Living an Organized Life IV Part II

This is Part II of the Met Monday post. I had some technical difficulties.

I cleaned off the clutter on the sofa table and added a blue & white fish bowl and then hung the iron scroll piece on the wall.

A runner was added to the table, a prelude to this Thursday's Tablescape.

Here is one of the planters I filled with faux pumpkins and gourds on a bed of raffia.

I added fall pillows to the wicker chairs (oops where did Mr. B's pillow go!) and a giant cornucopia.

Another shot of the sitting area.

Be sure to join me all this week for more on my trip to Nell Hill's. We depart on Thursday. I have found some great pics of her shop online.

Living an Organized Life IV Part I

Last Monday I took off being organized -since it was a holiday and all - why organize when you can read a great book instead? It's back to work this weekend & since it was great weather, I asked Mr. B (who never needs convincing to organize) to help me clean the back porch on the upstairs of our house. Here you can see the trees have fallen over and the ferns are failing! We buy six ferns every year the weekend of Mothers Day. They do really well in the shade of the porch up until late summer.

This is off our master bedroom & is where we sit to catch up, listen to music and read in the evenings. Yes, that is a Christmas pillow on Mr. B's chair because he insists it's the only pillow that helps his back when he sits there.

Stuff that has gathered over the spring and summer.

This is outside the dining room entry way to the porch. Here you see my fountain I got for mothers day, which I adore. The ferns look pretty good in this picture, but really went down hill the past few days so I pitched them. Also you can see the table where we enjoy dining al fresco for dinner and breakfast many times during the warm weather.

These pictures are (the before) show some well worn summer usage~ it needed a spruce up for fall!

T Minus Six

Well in less than six days I will be on the road to Atchinson! The planning continues. I was at the booth yesterday with Mom and we had such a nice time rearranging the space for some new items arriving tomorrow. I hope to return from the trip will all kinds of inspiring ideas to pass along to you my Beeutiful friends. Here is some additional information about where we are going next week taken from the nellhills.com website. Hope you enjoy and have a great weekend.

Nell Hill's - Atchison
The thrill of the hunt is part of the adventure at the original Nell Hill’s, where the pursuit of a great accessory at a great price is part of the excitement. Every visit here is a different indulgence, as each floor is redecorated, restocked, and reinvented to accommodate a never-ending flow of new seasonal accents and accessories. Discover why 75,000 visitors a year report that visiting this cozy, comfortable shop is like going to one big party.

Garrity’s Encore - Atchison
This old-world store, with its hand-plastered ceilings, old-fashioned powder rooms, and stately marble accents reflects Mary Carol’s love of the classic. It provides the perfect backdrop for her to showcase inventive tabletops and seasonal centerpieces, always layering old with new, antique with contemporary, to achieve the right balance. Visitors will find a large selection of wall art, including original oils, at affordable prices.

Nell Hill's - Kansas City
The largest and newest store, with 16,000 square feet of realistic room settings, has loads of style with deep crown moldings, working fireplaces, fabulous area rugs, and sixteen different rooms painted in Mary Carol’s favorite colors. You’ll find a vast selection of upholstered pieces, larger case goods including bookcases, armoires, and entertainment units, and more than twenty sumptuous beds, as well as custom design services.

Road Trip

I have some very exciting news! I am going on a road trip to Kansas one week from Thursday to visit Nell Hill's & Mary Garrity's open house!

This is something I've wanted to do for a long time, so this year I decided I wasn't getting any younger and to go for it. Luckily my Mom has agreed to drive with me the 9 hours it will take to get there - she makes great company - and won't ask "are we there yet" one single time!

As a prelude to our trip (which of course I will be taking you along with me via the blog) I thought I'd post some more information about the store(s) and Ms. Garrity in the days leading up to our trip. We begin today with general information about Ms. Garrity.

