and I was convinced I had to read  The House of Mirth, her favorite.  Have you read it?  I love classic novels and somehow I had missed reading it.  A few hours later this gorgeous purple edition of three of Edith Wharton's novels was in my hands. How lucky am I to hold this beauty between my fingers while I enjoy such good literature? 

I saw these bracelets in a store in Madrid and was so intrigued.  The colors were so vibrant and lively and the designs were adorable.....I didn't realize how big they are, as in "you need some asap".  Friends, these are "IN".  Have I been living under a rock?  or is it just a European thing?  Well, my mom coincidentally sent me this article about them where I learned that the bracelet has a celebrity cult following like Heidi Klum.

There are so many elements in this home that speak directly to my aesthetic- the art (you all know I love art), the plaid (I have posted about it here), the use of pedestals which I urgently need in my home (I posted about them here), and the mastered mix of modern and antique furniture.  This home is of Spanish interior designer and architect Javier Castilla.  

Ok!  I'm back to regular programming!  Even though we are still away I'm ready to be back on track...and take really good care of all you readers...no more 3 day weekends (for a while anyway!).  I hope you are all happy and rested.  We were lucky enough to catch-up with some high school friends over the weekend some of whom recently moved to England.  The conversation quickly veered toward planning our potential next summer vacation when we would go and visit them.  And of course this fabulous daydream vacation aside from including essential stops at the Tate, the British, and the London Bridge (this one is per little Miss A's request, of course!) , would of course entail a visit to Harrod's!  Oh my!