Thursday, April 30, 2015

Friday Favorites - The book is off to the printer!


BUSY!  The only word I can think of to describe this time of year.  I almost think March and April have become more hectic than November and December!  What is happening?

But guess what - my next book, Monograms for the Home, just went to the printer yesterday!  What a load off my shoulders!  I'm so excited about it and can't wait to share it with you in September!  Above is a little sneak peek of some wonderful gift tags designed by the amazing Emily McCarthy that are featured in the book.

Here are a few quick things to check out in the few moments that you do have free this weekend:

Love this article on Netiquette that Howard Slatkin posted on his visual feast of an instagram feed!

Loving my new iPhone case/wallet - monogrammed of course!

A must have accessory for summer.  Love this tassel!

Ordering a new one of these for my summer travel.

Molly Sims and I both use this every day before we shower.  That is probably the only similarity!

And don't forget to check in on Wednesday for my One Room Challenge reveal!

Wednesday, April 29, 2015

One Room Challenge: Week 5 - The Final Countdown

Well, it's cold in Dallas but I'm sweatin!

In less than a week, the dining room at White Oaks Ranch is being photographed for the One Room Challenge!

I am seriously down to the wire on these final touches. Seriously!


 The Ronda Carman Fine Fabrics Pale Blue Check arrived this morning!  Yay!  Ronda was amazing and had it sent overnight so that my upholsterer could get started.


We decided to recover the chairs that were in our former home.  When Justin and I were first married, we had a dining room with a rectangular table.  Our current house has a square dining room and a round table and these chairs were tucked away in storage so I'm excited to bring them back to life with a makeover and place them at the ranch.


We played around with a few ideas for the trim and landed on these rustic nails.  I think the room needs a few "ranchy" touches and I think these chairs will take the edge off of the modern paper.  What do you think?


Big huge major thanks are going to my Upholstery Master if he is able to get the chairs recovered by Monday.  BIG!  He says he can do it but I'll sleep better when I know they are done.

One major hiccup - the rug pad arrived but not the rug!  We tried to track it but the system was down so saying I'm stressed about the rug is a pretty major understatement. I hate to jump the gun but I might be searching for Plan B this afternoon!  Any suggestions on where to find a 9x13ish black jute rug in DFW?

Photo by John Cain Sargent
One nice thing that fell into place this week - My sister, Krystal moved to a new apartment last week and her dining table didn't fit so I get to move it to the ranch!  It is the table seen in this post we did last fall.  It might be the tiniest bit large for the room but I'm excited to give it a whirl.



AND....the best part of my week....the pair of Gustavian Buffets I have been lusting after from Wisteria are in stock and ready to move to White Oaks Ranch!  So excited!

Anyway, I really just can't wait to share the big reveal with you a week from today and I can't wait to see what everyone else has been up to!  Thanks for sharing this process with me and always being so encouraging!

Gratefully,
KSW

To check out my previous posts and get caught up on my progress, you can follow the links below:


and to see what all of the other nineteen bloggers have been doing, you can find their posts by clicking on their links below:






Tuesday, April 28, 2015

All about the Sideboard


I rely very heavily on my sideboards when I entertain.  I have one in my dining room and one in my formal living room and I can't believe how much they get used!  They are the perfect height for a buffet, a bar or even just a place to put out some nuts or nibbles during cocktails.


So when I put together this Lemon Yellow Tea Party in honor of that famous British Baby that we are all anxiously awaiting, I decided that the reliable old sideboard deserved a special post of it's own.


I keep telling you that the punch bowl is back and I totally mean it!  A punch bowl and a sideboard go together like peanut butter and jelly!  There are tons of options for great punch recipes depending on the season but I love this Lo-Cal Minty Lemonade Recipe from Sunkist.  To be honest, it was kind of the starting point for the color scheme and theme of my tea party!  Of course, I thought the yellow was perfect since we don't know the gender of the Royal Baby yet and this punch recipe is so refreshing for Spring and Summer.


 I set out an a few glasses for our guests that were already garnished with a lemon slice but instead of leaving the napkins plain, I tied in our royal theme by stamping each of them with a rubber crown stamp that I found in my daughter's princess arts and crafts set.





Of course, I added a simple sweet treat as well with a Lemon Bundt Cake.  Simple trick: use the zest of the lemon to add a bit of color and embellishment to the top.  

