Harvest Lunch...

I love Autumn...and I love an outdoor soiree...

that perfect Fall weather when the days are still warm and the nights are cool...is a perennial favorite!

It always puts me in the mood to regroup with my girlfriends after a busy Summer...

this year I gathered friends of Diane, the mother of our dear friend Dawn, who has been visiting from South Africa for the month....

I set a table for 12 outside on our stone patio in front of the fireplace...thank goodness Mother Nature cooperated and produced a magnificent day!

I have collected vintage blue china over the years so I have plenty of place settings...I draped some  fabric to create a tablecloth and then added a quick centerpiece with items I also owned...adding the Fall gourds, pumpkins and flowers...after a trip to the farmers market.

I moved the furniture around on my patio so that we could sit in front of the fireplace...

as it turned out we really didn't need too much warmth...the day was pretty warm...but the ambiance was still nice...

I made an Autumn inspired cocktail of fresh squeezed pomegranate juice, fresh apple cider and champagne...delish!

The girls gathered for some social time and appetizers  as we waited for everyone to arrive...

We all contributed to the meal...I made a quick appetizer with pears, sprigs of thyme and Spanish drunken goat cheese with a cherry glaze on the toasted gluten free bread...

    and some homemade lasagna...

 my friends are great cooks so everyone contributed something yummy...which made it easier to play hostess without too much fuss...

Setting the table and seeing what inspires the "day" is one of my favorite things about entertaining....

Having time to catch up and enjoy each other is such a treat...French music played...I told everyone to pretend we were in the South of France....

My helper Amy brought a little friend whose face lit up at the sign of the cupcakes...watching her savor it...was pretty delightful! La Dolce Vita! Literally!

 

As the fire burned out...we needed to wrap things up and get back to our busy lives...but taking a few hours to ourselves with no interruptions...is always like a mini vacation!

                            I hope you all are enjoying this wonderful harvest season!                                                                                                 

                           
                                  XO Emily

A New Year...brings a quick restyle...

When the holidays are over and I remove the decorations I always get the itch to "reboot" my spaces a bit...especially my family room...it is the most used room in the house...and for the Winter months I like it to be cozy and inviting but also visually invigorating...oh let's face it... I just get bored and want to change what I can in a room with a limited footprint...

this new find (below) was the beginning of this quick "restyle"...

On a recent excursion I got my inspiration ...this mid-century coffee table was calling my name...Happy New Year to me!! As you can see above I have had a large round hyacinth table with a Moroccan tray in the space for awhile...that moved to another room quite willingly...

any opportunity to restyle a space... even a table...provides extreme satisfaction...I freely admit my addiction....

I also added a new white chair to the room so the lighter and airier coffee table makes it all work without crowding the space...plus I now have more seating in the room which is always a good thing!

I really like white and neutral furniture that I can layer with colorful pillows and throws and change out the textures with the change of Seasons...which is one of the fun things about living in the Midwest...

this table will work really nicely in the warmer months too...and I will have fun restyling it over and over...

in those warmer months I will swap out the flannel and pillows for lighter weight fabrics...and remove the fur rug...I like to use sea grass rugs as my base and then layer from there...this gives me more opportunity for changing things out again and again!

I found a pair of fabulous antique brass lions with rings that I have definite ideas for...but for now they are providing a little interest on my coffee tables...instead of being tucked away....

As I mentioned briefly in my last post...I also decided to make my landing on my staircase a little more interesting this Winter...there is great light in the space from a palladium window and in the warmer months the windows are always open and a fountain trickles from the upstairs deck...

I recently completely refurbished and reupholstered these antique chairs with the intention of selling them and then "fell in love" and decided not to sell them after putting them in this space...after the holidays I added a new vibe on the table...

Even though the space looks a bit tight ( photo angles) it really isn't...and again I can change the rug out in the Summer...we find ourselves sitting here for the warm light...the chairs are comfy too!

I couldn't resist this black cement planter found at one of my favorite haunts...Style Shack....the "Gemini" planter holds court in my dining room...

 

I found these crazy green fern-like plants that give him/her a great funky "do"....makes me smile every day!

I always love to find new ways of creating simple but graphic florals around my spaces... I always have fresh flowers...it is my little vice...some girls like Barney's...give me a floral wholesaler...lol!

I picked up these three simple leaves weeks ago...and they are still going strong...and I love the stripe play with my chair in the living room...

my new mantra... here's hoping your Sunday delivered....

                                   
                                XO Emily