Category: Books + Magazines

ADVENTURES IN GARDENING

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I have always loved and appreciated beautiful lush gardens but it wasn’t until Mr. B and I moved into our seaside ranch home that I became interested in our own landscaping. This is primarily due to the fact that we bought a fixer and the gardens left little to be desired. At some point we will rework the outdoor spaces. But for now everything is kept neat and tidy since we are currently focusing on the interiors of our home. When the time comes to reevaluate our outdoor spaces I would love to work with someone like Molly Wood. In the meantime, I will continue to enjoy the garden as it is, particularly the when the roses and spring flowers are in bloom. I love when I can cut flowers from the garden and bring them indoors. Simple pleasures.

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Flowers from our garden waiting to be arranged – Spring 2016

Even though the garden isn’t quite where I want it to be I have enjoyed trying out new plants and flowers in various areas of our property to see how well they respond.  Since I am a planner by nature and have a great affinity for stationary supplies, I am not surprised at the fact that I wanted to purchase a gardening journal to document events in our garden. I recently purchased this journal from Color Box Design & Letterpress. I can’t wait to put it to good use.

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My new garden journal from Colorbox Design & Letterpress.

It has a sweet letterpress design on the cover and is wire bound with 60 blank pages leaving me to decide exactly how I want to put it to use. I am planning to document planting instructions, including what has been planted and where. I plan to incorporate pictures so I can see progress (growth) through pictures and note at what time of year specific plants and flowers were planted and how long they lasted throughout the season. I know it’s winter and but it is never too early to start planning for Spring. Note to self: need to order spring bulbs soon. 

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Flowers in our garden – Spring 2016

A gardening journal accompanied by a nice pen or pencil (my mechanical pencil shown above is from A.G Spalding & Bros.) would make a great housewarming gift or the perfect gift for the gardener in your life. Heck, they are so affordable why not treat yourself to one also. In addition to Adventures in Gardening, Color Box Design & Letterpress has a few other designs that would make perfect gifts including Adventures in Parenting, Adventures of the World and Adventures in the Kitchen. Journals can be purchased here.

All original photos by Reviving Charm via iPhone.

YVES ST. LAURENT: THE PERFECTION OF STYLE

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I am a beauty product junkie and my favorite lipsticks are by YSL. My current favorite shade is a beautiful wine color (No. 54 – Prune Avenue-Dark Maroon). The little gold tubes make me very happy and are definitely a guilty pleasure of mine. Speaking of the French designer Yves Saint Laurent….

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Original photo via Reviving Charm using Waterlogue

Did you know that tickets are now on sale for the special exhibit entitled “Yves Saint Laurent: The Perfection of Style” at the Seattle Art Museum, affectionately known as SAM. The exhibit will run from October 11, 2016 through January 8, 2017 and will showcase highlights from the designer’s 44 year career which will include items that have never been seen by the public before. In 2008 Mr. B and I were fortunate to see the YSL Style exhibit at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts and the SAM exhibit is something I don’t want to miss. These special fashion exhibits are always fun and informative. Trust me, you definitely walk away with a greater appreciation for the world of fashion.

YSL in his Paris studio, 1965.

YSL in his Paris studio, 1965. Photo courtesy of the Seattle Art Museum.

AW 1965

AW 1965. Photo courtesy of the Seattle Art Museum.

1961 or 1962. Photo courtesy of the Seattle Art Museum.

The upcoming exhibit does not cover the personal life of YSL but I thought I would take advantage of this post to include a few pictures from one of the homes he once inhabited with his partner, Pierre Bergé. Villa Mabrouka, which means “House of Luck”, is located in Morocco situated on the terraced cliffs overlooking the Strait of Gibraltar above downtown Tangier. The home measures 9,688 square feet and is situated on two acres. The home has since been sold since Laurent’s death in 2008 but you can read more about his history with Villa Mabrouka Mabrouka here. 

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Alternatively, you can also purchase the book “The Private World of Yves St. Laurent and Pierre Bergé” by Robert Murphy for an indepth look at their stylish lives. Although the book has been around for a bit (published in 2009), it is a must for anyone who loves the world of fashion and interior design. I just love when these two worlds collide, don’t you?

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PEGGY GUGGENHEIM

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Confession: one of my personal quirks is that I can never leave a vacation, no matter how quick it may be, without buying a souvenir of some sort. I’m not talking the touristy travel mug or refrigerator magnet type of souvenirs. I’m talking stylish jewelry or trinkets to grace our home, for example. It is a nice feeling to put on a piece of jewelry or look at a piece of art picked up during our travels and be able to think back upon fond memories. Not actually a bad character trait to have, if I do say so myself!

When Mr. B and I were vacationing in La Jolla a few months back, we stopped into a bookstore where we spent a considerable amount of time looking through volumes of books in almost every genre. I purchased the book “Peggy Guggenheim” by Laurence Tacou-Rumney published in 2002. It is in excellent condition; it looks like the pages had never been cracked open. The book is one of many that graces our family room coffee table. I’ve been wanting to do a little more reading lately and am learning that I need to incorporate a little bit of “down time” in my life. There’s nothing better than curling up on a comfortable chair and reading an interesting book. I might as well start with a book already in my own collection. What are you reading lately? 

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Peggy Guggenheim on our coffee table.

Peggy had a few quirks of her own. She was quite the eccentric woman. And her style included wearing some of the most outrageous sunglasses, including the pair she wears on the front cover of the book. I’ve read that it was her way of protecting herself from her own insecurities. I am not sure if that is true but they do say the eyes are the windows to the soul. That got me thinking about myself. I never leave home without a pair of sunglasses in hand (a post on that to come). You’ll typically find me in the large black oversized kind. Hmmm, I’m starting to wonder what that says about me….I digress…

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A couple of pages from the book “Peggy Guggenheim” by Laurence Tacou-Rumney.

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Today is officially the first day of summer. Temperatures are starting to heat up here in California. It hit 100 degrees at the beach yesterday. I am not a big fan of hot weather which also got me thinking about cool places to escape. When I say “cool”, I am meaning lower temperatures although someplace interesting wouldn’t hurt! While drafting this post I couldn’t help but think of Venice since it did serve as Peggy Guggenheim’s home which has been turned into a wonderful museum for all to enjoy. The museum is situated along Venice’s famed Grand Canal. It has been several years since my last trip to Venice and recalling the sweeping views from the museum patio are just what I needed for a mental escape from the heat. Why don’t you come along and take a quick escape with me…

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A beautiful blue sky.

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Amazing views of the Grand Canal.

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Beautiful architecture.

All photos by Reviving Charm.