#outdoorstyle

Weekend Meanderings, Thrift Finds, Outdoor Pillows, Lemon Shortbread & More

May 7, 2022 By kimwheeler 42 Comments

It’s Weekend Meanderings time with Elizabeth and Juliet, and our chance to share some cool things that have come to our attention this week. It has been a week hasn’t it?

Thursday night we went out to grab Mexican food at one of our local favorites in Los Gatos, Zona Rosa. We couldn’t believe how many people were on the streets, beautiful weather and Californians seem to be so ready to be out and about again. Max and I said it was the most people we have ever seen out since the pandemic around here! Things felt almost normal again.

What do you grab if you have to evacuate?

Anyhow, we went home and at 2:45 a.m. I was woken by popping sounds and bright lights. I thought we had lightening, which is pretty rare, and then got up and noticed the electric wires above my neighbor’s home that runs along our backyards, looked like a firework display and after huge sparks and noise, was on fire!

Actual photo by my neighbor’s husband Ben of the power line.

This is the second time this has happened in a year. Anyhow fire came immediately and PG&E a half hour later, but we were out on the street, in our pjs with the neighbors until 3:30 in the morning. My poor friend whose home it was behind, took shelter in her car with her young kids. We just didn’t know if this was one of those power line fires that would move rapidly through our neighborhood or not.

There was no weather to speak of that day and they later determined it was rats or squirrels gnawing on the line that caused this! I’m a big proponent of getting the lines buried We have less than 18% in California.

Anyhow, if something like this occurs again, I need to think fast and I need to grab my photo albums and family heirlooms.. I was thinking I need to have all the albums in bags that I can just grab and go. They need to be more accessible, like very easy to reach, not in the gallows of the house.. I am committed to having what really matters easy to go at a moment’s notice. As Californians with the wildfires and things, we all need a backup plan. Max has emergency water, flashlights and other supplies in a spot in the garage, but I haven’t figured out the valuable stuff yet, but I am and will share. Do you all think of that? Do you have precious albums and things easy to grab and if so how?

Outdoor Pillows

It’s getting the lovely time of year and I have been working on getting my garden started and my yard spruced up. The one thing that didn’t do so well over the winter was outdoor throw pillows. I’m in the market for new ones that will clean easily and won’t fade. I figured you might be too about now, so I rounded up a few that caught my eye..

This Etsy Shop, CalifornialivinHome seems to have the coolest selection of outdoor pillows and they are custom made in California!

An idea for thrifted finds..

I’ve been determined to buy more things for the home that are upcycled, vintage and unique and so when I am downtown in my town of Los Gatos, I will pop into the American Cancer Discovery Shop if I have a few extra minutes. I try to do this whenever I’m near any thrift or antique store. The last two times I saw nothing and then today, I popped in there again and right away I spied two very heavy and beautiful glass urns. I knew I could use them in so many ways and they were just beautiful and for $20 each a good price.

When I came home I washed and shined them and played around with using them to hold a candle, utensil holder, even limes at the bar. Then I remembered I had two faux ferns (you can get them here) and some moss, that would make a fresh little spring look that I wouldn’t need to water. Just add some moss, drop in your fern and top with more moss.

You could do this with a large vintage goblet, glass or any kind of old urn or vessel that isn’t huge. When you are out thrifting, look for silver, heavy glass and other objects with shine to give a bar a bit of elegance. That’s where I put these two for now, but they would be pretty on a spring table with masses of white votives, white plates and pretty glasses or crystal and green napkins of some kind don’t you think?

Madewell Sandals

I’ve been loving my new Charley Slides from Madewell. I had them on the blog last week on the casual outfit look. They come in black, cream and I went with the tan with the contrasting black sole. These were comfortable right out of the box. They are 20% off now with code WARMUP.

Update: A few inquiries about my little Longchamp bag I am wearing above.. It’s the best and can hold a full wallet, phone and tons more. this bag was on my mind after Juliet shared she had one on this post.. Mine is the nylon version and it was found at The Rack, I can’t seem to find the same one online, but the leather version here and more options in comments below. (Also a nearly exact same J. Crew blazer as mine is now at J.Crew factory here in camel and navy. )

Lemon Glazed Cookies

My friend Jeanne is an amazing baker and she made me the most wonderful light shortbread lemon glazed cookies. I have been eating mostly healthy ( trying :/) , but these tiny shortbreads were small and so fresh and delicious with the addition of the glaze from yard lemons! Since we all have so much citrus now, I thought you could use another great lemon recipe. Original Source here.

