Let's Chip In And Get Away From The Cold! Happy Weekend!

Looking for a warm place to go? Even here in New Orleans we are suffering record breaking freezing weather.

I like the sound of this place:

Estancia El Colibri Cordoba in Argentina! Cordoba is about 400 miles from Buenos Aires. And it's Summer now in Argentina.

The brochure says: Charming colonial-style ranch set in beautiful countryside, an excellent horse riding destination. Explore the vast gaucho lands on horseback, play polo (all abilities welcomed) or indulge in a variety of spa treatments whilst staying at this fabulous estancia surrounded by stunning mountain views. The 9 guest rooms encourage an intimate atmosphere where one can completely relax and unwind. The estancia boasts 2 majestic polo fields and offers a number of activities including horse riding on the vast pampas, hiking and golf. Guests are also given the chance to learn how to prepare an authentic Argentinean “asado” (world famous barbeque).

Mmmmm nine guest rooms! Who wants to chip in and stay in this house?!

Here's our formal living room

Glass of wine anyone? Here's the wine cellar

An informal living room overlooking the property - don't you love the arches?

Here's an informal dining room

One of the nine guest rooms - I love the headboards

What a great bathroom - love the antique chest used for the double sinks

Another pretty fabulous bedroom

The entrance to the estancia (Argentines call a ranch an estancia)

Poolside

Poolside

A pretty patio - we can teach you how to dance tango here!

And don't forget polo for all levels ha ha
Maybe we'll meet some guys like Ignacio (Nacho) Figueras!

• Estancia El Colibri accommodation 9 guest rooms with open fire, living rooms, mini bar, in room safe, internet connection, satellite tv, hair dryer.
• Location of Estancia El Colibri 45min drive from Cordoba International Airport.
• Getting to Estancia El Colibri 16hr international flight to Buenos Aires, 1hr 15min domestic flight to Cordoba and 45min car transfer.
• Children at Estancia El Colibri Are welcomed. Specific activities include tree top adventure trails, survival courses, treasure hunts, horse riding and lessons.
• Facilities Spa, sauna, turkish bath, swimming pool, jacuzzi, 10km of contained trails for walking, horse riding or mountain biking, 2 polo fields, saddlery, 45 polo ponies, 12 Criollo horses for horseback riding, bowling green and massage cabin.
• Free activities Horseback riding, polo - stick and ball (not lessons), hiking, birdwatching, gaucho and farm works.
• Paid activities Dove shooting, golf and visits to local Jesuit Missions.
• Weather - A year round destination but Oct to Apr is the best time to visit.

Guide price £1570 (about $2513 US with today's exchange rate) Per person based on two people sharing for 7 nights on a Full Board basis. Includes flights, transfers and horse riding.


Mmmmm. Or maybe we can curl up in our Snuggie with this book, a huge glass of Malbec, and kick up the thermostat. Happy Weekend!

You can get this beautiful book all about estancias HERE

Draping Cowhides

Jill Brinson drapes a cowhide on a white settee/sofa

I love decorating with cowhide rugs. Lately I have been seeing them off the floor and onto the furniture. And I'm not talking about some hokey ranch style decorating, but a rather chic and pretty application.

Jill Brinson drapes a white cowhide on the dining room table

Jill Brinson is the "new" darling designer du jour of decor bloggers, recently "discovered" and put on the cover of the 2009 December.January issue of House Beautiful. She is hardly a design novice, being the creative director for Ballard Designs.

Jill Brinson uses a cowhide ont he floor in the master bedroom

Recently Stephen Drucker the editor of House Beautiful did a very good interview on the Skirted Round Table, and talked about discovering Jill for House Beautiful. He couldn't exactly remember how her work was submitted, saying it "came over the transom" and he and his staff liked it and next thing you know Jill is on the cover.
(Note: Start throwing yourself over the transom at HB!)

Jill Brinson combines country and urban loft style

Her style is an combination of country and loft, and I love the way she gets the cowhides up off the floor, and also the way she uses one conventionally as a rug in her master bedroom. I also like that she uses several throughout the house.
I have two cowhides in my house, and contemplating getting another one, and the only thing that held me back was not wanting the house to look like Rancho Vamp. Jill Brinson shows me how to do it!

On a recent trip to New York last July, I saw this cowhide draped couch in the uber stylish shop Moss down in Soho. At first I thought it was about styling and merchandising the cowhide, but as I looked closer, this is the way the couch is designed and sold. I made a mental note to try getting cowhides off the floor at my house.

But I don't think it's as easy to get this look simply by tossing a cowhide on a chair.

No this is not my house and that is not Cholo - photo via Google Images

What about cowhide printed fabric? I say no, but yet this party table looks kind of cute.

So does that mean using a real cowhide as a tablecloth is a good idea like Jill Brinson does? Maybe in this case it would look better draped and layered with another texture.

And do not do this! Do not buy a cowhide print comforter (with matching shams and pillows yet!).

When you see how Jill Brinson does something so artful and so seemingly simple with cowhides, you can appreciate her talent. I predict that in 2010 cowhide rugs will still be with us, and they will be used off the floor too!

