~this and that~

Totally random pictures from my trip to visit Maria.

 Here we are outside the Tyler Florence store in California. 

Loved that store.

  Maria's cabinet, loved it to pieces.

 I couldn't quite fit in my suitcase~darn!

 A cute little French bistro where we drank lots of coffee...

and indulged in sweets.

 This is what happens when you try to take my picture.

And darn it, I don't know why my blog is asking for a password.

It asks me for one too.

I just close out of it.

I'll try to figure it out~

in my spare time.

Also, how long has FLO been coming on with her insurance commercial during my music?

ANNOYING!

I was cleaning the house today listening to my blog music and kept getting interrupted by her.

Ugh, it's always something.

~love you all~

xoxo

~a sonoma dining room~

 A follow up to yesterday's post, the lovely Sarah's dining room in Sonoma California.

I love the long and narrow table.

And check out the detail in this yellow cabinet.

 FYI~I have that same 3 tierd wire basket for sale at Ruffles and Rust in Snohomish right now.

{on the console below}

 I love her use of French antiques.

Makes me want to start collecting.

~ lovely vignettes~

 And who would think to put a bee hive on a side table in your dining room?

 Not me, but I am now! :)

Have a great weekend friends!

I am off to go do this in the rain~not really looking forward to it, I think trying out for the real Survivor might have been easier.

xoxo

~3 lucky girls~

~Warning~

LONG post! 

So, as you may or may not know, my good friend Jodi and I went to California recently to visit this dear friend {the gorgeous Maria on the right}

On Friday, the day after flying in, we headed to Sonoma for a little antiquing.

We ended up at the most fabulous shop, Chateau Sonoma where we were greeted by the owner and glasses of wine.

We browsed for hours and sat in the sun sipping wine and talking.

Sarah, the lovely owner invited us back to her house for a little gala and we agreed.

Well, we had no idea we were going to be in for such a treat!

It turns out Sarah's house is used for a lot of the Pottery Barn catalog and Internet photo shoots. 

You can read about it here.

She was so sweet and let me take lots of photos and even opened up her home to us for the night.

So, here we are, and I'm about to take you on a fabulous tour of the most gorgeous house in Sonoma!

Her farmhouse was built in 1875 and they have renovated it but kept in keeping with the period.

Here is their kitchen complete with soapstone counter tops and Annie Sloan Chalk paint 

painted cabinets.

She mixes in antiques everywhere. 

They are breathtaking.

I must get myself one of these dish drying racks!

Everything was pretty neutral, but there was pops of color here and there.

To die for if you ask me!

You can tell they really use all the items on the counter on a daily basis.

Now, onto the living room. It sits just to the right of the entry.

The whole home is filled with floor to ceiling windows and plenty of light comes streaming in.

I heart this coffee table.

And, this lamp.

Looking at it from a different angle.

Opposite the living room, just to the left of the entry is Sarah's den.

Jumping to the master bath.

Details, details, details!

I never thought to fold my wash cloths into triangles!

Antique French lighting.

And antique French baskets.

Check out that floor!

I believe this was in a guest bedroom.

The entry.

The upstairs hallway to the bedrooms.

A sitting area in the upstairs hall.

This was in the entry to the master bedroom.

I did take photos but am leaving those out for their privacy.

Looking into the master bedroom.

This grand birdcage was in a guest room decorated in a vintage circus theme.

Same room, a little vignette on the dresser.

This enormous birdcage sat right outside one of the porches.

There is 5 acres of perfectly manicured grounds.

Just to the left is the pool where a lot of the Pottery Barn outdoor shots are taken.

Thanks for coming along on the tour.

I will be back tomorrow to show you the dining room in this home!

See you then!

xoxo

~French clay pots~

I can't even begin to tell you how much fun our trip to California was to visit Maria.

She is BEAUTIFUL and her and her family were so welcoming and made us feel right at home.

I ended up purchasing a few million things from her.

I wish I could have fit everything in my suitcases with me.

I took so many pictures it may take me a while to edit them all, so I thought today I'd share with you what I did with some French clay pots on my dining table.

 I actually got these a month or so ago, and am just now pulling them out of the box.

Maria sells them in her shop.

You can purchase them here.

 I put a few on my dining room shelves.

 And the rest on my dining room table with a pear in each one.

They look cute on top of each plate.

 I also got this vintage French grain sack from Maria.

I was going to use it as a pillow case in my sons room,

 but I'm ending up using it as a table runner for now.

I will be back tomorrow with more photos of our trip and some more things that I bought.

Thank you Maria for making our trip so fun, and thanks to my friend Jodi who couldn't have been a better traveling friend!

xoxo