Gratitude

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! 


Well, it's that time of year again...  Time for a bit of over-indulging (I can't be the only one who eats too much stuffing) and perhaps some personal reflecting. (ie. What am I grateful for?  Have I been thankful enough) this year?

Today, as I ask myself these questions, I realize that I have to own up to the fact that I've done A LOT of complaining over the last few months.  Now, there's no doubt about it; it has definitely been a challenging time and I, for one, think a bit of wallowing (I said, just a "bit") is acceptable.  

Thankfully, this time of year always seems to snap me out of any pity parties I might be throwing myself.  No more grey clouds hovering over this lady's head!  Let's face it.  I, like so many others, have SO much to be grateful for.  I think, sometimes, we just need a lil' reminder.

Miss Modish was writing all about gratitude the other day.  Love her.  And love that brain of hers.  Check out the 5 questions below; she answers them following her meditation.  I don't know about you, but I intend to ask myself these questions today and much more often.  Thanks, MM!

"I think we all know how powerful gratitude can be- if we focus on all that is wonderful and incredible about our lives, rather than what we don't have, it opens us up to feel more joy, more fulfillment and abundance in our here and now.

The more you can bring gratitute into your everyday, the more happiness and balance it will bring into your life. It can become a deep well to pull from when you experience pain, fear or uncertainty- drop your bucket into that well of thankfulness for all that you have, and it can help you get through anything.

To help manifest more gratitude in your everyday:

Ask yourself these 5 Q's to get your gratitude rolling- try to find at least 3 answers to each:

1. What do I take for granted? Maybe your breath, your senses, your body, your health... what else? 
2. What relationships do I have that I cherish? Is there a certain person you connect to? A pet that's very special to you? What relationships do you feel lucky to have?
3. What freedoms, unique gifts and opportunities do I have? Think of your talents, your ambitions, your passions...
4. What advantages have I been given in life? This could be a long list if you really think about it...
5. Who are my backers in life? Don't focus on those who you feel don't support you, they are a drain on your energy- who are your champions? Your defenders? Your supporters? Who are your partners in life that have helped you get where you are right now? 

Give yourself permission to relish in all that is good in your life, and be grateful for it!"

Nice, right?  Do it!

A Brunch to be Thankful For...

Today, I am feeling so grateful.


We had a visit from some LA friends this morning.  It was so lovely hanging out with people we know.  People we have history with.  People who enjoy food as much as we do!  Cari & Rusty have the sweetest baby boy (his name is Harlan...SO cute?!), but poor thing.  She's still breast feeding and he's got some tummy issues, soooo she has a VERY restricted diet at the moment.


1. No Caffiene

2. No Sugar

3. No Alcohol

4. No Gluten Products

5. No nuts

6. No Dairy

7. No Chocolate

I thought, good LORD(!)...what are we going to feed these people???  Thank goodness Chef Cham+Thom was home and knew exactly what to do.  He's like a superhero in the kitchen. 

He saved the day with THE most amazing Mushroom, Spinach & Goat Cheese Frittata you've ever tasted! 

(I borrowed this shot from A Spicy Perspective.  Hers looks pretty amazing too!)

His Frittata ended up being such a brilliant idea and was a total hit!  It seemed super easy too;  we are definitely adding this to our "Impressive Meal Rotation". 

He says he didn't use an exact recipe. (Superheros don't need recipes.)  I had him sit down and tell me what he did though and trust me; you should totally try it!  And if you do, write me and let me know how yours turns out.

10 Eggs; beaten

1 Package Crumbled Goat Cheese

1 Package of Portabella Mushrooms; chop

1 Package Crimini Mushrooms; chop

Handful of Shitake Mushrooms; chop

2-3 Cups of fresh Spinach; chop

6-8 Drops of Truffle Oil

1 1/2 sprigs of fresh Rosemary; minced

3 cloves of Garlic; minced

Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper

Pre-broil oven to 500 degrees.

In a large non-stick frying pan, put olive oil and heat to medium high; cook mushrooms with salt & pepper until soft.  Add truffle oil.

Add minced rosemary and garlic and cook for about a minute longer.

Add spinach and cook until wilted.  Lower heat to medium low.

Add eggs; do not stir.  Let the egg mixture almost completely set...until it's just a teensy bit runny on the top.  Keep in mind you'll want to run the rubber spatula around the edges to keep it from sticking.

Sprinkle goat cheese on top.

Put in the oven until cheese is melted.

Transfer to a serving dish and cut into wedges.

