Happy Halloween!

I just spied this great article on Casa Sugar featuring "10 Haunted Houses in New Orleans."  We are surrounded by all things eerie, all the time in Nola, but especially at Halloween!  I am absolutely terrified of ghosts (would I rather a ghost or a person attack me!?  DEFINITELY A PERSON) so, in hindsight, I am kind of weirded out that I was willing to stay at Hotel Monteleone on our wedding night (which was, essentially, Halloween by the time we arrived)  In fact, the Today Show was there filming for "America's Most Haunted Hotel" on the morning we left for our honeymoon. 

What was I thinking?!  Blinded by love or alcohol or both, I guess. 

You can read more about the fright-inducing Montelone in the 10 Haunted Houses article.  Have fun trick or treating tonight!

Cheers,

JSH

Life is a Masquerade

I still can't really decide if I think masks used as decor are an interesting statement of where you have been, showcasing unique cultural experiences, or whether they are just tacky.  I have no ruling and am not even sure I want to submit this to you as a "fab or fug." 

Perhaps my confusion is a result of the fact that I owned zero masks two weeks ago and now own two (!), combined with the fact that when I immediately think of the word "mask," I unfortunately think of this:

Tourist trappy Mardi Gras wall mask. 

I obviously must like some masks as visual statements.  I found this in my blog archives from our trip to Miami in February....

Grouping of tribal masks at the Delano. 

Anyhoo, are you curious about this new influx of masks to Casa de Haynes? 

I bought this little guy in Puerto as a memento and decided to display him in the kitch for a pop of color.

I think he is cute and fun, but Beau thinks he is scary.  Alot of masks are.  

He now may be ousted in honor of this one, though....

Remember when I posted about Amanda Talley's mask a while back?

Well, well.  We "won" it at the Save our Cemeteries' All Saints Soiree!  The event was truly awesome, and I would love to share more pics, but I was 1) having too much fun and 2) working the whole night.  Needless to say, we are puzzled as to how and where to display our newest AT art piece.  I cannot believe we are the lucky owners.  Once we pick up the mask and set it up at home, I will be sure to snap a few shots. 

Any tips or suggestions for displaying masks in a non-tacky manner would be greatly appreciated!

Cheers,

JSH

PS: What do y'all have planned for Hallow's Eve?  It is finally going to be Fall here in Nola, and Beau and I plan to celebrate our anni (the 30th) with a trip to the French Market to pick out our pumpkin....last minute! Hopefully, we will get some cutie trick or treaters as we enjoy a delightful dinner at home on Saturday night because apparently some tiny goblins will be coming by on Saturday night instead of Sunday night because of the Saints game on Sunday night.  Oh, and we are going to the game, too! 



Must Have

Much like milk, constant diaper changes, and snuggles, I think the new baby "needs" this for his/her room.

I saw this guy at our new-ish Anthropologie and thought he was good looking! 

(He would also be cute decorated for the holidays....Mardi Gras beads around his neck, Santa hat, etc....) 

I think he will look good with the yellows and grays in this gender-neutral babe's room. 

Cheers,

JSH

I love you, Lulu. Part II

Y'all know I love Lulu.  I posted about her awesome blog, Trail of Inspiration, quite some time ago.  I admire her personal style as well as her design....and she just seems really cool. 

Needless to say, I was thrilled to get a glimpse of her beautiful home in this month's Lonny (BTW, have you read it yet?  It is getting better and better....)

She additionally featured the clips on her blog, which I always highly recommend for inspiration.  That works out well, since it is, indeed, a "Trail of Inspiration." 

Here are the snaps:

The photo in the background is actually a blow up of her husband and his nephew.  She used a throw away underwater Kodak camera and had the image blown up on plexi glass by Duggal Photo in NYC. 

Dying.

Ahhh...all that Matouk/Lulu fabric and bedding. 

Really great "ark" artwork in her children's room!

Some of my all-time favorite Matouk bedding.
And, I love the simple artwork flanking the bed....could be an easy at-home project.

Hip Hip Hooray!  It is finally the weekend!  We will be attending (and I will be working, so please say hi if you are there) the Save Our Cemeteries All Saints Soiree this weekend.  I posted about it here.  Remember, you can still come...and bid on an awesome mask, designed by the likes of Amanda Talley or E. Lee Jahncke Mead.  I hope to see you there!

Cheers,

JSH

 

W Vieques Retreat and Spa....Delightful!

