#goodthings

Fun Things -Plus The Serena & Lily Summer Sale

May 27, 2021 By kimwheeler 6 Comments

Just a quick post with a few fun things.. First, I wanted to let everyone know starting today, Serena & Lily has 20% off everything at The Summer Event. This will be the biggest sale of the season. Use code DIVEIN for 20% off from 5/27 – 6/1. I know a few of you sent me notes about ordering things I have in my house like the barstools and rug, and also my outdoor furniture. This is a great time to pick an item up on sale! A few of the fun summer things..I am going to order this bookcase I have been thinking about.

The La Jolla Basket is one of my favorite S&L things and is cute in a bath for towels and laundry or to hold kid’s toys. I have mine in my new closet and I love how it looks and hides the laundry.
The Palm Pillow Cover for outdoors is in four colors and is water and UV resistant to last many seasons. I love the navy and light blue in this, but the green and sand colors look very Palm Beachy and chic.
I have this Pacifica Lounger in and the matching sofa (8.) in the unbleached Driftwood color and love them. They are made of a resin that looks like wicker and is so strong. After almost two years, mine still look like new.
The Mallorca Beach Towels remind me of my trip to Sorrento where the hotels all have lovely striped beach towels! These come in a Turkish Cotton and 6 colors with a pretty fringe. I’d love to have a stack on my deck!
The Sunbrella Lido Pillow comes in three sizes and many colors. Love the colored piping and button detail..
Campagna Beach Towels come in round or rectangle and so lovely!
The Teak Beach Chair comes in three adorable fabrics and is a backpack style for easy toting around. For little adventures or even on your deck

Everything on the sale you can view at Serena & Lily. Sale ends June 1st.

Speaking of Sorrento..

Are you missing travel? After a more than a year of home time, I’ve really got the travel bug. We are planning a family summer trip, but not abroad. Pictures of our summer trip to Positano and Sorrento recently came up on my photos and I was feeling wistful for all the beauty there. I thought maybe others would enjoy the pretty hotel in Sorrento and its blue aesthetic and get ideas for future travel plans..I shared it on my Instagram this week and saved it on the highlights if you want to see more and get the particulars. Here’s hoping we will all travel more soon…

If France is on your list, Conde Nast Traveller just published its Prettiest Towns in Provence . I’ve been to a few on this list, like Eze, L’Isle Sur La Sorgue and Aix, but there are a lot on this list I had never heard of. Definitely one to bookmark and use to plan future adventures.

They also have a great guide- A Road Trip Through Provence’s Lavender Fields. Just wonderful to see, even if you have no trip planned.

All these Provence photos Conde Nast.

One thing we can all use for travel is a sun hat that folds. I just bought this canvas hat at Anthropologie and it is flattering too.. Frances Valentine has the identical hat for a lot more. This is a good price -$38.

Anthro also has the CUTEST fringe tote which I am still thinking of..Love the braided straps. What a fun travel tote and also beach/pool bag when you arrive!

Because I haven’t been doing my usual tennis and walking due to my toe injury, I am obviously feeling a bit heavier, so started to eat cleaner. I’m on my third day of no sugar and it’s been fine. I’m trying to stay away from refined carbs and bread too. I was stuck for what to make for dinners and remembered these grain bowls with hummus we did last summer…

I start with dollop of hummus in each, and add chickpeas, walnuts, avocado slices, romaine spears, tomatoes, sliced bell peppers and quinoa- ( I use Whole Foods frozen). The guys like shredded chicken added to theirs too. I give each a few turns of fresh pepper and some crunchy sea salt and drizzle with some olive oil. Pretty easy and filling too.

I’m looking for more clean recipes so I’ll share any good ones I get. I also made this PF Chang’s Lettuce Cups from Damn Delicious on Monday and that one is definitely going on the rotation- so good and pretty healthy too. ( I forgot to take photos- next time!) Please share any great sites or recipes you love for clean eating if you care to in comments! I find it so helpful to hear what others are doing too.

Well, that’s it friends. Wishing you some fun for the long weekend

Kim

Some links may generate a small commission. Thank you for supporting the blog.

All photos property of Northern California Style unless stated.