American Viscountess

Are you an anglophile? A fan of Downton? Well you may enjoy American Viscountess Julie Montagu and her Youtube channel. Julie is an American girl from outside Chicago who married the Earl of Sandwich. They are in the process of renovating their Mapperton Country estate, which she raises money for, but she also visits other stately homes and meets interesting aristocracy. She’s a likable gal, also a yoga instructor and narrates specials on CNN like the latest one on Princess Diana. It’s a fun escape and you can find her channel and many episodes to binge here..and also follow her on Instagram here and here.

Serena & Lily 20% Off

This Serena & Lily sale is a great time to get things and I have to mention the 20% off when it happens as it’s the best time to buy. Use the code GOFORIT to get the discount. One of the best things on this sale is their Seaview Runner for hallways, bath and kitchen that I have here.. Mine is grey.

More of the Serena & Lily things I love and have in my house on this post.

Well that’s my meanderings for this week now please pop over and see what great ideas my friends Elizabeth and Juliet have for you…I really enjoy what they share every week.

PINECONES AND ACORNS

MAKE MINE A SPRITZER

Wishing you all a beautiful weekend.

Thank you for being here!

Kim

If you missed last week’s post with healthy eating ideas, a plant based pasta dinner, the perfect black dress and more you can find it here.

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Weekend Update and Giving the Yard a Capri Vibe..Plus Daybeds.

April 30, 2021 By kimwheeler 14 Comments

Hello ! This month has flown by and so much has happened. It feels like life is slightly coming back to some kind of normal a little. All of us in the fam, are a few weeks past our second vaccines so we have been slowly venturing out and there’s that unexpected feeling of safety which is nice.

Last night I took a walk without a mask and it felt good and the air was so fresh. I was having a moment. I felt grateful and emotional. So much has happened to us all the past year..A lot has changed. I took a little picture of the yard in the moonlight. It has grown too…We spent a few days weeding this month and it paid off. We have to do that about this time every year. A lot of people commented on the lights when I posted this photo- and I did a post about the dark sky compliant lighting which is so good for the earth and ecosystem, on this post last year.

Our oldest, Jackson has moved out into his own apartment, his first space on his own as a working adult, post college and it’s been a big deal. Jack lived and worked in his bedroom the past year, finishing school, looking for a job for months and then beginning one last fall. It hasn’t always been ideal, and he has sometimes struggled being with us all the time. He finally saved enough to get his own apartment in Sunnyvale, moved his bedroom things and beloved plants and bought a sectional from Ikea with his savings. We gave him a few hand me downs like an ottoman and two lamps, and some rugs to throw in his mix.

He’s pretty thrilled to have his own space. I laughed when he said, ‘Mom it’s so great to have a space to work and not have to sleep in that same room!’ He is appreciating the little things after the past year. Below a few pics of his place, which has a nice sunset view and a patio. Also a cute pic of he and his sweet girlfriend Kristin who helped him – including putting together the IKEA couch!

For us, it’s a big change as the youngest, Griffin is still at his first year of college in Utah, so for them being we are empty nesters. He also just moved into his first apartment for the next year. He and his two friends have been creative finding things on Facebook marketplace, some discounted furniture and free skis for wall decor, etc. They are cultivating their own succulents and cooking and baking.

It is funny both to have both guys beginning the whole adulting process at the same time, but also so good for them after this past year. Some of Grif’s place which he is very proud of below.. Love their cereal dispenser, plant pillows and kitchen lighting.

It’s hard to believe it all happened so fast and a year ago I don’t think I would have believed the guys would be out and independent. It is fun to hear about it all, and I am secretly happy when they ask my advice about a few things.

Grif will be home in a few weeks to start his summer job, but right now it is oddly quiet. Jackson’s room is now Max’s office. He’s still home for a few more months. It was so echoey, I layered rugs in there one of my Mattituck Serena & Lily chairs and a plant for now…

My plan is to wallpaper this space and buy a pretty upholstered daybed in there for when we have house guests. Today I am moving some of my seasonal clothes in the closet! I’m reaping the benefit of having California Closets install organizers in the guy’s rooms when we renovated.

For this room, I am considering something like this daybed from a recommended Etsy shop that the Erin Gates the Elements of Style gal uses. I always thought daybeds look great and are so versatile for the occasional house guest without making a whole room designated as a guest space. Look at the cool options..

They have a ton of customizable and pretty styles on their shop site. These products are made in CALIFORNIA, love that.

I also love their custom beds and headboards.. I need a new bed too.

Other options I am looking at -this woven Sorrento Daybed at Williams-Sonoma.

The Shelter Daybed from West Elm is modern and rich looking and comes in a load of customizable fabrics and colors. This velvet is especially chic.

This Veda Daybed by Arhaus is another one to consider..

