Blossom Hill

Los Angeles via San Francisco

2017-09-28T13:38:00.003-11:00

San Francisco is an eclectic city and a magical place. When our friends asked if we could join them for a vacation in California, I was beyond excited. I have been to San Francisco previously, but it was always a quick visit and never stayed in down-town San Fran. I always accompanied my husband on business trips and we stayed around Palo Alto which is another beautiful town.

I always had a "must see" and "to do" list if and when I visit San Francisco. The list had relaxing tours of Napa and Sonoma valley, stay in down-town San Fran and spend a day in Sausalito.

Inside an old building in Union Square we stayed at the Clift Hotel. Clift is an edgy boutique hotel and you can't beat the location. Convenient to walk to shopping, market street and a short cable car ride to the Fisherman's Wharf.

Day tripping in Sausalito is a magical escape. It is a chic seaside village with amazing restaurants and quaint shops. You could just spend days walking around and taking in the beauty of Sausalito.

Beautiful homes overlooking the sea in Sausalito.

Imagine overlooking this scene from your home every day...Sausalito.

The food at the Sausalito Bakery and Café is uhhhhmazing. It is a farm to table concept café with all fresh ingredients.

Next on the agenda was a trip to Napa and Sonoma Valley. We were so lucky, that when we arrived in Frisco, my friend's cousin had arranged for car service to pick us up. The service was excellent, and we took a road trip with the car service through the spectacular rolling hills of Napa and Sonoma valley. Great wine tasting and fabulous food.

Indulged in a lovely lunch at a boutique winery restaurant.

The interior design style at Brix was as good as the food.

While at the topic of culinary pleasures, a special mention for an Indian restaurant "Amber". The atmosphere and the food were outstanding.

What would a trip be without visiting a design store! We browsed around Caitlin Wilson's SF store. Absolutely beautiful similar to her designs. Caitlin Wilson (@caitlinwilsondesign) • Instagram photos and videos

Through the gates of Charleston, I fell in love!

2017-09-19T13:34:00.001-11:00

I had no idea that I would fall in love! I fell in love with "Charleston" a drop dead gorgeous city with southern charm and glamour. Returned from a trip with my bestie cousin from Sydney Nova Scotia.

Stay
We stayed at the Restoration. It is a boutique hotel right in the middle of shopping, eating and site seeing. The Restoration is an outstanding restored hotel with southern hospitality, modern fresh décor, well appointed rooms, bicycles to ride around town, happy hour with cheese and wine and cookies when you return from dinner.

Our favorite was the breakfast basket delivered to the room. Very charming and southern. I actually booked this hotel for the breakfast basket, it sounded like a novel idea and didn't disappoint.

Wine and Cheese time...

See

Carriage Tour - even though this is one of the touristy event that I would have generally passed, but in Charleston it is a must. I would recommend a horse drawn carriage tour the first day so you get to plan your walking tour. The horses are treated better than the people due to regulations. When you get on a carriage you won't know the route until they randomly provide the route guidance. This is the process so the same streets are not congested with carriages.

Boone Hall Plantation...I am sure this must be the most photographed avenue of Oaks. The Boone Plantation was featured in several movies which includes "The Notebook", "Gone with the Wind" etc.

The next stop was at the Magnolia Plantation saturated in beautiful gardens and ponds. You could still see the remnants of rice plantation in which slaves worked and you feel the past. The reflections on a still morning...

Through the gates of Charleston. We were in awe of the beauty, history and the architecture of Charleston. I will let the pictures speak for itself. My cousin and I stopped every few feet to take photographs, we were surprised we didn't get arrested for house stalking.

Notice the light blue ceilings in most of the porches.

Around town...

Small things make a big difference

Eat

Eating our way through Charleston was easy. We both had the same goal...EAT!!! The restaurant scene here is exploding with unbelievably great food. We get up in the morning and while having breakfast we discuss our culinary plan. Most people would discuss site seeing, but not us, it was food front and center.

Some of the great restaurants are Blossom, Low Country Bistro, Fig, Husk, Xia Bao Biscuit (Asian restaurant in an old gas station) and an amazing Italian Le Farfalle. I always forget to take pictures as I am too eager to eat...here are some.

Guess who is coming to town...Ballard Designs in Natick!

2017-02-23T10:11:00.003-11:00

http://www.ballarddesigns.com/

Veranda A Passion for Living - Houses of Style and Inspiration

2017-01-09T10:46:00.000-11:00

Today, it's snowing in Boston and a good day to relax and read a book. My friend gave this book as a gift and said that she thought our house had style and inspiration. Hardly! But I will take the compliment.

