Here & Now: Winter Light

Winter decorating is all about brightening up a dark house, and adding some glamour to a season otherwise bundled up in fleece and flannel.

I arranged my collection of apothecary jars on top of the china cabinet, where the glass and a garland of glittered fronds catch the light through our bay windows. Each vessel contains a speckled mercury glass vase (remnants from our wedding decor). In the evenings I turn on flickering LED candles and the effect is magical: golden glow and silver reflections on every surface.

Our new chandelier is dressed for the season as well, sporting candles with a gilded finish. There's certainly no rule that says you can't accessorize an accessory!

How do you add extra light and sparkle to your space?

Tablescaping for... No Occasion at All!

Hello friends! I'm still bustling around Seattle... in fact, today I'm being bustled. I'm having my very first dress fitting! Cross your fingers that it zips, and head over to Maggie Rose to see my latest tablescape.

This week I'm using my collection of glass bottles to explore shapes and light, adding sparkle to my everyday table. Definitely a tip anyone could try at home!

You're Invited...

Remember that new Tablescaping column I introduced? I'm pleased to announce a change of venue: it will now be hosted at Maggie Rose! Today I'm setting the table for a summer escape, and of course you're invited. Come on over!

I'm thrilled to be contributing to my friend Maggie's beautiful blog (and I hope you'll stop by and join the party!)

If you're in need of tablescaping inspiration, email me at shockthebourgeois@mac.com!

Girl About Town: Bountiful Home

For those of you who missed this post in its Facebook album form while Blogger was down, enjoy! If you're not yet a fan of the Shock the Bourgeois Facebook page, head on over and click "like" for access to photos that don't make it on the blog!

I know, I've posted about Bountiful Home before. If it seems like I'm gushing, I am! Not only is this one of my favorite places to shop when I'm visiting in Washington, I'm also trying to convince Todd that he needs an assistant... (haha!).

Todd certainly has the knack for styling. Something rusty, something romantic, something a little kooky (just check out that mouse in the party hat!). Bountiful Home & Nursery is a visual treat indoors and out. The garden is lush with Spring blooms, the 100-year-old house is furnished with reworked vintage pieces, and every surface sparkles with mercury glass. I want one of everything.

Working with Todd to decorate my wedding has been an absolute pleasure. Thanks to his recommendation, I've selected Maxine's Floral for bouquets and centerpieces. Things are coming together beautifully- and I'm loving this opportunity to collaborate with such creative people!

Find: Silvered Demitasse Set

Behold, my prize from this weekend's Alameda Flea Market venture: a set of porcelain demitasse cups with a distinctive mirrored finish. I use the word "set" rather loosely, as you must with nearly any lot acquired at the flea market. There are six flawless saucers, five cups (three mint, one chipped, one woefully cracked). Not perfect, but quite enchanting.

I imagine that this set was designed to replicate the look of far more costly silver demitasse cups (like these), and the peaked handle suggests Art Deco origins. A mark attributes them to a German company in Czechoslovakia (which I suppose means they were made between 1918 and 1993), but I'm unable to find any documentation of the mark itself. Very mysterious. Where are those Antiques Roadshow appraisers when you need them?

Regardless of their worth, they're a brilliant addition to my collection of coffee and tea pieces. They'll shine like treasures in my china cabinet... though they would surely glamorize my morning espresso habit!

Girl Around Town: Side

What was it that lured me into Side, an up-cycled furniture boutique on Berkeley's San Pablo Avenue... could it have been a glimmer of aqua blue, or perhaps the enticing aroma of fresh paint? 

The Side business card bears the Sister Parish quote, "innovation is often the ability to reach into the past and bring back what is good, what is beautiful, what is useful, what is lasting." Apt, because that's precisely what owner Carolyn Pickell is doing. While so many contrive to make new furniture appear old, Side celebrates vintage furnishings made young. The tiny shop features an ever-changing assortment of meticulously refinished antiques wearing unexpected paint colors and clever detailing (even pinstripes!). Every surface is laden with treasures, natural curiosities mingling with gilded accessories.

Side has the eclectic aesthetic of a flea market- refined, edited, and styled flawlessly. It's a new Bay Area favorite!

Easter Leftovers

We certainly did. The sun shone, the wine sparkled, everyone had seconds of the ham. Of course, we haven't stopped at seconds (or even thirds). We're enjoying many culinary reincarnations of our coca-cola glazed ham for breakfast, lunch, and dinner! It's delicious (so delicious), but favorite Easter leftover is the bouquet of purple tulips that my very sweet guests brought. 

I've got the enormous bunch arranged in a footed apothecary jar so that each stem arcs out gracefully. Every time I walk by the dining nook I feel the urge to take a picture. We'll polish off the ham and potato salad in a couple days, but I'll be enjoying these pretties forever!

