Of late, I’ve been very tempted to paint my ceiling.  I’ve targeted the ceiling in my hallway and have visions of an orange, plum, or a pink ceiling.  Most rooms in my home have colored walls and white ceilings.  I’d like to do something more surprising in the hall.  I’ve seen this technique used successfully in other places.  But I wonder if I can successfully execute something on my own, scaled down to the size of my house (tiny!).
I like the use of a colored ceiling in the restaurant Celedon …

I have been busy lately; the kind of busy that makes me blind to the simple beauty and everyday treasures around me.   That kind of busy is really a mixture of overbooked + stressed + too many tasks (OSTMT).  I intensely dislike how OSTMT makes me feel frenetic – I am putting out lots of energy but it is going to waste.  I realized that I had slipped into a place of looking out and forward and being blind to what is here and now.  I was missing out on …

Stationery is a guilty pleasure for me. I love stationery and don’t really need a particular reason to buy it. I love the tactile designs of letterpress in particular. And, spending time in a stationery store is something I love. I realize it is old fashioned in a way that is neither hip nor edgy. But I believe it is cool and modern; terribly so in fact.
I recently had an opportunity to take a peek inside India Ink stationery in Hillcrest, San Diego. Relocated from its previous location on India …

Refined hot chocolate is such a treat.  I love indulging in a cup of hot chocolate during fall and winter evenings.  I have a few favorite haunts to sit and enjoy a cup – but that isn’t always practical.  And, sometimes, I just want to be cozy at home.
But I am picky.  (Selective?)
I don’t care for the highly sweetened hot chocolates that you often find available at the market.  These produce a thin cup of watery chocolate flavored drink.  It can be hard to track down the perfect hot chocolate …

Out of a desire to justify the purchase of gorgeous letterpress stationery and a realization that e-mailing friends isn’t the same as a hand written note

Imagine my excitement when I received an e-mail from Extraordinary Desserts in San Diego announcing that they would be hosting a weekly cheese bar.  !!!!! I do love Extraordinary Desserts – the décor, the desserts, the little odds and ends they sell, and the espresso and hot chocolate.  And now, I can add cheese to the list.  I had previously been to the Union Street location and ordered a cheese plate.  I had been impressed by the selection of cheeses and I liked the option to build your own cheese …

I love getting design inspiration, especially when that inspiration shows up in small ways or unexpected places. Lovely. I always carry my camera with me because I just don’t know when I may find something fabulous. Sometimes a piece from fashion will inspire me to do something with interior design or vice versa. I suppose that is the curse of having an open mind; the world is full of possibilities.
                                 It was the face of a watch and a spot varnished brochure that inspired me to stencil a wall in …

What does the sun taste like?  I can’t prove this, but I think it must taste like a tomato.  There is something so bright about a fresh ripe tomato.  I can’t help but think that it is the flavor of the sun.  At Il Postino restaurant in North Park, they have captured that flavor and complimented it with their tomato dip for your pre-dinner bread.  To be honest, I loved it so much I just want to write about that dip.  But, in the interest of balanced coverage, I will …