This is a book that would be enjoyed by every design lover, with so much inspiration and with many houses featured from around the world, this book is it.

The house below is a Tuscan farmhouse with modern flair and a few antique pieces. It has a fresh and updated feeling which is not the normal Tuscan farmhouse look. This farmhouse particularly caught my eye with a fresh updated feel and the designer didn't compromise the original farmhouse character.

More pictures from the book with modern mood and old world charm.

Fire Place - Screens...High or Low

2017-01-09T10:40:00.002-11:00

Recently I have been looking for a stylish fireplace screen for a client with high budget. Even though the client didn't have an amount in mind, I wanted to provide her with some options. Some of the fireplace screens has a wide range of price points. There are so many great options out there... Fireplaces brings character to a room and is a centerpiece for a living room.

Here is a round up of high and low end fireplace screens.

$11,850 High

$199 - Low

$1,110 - High

$199 - Low

$960 - High

$383 - Low

$2,629 - High

$435 - Low

Pantone color of the year.

2017-01-03T11:07:00.000-11:00

As you know, every year Pantone declares the color of the year and the design world follows suit. 2017 color of the year is Greenery.

I love green especially for kitchens as it reminds me of greenery, vegetables like celery which gives a fresh and calming effect to a room. I have painted a few kitchens green and love the understated effect. The pantone color "Greenery" has a yellow tinge to the green.

Some green gift ideas for the hostess or for your home to accessorize...

Primal-Elements-Color-Citrus-Melonmint Candle

White and Gold Teacup

In the decorating world and at the High Point market trend, green is in! Other homes decorated in "Greenery"...

Spectacular Wedding in London...rustic indoor barn wedding

2016-10-01T00:58:00.003-11:00

We packed our bags and headed to London to attend three weddings. We attended an ultra elegant wedding in London in a beautiful setting. The couple had multi-celebration weddings. Why have one wedding when you can have two!

You may want to sit down for this one. Both wedding venues were in spectacular locations and the décor to die for...rustic and elegant. Gorgeous no!

Entrance to the barn.

Guests sipped on cocktails in the beautiful garden surrounding the barn while listening to music by Sobi.

Speeches were in this beautiful location.

Dinner at the Barn. Twinkly lights at a wedding creates sparkly gorgeousness. The lights not only makes stunning decoration, it also makes a perfect backdrop for photos.

Dining Room - Before & After

2016-09-16T05:52:00.001-11:00

The inspiration for our dining room décor is from this art. There is a story behind this artwork. My friend from India, with a beautiful home and a collector of antiques had gone for the Jaipur Art Festival. Jaipur is the capital of timeless splendid art and the most culturally enriched city in India. When my friend saw the painting she called to say that she found this art that I would like. I didn't even see the art, knowing my friend's taste, I asked her to buy it and mail. LOVED every bit of the art and especially the colors. So our dining room was decorated around this art from Jaipur!

When we renovated our house, we didn't decorate the dining room, just put what we had together. This was the before which I then thought looked fine. Until I actually put these pictures together, didn't realize it was perfectly imperfect!

We painted the wall with Benjamin Moore White Dove the same as all the trim in our house. BJ White Dove is a warm white and the ceiling dark pink, thus it gives a pink hue in the room.

We bought the chandelier from the New York Light district.

Brought these lanterns from Morocco.

The plate from Istanbul.

I love to have flowers on my table...

Friends, Food, Laughter...

2016-08-26T08:15:00.002-11:00

Yup, we have great family& friends...they are all ours and taken! Last week-end, we were invited to a friend's condo near the water. It was a beautiful day with gorgeous sunset, lots of laughter with friends and great food. You can't ask for more! The icing on the cake was watching planes landing at the airport from the condo.

My week end through the iPhone lenses.

Windows to the world

2016-08-11T14:02:00.011-11:00

When we added on our family room, my one and only inspiration was a picture of a church window with paisley design from a magazine. The first couple of photos below, were what I really wanted and the family room addition was planned around this window. The focal point was to be the window.
Researching the exact window, it obviously was an original window in a church and now made into condos. I tried with so many different window companies to have it custom made to no avail!!! So we settled for the window/door that we currently have...deflated?!

This is our window in our family room. Nothing like the paisley design but it is still a focal point in our family room. I also wanted Transom windows above the sliding doors. Due to structural issues with the porch the idea was scratched. Thus, I installed a mirror above the sliding doors and added strips to elongate the look of the doors in lieu of the transom windows.

