We recently went to California for a dear friend’s wedding.  Here are some photos  of our adventures on the West Coast.

Some folks on Instragram asked about our dresses.  Sloane’s flower girl dress came from Olive & Fern and mine (not maternity) came from a local friend’s store, Ophelia.  You can find it here.   If you are coming to my beach town this summer add Ophelia to your list of places to shop, there are two locations, one in Seacrest and one in Grayton!

And I’d hate to leave you without a Smokey update.  She is alive and well.  She?  That’s right, someone informed me that “he” is actually a “she”.

And when he pulls this little number (below) it takes everything within me not to scoop him up and kiss his furry little face.  He won’t let me hold him, but he does let me scratch his double chin.

It cracks me up that Sloane is going to grow up thinking that a tame rabbit visitor is normal.  I am contemplating writing a children’s book about Smokey, we’ll see.  He’s pretty magical.

Be merry, friends!  Here’s our 2012 Christmas card.  Hoping you all have a wonderful and blessed holiday!!

{photo and card design by Marla Carter}

THE SIX WINNERS OF THE TASTES ORANGEY GIVEAWAY : 

“And WHY is the carpet all wet Todd??”
“I don’t KNOW MARGO!!!”

- National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation

- Laura G.

“Have you been eatin’ that mistletoe?”

-Duck Dynasty Christmas special 2012

- Martha

“Not a finger!”

-The Christmas Story.

- Julie B.

“Is this toothbrush approved by the American Dental Association?”

– Home Alone

- Sharon

Bob: “Well I got a letter from Benny Haynes! Do you remember the Mess Sergeant?”

Phil: “Freckle-face Haynes, the dog-faced boy?”

Bob: “He’s got sisters? – Claims he’s got ‘em.”

Phil: “How can a guy that ugly, have sisters?

Bob: “Very brave parenting!”

- White Christmas

- Grace

“Maybe Christmas perhaps doesn’t come from a store, maybe Christmas perhaps means a little bit more.”

- The Grinch

- Meredith

In case anyone was looking for some last minute Christmas stocking stuffers (apart from Clare’s beautiful work), a blog reader recently requested that we post our beauty favorites… so here we are…

(a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f) (g) (h) (i) 

(a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f) (g) (h) (i) (j) (k)

(a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f) (g) (h) (i) (j) (k)

 (a) (b) (c) (d) (e) (f) (g) (h) (i) (j)

Hate to presume that anyone will ask, but someone usually does…  Sloane’s little sweater came from Children’s Place, I ran in for socks and came out with that sweater, oops.  Her aqua jeans are Old Navy.  My top is from my friends at Willow + Woods, they have an online store now (Wear Willow), which is fantastic.  The top is Lauren Moffatt, not sure if it’s still available on their website, but perhaps you could call and order it 850-231-0248.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving, we have much to be thankful for this year.

The ping pong table was a custom design I whipped up in a total state of madness at the last minute, and I think it turned out alright, all things considered.  The seating area at the end of the Game Room has two large Lee Industries slipcovered sofas, a leather ottoman, and a wall of watercolor prints that surround the television.  The paintings on the left are by Michelle Armas, who I had the pleasure of meeting in person when Leigh Ann and I were in Atlanta a few months ago.

The photograph above the sofa came from local artist Tommy Crow, the lamps are all from Circa Lighting.  The watercolors behind the television are from Michelle Morin of United Thread, I should have taken a close-up photograph, they are amazing!

It’s hard to mix art in a large open space, but after finalizing the exact location of the ping pong table I had this idea to hang wooden handled sandpaper paddles on the wall.  It was a graphic detail that didn’t introduce any more color, but just made sense and added interest.  I drilled the holes in the paddles myself, thanks to Billy the trim carpenter for letting me borrow his drill, and lined them up easily thanks to the walls being paneled horizontally.  I painted the ping pong table in Pratt & Lambert’s Seed Pearl & April Mist, and the bases are Golden Green.

As you leave the Game Room and head toward the Theater there’s a wet bar that’s lit with the most beautiful  natural light that comes from a little dormer window.  We tucked a cushion in the alcove and decided it would make a great reading nook.

Double-lined draperies in Home Couture’s Lorraine seperate the Wet Bar from the Theater.  The Theater being windowless made it tricky to photograph, but I did the best I could…

The tall ceilings really needed pendants, so we dropped three down the center of the room and added sconces at each level of seating.  The walls and ceiling are all clad in Stroheim grasscloth.  Moss green carpet kept the room monochromatic so that the Lee Industries double chaises would shine.

The concrete side tables were a last minute addition from CB2 and the chunky tassel throws at the foot of the chaises came from West Elm.  Sometimes when you are in a time crunch sites like CB2 and West Elm come in very handy, stock is usually good and they can ship fast.

