Art From The Heart

"As the sun colors flowers, so does art color life"

-John Lubbock

What is a home without art on the walls? Art not only fills the wall space in a home, but provides both a warmth and a emotional connection to the space by making it inviting. I often go to beautiful houses where they are decorated to the tea but they only have mirrors on the walls. The absence of artwork on the walls makes the entire home feel very cold and incomplete. Currently, with the economy in dire straits extraneous spending is out of the question. So, how does one acquire artwork on a limited budget? There are several options to buy artwork at a reasonable cost. The best way of course would be to purchase a painting by an emerging local artist. Typically, emerging artist are just as qualified as established artist but their work is not well known so the cost of their work is significantly less. My next suggestion is to visit a website called, www.dailypainters.com . This website was founded in 2006 by painter, Micah Condon. Daily painters features over 150 different artist with more than 30,000 paintings to chose from. I recently commissioned the artist, David Boyd Jr. to paint my boyfriend's childhood home as a present. I reviewed other paintings by David and loved the color palette and texture of his pieces so I knew he would do a wonderful job. Needless to say when the painting arrived it was better than I could have ever imagine and my boyfriend was thrilled. Even if you are not in the market to buy artwork or lack wall space it is always fun to see what is available.

Love, Lili

All About Austen

Everyone loves Jane Austen, but how much do we really know about her as person? There have been numerous biographies and movies that provide a glimpse into her life but they often fall short by only focusing on her romantic past, thus creating this mushy pseudo emotional character who defines Jane entirely. So, after doing some research I put together a list of interesting facts about her life that I hope you enjoy.

1. Jane Austen was born on December 16th 1775 in Hampshire England.

2. Her father George was a country clergyman.

3. She was the seventh of eight children (6 sons and 2 daughters)

4. Jane's nickname was Jenny

5. Her best friend was her older sister Cassandra, who was 2 years older.

6. Jane never lived away from her family. Even when she went to boarding school for a couple of years her sister, Cassandra came with her.

7. Austen detested cities. She preferred the countryside over the hustle and bustle of the crowded streets.

8. She loved to dance, play the piano, and perform in plays for her family.

9. In December of 1795, when Jane was 20, she fell in love with Thomas Langlois Lefroy, a graduate of Trinity College of Dublin. Thomas was visiting his Aunt, Madam Lefroy whom Jane was friends with. Unfortunately for the couple, Madam Lefroy sent him away because the family did not approve of their courtship and threatened to disinherit him. Thomas would later become the Chief Justice of Ireland.

10. While on vacation in 1800, Jane met and fell in love with a young clergy man. Sadly, he died before they could marry.

11. Later that year, Jane accepted a proposal from Harris Bigg-Wither, who was the brother to one of her closest friends. The morning after their engagement Jane called it off because she felt like Harris was too young and immature for her.

12. Jane was not very sociable. She was known to be somewhat reclusive.

13. While living in Chawton, there was a swinging door outside of her room where she wrote that creaked terribly. She refused to have it fixed because it gave her warning when anyone was entering.

14. Austen always wrote on small pieces of paper so she could easily hide what she was writing or discard it quickly.

15. In her late 30's, Jane contracted Addison's Disease, which is a tubercular disease of the kidneys. John F. Kennedy also had this disease.

16. Addison's disease made it very difficult for her to walk so she used a little donkey carriage to get around. The carriage is now in a museum in Chawton.

17. On the morning of July 18th 1817, Jane died in her sister's arms. She was only 41 years old.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend! Enjoy the last bit of summer!

Love, Lili

"Love Beyond Measure"

"All the statistics in the world can't measure

the warmth of a smile"-Chris Hart

When I was in college my mother gave me these heart shaped measuring spoons as a gift. I always liked these but never wanted to use them because I felt like they were too pretty to dirty. Until recently I had been using the traditional plastic measuring spoons while cooking. I became fed up with these when the writing on the plastic disappeared and I could not distinguish the measurements for each spoon. I decided to try the heart shaped spoons instead and have been using them since.