Morning coffee view...

Dusk view...

Some inspirations that I had saved when we were planning our addition. Windows that is to die for! Who would leave the house if you had windows like this to the world. You don't need art work when you have windows like these...

Qubec City via Montreal

2016-06-14T12:41:00.001-11:00

It was a random unplanned vacation with our friends. How lucky are we to have wonderful friends that we can laugh with and enjoy a relaxing vacation. Even though it wasn't a planned trip, what a trip it turned out to be!

It began with us driving to Montreal. I have been to Montreal before a few times, mostly to visit the famous miraculous St. Joseph's church or to see friends and relatives. We never had a chance to really relax and tour Montreal.

You know there are places that feels like an oasis in the middle of the city. Well that is exactly what Point Claire Village felt like, not too far from down town Montreal. With lake Saint Louis as the backdrop we couldn't have asked for more.

As you walk along the cobble stone streets by the water, there are amazing quaint restaurants and boutiques for eye candy. I had to restrain myself from buying.

Today's city guide is devoted to Quebec City! We love traveling and have visited several European cities, but Quebec City deserves a special mention for the history and the hip vibe. If you squint you would think you are in Europe. I will let the pictures speak for itself...

We stayed in a beautiful apartment inside the wall in old Quebec City with ceiling to floor windows. It was an enjoyable stay as we started the day off with a relaxing breakfast before a hectic day. And ended the day with after dinner drinks, laughs and conversations into the night.

Enjoyed meals at beautifully decorated Bistros...in addition in sidewalk cafes listening to local musicians playing instruments or singing.

We had purchased some CDs from a guy playing trumpet on the street. We drove back leisurely listening to old songs on trumpet, windows down, along the river, stopped for food and test drove our retirement life!

Stage, Style & Sell

2016-04-27T14:47:00.001-11:00

A client living in an exceptional Victorian home reached out to ask if I could help to get their house styled and ready for the market to sell. I explained that it is important to stage, style and then sell. Generally the staging process is to eliminate the clutter and personal belongings. That is the normal realtor criteria. I think in addition to staging, styling is important.

This is a beautiful home and this house features custom made stained glass windows with quality architectural and design features.

Here are some before and after...

Before - entry way

After - painted the walls and added lamp, table, mirror and a plant.

Before - Living room

After

Before - breakfast nook

After - changed the lampshade and added some accessories.

Before - Kitchen...Mr. Pig had to go!

After

Before - Media room

After - moved around some furniture

Before - Bedroom suite

After

Before - Bedroom

After

Other rooms that I styled, but don't have the before pictures!

Vietnam via Cambodia...journey back in time, with exotic opulence!

2016-03-05T08:34:00.000-11:00

Kick starting the year with a wonderful once in a lifetime vacation was fabulous all the way around. We flew into Bangkok to meet with our friends from London to begin our journey. Great friends, great locations, great people, great culture makes it a great recipe for a fabulous vacation.

We loved it so much we wanted to share it with you in case you're planning a getaway!

Here I bring to you exotic opulence from Cambodia and Vietnam. Exploring the ruins of old Hindu temples is the main focus for Siem Rep. First we were determined to catch the sun rise over Angor Wat. Angor Wat was once of the many temples built by the Khmer Empire. The place was abandoned when Khmer regime moved to Phnom Penh, it is now a tourist haven.

Indian architectural methods influenced the Cambodians. It flourished under ambitious kings who ruled an empire rich in manpower and wealth.

Ta Prohm – Still covered by the jungle and roots, this place is exactly as they found it. This is the temple made famous in the movie Tomb Raider. Here are pictures of Ta Prohm temple where nature took over the remnants of a once mighty civilization.

Pub street is the most happening street in Siem Reap after the sun goes down it certainly qualifies as the party hub for locals and tourists. Daily massage is a must with fire sale prices!

We then flew to Phnom Penh. Phnom Penh is a business and cultural hub of Cambodia. The magnificent Royal Palace is the official residence of the king. The architecture is amazing.

It is also the hub of the killing fields. People survived the barbaric rule under Khmer regime and still have a smiling face. With the history under the Pol Pot and the genocide, it was a sad visit to the torture chambers and the killing fields.

One odd item that was crazy scary is their street food (no picture...didn't want to see it again). They have fried snakes, scorpians, roaches and more. Due to the famine created by the dictatorship of Pol Pot, the Khmer people turned to anything they could find to eat. I certainly didn't take a picture but dreamt about it while in Cambodia as it was everywhere!

