Circa Lighting Warehouse Sale

Circa Lighting is having a HUGE warehouse sale this Friday and Saturday with prices reduced up to 75% off! All four locations (Houston, Savannah, Atlanta, and Charleston) will be participating in the sale, so be sure to visit your nearest Circa store this weekend. Don’t miss this rare opportunity to purchase discontinued fixtures at deeply discounted prices. Circa only does this once a year and once the fixtures are gone … they're gone for good. For further details call 877.762.2323 or contact one of the Circa Lighting showrooms directly.

Please join Circa Lighting for a Warehouse Sale
Friday, December 4th from 10am-5pm and
Saturday, December 5th from 10am-5pm

In Houston:

2001A West Gray Houston, Texas
(Located in the River Oaks Shopping Center)
Up to 75% off - All Sales Are Final
- cash and carry only -

Please visit Circa Lighting for additional showroom locations.

Altai Ottoman

LINK

The month of December...

It is the 1st December and time for me to start thinking about Christmas. How did December creep up so quickly and with such stealth? Is it really only 24 more sleeps until Santa arrives? For the next few weeks I am going to concentrate on the coming holidays and perhaps thinking, writing and talking about Christmas will galvanise me into action and get me doing all those things that I should be doing. This period of time, just after the olive harvest and before the madness of Christmas preparations and festivities, is always a calm and somewhat lazy time for me. Today I have woken up with a start and thought...it is December, it's Christmas.


I love everything about Christmas...I always have... the more the merrier. Last week's old find was this massive iron star in one of the market places at L'Isle sur la Sorgue. I imagine it above the fireplace surrounded by oak leaves or hanging from the staircase bannister amongst branches of olives.... I just couldn't say no. It's not every day you find an oversized painted iron star, right? xv

image - me

Holiday Decorating in White - Part II

One of my most popular Holiday posts last year was the piece I did on Holiday Decorating in White. Why are we so drawn to decorating with white? Is the simplicity? Or perhaps the way it sets our everyday things off with a magical glow? My favorite part of decorating in this way is that it enhances your rooms rather than overpowering them. They become more elegant, more festive, more magical, but all the while still remain your same beautiful rooms.

(studio house design)

Let's try to picture the room above with out any Holiday decor. It is a lovely room - neutral with a bit of sparkle from the crystal lamps and silvery wall coverings. Perhaps the mercury glass is out all year. Now, look how the holiday accents add to the beauty of this room. The tree adorned in white, glass and silver ornaments and really becomes a focal point. Then add in the glittery branches and small wreath on the mantel; and the white roses and silver wrapped packages and you have an elegant room for holiday entertaining.

(hgtv)

This homeowner must have a large home to have a room set aside for a winter wonderland. I generally do not like white flocked trees, but these look lovely as a backdrop for the large green tree and winter white Santa. Perhaps this is a sunroom or conservatory that rarely gets used in the winter months.

(Country Living)

I love this room. Here just a few items set off this neutral room with a holiday glow. The mantel is adorned with branches and a white wreath, while a white decorated tree stands front and center. I like the packages all wrapped in coordinating paper.

(studio house design)

Here is another room with silvery branches. I really like the ornaments hanging in front of the mirror and the addition of eucalyptus. Again a predominately white tree and coordinating wrapped packages add elegance.

(hgtv)

This room comes alive with addition of white linen, white lights and greenery. The two trees on the mantel really add a lot of interest and sparkle,but my favorites are the white stockings by the fire and stocking adorned with greenery hanging on the shutters.

(Country Living)

Here is a simple vignette worth looking at because it can be adapted to any decor. This home owner has a lovely collection of white pottery, by adding small boxwood wreaths and a few ornaments you instantly create a holiday display.

(Country Home)

This room, adorned with long white chair skirts and gorgeous table cloth is perfectly accented with small burlap wrapped trees under glass. I love these Holiday terrariums and also the greenery tied with jute string on the backs of chairs.

(Country Living)

Another table set with items that bring the outdoors in. Here glass apothecary jars are filled with pine cones and small vases hold flowers and evergreens.