Jill Brinson images via House Beautiful

Time To Take The Tree Down

Millions of people in Spanish speaking countries celebrate Three Kings Day today. There are parties and parades and gifts. It's as big a celebration as Christmas Day. It's the official end to the Christmas season, and the beginning of Carnival which culminates with Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday).

When do you take down the Christmas decorations? I leave mine up until today which is Epiphany, or Three Kings Day, or Twelfth Night. You can read more about Twelfth Night HERE

This crazy family has 63 Christmas trees in there home, and they are not the Obamas!
You can read about them HERE

I love Christmas decorating, but this is just way too much. Today this family takes all of this down. It takes them awhile to get it all put away.

Every room in the house has a tree or six.

I think they should perhaps think about redecorating the house instead of spending all the time it takes to put up 63 trees, and then take them all down again.


The clutter in this house is amazing.


Here in New Orleans many folks leave their Christmas tree up, and just change out the ornaments to a Carnival theme. For me, the tree comes down right after tonight.

Mardi Gras Christmas tree

Hits And Misses

We all make mistakes. We see something we love and just have to have it, and sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn't. I try to learn from my errors and move on to make better choices.


Serial decorating. Do you suffer from this obsession? Are you ever truly finished with a room?
I'm mostly done with our house. We moved in five years ago to a fixer-upper, and the decor choices came out of necessity. But as time goes on, sometimes I can upgrade an earlier choice.

Our kitchen still needs a major renovation, but we do not have the money. So cosmetic solutions are the best we can do. Lately we added these oversize lanterns, one over the island, and one over the dining table. These are definitely a hit, and I have no regrets for upgrading from the chandeliers we put in five years ago. Go HERE to find out more.


The chaise lounge was purchased for the living room, and by and large we love it. The fabric is holding up very well. The upgrade is the pillow, and both are another hit.

The vintage sofa was recovered in faux white leather in 2008, and it is still the greatest and wearing very well. The glass coffee table is gone. It was too scary with Cholo flying off the couch when we play. Also it was a bit too large for the room.
The black and white stripe rug has been moved to the guest room. While good looking, this rug is a miss. I would not purchase it again.

The sea grass rug in the master bedroom is a year old and still wearing very well. This is a hit and I would use sea grass again.


The black and white stripe rug was moved to the guest room, and works better because there is much less traffic in this room. The bedding is new this year, and I love it enough to recommend it as a hit.

The drapes in the guest room are new this year and a hit. I got them at Half Price Drapes HERE. This is an excellent company for a girl on a budget.


I just had to have a deep drop ruffle white bedspread! So chic! So glam!
But after having it for a few months, I must say that it is not all that I hoped for. Because the dog sleeps on the bed, it gets dirty fast. It is a royal pain to wash and dry and iron. I did it twice and now it's in the closet: Instead I'm using an old matelasse white coverlet. This was a pricey purchase, and I would not buy it again, so sadly this is a miss.


I got drapes for our bedroom too, the same size and color as the guest bedroom, so that if I ever want to move them to another room, I have two pairs to work with. A design choice to paint the nightstands turquoise and have a mirror top cut for each of them, is a hit.

I bought a pair of these mercury glass lamps by Nate Berkus at Home Shopping Club. They were a good price ($129. each including the shade), and I love them. Apparently alot of people loved them becasue they are sold out. This is a hit!
I also painted two bombe dressers white. This is a hit too!


Reupholstering the antique French settee in the same faux white leather is a hit. As are the four antique dining room chairs I also reupholstered this way. I got a huge bolt of this fabric at a great price (on eBay) and used it all.
I replaced the glass coffee table with a vintage Saarinen table, and it is perfect!


The cow hide rug is the biggest hit in my book. It is impervious to dirt, spills, and dog hair, and I still love the way it looks.
In fact I got a second all white hide for my office. The pair of lamps were a miss. Too expensive, and after living with them for a couple of weeks, I went back to a lamp I got three years ago. I save my misses in a a closet I call the magic closet, and often revive and rotate (or sell) things that get put away.


The Kartell Mademoiselle chair was a miss. I borrowed it for a photo shoot, and it looks great in the shot, but it was not practical at the price point for me. So sadly I must say it was a miss, and I returned it.


I have more decor plans for 2010: Some upgrades in my dressing room/closet.


And finishing the master bath, getting some sconces for the dance parlor to replace a pair of mismatched vintage wall lamps that have seen better days. The yard and driveway and patios really need attention, and I think this Spring will be the start of those projects.
I am also thinking about repainting the kitchen!!!
What about you guys? What serial decorating projects are you planning?

Do You Love Your Bed?

The 13th moon is waning.

New Years Eve 2009 going into 2010 via The Huffington Post

The fireworks are over. The old year is gone. Time to take a little break.

Do you love your bed? Do you work on the computer there? Our furnace was out all week, and we barricaded ourselves in the bedroom with a space heater, our lap tops, snacks, and TV. It was great.

Read more about Bryan Batt HERE

Anyway we're all moving forward.

J Lo HERE
Toss me my Louboutins - I feel like dancing!

Wishing you and your loved ones all the best.

Hope to spend time with you in 2010.

Happy New Year.