Anyhow...I hope you are having as much fun anticipating the Royal Baby's arrival as I am! Of course, these ideas can be applied to any function from baby shower to birthday party!

Monday, April 27, 2015

Monogram Mania with Mary!

What a fun weekend! I had a blast and feel so super motivated after attending a blogger's conference that gave me tons and tons of tips on great ways to bring you content that I hope you will really enjoy. One of the best parts of the weekend was celebrating Mary Katrantzou's A to Z collection of tote bags exclusive to Matches Fashion.

You know I love a monogram so this collection really got me excited! I hope you like it too!


Thursday, April 23, 2015

Tea Time fit for a Royal


Are you as excited as I am about the Royal Baby's upcoming arrival?  I hear it is happening any day now!  I decided to put together a little English Tea Party inspired by the British Prince or Princess but you could give any party you host a royal twist!  Whether it is a birthday for your own little prince or princess or a simple spring time get-together, I hope you will use these ideas for your next celebration!


I love setting up a table in an unexpected place.  It is a simple party trick that doesn't cost a thing!  For our English Tea Party, I chose the coffee table in our formal living room.  I liked that my guests could lounge on the sofa with me and we could just enjoy tea, sweets and conversation.  Of course, there were also great debates on whether or not William and Kate would be welcoming a boy or a girl into their Royal household. I'm glad I had a citrus yellow color scheme so that I didn't have to take sides!  



Each guest's place was marked with a place card attached to the end of the tea bag.  I added HRH before their names to make our guests feel like Their Royal Highnesses right as they found their places.


They also found a tea bag cookie on their plate!  They were so much fun to make!  I kept the citrus theme going with this Fresh Orange Cookie Recipe but I put my own spin on it.  I rolled and cut the dough to make the tea bag shape and used a straw to make a hole in the top so that I could attach the string after baking.  Instead of using the icing in the recipe, I dipped the cookies in melted chocolate to replicate the look of a tea bag.  They were a hit!


I also served Crown Cupcakes that were a cinch to make!  These Lemon Cake Muffins were wonderful on their own but I topped them with white icing and mini-paper crowns I made by cutting the border off of a doily and spraying it gold with edible color mist.  I layered cake stands to make a two-tier display. 




 I pulled out one of my favorite silver dishes in the shape of an umbrella to hold yellow creme mints.  Umbrellas always make me think of rainy London days so I always love to add this at tea time!


The colorful Honeysuckle Napkins are from Loom Decor and the vases are vintage.  I chose a glass plate so that the colorful napkin would show through.

Beauty Lovers Day Today!


I've been working overtime lately and I have been feeling super burned out at times so when Natura Bisse wrote to invite me to experience the new luxurious, sensorial Diamond Rose Ritual; infused with damask rose and featuring Natura Bissé’s exclusive diamond dust that they created to celebrate their annual Beauty Lovers Day, I cleared my calendar!  

Yes, you read that right. I got to experience an amazing treatment that featured Diamond Dust! I've been a Natura Bisse fan for a long time but I must say that this was above and beyond what I have experienced with their treatments before. 

But back to Beauty Lovers Day...April 23rd is a very significant date in Natura Bisse’s hometown of Barcelona.  It is a day of heroes and legends, in which love, roses, books and culture are celebrated.  So romantic!

To celebrate this year's Beauty Lovers Day, they are offering this decadent face and body treatment to you!  The treatment is 60 minutes long and is for the face and upper body.  I had the privilege of experiencing it on Monday and it was a dream!  I hope that you will sign up right away because it is very limited!

If you don't have time for the treatment, you shouldn't miss the chance to treat yourself to a product that they typically only offer to their celebrity clients, Limited Edition Diamond Absolute Damask Rose Body Oil, which will be available to customers TODAY ONLY. Head to Neiman Marcus or call up there right away so that you can enjoy this indulgent opportunity!

Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Week 4: One Room Challenge - Hard at Work

Um......where did the last four weeks go?  If you are new to the blog, let me explain....
I was crazy enough to accept the One Room Challenge created by the amazing Linda of Calling it Home.  She asked 19 distinguished design bloggers and little old me to renovate a room in six weeks and share our stories on our blogs.  I'm in way over my head but totally enjoying following the other stories from the rest of the round-up and I hope you are too!  You can catch up by readying the past posts about it here:


I'm getting super nervous now!  Only two weeks left to go!  I totally doubt that everything on my task list will be done in time for our big reveal but I'll do the best I can!

