a little purple cottage

Driving through old town Orange, I came across this little purple cottage, well it’s actually more of a periwinkle color, and I had to stop and take a closer look.  

The plaque on the front says it was built in 1900.  I just love all the period details and the fact that they were not afraid to use some color to highlight the architectural charm.  

“If you're quiet, you're not living.

You've got to be noisy and colorful and lively.”  
-Mel Brooks

Happy Saturday!

ciao! fabiana

the perfect gift for mom

Mother’s Day is a few months away, but it’s never too early to think about special things for my mom, especially with Valentine’s Day and her birthday coming up.  There is a fabulous Helen Ficalora store in Beverly Hills and I recently connected with them. Helen Ficalora creates beautiful and simple customizable jewelry, and they were so kind to send me a sterling silver “MOM” necklace. 

It has become one of my favorite pieces to wear daily.  It looks great layered with other necklaces, or just on its own.  I wanted to share with you all these lovely options for mom.  These pendant charms come in yellow, pink and white gold and also in sterling silver.  Some even have diamond accents.  

The best part about it for me, is they have the cutest grandmother pendants too!  My mom is Mimi, so that would be perfect for her, and the pink gold is so pretty! 

There are so many choices for mom

and also for the grandmother in your life.

These are some of my favorites and

I love the clustered look

Some of these gals wear Helen's initial charm.

I wear mine everyday!

Hot pink is Helen's trademark color, 

and you can see more of 

Helen Ficalora's style on Pinterest. 

There are literally hundreds of choices.  

Please check out Helen Ficalora for all 

the details and let me know what your favorite is! 

ciao! fabiana

outdoor entertaining, French style

A few key ingredients for entertaining like a true connoisseur, from our lovely Marion Hartwich of European Flair Interior Design and Fabric Studio and seen in French Style Magazine this month.

ciao! fabiana

modern victorian

I love how the owners of this 1906 Victorian home decorated it with elements that reflect their love of Paris. 
      

The front of the house looks like a stately 

turn of the century Marin County home,

 but as soon as you enter, 

you're transported to Europe by 

the gorgeous color palette, 

antique furniture, and sophisticated style. 

With all that said, 

they kept the home feeling light and airy 

by painting all the wood floors a bright white. 

What do you think about this mix of

 Victorian and Parisian styles?  

ciao! fabiana

photo credit:  Luxe Magazine. 

Lars chair giveaway

The Lars chair is built in Vermont by skilled craftsmen 

out of solid cherry wood with broad armrests, reminiscent 

of an Adirondack chair.  

Room & Board is giving away one of these beautiful 

Lars Leather Lounge Chairs, which retails for $1,299.  

This chair will become a family heirloom for years to come. 

Enter for a chance to win one at Room & Board,  

now through February 11th, 2015. 

ciao! fabiana

fight the flu the natural way

I recently found this all-natural tea recipe

that helps with fighting flu symptoms.

It's really easy to prepare and tastes 

pretty good, especially when it 

helps to clear up throats and noses.

My whole family came down with the flu 

this weekend, so we decided to try this tea
.

Luckily I had all the ingredients at home,  including 

fresh lemons, thyme and sage from my garden.

I put the peeled ginger, sage, thyme and oregano

 into a 2 cup glass Pyrex measuring cup and let it

steep for 15 minutes. 

Meanwhile, I got my cup 

ready with a little lemon juice and about a teaspoon 

of honey. 

After 15 minutes, I poured the hot liquid 

into my mixture of honey and lemon in my cup. 

It's really  quite good!

Natural Tea Recipe for the Flu:

2 cups boiling hot water
1 slice ginger root (about 1-inch thick)
1/2 tsp oregano (dried, fresh or oil)
1/2 tsp sage (dried or fresh)
1/2 tsp thyme (dried or fresh)

Steep the tea for 15 minutes.

Add honey and lemon to taste.

Use maple syrup for children

under the age of 1.

ciao! fabiana

a shutter decision

I'm trying to decide whether to go with

 black shutters or grey shutters.

I've always loved black,

but I'm also loving 
the pretty shades of greys 

I am seeing.

 black

or grey

 What do you prefer?

For more inspiration, go to shutters.

ciao! fabiana

stella & dot on the real housewives of B H

The PAVÉ CHEVRON NECKLACE in gold 

Two fabulous worlds collide this week on the

Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.

Two things I love will be featured together,

the BH housewives and Stella & Dot jewelry!

Lisa Rinna hosts a trunk show at her

house, and we had a preview last week.

I can’t wait to tune in Tuesday night

to see all the fabulous baubles

the girls pick out!

Lisa trying on the FANELLA Statement Necklace

I have some of those cute bracelets!  

 setting up the goods  

Lisa loves Stella & Dot!

Noreen Fraiser and Lisa Rinna 

so many cute necklaces and bracelets! 

Do you own any Stella & Dot pieces?

To view the whole Stella & Dot line

of jewelry and accessories,

check out Stella & Dot via 

my favorite stylist Cynthia.  

She's fabulous!

ciao! fabiana