(Country Living)

I love the use of cast iron garden urns as vases. This one is lovely filled with lilies and flanked with evergreens.

(Country Living)

Here a white washed cast iron urn is filled with moss. Coordinating colored ornaments become more special displayed in silver bowl under glass. This simple effect can be added to any room and any color scheme.

(Country Living)

I love when people carry holiday decorating into the bedrooms. Here guests wake up to white trees, garland and white linen stockings draped along the footboard.

(Country Home)

Finally some cream and white antique linen stockings. Each tucked with sprigs of boxwood create a special holiday look that can be used in any area of your home.

For more ideas click on Holiday Decorating in White -Part 1. I love the simple and elegant style of decorating that enhances your home for the Holidays.

Walking the Halls

Is your hall beautiful and interesting like these or is it an area that could do with just a little bit of tlc?  Hallways often seem to be one of the least styled areas in a house - I wonder why?

Image 1 - Skona Hem Image 2 - We Heart It Image 3 - SR Gambrel Image 4 - Unknown Image 5 - Thomas Jayne Studio Inc Image 6 - Thomas Pheasant

Love .... Edward Steichen

Images - Edward Steichen

10 Things I Can’t Live Without: The Lovelist

I am very excited to share this week’s “10 Things” list with you! Jessica Graves writes the blog, The Lovelist whose motto is “Southern Fried Lifestyle for the Rebellious Debutante”. What’s not to love? Not only does she put together a beautiful blog, but Jessica also owns the fabulous Front Porch Studio where she designs gorgeous stationery, websites, and blogs. I am very excited that Jessica is currently working on revamping La Dolce Vita!

1. My day planner. It is my brain - I don't think I could get through a day without glancing at it at least ten times. I really like Gallery Leather - they make leather planners that are just as durable as they are beautiful. When mine is beating around in my giant purse, I don't worry about it coming out looking ragged. 2. My studio. I truly cannot work better anywhere else. It is filled with things I love and that inspire me. It is amazing what comes from the combination of one little Mac laptop, a digital camera, and my amazing clients - I truly am so lucky!

3. Kitchen experiments! Travis and I are always cooking something up and we love to find fun spices and ingredients to play with. We are lucky to have friends who are also interested in good food (and even one who went to the Culinary Institute of America) so we are always chatting about restaurants, wine, and cooking. 4. My Sister. She's my best girlfriend and I love her to the bone. She and I are so very different in many ways, but we love and embrace that about our relationship. She lives far away from me, in Austin, TX right now and I miss her every day. Isn't she adorable? She's an amazing artist on top of everything else!

5. Memories and photos. Here's one of my uncle, Grandfather, and Dad. Leaving our crazy family history out of things, I love looking back on photos like this, years before I was a twinkle in anyone's eye, when a moment was captured when everyone was happy. 6. Good music. I am a music junkie and have been since I was a kid. We always had a music room in our house, full of instruments and my Dad's massive vinyl collection. I see as much live music as I can. I was blown away by Ghostland Observatory a few nights ago but the best concert I've seen all year was the Avett Brothers.

7. Travis. He is the love of my life and I'd be lost without him. Simple as that.

8. Pellegrino and Tazo black tea! I love Pellegrino plain and thanks to a friend have recently stumbled upon orange and lemon flavored Pellegrino as well - SO delicious! I also have a terrible Starbucks black tea habit - it keeps me juiced during those long nights where I drop into the zone.

9. My satch, as I so lovingly call it. I love it, and ever since I bought this beautiful buttery thing, I haven't even thought of cheating on it with another handbag. 10. Home. My Mom is a fun lady full of ideas and bursting with creativity. She is an amazing cook, and paired with my hilarious Step Dad they are always fun to go home to. My Step Dad is turning 60 this year! My Mom is a knitting fanatic (yes, she knit that bear, can you believe it?). They are incredible people who really live extremely green (even though I have never heard either one of them use the word "green"). They live off of a red dirt road on a beautiful piece of secluded property among tons of Pecan groves. Just as they are old fashioned, they also love their macbook, iphones, Wii, and Netflix- fused Dexter marathons - they crack me up!