fall projects for a monday

Happy Monday! How was your weekend? Ours was busy and relaxing at the same time. Lots of projects in the air, but there was plenty of time for a little R & R. 

Today I want to share a few things to be on the lookout for and a few new projects I’m working on. The photo above is a little corner of our dining room, looking into the family room. You can see how cozy it is here on this window seat. This actually used to be a window before the previous owners of our home added the breakfast room!

I have it decorated with some of my favorite Serena & Lily pillows and throw, and you can see in the family room, I have another favorite S & L pillow and throw blanket on my Mattituck chair.

I'll let you in on a little secret... Wednesday is the start of a HUGE sale at Serena & Lily, so I hope you'll check back on October 2nd for all the details! 

Christina's home

You know how Christina of “Flip or Flop” lives around the corner from me? Well, she’s unveiled her newly decorated home, and I’ll share that with you all soon too!  

Le Pain Quotidien

Have you ever been to Le Pain Quotidien? There’s a location in Fashion Island here in Newport Beach, and it’s become one of my husband and my favorite breakfast spots.  

This was the view of our table on Saturday morning. I had a lovely view of all the pastries, but since I’m eating Paleo, it was eggs and salad for me!  

Butternut Squash Soup

For the past week, I’ve been eating homemade soup for dinner every night. My creation over the weekend is this super yummy Butternut Squash Soup made with cinnamon, coriander, and coconut milk. I’ll share this easy recipe later this week.

I made a huge pot of chicken stock yesterday, and froze half of it for later. With the other half, I plan on making a tomato soup, thickened with a little cauliflower. We'll see how it turns out! 

I’m also working on another tablescape for the week. I think it’ll be fun to use herbs and cuttings from the garden... 

a peek at a Farmhouse Style project

A few other projects for a summer magazine are also in the works. Farmhouse Style projects and recipes are always so fun!  

ciao! fabiana

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 my favorites page with my new items. 

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

For lots of fun extras, follow me on instagram! 

favorite fall recipes

Fall is in the air and with that crisp and cool weather comes the desire to whip up some comfort food! My favorite fall ingredients include apples, pumpkins and butternut squash, so today I’m sharing just a few of my go-to recipes for this time of year.  

We have an apple tree that produces so many apples at once, that I end up freezing bags of pre-slice apples for future desserts. This apple tart recipe is one of my favorites and is so easy to make with store bought puff pastry sheets. 

Click here for this Apple Tart Recipe.

Waking up to Warm Apple Pie Oatmeal would be motivating enough on a cold morning in October, and this recipe can be made the night before for convenience. How yummy is this? 

Soups, of course, are my go-to meal for hearty fall and winter dinners and, three of my favorites include French Onion, Tomato and Butternut Squash.   

This French Onion Soup recipe can be prepared with the yummy cheese and bread topping or to simplify this recipe, just serve with a grilled cheese sandwich and skip the decadent topping! Click here for recipe. 

Tomato soup is my family’s favorite, any time of year, and I have several different recipes I make, but this one is the most popular. 

My personal favorite fall soup features Butternut Squash. This recipe from The Draycott is so yummy but, I also have another one that I absolutely LOVE!  

In fact, I made it last night and will share that recipe soon. All I can say  right now is that it includes cinnamon, cumin, ginger and coconut milk. 

And if you’re looking for super cute and attention-grabbing fall appetizers to bring to a party, look no further! Choose from either a Pumpkin Cheese Ball or a Jack-Lantern Pepper filled with Hummus! 

We made these a couple of years ago for a party, and they were a total hit and pretty yummy too! 

For something totally different but so tasty, check out this recipe for Kate Middleton's Granny's Chutney. I'm making this again today because it's a healthy addition to so many dinner options and also makes a delicious appetizer with crackers and cheese. 

Happy Sunday, ya'll!

ciao! fabiana 

For lots of fun extras, follow me on instagram! 

From cooking to great ideas for entertaining, these are some of my favorite books, easily available on amazon. 

fall decor and more!

From now until this day forward, I'll probably be sharing lots of pumpkins, sunflowers, fall leaves, apple recipes and more! Well, until Thanksgiving is over, and then it’ll be on to Christmas. 😉 

Over the last few weeks, I’ve created a few autumn inspired tablescapes, mostly using soft, muted tones, and it’s been so much fun!  

Pumpkin plates are something I collect, and this is the time of year to use them! The fun for me is to find them at a reasonable price and then to mix and match them with everyday table décor. 

Of course, it also helps to have a few of these mini “baby boo” pumpkins on hand to add to the charm of the season. Luckily Trader Joe’s starts carrying them in early September.  

The Olivia pattern tablecloth and napkins by Pacific & Rose

Pacific & Rose is a line of table linens I just discovered this month from my friend Elizabeth James.    

She’s the print-blocking queen of textiles, and you’ll be seeing more of these fabulous patterns popping up on my tables in October and November. 

The texture of burlap is a great look for this time of year, as seen in these round, ruffled placemats. Plaid throws are another pretty way to add a sense of coziness to the home during fall. 

I really like to use real pumpkins, foliage and flowers in my home. If that’s not an option, in the very least, I like to go outdoors and snip a few interesting branches to add to a vignette. 

The eucalyptus seen on my mantel above was trimmed from my neighbor's tree, who gave me permission to use them for my home. There are so many other pretty options for foliage;  maple, magnolia, olive and birch, to name a few.  

I have a set of eight of these Serena & Lily black and white Riviera chairs, so here you see them in both the breakfast room and the newly cleaned out "sun room". 

It’s comforting for me to use blue in my fall décor, as it’s the prevalent color in my home. I love how a soft blue looks with a hint of tan, soft green and cream. 

Over the past year or two, I’ve picked up a few cute fall pillows when I spot them at a store. This Pumpkin Spice and Everything Nice pillow is an outdoor pillow that's currently on my front porch, but I brought it in for this table vignette, because of the colors. 

These next two pillows were found at Home Goods. If you know me, you know Home Goods is my guilty pleasure, not unlike many of you! 

I have some fun news to share... in a couple of weeks, I’m collaborating with Pelican Courtyard, Seaside Gallery and Pacific & Rose to set up a little autumn tea party here in the courtyard.  

And, you may have guessed... I’m in charge of the tablescape. It's gonna be a fun day!    

Pelican Courtyard in Newport Beach

Another event I super excited about attending is the Fall Day of Design at SOCO Design Center in Costa Mesa next Saturday, October 5 from 10 to 4.  

You are also invited to attend this amazing design event in Orange County! It’s a day of design education and exciting hands-on demos that take a deep look into what’s trending and what’s ahead for design and home interiors. 

We’ll have the chance to be part of engaging talks and insightful workshops with various local designers. They’ll be introducing new fall collections and products, and also talk about the latest in interior trends.

The day also includes a breakfast buffet and swag bags for guests, a sit-down luncheon, as well as light bites and sips at different showrooms throughout the day.  

If you’re interested in attending, click HERE to purchase tickets to reserve your spot today! 

I hope to see you there! 

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”.