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Discovering Ben’s Garden and Pretty Trays

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Hello! Today I want to share with you guys a sweet little company that has recently gotten on my radar and I am now obsessed with. It’s called Ben’s Garden and they specialize in beautiful glass decoupage trays that are beyond lovely and wonderful catchalls.

Ben’s Garden contacted me a few weeks back and as soon as I saw the word garden I was sucked in. I wanted to know more. Ben Busko began making decoupage trays at just 8 years old inspired by his garden. By time Ben was 11, (can you believe it?) his Ben’s Garden brand notecards were selling at Smith Hawkins and The New York Botanical Garden Shop. He ran his business out of his parents’ carriage house and then later completed the Master Gardener program at Cornell. Read this timeline about his childhood business- it’s charming!!
via Ben’s Garden
Today Ben has a huge online business of his trays, paperweights, notes and much more.  He also has two beautiful retail stores in Oyster Bay and Huntington, New York with two more opening this spring in Brooklyn and New York’s West Village. The retail stores sell unique plants, vintage furnishings, antique garden ornaments as well as his whole collection. That is so my kind of store and when I’m in New York this summer I’m making a point to check one out. 
Ben’s Garden asked me to choose a tray I’d love and style in in my house. How wonderful is that? Honestly it was tough to choose since I adore botanicals as well as little quotes and sayings. Well after much deliberation I chose this pretty yellow rose tray. I thought it would look nice with the turquoise and yellow accents in my house. That was also my dear mom’s favorite flower so it reminds me of her every time I look at it.
So where to enjoy it? At the top photo I have it on my blue desk and it’s fun there for my phone and little things.

 In our library it was cute next to our collection of bird and botanical books, but ultimately it ended up on our entry bureau where I leave my keys, sunglasses and shopping tote. There I can see it everyday and friends who pop in can too. By the way my lovely basket is from my friend Andrea, The French Basketeer and you can find them here.

Speaking of moms, Ben’s Garden has so many pretty trays for mothers so it’s a lovely Mother’s Day idea. I’d love to collect these. I think they not only add beauty to your home, but are useful little catchalls whether it’s bedside, in a library or in an entry they make a pretty statement and are chic!
Look how cute Ben’s Garden wraps things…

I love a pretty package…and ribbon!
Some of my favorites in Ben’s collection right now you may want to check out….
Especially love this one…SO true!
Pop over to look at the full shop. There’s a huge collection of glass trays, French paperweights, and more with maps, inspiring quotes and also beautiful botanical prints. Ben’s also makes custom decoupage so you can create your own with a photo or even a baby announcement or wedding invitation which would make wonderful keepsakes!
Ben’s products are carried online and also at 800 independent boutiques across the U.S. as well as at Nordstrom. 
Enjoy!
Kim
Images NorthernCalStyle and also via Ben’s Garden.

San Francisco Neimans and a Blogger Girl’s Lunch!

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Yesterday I had the most fun day I have had in a long time.  I trekked up to San Francisco to meet Adrienne from The Rich Life on a Budget. Adrienne, is also a Northern California girl who lives in wine country. San Francisco is the halfway point between our homes. Luckily, it was a gorgeous day in the city! Fall is the best time to visit SF.

There is always a bit of nerves when meeting someone that you really only know online, in person for the first time. However, Adrienne was just as she seems on her blog. She couldn’t be friendlier or nicer. She is also super-model pretty. It was kind of like hanging out with a down-to-earth and sweet brunette Elle Macpherson. That is not an exaggeration!
She is also super fun. We had a wonderful old school girl’s lunch at the Rotunda in Neiman-Marcus. If you haven’t been to this institution, it’s one of the last places left to have a proper ladies’ lunch complete  white table cloths, silver, and a daily fashion show.

Inside the gorgeous Rotunda which is at the top of the store. It’s glass dome is from the original City of Paris store from the early 1900s. You can read more about it here.  It’s lovely to behold at the holidays with it’s huge tree!

If you are shopping in Union Square, this is a fun place for lunch, tea or a cocktail. The view overlooking Union Square is fantastic too. I haven’t mentioned the monster popovers that come with strawberry butter and consume’ with baby puff pastry that everyone is served…That, a friend and a glass of champagne at lunch and I’m in girl heaven. Add to that cute male models popping by the table, giggling and I need nothing else.

