On this Weekend’s Meanderings..Skirts for your fall closet, skirted tables for home, a fascinating book on skirts in history, easy pumpkin noodles, and a drought tolerant yard update..
It’s time for our weekend chat and sharing of good things with my friends Elizabeth and Juliet.. We had some days of rain here this week in Northern Cal, which were wonderful and I even did some baking.. Now this weekend, we are back to the heat and though I wore pants and a jacket on Wednesday, by Thursday that was a mistake.
…So it’s a typical California Fall! Hold off on wearing those new sweaters yet friends unless you want to pass out..As my mom used to say, ‘layers and peel’ for a while yet.
In my SLOW fall rollout, I added one of the pretty pumpkins from PB thanks to my sweet friend Jill who gave me the cutest one.. They look great next to my candlesticks from Juliet!
I also love these woven frames from PB that just went on sale.. and would look cute next to these.
I’ve had skirts on the mind..of all flavors..
The Skirts Book
My friend Linda told me about Skirts by Kimberly Crisman Campbell, thinking I may enjoy it ! I ordered it straightaway and it’s so fun and interesting. If you like history, and fashion, you will really get into this engrossing book that touches on the skirt and fashion’s part in politics, sports, and women’s rights..
I especially enjoyed the chapter on Suzanne Lenglen, the French tennis player who brought the short skirts, sport shoes( a forerunner to a sneaker), and sleeveless tops to tennis around 1920. Called a streetwalker by some for her unencumbered and chic attire she developed with the help of Jean Patou, she inspired a generation of women to dress more modernly and take up tennis. So many fascinating stories in this book! You can buy it here at Target or on Amazon or check a local bookseller!
Skirts on my Fall Edit..
I am thinking of adding a skirt or two to the closet for fall. This zebra stripe from J. Crew has been on my radar. Love the pleats and it’s an extra 50% off this weekend.
I also have been wanting a longer denim skirt with some flair that can be worn sort of slouchy with a sweater and sneakers and this Joe’s Jeans version is on sale now (extra 25% too ),
Other lovelies to add versatility to your mix are this Mother vegan wrap skirt, and this version by Joe’s Jeans…
..Also this denim maxi by Rag & Bone, this Veronica Beard Mini, and black denim by Wash Lab.
Also cool..this Chevron Style with a drawstring, this Madewell classic on sale, and this Old Navy Maxi in black denim.
Table skirts are back
Remember when table skirts were all the rage and everyone had one near the end of their couch with pictures and books? My mom had one made to match our chintz rose couch pillows (along with pink stripe couches of course), back in the late 80’s, and I have always liked them.
I have one right now in my office that I created using a table someone on our street was giving away for free. I wasn’t sure how well the wood worked in the house, so I threw one of my Pottery Barn table throws on it and it looks pretty, and I store more books under it too. As a nod to my mom, I added an ivy as she always had, and a few of my favorite books and a frame with my sons on a holiday..
I’m obsessed with entry skirted tables and I love the look and I am thinking of adding one in my large open space in the center of your home. You can make any round table of a smaller dimension become a skirted table by using a tablecloth or even any kind of throw or smaller blanket.
Pottery Barn has a nice selection and I have this one as well and I like this French Stripe version, this Suzani one. For one similar to mine, these on Etsy are very close. Mine was an older season from PB.
An inspiring and pretty home in AD
Well right away this Hampton’s home of photographer Mimi Ritzen Crawford in AD by Studio Riga had me with the darling entry and skirted table..Isn’t this beautiful? Love the trim especially..
I think what drew me to this home is the mix of patterns, unique objects, natural woven objects and overall light happy atmosphere.. You can follow the designer, Jenny Vorhoff on Instagram.
Love this pale pink dining room, these Serena & Lily beds in a fun bedroom.
I’m obsessed with the yellow gingham in the beautiful dining space!
More of the beautiful home here.
Our drought tolerant yard update…
So many people have been changing their yards up this year due to the heat, drought and climate change that is only getting worse. If you have been following the blog for a few years, you may have read how we changed our lawn to a drought tolerant landscape almost three years ago. It’s truly been the best decision and so easy to maintain.
