helping hands for Japan

I am still in disbelief after the recent disaster that has devastated Japan. What this country has been through and what they will go through is unimaginable. There are two solid ways that we can lend a hand; American Red Cross and internationally through Shelter Box. Every little bit helps.

creative cocktails: flirtini, whipped pinnacle vodka

Spring is in the air, and with the warmer weather, thoughts turn to flirty skin baring fashions and flirty cocktails... my friend Loresa has created one such stylish cocktail that she was kind enough to share. While this tasty creation is fabulous for cocktail hour, I think it would be a star at Sunday Brunch. Move over Mimosa, you have met your match!

Flirtini

• 1 part Pinnacle Whipped Vodka
• 2 parts Champagne
• 2 parts pineapple juice

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice, shake, shake, shake and serve in your favorite martini glass.

Enjoy!

end of the week musings...rescued horses up for adoption

No food for thought this week, then again, I can't think of a better thought pertaining to food than donating to the horses at CHR! I will be spending tomorrow morning at the Rocky Mountain Horse Expo working in our merchandise booth raising money for the care and feeding of our horses at the Colorado Horse Rescue. Then in the afternoon I will be manning the adoption table with Rae-Rae, providing information on all our fabulous equines who are looking for a forever home. This is handsome boy above is Trouble, he will be at the Expo participating in a training exhibition along with the oh so freakin cute Lil Bit, shown below, her partner in crime, the lovely Angel and the spunky spotted Nugget.

Lil Bit

Angel

Nugget

Have a great weekend!

TC

style board: color trends 2011, blue curacao breakfast nook/cookbook library

Blue Curacao, another color from the Pantone Color Report Spring 2011. A very exotic, as well as tropical, color, but I used it in a simple, yet stylish, setting...

a breakfast nook with a cookbook library nearby. I personally would love to have a chic little reading area where I could go through my cookbooks and magazines instead of having to hall them into the great room.

Blue Curacao is a deeply saturated color, so depending on the natural light, a whole room in this fabulous blue might be a bit overwhelming. I would paint an accent wall blue and the rest of the walls a white with the slightest peach tint and perhaps the trim in a medium peach. Perhaps.
I realize this happy style board features more coral than Blue Curacao, but for this room, the BC touches work. Besides, you never know, I may do a more exotic and tropical room later ;)

Product sources available upon request, TCSTYLIST1@GMAIL.COM

style board...in the making: blue curacao

tuesday's treasure: mid century mod with a kick of glam, domino archive

I met a with a prospective new client today who's interior style is mid-century modern, so I did a quick skim through my "retro" folder for some inspiration...and I came across this gem of an apartment from Domino, April 2008; the home of Interior Designer Fawn Galli. Her approach to a project is pretty cool, she bases a style on dreams and favorite memories. So for her own home, she took her hippie childhood and combined it with her nights as a party girl. Deer=hippie childhood, silver geometric wallpaper=party girl; I totally get it!

I am so digging the panels of framed wallpaper in the living room, a great way to accentuate a space with high walls. Her mix of furniture styles is sublime. A chesterfield upholstered in a modern white leather is right at home with mod chairs and table. Aren't the ginormous table lamps amazing?!

The dining room is no less spectacular. The late 70's vinyl dining chairs are to die for! Aside from my love of the dining chairs, this room is so well balanced and oh so pleasing to the eye. The wing chairs read as modern due to their electric color. They are also upholstered on the back in a fun Asian pattern. The drapes also lend to the mod and glam of the room. How can you not love chartreuse? The room is also grounded, thanks to the sisal rug, not to mention an added texture.

A truly lovely treasure.

fab find: stylish accessorizing with crystal clusters

One of my favorite accessories to use when styling a home are crystal clusters. They are beautiful, naturally stunning and harness metaphysical properties.The cluster above is Quartz with Limonite from a quarry in Pennsylvania. The color of this crystal is lovely. It would work with many color stories and decor styles.

This cluster is amazing! Dioptase is most notably known for it's healing properties. The color is very close to the color of emerald. Hmmm, this would have worked great for last weeks style board.

I found this smoke quartz cluster on Ebay. The formation of this cluster is fantastic, just gorgeous.

This pretty lil quartz crystal is from Emily Gems. Quartz crystal has some pretty cool healing qualities. It will radiate energy around the room where it is placed and also absorb negative energy. Even if you don't believe in the power of crystals, they are pretty and very easy to accessorize with. Besides, if there is a possibility that it will get rid of negativity, it's just more bang for your buck!

Cluster pricing can run a little high depending on the type of gem and how large, but Emily Gems has many, many, many crystals and stones. Instead of filling a bowl with potpourri, use smaller stones, all one type or mix a few. One of my favorite ways of featuring stones...
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is to scatter 5-7 gems on a small silver tray for a simple, yet stylish and colorful display.