Babe-a-licious

The first leg of vacation my husband and I spent in hot, hot Palm Springs.  The best way to escape the heat was to duck in and out of stores, movie theaters and restaurants.  I must say the sunrise and sunsets in the desert paint the landscape in beautiful pinks and oranges, nearly making it worth the heat.  Another thing I was thankful for was that this desert heat was very dry.  Once out of direct sunlight, the air was considerably cooler.

Palm Springs does have a few things that caught my designer eye.  One of them is the restaurant Babe's which is a Bar-B-Que and Brewhouse.  We had been here before with friends a few years back on Christmas Eve so we knew what to order this time and let me tell you, our taste buds were in heaven!
To start we ordered barbecued chicken thighs that were oh-so-moist, served on a southwestern rice pilaf.  That, plus the enormous caesar salad we shared, made us glad we had decided to share the entree. We ordered the St. Louis ribs and short ribs combo which was served with two sides of our choice: sweet potato fries and half a baked yam covered in honey butter.  I'm hungry just remembering it all.

As I was enjoying the food, I observed the interiors around me which is southern (with a hint of New Orleans?)   and highly "pig" themed.  I wondered if they had to commission all the bronze cast pig's head lamp bases, wall plaques and statues.  Did I see poles spanning over open dining space that were meant to resemble a turnspit?

Enjoy the photos and if you are ever out that way, be sure to stop by Babe's!

Images by Rebecca Ward

Vacation!

As you may have noticed, I have been absent for over a week.  I was enjoying a beautiful vacation in Pam Springs and San Diego.

No, I didn't stay at the beautiful Hotel Del Coronado, but I did spend an afternoon lounging on its sun deck soaking in the sun, the ocean and the beautiful architecture of this historic hotel.
I find it difficult to hit the ground running again after such a wonderful absence but I assure you I have a few posts to come, highlighting some of my favorites from my trip south.

And The Winner Is....

Congratulations Valerie on winning the $40 gift certificate to CSN stores!  Have fun shopping!

Thank you to all who entered!  I love giveaways so stay tuned for future contests!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Images from CSN Lighting

Go A Little Boho

I love the layered, eclectic look of the bohemian style.  One of a kind pieces and obvious influences from international cultures.  Often, the home of the world-traveler becomes a little boho after a while as they add to their collection souvenirs and relics from the many countries they visit.  Bohemian style is very exciting, vibrant and full of life and adventure.  It is quite trendy in interiors right now as well as in fashion.

Sherwin-Williams' Paint has a great article in their current issue of Stir Magazine about the hues and textures of the bohemian style.  One point they brought up that I agreed with was that with all the vibrant colors of the boho style, it's best to have a neutral background to show off your boho pieces.  For example paint the walls neutral and use tablecloths, pillows and other accessories to bring in the color and draw more attention to their uniqueness.  It is definitely worth the read for much more insight and description of the bohemian movement.  Take a look here.

So what about you?  Are you a boho?

Images from Stir

Time For Something New? Enter the Giveaway!

Sometimes when you look over at that faithful table lamp that has served you well over the years, you realize that it's showing its age and it may be time for your trusty table lamp to enter retirement. Well, if that has happened to you, I may be able to help you out.

It's time for another giveaway!  I was contacted by an excellent internet source for lighting at CSN Lighting who generously is going to offer a $40 gift certificate to one of my readers to use on this site or any other CSN related sites that are great sources for new decorator items.

Giveaway entry details:
To enter, please browse CSN's sites and let me know what you would purchase if you won the gift card! Even if it's not a table lamp you need to replace, I'm sure there are other great items you will find you "need". Here's a link to CSN's list of sites.  There are 200+ so it's going to be difficult to decide!   (Note:  They ship only to US and Canada)  The last day to enter is next Thursday, July 15th at midnight (pacific time) and will be announced next Friday July 16th.  Winner selected using random.org.

Bonus entry:  If you are a new follower, let me know in the comments and click "follow"!

Another Bonus entry:  Repost this giveaway on twitter or you own blog to get another chance to enter the giveaway!  Be sure to leave a comment with the link to your post.



Besides the lighting site,  I have been enjoying the CSN site allmodern.com.  Here are a few goodies I've been eying:

Best of luck!

Images from CSN lighting and Allmodern.com

Independence Day and Some Good News

I hope all of you enjoyed celebrating America's Independence Day yesterday and are enjoying your day off today!  Here are some photos from my 4th yesterday, enjoying fireworks with my family.

 My firefighter brother-in-law had to work yesterday but as a special treat, his engine was able to stop by our BBQ for a refreshing iced tea.  Those troopers have no AC in the truck and they're wearing full gear on a near 100 degree day!  My nephews enjoyed climbing all over the largest ladder truck I've ever seen!

On another note, last week NCIDQ emailed to say that they had finished grading the exams that I had taken a few months ago and have mailed the results.  Such a tease!  They could have just emailed the results, don't you think?  Well, Friday I open the mail and there they are!  I tear open the envelope and skip the cover page.  Page two I skan quickly for the results.  Section 1: Pass, Section 2: Pass.  I have to go to page three to find the final results for the hardest section of all: Section 3: Pass!  I passed all three sections of the NCIDQ exam and am so relieved.  I can now apply to be certified in the state of California.  I love starting the weekend off with some good news!

Images by Rebecca Ward