Vietnam

Vietnam with it's warm people and incredible cuisine is a fascinating destination that will change your life. We flew into Ho Chi Min City aka Saigon.

Saigon has 10 million people with 7 million motorbikes.

We stayed in a beautiful hotel in Saigon and took day trips to historic sites of the Vietnam War - the Cu Chi Tunnels. An incredible underground network constructed by the local people and guerillas to survive the war against the American explosive attacks. It was sad to learn about the chemical weapons used by the Americans and the devastation left behind.

Next day we boarded a private boat for a glimpse at the Mekong Delta scenery, we then boarded a sampan (smaller boat) for a relaxing trip along narrow canals. It was a trip to view the village life.

Village houses that it reminded me of Sri Lankan villages.

Now to the high lights of Vietnam. Halong Bay is hailed as one of the natural wonders and a world heritage site with amazing scenary. This is an experience of a lifetime not like any other place in the world. When we planned the trip to Vietnam, Halong Bay was on the top of our list. I present to you Halong Bay:

There are entire floating villages out here who survive solely on fishing and tourism

The sunrise and sunset are breath taking.

Now to the decorating part of the blog post! We stayed in beautiful boutique hotels...some eye candy.

Doorways in Vietnam with the french and tropical architecture.

Vietnam via Cambodia...off for a few weeks until then enjoy these pictures

2016-02-09T06:29:00.001-11:00

We are off for a few weeks to see the amazing gems in Vietnam and Cambodia. Will be posting Instagram pictures on the right if you want to keep up with our travels. Until then Sayonara!!! Will be enjoying the warm weather.

Kitchen the heart of a home

2016-01-31T14:27:00.001-11:00

For those who read my blog regularly, you know from the "kitchen progress" post that I was helping to update a kitchen in a beautiful old colonial. Lots of decisions to be made when you update an older colonial, with beautiful original woodwork. It was a toss between, do we make it brighter with painting the wood or work with the original wood.

We then decided to determine the color of the cabinets and then back track. Clearly not a "white" or "wood" kitchen client! This is a sage green color cabinets which looks amazing.

This kitchen is truly the heart of this home. The owners receive their guests with open arms and guests never leave without eating right in this kitchen. So who better deserves a beautiful kitchen to cook, enjoy and share the beauty.

Their grand daughter Mia's painting was the main focus of this kitchen and jumping off point for the accent colors.

Reflection through the mirror.

We wanted crystal and brass handles to add to the interest. The crystal sparkles for sunlight and in the nights for the lights.

Here are some before and after photos.

A small powder room got a facelift as well.

Kitchen progress post

Kalamkari in mainstream...Pottery Barn has upped their game!

2016-01-30T10:59:00.001-11:00

Kalamkari is an indian art which is literally translated as "Pen Craft". It is an ancient form of art originated from a town call Kalahasti which is about a 3 hour drive from Chennai...previously known as Madras. We have been to Kalahasti several times to a well known temple. The original Kalamkari art depicted hindu mythological scenes or dieties. It has now transformed to other designs. The fabric are hand painted or block printed using vegetable dye.

I recently saw that Pottery Barn started to showcase Kalamkari pillows.

Madhubani and Kalamkari

Medalion pillow

While browsing around in Pottery Barn, bought a pillow for good measure! Here it is sitting in my living room. Not Kalamkari, but beautiful embroidery from India.

Kalamkari is also on the runway

Pot Luck Feast and a pseudo Godavari Mutton Fry Recipe

2015-12-19T12:15:00.001-11:00

We went to a potluck dinner at a friend's house which really was a feast! We frequent a local restaurant "Godavari" in Woburn, which serves a mouth watering Mutton Fry as an appetizer. Since I like it sooooooo much, I decided for the potluck, that I would scour the web to find a recipe similar to the restaurant mutton fry dish.

I found a Kerala recipe which is a Nadan Erachi Fry. I followed the recipe, however, made a few changes so it would be more of a Sri Lakan/Kerala fry! If you want to try the authentic Kerala recipe here is the link to the recipe www.spicychilly.com, Bharathy from Tamil Nadu has other great recipes on her blog.

Mutton aka Goat meat while popular in India and Sri Lanka, may not be the choice of meat in the US. So if you haven't tasted goat meat, it is time to explore.

Today's recipe is something I tried with variation to the original recipe and it turned out to be pretty close to the Godavari mutton fry. I made it in four pounds of goat meat which served about 15 guests. The recipe below is for 1lb of goat meat.

