Today I Like ... Celadon

On a scale of one to 10, how obnoxious would it be if I told people my favorite color is celadon? I mean, you'd hate that person, right? No one wants to ask what someone's favorite color is and get back, "puce" or "carnelian" or "lapis." But here's the truth: sometimes there is only one name that fits for your favorite color, and at the moment, the only name that can describe my favorite shade of milky blue-green mint is celadon.

 Celadon looks especially good when it's repeated, like in this room by Amy Butler.

 It's like that cool jade color you see in the background of Chinese wallpaper. I never knew the right name for it. Isn't it so lovely in this bathroom from Atlanta Homes?

 A grassy green shade painted on the cabinets, with celadon-painted checkerboard floors, from Country Living.

The name of the color comes from a type of glaze and ceramics ware made in China. It's the same color that graces the boxes of Laduree macarons...if that's not an endorsement, I don't know what is. Here are some celadon items that have caught my eye:

1. Amazing iPhone cover, $35. I love how it looks like ceramics!
2. Necklace, $36 from Bauble Bar.
3. Earrings, $120 from etsy seller Catherine Nicole.
4. Celadon bowl, $175 by CC Ceramics on etsy.
5. Garden stool, available to the trade, but also sometimes pops up on One Kings Lane.
6. Paint in "Rain" by Serena and Lily.
7. Rug, $2,750 from Calypso St. Barth. (I would check Overstock for copycats at better prices!) 

Summatime Wish List

The funny thing about summer is that it's really just 3-4 months (depending on where you live), but for whatever reason, you always feel like you need to buy new swimsuits, new totes, new hats, new beach towels, new sandals, etc. And why not? It's your uniform for the summer!


I did a little damage at Target, but here's some items I'd love to be droppin' dollas on (if I didn't have a dentist appointment in my near future...):

1. Hammock, $70 by etsy seller Veronica Colindres.
2. Clear beach bag, $20 at H&M
3. Ombre swimsuit, $178 at Bloomingdales.
4. Mademoiselle beach towel, $30 at Bed, Bath & Beyond.
5. English garden bench, $278.60 at Terrain.
6. Good Nacht lantern kit, $14 at BHLDN.
7. Beach House beeswax votives, $14 at BHLDN
8. The New Black ombre polish, $22 at Sephora.

Memorial Day Weekend in Pics

Did you all have the best Memorial Day weekend? Sean had to work, so mine was super low-key, but that's kind of ideal. My big project was cleaning out the closets (and I'm not quite done yet), but I still squeezed some outdoor time in. Here's my weekend in pictures.

Sean and I had bbq at County Grill in Hampton, and then went for a quick walk at Buckroe Beach, which is surprisingly nice.

I saw this guy at the Lions Bridge in Newport News on Sunday...

Which was a beautiful day, incidentally.

I also made sea salt honey butter popcorn, which was a revelation...

And tried Eddie Ross's sangria recipe. It was a good one.

Sunday Best v.108

How's your Memorial Day weekend going? We hopped over to Buckroe Beach after eating our favorite pork BBQ on Saturday, but unfortunately, Sean has to work all weekend. I cleaned our guest room closet, which sounds miserable, but it NEEDED to happen. Desperately.

Today I'm thinking I'll carve out some time for sunshine (maybe clean the porch?), but I'm also thinking about going out to get supplies for peach sangria and new flip flops. At some point, popsicle makers might be necessity, because I'm thinking these strawberry and grapefruit Greyhound popsicles have to happen.

• Designers show how to make a bed.
• Self-help advice from a toddler.
• Frustrated journalist cat. Nuff said.
• Pictures of the American West from 150 years ago.
• 24 hours with Karl Lagerfeld.
• Are you familiar with the woman tax. Total b.s.
• Annnnnndddd Anchorman 2.

Today I Like ... White and Wood

From here.

From here.

Originally from Design Sponge.

It's hard to call this a today I like, because it's more like, For years, I've been obsessed with...white + wood. It looks terrible in 80s-style apartment kitchens, but in a minimalist home, it can be so beautiful. The contrast of stark white and warm wood just gets me.

It's also a brilliant way to decorate on a dime. If you can't paint the walls, or want to make a statement on the cheap, it's hard to do better than stick to a simple palette like this.

Get the Look

White & Wood by amberfiona featuring wood jewelry

1. Freeman Storage Unit, $449 from West Elm.
2. Mojave letterpress coasters (technically cork!), $20 from Inhauspress.
3. Wood and stoneware vase, $62.25 at Design Within Reach.
4. Ivory serving utensils, $38 at Leif.
5. Savile chair, $289 at Design Within Reach.
6. Turning pendant, $149 at West Elm.

Wino Wednesday: A Tour of France

Announcing: the Winos are taking a wine tour around the world! We're not leaving Hampton Roads, mind you...but we are going to tackle theme nights of wine and cuisine. Erica tweaked this map to highlight our destinations, starting with France! (Japan, by the way, will be our first sake night!)

 Lauren hosted our visit to France, and created a lovely spread on her ironically French country-themed dining table. She had crudite (veggies tossed with dressing)...

 French bread and nutella...

 Raspberry mousse (with a varietal of mint leaves that taste like chocolate and mint...AHHHH-mazing)...

 Truffles...

 Bacon-wrapped dates...

And smoked salmon with sour cream and guacamole.