A Flower Frog Makeover

My first issue of Country Living came in the mail the other day, and it is brimming with goodness. Take, for example, this bright idea:

Image from Country Living Magazine, April 2011

Why did I never think of that? Beyond floral arrangements, I've repurposed flower frogs for paintbrushes, feathers, and writing utensils. Having over a dozen sharpened pencils at the ready? Pretty, but not so useful. An array of makeup brushes? Useful for getting pretty!

As it turns out, I had exactly the same number of makeup brushes as slots in this simple vintage glass flower frog. And it looks just right with the trio of mismatched goblets that contains other beauty basics on my vanity desk. I love the way this vignette adds some glamour to a daily routine.

Kitchen Chemistry in the Works

Our kitchen has evolved into a truly efficient workspace. The marble surface of my beloved kitchen island allows me to spread out all of my ingredients- and I still have room enough for a "basics station."

I've tried to design our kitchen to cater to good cooking practices (like remembering salt & pepper) so I established a permanent spot for the most basic seasonings. Now, while we're consulting a cookbook, we can also grab a pinch of salt, fresh-ground pepper, or sugar. We've got one of these beauties on our registry, but for now we use the mortar and pestle to grind roasted peppercorns (and we get a little exercise while we're at it!). The tray is actually an Ikea pie pan with a ruffly shape that appealed to me. I intend to try a quiche in it eventually, but at the moment it's catching loose salt sprinkles and keeping the counter neat. 

I prefer all-white ceramics for kitchen and dining, which allows me to mix and match interesting shapes, including some with floppy ears...

This weekend I'll be testing out a new gingersnap recipe, but that's not all that's cooking at Shock the Bourgeois: I'm going to be hosting my first ever giveaway! It's a good one (like, I wish I was eligible to win) and I can't wait to give you the details.

Until next week,

xoxo

Elizabeth

Spring Gallery

Last week's visit from a swallowtail butterfly prompted me to add some signs of Spring to my decor, starting with a new gallery wall in my living room.

I've been tweaking my living room for months trying to get it just right. When my workspace was featured in Where We Blog From back in November, my desk occupied the corner by the windows. To make the room more comfortable for my Thanksgiving guests, I rearranged and hung new art (as seen below). 

It was an improvement, but the art looked stale and washed-out to me. Finally, last week I found the solution! The Ikea picture ledges allow me to layer frames for more impact, and their modern lines make my eclectic art collection look more graphic than granny. I also realized that I was using the wrong metallic- doesn't that antiqued gold look warm and rich against my mauvey-gray walls? I'm still waffling on adding more color to my decor, but for now, a little glimpse of blue sky goes a long way!

The cloud painting is a promo postcard from an art gallery, and my set of vintage butterfly prints ($5 on eBay years ago) acknowledge the season. The framed W (for WarLock, of course) is perhaps my cheapest and easiest DIY to date. I picked up the golden letter ornament for $1 at Restoration Hardware, mounted it directly onto the cardboard backer of the Ikea frame, and added a guinea feather for good measure. Under $20, under 20 minutes, and I love it. It ties the colors and textures of other pieces together, and the curved line of the feather balances the arrangement. It also happens to be a preview of the themes I'm using for the wedding... so I get a little "I-can't-wait" thrill every time I look at it!

The last and best addition to the living room is the industrial swing-arm wall lamp, a lucky $30 find at Jeremy's in Berkeley. I'd purchased it for my bedroom, but it did something amazing for this formerly  unlit and unloved corner: it turned it into the coziest nook in the house.

I think I'm finally on to something. Anyone else redecorating this Spring?

Our Cabinet of Curiosities

I blog so often about cabinets of curiosity, it seems only fair to share my own...

Our petite cabinet of curiosities resides in the living room. The cabinet itself was a Craig's List find, purchased for $50 in Seattle, from a very kind woman helping her elderly friend downsize. I was so in love with the uncommon greige finish and elegant shape, I made Adam take an afternoon off to help me load it into a borrowed car, back down a perilous driveway, and inch it up our steep and narrow staircase. When we finally got it inside, I found a booklet full of neatly penned notes comparing bottles of scotch tucked into a drawer. Imagining that this might have been a little old lady's liquor cabinet still makes me giggle!

We've filled it with treasures, valuable for otherwise. Beautiful art books and vintage ephemera mingle  with found objects and natural oddities. Adam's collection of laboratory glassware stands next to 20 years worth of my beach-combing souvenirs. My alligator head grins from the second shelf, with a mouthful of foreign coins. The cabinet is home to items inherently beautiful and sentimental, like my Great-Grandmother's china teacup (or a vial of kitten teeth!)

I papered the back of the cabinet with pages from a tattered old Japanese & English dictionary: yet another layer of meaning for the curious observer.

How do you display your most prized belongings and mementos?

Jingling Jewelry for the Holidays

If you're looking for something sparkly for your someone special (or yourself) this holiday season, be sure to stop by Rappaccini's Garden on Etsy...