Ingredients

Goat Meat 1lb
1/4 cup of water
Onions finely chopped - 4 tbsp.
Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
Cardomoms - 3 or 4
Pepper powder - 1 tbsp.
Sugar - 1 tsp
Green chillies slit - 3
Curry leaves 2 sprigs
Ginger Garlic paste - 2 tbsp. ( I generally use fresh G&G and pound in a mortar and pestle)

To Marinate:

Ginger Garlic Paste - 1 tsp
Vinegar - 1 tbsp.
Onions finely chopped - 4 tbsp.
Coriander power - 1 tsp ( I freshly grind my coriander, but you can buy it at an Indian store)
Red chilly powder - 1 tsp ( I used Kasmiri chilly powder)
Garam masala powder - 3/4 tsp (I make my own, Sakthi brand in an Indian store is pretty good)
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Pepper powder - 1 tbsp
Curry leaves
Salt to taste

Method:

Cut the mutton into small cubes, wash and drain. Marinate using the ingredients noted under marinate, and let it stand for about 30 minutes

Once marinated, add 1/4 cup of water, cover and cook for about an hour.
Heat oil in another pan and splutter mustard seeds, followed by the onions and ginger and garlic. In a couple of minutes add green chillies and curry leaves. Saute until the onions are softened and starts to brown.

When the meat is cooked ( if there is a lot of gravy, open the lid for the water to evaporate), add to the onion mixture. You will see the gravy thickens and the onion mixture with the masala gets coated. Keep stirring for another 3 - 5 minutes.
At this point, add the sugar and if needed additional pepper powder and garam masala.
Roast until it is dry and enjoy!

Kitchen project in progress

2015-12-16T15:49:00.000-11:00

I was asked to assist with revamping a kitchen. I will make this kitchen project into two blog posts...one to provide you with the process, products, and the final version when we complete the styling. What a journey it has been, with contractor issues, cabinet delivery issues and the usual project delays. It is all worth it now to see the finished product.

Here are some progress pictures.

Clearly not a "white" or "wood" kitchen client! This is a very light taupe color cabinets which looks amazing.

Hardware for cabinets are like jewelry for the cabinets. We went to the famous Raybern Hardware based in Charlestown. Raybern must be the market leader in cabinet hardware. We bought crystal and brass handles for the cabinet.

So many kitchen trends come and go, but I am sure Quartzite counter top is here to stay! Quartzite counter tops are natural stones durable like granite and looks like marble, what a combination. We went looking for counter tops at M S International and found quartzite.

My client liked the granite below...

Next stops was at the tile store. I have bought all my tiles at the "Tile Showcase" in Watertown. Some eye candy from the tile store. Choices...choices...

To Alaska via the Rocky Mountaineer...

2015-11-25T10:22:00.003-11:00

So here I am back from another trip and this time we went to Alaska through the Canadian Rockies. Trip on the Rocky Mountaineer train is scenic porn. This trip was an overload of unbelievable landscape and scenary that I must have said "amazing" or "is this for real" a hundred times. What a lovely experience we had!

It started with meeting our friends at the Calgary airport and a coach ride to be dropped off at a scenic small town called Banf. The photo below is the back yard of our hotel Caribou Lodge, which reminded me of being in Switzerland. The early morning peace and the gentle water flowing was the kick start for our trip on the Rocky Mountaineer.

With finger licking delicious food being churned out of the kitchen, unlimited drinks, the Rocky Mountaineer is the ultimate luxury on wheels. Every tree, every river, every rock looked amazing as the Rocky Mountaineer curved around the mountains at a speed that allowed us to admire and take pictures.

Some eye candy! Water so clear you can see every bit of reflection.

We passed through unbelievable landscape and arrived in Kamploops for the night, only to board the train the next morning. We couldn't wait to get on the train again for such mind blowing scenic ride.

We arrived in Vancouver to another amazing city with so much character. We stayed in Vancouver for a few days before boarding the ship Alaska bound. My husband and I nor our friends are really cruise enthusiast, since this was Alaska we decided what better way to admire as we glide on the water.

Guess who is coming to town... World Market

2015-10-31T10:37:00.001-11:00

While in NYC I roamed around the streets and found World Market. It is one of the stylish interior design stores with affordable pricing. They really are an affordable global bazaar! They translate patterns and designs from around the globe into well priced items.

Here are photos from my visit to NYC World Market and so thrilled that World Market will open in Massachusetts!

I purchased the Rickshaw and the tuk tuk pillows from World Market.

