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Sunday Morning Musings | 12.10.17

Party peeeeoopppppppllllllle! Happy Sunday! Hope you’re still in your PJ’s and staring at your Christmas tree and watching the Hallmark Channel like I am right now…. And about to slam a bowl of chili for breakfast. I’d love it if C-funny could go ahead and get up so he could bring me said piping hot bowl of chili, but then I know he’d hijack the remote and turn off Hallmark, so that’s a pickle. PS ask me if my pants fit. PPS ask me if I care.

Since we’ve just dusted off our blog and are getting back in the swing of things, I thought I might start with a Musings post… I’ve been stockpiling my favorite things for MONTHS in hibernation, so I thought it was high time I spewed them all at you lovely people:

IF I COULD WEAR ONE THING EVER DAY FOR(EVA), THIS WOULD BE IT.

I’ve never met a doily I didn’t love.

OR THIS, ON A T-SHIRT.

Santa?

TRUFFLED GNOCCHI WITH MUSHROOM RAGU?

I just died. And then my already-tight pants got tighter. Sorry I’m not sorry BECAUSE LOOK AT THIS.

IF I STILL LIVED IN SO CAL, AND BOUGHT A LITTLE HOUSE BY THE BEACH…

…I would totally install this as an outdoor shower. And OMG people, the plumbing is copper with a – you know it – patina. No one has ever overused that word as much as I have.

BUT I LIVE HERE.

So I could shower outdoors if I wanted my lady bits to freeze shut. And this place lovely, just in a different way. Though I am missing my hot yoga class and crisp ocean air coming through the always-open windows like the dickens.

CAN MY HAIR LOOK LIKE THIS?

MAKES ME SO HAPPY.

Are these real and where do I find them?

LOVE A CORNER CABINET DONE THIS WAY.

Adding glass instead of a solid door at that corner makes it feel less closed off… and if it’s a blind corner (meaning you can reach through one cabinet into the guts of another) then I’m obsessed.

STILL IN LOVE. I think I’ve posted these no less than 7 times, don’t know the source, but do know that I need 2 hanging above my island.

HAS ANYONE SEEN HOME AGAIN?

I mean, it’s arguably a pretty bad movie, but of the delightful variety… because the sun-drenched decor & the music is so Nancy-Myers-chic that you wanna live in it. Probably because her daughter directed it. But look at the headboard covered in a Bolivian blanket.  And the perfectly mismatched tables and lamps.

UM, THAT WINE CELLAR.

I don’t even think it’s the wine or anything inside the cellar I particularly love… it’s the steel doors and the orate crown molding outside of it that makes it so chic.

SPEAKING OF CHIC, THIS IS EFFORTLESS.

I love that her hair is wavy but not perfectly coiffed with a curling iron. Love the layered necklaces. Love the mom jeans. Love the deep blue silk wrap top. Love it all. Bien sûr, elle est française.

THESE LAMPS.

They’re from The Future Perfect which is $$$$, but wondering if I can enlist a potter to make them for me for way less? I guess I just see so much of the same thing (design wise) alllllll the time, so it really makes me appreciate things that are so unique and that have a handmade quality to them. By Eric Roinestad.

UM, THIS STUFF IS DELICIOUS.

I’d recommend ordering a case… or 5.  Remind me to piggy back on our post last year about our fave wines and add this year’s newbies.

BESIDES AJA & ETSY, RUG & WEAVE IS A MY GO-TO SOURCE FOR VINTAGE RUGS.

This one is sold, but I almost used it in a project. Couldashouldawoulda.

BUT I DID BUY THIS ONE, AND IT’S EVEN MORE GORGEOUS IN PERSON.

LOVE THIS BATHROOM FROM SOUTHERN LIVING.

Layers of white + brass + something quirky (like those sconces) is always a good idea.

I REALIZE CHRISTMAS IS IN 2 WEEKS BUT…

I know you ho bags are going on Caribbean vacays in January, so you’re welcome. These pretties from Schutz are INSANE.

I MEAN C’MON.

SNAG THESE WHILE YOU’RE AT IT.

Does Fendi have BOGO? Uh that’s a hard HAYLE NAW. But if they did, I’d tell you to snap me up a pair, too. These are so retro, hanging on the Italian Riviera circa 1960 I can’t take it. I would’ve put ’em on my Gift Guide but I feel like Santa may’ve slapped me on the wrist for being a snob.

PERFECT FOR A HOLIDAY PARTY.

LOVE the skirt. But Jenna, the fur coat makes me sad.

