In the spirit...

Hello bloggers! I haven't posted since May and it feels like its been that long.  Sort of lost the old mojo if you know what I mean...but in the spirit of Christmas, I think its time to hit the blog again. Are you in the spirit? Have you bought all you need in the way of presents? More shopping to do? Well, I still have some items for sale in my shop, so if you are interested please private message me for price and paypal receipt.  I would love to see these items go this year..here are some images of things in my life I have taken from the last two weeks. .hope you enjoy your Sunday!

My little Christmas tree

Out for a walk last weekend

In New York City a couple of weeks ago-the Flatiron

My great grandfather in California in about 1918 in the
passenger seat - on a trip out west to Alaska, CA and
Montana

My father's new kitten, Stoney ready to pounce-
she had an eye issue when she was found (stray) so
the eye had to be removed

Stoney sleeping with her little tongue showing

It was two years ago December 9th that I lost my best friend
Scooter...I posted this for an 'In Memoriam' on my facebook page


(all images by me)

See you soon!

xoxo

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Decorative ideas for a holiday party...

Hello and welcome to the weekend!  I have a special column today to help you with last minute ideas for decorating your holiday party.  With New Year's Eve this week, its time to get it going!! So, let's get the party started!! 



Elegant Decorative Ideas for your Holiday Party without Spending a Dime


With Christmas now over, you are faced with the realization that it’s time to start decorating for your annual holiday party. There’s no need to fret and start running to the nearest store for decorations. You have all you need in your Christmas storage box and then some.

Whether it’s a winter wonderland outside your front window or not, you can create that warm and fuzzy feeling in your home with a little help of the imagination. Always infuse your personality in
everything you do. Most importantly, choose a color theme that works best with your home decor.
The goal is to use what you have to make a dazzling statement.

Ideas for the entryway



It wouldn’t be Christmas without all those greeting cards and colored envelopes from friends and family.
Don’t leave them in a pile on your kitchen table; use them as fun and colorful garland to drape around an entryway mirror. Just simply poke a hole in each card and use a festive ribbon.



Create a wintry scene using mini Christmas trees, holiday figurines and reindeer. Use a white piece of fabric you find in the home or extra large cotton balls and fluff them out to make snow.


Design your very own vinyl banners using ribbon and Christmas cards and cut them out to spell “Happy Holidays” or “Merry and Bright”. Hang it from a prominent wall so that guests will see it as they walk in.

The tabletop


Don’t spend a fortune on floral decorations, use what you have. Grab three vases of varying sizes and fill them with ornaments or holiday candies. Use a mix of bright color or go silver and pale blue for a more sophisticated look.



Bring some nature into your home by cutting a pine branch or holly branch from the yard and place it around a vase filled with cranberries. The rich red and green definitely says “Merry Christmas.”

Don’t forget the chandelier! Make a statement from above by dangling crystal ornaments or fun snowflakes on beautiful ribbon. Your guests will love it.

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These are just a few simple and easy ways to get holiday party ready without spending a dime on expensive decorations. Breathe new life into your holiday decorations with a little imagination and have fun.




(additional images by me)


Have a wonderful weekend and I hope these tips help you with your holiday party!!


If you need your house spruced up for the new year, I can help! Please contact me at monacointeriors76@yahoo.com for more information.

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Merry Christmas!

I just want to wish everyone celebrating a very Merry Christmas and best wishes for a fabulous new year!  Its not a white Christmas here in the New York area, but its cold!  I rounded up some of my favorite photos of the holiday from my Pinterest Christmas board.  Enjoy!

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(image) and (image)

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Enjoy your holiday!!

Thank you for visiting and for
your support! I appreciate it!

Lots of love - Sarah
xoxo

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Best of MI...Inspiration for 2013...

