Entertaining Inspiration {From Amy Neunsinger}

April 29, 2016

This shoot by Amy Neunsinger
is for a winter party feature at OKL,
yet the whole vibe translates
simply for any season.

Vintage and mix-matched? Check.
Family style service? Yes, please.
House cocktail with Limoncello? Boom...
baby, you know I like to make my own!

Scroll on for the cocktail's recipe, and soak up
inspiration from Neunsinger, who started
her career at Martha Stewart Living.

the dessert bar

images

Limoncello Spritz (from Frances Boswell)

Makes one cocktail

An easy, refreshing cocktail to whip up in a flash with no muddling, shaking, or straining required. This drink goes down like a treat, so buyer beware.
Crushed ice
Several paper-thin slices of limes, lemons, and oranges1.5 ounce shot limoncello, Sparkling water, Mint sprig, to garnish

Directions:

Fill a pretty cocktail glass halfway with crushed ice. Layer in citrus slices to the brim. Add a shot of limoncello and top off with sparkling water. Garnish with a sprig of mint.

2011

Someday soon I will host an outdoor

feast in our cottage's backyard...wanna come?

Peace to you right where you are.

artist

prince fan {Personal Reflections}

April 21, 2016

I have few words available right now as I think
about the passing today of musician and artist Prince.

I lived near Minneapolis for many years
and grew up with his music in my walkman
and danced (sometimes under age!) at First Avenue
where he began his ascent to fame.

I so admired his creativity and his struggle to
make art, please fans, and be a spiritual thinker.

I happen to think at some point, and maybe all along,
he was in on the joke and learned not to take himself
overly seriously...which is a struggle for an artist
with such a reverence for his or her craft.

I will never forget seeing Prince in concert with
some of my favorite people and being mesmerized
by his ability to hold an entire arena captive.

His music and guitar riffs were essentially
the soundtrack of my adolescence
which was quite the hormonal cocktail.

I created some quote pictures to honor Prince,

and this one below may be my favorite since

it is proof positive his was a sensitive soul,

tickled by the inner workings of music,

the cosmos, and even the minutiae

of Dunk-a-Roos.

He has been criticized for his reclusiveness

and need for artistic control, yet he evolved.

There are reminders everywhere that tomorrow
is not promised, and we are never too young to
think about legacy, dreams, and sharing our
talents and love with the world.

Peace to you right where you are.

p.s.
have a favorite Prince song?

Amsterdam Villa

Modern Decor Inspiration: Piet Boon {Amsterdam Villa}

April 20, 2016

Piet Boon brought beautiful balance to this three story
villa in Amsterdam by creating a harmonious atmosphere
filled with natural light, symmetry, and cozy factor.

You may remember I'm a huge admirer of
another member of Piet Boon's team:
Karin Meyn.

Have a favorite design element from this project?

Peace to you right where you are.

BRCA

Personal Reflections {BRCA Journey}

April 19, 2016

This post is actually one from two years ago which
I penned as I recovered from a mastectomy as a preventive
measure for breast cancer due to my BRCA2 genetic mutation.

Though pretty pictures of a boutique hotel I discovered
in Paris and cancer talk may seem impossibly disconnected,
to my open, one-off, and brokenish heart, the pairing brought
a certain mysterious measure of balance to my experience.

my photo - scuffed up Louboutins hint at a part of my story

Today this pairing serves as a reminder of

my BRCA journey toward wholeness in the last couple
years and as an encouragement to keep aiming high
with hope and peace in my heart even when things
around me are in pieces and in transition.

me, mom, and Jo...not just surviving breast cancer but thriving

God is doing a work in me right now, right where I am,
(still in gypsy limbo mode, still vulnerable from life's pains,
still saying YES to the invitation to be stretched)
and I am choosing to listen attentively, to allow
these love lessons to refine and redeem me.

our first trip to Paris just before mom's BC diagnosis and my BRCA2+ journey

Here is my post from two years back:

Thought I would update you on my BRCA2 journey

in a gorgeous setting far away...a fantasy destination

we stumbled on in Paris (must stay here someday).

my photo

In the heart of Le Marais, is the loveliest first-class hotel

Pavillon de la Reine.

my photo

		Learn more about a suite I love at this place right here.