Along with the world's most delicious frittata we served homemade hashbrowns (1 sweet potato, 1 purple potato, 1 white and 1 yellow potato) and a colorful salad.  How did I not take a picture of that salad?!  Mixed herb greens topped w/ apple slices, cherry tomatoes, celery, chopped carrots and dried cranberries.  It was SO beautiful! Mmmm...makes me hungry just thinking about it.

Okay, so this week is Thanksgiving, right?  By the weekend you are going to be over all the turkey madness, but you are likely to still have a house-full of guests.  This meal will surely put a smile on everyone's face!  Try it, people. 

Again, you can thank me later...

Bon Appetit! :))

A Whole New Level of Crazy

Oh. Mah. Gah.  The trailer for the new Seb Montaz documentary, I Believe I can Fly, is circulating on the web and I'm here to tell ya...it is UNbelievable.   Thanks to Joanne at A Cup of Jo for sharing; she's such a pro and always finds the best stuff!  

I've gotta warn you before you view this though.  Your stomach may end up in your throat before it's all said and done.  The two Frenchies in the film are crazy!  They call themselves the Skyliners and are pioneers in what they call "highlining", a new European sport that combines tightrope walking, slacklining and base jumping.

Care to do a cartwheel off a mountain, anyone?  Um.  These guys do.  Like I said, CRAZY!  But awesome.  Don't try this at home, folks.  But yes; let's all watch the documentary (it's only 40 minutes) and report back.  Enjoy!

Hip Hip Hooray!

Today is the best day I've had in weeks. Mr. Cham+Thom is home from a long 3 weeks away working in Los Angeles.  It seems distance really DOES make the heart grow fonder and more than ever I am reminded just how much I love that man.

{Honey, if you're reading this, this is meant for YOU!}

Source: etsy.com via Bridgette on Pinterest

Now if I were a better, more organized wife my lovely husband would've come home to one of these awesome cards from Storeyshop on Etsy.  Sadly, he didn't, but I DO intend to break the bank (they're not cheap) and put my order in soon.  They're adorable, right?!  And, it looks like she's running a special at the moment.  Buy 4 get 1 free!  Now I like them even more!


Helen Foers is the talented designer behind the clever cut-outs.  She uses a template and cuts all the designs with a scalpel so no pencil or pen marks ever go on the finished card.  Do we love her or what? You just have to check out the colorful selection of cards on her Etsy site. And don't you think they would make great keepsakes?  I know if I received one, I would pop it into a frame...pronto!


Hop to it.

images via Storeyshop

Fantasy Friday

Tonight I am fantasizing about places far far away...


Close your eyes if you will, and travel with me to Nairobi (the largest city in Kenya).  It's summertime in our fantasy (if only) and we're decked out in some fab safari gear.  Think Meryl Streep in Out of Africa.


We'll be staying in the most amazing hotel.  Truly.  It's called Giraffe Manor and as the name suggests, the long-necked beauties have the run of the place.  It's a luxury boutique hotel that was built in the 1930's and just look at the pictures; it is beyond gorgeous!  I mean think about it...  A giraffe's head through the window at breakfast time?  *sigh*  Sign me up, please.


A trip to this beautiful hotel has definitely secured a spot on my bucket list.  Check out these photos (could you just DIE?!) and then go here to book your room.

photos via www.giraffemanor.com

Come on, Seattle. Seriously???

Days like this:

11/18/2011

Currently

39°F

Light Rain

Humidity: 96%

Pressure: 29.66 in

Call for things like this:

Images via Pinterest


Possible SNOW!!
Burrrr... Time to  get cozy.

The San Gabriel House : the den

Posting about our reupholstered furniture pieces yesterday started me sorting through photos and reminiscing about the house we renovated in San Gabriel, California.  That was such a huge project for us.  I don't think I've ever worked so hard in my life.  I've heard that renovations are often the cause of problems in relationships; in our case though, it was the exact opposite.  Biff and I were new friends back then and he asked for a little help with ideas for the house.  I think, ultimately, it was the sawdust and spackle that brought us together. That, and those blue eyes of his; they slay me every time.  But that's a whole other story... :)


Over time I'll share some of my favorite rooms in the house; we redid absolutely everything, inside and out.  Aside from the kitchen though, and by the time I came along, the changes we made were almost all cosmetic.  On a penny-string budget, mind you.  Take a look at these photos of our den;  maybe you'll be inspired to start a project of your own!

By the time I met Mr. Cham+Thom, he had made a ton of progress. Here you can see the floors he put in throughout the house, and a more clear picture of that "useless nook".  As for the mustard yellow paint on the walls?   I assure you I had absolutely nothing to do with that.