"Mary Carol Garrity established Nell Hill's in 1981 in an old bank building in her hometown of Atchison, Kansas, naming the store after her maternal grandmother who was an early Kansas pioneer. This landmark retail store has become legendary in the decorating world—more than ninety-five percent of Nell Hill’s patrons travel more than 100 miles to visit Mary Carol at her flagship store. Since its humble beginnings as a gourmet food shop, the Nell Hill’s stores have grown to include the original location and a sister store, Garrity’s Encore, in Atchison, Kansas, as well as the latest addition—the new Nell Hill’s at Briarcliff Village in Kansas City.

Over the past twenty-eight years, Mary Carol has garnered national attention with Forbes magazine dubbing her "one of the hottest little retailers" in America. Entrepreneur Mary Carol Garrity’s business savvy and designscapes have garnered national attention from CBS’s The Early Show, NBC’s Today shows, The Wall Street Journal, Fortune, Midwest Living, Country Living, Victoria, and many more. Mary Carol is known for her elegant, but practical tips on everything from holiday decorating to stylish ways to entertain at home, setting tables and displays that wow guests with their inspiration and affordability.
As one of today’s most sought-after lifestyle resources—with her own series of books, a column syndicated weekly throughout the U.S., a line of home accents carried by 750 stores, and custom paint colors—Mary Carol is always available to answer her customers’ questions and offer real-life decorating solutions. She encourages customers to bring pictures of the areas of the home that they are redecorating. She never forgets a face, thrives on meeting people, and is known to always rise to the challenge of helping her customers uncover their own style.
She has been a lifelong resident of Atchison, Kansas, where she grew up working in her parents’ retail clothing store. She and her husband, Dan Garrity, have raised a daughter in Atchison and have been active members of the community. In addition to giving back to the growth of their hometown, they have also worked hard to promote Kansas City as an important destination for visitors. "

Check out her wonderful website to learn more about her stores and products available online.

Text and images from Nell Hill's website.

Tablescape Thursday

It is that time of the week again, Tablescape Thursday, as we join our host Susan over at Between Naps on the Porch for some great tablescapes.

My post today was inspired by these apples and pears I found out shopping one day. The same day I found this tablecloth and napkins. They seemed to match perfectly. You'll remember the birds of paradise plates from the booth. I added green plates and goblets I have already at home. The apple salt and pepper shaker topped it off. The last picture is with the flash on so you can get a better view of the plates. Hope you enjoy!

Tablescape Preview

Can you believe it's September 1st? Where has the year gone? I think it's true time goes faster the older you get. Today I thought I'd share a few inspiration images for my tablescape this week. Remember here where I posted about apples? Well that tablescape never came together so this week I'm taking another shot at it. If October means pumpkins, then September surely means apples. Hope to see you back here on Thursday!

All images from google image.

Living an Organized Life III

We start backwards with the clean cabinet.

Here it is emptied out and ready to be organized!

Yikes! There is stuff in here moved from our other house, that's not a good sign.

What lurks behind this cabinet?

Today I'm joining Susan over at Between Naps on the Porch for Met Monday.

This is part 3 of living an organized life. As the days get longer (sunset at 8:10 last night) and the nights are cooler I think we all start to want to get back into our kitchens. I find it really hard to do a lot of baking in the summer time because we have a really small kitchen and it heats up quickly. I thought organizing the spice cabinet this week would be a good head start for the baking season. I've posted below the information from Martha Stewart's website regarding spices for your consideration along with the link to her checklist of spices. Thank goodness a lot of these spices now come with expiration dates, because often I can't remember when I purchased them!

Spice Rack
"Variety, we all know, is the spice of life, but it's also true that spices add incredible variety to your culinary endeavors. When it comes to seasoning with spices and dried herbs, follow your nose. You'll quickly develop a sense of how these flavorings complement each dish. Spices won't spoil, but they will lose potency over time, and in general, they're best if used within six months of purchase. They should be stored in a cool, dry place, and if you're unsure of a spice's freshness, take a sniff -- if there's no smell, toss it and restock."

http://www.marthastewart.com/photogallery/how-to-stock-home-essentials#slide_2