 We each popped over to the France section of our local wine shops and grocery stores and ended up with:

• Louis Jadot Beaujolais-Villages: a bright, fruity, light red that was very drinkable and smooth. An eensy bit spicy. Beaujolais is made from the Gamay grape, which is low in tannins. In laymen's terms, that means it's easier to drink and should be consumed when it's young. 
• Barton & Guestier Beaujolais-Villages: I brought this one, and it was good, but I slightly preferred the Louis Jadot. This one was a bit spicier.
• J.V. Fleury GSM: A GSM is short-hand for a wine made with three grapes: grenache, shiraz and mourvedre. It's fruity, but spicy and dryer than the beaujolais. 

 Miss Lauren scrambled to grab a bottle and couldn't find one from France that wasn't too pricey at her grocery store, so she grabbed a California wine that had a fleur de lis on the label. That counts, right? She got De Loach chardonnay. As chardonnays go, this was easy-drinking, not too dry, and that's big words from someone who isn't a big chard fan.

 We also enjoyed this lovely Frenchhouse Vin de Pays D'oc rose. Erica taught us that "vin de pays d'oc" basically means a wine you drink daily ... it implies it's an easygoing, easy-drinking wine that doesn't sacrifice flavor for a lower price point.

And we finished with what I would say is arguably one of the best real-deal champagnes I've had: Mailly Grand Cru Demi Sec. I'm not a fan of extra brut champagnes (I like a little sweeter), so I loved this. Believe me, I was shaking the last drop out of the bottle, much to Erica's chagrin when she went to get another glass.

 We had a fun night hanging out with my bestie, Bailey, and talking about everything from the most incredibly absorbent maxi pads to the glory that will be Magic Mike.

 Lauren donned the Chanel logo to get her Francophile on...

 And I wore my trusty striped shirt. My efforts at Bardot hair = failure (my god, my hair cannot hold a tease for more than an hour).

We even enjoyed an outdoor fire...before the lightning storm picked up and scared us back inside.

It was a great kick-off to our journey around the world. Next up: New Zealand!

I Spy: Longfellow, Pewter and Teak

 Lookie who finally got her butt back out treasure-hunting! I hopped over to my favorite spot, the Williamsburg Antique Mall (as if my heart had room for another) and literally found all of this stuff in one aisle! Wanna see what I found?

First up, I saw this pretty pewter tray ($13.50) and dome ($18) that I kinda really wanted but I just don't have the room. Pewter is so timeless; with a selection of cheeses, it immediately makes your table look like a Flemish still life painting.

 This 1960s cobalt blue drapey dress has NEVER BEEN WORN. It was $65, and a 1960s size 14 (which is probably closer to today's 11/12).

This pretty silver box caught my eye. The inside is lined with red velvet, and the tag (as you can see) says it's a reproduction of a late-18th century tea box. I thought it would be a great spot to stash earrings, spare change, bobby pins, q-tips or even a candy stash. This pretty box was $38.

Sometimes I'm drawn to the quirky, and I was all about this set of bronze Henry Wadsworth Longfellow bookends, for $35. Random, but I kinda love that. Great English major fun!

 I also randomly loved this seller's collection of antique and vintage Washington and Williamsburg souvenirs. I think it would be kind of fun to have some of the old Williamsburg teacups.

 This is my most-coveted item I saw: a teak mid-century side table that is SO close in color and design to our other one. It's a Danish teak table made by Vejle Stole Mobelfabrik, and was $95. (ugh, I really might have to go back for this....)

 Gold flatware is making a big comeback right now, especially when paired with super-simple rustic tables. This set was $100, which is pretty damn great for a full set with a case.

 You'd think gemstones would hold their value, but these large chunks of amethyst and citrine could be yours for an average of $15. They look great on bookshelves, as paperweights, as bookends or just objets d'art.

 I was digging these old oak file cabinets with casters. They would really zhush up a home office, but could also work as side tables in any room. They could actually be great for extra towel storage in a bathroom, or a place to stash toilet reading material.

And last but not least, they had two of these super 70s polished wood lamps for $25. Call me crazy, but I thought they were kind of interesting...they reminded me of something Emily Henderson would use in a fabulously surprising space. I picture them paired with a lacquered white dresser.

Stockley Art + BBQ in Portsmouth

I love the first great weekend of the summertime season, when the festivals are flaring up and you spend most of the day walking around the best parts of your town/region. This weekend was jam-packed with events in Hampton Roads, and we spent Saturday going to two of my annual favorites: the Stockley Gardens Art Festival and Portsmouth Service League's Beer, Band & BBQ fundraiser.

We started the day at Stockley Gardens, which is an amazingly beautiful neighborhood in Norfolk full of fascinating architecture alongside a lovely canal. We had a quick snack: ribbon chips, my fair food favorite. I seriously look forward to summer for these things.

 Many of my favorite pieces were the same from last year. But I spotted a couple new favorites. The emotional, evocative landscapes of Paul Nikitchenko. I would love to paint just like that.

 I also fell in love with the watercolored etchings of F. Brown Steele. I'm a sucker for poppies.

 After the festival, we walked back to my friend's apartment in the Freemason District, by way of The Hague, which is about the loveliest walk you can have on a warm day with a breeze.

This is my favorite house on the block...terracotta roof, ivy climbing the stucco walls and leaded glass, to boot. Handsome as hell!

 Admiring the Hague from a footbridge.

 Once we met up with our friends, we took a ferry (what cheap fun! $3 round-trip) to Portsmouth, where Ashleigh's service league was hosting its event.

 Erica and I, rocking the naturally pale skin!

A $25 ticket gets you all the beer and bbq you can eat, and believe you me, we got our money's worth.

Mmmmmm BBQ. This is made by Beach Bully BBQ, the preferred vendor.

At the end of the night, we took the ferry back, and it was just beautiful. On weekends like this, I am full of love for where we've ended up.

P.S. You can see more of my pictures from the weekend on my instagram.