my favorite baby shower gifts

I recently had to purchase a few baby gifts, and I wanted something fun and useful (as usual!) This search led me to a couple of new baby care companies that had just what I was looking for! 

Chewbeads makes the most adorable and useful chew toys around, and the best part is Chewbeads are a fashionable jewelry option for mom too!  Just wear and go. Mom and baby will both be happy. 

My other love is Boppy. They make the softest and sweetest baby blankets, toys and accessories. Boppy is well known for their nursing pillows and prenatal accessories, but the blankets are amazing too. The Boppy blankets and the Chewbeads are my go-to baby gift choice!  

Chewbeads are chic mom jewelry that is safe for baby to tug, touch, and chew!  And, they are a sensory tool to help babies focus while nursing or anytime.  They are safe, soft, and soothing on babies’ gums and emerging teeth. 

For added safety, the necklaces have a breakaway clasp. These necklaces and bracelets make great gifts for new moms and even new grandmothers!

So clever and cute!

Even Martha Stewart approves.

Boppy has a great variety of gift choices too. I love the Boppy Chair.  It's a combination high chair, booster seat, and floor seat. Look at how it folds up easily to take anywhere. 

I'm all about comfortable and cute baby clothes and Boppy has some really great options.

What makes this my favorite baby blanket is the luxurious plush fabric that holds up to lots and lots of washings and still stays soft. And best of all, the babies approve too!  The last time I gifted this, I was told that it instantly became baby’s favorite blanky!    

So snuggly! 

The Boppy Nursing Pillow is so versatile for mommy and baby. It will become one of the new mom’s most used items.

Visit Chewbeads & Boppy for more info. 

ciao! fabiana

home tour : modern cape cod style

I wanted to share with you one of my favorite homes from last week’s Newport Harbor Home Tour. Actually, I have several favorites and will share the others soon. 

This one in particular is a great mix of Cape Cod and California coastal styles. Located on Lido Isle this water-front home captures the laid back casual style that's perfect here in Newport Beach. 

The mostly neutral palette and the use of natural materials, such as Carrara marble, limestone, soapstone and flagstone create an organic and comfortable vibe you get as you enter the home. 

A glossy black door greets you as you arrive.   

Inside, the home is a great mix of streamlined traditional furnishings with some fun modern accessories such as the lucite ottomans. 

I love the simple styling of the mid-century inspired coffee table.  It fits in perfectly with the antiques and newer pieces. 

A light and bright hallway leads the way. 

Everyone fell in love with this giant "S"
.

It's such a bold statement against the bead board walls.

This cozy seating area is a favorite spot for the homeowners.

 I guess I love things lined up symmetrically,

because this is my favorite sitting area in the home!

Crisp white tiles and marble are perfect in the kitchen.

The powder room features this gorgeous patterned wallcovering.

This chandelier reminds be of a sea urchin!

The beach bathroom is embedded with real seashells!

I love the color palette in the master bedroom too!

Gorgeous antique lighting can be seen throughout the home.

This craft room is a favorite room in the house,

especially for the grandkids who love to create their own artwork. 

The upstairs laundry room features a pressed tin back splash.

And thanks to my friend Marena 

(also a home tour committee member) 

who snapped this pretty photo in the courtyard. 

other photos by our home tour photographer Susan! 

ciao! fabiana

💕

While I’m here today, I wanted to share some of my "Tablescaping Essentials" with you. I have a whole page on the Amazon website with my favorite picks for setting a beautiful table.

Quite often time is of the essence, and I have last minute projects or events to work on, so I turn to Amazon for one or two day delivery. You’d be surprised at how many amazing items they have to offer! And I'm constantly updating this page with my new favorites. 

You can check it out here, at “Tablescaping Essentials”.

For more Newport Harbor Home Tour inspiration,
check out this brand new book:

who'll stop the rain?

Who doesn’t love a bubble umbrella?!

They're so cute and practical, the way they envelop you and protect you from the rain.  Even though we don’t get a lot of rain here in So Cal, my choice for rainy day outings is this cute style by Shed Rain.     

Even the Queen loves a great clear bubble umbrella!

And, look at these cute patterns... 

I love the clear version, but I went with the black and white allover stripe design that has just the right amount of hot pink, the "Maddy" style.

  

Shed Rain even makes a dramatic and stylish leopard print umbrella!  Even super models get in on the this timeless look. Next on my umbrella list, this “Fierce Leopard” pattern! (Vintage fashion shot of Claudia Schiffer.)

ciao! fabiana

kyle's new closet / dressing room

This week on the finale of the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, we got a peek into Kyle’s new closet! 

Wow! She actually refers it to as a “dressing room”, only because she feels a little guilty about taking up one whole bedroom in her home and converting it into a closet, and that’s why there’s a pull-out sofa in there. 

That way it still could be considered a bedroom, right?  Lucky guests, right?  

Here are a few shots from Kyle's instagram.

I do love the mirrored vanity centered in the window, 

and of course the corner handbag display.

 The mirrored closet doors make the room look twice as 

big and add to the whole glamorous vibe of the room!

This is what the room looked like before! 

I guess her old closet, pictured above, 
was getting a little cramped!

Meanwhile, Andy asked Kyle if she consulted 

Lisa about her closet makeover.... ummm..,

No... oh yes, she did.  But Faye Resnick designed if for her.

 And here's Lisa's massive closet!

 Stay tuned...

next week I discuss the whole kaftan look

that has taken over Bravo this season.

photos via People & Bravo

ciao! fabiana