Happy New Year!! Here is to new beginnings, bittersweet endings and best wishes for a fabulous 2013!  Welcome back to my continued 'Best of' series...I loved this story about the Nearings and hope you will too.  It provides inspiration, which is what all of us need at the end of the year as we look to the new year.  I hope you all have a wonderful time today and tonight and I will see you back here in 2013!  Much love and thanks to my followers, readers, and anyone who stops by my little tiny corner of the internet universe - I love 'knowing' and communicating with all of you!! xoxoxo



Not to be preachy or anything like it, but I came across these wonderful words that are food for thought on this summer Sunday. Helen and Scott Nearing left their cosmopolitan life in New York City to live in the wilderness of Vermont in 1932 and wrote a book, 'Living the Good Life: How to Live Sanely and Simply in a Troubled World' and it was described as 'this century's Walden.'  They lived as simply as possible and later Helen wrote a memoir, 'Loving and Leaving the Good Life' and lived into her 90's and Scott lived to 100. I LOVE this list that Helen included in her memoir and hope you see something you like as well:

*Do the best you can, whatever arises.

*Be at peace with yourself.

*Find a job you enjoy.

*Live in simple conditions; housing, food, clothing; get rid of clutter.

*Contact nature every day; feel the earth under your feet.

*Take physical exercise through hard work; through gardening or walking.

*Don't worry; live one day at a time.

*Share something every day with someone else; if you live alone, write someone; give something away; help someone else somehow.

*Take time to wonder at life and the world; see some humor in life where you can.

*Observe the one life in all things.

*Be kind to the creatures.

Which is your favorite? I love all of them, but particularly like 'live in simple conditions' etc. But they all give me something to ponder.

Have a great Sunday! ;-))

(image by me)

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A simple tree...

As the day draws nearer, I wanted to share my Christmas tree with you. I always have a tabletop tree, but decided to go bigger.  Since I am on a budget, I bought my tree with lights for just $25.00 and its 6' tall.   It has only red and white candy canes and red bows on it and a sparkly red cardinal at the top.  I was going to hang ornaments, but it looks so pretty like this, I thought they would just gussy it up too much. It is a much simpler tree than I have ever had and I love it! I hope you have all your shopping and decorating done!!

Please excuse the mess to the right!! and the hideous black box to the left...(a TV of course, way bigger than I would like...) - that's an IKEA bookcase too...

I took this before I put the red cardinal on top of the tree - this pic shows a little silver sparkly bird from the Pottery Barn...

I couldn't resist my little boy Scooter settling in - though, he has been munching on the branches...naughty kitty! ;-))

Have a great day tomorrow!

(images by me)

If you need help making your space lovely, please contact me so I can help you! Email me at: monacointeriors76@yahoo.com.

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Christmas time...

I thought I would post some photos I took around the house in 2010 before taking new shots of this year's decorations over the weekend. Last year we had a little table top tree (as we do every year), but I decided to do something different this Christmas.  As we get closer to the holiday, it is a good time to reflect on the past year, your hopes, dreams, accomplishments, failures etc. and figuring out a way to make the new year successful...and fun! 

Merry Christmas a little early everyone!

(images by me)

For information and pricing for my decorating services, please email me at monacointeriors76@yahoo.com.

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Top 5 bargains of the week...

Its holiday time folks, and I was at Pottery Barn today and finally found some antlers on sale, as well as a glittery bird ornament. I have also been looking at Christmas trees, since we only have a small table tree. I am thinking it would be nice to get a big tree!  Happy shopping!

From Target - a 6' Unlit Canadian Fir Tree for $20!!

Another Target deal - Pre-Lit Potted Pine Tree Porch Set with Clear Lights for just $35.00 -

From Pottery Barn - Faux Sheepskin Pillow Cover - 18" for $19.00 -

From Pottery Barn again - Ornament Set Glitter Birds - 3 for $10.50

From Etsy store The Note Treasury - and Old Fashioned Christmas card for $3.50

Inspiring gifts or something you may need!

I hope you have a fabulous week! Thanks for stopping by, I appreciate the support!

(images target.com, potterybarn.com, etsy.com)

For information and pricing for my decorating services, please contact me at monacointeriors76@yahoo.com.

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Christmas at home...

Here, some images from Christmas at home...

 

Look what Santa brought me! I treated myself to Anne Harwell's beautiful paintings, including one by her father, and hubby gave me Vicki Archer's beautiful tome! I hope you are all having a great holiday! We are bracing for a major blizzard later today into tomorrow here in New England (from New York City north) - White Christmas indeed!!