If you are interested in any furnishings, fabrics, rugs, art (etc) you see in this post, or the posts to come in the next few days feel free to contact us via our website or you can email Allison at allison(at)urbangrace(dot)com .

I’m not sure if these are “pinnable” from this page, but if anyone wants to pin them on Pinterest I’ll be adding them to a “Coastal Living Ultimate Beach House” board as I update these posts.

The design starting point for the room was the “Serendipity” Sister Parish wallpaper, we then painted the paneling and bed platforms to match the green in the paper, in Pratt & Lambert “Barberry”.

The linens with the custom scallop trim and the coverlets are both by Traditions.  The bolsters are trimmed in Schumacher’s Colette Coupe trim. The gold striped accent pillows are in Windsor Smith’s “Sparkle” stripe for Kravet. The Sunbrella throws added the perfect punch of coral for the foot of each bed.

The first floor bunk room is off the back hall.  We decided to paint the entire room in a dark charcoal gray (Pratt & Lambert’s “Dependable”) to add contrast against the otherwise mostly white common areas.  The straw baskets hold Sunbrella throws and Tilly Towels (unfortunately not pictured, added those after I took these pictures).

Each bunk has it’s own curtain, black-out lined, so parents have a better chance of kids sleeping in.

The accent bolsters on the beds are in Studio Bon’s “Fuzz”.  Linens are from Traditions.

Each bunk also has an ipad docking station… which should keep children (or adults) entertained for hours.  All of the audio video work in the house was done by our friends at Innovative Sight & Sound.

 (A) perfume (B) cookbook (C) desk calendar (D) travel bag (E) watch (F) nail polish (G) candle (H) pig bookends (I) sunglasses (J) boots

 (A) watch (B) wine “glass” with lid (C) diffuser (D) coffee table book (E) green lamp (F) aqua notes (G) sunglasses (H) ballet flats (I) green clutch (J) arrow notes

(A) kettlebells for my non existent home gym (B) perfume (C) quirky sea life fabric (D) rabbit door knocker (E) chambray shirtdress (F) chandelier  (G) moody painting  (H) watch (I) wine  (J) cozy vest

(A) burnt orange flats with scalloped edge (B) Mela & Roam Vintage Kantha Throw  (C) Joules Green Jacket  (D) a watch  (E) I love green moss  (F) some super cute booties  (G)  I like lipstick, this one is matte  (H)  an extra Death & Texas clutch, because I love my plain one, but it’s fun to switch it up sometimes  (I) Le Pen drawing set  (J) someone at the yard sale had these sunglasses and let me try them on, I fell in love 

The oval shaped entry has a tall cove ceiling, all covered in Venetian Plaster.  This fixture by Circa Lighting just felt right for the way the foyer is positioned in the house, the floor to ceiling window on the backside of the foyer gives guests a view into the courtyard and pool area.  We chose a skirted hexagon shaped table to soften the space.  The fabric on the skirt is one of my favorites, a Nomi linen with a gold oblong dot, with two linen accent bands of Samuel & Sons flat tape trim at the bottom, which matched the front door color.  This is a great view of the Peacock Paver floors, which are in their Champagne color.

Kitchen Living Dining

As you come off the foyer to the right you step into the common area that is the kitchen, living, and dining area.

The garden stools are the Duquette by Madegoods.  All upholstery again, by Lee Industries.  Lighting by Circa.  The painting over the fireplace is by Courtney Garrett.

The dining room table was made specifically for the space by Old Wood Company.  The wall behind the settee is upholstered in Sunbrella fabric and the plates are an NYC find.

Oops, should have straightened that poor pillow on the far right.  Gotta keep it real.  The study walls are clad in pecky  cypress in a very custom stain.  Poor Allison stood in line at the paint store for hours mixing and mixing until it was just right.  I think she nailed it.  The painting above the sectional (by Lee Industries) is by Clare Elsaesser, commissioned her to do one of her small paintings very large for this back wall.  I love this room, but Coastal Living did not run it in the story.  It is in the online gallery, but I was bummed it didn’t make the cut.  I guess it’s a bit too dark for their normal readership’s liking.  I think it’s a cozy little retreat and was definitely one of my favorite rooms in the house.  After I took this picture we went back and added reading sconces over each end of the sectional.  The ottoman is one that Allison and I found on our trip to Miami.

The pillows are combination of Jane Shelton and Peter Fasano, two of my most favorite fabric lines.

If you are interested in any furnishings, fabrics, rugs, art (etc) you see in this post, or the posts to come in the next few days feel free to contact us via our website or you can email Allison at allison(at)urbangrace(dot)com .

I’m not sure if these are “pinnable” from this page, but if anyone wants to pin them on Pinterest I’ll be adding them to a “Coastal Living Ultimate Beach House” board as I update these posts.