I am excited to share some of our pics from our wonderful vacay in Puerto Rico.  I highly recommend Vieques, a tiny island off of Puerto Rico's mainland, if you are seeking a means of getting off the grid a bit, but still want to be in the good ole US of A (a.k.a. working on your iphone and watching The Today Show, if you must...) 

I circled the location of Vieques on the map for you....isn't it professional and pretty?

The island's pace is slowwww, which was perfect for our needs.  There is nothing to do except lounge on the beautiful beaches, swim in the Bioluminescent Bay, admire the wild horses (which sometimes block the roads!), and, oh, lounge on the beautiful beaches. 

We stayed at the W Vieques Retreat and Spa, which opened at the beginning of 2010.  We were not disappointed!  Of course, I took some interior and exterior decor snaps for you guys.  I knew you would be interested in checking out its modern bohemian decor and sweeping views of the perfectly clear Caribbean waters.

Just a beautiful vista view...to get this post started right!

A really nice welcome.  At the tiny Vieques airport, if you are a guest of the W, you can wait for your "complimentary" ride to the W in the W airport lounge.  It was filled with goodies, including an open bar and yummy chocolate covered coffee beans!

A happy, freshly-arrived, camper!  Enjoying a Medalla Light, Puerto Rico's signature brewski.

A pic of the tiny tarmac with eight seater Cesnas.  FYI, Vieques can be reached by a long (and apparently miserable) ferry ride or a 20 minute puddle jumper ride. 

The awesome pool loungers, where we spent about 80% of our time.

The loungers sit in about 3 inches of water, on a ledge into the infinity pool, which, natch, faces the beach. 

Beau's feet/finger toes. 

Note the beach in the background.

One of the many, many beaches on the tiny island. 

We had all of "Media Luna" to ourselves.  Heaven!

A shot of the beach at the W. 

Part of the W's "Living Room" aka lobby...note the enormous doors that open up directly to a porch, which overlooks the beach.

A view of the firepit area (with Caribbean in background) from the Living Room.

More shots of the eclectic modern Bohemian decor in the Living Room...

I love the non-beachy beachy look of this organic retreat.

Concierge desk.  Beautiful orchids (on the desk) abounded!

A nighttime shot of the Living Room's bar area.  I wanted to get a snap of the light fixture over the lounging area for your viewing pleasure.

The usual pitfall of traveling as a duo....single pics of us. 

I had to include this because it is just so cute...Beau enjoying a delightful mojito?

See?  Single pics! 

Bump + mocktail = the entirety of our trip

End of our last day in Vieques, view from the porch of the Living Room.

Email me if you are interested in more "scenic" pics or hilarious, yet embarrassing, video footage depicting some more of the many stunning beaches, our room, and a bumpy bus ride out to the Bioluminescent Bay.  I know that scenic pics can get boring so I didn't include all 127 of them, but there are some truly stunning ones that were taken by our budding photographer, Beau. 

If you are interested in my full review of W Vieques, you can click here.  I am NolaNative. 

I hope you enjoyed this mini tour of the W Retreat and Spa.  HAPPY FRIDAY, Gimlet Nation!

Cheers,

JSH

P.S.  I will post some snaps of Old San Juan and El Convento Hotel next week!

Greetings!

Hi, Gimlet Nation!  Oh, how I have missed you so!  Sorry for my abrupt departure, but, for security reasons, I didn't want to announce to the world wide interwebs that Beau and I were departing to Puerto Rico for seven days, leaving our casa to its own defenses.  Can't blame me, right? 

Anyway, I am alive and doing wonderfully well.  Vacation for seven days that involves nothing but eating, sleeping, swimming and reading does wonders for the soul!  We are very blessed that we were able to take this time off to enjoy such a decadent vacation together. 

Beau has become quite the budding photographer and videographer.  I will post some of his great pictures and reviews of the trip on both the blog as well as Trip Advisor, under my usual TA moniker, NolaNative.  Stay tuned and thank you for being patient!

Now, onto a tiny newsflash that I know is a bit delayed, but, nonetheless, delightful.  Have you seen that dear Johnny (Adler) has a line for HSN now?!  It is befittingly called "Happy Chic."

Great home decor items (hello, lamps!) and affordable gifties a go-go.  Check it all out here. 

Again, thanks, Gimleters, for your patience while I was away.  I am excited to be back to the real blog world. 

Cheers,

JSH

Nola Goes Pink

I was delighted to pass the "Wedding Cake House" on St. Charles Avenue the other night on my way home to discover that it has gone pink in honor of October Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  An iconic symbol of St. Charles Avenue's grandeur, the WC House makes a statement on behalf of all of Nola....we are committed, together, to finding a cure. 