The beautiful models that popped by our lunch table wearing Loro Piana.
Anyway, we had so much to chat about that before I knew it we had sat there three hours! 

After we wandered into the new CUSP area of NM. This is the part of the store with all the young and hip designers. The Equipment area was our favorite. Are you familiar with this brand? I knew they had amazing silk blouses. The whole line is adorable, as in, -I want it all! Check out their sweaters and print blouses if you want to see what we are talking about.

We had a ball trying things on…So much to covet! Dropped a little money here. I’m loving my new blouse that Adrienne found.  She’s got a great eye for fashion as you probably know from her fashion photos on her blog. She bought some gorgeous things also and I’m know she’ll share them on her blog soon.

You can’t go through Neimans without a stop in the cosmetic department. We checked out the Tom Ford lipsticks and fragrances. How is it Tom Ford just knows what women want? The colors are amazing not to mention the Portofino Neroli fragrance. In it’s deep teal glass it was our favorite. Wish I could send you the scent! 
Adrienne checking out the Tom Ford area.
In the end, I bought the Giorgio Armani Eyes to Kill Mascara. It’s $35, so not cheap, but our darling cosmetic maven Tiffany who helped us navigate beauty land swore it was the best in the department. Since we don’t get to do this very often I went for it and so did Adrienne. 
Ms Tiffany at Neimans.
If you’re in San Francisco and get to Neiman’s cosmetic department look for this gal. Tiffany Johnson  is sweet, extremely knowledgeable and fun. She made shopping there relaxing without any pressure. You don’t always get that feeling in the cosmetic department! 
 Though Adrienne and I consider ourselves savvy shoppers, we totally got sucked into the Neiman Marcus world. If you’re going to treat yourself and have a fun girls’ day, there is no better world! I think  it’s nice to splurge once in a while. When you don’t do it all the time, it’s even that more special.
My loot. The beauty department is having a leopard bag as a gift with purchase right now filled with goodies.
Love the Equipment blouse. This is me. I do have a Pinterest board titled Floral & Leopard!

Best part about this day was bonding with Adrienne. I knew we would like similar things because of our blogs, but being able to shop and small talk easily was so nice. Adore this girl and we are already planning our next girl’s day. Yea!

It’s going to be a wet weekend here in Northern Cal! I’m so excited to get some rain. I love it. It’s a good time to cozy up and bake or make soup. I’m thinking board games tonight or a classic Woody Allen movie by the fire. It also could be a good day to shop for those fall items…
What are your plans this weekend? Whatever you do, I hope it’s a good one.
Thanks for stopping by my neck of the woods!
Kim
p.s. I’m linking to all these things so you can find them if you are curious. I’m not promoting anyone here. Just fun.

I Heart Amsterdam

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Hello friends! I apologize for this last installment of my Europe trip being so late. Things got crazy there at the end of summer and then school started and everything else took a backseat for a while! I was dying to find time to write these last trip posts!
 If you are interested in the preceding parts of this trip, my travel posts from England are here in part 1, part 2, part 3, and part 4 and Belgium in part 5. 
Making our way from Belgium to the Netherlands, I just had to share the beauty of the Antwerp train station, which was our transfer point.
Amazing! ( Sorry phone photo here.) This does not even show the gorgeous ceilings or the outside of this beauty. This station, built in 1895, was slated for demolition. After WWII, many of Europe’s rail stations fell into disrepair and neglect with the advent of the evil car and lack of money. I cannot even imagine taking such a lovely place down. Luckily, it was saved and restored in the 1980s. On a related note, a fabulous flash mob of doing some Sound of Music was filmed here! If you haven’t seen it, you can here. It gives me those warm fuzzies. I know I’m kind of a nerd like that.
Our itinerary was Bruges to Amsterdam by rail, but as we were checking our tickets booked online, we noticed we were given a 7 minute window to transfer trains in Antwerp. Hmm, probably not going to happen I thought. 

