A Duchess, a Contessa, a Castle + More … Today on Weekend Meanderings

Today on Weekend Meanderings, a real live Duchess, a Rom Com, fall outfits and closet organization. Come join the fun!

Happy weekend, friends!

It’s Saturday and I’m joining Kim and Elizabeth for Weekend Meanderings.

Our weekly roundup of inspiration and goings on.

It was an eventful week.

Highs – attending the San Francisco Fall Show with the Contessa and Snowberry featured on the Cindy Hattersley Design blog.

Low – a strained back requiring lots of ice, Advil and visits to the chiropractor.

But let’s keep things upbeat and start with a high.

ARE YOU READY?

Let’s go!

 

SAN FRANCISCO FALL SHOW WITH THE CONTESSA AND A REAL LIVE DUCHESS

On Thursday I had the good fortune to accompany my friend the Contessa to the San Francisco Fall Show. The Fall Show is an annual art, antiques and design showcase benefitting the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. After a two-year absence, the show is back for its 40th anniversary, or Ruby Jubilee. Held at the Festival Pavilion at Ft. Mason the location could not be more charming and the show itself absolutely divine. The show runs through Sunday, and I believe you can still buy tickets for the main exhibition hall. Check here.

The designer exhibits were out of this world and I particularly loved these two. The green is obviously everything. I mean EVERTHING.

And the red fit the theme of the show, Ruby Jubilee. Everything detail is perfection.

The Contessa and I attended the morning lecture led by Martin Chapman, a curator for the Fine Arts Museums. He stepped in for Hamish Bowles who sadly had to cancel due to illness. The Duchess of Rutland (chatelaine of Belvoir Castle), and decorating celebrities Emma Burns and Dominic Evans-Free made up the panel of experts on the topic of English Castles & Country Houses. That’s my kind of lecture.

The Duchess, a farmer’s daughter who married into castle life, was charming and hilarious. Running a heritage castle is not for the faint of heart. And listening to Emma and Dominic discuss the tough calls that must be made when restoring and renovating centuries old homes was fascinating. They both worked with the Duchess on Belvoir Castle. The Duchess has a book out, The Accidental Duchess. I started it last night and don’t want to put it down. Sadly I cannot find an online source for the book. She mentioned to me at the signing that she was looking for a publisher … I was confused but see now she meant a U.S. publisher. Know anyone?

You can follow the Duchess on Instagram here and Belvoir Castle here. The Duchess also has a podcast called, what else, Duchess, where she ‘explores the historic homes of Great Britain and meets the inspiring women who lead them today.‘ Now in its third season, you can find the podcast here.

Afternoon tea originated at Belvoir Castle … in the 1840’s. That settles it, I’m going to Belvoir to stay and have tea.

Builders Books of Berkeley was on-site with a to-die for array of decor books. I brought a few home. Don’t give me that look, I have library shelves to fill. Maybe they have the Duchess’ book in their shop … give them a call.

 

 

A couple of things I would have brought home if I were a gazillionaire they weren’t already sold.

I made a little video of the Contessa and I swanning around the Fall Show … watch it here.

 

TICKET TO PARADISE

I can’t remember the last time I was so excited for a movie. Well, yes I can, it was Top Gun … which did not disappoint by the way. A few months ago, I started seeing the trailer for Ticket to Paradise.  I almost can’t believe it. Julia Roberts. George Clooney. Together. As a divorced couple. At a wedding. In Bali. What more could you ask for? Not. A. Thing. The movie hits theaters next Friday and I’m checking our theater box office hourly to see when advance tickets go on sale.

 

Jim, guess what we’re doing Friday night? What, you’re traveling, golfing, (insert other activity here)? No worries, I’ll wait until Saturday.

 

OVERFLOW CLOSET ORGANIZATION

Last weekend I was forced to clean and organize my auxiliary closet. You know, what I’m talking about. A closet in an additional bedroom that houses all the extra stuff that won’t fit into the closet closet. In my case it’s event and special occasions dresses, cardigans, blazers, jackets, shoes and boots. In addition, it contains gift wrapping stuff. And my Zeebee, a large, stuffed zebra given to me by my grandfather when I was quite young. Jim is always trying to discard Zeebee and gives me no end of grief about him. Try as I might, I can’t bring myself to part with my Zeebee.

But I digress, the closet situation got so bad I could no longer open the door. Or I should say Jim could not open the door but did manage to get his head inside and declare it a disaster. Embarrassing. There are several reasons this situation got out of hand, but I won’t bore you with them because let’s face it, they’re just excuses. Anyway, it took no more than a few hours to get things in tippy top shape with a few favorite storage solutions from my home away from home, The Container Store.