I wish my snap came out better....the whole house is lit up in a very hot hot pink!

Here she is by day from the same angle.

via casasugar

The Saints have also gotten into the action, wearing pink cleats, mouthguards, and towels throughout October.

Real men wear pink!

As Ochsner is also  "going pink," Beau has been wearing a pink tie each Friday, too.  But, I don't have a pic of him going to work....

Cheers,

JSH

Friendly Reminder

You should always check ebay for awesome, unique, one of a kind, vintage, well kempt, high quality, fun lamps.  We have many featured throughout our house, and I have never once been disappointed by my purchases. 

The latest that I am bidding on (please don't bid against me! :) ) is this guy.

Mid-century alabaster marble table lamp.

$50.00

I love that vein-y marble.

Some other delights?

Pair of mid-century chrome lamps.

Best part?  The price.  $9.99 starting bid.

This rattan lamp is $19.00.

Spray it down in a hot color and you are good to go.

I like these.

The pair for $169.00.

There are literally thousands of options and price ranges from which to choose.  Here are some of my suggested search terms for ebay success!

Mid-Century Modern Lamp

Retro Lamp

Hollywood Regency Lamp

Vintage Lamp (Will yield 1,000s of results so beware!)

Blanc de chine Lamp

Chinoiserie Lamp

Good luck and let me know if you find anything.  I promise you will score some items which will beat many a "big box store" lamp any day!  (Both price and quality-wise)

Cheers,

JSH

Meatball Express

A while back, I posted about this service I read about called "Blue Bag."  It is basically a company that drives to Houston, shops at Ikea for you, and then brings your goods back to your Ikea-deprived area.  Considering the amount of time spent by many New Orleanians plotting ways to hit Ikea in a day, rent a U-Haul, and carry all of the shitake back to Louisiana, this business is genius/cash cow. 

Well, I finally decided to utilize the service and will report in detail to you how it all shakes out.  My mom and sister and I plan to do a little Houston weekend in November in which Ikea will, of course, be a standard stop.  I will definitely be loading up for Project Nursery then.  HOWEVER, I needed to purchase the light fixture sooner than later as the painter/electrician/window treatment installer is going to be working on project nursery in a short couple of weeks.  He can't take down the fan and replace it with a light fixture if he is sans light fixture. 

So....I ordered the Fillsta pendant lamp for $49.99 and just remitted a paypal payment to Blue Bag for $64.99.  Not a bad deal, in my humble opinion.

Here is the big Fillsta.

An in-store shot of the Fillsta.  The anticipated one for our space is on the far left.

from here

Now, another interesting service soon to be announced by Blue Bag is called the Meatball Express (LOVE that name!)  Apparently, they will soon offer a day of in-person shopping at Ikea to their customers.  For about $200.00, you will get your flight to Houston, lunch, snacks, and delivery of your selected items back to New Orleans.  Besides being fun, it still is farrrr cheaper than Ikea's ridiculously expensive shipping costs (particularly if you are loading up and furnishing a house or doing an Ikea kitchen from afar!).  I thought this was a quite interesting idea, and I am intrigued to hear from anyone who tries it. 

Perhaps a Gimlet Nation field trip will be in order!

Cheers,

JSH

P.S.  Who Dat?! 

Deals and Steals: Tiny Turq Tables

I love small side tables that can be moved around a room with ease, always looking good and ready to hold a drink or book.  I file them away for times when I am trying to find something small that takes up hardly any visual space.  I have been looking for seriously tiny (non-entity) kind of wiry turquoise tables and ... looky looky.  I could barely believe that there is one option out there, much less two! 

(Do you ever design something in your head and then have to accept the harsh reality that it doesn't exist?!)

Anyhoo...

Option A:

PB Teen (yes, I have already told y'all that I love this tween source!) Take Along table in pool.

Um, it is 29.00 with free shipping. 

Option B:

Urban Outfitters (tween/teen source no. 2) Metal Accordian Side Table for $60.00. 

These are both very cute options for any room, but particularly for the very teensy nursery that I am currently designing for the bebe.  The very first pop of turq will be purchased today.  Oh, and the winner?  The PB Teen option.  C'mon, $30.00 plus free shipping (with a still-outstanding Williams Sonoma gift card covering the cost) can't be beat! 

Good deals and steals on this beautiful Friday in Nola.  Have a happy, happy weekend!

Cheers,

JSH