Bamboo Friday with James Farmer!!

So excited!!

I had the great luck to go hear James Farmer speak last night.

He's fabulous. 

Southern. Very.
We are both unapologetically Southern.

We share a love of "Carl" :)  That's the color coral if you don't have a deep Southern drawl.

He decorates in the most beautiful, timeless way.

I gave his last book as a gift to my mom. Who loves it!!

And...

He uses my beloved bamboo in so, so many of his rooms!!
(and blue and white and the Audubon flamingo!)

Look closely and you'll see a touch of bamboo in most of his rooms.

Here are a few images from his Instagram:

A wonderful bamboo sideboard with two fabulous Chinoiserie lamps on the right.

The bedside table above is a great looking small scale bamboo chest.

Three matching bamboo bookcases hold all kinds of treasures.

 This all time favorite bedroom has it all -
the dream faux bamboo bed, animal print
and that fantastic caramel colored print fabric used for window treatments and pillows.

AND he has the cutest pooch!!

@doodlesamp on IG

Be sure to go see him speak if you have the chance- they called it a "lecture" but it was far from it.
So entertaining!
Be sure to get his books - there are so many and there is a new cookbook that sounds fabulous in addition to the interior design book he published last Fall.
And definitely follow his IG feed for non-stop inspiration!

Blue and White Garden Thoughts...

I've always been a fan of blue in the garden.

After white flowers, blue hydrangeas and morning glories are my favorite.

(A bloom from this year's garden.)

We had a bumper crop of hydrangeas this year 
even though our weather was crazy last Winter

 and it has rained so much this Summer.

(I don't mind when they are a bit purple-y either!)

I also like blue and white in the garden in other forms.

Here are a few goodies from my IG feed.

I love a blue and white garden stool anywhere.

 This one is in good company- look at those woven chairs and fabulous topiaries. 

And this is perfection:

Fabulous fish bowls planted with pretty pink blooms and on amazing wooden stands.

 (Notice the designs on the bowls aren't matchy-matchy)

And if you are not familiar with the intriguing story of Jim Thompson then here is a link to a good article. But be forewarned you may end up down a rabbit hole of googling about Jim Thompson because the story is full of mystery, speculation, Asian art, blue and white, the silk trade and more!!


Not technically "outside in the garden" but this conservatory is fabulous. 
I found it on M.O.Endres  amazing IG feed.

And this is quite the entrance. 

How would you like to see that every time you come and go??

There's more blue and white fabulousness (indoors and out)

 on Elizabeth's blueandwhitehome IG account.

So, blue and white in the garden gets a (green) thumbs up!!

Bamboo Friday- Confirmation That Bamboo IS Best!

The blog world is RAVING about the 2018 Southern Living Idea House in Austin.

I'm joining in.

The interior designer, Meredith Ellis, did a beautiful job and used some fabulous (you guessed it) bamboo pieces in more than one room!!

So Bamboo Is Best is confirmed.

I'm a Southern gal through and through.

If it's in Southern Living or Garden and Gun then we have it on pretty good authority.

So, even though I knew Bamboo Is Best in my heart of hearts, I have O-fficial Southern undeniable confirmation!

Thank you Meredith and Southern Living!

PS. There is also a CEILING FAN in every room. I have blogged about this before. 

Even though ceiling fans have taken some pretty negative press in the blogging/IG/Pinterest world the last few years, we NEED them in the South. 

They save us through the 4 or 5 months of very warm days 

(which I love but would not want to do w/out my friend the ceiling fan!!)

Bamboo Friday and It Smells So Good

I have been wanting to put a diffuser in my family room for quite some time. 

But I didn’t want it to look like a diffuser. 

I wanted it to “blend.” (My Cousin Vinny, Anyone?)

Mollie has been using Young Living Oils for ages 
(Christmas gift from me three or four years ago 
and I'm still messing around looking for a diffuser! Seriously!)

And then I found this one on Amazon a few days ago. 

How perfect that it's simple and BAMBOO!!

I put it on a little blue and white saucer on a side table in our Family Room 

and just plugged it in!

(We use those little saucers as coasters all over our home!)

It's obviously not a vintage item and still stands out a bit but it's working for me. 
Some are quite modern and large so this is better than most. 
It's wonderful to be able to add some oils to this diffuser 
and have our whole downstairs smell wonderful. 
Plus there is the added benefit that we can choose oils that help us relax or feel more energetic or even combat germs (no worries this Winter!)

If you follow me on Instagram you know that right now our family room
 is full of sweet scented roses!
But once they fade I'll be diffusing oils non-stop!