There's still time to get a pretty piece shipped before Christmas, and be sure to stop by the Rappaccini's Garden facebook page for a special 15% off coupon code!

Still Giving Thanks

So many thanks to my family who came down from Seattle to spend Thanksgiving with us! We had a busy weekend sharing our favorite shops and sights, being the only 5 people in Berkeley pleased to see the Huskies beat Cal, and feasting upon Ferdinand the turkey.

Mom apparently had Thanksgiving and Christmas confused, because she arrived bearing gifts (who was I to correct her?). This week's blog posts may have a "wonderful thing my Mom got me" theme! For instance, she brought me this charming little pitcher, which not only had the perfect sentiment for the occasion, but also matched my table setting. How does she do that? 

Ferdinand turned out to be the most marvelous turkey I've ever eaten: tender, fragrant, and slightly apple-flavored thanks to his cider and Calvados brine. We'll be enjoying him on sandwiches and in soup for several more days, along with leftover mashed red potatoes, sourdough & green apple stuffing, cinnamon-spiced cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie!

I got a bit caught up in family and food and forgot to take pictures of my Thanksgiving table, but my bouquet of roses, cabbage, and feather sprays is still looking lovely and reminding me of all of our holiday fun. Mom, Dad, Drew (and Ellie & Paige), I miss you already!

I swear I'm still feeling the soporific effects of all of this sumptuous fowl, so I'm spending the day with the Nutcracker ballet and a pile of December magazines. Can it be time to decorate for Christmas already?

How was your Thanksgiving?

Beautiful Bounty in Edmonds, WA

Here's a special Christmas shopping word to the wise for my Western Washington readers: try downtown Edmonds for nostalgia, twinkle-lights, and one of my new favorite shops.

Bountiful Home resides in a little old house just off of Main Street. If you pass through its arbor and down the garden path, you'll find yourself on a welcoming porch arrayed with potted plants and rusty finds. Once inside you'll understand how Bountiful Home gets its name. Special things sparkle all around.

The shop is an homage to all things old-fashioned and lovely, from vintage glass bottles and snail-mail stationery down to the creaking floorboards. Forget about just wanting to buy something- you'll want to move in.

Definitely the place to go for romantic holiday trimmings and memorable hand-picked gifts!

Anthology Launch Party Wrap-Up

We made it to the Anthology Magazine Launch Party! We sipped, mingled, and saved! We stood like, an inch away from Victoria and Grant K. Gibson! We basked in the design glory!

Okay, I'll be honest. I shopped a little for me too. Congratulations to the brilliant women behind Anthology! The party was incredible, and I'll be poring over Issue I allllllll weekend.

As you probably noticed, Shock the Bourgeois is undergoing a little makeover. I'm finally shaking some of the recurring problems that came with my old design, and aiming to make the blog more readable (and welcoming to new followers). I'd love to have your feedback! Shoot me an email anytime at shockthebourgeois@mac.com

Happy Weekend,

xoxo Elizabeth

Re-Acclimating

I'm back from my visit to Seattle and taking some time to get over a cold and get used to the heat! It's 80º here. Forget about 900 miles, I feel like I got transported back in time to, say, July. Quite unnatural.

Next week I'll resume daily posting, and I've got quite the lineup. Adam will rejoin us with his second Autumnal Soup recipe, I'll share some of my adventures in the greater Seattle area, and (best of all) I'll redefine what it means to go all out for Halloween. Mua-ha-ha-ha-ha! (<--- Evil laugh.)

Take a look at my Mom's spooky decor. I have a lot to live up to!

Word to the Wise: 101 Things to Put in Apothecary Jars

I'm kicking off my Seattle visit with a shout-out to local blogger Maggie Morgan of Maggie Rose, who just published her first ebook, 101 Things to Put in Apothecary Jars. I can't divulge the 101 decorating secrets within, but I can tell you that I'd never thought of idea #12 before, and that suggestion #40 would fit into my decor nicely!

When I get back to Berkeley, I'm going to be putting Maggie's tips to the test in my own collection of apothecary jars- because right now they're just filled with air!

I'm off to enjoy the Northwest! Wishing you all a beautiful weekend,

Elizabeth

Here & Now: Our Dining Room "After"

My dining table has made many appearances on this blog- usually as the backdrop for one of Adam's gourmet creations. I'm feeling brave today, and I thought I'd show you how it fits into our dining room (or our dining alcove, to be more accurate).

For those of you who've started reading recently, last year (at about this time) Adam and I were informed that his job would be moving from Seattle to Berkeley. We had very little time to decide our course of action- and only a weekend to find a new home in California. Our apartment was selected for its practicality rather than its prettiness. In fact, it was downright ugly. If you don't believe me, check out the "before" pictures here. 

The only remotely charming feature of the otherwise bland apartment was the bay window in the dining area. I thought, "I can do something with this." And I think I did.