(images by Sarah for Monaco Interiors)

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Merry Christmas!!

Not the greatest picture of my little tree but wanted to wish all my special blogger friends a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

Love, Sarah

(image by Sarah)

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A rustic room...

A Christmasy scene...a rustic room I could relax in:

Love this English room with the big fireplace...that is the one feature I don't have in my home...a fireplace. In New England. Go figure!  I think the only accessory I would add, is a nice fluffy rug. Finally, done with work and  3 days off. Looking forward to shopping for food tomorrow and doing some cooking.  I plan on posting some photos, so I'm hoping the light will be good - I only have a few hours of bright daylight!

Hope you are all well and enjoying some quiet time with your families - see you here tomorrow!

(image idealhomemagazine.co.uk)

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Five Decorating Ideas for Christmas...

Christmas wreaths outside a home in Boston...

Simple wreath on a window with lovely shutters...

Red berries in a glass vase...

Shiny red ornaments and sea urchins...

Great idea! red ornaments nestled in a small tree...

I know everyone has seen this picture from House Beautiful - it must be at least 2 years old now, but it is such a great decorating idea for stairs!

(image by Jose Picayo for House Beautiful)

(images by Eric Roth for Traditional Home)

(Interior Design by Gregory van Boven)

For more inspiration go here and here

Are you done with all your holiday shopping? Are you still decorating the house? I am pretty much done now and will be focusing on some holiday cooking, which is not something I usually do, but decided its time to devote more time to it, especially after seeing 'Julie and Julia' - great movie!  That Julia Child, she was something else! Thanks for visiting me and welcome new visitors!!

If you would like your home to reflect your ideas and unique vision, contact me and we can work together to make your dream come true. Please inquire at monacointeriors76@yahoo.com - I would love to assist you with any project large or small!

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Design tips for your home...

Country Living has been a bit of an inspiration for me this month and I wanted to share a great idea for those of you who, like me, may have a rather ugly Tempur-pedic like mattress. I have tried the dust ruffle, but it just won't stay in place because the mattress is so heavy. The ruffle ends up all mangled, so, when I saw this brilliant idea, I just can't wait to try it:

Don't neglect your mattress - why not cover it with a fitted sheet??? why didn't I think of this? What a great idea!  Now, I'm on the lookout for a blue and white sheet...

The Beekman residence again and, this time, the hallway is decorated with a large decorative glass jar filled with branches and little decorations. I know its been done before, but, I like the way it looks and seems easy to do...

The Chicago house of Lisa and Dan Tiemann is beautifully simple and I love the way Lisa took twig wreaths and spray painted them gold for a really beautiful effect.  You can do this year round or just at the holidays and you could try different colors.

How about dressing your chairs up with angel's wings? Such a creative and unique way to decorate your dining room...for more inspiration go here -

I hope you have a great week - see you here next time!

(Beekman residence images by Lucas Allen)

(Tiemann residence images by Laura Moss)

If you would like your home to reflect your ideas and unique vision, contact me and we can work together to make your dream come true. Please send inquiries to monacointeriors76@yahoo.com - I would love to assist you with any project large or small! 

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Christmas decorating house tour...

This house is so charming and so beautifully dressed up for Christmas, I couldn't resist it. The cozy home is decorated by the homeowner each year and lucky for her, the color scheme of red, white and blue easily adapts to holiday decorating.

Note the little tree on the shutter...

Beautiful red and green...I love the glass...

The mix of stripes and checks and the floral wallpaper is genius...

I just ordered a plaid vest from Lands End that looks like the lampshade!

LOVE this room...

No detail is left out...what is in that jar?? 

Jingle bells, jingle bells...

This says Merry Christmas doesn't it? Love the skates, trees, stockings and shabby chic mirror...

Thank you for visiting me this week...it will be time for a giveaway soon after the holidays, so I will be thinking of something that you guys will like. Have a great week!

(images Courtney Wilson for bhg.com)

If you would like your home to reflect your ideas and unique vision, contact me and we can work together to make your dream come true.  Please contact me at monacointeriors76@yahoo.com - I would love to assist you with any project large or small!

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