sisters weekend

This past weekend my sisters and I met to celebrate the birthday and first anniversary of the passing of our mom. About a month or so ago, we decided the destination should be Cape Cod -- one of her favorite places. Ours, too.



Beautiful and serene in the off-season,



we stayed in a cottage room (at off-season rates!) at the luxurious Chatham Bars Inn.



We laughed, we cried, we exchanged small gifts. We even treated ourselves to room service. {Note the small jars of maple syrup}



And of course, we shopped! Stores weren't open late but here's a sampling of some of our favorites. {You might want to grab a cup of tea for this ...}

Casabella on Route 6A in East Sandwich is filled with inspiring displays of lovely home furnishings. Sparkling faux nests, appliqued furniture, signs, mercury glass and more. Owner Michele was gracious and sweet.








. . .

The Rose Victorian in West Dennis is like an amusement park for tea cup and saucer enthusiasts. Owner Kathy is as dear as a favorite relative. She even remembered us from a couple of years ago!









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Picnic Fashion in Chatham, brought me to a screeching halt upon seeing it festooned in greens with bright pops of red. Stocked with wonderful stuff from vintage hankies to charming flatware to books. When my sisters and I inquired "where's a great place for dinner?" the owner Becky, made calls and circled maps better than our resort's concierge! {Thank you again}
> Picnic Fashion on Facebook





Cork board + push pins + baskets = CLEVER!









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Chatham Village Antiques, which my oldest sister Betsy and I like for their "shabby-chic" room.





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And a few priceless views along the way ...









My cherished sisters (in an unauthorized photo!)



and me, their little sister. :)



And remember the small jars from room service? We filled three with gathered sand, berries and lavender as a keepsake of our special weekend.

xo
elyse

holiday matchbox giveaway!

Welcome!

Once again I am honored (and flattered) to be a host in the fun and festive Where Women Create Twelve Days of Fabulous Giveaways! Today is the kick-off and I am one of four holiday hostesses. You can visit the post to enter today's giveaways at this link: The First Day of Holiday Giveaways.



The giveaway I am offering is a bunch of little decorated matchboxes as seen in my current Make It in Romantic Homes magazine.



I will be sure to fill each box with crafty treats!



Just remember, you need to visit this post at WWC to enter!

Good luck!

xo
elyse

giving thanks and getting ideas

Greetings! I spent a lovely and yummy Thanksgiving with family and stayed at my sister's new-to-her/dream-come-true lakeside cabin and just had to snap pics to share no matter what the lighting (so please bear with dark photos). Also, I am writing this as quickly as possible before running to meet my boys at the bus ... Catch as catch can!



My sister Betsy's cabin is quite adorable and she is having the bestest time ever "feathering" it.



Her bedroom has a view of the lake. {Note her own Anthro splurge on bedding}



My sister's cabin is decorated the way I think cabins should be -- with slipcovers, cheap finds (Betsy loves auctions) and GASP-induced splurges.





In the kitchen, Betsy had the upper cabinets removed and added beadboard and open shelving in their place.



Cabin Fever: Glasses from Dollar Tree, shelving brackets from Anthropologie, and a pretty decanter filled with dishwashing liquid!



Mirrors and mercury glass on the mantle



A small chandelier over the table



The day after Thanksgiving we visited Groff's Mill Pond Nursery to swoon over beautiful displays of decorations.



Love this idea of branches in mason jars filled with moss and natural items.



Inspiration on every shelf!



Wasn't it just summer ... yesterday?

Hope you enjoyed Thanksgiving, too!

xo
elyse

stirring things up

Ever spend time at someone's house and it gives you the urge to try new things around your own home? It happens to me when I visit blogs and it happened recently in person after visiting Christine Chitnis' (Lavender and Limes) very cool home which features lovely blends of patterns, textures and tones, as evidenced in this shower curtain below with which I was instantly smitten!



Yep. Smitten with this Flamenco Shower Curtain from Anthropologie. I began to rationalize ...


The existing shower curtain
- Shows wear
- is discontinued
- Haven't found anything else that I like as much
- Price of current shower curtain x years of use = new shower curtain
- Oldest sister Betsy (a big Anthro fan) says to go for the new one



Today I headed to Anthropologie where there was only 1 left in aqua (surely a sign). While clutching to the shower curtain (mine!), I also found these Spoonful of Sugar knobs on clearance.



On to the small cabinet they went ...



Which of course, kicked off moving around furniture.



The dining room is generally set-up like this and it's pretty tight.



Experimenting, I pushed the table against a window/wall, diner-style.



It's a little different but it just might work.



I've been home alone today and am curious to see what everyone will think about these little changes, purchases and rationales! :)

xo
elyse

hello!

Greetings! I know it's been a while. Probably the longest between posts since I began blogging. Things have been busy!



I am happy to have a Make It tutorial in December's sparkling issue of Romantic Homes. M's blog {OC Cottage} is in there along with Tiffany's site The Fancy Farmgirl, too!

I have all kinds of other stuff brewing ...



An Artisan profile of Margaret Owen coming up in Romantic Homes. {Learn about Margaret's Moroccan Sketchbook workshop in Marrakesh here}


Photo by Bronwyn of Casapinka

as well as a tour of Margaret's cheerful and very cool home for Cottages & Bungalows! This was my first time acting as stylist-photographer-writer and it was so much fun. {I'll share more when it's on newsstands this spring.}



Weeks later I did a "house tour" shoot of blogging pal Hilary's amazing farmhouse for Romantic Homes. {Again, so much to share later!}



There are two more Make It pieces coming up in 2012. Above is a sneeky peek of a Valentine's Day project.



And around the house, we finally started on some exterior projects.
(No, not the door yet ...)



And of course, keeping the boys busy, too!

Phew.

As many of you know, writing for magazines has been a dreamy dream of mine that I have been working at for some time now. It amazes and delights me that it is happening. It's busy but boy, I am thrilled.



Recently I came across this construction paper bookmark I made when I was little.



Of course, it has "my logo" on the back (a big Miffy fan). I feel like my young self would be happy to see me still making things. I know my little self would GASP at my stash of crafting treasures! I do! :)



Still making book marks, too.

{A very special thank you to Karen for this gift of a post. I hope you'll visit her blog -- each post is assembled so thoughtfully and showcases the different mediums with which Karen works -- when she's not enjoying lovely New England towns, that is!}

So speaking of brewing, looks like a quiet moment for hot tea and blog visiting!!!

xo
elyse