Now three years on, a few of the plants need replacing, have grown too large and others need some big time cutting back. We are embarking on a small refresh this month and adding more of the DG (decomposed granite) ground cover… I thought I’d share it again as we have people every week stopping by by taking photos and asking about the plants, especially the past month! More about the journey and how a few of our neighbors also rebuilt their front yards during the pandemic on this post.
At first people were telling me it looked like an Arizona landscape, but it didn’t take long for the bushes to fill in..
before and at the start..
We use no pesticides or weed killers, trim it about every three months, sometimes less, and use minimal water. Since Max works from home most days, he’s got a full time bird and butterfly show out there. The small birds love the bushes and we added a birdhouse and a feeder on his office window so it’s a constant entertainment and a lot of fun.
Max has this bird feeder and getting fresh black sunflower seeds from our local bird shop really brought all the birds.
Pumpkin noodles
A few years ago my friend Debbie shared a wonderful pumpkin pasta recipe that crazy easy and a lot of fun and I thought if you tried our home made pasta from last week’s blog, you may want to try this as we are slowly.. getting around to pumpkin season!
The recipe is from food blog Wholefully…
The recipe is simply pumpkin puree (I used the Whole Foods one with only pure pumpkin), and flour, mixed by hand, turned out and cut into thin strips. You can let them dry a bit and pop them in a pot of boiling, well salted water until they float.
There is an accompanying recipe for sage browned butter which is exactly what you want on this plus a little fresh grated Parmeggiano-Reggiano. It’s the perfect fall dinner and total comfort food. To make it totally vegan leave off the cheese and use butter substitutes she recommends for the sauce. Full recipe and details here. My lower-tech version, without rolling cutter or drying rack above…. Still came out wonderful. I just forgot to take pictures!
…….
It’s been such a busy week, but I hoped you didn’t miss this gorgeous post about the Allure of Green Kitchens by Juliet! It made me want one!
Max and I have been watching the new Ken Burn’s documentary, The U.S. and the Holocaust. It’s excellent and while we thought we knew what happened, we really didn’t. I would encourage everyone to watch it. As with all his projects, so engrossing and well done.
Well that is my weekend meanderings for this week.. Please check out Elizabeth and Juliet’s blogs to see what good things they are sharing…
MAKE MINE A SPRITZER
PINECONES AND ACORNS
Thank you for being here! Hope your weekend is wonderful,
Kim
On my last Weekend Meanderings I shared Homemade pasta noodles, inspiration bulletin boards, a great book with some unexpected charcuterie ideas, and Madewell sale pieces you’ll want to add to the closet..and more!
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I love skirts! You have some great ones here. And your home is so lovely at night. We have so much work to do with ours! Great inspo!
Thanks Mary Ann! I am excited to see yours too!xo
Your front landscaping is fantastic!
Thank you so much Laura!
Thank you for sharing your natural landscaping. It’s beautiful, practical and sustainable. Also second the rec for Ken Burns’ documentary. Should be required viewing for our kids and younger generations who have become further removed from this tragedy.
Thanks so much Laura about our yard.. I agree would be a good required show to watch for high school!
Pumpkin noodles! I love anything with pumpkin! I cannot wait to try these!
As for skirts, they are another favorite of mine. I hate wearing pants and prefer skirts and dresses, so much more comfortable. I cannot wait to check out the skirt book as well as some of these beautiful picks.
Your yard looks beautiful! Here in NC we pretty much have zero grass, too many pine trees so our “lawn” is pine straw! It is everywhere, except in the circle drive we have and I am doing my best to make that a wild flower meadow.
Off to look at this beautiful house and to look back at these beautiful and inspiration images.
Love your pottery barn pumpkin!
Have a great day Kim!
Elizabeth, These are very easy and so delicious… I know skirts and dresses are getting to be more comfortable for me, maybe because I am always hot! I do think you’ll enjoy this book.I didn’t know that about NC and the lawns.. I love your trees. Have a great weekend! xx
“YOU HAVE COME ALONG WAY BABY”!!!!!!!!!!
WHAT COMMERCIAL WAS THAT FOR BACK IN THE DAY??
