LA DOLFINA

  I just love seeing a beautifully styled bar.   I've been longing to do one in my home for years and I don't even drink! My friend Gina and I used to wax poetic about setting one up of our own when our kids were grown and out of the house. This one belongs to my friends Eddie & Jaithan. Because I'm not a drinker I really don't know the basics of setting up a bar and have been accused of  choosing a wine based on it's label. I have fond memories wandering the aisles of Bevmo admiring all the liquor bottle eye candy  all the while making mental notes about which ones I would one day come back for.       I actually have several spots in my home that are  just waiting to be transformed into cocktail central.      I even have this exact bar cart currently in my Dining Room.  I also have collected a stash of fabulous crystal decanters .  What, you ask, am I waiting for? Maybe I'm afraid that when my coll...

I wait all year long for my beloved peonies to arrive at Trader Joe's. This morning there was a bounty from which to choose! I couldn't get home fast enough to arrange them.  They reminded me of Eddie's post on the gorgeous table setting he and Jaithan created for A Date with a Plate ... ... which got me thinking of the cache of Chiavari Ballroom chairs I scored a few months ago with the idea of painting them in fun bright colors like these hot pink ones. So... if any of you local readers or bloggers out there are equally smitten with these ballroom beauties let me know as I have over 30 of them available to purchase as is, which is currently classic gold, or I can arrange to have them painted any color you choose. Email me for details.

After the Celebrity Bus Tour we did a little antique shopping in downtown Palm Springs. I took them to an amazing antique shop where Kelly Wearstler is known to frequent.  Wouldn't it have been cool if she and Eddie had run into each other? I've been lusting after one of these large silver food domes forever. Maybe one day... I thought this venetian chandelier was incredible. I see a lot of paintings by California artists when I'm in Southern California.  They are usually framed in these simple wide gilt frames.  They really are quite beautiful framed in this manner. I love the finish on these chairs. You don't see antiques like these every day, some look like they belong in a museum. Eddie was loving these unusual sconces. Here he is checking out the china. No surprise there! We loved this tented ceiling. We crossed the street to check out another amazing shop Gotta love these bikes. Believe it or not, this is a real stuffed dog from the Victor...