First of all, the Antwerp train station is four stories of trains! Secondly, Northern European trains are on time. (This is not Italy people. Just saying.) There was no way we were going to make that connection!  We actually hit the ground running with all of our stuff, kids backpacks, earphones, biscuits packages and jackets flying and got there just as the train pulled out… Lol.
Another bummer was this was the first day, (a Saturday) of the European summer vacation for schools. Madness! Everyone was off somewhere and all trains were previously booked….So, the train folks admitted their scheduling error and sympathetically let us ride in the bar car! Not so horrible for an hour.. A nice gentleman thought we were funny and took a photo of us..
Well, we made it there and it was worth all the hassle! 
The boys and I in front of the Rijkmuseum.
Did I mention this trip was cold? It was freezing cold by wimpy Californian standards. I packed at home in 95 degree heat and though my brain knew I should pack warmer clothes for late June, I didn’t pack much- hence me wearing my pashmina/blanket thingy I usually keep for the airplane. I was happy to have it and wore it most days on top of my jacket. We only got warmer weather the last 2 days of the trip. It stayed in the 50s cool and windy and damp most of this trip. Let this be a tip if you go here in summer! Pack for warmth!

 
 Basically wearing a blanket. Not sure how chic that was, but I hate being cold!

Amsterdam is the land of the bicycle and don’t you know it the second you hit town. We were first astounded at the 4-story parking structure at the train station that was just for bikes!! Bikes are everywhere and they have a sophisticated bike infrastructure with bike traffic lights and designated paths as well as many streets that are mainly for bikes. 
Amsterdam train station- google images.
If you forgot where you parked your bike you may never find it. This is just the train station and they are building more bike spots here.
 We were amazed by all the kids and families on bikes. Look how they fit the kids in these fun wheelbarrow contraptions or the Dutch call them, bakfiets! My kids would have loved these when they were small. Of course most Americans will cringe at the thought of their child not being strapped or sealed in!

Loved this guy and their little dog!

Cute couples seemed to be everywhere.

Most people had these generic black bikes and a milk crate wired to it. There are no fancy bikes anywhere and no helmets ever! People are amazing bikers here. They are fast and so used to it that couples even hold hands and bike side by side.

Don’t you love both the men’s bright pants here? People dressed beautifully in Amsterdam. It’s a very stylish city.

 Families share bikes like this mother and her daughters going into the tunnels that run under the Rijksmuseum.

This was a grandmother with her daughter and granddaughter .

Amsterdam has 800,000 people and 880,000 bikes. It is estimated that 70% of all trips or errands are done on bicycle. It wasn’t always this way. In the 1970s the country began to invest in biking. There was a really interesting article about how biking became so popular in the Netherlands here on BBC news magazine. The Dutch also believe there is safety in numbers, which I am sure is true.

 If they aren’t on wheels than they are pushing them. I loved this stylish little gal and her dolly.

On every gate or fence or space a bike is chained to it. I’m not kidding about that.

As a bike rider myself, I would be quite intimidated to ride here as a tourist! Dutch biker speed is fast! You should see the corners they take, with kids as well! I saw quite a few near misses and you have to be careful not to walk on the bike paths.

Griffin running from under the Rijksmuseum tunnels. Sadly we did not get to the Rijksmuseum on this trip, but we stayed in this area called the museum district and it was a terrific location, close to the canals, shopping district and all the museums in this vicinity.
In front of the museum there are huge letters spelling Amsterdam that people love to pose on.

Much of Amsterdam reminded me of New York with it’s leafy streets and tall brick houses.
It was just beautiful. I loved wandering here.

Flowers are grown where you least expect it.

Flower boxes are on most of the bridges!

So much to do here, but we only had two full days. We wandered the city and checked out the flower market, shops and restaurants.

The front of the Rijkmuseum.  This and the Van Gogh Museum are about a block apart.

The Amsterdam flower market was interesting and was huge.  Fun shopping here.  Grif was intrigued by the solar butterflies. They have Delftware for sale in the stands and nearby on the main shopping street, Kalverstraat, which is for pedestrians only.

They sell tiny pygmy orange trees in canisters here. Orange is the official color of the Netherlands and it makes a good little souvenir. You can bring it home and plant it. (Okay, mine’s still in the can.)

This hammock store was pretty cool.

The cheese shops also line the flower market. Don’t skip stopping here and sampling! We brought home a wonderful wheel of gouda.