I ABSOLUTELY ADORE THAT FRONT PATIO!!!MAKES ME WANT TO COPY YOU!
JULIETS B-DAY GIFT IS PERFECT ON YOUR TABLE WITH OTHER FALL DECOR!
ALWAYS FUN TO SEE WHAT YOU GALS HAVE IN STORE FOR US……………….
XOXO
Isn’t it funny how much it grew? I have a photo oof you on the patio when they were all small.. You guys would love the front patio where you are on your court. Love my candlesticks from Juliet too. xo
Was it for Virginia Slims?? That was my first thought!
Yes, you’re right I think. I was a ball girl for the Virginia Slims tennis tournament one year in high school before it became the Avon women’s tennis circuit.. I remember those posters. Hard to believe now a cigarette company sponsored tennis.. Terrible actually.
YES!!!
Kim, I’m late to the party today … but I love everything in your post as I always do. I’m going to come back tomorrow for a deeper dive. But while it’s fresh in my mind … I think your yard looks amazing. When new landscape goes in it always looks so bare and we’re tempted to add more … and then it grows in fast and furious. Yours looks mature and lovely. I’m so intrigued by this book and will order it … fashion and history, two of my favorite things. And what a great combination, right? So impressed by your pasta making … and pumpkin, yum! Love the candles on your table and they’re perfectly set off by the woven pumpkin. Love. Thanks so much for mentioned my green kitchen post. I think your kitchen is the best … and has me rethinking all the color. Isn’t that the way it goes, grass is always greener. No pun intended! I’m glad you mentioned the new Ken Burns series, it’s been on my mind and we need to sit down and watch. Hard as it may be. Isn’t it a wonder that there are things we still don’t know about how that unspeakable evil unfolded. Sigh. Well, on a happier note, that Mimi Crawford house … wow. I need MORE. Well, Jim’s hollering at me to get in the car … we’re off for a third night in a row. Too much. Hope you guysa re having the best weekend! xo
By the way, your office looks great … love the seating area and adore skirted tables. I’m coming over for tea, scones and a good gossip in those cute chairs. And the zebra skirt … yes! xo
Thanks Juliet!!! Let’s have meeting with scones.
Juliet hope you’re having fun in Sonoma. Yes true when we first added the plants, I thought we would need more..but now we have to remove some. They really fill in more than you think.LOVE your green kitchen and the post!! xoxo
My son-in-law is Jewish, and my husband and I have developed a greater appreciation for the history of his people– even more so since we now have two grandchildren. It’s tragic that, with our increased awareness of both history and of current events, there also comes a new level of worry for their well-being. Three years ago we toured a museum in Nuremberg that displayed the insidious and very effective steps taken (including board games and children’s picture books) to inculcate intolerance and hatred of Jews in the German people (not that such hatred was ever limited to those of German ancestry). As our tour guide explained, it was young people who twenty years later demanded an accounting for the role their parents and grandparents (and those still active in their government) had played in the Holocaust. Today all German children learn in their schools the unadulterated history of it, not to instill shame but to instill understanding. We could learn much from their example.
I love your yard, and I made note of the full plant list that you shared at one point. We are about to take the plunge and ditch our front lawn. Can’t wait!
Sarah, how nice you are learning more about the heritage of your son in law and grandkids. Wow that is too scary and hard to believe that kids were indoctrinated with games, but believable after watching this show. The German government is so good to keep doing the education about the real facts of history. It hurts to know what humans can do to other humans. We also need to do the same here with slavery. Thank you for this. I think it’s so important as a lot of the same things are happening again this world.
Thank you about the yard! God luck with yours. You will love it! xx
Hi Kim,
I have a round skirted table with fringe in my living room, it’s just a burlap one from Ballard Designs. I have been looking into some custom pleated ones on Etsy with a Greek Key trim but holy cow, $600+ for a 30″ sized table. 😟 (they recently went up from $500) Decided mine will do at the moment.