BECAUSE THIS MUFFIN.

Just a wee arctic fox we ran into while we were strolling up the street in Creede a few weekends ago. He was just rescued from a fur farm in Minnesota, where he would’ve become something like a godawful fur hat. What a sweetie. He licked and nibbled my chin and that was it for me.

I CAN’T STOP TRYING TO PUT THESE IN PEOPLES’ BATHROOMS.

They pair well with everything – especially antiques.

THIS IS MY CALABASAS PROJECT… SEE HOW FUN, SEE HOW FUN??!

GENIUS.

The rainbow of Farrow & Ball colors, matched to Benjamin Moore… now. I’ll say this: this is a great idea and probably gets you as close enough. But I’m telling you, I don’t know what F&B puts in their colors – whether it’s stardust or sugar boogers – but they *are* actually impossible to replicate. Any paint mixing dude at any paint store will tell you the same thing. They just have so much depth and are so stunning. But because I have so many clients whose contractors insist on using either Benjamin Moore or Sherwin Williams, this comes in handy.

BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHHAHAHAljfdkl;jfkl;

Kills me every time.

EVEN THE SINK HAS A DOILY.

Of course it’s from the UK’s House & Garden. This is probably a scene from the inside of Meghan Markle’s new powder bath chez Harry.

DIVINE.

I made this a few weeks ago and it was wonderful. I used an almond flour crust, and subbed in straight ricotta. PS good flaked sea salt and the chives are key.

COOL AF.

Client ES: can we talk BS into a pair of these in the front living room?

THIS IS OUR COLOR INSPO FOR THAT ROOM, FYI.

ONE OF THE BEST OUSHAKS I’VE EVER SEEN.

Sadly, it’s sold. #rugsaremydrugs

THIS IS A GREAT COFFEE TABLE.

In case anybody needs one.

I LOVE EVERYTHING SISTER PARISH DOES.

This one is Tuckerman in Ocean.

OOOOOOH BEEEETS!

Did you hear the Cinderella reference? (Jack the Mouse: “Oooooh BEEEEADS!”)…yeah K nevermind. But I love this watercolor and wanna frame it in a pretty little rustic frame in the kitchen.

OR THIS ONE.

LAUREN CONRAD’S COFFEE TABLE IS THE TITS.

There’s a seller in SoCal who said she could source it for me, but when I asked her the price she was too scared to tell me… kinda like saying the name Voldemort.

CUTEST 80’s LOB EVER.

THIS BAG IS B-A-N-A-N-A-S.

One sec while I go rob a bank to buy it. I mean, edit my Holiday Gift Guide.

EVERY HEARD OF MILTON AVERY?

I hadn’t either, but I do love some of his work, like Interlude 1960.

PERFECT FOR ALL SEASONS EXCEPT THE ONE WE’RE IN.

Doesn’t it have a Pretty Woman / picnic / 80’s sweetness to it?

WHERE WERE THESE WHEN I WAS TROLLING THE AISLES AT NORDY RACK.

Of course they’re from Sincerely Jules. What a ho.

I LOVE THESE SHORTS / UNDERSCOOBS.

I would also love it if I looked like that in those scoobs,

I CAN’T TELL WHAT I LIKE BETTER – THE ROCKS GLASS OR THE PILGRIM-Y PROPER TOP.

HAVE I POSTED THIS BEFORE?

Who cares, it’s rad.

I SO WANT SOMEONE TO TAKE A PIC LIKE THIS OF GUSSIE OUTDOORS.

PS: what’s better than a golden?  The answer: a whole gaggle of them.

WE’RE ALSO THINKING ABOUT GETTING A LITTLE GUS.

Golden owners: Tell me!! Smart or not smart? I think I mentioned this before.. but I genuinely don’t know if it’s a great or terrible idea. Would a little one keep Gus young, give him a buddy, and keep us from both jumping off a cliff when (OMG I can’t even think about a world without Gus) – but when Gus isn’t here anymore? I’ve heard people with goldens tell me they would NEVER have only 1 – to always have 2.

Or would it be too much – a puppy with a blind dog – and would Gus feel like we were replacing him? I mean, look at him. He’s such a love.

I FEEL LIKE I WOULD SLEEP BETTER IF I SLEPT ON THESE.

#doiliesorbust

BECAUSE THIS IS THE PRETTIEST-IN-PINK CHEESE BOARD I’VE EVER SEEN.

LOVE THE PENDANT, LOVE THE TOP.

Makes me wanna go to Mexico, stat, and drink margs on the beach. By Sir the Label.