Good Things This Weekend

March 13, 2021 By kimwheeler 13 Comments

Can you guys believe we have been in this pandemic for a whole year now? I remember the exact moment it sunk in that it might be a lot more than a few weeks at home. We were having one of our pantry dinners we so diligently turned out for weeks on end, and Max said, ‘You know it’s more likely we will still be in this until August or more.’ That seemed so scary to me and here we are a year later.. A year that has changed everyone in some way or another. I do feel hopeful though, especially this weekend I noticed so many seniors eating outdoors and doing things. It made me a bit emotional seeing so many of them having fun after this past year.

Anyway, without going on, I have a few things to share this week. I’ve come to realize now I am living in sweatshirts.. The ruffled ones specifically. Guess that’s my flair right now. It’s been chilly and wet and there are a few good ones from Target that are cuter than a lot more expensive ones out there. This is my most favorite..

There’s very few sizes left in my color, but there is other colors in most sizes and a few other colors..

(UPDATE: This sweatshirt already sold out online in most colors since I wrote this a day ago! Darn I hate when that happens…You may have luck finding it in the store as it is now a sale item. I did find other ruffled sweatshirts from Rebecca Minkoff, also this one at Nordys, this at The Loft, and this in black. )

I also own this one below, which one of my sons said looks like Moira from Schitt’s Creek, which I consider a compliment!

I usually wear it with jeans, and black tennis shoes, but the jogger pants with the ruffle pockets do make a cute look.

They also have this ruffled version..

I’m also crazy about J.Crew’s new sweats. I already own two of the Vintage Cotton Terry Sweatshirts and they are super soft. The matching pants are flattering and slim fitting, but run large so you need to size down one size to get that look.

They have a lot of tennis themed things, which I am nuts about and this new addition with little racquets.

I just saw a woman at the grocery in head to toe cream/beige sweats and these sneakers..

It just looked really cute all one tone and luxe for sweats.

Other odd stuff that’s been occupying my headspace is this chicken pot pie recipe we made last week that was seriously amazing. It was maybe the addition of cognac to it? We did one change omitting pearl onions, which we could not find. The recipe is from the website, Once Upon a Chef and Jenn Segel’s recipes are so far 10/10 for everything we have tried. (This recipe can also be made with mushrooms instead of chicken and oat milk. In the recipe comments many have done that. )

I also have her potato leek soup on my regular rotation. The pot pie recipe is just the thing for the cool and wet days we’ve been having.

We just baked ours in these cute stackable porcelain bowls from Crate & Barrel, because our ramekins were too small. These bowls are fantastic for storage as they stack and they can go in the oven up to 350 We did them at a bit above that though the recipe calls for 425 and it was perfect.

Lastly, I wanted to share with you that Serena & Lily is having their Spring Design Event with 20% off sitewide, using code NEWLEAF. If there is something you had your eye on, this is the time to get it as sales are just a few times a year. You know I love their things and already have one of their new Alamere Rug in runner size in my cart. I think it will be great in our hallway… I love the shades of this rug.

Other favorite rugs are the Porter Denim & Suede Rug, the South Shore Rug, I have in my bath, the Stella Rug in our dining room, the new Ashbury Moroccan Style Rug is also beautiful- and the new Valmere Rug – both so cool.

The Montana Mirror in my pool bath/powder room is gem and a few people have asked about it after seeing the bath on Cindy Hattersley’s blog last week, where she was so kind to feature my home.

It’s a beautifully made piece. I have the medium in natural, but it also comes in white or in natural with navy stripes, and more sizes.

You may need towels like I did and the Fouta Striped towels ( I have the hand towel above), are seriously the nicest quality and come in other tones as well.

The Healdsburg Towels are in my main bathroom and still feeling soft and looking great a year on..

Anyway, so much to love from them! The lamps are gorgeous too and there are beautiful pillows as always…and bedding! The Sale ends on 3/16.

My Mattituck Armchair and Avery Throw– also on the Serena sale.

I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I’ve done a few updates to the old website. The blog turns 10 this year and I am working on changing up things a bit. You’ll notice I added a few pages at top, My California Closet which has things I wear and have in my beauty drawers and in my closet. The house link has a few drop-downs which I am still working on. The Shop My Home, will have things I have used in my home like rugs, lamps, dishes, etc – and also California inspired picks. Another, Our California Remodel, will be information about the remodel, as so many inquire about materials, flooring, paint and floors. The Lake Tahoe Cabin Style will be cabin inspired items I am using in my Tahoe place or that could work in a more rustic setting, and Books I Adore will be many my favorite books or new ones that are on my radar…So stay tuned and hopefully they will all be finished soon.