Today we started the hard work...pulling down the Chair Rail and floating the walls to prep them for the Wallpaper which is scheduled to be hung on Wednesday.  

But before I show you what the room looks like today (DISASTER!), I want to show you something pretty!  So, here it is, the beautiful custom monogram that Jen O'Neal of Halo Home made for our project.  I found this spectacular vintage monogram in an old book and it just happened to be my husband's initials: JW!  So pretty right?  I gave it to Jen and she worked her magic on it and presented me with this amazing set of embroidered napkins for our new dining room.  

Photography by John Cain Sargent for Monograms for the Home, my next book that comes out in Sept! Yay!

 The napkins are actually a perfect match for the drapes. I ordered the set from Loom Decor and Jen added the embroidery.  The porcelain is Richard Ginori but, with a napkin as elaborate as this, you could use a plain white plate and still have a pretty setting.


I ordered this Diamond Pattern Jute Rug in Black for the floor.  The baseboards are going to be painted black to match the the bottom of the ombre paper so I thought I should do a dark rug too.  Do you think that is the right choice?

So, now to the room as it looks today.  I kind of want to cry as I post these photos because we have a LONG way to go and VERY little time!

The Team at Diamond Dry Wall got the antler chandelier, which is staying, all covered up and they are prepping the walls for the wall paper.



They rolled out all of the papers from Brett Designs.  I'm so super excited! 






But then I got the call that the walls were bubbling....they said it was just an FYI and they were going to handle it but I'm afraid it might cost us a day (or two) that we don't have! Yikes!



 So, basically, I feel excited and incredibly nervous about getting this wrapped up!  I know I will feel much better once the wallpaper and painting is done!

Here is the link list of the other bloggers as crazy as I am to attempt to pull this off:


Trademarked by Calling it Home

Tuesday, April 21, 2015

KSW Travels: Turks and Caicos

Justin and I recently took off to celebrate our ten year wedding anniversary!  I'm not sure where the time went but the ten years have flown by!  We typically love to have little adventures when we travel.  We like to explore new places, visit museums, dine at the best restaurants and make the most of every minute when we are in a new place but this trip was different.
For our anniversary we wanted to relax!  After polling lots of friends and doing a bit of research, we landed on the Amanyara in the Turks and Caicos.  It was wonderful.  The service was terrific and the resort is so tranquil and beautiful!
It was a dreamy week without any sort of itinerary.  I couldn't wait to share a few of my favorite photos with you:

My new phone cover from Minnie and Emma was the perfect complement to my comfy terry tunic from Lisa Marie Fernandez.
  Everything about the Amanyara was tranquil and relaxing.  The pool had lounge
seating and three cabanas.  We took advantage of the amazing views and enjoyed cocktails and the sunset every evening. 


Cruiser bicycles or golf carts were always available to take you to from your private room to the heart of the hotel.
 The Spa was the highlight of the trip for me.  I had an amazing massage in this incredible haven.  I would have booked more if I had known how wonderful it would be!  

Justin went kiting boarding every day and loved it!  The hotel made all of the arrangements but he did have to drive to the other side of the island to Grace Bay for the best kite boarding!  The conditions were wonderful and there were a lot of people out enjoying the gorgeous weather.  I was back at the resort reading a book! 

Monday, April 20, 2015

MTV ReDefine 2015

My sisters and I had such a blast as co-chairs of this year's MTV ReDefine!  It was a treat to get to work together and an honor to work with Joyce Goss and Kenny Goss to raise money for two worthwhile causes, MTV's Staying Alive Foundation and The Dallas Contemporary.


My sisters and I with my dear friend, Franklin Boyd, who came to town from New York to celebrate with us. 
With Ed Bartlett and our amazing art chair, Elisabeth Karpidas, who put together an incredible auction!

With my friend Kimberly Chandler and her brother, Brown Andrews.  It was so nice to have the support of so many friends and family!


The tables were set with Veuve Cliquot and food from The Joule Hotel's new restaurant, Americano which hasn't even opened yet!  They donated all of the food and service so that we were able to give more back to the beneficiaries.






The parking lot of the Goss Michael Foundation was tented and transformed into this magical ballroom.
Our auctioneer was the charming and talented Alexander Gilkes of Paddle 8 who helped us raise over 2.2 Million Dollars!  So exciting!  Thank you to everyone who donated a piece or placed a bid!


 

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