These antique dealers enjoying the sun and some wine. We loved their vintage steam liner chairs!
The bathroom is a store. That’s right. Hilarious to us.
Can you read this sign? Sure he did. :/

One of the best meals we had on this trip was here at Cafe Loetje. It’s near the museum district and is a favorite of the locals.  Salads were huge and food was very good. Wonderful outdoor dining and fun bar. People were so nice!

They also have a cat. I think his name was Arthur. This family was trying to snap his photo as he sat on the chair with them He also sat next to me on the bar. Great fries here. Don’t forget to have fries. I ate them every day – also beer. And waffles! Food is just a huge part of the fun experience here!!
Speaking of food, on the Kalverstraat shopping street, we stumbled across this gem just about lunch time. It’s not far from the flower markets.
Behold the best grocery store I have ever entered, La Place. Just some of the samplings in the prepared food area. . .

 The foods you could bring home or eat there were amazing. They had soup stations, bread stations, an Asian wok station, and I could go on and on!

Focaccia by the foot!

Grab and go juices made in house.

We all picked something delicious and sat upstairs where it feels like you are in someone’s home.
The lunch area has beautiful marble tables and furniture.

My lunch was this olive focaccia and a citron presse soda. If I could only have this near my home! 
Something that’s a must in Amsterdam is the Anne Frank House. I have wanted to go since I was young.  Make sure you go online and make an appointment if you plan to do this. Booking online before,  you can go to a special door and walk right in. The lines go around the block and you may have to wait several hours if you don’t make an appointment.

Visiting the Anne Frank House was one of the highlights of this trip. Words can’t describe the impression it leaves on you. I think it’s something everyone should do.  For my boys, ages 15 and 11, this was the right age to do this. I was hoping they would get some perspective and better understanding about what happened during the war from this. My oldest said that he felt this made it (in his words),  really, real- seeing her experience from her room. 
You do climb into the real rooms Anne and the others hid in and they are in their original shape, untouched after all this time. Anne’s wall is still decorated with movie stars photos and other things that a young 15 year old girl would be obsessed with at the time. That really got to me as did seeing her diaries. The museum does a good job of keeping the dialogue going as you move through and eventually end up in a place where you can ask yourself if people in the world today are suffering the same way.

The one thing I did buy was a postcard of Anne at 15, her last photo. I keep this on my bulletin board so I will not forget.
Another must do is a canal ride. It’s a great way to see more of Amsterdam. If you go on a Saturday or Friday afternoon and it’s sunny, it’s even more fun. When the sun shines here, everyone comes outdoors. I mean everyone. If they aren’t on the canals in some floating form, then they are on every doorstep or canal edge with their own chairs and bottles of wine and food. It’s a city-wide party when the sun is out and crazier still on the water!
Some interesting sightings….

Bridal shower boat?

Loved their wicker chairs! Looked like an after work float.
This cute couple rigged up their hammock near the canal edge.
You can see above the block party atmosphere starting. I wish I took a photo when we were trapped in boat gridlock so you could see all the watercraft and rafts! It was fun though. Everyone had music playing and it was like a huge party. I have to say, people here know how to enjoy life. It’s also a great city to be young in. The water is like one big cruising area.

Many of the boats are houseboats and have their own gardens! Love the boxwood and black paint here.

Boxwood is popular all over the city.

I  also adored the lacquered doors that are everywhere.

Another boxwood adorned and more modern canal home below.

 Unique to Amsterdam is the very narrow canal houses. A long time ago, homeowners were taxed according to the width of their homes, so home were built as narrow and tall as possible.

The narrowness of these homes is the reason you will see that all houses have a hook on the top to pull furniture through the windows! Many of the canal houses were built in the 17th century and the canal house area is now a Unesco World Heritage site.
I hated leaving Amsterdam. There was so much to still see. I feel like we barely scratched the surface. I also adored the Dutch people who were so kind and friendly. 
Getting this far across the world, I like to take a few things home with me to remember my trip. One thing I bought that I really love was this Delftware tile. The blue and white pottery that is original to the Delft region of Holland is everywhere. So beautiful.
 

 It sits in my kitchen window now and it makes me think of our trip.

The shop where I bought it tied these tiny Dutch shoes on my package and I love these!

