30 December 2009

be our guest! (guest room reveal. sort of.)

"be our guest! be our guest!
our command is your request
it's been years since we've had anybody here
and we're obsessed
with your meal, with your ease
yes, indeed, we aim to please..."

with gina moved out and the holidays upon us, it was time to do a bit of "sprucing" in the guest bedroom. and, while it's not completely finished (there are more furniture pieces to find and acquire), it's done enough for guests and, thus, for this unveiling.

if you recall, this is what i started with. yes, the entire house was this color, including the ceilings in many places (and this room was one of them). *ugh*

and, you may also recall, by a stroke of luck (or, as i prefer to refer to it, GENIUS), i made a game time decision and chose to paint the room in a lovely shade of greeny-blue - "beach water" by ralph lauren. it looks like a pistachio ice cream milkshake and it's SO lovely.

from there it took some time to develop the look and feel of the room. i had lots of conflicting thoughts on everything except for the bed.

the bed was to be white-on-white-on-white-on-white. something that guests could sink into like a cloud and really feel at home in. luckily, ikea has a lovely vintage-feeling wrought iron scrollwork bed, the "leirvik", and at $80 (on sale) for a full it's a steal.

bedding is a mix of whites as well. jacquard dot sheets from both martha stewart and target (theirs are sold out online, but you can still find them in-store) for a mix of textures and sheens, paired with a big fluffy down comforter from pacific coast down (a DEAL at costco), and a coverlet from target for warmer nights (or nights that require extra warmth) - all of these make for a nice hotel-like bed to burrow into.

the room was still missing some ZING though and i was lacking in inspiration. so, a couple of days ago, while mourning the loss of my favorite candy store in the city (the AMAZING miette on hayes), i decided to go for a vintage candy shop feel.

as luck would have it, i was returning some gifts at anthropologie that day and a shower curtain that i'd been flirting with for months caught my eye. our windows are 70" tall (HUGE) so a shower curtain is actually the perfect height for them. (and i don't think there should be any rules in a house about what goes where, so why not a shower curtain in a bedroom?).












as you can see, this curtain adds so much punch to the room, both color-wise and in terms of texture. in the daytime, with the sun streaming in behind it, it literally lights up the room with all of those lovely colors. and it provides a much-needed palate for the remaining furniture and accessories purchases. (note also the switch plates and outlet covers that i agonized over.)

i also had to choose a color for the closet interior, to continue my "project doorway". it was a tough choice - i wanted something cheerful but not distracting. i ended up choosing a blueish-emerald to bring out the tones in the wall. it's behr's "precious emerald" in high gloss. i love it.

and, finally, to make the room habitable, i added just a couple of temporary touches. a small rattan bench seat that i have had since i was a little girl. a potted plant for freshening the air. and some GORGEOUS lollipops in blue and green as a nod to my initial inspiration (they will eventually end up upright on a desk - i have one just like this, it was my dad's homework desk when he was a boy - or table).

hope you all like it! please let me know if you have any fab ideas for accessories or furniture - i'm hoping to poke around the local antiques fair next month!

oh - and start booking now! san francisco is super this time of year!

jen x


p.s. i know i am SUPER behind on posts, so i'll plan on two next week: "best holiday pie ever" (bookmark it for next year) and my master bedroom reveal because *YAY* i've finally received my chandelier!

lights out - nap time!

07 December 2009

sandra and john get engaged.

60 cupcakes, 12 bottles of champagne and more-cheese-than-you-can-shake-a-stick-at consumed - pretty good for a sunday night!

as many of you well know, i love a good (or any, really) reason to throw a party. last night i had the pleasure of co-hosting, with my good friend elaine, an engagement party for two of my favorite people at my home.

i met john when i was involved in "team in training's" san francisco triathlon team. he's incredibly handsome... so i'd assumed he was just another playboy. instead he turned out to be one of the most genuine people i have met in my adult life. he's caring and kind and he's like the little brother i've always hoped for.

sandra i met a couple of years later. while we went to college together, i'd never had the pleasure of meeting her. i finally got the chance when several friends decided to travel to peru to hike the inka trail to machu picchu and she decided to join us. she was instantly lovable - a strong, independent (and half-asian, so gorgeous) girl who has a soft spot for people in need. i was friend-crushing on her immediately.

so, our mutual friend amanda (a sneaky little minx) hatched a plan to fix them up. they were perfect for each other and we would hound and cajole them until they realized it too!

and now, 3 years later, there's a ring on her finger and a brand new puppy to love.

here are a few shots of the decorations for the party we hosted - though i failed to take any of the guests as i was far too busy enjoying myself.

it was a simple affair - cupcakes (carrot for he and yellow with chocolate for she, and chocolate with brown butter or cream cheese for everyone else), champagne cocktails (with elderflower liqueur and fresh peach, blackberry and raspberry puree for mixers), and my favorite french candies for all. oh, and enough cheese to put everyone into a coma.

it was so nice to wake up to 6 dozen roses on my doorstep! thanks, "babe"!

party prep in progress (and yes, all cupcakes and frostings were from scratch!).

fresh flowers, in red and pink, everywhere.



elaine and her doug start pouring for the guests!

sandra and john, may you be incredibly happy and may life bring you all of the blessings you deserve. i love you both!

xoxo jen

P.S. since i was cleaning and making 75 cupcakes already, i decided to make it an even hundred and hosted "rad friend event" #1 at my house on saturday night.

here are a few photos of said rad friends sitting by the tree, watching classic christmas cartoons, with homemade persimmon old-fashioneds (thanks, nicole!).



02 December 2009

operation "trim der tree" complete.


okay, i must admit, there's no REAL point to this post other than to show off my AWESOME tree. it took hours to decorate (and i still have to trim, for real, the bottom a bit) but i LURVE him.

he's 11 feet of holiday glory and he makes me feel all tingly and happy inside when he's turned on.

do you have yours up yet? share your photos with me - i can't get enough of this stuff!

01 December 2009

christmas, christmas time is here!

remember this one?! oh, the memories!



TREE! wheeeeeeeeeeeee!

i am a total holiday dorkus. and i'm OKAY with that. every year i get a 10+ foot tree and park it in my living room. and while this year my living room is a bit more "petit", it seemed wrong to go smaller on the tree when i have so much to celebrate and be thankful for.

so, on saturday morning, g and i went to get trees (one for each of us) to ring in the holiday season.

gina and "doug" the douglas fir

mah boo (the tree, not the dude - though he was very nice). i like "noble" trees (and men, if you know any!).

this was no easy feat! strapping two hulking trees to my bike racks and getting them safely home on 280 was a team effort. and i had to drive like a 90-year-old (i mean slow, and not plowing into markets and houses).

okay, technically this photo is from my sunday trip to ikea (more on that later), but i NEVER get tired of crossing the bridge into this beautiful city!

hope you are enjoying the holiday season and all of the friends, family and traditions you hold dear.

merry, merry!

jen xx

me, atop my 10-foot ladder, trimming my tree
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