Wednesday, 15 August 2012

Mid week musings and a Sailormade giveaway!

Hi and happy Wednesday afternoon to you! I have been busy, busy, busy between houseguests, fun day trips, lots of work and some aggravation courtesy of Apple......speaking of,  I almost feel like a bonafide Apple expert. My computer had a total melt down, though Macs never get "viruses" , it doesn't mean that the files do not get corrupted which is exactly what happened. I took it upon myself to, after being gone all day yesterday to figure things out myself late last night into the wee hours of the morning. Oh boy.....it was quite an experience! The good news is I am back in business without having had to buy a new computer, but have a new operating system, Snow Leopard and being one who does not like change, its going to take a little getting used to.

Moving on.....Busy week for me, had a wonderful visit with my sister and her family, lots of fun things this week.....its a week devoted to "me" and having fun and finally cherishing what little is left of summer! Was out in beautiful Southampton which was a blast, I always fulfill my retail therapy fantasies when in the super chic world of the Hampton's. Going into the city Friday, heading out to a very special horse farm (will take pictures) with a friend for a fun day trip  and a few tidbits happening at the house as well as in my shop! So lets get rolling......


Remember the darling Sailormade bracelets I featured a week or so ago? Well guess what.....unbeknowst to me, they read my blog! How cool is that! Going a step further, they are offering a wonderful giveaway.....can you say awesome! The lucky winner will win one of the two brackets below(your choice). To be eligible all you have to do is visit Sailormade, check out their wonderful products, come back here and tell me a fave. The lucky winner will be announced on Friday!



And hot off the presses...check out this SUPER CHIC picture my reader just sent me, telling me she just ordered two Sailormade bracelets after I posted about them last week, does she have style or what! I may need to copy!

Here is a little blurb for you that shares Sailormade's inspiration for the Brummel Bracelet.

"The Brummel bracelet by Sailormade combines high-performance sailing rope with the ingenious design of a brummel hook as the fastener. This popular hardware has been used for over a century aboard small and large sailing vessels to securely attach lines, sheets and flag halyards. The hook is connected by aligning each opening at a right angle to its mate. When attached and under load, the Brummel hooks remain firmly fastened. This triple-wrap rope bracelet looks great, on your wrist and in the water!

Sailormade is the tangible result of a dream hatched by two friends with a passion for life on the water and a love of great design."
Speaking of cool things and the Hampton's, one store I always find something in is Roberta Roller Rabbit, chic colorful and fun tunics that are really affordable. So many wonderful vibrant prints, you feel happier wearing them!  Click here to visit her wonderful site.Here are a few faves.....






And then of course I always have to get something from Gretchen Scott, long my favorite go to source for great little cotton dresses that double as cover ups and a seemingly endless array of tunics in all kinds of fabulous prints. Here's a peek at her things....





LOVE this robe.....its soooo soft!

House biz.....got my gorgeous drapes up in my main powder room! Now we are awaiting the countertop/sink/faucet, need to put up the mirror and we are done..woo hoo! I got the best pictures that I could. Really happy with them!











(I know I know lots of pictures you know I get carried away)!


And moving along in the back powder room too....wallpaper not yet up but got the darling gingham silk drapes up and really loving the way it warms up the bathroom. Here's a sneak peek of the room in progress.


Heres the wallpaper





As I am waiting for a long long time (hear that Thomas O Brien) for my sconces, which will be antiques by the time they arrive, I am trying to wrap up other small things in my bathroom. One thing that I needed to do was to order florettes/rosettes for the corners of my mirror. I knew what I wanted but couldn't find it save for the usual glass or crystal florettes you see everywhere. i wanted something silver and old and "lacey" looking. And by golly, I found it!
Take a look.................


Though I am of course doing silver.....I tried a few different sizes

The little wire is just holding it on temporarily until I decide 






You know I always love to throw in a little something about food, right? Well......this is too good to not share, so I made this the other night and lets just say I was tempted to tell my family it was horrible so they wouldn't want any and would be content with a sandwich but I am not that cruel! Next time I know to double up on the recipe however!

Risotto 

You know the key to almost any good risotto is lots of fresh parmesan, yum!

Ingredients

  • 2 cups Parmesan, Romano, Or Asiago Cheese (or A Mixture Of All Three)
  • 3 cloves (to 4 Cloves) Garlic
  • 1/2 whole Large Onion
  • 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
  • 1 Tablespoon Butter
  • 1 pound Arborio Rice
  • 7 cups (to 8 Cups) Chicken Broth
  • 1 cup (to 1 1/2 Cups) Heavy Cream
  • 1 Tablespoon (to 2 Tablespoons) Chives, Chopped
  • Salt And Pepper, to taste

Preparation Instructions

Grate 2 cups of cheese. Peel and finely dice 3 to 4 cloves of garlic. Dice ½ of a large onion.
Heat a large skillet over medium-low heat and add 1 tablespoon of Olive Oil. Then add 1 tablespoon of butter. Throw in the garlic and onion and sauté for a couple of minutes until the onion is translucent.
Add 1 pound of Arborio rice and stir to coat the rice thoroughly. Adding 1 cup at a time, add 7-8 ounces of chicken broth, stirring constantly after each addition. As soon as it appears that the rice has absorbed each helping of broth, add in the next helping. Do not stop stirring. This process will take at least 20 minutes. Rice is done when it no longer has a hard bite.
When more of the broth is absorbed pour in 1 to 1 ½ cups of heavy cream. Next add the grated cheese and stir thoroughly. Add in plenty of fresh cracked pepper and about 1 to 2 tablespoons of chopped chives. Add salt to taste.
Make it. Make it now. Eat! Enjoy!



A little store biz....though I am phasing out the Seda France candles, I am going full steam ahead with my crystal hurricane candles with the worlds most heavenly gardenia scent. These are amazing, have extra long burn times, are triple scented which means even one can permeate a room and are simply spectacular to look at! They will all be up and available next week but if you want to order now, as usual just email me to theenchantedhome@gmail.com. A few new shapes/sizes coming in which is very exciting, and here they are
This is the gorgeous 50 oz very large about 12" and empty its quite a show piece too.....




A new one, even taller and holds 60 oz of gardenia heaven!

A new style for the mini, about 5-6" tall

Another mini new style

A current style, beautiful classic urn

Another current style, elegant lacey crystal

A new mini style...so pretty!


So that's about it for today....will be back on Friday with a winner for the darling Sailormade bracelet. Hope you are having a great week and enjoying summers fleeting days...the back to school banter is getting louder and the clothes are getting darker, a sure sign fall is near. Do hope you enjoy these last few weeks of summer! Thanks to Sailormade for their fun giveaway and to all of you for stopping in for a visit!  Until next time......

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