In the home accessory space, looking for Jackson’s place and the new office I did a quick run over to Homegoods and they have a promo on now called ‘Villa Capri’. I love when they do these events, as their buyers shop from unique places. This may be the closest we get to Southern Italy for a while..

I found some gorgeous beach towels from Greece made of Athens cotton, (whatever that is it’s fab), pottery from Italy and Portugal, a lot of pillows and ottomans to check out for an ‘al fresco’ summer. The areas are fairly well organized, as much as it ever is at Homegoods, which I consider more of a bazaar. Here’s a peek at a few of the things that stood out from your intrepid reporter in the field…Go soon if you are in need of outdoor zhuzhing. (That’s a real word. Thank you Carson Kressley.)

Inspired by all the pretty pillows, I decided to change the backyard space to a blue theme. I moved my black and white cushions to the front patio. I will add a few blue pots out here and will see if I can get that summer in Sorrento feeling..

This center pillow was a Celerie Kemble and a nice find for $19. Any of her pillows go for closer to $200. If you cannot get to Homegoods (they have no online store), you can shop at TJMaxx, which is the same store and has small online site. Here is some of the Capri collection to peruse. I won’t link to any one thing, as stuff goes pretty fast, but you can see some of the poufs, Trina Turk outdoor glasses and outdoor rugs, pillows if you scroll through while they last. They also have the coolest collection of new cookbooks and home books I haven’t seen in other places. Below my space. I haven’t added my outdoor rug yet as we have had a few rainy days..

I still love my Pacifica sofa and chairs from Serena & Lily – and they have worn well almost 2 years on. I dig the driftwood color which is just very pretty and the whole Pacifica Collection is elegant.

They now have sconces for your outdoor areas, hanging pendants, planters, a bar and more. I personally would like to add a few of the chaise lounges to the yard if I can save for them. (My husband reminded me the old black ones we have will last a few more decades.) :/ The material these Pacifica products is made of is fantastically indestructible. My chairs and couch are like new and not one unwound strand and they were out all winter- no cover. ( Pillows stored inside.)

Love all the items..Serena & Lily is having free shipping promo now -ends today. They have some beautiful outdoor rugs and the prettiest umbrellas too.

One more thing, I got a few inquires about these sandals from Tory Burch. These are the Miller Cloud Sandals and I could live in them. More comfy than my Birkenstocks with the added cushion and support, and I love the pretty colors.

These just came out with a special edition in a luxe suede this week.. I am going to order before they are gone.

What are your weekend plans? Are you post-vaccine and feeling as we are and starting to get out among the human race more? I am visiting a friend Saturday to have some lunch with her and then we might do a dinner outdoors at a local restaurant with my son. I am excited to dress up a little and enjoy being out among people.

I am also mindful as things are looking up for us, in other places, I know people are hurting. My husband has a team that works with him in India and we personally know many families there that are suffering with Covid and have lost loved ones. The numbers sound bad in India, but the truth is the government is likely not able to report all of them and there are so many who just are too poor to see doctors and or even seek treatment. We are donating to help and this article in the NYTimes has some worthy places that are vetted to donate to in this crisis if you can.

Thanks so much. Happy weekend.

x Kim

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Outdoor Living With Style – 9 Bloggers Share Their Spaces

June 18, 2020 By kimwheeler 26 Comments

Today I’m joining eight other bloggers and sharing my outdoor space with you. In the past few months, I’ve felt very fortunate to have it as it has become an extension of the house during the pandemic with both adult boys home and my husband working here also!

In the evenings, it’s been great to get outside after being in and working all day. We really use the extra space to for all of us to spread out right now. With four adults in one house, we need it. I’ve tried to create a few cozy spots so there is always a place to hang out and work, do a call, or just chill out here.

If you have visited here before, you know we just remodeled our 1965 home after being here for ten years. When we remodeled, I wanted to extend the living space with fold away doors to the back and French doors and a patio in front. These things have made the house more spacious though we didn’t really add any square feet. Our yard is tight with a pool that wraps around the yard and a funky lap lane… And a LOT of brick. Replacing it would be a small fortune so we’ve chosen to love it and its old school look. I like it with the new white stucco of the house even more now.

The yard is divided with an Ipe deck in the center that feels like it floats above the pool. It’s tight though and our main door to the yard was previously through the dining room, not ideal. We changed how the house flowed so we could see the pool and instead come out to the deck from the living room via a folding door. We now see the yard in a way that makes it seem much more expansive and makes the house feel larger too.

The yard once was surrounded by a wall of green – A new owner on the left took the hedge down and the fence needed replacing in the upper yard, so it all was taken out right before the remodel two years ago along with all the mature plants. We started fresh almost, so I am waiting for both fences to be someday again be covered by vines, creeping fig and citrus, but it’s slow going and looks so bare to me right now.

