A Giveaway & A Holiday.

Ack! So sorry-- I've been under a rock-- a Thanksgiving full of family and fun and holiday decorating rock. And today is giveaway day over at Buggie and Jellybean. Amy's blog is always a treat! She has loads of great giveaways as well as oodles of eye candy. All the time. A $25 store credit Gardenhouse Boutique is on the block. Hurry, run, barge in there with flashbacks to black Friday and enter!

And can you believe I let Style File Friday just go.....must have been the Turkey coma?!? I'd like to make it up to you-- thinking this Friday better be twice as stylish. Or how about a little holiday tour around my house....since I spent the day decorating versus blogging?? Think vingnettes in glass apothecary jars, loads of vintage cut glass,faux snow and rose scented candles. PB has a new candle scent and I am in lurrrve! It doesn;t seem to be available on line yet...but it's called Heirloom Rose if you are in the shop. Between that and having the fire place going all day and most of the evening I don't know what to do with myself-- I just know I don't want to leave the house!

luvluv a giveaway and a holiday!

Simone

Happy Thanksgiving.

I give thanks for a happy healthy family, a table full of good food and great company. A happy, healthy family.

{and amazing flowers. I went a little overboard but they were all so tempting and such a good deal}

I give thanks for ruffle butts. My niece will be arriving sometime in early May-- so next year I'll be loving up ruffle butts and baby booties. I can hardly wait to have a little one around-- not my little one! Someone elses! Thankful for all of it.

Thanksgiving blessings to you and yours.

luvluv.

Simone

Guilded.

Just thought I'd share a little diddy that I found at the flea market today! I love, love, love the colors and for some reason I'm obsessed with gold paint!

I also bought a white and gold polkadot cookie jar and a big rose syroco, gold and white-- Of course! What is it with the gold?? I can't resisit and at some point it'll be too much...just not yet.

I've been doing a little redecorating around the house some gold here and some gold there. Don't you hate light switches? I think I might modpodge this one with a page of an old garening book. We have like 6000 light swithces on our house....one of the panels has 5 giant light swithces on it...so meh!

I live a guilded life {other than those dang light switches., which I might have to spray paint gold!}

Hope your week is golden.

luvluv.

Simone

Thankful.

Thankful for fabric and fabulous colors, patterns and plaids.

Thankful for vintage and modern and pretty at a table filled with family. Thankful for a new fall tablecloth...listed in the shop.

I'm looking forward to hosting Thanksgiving again. Last year was on a a very large scale and we'll be toned down a little with a changing family dynamic, people buying houses and having babies. Not everyone can make it but it is all for good reason. I am thankful for all of them.

Tomorrow is one of my fave secret flea market- I'm thankful for that too. Hopefully I'll have some fun finds to share with you. Most of the items on the table were found there at one point or another. A little collection of mine.

Luvluv & Thanks.

Simone

Soiree or Day

I am not often impressed with myself. I make something and think, "yeah, it looks great" but I am not often in awe of something I have made. Last night I finished a new bag design and literally ran in the house to show the big B...won't say whether he was awake or not. {But it was rather late, in his defense!} Oh you would like to see what was so affecting...


Yes, that is red leather,on the bottom and the ruffle {drool} yes that is Anna Maria's new fabric, Amy's fabric and some stunning leopard print velvet. Yes. Yes. Yes. I am dazzled. Proud.


Such a versatile bag I could see it for soiree or day. Today I wore the outfit on the right in the polyvore {do you love those brown suede Carlos shoes??love!} but couldn't carry the bag. It is on it's way to the Big Apple.

Soiree or Day by simonehowell featuring leopard scarves

I was bummed to have to send the bag off to New York....but again not too much-- I'll be making more-- listed in the shop-- and keeping one for myself as well. Until the leopard velvet runs out-- although I will try to score some more-- I have a friend that designs fabric for Ralph Lauren. She sent this a while back and I have been saving it for something special! Paired with the red leather...oh my!

Me loves! You loves?
Happy Stylish Friday.

luvluv.
Simone

On London & Lounging.

It seems my obsessions have moved from Paris, now back to my "home turf," The UK. Take a tour of some of London's neighborhood in the shop.

Battersea. Home to hoards of trendy young things, Battersea is the place to go for fun and funky surroundings just outside of central London. And if you go, be sure you're wearing your Gardenhouse lounge set!