I hear green kitchens are a new trend. At least it’s just paint you could easily repaint if you grow tired of it. Have you seen The Potted Boxwood home tours on YouTube? Beautiful homes and they are all huge! (most are in the Dallas area) I love that some of the homeowners buy a lot of their items from estate sales or consignment stores. I scored an amazing antique Chinese jar at an estate sale last week, the woman let me have it for $50 on the last day, it was originally priced at $295.
My husband and I were watching The U.S. and the Holocaust last week. I learned a lot as well. Very disturbing stuff.
Linda
Linda, I have always like that skit. I know the one you are speaking of with the fringe! Have you considered changing it by just trying another piece of fabric on top, like a table throw or another piece of cloth you like? That way you can have some change, but still keep the fringe detailing..? I like Greek Key design too. Another option is you could find the fabric you want and have a seamstress make it, and you can even find them at local dry cleaners sometimes.
Thank I will check out the home tours on Potted Boxwood. I am always amazed how large some kitchens are. Love using consignment items or thing found at an estate sale. yay about your jar!
I am learning much I didn’t know about the war and how we really didn’t help for too long..
xo
I didn’t think of doing that…I will have to see if I can find another piece of fabric, might be a good solution! I also had thought of having a seamstress make one, or buy a basic table skirt and have them sew on the trim.
That’s a great idea!
I love your skirted table Kim, as a nod to your mom! I, of course, had one when I got married in the late 80s, and how silly that I never thought to store something under it! Duh! I had that PB table throw and loved it, it’s now on Madeline’s little dining table in Brooklyn and now she loves it!
Your drought-resistant yard looks so beautiful! And Max’s birdfeeder! Love it!
Annie how nice Madeline has the throw! I bet it’s really cute in her place. xo
Oh dear, I never removed the skirts from two of my tables. I hide so much stuff under there that I don’t think I will ever uncover them. 🙂
I love your front patio. I think it’s looking very nice and green, which is very soothing for the eyes. We have a water reservoir in our garden so I use it to water the plants. I’ve somehow managed to keep hydrangeas alive in our near-desert heat but it’s a lot of work.
I always enjoy your Weekend Meanderings posts. They always contain a lot of useful information.
Lorna, Such a good idea for books and things too. how nice you have hydrangeas.. I struggle during the summer with them. I think they do better in the ground. Hope you’re getting some cooler weather too. Thanks so much! xo
What pretty skirts! Your landscape is beautiful! Great post.
Thank you Barb!
HI KIM
I AM SO LATE READING BLOGS THIS WEEK! I LOVE EVERYTHING IN YOUR FAVES THIS WEEK. I HAVE BEEN ON THE HUNT FOR A LONG DENIM SKIRT AS WELL. I LOVE THE FULLNESS OF THE RAG AND BONE, BUT NOT THE PRICE DARN IT! MOST OF THEM ONE COULD BARELY WALK IN THEM. THE JOE’S JEANS VERSION IS A NICE ALTERNATIVE THAT IS NOT SO PRICEY! YOU ALWAYS FIND THE BEST STUFF!
I never got rid of my burlap covered, bullion fringed, skirted round table from Ballard Design, and so glad I’m in style again. 🤪
I love how your front yard grew in – you did a great job.
it’s such a good idea, but you rarely see that in Virginia. And not much in the mid-Atlantic or Northeast – more down in Florida! Maybe because it looks odd with all the millions of colonial style houses (we are 45 minutes from Williamsburg.)
But I bet it’s all over CA and the Southwest and it’s really beautiful and appropriate with the architecture. Very cool!
PS – I am reading The Nine by Gwen Strauss – my travel ladies and I are reading it after our travels to France last spring. It’s about 9 women who escaped the Nazi camps and lived to tell about it. Very very good but extremely disturbing to read about what happened to millions of people.
Wow Gray I will have to put that book on my list..
I always loved that exact tablecloth!! The fringe was TDF too. Is it still for sale?? Good for you for keeping it! The yard came out okay.. except for a need to remove a few beasts that took over.. I was wondering if the native plant or garden thing has taken over there? We have a lot of folks here that actually have put gardens in the front yard too. We love that. Not sure how a formal old neighborhood would appreciate it, but it sure is better for the earth. Thanks Gray I need to pop over to your blog. xo