Thanks for being here and I hope you enjoy the weekend- even though we lost an hour!

Kim

Links may sometimes generate a small commission. Thank you for supporting the blog.

October Goodness

October 25, 2020 By kimwheeler 11 Comments

Just a little post to share some October goodness with you all. With the tension of this election it’s nice to take a break for some happy things right now. I hope you are enjoying some of the beauty that October brings with all it’s amazing fall color.

I was lucky to have a lunch out for a special friend’s birthday this week, and I brought pumpkins as a little table favor. I was surprised everyone liked them so much.

As they seem to be a hit, I wanted to share this fun and simple craft that seems impressive, but is actually easy and fool proof. These succulent pumpkins are a pretty and fun variation on the usual October pumpkin craft and last many months. All you need is a pumpkin, some moss, some dried flowers and snips of succulents of different varieties and a hot glue gun.

If you live in the Bay Area, you can buy the whole kit from Petite Petal Company in Campbell which my neighbors and I did. They are now sold out, (call or email them to see if that has changed ), but you can pull this all together on your own too. My neighbors Kim, Becca and I were to make kit one pumpkin each and we set up in my garage with our ingredients and chatted away while we worked.

We found we had more than enough extra moss and dried flower bits to make more. We also foraged our yards for more succulents to clip, and the pumpkins just multiplied. My son and his girlfriend did some too. The succulents will continue to grow and can be transplanted after the pumpkin starts to go, but some have even lasted into the next year says Karen at Petite Petal Co.

To do this yourself, you need a mix of moss, and this bag has all types…

You also need some dried straw flowers like those in this mixed bag.

Those are just quick buys on Amazon and you can also used dried foraged bits from your garden like lavender or statice. If you have succulents about, go take scissors and clip smaller sizes that will work on the pumpkins. Start with a generous amount of hot glue with the moss, take your time arranging the elements and glue in when you find the bits pleasing.

We distanced in my garage with masks, but took a little photo after. It was a very hot day 99 degrees!

You can leave a stem on like my friend Becca did on her little white one, or you can cut them off. There is no wrong way and anything goes.. Have fun!

Mary Ann Pickett whose birthday lunch I attended this week styled the one I gave her on her mantle below left…

Then she went outside foraging near her home and made a unique one with berries, above right. Love it! Wouldn’t this be cute for the holidays??

Elizabeth, our Antique Goddess had her own unique way of mixing hers in her decor..

Here I am with Elizabeth, Cindy and Mary Ann at the RH Corte Madera gallery. We had lunch at the open air rooftop restaurant to celebrate Mary Ann, who looks so amazing. She just wrote this post on her skincare and makeup during a pandemic. Whatever she does, I need to start!

A few snaps from this beautiful space… They have two floors of rooms filled with beautiful things. The top floor felt pretty open and spacious for a lunch with a small group. We were not near others and each table has it’s own sanitizer.

The food was excellent too! The salted chocolate chip cookies were a dream. This might be a destination if you have a special celebration during this pandemic. I like their protocols and distancing.

I loved everyone’s looks that day!

They wanted to know more about my dress which was a fluke finding it at Target. They have been designing some great pieces and this dress was good for me as I am short and have a tummy. It is so comfortable and has pockets. I am 5’4 and bought a small.

I even bought it in black as it’s hard to find flattering dresses that feel easy on. I can layer this with jeans in the cooler months and wear it like a tunic.

Two more good things..

This book How Not to Wear Black has been a fun read I picked up last week at my favorite Santa Cruz bookshop. It’s by the fashion editor of The London Times and it’s chock full of good ideas for mixing it up with your wardrobe, buying what looks good on your body and buying better. Many great photos and I am savoring this book!

While I was up in Corte Madera for Mary Ann’s lunch I had a chance to slip into Anthropologie there and get her this acacia and marble cheese board which I love..with these napkins. Good colors right? And they come in sets of six!

Can you believe I was carrying the board for her to her car and we stopped to take a photo with us all and I put it down somewhere and later we both realized I left it somewhere at the mall. UGH! I am sending her a new one. What a dumb move. Someone is enjoying it, somewhere!

I am up in Tahoe this weekend and sharing some photos on Instagram. It’s beautiful in fall here. More on my next post!

Have a good Sunday!

Kim