victorian setting

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I love the varying garlands on this table, especially the vintage postcards. Some of the elements are a little too 'Victorian' for my taste, but overall, I think this was done beautifully. If you lost some of the lace elements, the setting would have a more contemporary bent. For more pictures, look here.

ode to will smith

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I'm having a hard time focusing on anything right now, since my husband surprised me with a trip to South Beach this weekend! I can't stop humming Will Smith's "Going to Miami..." We've talked about taking this vacation for YEARS, and I suppose he decided we needed a celebrate our son's almost 1, late 5-year anniversary, early christmas present. 

I'm a born and bred Florida girl, so winters growing up were WARM. The current 38 degree weather in Nashville is helping get me oh-so-excited for the vaca! Back in the day I used to don a heavy wool overcoat with a hood when it hit the low 60's (seemed pretty chilly at the time)...I think I was jealous of the Northeastern preppy look. But these days I can't wait to put on short-sleeves again and sit outside for meals! Yay! 

Above is a picture by Paul Costello...this captures how I'm envisioning myself this weekend. Anyone with great recs for restaurants, please let me know! I'm having a hankering for some good Cuban food.

easing into the holidays...

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While yes, I am thinking about holiday cards, I have not fully accepted that the season is upon us. It seems to sneak up on me every year! 

I loved this image from the cover of the latest Garnet Hill catalog. What a great, simple idea for a coastal Christmas. It appears as though there are three large branches leaning together, tied with twine on top, decorated with christmas lights and topped with a starfish. I love it! I especially love the fact that it doesn't scream Christmas...it's helping to slowly ease me into the holiday season.

hb's tablescapes

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I love the new 'tablescape' feature of House Beautiful. Every month they feature a tabletop designed by one person with certain guests in mind. This particular table is a favorite, designed by Cameron Silver. He envisions the setup within his shop, for a wealthy client. Can you imagine the lucky person who might get entertained like this? I wonder how much you'd have to spend to get treated this way!

And on a totally unrelated note- I am on my second scanner that only sporadically works. I just want an easy one that is Mac compatible, doesn't mess with any of my other programs, and scans when I press the scan button! Any ideas? I've been through an Epson one and am now on a Canon MX700...I hate, hate, hate technology sometimes!