PERFECTLY STYLED COFFEE TABLE.

{ via Lauren Conrad | Domaine }

I’M DYING TO DO THIS IN A GIRL’S BATH.

Have seen it installed in every other color way, but not this one… it’s a perfect, subtle, blush color.

ALSO, IT’S BEEN DONE. I GET IT.

On the walls at Wabi Sabi and also in the Cupcakes & Cashmere chick’s bathroom, and probably a bazillion other places. But it’s so so dreamy I can’t help myself. Going into one lucky gal’s powder bath in Charleston Spring 2018.

PERFECT SCONCE TO GO WITH.

Silly girl! That doesn’t go at all!” -I legit just heard all my relatives back in Indiana say that. Oh, but it’s a perfect juxtaposition, and just edgy enough to balance out the super femme florals. Email me to order: stephanie.m.ballard@gmail.com

PROOF THAT EVERYTHING DOESN’T HAVE TO MATCH.

It just has to play nicely together (like this entryway does so perfectly). And you’ll hear me say that 999x this season on Terra’s Big House – often with a vein bulging out of my forehead. PS our show premieres Wednesday, December 13th at 10/9 central on Lifetime – set your DVR’s!

WHO NEEDS A SOLITAIRE WHEN YOU CAN HAVE THIS GUY?

For probably 14x the cost. Best of luck in your upcoming nuptials to Neil Lane.

MEATLOAF ON REPEAT.

I make this at least 1x / week and it’s SO GOOD. Who would’ve thought oatmeal in meatloaf would be good? Only thing I change is sautéing a few shallots and 2 gloves of garlic and adding to the mix.

PERFECT FOR A DUDE’S OFFICE.

Overstock… well done.

OUTFIT & BUN ON POINT.

THE ONLY THING BETTER THAN CLÉ’S WEATHERED WHITE ZELLIGE

is the same tile but in this rosy blush color.

THE PRETTIEST BATHROOM I EVER DID SEE.

Note how the designer (Gillian Pinchin, hi-5 girl) used the same stone throughout the bath, but changed up the tile sizes/shapes and the directions: there’s subway in an offset brick on one wall, fish scale on another, and the same subway but laid in a herringbone on the floor. It’s genius. Using the same material but switching things up the way she did gives the room depth and visual interest without making it loud. Also, she couldn’t have picked a prettier tile. From Mosaic House.

I DO REALIZE I’M AN OLD LADY, BUT IT’S FLAME MAHOGANY PEOPLE.

And if you ever, EVER see anything like this anywhere, do me a solid and get a running start, tackle it, then take it home and put some mod sconces above it to keep it fresh.

CAROLINA HERRERA = A GIRL AFTER MY OWN HEART.

Who wouldn’t feel like a fashion-forward Disney princess in this?

ALL I WANNA DO IS MOUNT THESE QUEEN ANNE-STYLE VENETIAN MIRRORS OVER 2 CHESTS.

I BRAKE FOR BLUE & PINK.

Love the washed-out, watercolor-y pastel hues in this rug.

MAYBE THE ONLY LEATHER CHAIRS THAT’LL TICKLE BOTH YOUR PICKLES.

I mean, I like leather but I hit my quota quick – I think it’s better when it’s peppered into a design, not plastered all over it. But I live with a boy (hint: not Gus) who would clad everything in leather if he could. These Art Deco beauties are interesting and unique enough for everyone to love.

SO PERFECT IN FRONT OF A WINDOW.

About 33″W x 36″H and feels so British chic to me.

SEE?

THE PRETTIEST NON-ANTIQUE SIDEBOARD I’VE SEEN IN A MINUTE.

Great in an entry with 2 lamps and a huge piece of artwork, if you have the space. Or a dining room.

CUTEST SIDE TABLE I EVER SAW.

Can I put my martini down on you, little fella?

I’M NOT MUCH FOR LABELS BUT –

This Gucci belt is to die. The whole look is.

THIS FABRIC ISN’T FOR EVERYONE…

But I could see it very sparingly used – e.g. in a high-powered bad ass lady’s very serene, clean-lined and pristine and almost hotel-esque bedroom. Via 3 euros or a long lumbar as the crown jewel on the bed.

Have a great week, guys!!!  Don’t forget to tune in on Wednesday night at 10/9 central on Lifetime!  DID I TELL YOU I FILMED A HOME RENO SHOW THIS YEAR? Whoops, I didn’t. Cuz I forgot to blog. But should be a real sh*t show so probably best to tune in.

xoxoxoxooxoxox,