Autumn @ CCC

CCC

 

It is 72 degrees here in South Florida - we finally have a cold front. Of course, it will be up to the mid eighties this afternoon. I have started a little fall decorating here at CCC.

Hurricanes, Halloween, and Fall in Florida

CCC

With no fall foliage in South Florida, fall decorating is especially important to me. I am not complaining, I'll take palm trees and no leaves to rake any day!

Monkey Business

Lilly Pulitzer

I came across this Lilly Pulitzer photo shoot featuring pieces from their collection worn by a vintage Mario Lopez Torres rattan monkey. It was shot with items from the wonderful West Palm Beach vintage store Circa Who.

Halloween Decorating Planning

Martha Stewart Living

 

I absolutely adore Halloween decorating. I decorate CCC inside and out and am always looking for new ideas. In August I start my planning.

I will absolutely try this fun floral arrangement. I even have a black ginger jar I got last year that will be perfect for the vase. I am always looking for ways to incorporate chinoiserie touches. White roses from Publix and black snakes and bugs from the five and dime. Are there any five and dimes anymore? I guess the closest is Dollar Tree or Michaels, but my go-to is Amazon Prime because it is so convenient. I have an Amazon warehouse a mile away so most things I get delivered within twenty four hours.

Seashells & Chinoiserie

Amanda Lindroth

 

Seashells and chinoiserie are a marriage made in heaven. Amanda Lindroth is a master at combining the two, and her newest book Island Dreaming has a myriad of wonderful examples.

Beatrice

Mrs. Alice

 

I came across this photo of a fabulous dog bed with a black and white Japanese Chin. Chins are quite rare in the United States and becoming far rarer as new CDC rules prevent the importation of puppies under 6 months of age. It took me a year to find Bea and she is from Canada (before the ban went into effect). Here is my little girl Beatrice all grown up. 

New HomeGoods Finds

CCC

I love topiaries and have many in my garden at CCC. In Virginia, my topiaries were English Boxwood which sadly does not grow here in South Florida. Fortunately, there are many great substitutes like Eugenia that loves it here. 

Ally the Alligator

CCC

 

One of my favorite television shows was Ally McBeal. Last year at this time I had a 10 foot alligator at CCC and I named him/her Ally. Then on Monday I posted on this darling alligator plate I found on eBay and it has arrived.

China Pattern Search

Mystery Alligator Plate

 

I came across this place setting image and loved the alligator plate and decided to try to find it. When I looked closely I realized the alligator has five legs - clearly AI created since they don't have five legs normally - LOL. Even though this is clearly computer generated, I went on a little search to see if there is anything like it out there.

Merry Christmas & Happy Hanukkah

CCC

This is the first time in twenty years that Christmas and the first day of Hanukkah fall on the same day. Have a wonderful day however you will be celebrating it. 

Christmas Eve

CCC

 

Happy Christmas Eve. It is a high of 76 degrees here today and sunny. Not very Christmassy, but I'll take it.

More Christmas @ CCC

CCC

My love of topiary is reflected at my front entrance for this year's Christmas decorating. There is a topiary dog, a Christmas gift, and even a turtle. In the foyer is a topiary reindeer.

Reindeer Games @ CCC

Juliska Reindeer Games @ CCC

 

This is some of my collection of my favorite Christmas china, Juliska Reindeer Games. I love to use it over the holidays. It is sadly discontinued and sells for a fortune on places like eBay. Santa's reindeer are playing golf, tennis, skiing, and such. This is what they all do the rest of the year when not delivering Christmas gifts. I love using it for coffee and breakfast over the holidays.

The Dining Table/Library Table & Gift Guide - Gorgeous Coffee Table Books

Mark D. Sikes

 

I personally do not want to give up a formal dining area. I love having it for dinner parties and holidays. However, I don't use it all the time because here in South Florida, we love to eat al fresco out in the lanai. I also have a breakfast bar, kitchen island, and breakfast room all with seating for more casual meals.

Gift Guide - A Chinoiserie Christmas

CCC

It's a Chinoiserie Christmas at CCC, and even the ginger jars and more are joining in the fun with Santa hats.

Christmas Decorating @ CCC & Black Friday

CCC

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I am almost finished with my Christmas decorating and it feels great to have it done early. Now I can relax and it enjoy it. I am extremely happy with my new artificial Noble Fir Christmas Tree that I posted about here. I love everything about this tree from the realistic needles and dark blue green color, shape, size, the insanely easy light technology and setup, and the price and free shipping.

Setting the Thanksgiving Table

Tuckernuck

 

It will be a bit of a stressful day here at CCC - I have a massive oak tree right behind my home being removed today that was damaged in the last two hurricanes. I am happy it is coming down because it is aging and falling apart and poses a serious risk to my home. It is not one of the beautiful live oaks that ages well and fares well in storms here in Florida. It is a laurel oak and they start decaying from the inside out as they age and come apart in storms. But it is massive and towers over my house and I will be glad when the process is over. 

Gardening in South Florida

CCC

 

Everyone is posting gorgeous pictures of hydrangeas in full bloom this time of year. It's a bit too hot here for hydrangeas, but this Ixora in my garden loves the heat. It has hundreds and hundreds of blooms.

She Sells Seashells Down by the Seashore

CCC

 

Decorating with seashells is quite the thing in Florida, especially in places like Palm Beach. People spend thousands of dollars on shell encrusted mirrors, fireplace mantels, sconces, chandeliers, and the like. I too love seashells at CCC.

The Chinoiserie Porch

Gary Shano - 2017 Hampton Designer Showhouse

 

An update on my painting project - yesterday went very well. Prep work is all finished - we decided to hand skip trowel the entire lanai ceiling for a beautiful fresh surface and it looks great. A full day of painting is on tap for today.