The set above is the Pacifica Serena & Lily couch and chairs in driftwood color. We always knew we wanted a sofa out here and we are very happy with this with the two chairs. It’s an easy brush off Sunbrella fabric and the woven white driftwood color surprisingly doesn’t show dirt. I do like to cover it when we are getting a lot of wind and fall leaves though.

Our round table is from my neighbor Graces’s estate sale. It’s an indoor marble table and so I cover it during rainy days, but it has been perfect out here with this set! We can do a whole lot of appetizers on this baby.

I recently changed all the cushions to black and white to keep things consistent with the house. The two with graphic leave motif pillows are from my January Hawaii trip to the Big Island and one of my favorite shops, SoHa Living.

Below is my rickety teak table I’ve had way too long. It is due to be replaced, but I found these white metal chairs last year and they kind of pulled the yard together, so we are making it work. I will sometimes use a tablecloth or runner to dress it up a bit when we dine out here.

Once we moved in, we removed all the old terra-cotta and colored pots and added these resin/ceramic ones with boxwood. Here in a photo from my Instagram stories..

I have this old bar stand I turned into my herb garden/potting table. I’m hoping to move this to the side yard when I get the French teak console table of my dreams from RH someday…

Our vegetable garden that I wrote about in this post is going great! My oldest son Jackson does most of the work on it with my dad. They are garden nerds. I’m so excited we just got our first heirloom tomato! This year we have tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, peppers and cantaloupe. We are so fortunate that my dad starts all the tomatoes himself by seed, and they are really good.

Our front is another outdoor space we use so much now that we remodeled and added a patio. I always wanted an area that we could hang out in front, chat with neighbors and enjoy the sunset view. This is another thing that has made our home feel so much bigger. The wall serves as extra seating and I still may order some bigger chairs, but for now it’s enough to eat lunch out here and hang with the cat during the winter months. With the western exposure, the front patio is a bit warm to use during the summer except at sunset and in evenings, but it’s super in the winter as it stays protected and warm. We love having coffee out here in winter and wine at night with friends in summer. If we open the French doors, the patio serves as a great spot for guests to grab some air and more seating when entertaining inside. (Will that will ever happen again?!!)

Last winter having my coffee with the cat..

Now we’ve placed pillows on the wall like a Greek hotel LOL.

We did native plants and decomposed granite in this front landscape. I used French Provencal gardens as my inspiration. I especially love the two non-fruiting olive trees and the agaves. Right now it’s busy with all the lavenders blooming we have butterflies, bees and birds all day. It’s very low maintenance, organic and pesticide free. All I have to do is occasionally weed so we don’t miss our old grass at all. It’s becoming more and more filled in as the bushes spread out and take up space.

I hope this wasn’t too rambling, but I did want to share how we made our smallish home feel a lot bigger by creating indoor/outdoor spots.

Here’s a few links to get the same look if you are interested:

I love these Quinn Stoneware pots at Pottery Barn. Right now they are living up to their name with a great assortment of modern and simple pots for inside and outside.

This black outdoor pillow from Target is my style. I think it’s hard to find outdoor pillows in black and white so I grab them when I find them.

The Target collab with Joanna Gaines is so good now in terms of quality and design! This pretty stripe throw is a great price at $29 and I don’t mind it being outside at that price. I like to have a big basket of throws for cool evenings. ( The table runner on my outdoor teak table is oversized and also well made thick linen from them!)

I don’t do melamine and instead prefer to use my everyday when entertaining outside. Theses stoneware plates are strong enough to hold up to outdoor use and dishwashing by young men too.

A few years ago I replaced my motley group of umbrellas with three Ballard Design Auto-Tilt Sunbrella 11 foot umbrellas with black poles in the black/sand combo. I also bought the 50 pound extra weight to prevent them from falling over in storms. It’s been three years and they are still looking like new and working great. Excellent quality.

I also need to order an outdoor rug for the deck and I love the Seaview Rug from Serena & Lily. I already have it in my kitchen and it’s indestructible. The new rose color would be pretty out here.

Now please go enjoy all these amazing women and their versions of outdoor living. I am excited as I always learn so much from everyone’s blogs and ideas..
ROUGH LUXE
CLASSIC CASUAL HOME
MOST LOVELY THINGS
EDB DESIGNS
KELLEY & CO HOME
MODERN GLAM
SHABBYFUFU

Also joining us in this collaboration is the talented Brooke Giannetti! She is author of the beautiful Patina Farm series of books about the oasis she and her husband Steve have created in Ojai, one of the most beautiful towns in California. Their home is so lovely and inspiring the way in brings the outdoors in!