Stripes, Spritzers, Blogs, And Laundry … Weekend Meanderings

Happy Weekend, friends!

Did you have a good week?

I hope so.

Mine was busy … and fun.

Jim is back to traveling for work, so I was home alone.

A couple of new books arrived.

Sally Schmitt’s cookbook featured here a couple of weeks ago.

And My Garden World, by garden guru, Monty Don.

I love watching him on BBC’s Gardeners World.

I went into the City for lunch with some favorite gal pals.

To celebrate a birthday … Heidi’s.

And a going away … Mary Ann’s.

It’s true, Classic Casual Home has packed up her chic pied-a-terre in the City.

To move to the other coast.

Much sadness for me and her Bay Area friends.

But an exciting new chapter for her.

I look forward to following her adventures in decorating her new home.

It was a fun week on the blog.

I joined five other blogging friends to share ideas for Spring sweets and treats.

I made my favorite Coco Logo Tequila Cupcakes.

It’s Saturday.

And I’m joining Kim and Elizabeth for another edition of Weekend Meanderings.

Let’s get right to it.

 

HOUSE AND GARDEN DOG ON THE GLAM PAD

What a pleasant surprise to wake up Monday morning and find one of my favorite Instagram accounts, @houseandgardendog, featured on one of my favorite blogs, The Glam Pad. Love when that happens. Andrea, The Glam Pad founder, interviews Phaedra Brown, about her stunningly home beautiful home on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. But the real star of the show is Wellington. Wellie, Phaedra’s discerning West Highland Terrier, is featured regularly in her home decor photos. Read all about Phaedra, Wellie and their English country cottage inspired home here.

Images from @houseandgardendog via The Glam Pad

 

I LIKE STRIPES … CASUAL EASTER OUTFIT

I took a swing through Target earlier in the week and picked up this blue and white striped boyfriend shirt. Can one ever have too many striped shirts? That’s a rhetorical question. The answer is, obviously, no. Here’s a similar, pricer version from at Nordstrom.I was pleasantly surprised to find one of my favorite striped blouses, from last year, still available. Unheard of. And the price! I first wore it to lunch at the Contessa’s house last year (where I met our Northern California Style gal, Kim) … and I’ve worn it a million times since. I’m tempted to buy another in case I wear this one out. Or, heaven forbid, spill on it. It comes in several other colors, but I’m true to my blue and white.

We’ll be going out for a very casual Easter lunch with my sister and her husband next weekend. I think I’ll wear one of these striped beauties paired with white cropped pants. And how about these pop-of-color braided sandals … a braided shoe is so hot right now.

 

SPRITZER SEASON IS UPON US

In the spirit of one-can-never-be-over-prepared, I ordered this adorable book, Spritz Fever! Cocktail Night at Snowberry is back … and will be a more regular Friday night Instagram feature over the summer. Last Friday I made Frozen Paloma’s … not a spritzer exactly, but there are no rules. You can find my classic white wine spritzer recipe here and here.

Back to the book, I’m excited to try all these new-to-me Spritz recipes.

Amazon

 

GARDEN STOOLS

Speaking of Spritzers, garden stools make the best drinks tables. It’s a side table really … a place to set down a drink or small plate. And one of the most versatile pieces of furniture for indoors and out. At Snowberry we have two. This one from Ballard Designs that’s used on our back patio (my sister just bought it in cornflower blue) and this one from Arhaus added to our great room last year. I’d like to incorporate one more … for outdoors … that can float between our front porch and back patio. I’ve had my eye on this Flora Fauna garden stool for over a year. I’m not sure it works at Snowberry, and I keep hesitating. I’ll probably end up buying another ivory-colored stool. Is that too boring? Maybe green? Possibly in a hex shape? There are so many beautiful options and it’s hard to decide. Last weekend we started pulling out our patio cushions and pillows, so I’d like to get the garden stool situation figured out. Which one is your favorite?

 

LAUNDRY LOVE UPDATE

A couple of months ago I wrote about revamping my laundry routine after reading Patric Richardson’s book Laundry Love. It was one of my most popular posts. I promised a follow up and you’ve probably been on pins and needles waiting. As my adventures in laundry continue, here’s a brief update on my battle with the dreaded static. I swore off Bounce dryer sheets after learning about their overall awfulness for clothes, the dryer, sensitive skin, and the environment. I mentioned using balled up foil as a solution mentioned in the book and on the inter-webs … but found this totally ineffective. Here’s what I’m doing now to minimize static and it’s working.

First, and most important, I separate synthetic fabrics from everything else. In our household this means workout wear. Jim has a Lululemon wardrobe that would be the envy of any personal trainer. And it makes up at least one large load a week. If a workout shirt accidentally finds its way into a cotton load, the inevitable snap, crackle, pop gives it away.

For workout wear, I started using The Laundress Sport Detergent. For the rest of the laundry, I’m happy with Thieves Essential-Oil Infused Laundry Soap. All loads go into the dryer along with two spikey dryer balls, three wool dryer balls with a dab of lemon essential oil on each, and (new) a Seventh Generation Free & Clear, plant-based dryer sheet. If there is any static, and there usually is in the workout wear, I spritz each piece of clothing with The Laundress Static Solution.

So, there you have it, some fun things that got my attention this week.

Now, let’s see what Kim and Elizabeth have for us.

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA STYLE

PINECONES AND ACORNS

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

Cheers from Snowberry!