AZ : QUICK GETAWAY

Last weekend the Rev. had a wedding to perform in AZ. The timing was just right, since the weather is breaking and our family was happy to see us, if just for a few hours. I was pretty excited for the wedding weekend, because truth be told I had NEVER actually been to Care Free or Desert Mountain Resorts. I am from the Valley, but this was my first time. 

The resort and scenery did not disappoint, and with a wacky week ahead of us, this was just the right time to stop and smell the 

cactus.  The sunsets and views were mesmerizing.  I had forgotten how captivating AZ's big sky can be, and you literally feel as though you are in a desert snow globe. If the views weren't enough, an AZ storm rolled though. The cloud formations were incredible. 

The wedding was beautiful. The Rev. and I had a great time, enjoying the views, making new friends, and connecting with a place we are from. 

Mil Besos,

Mel

Inspiration: Open Shelving in the Kitchen?

A trend that I see still consistently popping up in kitchen design all over the place is the move away from traditional upper cabinets.  Instead of wall cabinets, designers are incorporating a variety of styles of open shelving or sometimes even going bare and opting nothing at all up top.

Maybe if we had an enormous kitchen with endless base cabinet storage options, going topless would be an option-- it certainly gives the space an open, airier feel-- but for now, I still need a place to put away dishes, glasses and lots of less display-worthy kitchen paraphernalia.  IF we were tempted to turn a section of the kitchen into open shelving, these copper pots on gorgeous antique wrought iron shelves I spotted in a Bavarian castle would be welcome in our house.  

I like the idea of incorporating just a small section of shelving into an otherwise traditional kitchen-- adding just a bit of industrial flair to mix things up.

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Do you have open shelving in your kitchen?  Do you love it or hate it?

xo

Liza

Painting Floors

All summer I have been itching to do something dramatic to our upstairs guest room and hallway.  So, last week on a day I had nothing planned I popped over to Home Depot for a little inspiration. Of course I left with a few items to change up our space.

While we were in Maine in August, I could not get our friends' New England painted floors out of my mind. While visiting friends, I was practically drooling over their floors and antique rugs. I wanted to channel the same look to our place. 

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Neutral Glam: The Look for Less

As much as I love fun patterns and bright pops of color in decor, there's always something wonderfully soothing about a subtly decorated, neutral space.  The key to keeping neutral from becoming boring is incorporating a variety of textures and tones (think linens, natural fibers and metallics all together) to keep things visually interesting.

The Look

Munger Interiors

For Less

1) Louis mirror / 2) lucite lamps / 3) dresser / 4) Bergére chair / 5) botanical prints / 6) leopard pillows / 7) tufted loveseat / 8) gold and glass coffee table / 9) diamond sisal rug

Happy decorating!

xo

Liza

The New Nursery

Remember, this post and this post? I have been working on our new church nursery since the end of July and last week we finally shared our reveal with the congregation. I think they were more then pleased with the results!  

Here is our lovely before pic

First off, I knew we needed to repaint the entire room. The room was painted in a creamy yellow color. I find yellows can make a space feel dirty, even if it is perfectly clean. The room needed a lift and since I wanted to accent with color and we would be keeping our historical hymns in the space, I knew we needed go for a neutral color that would not compete with the space. 

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I went for two different whites, 

POLAR WHITE & POPCORN WHITE by BM. I wanted a true white against a white with more blue to it. After the room was completed painted the space immediately felt much cleaner. 

The second piece to the puzzle was flooring. I measured the room and realized the space would present flooring challenges. I went back and forth trying to decided between soft flooring throughout the room or a mixing up the flooring. In the end I selected two rugs from Land of Nod and soft tiles from Target. Both have added the right element to the room.  The babies can roll around on the rug and practice walking on the soft tiles. 

Once the flooring and tiles were selected we could add all the fun details that make the room so special. I must say the ballet bars are my favorite addition to the room.  

More to come…….

Mel

Baby Steps…..

Since the start of the summer for us, I have continued to have a bit of vertigo on and off.  In trying to keep my head above water and dropping off the ninos, church life, etc…. I have referred back to my counseling days.  In my former life, BN(before NINOS), I was working as a therapist and primarily worked with clients suffering with anxiety. 

To be honest, I have always been a very chill person and never experienced anxiety in a way that kept me from doing the things I love to do. Since having had a bit of topsy turvy, I am a bit nervious the vertigo will return. 

So, what to do???

 I have found it so helpful to recall upon my old methods for clients also, I thought while L and I are good at sharing party/home tips, my counseling tips maybe helpful too. 

So, if ever anxiety creeps in and stays beyond its' welcome these 3 tips may get you though your episode. 

UNO: RECALL HISTORY

I remind myself of what is true and create a truth statement. 

Por ejemplo:  "I had a spell of vertigo, with my dizzy pills it goes away, and the world really can not physically flip upside down." You get the drift…..I repeat this statement to myself and remind myself of the worst case scenario. 

Worst case scenario, I feel dizzy. I can just sit down, take my anti-dizzy pills, and get back up when I am ready. And if I feel really bad,  the Rev. will come to my rescue!

DOS: BREATH

When the anxiety comes on stop and breath. I like to take 5 to 10 deep breaths. Taking in the extra oxygen is proven to relax the body. 

TRES: BABY STEPS

I give myself permission to just take one step at a time. I tell myself, your taking one step, two steps, and sometimes counting helps. When the anxiety leaves you, I find myself just walking without a thought. 

Wherever you find yourself in life, know there are little exercises out there that are helpful to get you through the day. 

Happy Days,

Mel

Fall Florals

Last weekend I had a floral gig. I had a little direction, I knew they wanted a look that was very natural. While in the Union Sq Farmer's Market I hit up my two favorite stands and was not disappointed. Since the dinner party was for a theater group, I wanted to create something a little more edgy. I decided to select a variety of thistles, sage, and dark colored Dahlias. 

Tune in manana to see what we came up with…..

Mel

NEW LOGO

Ginger Oakes, our dear friend and logo-designer extraordinaire, is working on a new logo for Liza and me. Here is a sneak peek……

Stay tuned for our new banner.

By the way this Sunday is our Kick-Off for ALL our Fall programs. We are working hard to pull the entire event together, plus I have a Sat. flower gig….  So much to do… soooo little time. 

Mil Besos & Happy Friday

Mel

Seasonal Blooms

September is upon us and that means foliage branches, Dahlias, and scabiosas are available. Since, returning from vaca I have not had a chance to head to the market, that is until yesterday…… 

Here is what I found.

Besos,

Mel

Friday Fun Day

What are your weekend plans?  For us, Friday is a fun day, which means you can usually find us in China Town enjoying delicious soup dumplings and their wonderful parks.  I say if you live in NYC or  are visiting, soup dumplings is a must. We love China Town so much, we traditionally have our family Christmas supper at our favorite spot. 

Tonight we are enjoying a supper dinner date with neighboring friends with ninos. After TWO whole days of school we are all ready for a little fun.

Happy Friday!

MEL

The First Day

S had her first day of 2nd grade today. Manhattan has a bit of a late start on school, no problemo here. I love summer and wish it went through till Dec. S had a few gitters last night, but after she unwrapped her surprise shoes and outfit, she couldn't wait to get to school.  

Here is what she wore........

It was a great first day!


Mel