Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there!  I hope today has been a relaxing and fun day for everyone. When you live in the same town as your parents and your in-laws, holidays are triple busy.  We began our day by celebrating the first Sunday for our church’s new pastor, and our son on crutches even made it up the stairs to the church balcony (and down again, too! )  Then we enjoyed lunch at our local Sunday favorite restaurant, The Swanson.

They were packed today!  My fried chicken was great, and we left quite full.  But since it was Father’s Day we had to make ice cream.  Yes, I know. Again.  But there really were good reasons for it.  First, my father is a BIG fan of ice cream.  So when we make it,  I always call him to come over to have a serving (or two, or three…)  My father-in-law also likes it.  So it just seemed quite appropriate to make it for them on Father’s Day.  And another big reason to make it was this:

Remembering Len Berg’s Restaurant

I gave both my husband and my father a copy of this book today.  (Remember we talked about it here?) One of the things Len Berg’s was famous for was their homemade ice cream they served during the summer with fresh Georgia peaches. So I really wanted to try out their recipe for it.

Here’s the recipe if you would like to try it.

The reviews were mixed.  My daughter (the one who is on pain meds for having all her wisdom teeth removed Friday) said it was the best peach ice cream she had ever eaten – and she does not normally like peach ice cream.

My son and I liked it, but my father and my husband both thought it would be better if vanilla extract was used in place of the almond extract.  (The almond flavor was pretty strong.)  Next time we make it, we will try the vanilla instead.

In other news, we’ve made a little  progress in furniture around here.   We finally said good-bye to this piece:

It got a ride on a truck in the rain to the upholsterer’s and will be returning soon wearing khaki linen.  Boy have I been missing my favorite napping spot.

We have also purchased a table and chair set that I will be showing you very soon.  I have been shopping for several years for this and was super happy to finally find something that had everything I wanted in terms of style and durability.

And that’s all the news for this Father’s Day.  Because this post is going out so late and I want everyone to have a chance to leave a comment for one last entry in the Designer Dad autographed book giveaway, I am going to wait to close the entries until tomorrow night (6/17/13) at midnight.  Remember, all you need to do to be entered is leave a comment on this post or the two prior posts about Stephen Saint-Onge (one comment per post please.)  That means that you can enter 3 times for your chance at one of three copies of No Place Like Home.

No Place Like Home: Tips & techniques for real family-friendly home design

I started the posts on Stephen Saint-Onge, the Designer Dad, last week because I wanted to celebrate fathers.  I will close tonight by saying how lucky I am to be a part of families that have such wonderful dads.  As an educator, I often have students who do not have fathers in their lives.  Good fathers make such a huge difference, and I know being one is not an easy task.  So my love and respect goes out to all fathers on this Father’s Day.

And I will leave you with a talk about question…

What is/was your dad’s favorite food?

Hope to hear from you!

]]> http://www.talkofthehouse.com/peach-ice-cream-a-little-progress-and-last-chance-for-the-giveaway/feed/ 73 http://www.talkofthehouse.com/a-designer-to-love-stephen-saint-onge-part-2-and-the-giveaway-continues/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=a-designer-to-love-stephen-saint-onge-part-2-and-the-giveaway-continues http://www.talkofthehouse.com/a-designer-to-love-stephen-saint-onge-part-2-and-the-giveaway-continues/#comments Fri, 14 Jun 2013 06:13:49 +0000 Kelly http://www.talkofthehouse.com/?p=10336 NOTE: the images in this feed have been downsized or removed for copyright reasons. To see them in their unmodified state, please view the original post by clicking here.

My first post on Stephen Saint-Onge was so much fun thanks to all of you!  I loved the excitement that I could feel in your comments, and of course having Stephen himself jump in to comment and offer autographed copies of his book was amazing!  And there were those of you who emailed me to tell me that you are now crushing on my dream guy.  Too funny!  I am afraid today’s post is not going to help you any in that department.  In fact, it is probably going to make your crush worse.  Sorry…

We all know he designs rooms that are comfortable… livable… beautiful (like that cheerful dining room above.)  And you know that I adore his philosophy on making the home the best place possible to live out an inspired life – really live it out .  He is well grounded in the importance of the home as a haven for family and friends.  But today I don’t want to talk about the rooms in a home (gasp!).  (Something is definitely wrong with Kelly if she doesn’t want to talk about rooms!)  I want to, instead, talk about Stephen Saint-Onge the person – not the designer.  He is so much more than a gifted designer.

