Lakeview Breakfast for the 4th of July

Join me for blueberries and bagles on the deck at the lakehouse.

Its the fourth of July week!

Its a sunny morning and I have a lot of shadows on my breakfast table.

I set the table with my nana's tablecloth from Ireland.

Purple and pink teacups and a lacey purple teapot.

Scattered lavendar rose petals dropped by a breeze.

Lady X rose gets an invitation to the table.

The lake sparkles in the morning sun.

Square plates with a deep hyacyinth pattern

hold court with a small bowl of berries.

These plates came from a local consignment shop.

Love love love purple..

Purple beaded napkin rings, purple plates,

 purple teapot and teacups

and a purple rose!

Galvanized planters give my table

the rustic country touch I love.

Happy Birthday America!

The greatest country in the world

Linking to Tablescape Thursday

Spiders

If you are an arachnophobe - that is, if you suffer from fear of spiders - DON'T SCROLL DOWN. There are photos that you might not like.

But then, I guess that the average gardener can't be too worried. You can't move a leaf without seeing them, especially at certain times of the year.

I have to say I love them. OK, place one of the really poisonous types on my hand and I might freeze. But for the danger, not because it's a spider. In our house, the yell,of "Call Mum - there's a spider in the bath" occurs frequently.

All right - you've been warned, and I hope there's enough text for the photos not to appear above the fold, so that anyone who hates them will have disappeared by now. But just in case we'll start with the least spidery.

What, I wondered when I was at home in England, were these little yellow balls sitting in my front garden hedge. To the naked eye they just looked like blobs. It wasn't difficult to guess though, and when I blew the photo up - baby spiders!

Whose babies, I wondered. I didn't notice any adult golden-black striped spiders in the garden, but I looked them up and Araneus diadematus seems to match. According to my book on British wildlife, it's supposed to be the most common British garden spider, so I'll go for that.

Not sure about this slightly out of focus but hugely pregnant lady. I know how she feels - I was once hugely pregnant in the June heat too. But haven't been able to identify her so far - ??



By far the most common type of spider in the garden seemed to be a small one with a green abdomen and dark legs. Possibly Araniella cucurbitina ?? But the legs seemed darker. They never stuck around long enough for me to take a photo. How many spiders are there in Britain, I wonder? Or in Italy ? I rarely seem to see them here in the city. And in the whole world?

The last type I saw was, potentially, much more scary. This is what my mother used to call a cob - though what the difference between cobs and spiders is (if there is any), I don't know. And I've not found a really similar picture. But she just sat there at the base of the compost heap while I rushed in to get my camera. So I doubt if she had any really evil intentions ...

Swoon-worthy Staircases

Who doesn't love a grand staircase? 

Ever since Gone With The Wind

a beautiful staircase is the place 

for dramatic entrances and exits.

. 

Handsome steep staircase

 with ebony rails and treads. 

Note the fabulous chandelier.

Same dramatic black and white floor~a major player in this entry.

The angular rail system is striking.

Simplicity in decor lets the staircase standout.

So elegant, this iron rail system with painted treads and risers.

The dark stain of  the door contrasts with the buttery interior.

Favorable Modern House Cedar Clad Exterior Design

This modern house creates social interactive, especially kitchen design, and others space provide interconnected open areas. Cedar clad wall at exterior provide explanation architecture that built with simple and clean geometric forms. The house design structure has favorable setting and utilizes the abundance of natural light made possible by the site’s elevation. This modern house has two-storey open living room, large sliding glazed doors and a walk-out rooftop patio. Designed by Linebox Studio inc..

Modern and Luxury Furniture Interior Natural Home Design Ideas

Architectural design is very popular right now is an ideal design for the modern home complete with a versatile design. Especially in the family room design that provides comfortable atmosphere when all family members gathered setlah not met all day because their activities are very full. This design with a sense of kinship and togetherness can be created again because the family room is fully designed by renowned architectural designer. you can change the atmosphere becomes like a family room that we recommend. let us build our family to stay intact.