The "Quote Measuring Spoons" are available for purchase at Beehive Kitchenware. These spoons are hand cast in lead free pewter and are engraved with cute sayings that pertain to the measurement of each spoon. Sandra Bonazoli and Jim Dowd are the owners and creaters of Beehive Kitchware. They began making these spoons in the pantry of their house in 1998. Both Sandra and Jim wanted to make useful objects that are also decorative, which includes baby gift items and desk accesories. To visit their online store go to http://www.beehivekitchenware.com/

Wishing you a joy beyond measure!

Love, Lili

A Soothing Sound

"Music washes away from the soul the dust of

everyday life"- Berthold Auerbach

I have finally compiled a list of my favorite songs that I listen to when I need to relax and feel uplifted. I created a play list on the computer a few months ago and have really enjoyed listening to it and wanted to share it with you.

1. "Dawn" - from the soundtrack of Pride &Prejudice (2005).

2. "Letters from Joe" (instrumental) Thomas Newman

3. "Little Women" (instrumental) Thomas Newman

4. "Snowplay" - Thomas Newman

5. "Under the Umbrella" (End title) Thomas Newman

6. "Pride and Prejudice theme"- Carl Davis and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

7. "Sebastian" -Terry Davis &BBC Philharmonic Orchestra

8. "Emma" (from "Emma")- Rachel Portman

9. "A Walk in the Clouds" - Maurice Jarre

10. "A River Through It" - Mark Isham

11. "L' abandon" - Alexandre Desplat

12. "The Park on Piano" - Jan A.P. Kaczmarek

13. "Devonshire" - Patrick Doyle

14. "Please Forgive Me" - Patrick Doyle

15. "My Father's Favourite" - (this is not misspelled)- Patrick Doyle

16. "Throw the Coins" - Patrick Doyle

Instead of purchasing each c.d from the artist's, you can always buy the individual songs for about $0.99 each at "iTunes". I am sure most of you have used "iTunes" before or have at least heard about it, but for those of you who haven't it is a great way to find music and movies that are difficult to find in stores. It is also wonderful because once you have purchased the song it is yours to do with it whatever you please. I download the music to my ipod and make my own Cd's from my song collection. To start an account with "Itunes" or to preview these songs you can go to www.apple.com/iTunes

Relax and enjoy the music!

Love, Lili

The Dream Machine

"My second favorite household chore is ironing. My first being hitting my head on the top bunk bed until I faint."

-Erma Bombeck


I have to be honest and tell you that I am 100% completely obsessed with my Jiffy Steamer. My ability to iron is probably that of a 6 year old. Instead of ironing my clothes, I would lazily send them to the dry cleaners so I could wear them without wrinkles. I quickly learned that it was an unnecessary expense. I came across the Jiffy steamer while I was working as a merchandiser for a speciality home store. I relied on the steamer to steam the the bed linens and curtains for windows and photo shoots. I decided one day to purchase the steamer for myself soon after and have become dependant upon it ever since. I am now able to wear what I want when I want to wear it and my sheets no longer have wrinkles in them.

Most people have owned or used a steamer before. I know that I have personally tried several different steamers and they never seemed to work properly. The problem with most of these steamers is that they leak, they take forever to heat up, and they just do not work. The Jiffy steamer is the only steamer that has continued to work for me after 4 years.

The Jiffy Steamer has been made in the USA since 1940. There are many different types of Jiffy Steamers that work well, but I prefer to use the residential garment steamer model #J2. This steamer is very narrow measuring 14"x8"x64" and has wheels that allow you to move it where ever needed. Unlike other steamers where it takes 10 minutes to heat, the Jiffy steamer heats up in about 1 minute and has a 2 hour steam time.

There are several important things to know about steaming garments. It is much more easy to steam something when it is on a flat service. I usually use my bed as my "ironing board" which works out perfectly. Also, when you are steaming your bedding linens you should do so when they are already on your bed.It cuts down on time and is not as difficult. Another important thing to remember is that you should not steam directly on any silk. It will leave weird indentations on your garment. Instead, you should hold the steamer at a distance to release the wrinkles.

