Meeting Martha Stewart at Williams Sonoma in Beverly Hills

On a perfect, autumn day in Los Angeles, we had the pleasure to meet Martha Stewart at her book signing event in Beverly Hills.  In case you hadn’t heard, she just released a stunning book titled, Martha’s Entertaining: A Year of Celebrations.

The incredible 432 page book follows Martha into her world chronicling events from Sunday morning breakfasts to elegant holiday dinners. It is a beautiful, intimate look at her dining rooms, kitchens, gardens and patios. Complete with a variety of recipes perfect for entertaining, this book is a perfect go-to book when you need inspiration. And with the upcoming holidays just around the corner, it couldn’t have come at a better time!

When we both met Martha, she was very gracious and kind. She spent time speaking to each fan and signed every book. Williams Sonoma, who hosted the event, was decorated for the Thanksgiving holidays creating perfect backdrop for the event. We couldn’t help taking a few extra photos. Please enjoy!

How has Martha Stewart inspired you? Tell us in the comments below! Here’s what The Bella Cottage employees have to say:

Michelle A.

“Martha’s organizational tips have been ideal for my kid’s closets! We had the shelves and drawers re-arranged and now the space is used efficiently. It comes in handy when we’re getting them ready in the morning. And it looks fantastic, too! “

Leen D.

“I’ve always been inspired by Martha’s craft projects. Creating unique holiday decorations that don’t look store bought always adds character to your home and impresses your guests! Last year, I created my own wreaths taking ideas from this beautiful collection on MarthaStewart.com.”

Samantha W.

“Her creative and gourmet recipes have fed my passion for baking and inspired me to experiment with my own recipes.
She is a woman who took something considered to be innately feminine and built a huge company from the ground up. She is a pioneer and an inspiration to other aspiring business owners, both male and female!”

(Samantha is an avid baker and makes the most gorgeous creations! She shared with us a fantastic  link to Christmas pie recipes from MarthaStewart.com! Find the perfect dessert for the holidays!)

See more photos below!

The Huntington Library and Gardens: A Southern California Springtime Fantasy

The Huntington Library & Gardens is such a magical place for those of us at The Bella Cottage. Around this time of year, when we start to see our own roses come into full bloom, we know that the Huntington Gardens are a wondrous sight to see.

For those of you who are native to Southern California or are fortunate to visit soon, I highly suggest making this place one of your stops. Not only does it feature 120 acres of landscaped gardens for you to visit, it also houses a lovely permanent collection of art and even has a Tea Room! It really does not get more elegant than that!

It comes to no surprise that our favorite themed garden is the Rose Garden. The Huntington Library has this of its variety:

The entrance pathway leads to an 18th-century French stone tempietto and statue, “Love, the Captive of Youth,” encircled by “French Lace” roses. The beds north of the arbor next to the Shakespeare Garden have a paved walk, and feature Tea and China roses and their descendants, first introduced into Europe from China around 1900.

On the south side of the rose arbor are nineteenth-century shrub roses, descended from old European varieties. Climbing and rambling roses—from all periods and groups—grow on the arbors, arches, and pergolas.

The central part of the garden contains Hybrid Teas, Floribundas, Polyanthas, and miniatures, with separate beds for classic pre-1920 hybrid teas and for roses from the 1920s, ‘30s, and ‘40s. Other beds feature roses introduced since the 1950s and introductions from abroad, including recent plantings of roses from India.

David Austin’s roses (in beds near the tempietto) combine “Old Garden Rose” attributes with the repeat-blooming characteristics of modern hybrids. ‘Huntington’s Hero’ was propagated from a sport discovered on one of sixty bushes of ‘Hero’ among the David Austin plantings. It was named in honor of the seventy-fifth anniversary of the institution’s founding in 1919.

The Huntington Library has an impressive collection of rose varieties and the other themed gardens are also highly worth visiting.

If you’ve had enough sunshine during your visit, I suggest heading indoors to see the beautiful art collection. The Huntington Art Gallery has a distinguished collection of 18th- and 19th-century British paintings, sculpture, and decorative arts outside London, including Thomas Gainsborough’s painting, “Blue Boy” and Thomas Lawrence’s “Pinkie.” (These paintings are quite popular as they often appears side by side as prints in Victorian style wall plaques and frames.)

Finally, if you’re feeling a bit hungry, we do highly suggest the charming Tea Room. Reservations are required beforehand, but the grounds provide a vast and elegant, Victorian feel that is truly unique to this location. In celebration of Mother’s Day this year, they are having a brunch the day of with a special menu and a harpist. So sweet! Do note that reservations are required for the Tea Room, but are not needed for the Café.

I’m glad to have shared this special get-away idea for our local and not-so-local fans. And if you do happen to have a chance to visit the grounds, please share with us your photos!

Visit the Huntington Library:

Monday	12 noon to 4:30 p.m.
Tuesday	Closed
Wednesday	12 noon to 4:30 p.m.
Thursday	12 noon to 4:30 p.m.
Friday	12 noon to 4:30 p.m.
Saturday	10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Sunday GENERAL INQUIRIES:	10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. 626-405-2100

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_{Image Credits to: The Huntington Library Official Website}

Inspired Travels: Visiting Artist Christie Repasy’s Boutique!

