the flower chef

My go-to book for arranging flowers is always Carly Cylinder’s “The Flower Chef”. Carly’s easy to use book offers step-by-step instructions and gorgeous photos that make it easy for any beginner like me!

In the book, Carly shows us how to create a variety of arrangements in a “recipe” format. She’ll tell you how many flowers and supplies you’ll need and then offer easy instructions to replicate her gorgeous designs.

This is one of my favorite looks!

Carly is so creative! You can even watch her fun Flower Chef videos on You Tube.

She makes any party look amazing!

P.S. This book makes a GREAT gift too!

I invite you to stop by my new Ciao Tablescapes page. It’s a collection of my favorite tablescapes that I’ve created since starting my blog in 2011. 

I'll be constantly updating this page with new favorites, so check back often! If there are any holidays or themes you’d like to see, leave me a comment! 

You can find the tab at the top of my page or simply click here.

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”.

downton and disneyland

Two of my favorite worlds collided last weekend when Downton Abbey darlings, Michelle Dockery and Laura Carmichael popped in to Disneyland. Here they are posing with Goofy. 

Oh boy, how I wish I could have run into them that day!

It looks like cute Michelle wore her Mickey ears all day long! Here she is enjoying a snack with actor Michael Fox. Do you remember him as Andrew the footman on Downton?

Well, he and Laura Carmichael aka Lady Edith have been dating for a while now. How sweet!  

Cheers!

ciao! fabiana

joanna gaines entertains

Joanna Gaines, the "Queen Bee" of HGTV, knows how to set a table for her friends! She starts with a eucalyptus and herb runner down the center of her table and also embellishes her chandelier the same way. 

Soft peach colored cabbage roses and ranunculus are then added to the table.

Tall brass candlesticks provide plenty of ambiance  and drinks are served in stylish mason jars. 

Each place setting is anchored by a rustic wooden bread board, and an elegant white napkin. 

  

Isn't it charming how each guest gets their own set of gourmet condiments to add to the lunch baguette? Such a sweet little gathering! Joanna, how do you do it? 

Isn’t this the cutest paper doll showing some of Joanna’s favorite fashion choices? Seen in Country Living magazine.

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”.

Shop for MAGNOLIA books here:

  

stylish french seating

I just love this European style of chairs and bar stools! I'm on the hunt for 4 classic French bistro chairs for my kitchen nook, so I've been looking at inspiration pics to help me decide what color would be best.

I love how they can be mixed and matched with other chairs flawlessly and even be taken outdoors when needed on a sunny day.

There’s something about the bent rattan frames and woven seats that just speaks to me.

Not only is this a quintessential European café style, but it’s also the perfect look for a beach house!

I think Serena and Lily is my next stop!

ciao! fabiana

 photo credit:  Country Living, House & Home, Serena & Lily
Rue Magazine, HGTV Magazine

happy valentine's day

Sending valentine wishes your way today!

{hug!}

ciao! fabiana


p.s. stop back over later this week 
for my upcoming posts including...

stylish French seating,

joanna gaines entertains,

two beautiful programs 

and the flower chef.

small tokens of love

Sending lovely thoughts and valentine wishes your way this week with a few sweet images and inspiring sentiments... 

"Let us always meet each other with smile, for the smile is the beginning of love."  -- mother teresa

“Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend.”  -- martin luther king, jr.

"The greatest healing therapy is friendship and love." 

--hubert humphrey

“The beauty of a woman must be seen from in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart, the place where love resides.”  -- audrey hepburn

“Friends can help each other. A true friend is someone who lets you have total freedom to be yourself - and especially to feel. Or, not feel. Whatever you happen to be feeling at the moment is fine with them. That's what real love amounts to - letting a person be what he really is.”  

-- jim morrison

ciao! fabiana

photo credit:

Ballard Designs

Justine Taylor

Grey Likes Weddings

Martha Stewart

See Kate Sew

Ciao Newport Beach Blog

sunday and jane austen

A lovely quote, by one of my favorite authors... It’s hard to believe that one of England’s most amazing novelists, Jane Austen was never publicly acknowledged as a writer during her lifetime. At the time, all her books were published anonymously. 

She began writing stories, plays and poetry when she was just 12 years old. By the age of 23, Jane had written preliminary drafts for the novels that later became Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice and Northanger Abbey. 

Her first published novel, Sense and Sensibility, was credited "By a Lady." Her next book, Pride and Prejudice, was credited to "The Author of Sense and Sensibility." So dear were those characters to her, that she continued to imagine how their lives evolved long after she finished a novel, and for the rest of her life.

As romantic as she was on paper, in her own life, Jane Austen never married, but she once accepted a marriage proposal from the wealthy brother of a close friend, but subsequently turned him down the following day after realizing that she didn't love him. As difficult as that may have been, I 'd have to say Jane must have found comfort in making that paramount decision. 

“Ah! There is nothing like staying at home, for real comfort.”

 ― Jane Austen    

ciao,  fabiana

photo via womans day