The residential garment steamer by Jiffy is priced retail at $189.00, but I found a Jiffy distributor that sells them for $128.42 with a 1 year warranty at "Sew Vac Direct" http://www.sewvacdirect.com/

Despite this post coming across as an infomercial, I wanted to share with you this fabulous machine in the hopes that it relieves you of stressful ironing experiences and wrinkles!

Love, Lili

A Little Goes A Long Way

“Home, the spot of earth supremely blest,a dearer, sweeter spot than all the rest.”

-Robert Montgomery

Have you ever noticed that you appreciate your home much more after being away from it for a few days? We all tire of our decor because we look at it on a daily basis and that is why it is important to revamp it every now and again. There are a few things you can do to your remaining decor to make you appreciate it once more that does not require a lot of time and money.

The most inexpensive way to change the look of a piece of furniture or cabinets is by changing it's hardware! There are several stores that I go to when I am searching for knobs. Carol Beach Knobs, have a great variety of hardware with different styles and sizes. When you go to the website, www.carolbeachknobs.com , the front page is somewhat deceiving and does not do the site justice. You literally have to click each picture to see the full line of hardware and their colors for each section. For funky vintage hardware I shop at, Anthropologie. You can visit their website, www.anthropologie.com to shop online for their hardware, but you are far better off going to one of their stores to see their full collection. If you like a more clean modern look, I suggest you shop at, Restoration Hardware. To visit their site go to, www.restorationhardware.com .

Another great way to redecorate your home is to simply change your lamp shade on your lighting fixtures. You can update the look of your fixture by changing the color or shape of your shade. Pronto Home, has a great selection of high end shades. The shades are more expensive than most, but they are well made and much more attractive . To shop online visit, www.prontohome.com . Every Lamp Shade, is another great place to purchase lamp shades. They have such a large collection of shades that are very reasonably priced. To view their lamp shade selection go to, http://www.everylampshade.com/.

You can literally transform an entire room by switching or replacing decorative pillows. When selecting decorative pillows, try to tie them into your remaining decor by texture, pattern, or color. Buying pillows online can be quite difficult when trying to match dye lot's, so I suggest purchasing them in stores instead. It is always helpful to bring a fabric swatch or paint chip with you to the store to aid in your selection.

I hope this inspires you to become creative in your own home!

Love, Lili

The Thrill Of The Hunt

"But it is a cold lifeless business when you go to the shops to buy something, which does not represent your life and talent, but a goldsmiths."

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

A week ago, I went to an antique store where I found a beautiful, blue and white,3 piece casserole dish set that I absolutely adore! I collect blue and white dish ware, so when I saw this set I automatically assumed it was going to be outrageously expensive. To my shock, the set was 25% off of $35. I was so excited to find something that I loved for such a bargain price. I felt like I had just won an Olympic medal. I knew I had a steal, but I couldn't resist asking if there was any better they could do on the price (it never hurts to ask)! Amazingly, the store gave me another 5% off and I literally paid and sprinted out the door.

There is a thrill that comes when you are searching for something that truly reflects your personality. I find that these items are often vintage, handmade,or one of a kind objects, which makes them all the more special. If you have the time to shop and enjoy hunting for that unique piece, you would do best visiting local thrift and antique stores. You may not enjoy or have time to shop so I have found a couple of great websites that let you virtually shop for your hidden treasures.

The first website is Etsy. Etsy, was founded in 2005 ,and spans the globe with buyers and sellers in more than 150 countries. There are hundreds of thousands of sellers on the site that sell handmade, vintage, and antique items. I thought their mission statement was rather interesting. It says, "To enable people to make a living making things and to reconnect makers with buyers". Although there are thousands of stores on this site, there are two in particular that I enjoy visiting; Bella Sera Designs and Teresea Sheeley. You can visit Esty by going to, http://www.etsy.com/

My absolute favorite website is called, "The French Cupboard". "The French Cupboard", is a website that features online boutiques. All of the stores are wonderful on this site, but my two favorite boutiques are, "Faded Plains" and "Piney Rose". Despite this site being amazing because it features such unique items, it is also special because it is run by the nicest Midwestern husband and wife team from their farmhouse. It is always nice to promote small business'! You can view their website by visiting, http://www.thefrenchcupboard.com/

Happy hunting!

Love, Lili