Join me in the library for a chat, won't you?

Oh my, the elegance. Heavens, the discreet luxury!

Let's whisper here about victory.

I made it through the bilateral mastectomy

and reconstruction (NOT a cakewalk).

I do not resemble Angeline Jolie in any sense

except I can now join her in the great relief

of decimating the significant risk of cancer

which has tortured our mothers.

Where is the Pavillon de la Reine?

my photo of the autumn splendor climbing the hotel's walls

Slightly set back from the Place des Vosges.

Just around the corner from the

Place de la Bastille,

Hotels Particulieurs (my fav museums!),

and the shops of the rue des Francs-Bourgeois

(no shopping on the planet like the Marais!).

It's Sunday evening, and I feel pretty dang fierce.

My surgeries were early morning on Thursday.

I went for a walk around the block today.

my photo
(shortly after this photo was taken, i became very ill, and my weight would drop 15 pounds)

Surgical chit chat on my Paris balcony...

Some high drama. Not enough Alloderm (cadaver skin)

for reconstruction, and in case you were wondering, you can't

ask your nurse to make a 7-11 run for a lil' mo skin for a petite fairy

in the middle of surgery. A small miracle...more skin secured.

We are hoping and praying all of my skin survives.

I am so grateful for my surgeons and medical team.

Post-op, I had intense hallucinations, steroidal rage, freeeeeky

side effects of anesthesia, and no sleep until Friday afternoon.

On the upside, my view of the Chicago skyline was rad.

I left the hospital Friday at noon.

There has been no pain (believe it!)

except for migraines from the evil anesthesia.

I am sure I'll be working out in no time.

Wouldn't this be a sweet space for cardio?

Didier Benderli (Kérylos Intérieurs) is the designer

of the interiors, combining aesthetics with innovation.

my photo

Ahhhhhhh, Pavillon de la Reine relaxes me.

The BRCA journey continues, but today was a

simple lovely day of rest and time with my family

after a challenging chapter...victorious is the mood du jour.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart

(which is serving me quite well)

for all the loving comments and concern.

8 Place des Vosges, 75003 Paris

Telephone: + 33 (0)1 40 29 19 19

* * * * *

I think it's helpful to take diversions
from the mundane of the everyday
to reflect on how our stories are
shaping us and equipping us
to live richly full lives.

Thank you for reading with compassion and love.

Peace to you right where you are.

artist

Artist Inspiration: Rosaline Granet

April 15, 2016

our suite.

We're traveling back in time once again
to revisit a few of my favorite lovelies
in Paris...today, sculptures by
Rosaline Granet
are in the spotlight.

(And read on to learn who
won the MicroCotton Giveaway!)

The art begins at the entrance to the Park Hyatt Paris Vendome.

roseline granet dans son atelier à meudon

at work.

Roseline Granet
is 80 now.
She studied design and painting
in New York in 1954
before sculpting in Paris.

With sculptor Jacques Delahaye,
she founded the Clementi foundry
in Meudon, near Auguste Rodin's studio.

Isn't this dreamy peek
(above) at the
fresh infancy of one of her
sculpted beauties both
inspiring and enchanting?

Examples of Granet's human figures in movement.

I snapped this inside our suite's elegant and spacious
bathroom (lit with the most amazing natural light).
Functional art at its best.

What a privilege to share space with Granet's
mesmerizing forms who float, stretch, and soar
throughout the palace designated Park Hyatt.

For more pics of our suite, visit my post here.

In the image above, you may spy
multiple lovely weightless bronze pieces.

More incredibly artful hardware.
Care for a peek outside?

Ahhhhhhhh.
Sans screens.
Sans noise.
An inner sanctum of Paris lovely.

Notice the WC's door lever.

The work of Granet made the Park Hyatt unforgettable
as did the hotel's mysterious bespoke scent
created especially for them by Blaise Mautin.

Should you have the chance to see,
smell, snooze, spa, or sip here,
you will not be disappointed.