For me, the most exciting part of the building process was the kitchen installation. It was thrilling to see all my ideas and planning come to life. Giddy is more like it. Today, I thought I'd walk you through some of the planning decisions I made for the kitchen and talk about the process.

We took a quick trip up the coast to Carmel and I thought I'd share a few of our favorite places with you. When I'm planning a trip, I always love reading other people's travel lists and find them handy in making my preparations. Hope you do as well. If you have another can't miss spot in Carmel, please leave it in the comments for others!

Every summer, Labor Day fast approaches and we try to squeeze in the last drops of summer fun. Usually, we have a barbecue with family and friends, but this year, The Man and I decided to sneak off to Carmel. We stopped in Tancedi & Morgen so I could get my antiquing fix and I was able to take some photos to share with you. Come along with me! You'll see how charming it is...

For many, this week marks the official start of back-to-school and with that, I thought it the perfect time to talk books. Not the required reading lists that we muddled through in school, but ones that peek your interest and keep your mind occupied during the day...pondering when you'll have time to dive back into the pages. I always have multiple books on my nightstand (and iPad) with slips of paper bookmarks tucked in, awaiting my return. I crave variety. Sometimes I want to hunker down with a warm blanket and read recipes like they were poetry. Other times, I have a quest for knowledge. Those thought provoking novels and biographies that will have me contemplating life and calling me to action. Here's a review of a few of my current reads. I'd love to get some of your recommendations in the comments! There's always room for more...

When I was designing the studio bathroom, I wanted to create a few interesting elements for the space. Originally, I was going to use an old dresser for the vanity but it just never felt right. I couldn't find the perfect size dresser, one with clean lines and not too much fuss. So after The Man and I had many lengthy conversations about our options...we decided that making a concrete vanity would be the best fit for my antique marble basin....

I'm going to play catch up with my recent styling work and post them here and there between what's happening in real time. One of my favorite projects was styling the gorgeous Sonoma farmhouse designed by homeowner, Jann Blazona for Country Living Magazine. Every bit of her home was perfection and she had a true passion for collecting, which made my job so much fun! I was like a kid in a candy store with all those props at the ready. One of my favorites was the vintage peach juice pitcher in the photo above. Not to mention the amazing collection of ironstone in her cabinets!