First, he loves cooking.  You will find recipes and ideas for dishes on his blog, and when he writes about cooking, he often includes it with posts about entertaining.  Take for example, his Thanksgiving post that included the recipe for this carrot souffle.

And he is confident enough in the kitchen to experiment with ingredients.  Anyone for a peach, prosciutto, mozzarella, and basil sandwich? … Perhaps we should grill those peaches?

So when he designs a kitchen or dining space, he is actually fully aware of how that space will be used. (You knew I couldn’t totally stay away from room design, didn’t you? )

And there is even more to him than his love for cooking.

I grew up in a home with art.  My mother does oil paintings, and they are everywhere in my parents’  home. Stephen Saint-Onge is also a talented artist. I was amazed by all of his work – watercolors and photography. (There may have been works done in oil, too, but I am not sure.)  Art is such a personal thing. You either make a connection to a piece or you don’t.  This particular piece of his – High Tide – spoke to me .  It reminded me so much of our trip to Maine and Cabot Cove where we stayed.  Art does that.  It calls up our memories and emotions.

Many of his works have red in them, and as a lover of that color, they make me smile.

But I have a confession to make.  As much as I love looking at art, and as much as I was surrounded by it growing up,  I cannot commit to it for my own home.  I am too fickle with my color changes in the rooms. In fact there are several very nice pieces of artwork hanging in our attic.  I know… terrible.  So what works in our home, for a number of reasons, is black and white photography.  I love that we can capture candid moments of our family and display it for all to enjoy around here.  It celebrates our life.  That is why you see soooo much of it in our home.

And black and white photography speaks to me.  Perhaps it is because it makes you truly focus on the scene, and not on all the colors.  Stephen Saint-Onge does beautiful black and white photography.  (See again why he is my dream guy? )  I loved this work of his called An Early Snow.

Now let me show you why that piece spoke to me.  Last year my husband and I stayed at a bed and breakfast in the Blue Ridge Mountains, and this is a photograph that I took….not nearly as good as Stephen’s, but I thought it was funny that both of us zoned in on the chairs in our scenes…like they are characters talking with one another under the tree.

I have a thing for photographs of trees.  Here is another one I took at that same bed and breakfast in the mountains.

I tell you this because here is a photograph that Stephen took.  This one is gorgeous to me…that tree!

And here is one I took last summer, below.  We both seem to have an appreciation for the beauty of trees. Wouldn’t you agree?  His piece has an older, more vintage look than mine .

You can see the hay in the field in my scene above.  And I love this next photograph that Stephen did of the hay in a winter field.  It is called Winter Begins.  This scene just takes my breath away.

But believe or not, my absolute favorite of all of his work is not in black and white.  It is this sepia toned photograph, Apple Ladder.  There is such a dreamy quality to it.

Now the wonderful thing about all of his artwork is that it is available for purchase.  Click on any of the links above, and you will be taken to the site where you may purchase them as wrapped canvas prints…and some of these are quite large. (Mickey, you asked about the Farm to Table print in your comment. It is available on the site.)

Stephen’s art collection came about, he said, because he was frustrated with being unable to find affordable art for rooms he was designing.  So he decided to make his own.   Here is a video that introduces the collection, and I think you will enjoy watching it and hearing him explain his thinking behind the art (and yes, nerd girl here loves it. )

So my dream guy can design rooms, cook, and make beautiful art.  Anything else?  Well actually, yes. There is one more thing – and it’s the biggie.  It really sums up all that I have written in these last two posts.  You see, he has this passion for living life to its fullest by enjoying the little things, and he shares this with his readers through his writing – whether it is a good meal, an idea for entertaining, a beautiful house from a movie, a piece of art that stirs a memory, gorgeous comfortable rooms, or even  music that inspires.

So you see, he is not writing just about room decor.  He is writing about living a life – a life that is within reach.  And that, my friends is what I love.