We met the amazing Christie Repasy and visited her at her gorgeous boutique! I cannot rave enough over how beautiful her artwork and vision is in person. At The Bella Cottage, we are proud to carry her beautiful and gentle rose paintings and still-life work. Her sweet palette and detailed imagery makes her work perfect for the shabby chic style home. We thank Christie for allowing us to share her gorgeous space with the world. Couldn’t you just stay here forever?

Above, we compiled a few of our favorites and you can find them on our website at the following links:

1. Christie Repasy “Pink Rose” Original Shabby Canvas Print

2. Christie Repasy “Valentine’s Day” Original Canvas Print

3. Christie Repasy “Songbird” Original Shabby Canvas Print

4. Christie Repasy “Glorias Garland” Original Shabby Canvas Print

5. Christie Repasy “Double Pink Rose” Original Shabby Canvas Print

We even shot a small video to share with you the interior and exterior of her business and it’s GORGEOUS! Take a look below.

Here is Michelle with Christie inside the boutique. Click here to see a video of Michelle’s trip to Christie Repasy’s Boutique.

Inspired Travels: Spring in Venice, Italy

I’ve been meaning to do this post for a VERY long time! I apologize for keeping you waiting! Now with a little down-time for the holidays, I’m so happy to be here at home, curled on the couch with a mug of cocoa and my laptop! (Of course, tomorrow will be a busy day when I work on a Christmas Eve dinner! Yikes! I’ll enjoy this peace while it lasts!)

My husband and I went on our honeymoon this past May and traveled throughout a few Northern Mediterranean countries in Europe. Needless to say, it was breathtaking, absolutely inspiring! One of my most favorite stops was Venice and to be faced with all the classical architecture, rustic ironwork and masonry — it was absolute heaven!

While we thoroughly enjoyed the charm and overwhelming elegance of San Marco square, we also loved getting lost in the little streets just wandering and soaking in the local life. So enough chit-chat, here are a few of my favorite photographs from the trip.

I’m so amazed by the canals and how the come right up to your doorstep! It amuses me to know that I could take a boat right to the entrance of my home. Though I was told that all the first floors of the buildings are now evacuated due to the risk of flooding. But in any case, it is still so wondrous to be so close to water! Notice the way the weathered bricks create such a beautiful array of textures and colors!

A Shabby Chic Style Hotel Bed & Bath Getaway in Dorset!

Looking for a home away from home? Take a peek at this gorgeous Bed & Bath in Dorset in South West England. Luiminiere Sandbanks offers stunning rooms for their visitors and even has one done-up in a very shabby chic like fashion! So cute!

This room is decorated with pinks and chocolates! I love the striped walls and the light gold filigree painted onto the white stripes. A charming idea!

I absolutely love this room that they describe as the “Crazy Gold” room! Deep pinks and a bright gold make this room an opulent choice!

Their website states:

“Luminiere, A Luxurious AA five star rated Boutique B&B in an excellent location just 5 minutes away from Poole Harbour and the beautiful blue flag beaches of Sandbanks.

The accommodation is chic, sympathetically restored interiors compliment this traditional Edwardian House. All bedrooms being individually styled with luxuriously comfortable beds, luxury towels, bath robes and slippers.

Each room provides a flat screen TV with DVD , complimentary tea and coffee, and a free wireless internet connection. Bathrooms are modern and luxury with power showers and Gilchrist Soames products.

There is a stunning Art Deco Suite, with fabulous bath and wet room area for the ultimate in luxury.

Luminiere is privately owned by Tracey Green and has opened to offer sheer indulgence in B&B accommodation. We aim to offer the highest standards in both comfort and service throughout your stay.”

Visit them online at boutiquebandbsandbanks.co.uk

Antique Weekend Finds in Long Beach, CA.

It was a wonderful weekend for outdoor activities. I decided to cruise down PCH (Pacific Coast Highway) to enjoy the coastal weather, rather than staying inland where the weather reached triple digits in most places (blazing HOT!). My weekend road trip ended in Long Beach at a local antique flea market.

There were so many neat and unique treasures at the flea market. But my absolute favorite piece is the vanity (shown below) with the cute floral designs and matching chair! The vintage sofa and bench were just as cute! Too many things to look at, and so little time. I’ll have to make another trip back there soon! Check back with us for another flea market outing real soon!

Here’s some pics from this weekend!

Giethoorn Holland Village on Canals

Giethoorn is called the Venice of the Netherlands for about 7.5 km of canals run through the little village. Some 50 little wooden bridges span the canals. It was founded around 1230 when fugitives coming from the Mediterranian regions settled there. They found a lot of horns of wild goats there that had probably died in the big flood of St Elisabeth in 1170, and therefore they called the settlement Geytenhorn (horn of goats), later it became Geythorn and now it’s called Giethoorn. All traffic has to go over the water, and it is done in so-called “punters”, they are ‘whisper-boats’ for they are driven by an electric motor, so they practically do not disturb the peace and quiet in this scenic little village. The canal is only about 1 meter deep and were digged out to transport the peat, the digging of this peat resulted in many ponts and undeep lakes, called ‘Wieden’. Many houses have been built on islands and are only reachable over wooden bridges. Most houses have thatched roofs, the marshy areas provide a lot of reed. In former days only rich people had tiled roofs, for tiles were much more expensive than reed, now it’s the other way round: having a thatched roof costs a lot more money than have it covered with tiles. This is a very picturesque place to visit.

[SOURCE]: thechive.com

A Village with no streets