To Rome via London...Let's roam around Roma!

2015-08-12T03:56:00.000-11:00

As you know, Rome is the eternal city and the capital of Italy. This summer we had the pleasure of going for couple of weddings in London thus hop over to Rome for a few days. Rome transformed from a small Latin village to the center of a great empire.

The charming Old City with its narrow cobblestone streets and old colonial architecture bursts with art and culture. Walk around and visit the shops, art galleries and local cafes. It is a pretty easy city to navigate by foot if you are staying around the city center.

The center of Catholicism, Rome is not just religion, art and history it is quite cool!

Stay

Nestled in the coble stone streets right around the corner from the Spanish steps was our hotel. Hotel Condotti was recommended for it its location, European charm and the service. We enjoyed the stay and most of all you can walk to the historical sights, shops and great restaurants.

Wonderful restaurants as you step out of the hotel.

Uneven charm of cobble stone streets...quiet morning walk near the hotel.

Right around the corner from the main shopping drag Via Condotti

Left and a left to the Spanish steps.

Eating our way around Rome.

As you know we love food, when we plan our vacation part of the itinary includes restaurants. Here are couple of restaurants I would recommend in addition to the coffee bars and sandwich stops for lunch.

Cucina and Vista is a restaurant overlooking the Spanish Steps. Super nice ambience with great food and excellent service. I take pictures of the décor and not the food!

Il Gabriello is a winner, this was probably the best meal in Rome. The restaurant is steps below street level, with charming décor and lovely food.

Life is another restaurant...the food here is amazing. Notice the utensils framed.

Lunch at Café Grerro

Elements of a great shopping experience.

Rome not only has wonderful shops, the décor takes it to the next level. You don't feel like you are in a shop, more like a boutique hotel with things to buy.

Notice the branches on top of the entrance.

Endless gems of architecture and historic sites.

Weddings with Charactrer and Glamour.

2015-06-19T10:35:00.001-11:00

Being invited to be part of a couples special day is a real privilege. I am so excited to share with you pictures of two of the weddings that I attended in London. One wedding was for our very good friends' daughter at the Wokefield Park mansion and the other was my cousin's daughters wedding at the Savoy Hotel in London.

With the usual England weather of grey skies and chilling temperatures, the wedding décor and venues compensated for the English weather!

What a treat it was to attend a wedding at the grandest and iconic Savoy Hotel with charm and splendour. It is the first luxury hotel in Britain, which introduced electric lights, electric lifts and bathrooms in most of the lavishly furnished rooms. It was renovated a few years back to it's original glory and more.

What a great way to listen to music while eating. This Cello player was outstanding, she was invited to play at the Buckingham Palace.

Englands country side venues are classic and never go out of style. The wedding ceremony took place in Reading in a beautiful church and the reception in a Mansion House built in the 18th century with so much character. The scenic country side and the grandeur are breath taking. The wedding was perfectly beautiful.

The tables were named after cocktails...of course Boston rules!

Beautiful patio for cocktails and scenery.

Reflections through the mirror

2015-04-24T08:58:00.000-11:00

Changed around some furniture in our living room, and recycled lamps from another room...here are reflections through the mirror.

My week-end in pictures

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The Perkins Gala is coming up and needed an outfit, so I dragged my husband and browsed around Newbury St, in Boston. Didn't find an outfit, but look what I found!!!

Jonathan Adler needs no introduction to the design community...you will want every single item from the store.

H & M Home is another store to recon with and the prices are amazing!

Targe' aka Target! The good news and the bad news...

2015-04-21T07:04:00.001-11:00

If you haven't been to Target lately, you need to run not walk! First the good news, Target has some beautiful décor accessories for the home. The good/bad news is that Target partnered with Lilly Pulitzer to create a "Lilly for Target" collection. The bad news is, it was gone within minutes of opening the store on Sunday. I have some pictures (scroll to the end) of Lilly for Target collection I missed out, but dreamed of for days prior to launch!

Here are some of my pictures of the Accessories on the shelf and styled pictures using Target products from the net.

On the shelf

Styled

On the shelf...

Styled...love the natural elements and the beachy feel of this room.

Other Target ideas that won't break your bank.

With Macramé coming back into design fashion, this would make a good scaled back version of Macramé.

The vases are so pretty, you don't even need flowers in them. Here are some of the Target finds at my home.

Candle

Pillows

The white/gold and the green/gold pillows are from Target, thought it will freshen up for the summer.

Now to the Lilly for Target collection...look what I missed. These items were gone in a second.