When Biff and I met and I started helping him with the renovation, this bizarre little room stopped me in my tracks.  I just had no idea what to do with it.  What it's actual "function" should be.  The room was right off the kitchen so at first I figured it was meant to be a formal dining room.  But the angles were so weird???  And that nook was just wasted space??? I just didn't get it. It took quite a bit of brainstorming before we came up with the idea to make that annoying nook the actual focus point of the room.  We decided to make this room our den/family room; we would make it super cozy and put the tv in there.  Slowly but surely a plan started to come together.

I started scouring the internet for inspiration and came across these 2 images:

I feel so awful because I don't have links to give proper photo credit.  If these are yours, please let me know!


I really liked the idea of cubbies for our books.  That top photo was kind of the jumping off point but as the idea evolved we decided that adding a desk top would be great too.  We were renovating the house to put it on the market so we really tried to think like potential buyers might.  We designed the built-in's so they would be multi-functional; they could be used in a dining room as a hutch, in a den as an entertainment center, or in an office as a work surface with storage.


We bought a wood counter top from Ikea (for less than $80); once it was painted and hung at desk-height, it was perfect.  The built-ins started out as a bunch of wooden cubes.  Biff made them out of inexpensive wood and then, once we had decided on placement, he secured them to the wall.  We painted everything, added trim and then, Voila!

Here she is in all her glory!  
This just goes to show what a little creativity and some hard work can do.  Just changing the paint color and adding the crown moulding did wonders for this room; the built-in's were the icing on the cake.

This photo was taken by a professional hired by the real estate agency when we were selling the house. 
Some day I will own a better camera and know how to use fancy lenses for photos like this!!!

Dream Skillz

Dream skill of the day (and a pretty practical one, considering my addiction) = Upholstery


That's right.  Wouldn't it be awesome to know how to reupholster furniture?  And I mean, reeeally know how. Not just stapling fabric onto a dining room chair to give it a face lift (although I've done that and it has made a HUGE difference).  Show me some springs and stuffing, people.


Most learn the trade as an apprentice and you'll find a lot of times that the skill is passed down through generations.  Biff says he's going to learn one of these days and I am all for it, but it's something I really want to know how to do too!  There are so many pieces out there that just need a little love.  For now though, I guess I'll continue to stalk Jenny on her blog Little Green Notebook.  Oh to be Jenny.  She doesn't know it, but we're blog friends and I secretly covet her craftiness. Truly, that woman is SO talented!!  One of these days I'm going to tackle an upholstery project and send it to her for her stamp of approval.  Yup.  We're destined to be friends... :)


Reupholstery is a true art form and I imagine the craftsman takes great pride when he or she adds that last piece of trim and steps back to view their masterpiece, much the way a professional makeup artist does when they apply that final touch of gloss that adds just the perfect amount of sparkle.


Check out a couple of the vintage pieces we had reupholstered to use in the den at our old house in San Gabriel.  

I love that blue fabric. I think it was maybe $6/yard at Michael Levine's in downtown LA.   Seriously. Aaah the fabric district in downtown LA... Now THAT is something I have surely missed. Check out the beautiful vintage sofa below too. We had a really unique space that we were decorating...a room with strange angles, a no-use nook and doors on 3 of the 4 walls. It was our lucky day when we found this petite sectional at St. Vincent de Paul thrift store; the dimensions were absolutely perfect but the sofa itself was super dirty with tears, lots of stains and worthless cushions.  We brought it home and knew that all it needed was a little tlc and of course, a brand new "party dress".  I took a trip downtown and scored a huge bolt of fabric for only $2 per yard.  I know.  When does that happen?!  I also grabbed a few yards of a basic black upholstery grade fabric for the piping and made a call to the best kept secret I know in Los Angeles.  Pedro!!!  My upholsterer truly is a miracle worker.  Maybe once we become friends I'll tell you all about him.

Before:

And After!!

Aw.  What happened to my pretty picture!?  Damn.  I hate that the "after" is so blurry.  Hmmm...Forgive me.  I am new to blogging AND a beginner at Photoshop.  See.  I told you I need to work on these skills. Or did I? Slowly but surely I'm going to figure all of this out.  Just wait till you see my crappy photography.


Oh wait. This IS my photography.  Sorry.  I'll get better...eventually.

FYI... Sadly, when we moved out of the San Gabriel house we had to part with this beauty.  We sold her to America's Next Top Model; I think they were going to use it in the crazy wanna-be-models house.  Hmmm.. I should look into that.  I wonder if it actually made it on tv?!

To date, I've paid to have 4 sofas and 4 chairs reupholstered.  I've also changed the cushions (which involved buying fabric, adding new foam & staple gun fun) on at least 12 dining chairs in my time AND sewed ghetto fabulous new (I'm talking super ghetto. "ahem, please don't sit on those; the stuffing might pop out.") cushions for my lawn chairs.

