Happy New

single., originally uploaded by Philipp Hilpert.

Step into the picture,
let go of the frame.
Leap into the future,
it's your life to claim.

bonne annee

Each year we are invited to a couple of New Year's Eve dinners or parties, but since our children have been teenagers we have to decline.  WHY?!! I hear you ask, something contagious? a superstition? no, nothing so ethereal --- it's our barn!

Our barn is big, safe, far enough from the house to be independent yet close enough to keep an eye, and ......  it has seating and a dance floor!!  YAY!

So every year at least one of our four children organise a New Year party there.  We bring in heating, fancy lights, music,  food, drink.... You can see from the pictures that we leave it all pretty basic.  Experience has taught me that my ideas on decoration aren't quite the same as theirs, and in any case the lights will be so low that no one will notice!!

We already put a couple of our old sofas in the barn, and the former mangers have been transformed into teenage-party-proof seating.

The old wood burning stove is given its annual dusting off and woken up for the occasion, and we bring in some extra party heating too.

So at my french country home on New Year's Eve you will find a dinner for us with friends in the main house; a teenage party in the barn, and a younger and smaller teenage happening in the guest cottage.  Fun?  yes,  Mad?  yes, also, .... but the bit where I would like you to spare me a thought is the next morning, because while our dinner guests will go home at some point in the night, most of the youngsters will be staying here!!!  Obviously!  No fun at all otherwise!

How many baguettes do you think I should  order for breakfast for 30 youngsters?   I'm going with 20 baguettes and about 8 litres of hot chocolate and the same of orange juice, but if anyone knows better I'm interested to hear!

. 

Bonne année à vous tous!!  

Resolutions

Well, today is New Year's Eve.  

Time to clean out the old and in with the new.

These are a few of my resolutions:

1.  Be a better person

2.  Make 2011 the best year ever

3.  Work-out more

4.  Learn to sew (I signed up to take two sewing lessons in     February!)

5.  Be positive

6.  Be more creative

7.  Write more

8.  Travel more

9.  Love more

10.  Learn a new language (Spanish or French or both) 

Do you make resolutions?  What do hope to achieve in 2011?

Happy New Year!

Darlings, thank you for the fantastic year (you don't even know how many times your comments made me all giggly from happiness) and I can't wait to see what 2011 will bring our way. What are your plans for tonight? After a fun (and a bit chilly) week in the snow, Balazs and I are looking forward to a low-key Italian-food night. From Monday morning, exPress-o will be back with the regular schedule, and I can't wait to catch up with you all! (Missed you tons). Happy New Year and see you on the other side! Cheers! xoxo

Ps: Hope to catch You on Twitter for midnight wishes:)

Happy New Year

Happy New Year and May all your dreams come true!

antique bar tray from Pottery Barn

Be sure to meet back here on Monday for a fabulous giveaway from Pottery Barn.

You won't want to miss it, believe me!

2010 In Review ~ Best of Blogs of 2010

Top 10 of 2010 Blog Posts on Bright Bold and Beautiful

and more Best of 2010 posts... See you next year!

More ways to follow BB&B

shop * facebook * twitter * bloglovin * tumblr

Happy New Years Eve....

How will you celebrate??

images via from me to you

Happy New Year to All Of You

Happy New Year to you!
May every great new day
Bring you sweet surprises--
A happiness buffet.
Happy New Year to you,
And when the new year’s done,
May the next year be even better,
Full of pleasure, joy and fun.

Without A Hitch

My 'unofficial' school reunion went as planned.

It was a small group of us, just about 35 or 40.

The Island gang.

Me - 2nd. from the left

This is only a small portion.

It was a lovely event

 held in the most appropriate place imaginable for this gifted group.

Most of the gang learned to sail right here at the above yacht club.

This is where the party was.

It was at night, and it was beautiful.

You could have actually thrown a baseball to the house I grew up in.

We could just glance across the water and see our childhood homes,

where we played as kids.

We all water skied, sailed, and spent out days on this bay.

Beautiful Biscayne Bay.

There is NOTHING like it.

It is what makes Miami & Miami Beach so amazing. 

More girls from The Islands.

starting on the left; Debbie, Missy, Janine

Debbie ....the doll.

In spite of the lovely night that went off 'without a hitch.....'

(thank you lisa and howie)

I woke this morning feeling sad 

and 'out of my stirrups'.

I was once again filled with all the old feelings

 that I would rather not feel.

You know the ones....

But they come 

and they go.

Just as my confidence and sense of security does the same.

It was extremely difficult for me to place names with faces.

I wasn't great at making friends with EVERYONE.

Mainly because I was only close with 2 or 3 girls all through 12yrs -17.

I felt 2 or 3 was plenty. I was a bit moody and private.

My 3  friends are 'mixers' and were comfortable 'mingling.'

I am still no 'mingling freak'

'One on One' is my comfort zone.

My one friend kept saying;

"how can you not remember 'so and so' ?"

"we all walked home from the bus..." or

"don't you remember when we all....?"

I started to think, 

am I senile already?

Or

 was I just in my own world?

....which is much more likely.

But.....

 

 I didn't really feel comfortable in my own skin back then.

My skin today suits me just fine.

I have a whole new set of issues....

hahahahah

I am so proud of the individuals that I grew up with.

They are all 'SOMEBODIES'

Do you like reunions?

Do they leave you feeling off your game??