I popped into H&M while I was there and I couldn’t help being attracted to this tunic. It so reminded me of all the beautiful Delft all over the city. I had to buy it.
Of course we also brought home stroopwaffles and Dutch cookies. A wonderful place to get these is right at their own grocery, Albert Heijn. They are less expensive plus I just love browsing foreign grocery stores. Always interesting to see what they have.
Next door to our hotel was a fancy designer end shopping district, PC Hooftstraat. My husband and I went one afternoon to check it out. It was disappointing to see Cartier, Gucci, Tiffany, LV and the like.   The last thing I want to buy on my travels is something from the mall at home.
 It’s so much more fun to scope out things original to the area you are visiting. We were just about to leave the street when I spied a cute store called Lifestyles. It was like a Pottery Barn with a Dutch flair. I loved it! They had wonderful candles, woven accessories, table linens and even tunics and scarves and totes. I bought a pretty candle and another tunic at the summer sale. I was thrilled to get items that were totally unique for me.  Do you not agree about that when shopping abroad?

Thanks for patiently sticking with this blog during my slow month!  I’m back up to speed and my final trip installment with Germany is still to come! Thanks for reading!
Kim

What I Bought for Fall

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 With Thanksgiving less than a week away I’m starting to feel the twinges of seasonal anxiety coming. I just celebrated one son’s birthday last week, will be hosting Thanksgiving for 14, and then a week later son number two’s birthday comes. Usually, if I survive that it’s like, “Yikes! How did I get to this point in December with no cards/shopping/decorating, etc. done?

 Today, instead of inspiring you with shots of turkeys and pretty tables, here’s a post I wrote a before this craziness began. I did want to show what I finally ended up adding to my own closet this Fall.

If you read my past bit on wardrobes, you’ll know, I tried hard to be a minimalist!  A few things to spice up the old wardrobe and give a smattering of polish to what I already own. To wit:

1. A Burberry trench. No, I did not spend $1,000 on this coat. It was on sale in July, during Nordstrom’s Anniversary sale. I also had a windfall from selling some patio furniture, and put it toward this coat, which I am hoping will last me through a few decades! Total cost, (with sale and savings applied) $180! By the way, Nordstrom’s once a year, Anniversary sale, in July, is one not to miss and worth making a investment purchase at.

2. Two pairs of Tom’s shoes. If you aren’t already familiar with this wonderful company, they give a new pair of shoes to a needy child for every pair you purchase. That’s a win-win. Get some cute shoes and help kids who need it too. I bought a pair of the super comfy flats in taupe, and a pair of yellow corduroy wedges with peep toes. Love them both. One practical and one for fun!

3. Camel colored sweater jacket from Nordstrom on sale. A little polish and warmth at the same time. Love the color and it’s cute with animal prints too. Camel is very Grace Kelly to me and always looks classic.

4. A very soft leopard and zebra print tan and white scarf from Banana Republic. Love the bit of metallic on it for the holidays and I think it will be usable for Summer too.

5. A tiny bendable rhinestone wrap bracelet, from a boutique in town. Looks like diamonds and can mix and match with all my bangles. This shows a stack of them, which could be pretty too.

6. AG Jeans in a dark straight leg. These were also an investment, but I haven’t bought jeans in a year or so. I know they will be worn so much they are worth it. This is my first pair of these. They fit well, don’t stretch out and I love where the waist is, higher, but not too much and it hits at the perfect spot to flatter.

I also bought a custom made shirt dress in a grey blue that I am very excited still to get. I will give more details on that experience in a later post.

That’s it! Well, also got a rose scarf and a yellow print blouse at Gap. Now I’m trying to mix and match with the few other basic T’s I bought and my favorites I always wear.

On my wish list:

A FEED bag. Have you heard about these? This company started by Lauren Bush is all about making caring for others on this planet cool. The cross-body bags are chic, and at the same time you are funding a worthy cause. Depending on the style you choose, you could be helping buy school lunches for the UN World Food program,  immunizations in Africa, vitamins in South America and more. I love that by wearing one you are  saying, “Hey I’d rather give my money to this cause than a designer. ” Check them out. Hoping to get one myself soon. I can’t decide which style I like best! I think this one is a super cute bag for weekends and running errands. I’d wear mine with a chunky beige sweater and my jeans. Love it.

Hope I’ll have a chance to write later this week and give you some Thanksgiving inspiration!
Kim:)

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