Bridgette Chambliss+Thomsen :: Self-proclaimed Reupholstery Addict

Wednesday Wishlist

Today I am wishing I had an extra $1700.  If I did, I would definitely buy this:

Or maybe this...

Who am I kidding?  They are all beyond amazing.  Can you see this guy's little tongue???  I'm dying over here.

Actually, what I'm really wishing for is an extra $6800 so I can own all four!

Catherine Ledner is the brilliant artist responsible for these beautiful prints.  She lives in SoCal and I am her newest fan.  All that color and so much fun!  I am so in love with these, I just can't stand it.


If you can afford them you should rush right out and buy them here.  You can thank me later.  

Hello, Sunshine!

The air is crisp, but the sun is shining in Seattle today.  Don't you just love days like that?  It's amazing how sunshine can brighten my spirits, and today is just one of those days when I really needed a boost. Thank you, Sunny Boy, for coming out to play today.  I promise, when we get back to Southern California, that I will not be taking you for granted.  

Playing with Fire

The chimney guy came today. Thank goodness.  Let's hope the cleaning does the trick and that tonight, we have a cozy fire, but not a house filled with smoke.  Fingers and toes are crossed.


Today my head is filled with thoughts of our soon-to-be new home in Los Angeles.  It, too, has a lovely wood-burning fireplace.  It's a great space, a duplex, built in 1928.  Upstairs has exposed wood beams and high ceilings.  Nice light too AND a view of the Reservoir.  January 1st can not get here soon enough; I cannot WAIT to move!


Recently I was taking a look at Kristan Cunningham's LA House; they ran something on it in The LA Times not to long ago.  I instantly fell in love with her cozy, eclectic living room.  An oversized Chesterfield Sofa remains at the top of my wishlist and all those layers & textures?!?  Pure Heaven.  Of course, her place has light for days and that fireplace is to die for, but what's really caught my eye, is that handsome stack of wood piled up in the corner.

Source: latimes.com via Bridgette on Pinterest

I've been drawn to this look a lot lately and, thanks to Pinterest, have been collecting inspiration images.  I'm not sure to what extent, but I think I'd like to do something similar in the new place.  Here are a few of my favorites:

Source: tumblr.com via Bridgette on Pinterest

Forget the wood. Will someone just please buy me that mirror?! Let's add that to my ever-growing wishlist.

Source: habituallychic.blogspot.com via Bridgette on Pinterest

Double whammy!  This might be a bit much.

Source: countryhome.com via Bridgette on Pinterest

This long and lean look might be a little too modern for us.  I really do like it though.

Source: 1.bp.blogspot.com via Bridgette on Pinterest

As for this one?  Well it sure is a pretty room and all that wood stacked in the fireplace does make for a stylish photo, BUT (and I hate to say it)...it's not terribly practical, now is it?  Not that I'm a gal who always goes for practical, but I am a gal who always needs an extra scarf and sweater and absolutely wants to use her fireplace!   It's a pretty picture though.  Real, real pretty.


All this talk of fireplaces makes me feel the need to go and try out ours. Wish me luck!

Adventure Calls!

Change is in the air…  Just 50 days from today, Mr. Cham+Thom, GJP and I will be heading back to Los Angeles from our short stint of living in Seattle.  It’s true.

You heard right.  BACK to LA, we go!  You see, we left Los Angeles only 5 ½ months ago.

Pure. Madness.

Bye bye, raindrops and grey clouds. 

Sunshine & fallen angels, we are coming for YOU!

Let’s just call this one very expensive experiment.  With great intentions, we tried to make it work (and who knows…maybe one day we will) but for now our sights are set on heading back to LA January 1^st.   Of course, there are pros and cons to living in both cities and honestly, it’s probably just because our friends are there and I miss them so darn much, but I think I’m actually starting to get excited about moving back.

And, if you knew me, you'd know how much I hate moving.  

So, that I'm excited about this, is actually quite telling.

Oh boy....

What a great adventure this life is turning out to be.

And so the journey begins...

Hi everyone.  I'm Bridgette and this is my blog.  Welcome!

Today is the day I stop procrastinating and start writing.  Am dying for a creative outlet and for now, this shall be mine.  My goal with this blog is to have some fun.  It's like my own little magazine.  I hope to fill it with topics, images and projects that inspire me.  

Who knows...  Maybe you'll actually stumble upon it and be inspired to!   Share it with your friends, your co-workers, your lovers...and please don't hesitate to reach out and say hello.

Some day I'll tell my friends and family that I'm writing again. 

But for now, it's just you and me.

Cheers!