I didn’t take before photos. Why humiliate myself? Here’s how it looks now. (This is a small walk-in closet and taking photos wasn’t easy.)

The back wall is hanging space … long hang and short hang as they say in the business. There’s about a foot of space at the top where I keep boots in boot boxes. I put rolled up old magazines inside the boots to keep their shape. For hanging, I’m a fan of thin, velvet covered hangers for most things … they take up less space. But I do use wooden hangers for heaver things, like coats, jackets and pants.

Our house is small and lots of spaces do double duty. I keep all my gift wrap stuff in here and this back-of-door organizer is great. I used Command hooks to hang hats and straw bags. It’s behind the door and no one sees it, so I didn’t spend time trying to make it artful. It’s a hat wall but not A HAT WALL.

I keep most of my dresses in garmet bags … they come in suit, dress and gown lengths. I need to order more. You can see some of my boots on the upper shelf. They also run all across the very top. The drawers are full of more gift wrap things, like tags and larger ribbon. Also food wrapping supplies like cupcake boxes, cellophane bags, and colorful pens, scissors. I’ll tackle drawer organization next … I find that to be one of the most difficult organizing tasks.

Closet Organization Essentials ~

 

This is Jim’s auxiliary closet. He has to share it with the guest room sheets and our HVAC filters.

You can our my closet closet here.

 

FALL FINDS FROM AMAZON & LOFT

As you’ve probably heard, Amazon is having another pre-holiday prime day sale. I’m not sure how it works. I did make an attempt to figure it out and search for bargains. Turns out, I’m just not that kind of blogger. That said, I did buy a few things that I love and am excited enough to share about. I believe they’re good quality pieces at a good price and that I’ll get a lot of use out of them for years to come. I did a big Loft shop to get ready for fall about a month ago. And I’ve been enjoying all the pieces. Since Loft came back on my radar I feel like they’re always having a sale, and now is no exception. Let’s start with Amazon.

First of all, this lightweight windbreaker rain jacket with stripped lining. Did somebody say stripes?! I mentioned the jacket a couple of weeks ago after I placed the order. It’s since arrived, fits perfectly (I ordered a small) and I couldn’t be happier with it. Did I mention the striped lining? It’s lightweight and perfect for California’s version of windy, wet and cold weather. I ordered navy, because that’s my default … but it comes in many other colors including black and army green. Even yellow, pink, powder blue and red.

I’m loving these ankle boots by Steve Madden. Have I mentioned how much I like a chunky heel. And, look, they’re tan, not black. I’m branching out. These boots are going to get a lot of use this fall. I found them true to size. I’m also wearing my newish Loft blouse and striped sweater.

I’ve also gotten a lot of wear out of this lightweight Loft tunic-style hoodie. It’s been great for morning walks these not-quite-chilly fall mornings and just hanging around the house.

And finally, this plaid jacket. I know I’m supposed to call it a shacket, the silly hybrid term someone came up to describe a men’s work shirt. You know, the kind guys have been wearing for eons and we’ve been borrowing from their closet. Lots of color options available, and I veered from my usual blue for a brown. I ordered a small. I thought would go great with my new ankle boots. Oh and my long-sleeved Loft tee. I’m off to chop wood.

Amazon Pieces ~

Loft Pieces ~

 

And I’m wearing my trusty Levi’s with everything. I love it that Levi’s have made a come back. Not that they ever went away, but they were sort of out of style in the pre-return-to-mom-jean years. I’m looking for a pair of softer, looser jeans in the new high waisted styles … suggestions?

 

Odds & Socks ~

• Have you been following the protests in Iran following the death of Mahsa Amini in September? Mahsa was a 22-year old woman arrested for wearing her headscarf too loosely. She died in police custody. The police say she suffered heart failure, but witnesses saw her being beaten by police in their detention van. Protests erupted across Iran and continue to gain momentum. I don’t know enough about the situation, what I do know is that Mahsa’s death unleashed the pent up fury of woman and men across Iran – and the world – against an oppressive government regime. My daughter-in-law, a Persian woman, shared the Instagram account of Nazanin Nour who is using her platform to educate about the situation and how we can show support for those risking their lives for basic freedoms so I can learn more. And I thought I should pass it along.
• This new show from our friends at Magnolia.
• A jewel box of a home tour.

So there you have it, this week’s meanderings.

Let’s visit Kim and Elizabeth to see what’s they’re sharing.

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA STYLE

PINECONES AND ACORNS

If you missed last weekend’s meanderings, you can catch up here.

And follow along for more fun on Instagram and Pinterest.

As always, I appreciate your visit and welcome your thoughts in the comments below.

Cheers from Snowberry!