No Place Like Home: Tips & techniques for real family-friendly home design

And I will close this post by reminding you that we have a giveaway going on! (Not that you probably even need reminding, right?) There are three personally autographed copies of Stephen’s book No Place Like Home to be given away in a random drawing. (Thank you Stephen!)  Just leave your comment(s) by midnight June 16, 2013 on the previous post, this one, and/or the one that I hope to have out Saturday night.  You may comment on all three, but only once per post please.

In other news…our daughter is having four impacted wisdom teeth removed today, so I really look forward to reading your comments as we go through this weekend with mashed potatoes, jello, and soup.  Wish us luck!

Let’s talk art for our talk about question today…

Do you have a favorite among Stephen’s pieces of art in today’s post?  

What type of art do you have in your home?

Looking forward to your comments!

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If I could design a dream guy for me it would most definitely be Stephen Saint Onge.  (Sorry honey, if you are reading this. )  I first became aware of his talent when he was the in house designer for Better Homes and Gardens magazine several years ago – writing a monthly feature column.

I know you have seen his work.  It has been everywhere…and I do mean everywhere. It has been featured in House Beautiful, Elle Decor, In Style, and This Old House, among many others.   He was on the original board of the start up of Cottage Living magazine.  He is currently a contributing editor for Family Circle magazine.

He has partnered with sooooo many corporations…Home Depot, Ikea, Whirlpool, Kitchen Aid, Pottery Barn, and the list goes on.  He has been on The Today Show, The Early Show, The View, and Oprah.  And he has even interviewed Diane Keaton.  Amazing, right?

But that is not what impresses me.  Oh yes, he can make a beautiful room, but that is not what makes him my dream guy or even my dream designer. (Of course, it doesn’t hurt either. )

What I love most about him is his philosophy about home and life.  (Does that make me nerdy?)  He stresses home, family, and friends.  His  approach to all of his design work is make it do-able, comfortable, and budget friendly.   You don’t always find that in designers today; do you?

He is often called “Designer Dad.” (Yes, he does have a big dog, 2 sons, and a wife…darn it.) And his blog is called Designer Dad Studio. This is where he gathers beautiful images to share with his readers and explains his thought process behind the spaces that he creates.

I love that explanation of the thought process (oh yes, true nerd girl here.)  I have always felt if you can make someone understand why you are doing something, they are more likely to learn how to do it.

His blog really does have great inspirational photos on it, and he even did a post on Downton Abbey this year! (Further proof that he should be my dream guy, right?)

He calls the accessories that you put in your rooms “props,” and then goes on to say that our rooms are the stage in which we live out our lives.  Don’t you just love that?  Our homes truly are that.  Many people say, “We are waiting until this or that, to make our homes into the places we want.”  But meanwhile life is going by.  The living is happening right now.  Shouldn’t we be making the best of what we have for the time we are here?  I am not talking about buying expensive furniture or all new appliances.  I mean just make the best of whatever it is…that might just mean a bowl of fruit on a table or fresh flowers in a vase (or an organized closet!)

I’ve told you I love Stephen Saint Onge’s philosophy.  Here is his motto:  Good home design has the power to change your life.  So true.  I am going to give you a little homework assignment to do before my next post (part 2.)  (What do you mean homework assignment…we are on summer vacation?!)  You will enjoy this one.  I think his philosophy shines through in this post that I want you to read…click here.  It’s a good one.  I promise.

And that brings us to our giveaway.  Since Father’s Day is coming up this weekend, I thought it only fitting to honor the Designer Dad by giving away his book, No Place Like Home.  This is one decorating book that I think you will turn to again and again.  He mixes modern with traditional and gives many tips along the way.

No Place Like Home: Tips & techniques for real family-friendly home design

To enter, all you need to do is leave a comment on this post and/or any other posts that publish between 6/11/13 and 6/16/13.   Remember, you many enter on all posts between those dates, but you may only enter once per post.  All entries must be in by midnight Sunday night (Father’s Day).  I will announce the winner of the book in the first post after that.  (Since this is a giveaway, I won’t be putting my comments in as I normally do.)

I’ll leave you with a talk about question for today:

Which of the rooms in today’s post is your favorite?

Hope to hear from you soon!

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