Renee Finberg 'TELLS ALL' in her BLOG..... Interior Design, Palm Beach, Boca Raton,Ft.Lauderdale,Design Service, Window Treatments, TurnKey Interior Design Service,Paint selection, Floor-Plans,Online Interior Design, reunion reunion

~I want Sunshine~

I think BHG

Yes, I want some Sunny and Warm days and lots of it..... and what makes you think of this more than anything?? Yellow and plenty of light too, of course!  Warm Sunshine days is all I can think about......It would be so dreamy to just escape to the beach,  drink some lemonade and take in some rays!! Ok, I'm going to stop complaining!!
Does anyone have any special New Year's plans? I don't think we are doing much of anything...just staying home with the kids, eating snacks, watching movies and maybe if we can stay awake watch the ball drop in NYC!!

Pure Style

We Heart It

Everest

Mt. Everest, originally uploaded by Carpe Feline.

Snowflakes are one of nature's most fragile things, but just look what they can do when they stick together. - Vista M. Kelly

A Personal Message and Inspiration for 2011

Have you ever felt like you belonged on the "island of misfit toys"? Well, I have... I was at dinner last night with two great friends, and they were telling me about the high-school reunion that I recently missed. The truth is, I actually went to one school from 1st-9th, another for 10th and 11th, and we moved to a different city for my Senior year, thus a third school. So, which school class reunion am I supposed to attend? If you have really read this far, I promise there is a point to my story.

For a brief moment at dinner last night, I did feel sorry for myself, feeling like I did not belong to one certain group. Then, I snapped out of it. Don't get me wrong, I am very grateful for all of my friends and experiences I have encountered along the way. But, I am a firm believer of living in the present. I am 43 years old, and last year I would have told you that 2009 was the best year of my life. However, now that we have come to the end of 2010, I would say that this year has been even better.

So to all of you ~ If you are not doing what you love, change your ways.

If there is a hobby you want to try ~ try it!

Dream...

Imagine...

Believe in Yourself

Cherish your family and friends

Live, Laugh, and most certainly Love

Here is to being grateful for our past, and looking ahead to 2011!

I hope you will join me here each and every day on Bright Bold and Beautiful.

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An amazing mid-century modern home mixed with victorian glamour

Something yummy for you...
from Loft Life Magazine

"Charoonkit Thahong’s New York loft mixes Hollywood regency with mid-century modern overtones to create a space that celebrates good design. Some gems include the 1969 VP Globe lamp by Verner Panton, the Fortuny Moda lamp, the Knoll Tulip armless chairs and the oh-so-fun black Victorian love-seat. Thahong, an art director for R/GA, has managed to infuse warmth into the otherwise over-sized, industrial space (located in Hell’s Kitchen) adding subtle touches of glamour to finish off the look. It’s proof that life without walls doesn’t mean sticking to only one aesthetic; Thahong’s space is fit for both Charles Eames and Marie Antoinette!"

...swoon...




If you live in a loft, open floor plan, or studio, book cases without a solid back allow light through but create a divider.


..a pretty corner...

Here's a few pics from a tribeca loft, also as seen in Loft Life magazine

What do you think of the curtain divider with artwork displayed on it like a wall?

My Favorite Design Blog Posts of 2010

It’s hard to believe 2010 is coming to an end soon. Seems like just yesterday I wrote a post about my favorite blog posts of 2009. With more and more beautiful design blogs, it was very difficult to narrow down my favorites for 2010, but here goes {in no particular order}…

Holding Court’s How to Find Inspiration Shopping.  The design blogging community continues to morn the loss of Marija who was killed in a car accident returning from an antiquing trip to Atlanta on July 10, 2010. My heart goes out to her family and friends this holiday season.

Pure Style Home’s Our Thanksgiving Table. This fun post by Lauren represents her wonderful whimsical, eclectic style to a T.

Isabella & Max Rooms’ Kitchen Island Pendant Project. In this post, the multi-talented Janell shows us how to make a custom drum shade for a pendant fixture. Aren’t this beautiful?

Cote de Texas’ The Hottest Photographer Going. Joni’s posts are always informative and beautiful. This is no exception. She walks through who Candida Hofer {the hottest photographer} and why she has attracted the attention of so many of the finest interior designers and art collectors. {image above from Town & Country via Cote de Texas}

Emily A. Clark’s Where to Start. This is a great article where Emily gives her design advice on where to start first when decorating your home. {image from House Beautiful via Emily A. Clark}

Centsational Girl’s Laundry Room Project Breakdown. Well, it was hard to pick just one post of Kate’s. She has some many great ones this year. However, her laundry room face-lift is a favorite of mine.

Bright.Bazaar’s Rue Magazine: My Holiday Column. Will’s column for Rue Magazine is always a treat. I especially like his holiday where he captured three different Christmas looks in the same room … all in one day!

6th Street Design School’s Office Details. Kirsten’s pretty and functional home office was designed with items from all different sources – many at deep discounts. Love that!

A Brooklyn Limestone in Progress’ Mail Call! DIY Mail Center. Stephani has tons of inspirational DIY projects on her blog, but the organizer side of me loved this incoming mail sorting center she made using picture frames and radiator grill. Brilliant!

Things That Inspire's Kitchen Sinks and Sink Tips from Readers. Holly is in the midst of building her dream home in Atlanta. She blogs about all the big and little decisions that she is making throughout the process. In these posts she walks through images of kitchen sinks and highlights readers’ advice regarding a variety of sink designs. Great ones to bookmark!

Velvet & Linen’s Leila’s Room. Brooke’s daughter, Leila’s new “big” girl room is eclectic, colorful and inviting. Starting with an floral rug from Anthropologie, Brooke & Leila created a beautiful bedroom retreat.

There are so many other posts I enjoyed reading in 2010. The lovely blogs listed under "buzzing blogs" are my daily reads. Please check them out when you have the time!

If you have areas of design or organization you'd like me to cover in 2011, just drop me an email - simplifiedbee {@} yahoo {dot} com.

Thank you for reading Simplified Bee and wishing you a joyous 2011!