Contemporary Residence House Designed by Ehrlich Architects

Here is an eye-catching contemporary house from Ehrlich Architects, a studio founded in 1979. The Zeidler residence is located in Aptos, California in a magical space, overlooking the Pacific Ocean and a few steps away from the beach. Built for a couple and their family, the structure is really impressive in size (3,500 square feet) and has several delimited living spaces. The indoors and exterior were designed in order to take advantage of the site’s potential to the maximum. Large windows and balconies ensure a large amount of natural light and the overall openness of the residence. The interior is very modern, featuring tasteful arrangements and a pale but intriguing color palette. Three king sized bedrooms ensure accommodation for friends and visitors. Does this contemporary residence seem like a nice place to live in or do you consider it too ostentatious?

First appearance as a guest host

I was asked by Cristi at Charm Home to do a guest post for Tuesday's edition. How fun!

I met Cristi through Twitter and have been having a lot of fun tweeting with her

 and her fun friends from Atlanta! 

I discovered Charm Home through our Twitter connection.

One thing I like about Charm Home, 

besides the Atlanta view point on design, 

is how she shares a little bit of her personal life with her hubs Billy. 

They make a very cute couple!

Cristi is as sweet as she is pretty...

no doubt she got her good looks from her mama! 

Check out Cristi's blog for beautiful and functional design advice,

you'll soon be a follower of Charm Home.

 I was thrilled when Cristi asked me to be guest host for her! 

Another first for me in blogworld! 

 Hopefully all of Cristi's readers will enjoy the post that got a lot of positive feedback:

My petite garden conservatory.

Have a great vacation Cristi ~ xxoo

PS I am on vacation too and had to launch this from a
Kinkos wireless facility with my son's laptop. 
 So i am giving you advance notice,
I had to publish my post the night before!

Contemporary bedroom interior decorating inspiration

Contemporary bedroom interior decorating inspiration








Contemporary bedroom designs can have an aesthetic feel to it and at the same time can be a perfect mix of eclectic modern architecture and traditional designs.

Contemporary bedroom suits those people who like to have a streamlined, clean, modern look in their bedroom. The fact of the matter is that a bedroom is a place of relaxation where one can escape from the stress of the professional life. It is a place that is cut off from the rest of the world – some people like to call it their ‘lair’.

But relaxation is defined by different people in different ways. For some people, an earthy feel in their bedroom with brown shades on the wall complementing the contemporary bedroom furniture is the perfect place for relaxation. But there are others who might feel that bare white walls that create a picture of seeming less space coupled with abstract objects and modern paintings, which enhance this effect. The fact of the matter is that there is more to a bedroom than white walls, and other objects of interior decoration

At times, it might be difficult to even come up with contemporary design ideas contemporary bedroom can’t be classified under a single color or combination of colors but it is a matter of choice. You need to first start with finding the right colors. You can first remove the azure blues, the cool greens and the dark brown or rich red out of your mind – you need to think fresh! Contemporary bedroom contemporary bedroom decor like taupe, beige, and a soft mix of 50% gray and light green. and at such times, you can follow these tips: Choosing the right colors: A colors need to be natural, muted and often unobtrusive. So you need to move from the normal colors and look for something that will enhance your

You can even look at off-white, which never goes out of fashion! But the colors should not be restricted only to the walls – you can get some fresh colors and shades to the soft pillows, the bed sheets, quilts so that it can make the contemporary beds look in sync with the décor of the room. Carpet or no carpet: One of the best ways of implementing contemporary design ideas is to choose well-polished hardwood floors instead of the traditional carpet. The ideal modern theme would include a light wood finish on your bedroom floor and a small rug at the corner. If you have mantelpiece in the bedroom then you can put some soft rugs with muted colors so that they can bring in the much needed contrast to your bedroom and enhance the modern décor.

Furniture: This is probably the most important aspect of Contemporary bedroom designs. From contemporary bedroom cabinets to beds and other furniture, you need to use carved wood with light finish. You can even add small pieces of furniture with different wood finishes to enhance the overall look of the contemporary bedroom. Ensure that most of the furniture is pointed.