Westminster. Such a patriotic place that the National colors of red white and blue are fitting.

Civil servants and politicians abound in the vicinity. A bountiful Big Ben strikes out the hour, loud enough to wake the old kings and queens from their tombs in Westminster Abbey.

And Bloomsbury. Bloomsbury is London's literary capital and home to the British Museum. You'd be right at home in Blackwatch plaid.

Cheerio. It's time for elevenses...which per my Queen's English Knowledge Cards means "a break for coffee or light refreshments at 11am. "Isn't it time for elevenses?" is usually said whilst looking at one's watch, possibly in conjunction with the statement that one is feeling a trifle 'peckish'" I know it's not 11am....I wish! But it is time for a break!

luvluv.

Simone

Numbers.

One. is the number of photos out of over 50 that I took of this lounge set. One that makes the cut. I'll try again today. One is not an option. Shameful I tell you!

Six. is the number of weeks until Christmas! And you have to host Thanksgiving (like me) there might as well be two! These lounge sets will be perfect for the holidays-- as gifts, or worn by your kiddos for perfect Christmas morning photos! Ya'll know you have to have pretty pj's for Christmas morning! And they'll be posted in the shop when there are photos fitting their fabulosity! (mm-hmm, yes, new word there!)

Wish me better luck today!

luvluv & bad photography.

Simone

The Apple.

I don't have much to say today because I am trying to recover from Miss O's slumber party last night. 13 girls. 4th grade going on 10th. I"ll blog some fun projects from that at another time, I'm just too brain dead today. This photo is soo appealing..... Serene and pretty.



And I'm in lurrrve with the skirt. The Free people November catalog is full of Delish. Loads of lace. Love!! It's been a while since I flipped over FP but I think this book was a knock out!

I'm taking today to recover and to gather my thoughts on this-- "the apple does not fall far from the tree!"


Happy Stylish Friday.
luvluv.
Simone

Mary Mary Why ya' buggin?

Two things are making a comeback in my world this week. Bloody Mary and Cat's Cradle! Both are things from my childhood. Olivia's friend so kindly told her about Bloody Mary-- thank to an older sister who has fun with this sort of stuff. Apparently the fable now goes if you say her name in a dark bathroom and then flush the toilet she'll tickle you. Some of her friends have even been tickled.....um-hm. Needless to say we are now sleeping with more lights on, which is an improvement from last week where we had three in our bed! So help me when they discover "Light as a feather, Stiff as a board" or heaven forbid the Ouija!!! eeeee.eeee.eeee!

Mary Mary, originally uploaded by gardenhouse.

Fortunately we also have Cats Cradle making a comeback! Remember the string game? I couldn't believe that I actually remembered it! All but that really crazy one where you have to grab one of three twisted strings....I told Miss A we'll have to google it to figure it out. How on earth did we get by when we were kids?? I think I'll teach them Chinese jump rope this week! I remember playing that for hours!!

Hope you are having a wonderful start to November-- and leaving all the end of October hauntings behind!

luvluv.
Simone

The List and The Brit.

Too much to do and not enough time! As usual! Story of my life...and I'm sure yours too. I have been totally unfocused this week and now it is Friday and I am irritated that my list is not any shorter. I have been completely sidetracked by the thought of re-doing some of our decor. It's time!

Keep Calm & Fake a British Accent by simonehowell on Polyvore.com


As I was putting this together I kept thinking about how one of my good friends always laughs when we are shopping because I lurrrve anything floral. She always says "You are so British. It is just in your blood" and she's right. I am British-- I.heart.floral. Can you tell?

You can take the girl out of England but you can't take the England out of the girl!

Keep calm and fake a British accent.

Happy British Style Friday!

luvluv.
Simone

The last.

The last of the single digit days are here. I sat down to take a look at these photos today and just could not believe that this is my child! My baby! Where has the time gone?? She will be 10 this month. TEN!!! Ten. Ten. This is the first of many double digit birthdays! The single digit days are over...as are the days of hiring princesses for parties (some good does come of them getting older!)

Miss O is sporting the first in the line of weekend wear. She was more than happy to slip into this after a long weekend of Halloween parties, late nights and sleepovers.Three more designs are coming. All can be made in any size you'd like! She is really into the off the shoulder sweatshirts right now-- I'm sure this stems from dance class! You can order a rounded collar or even a zip up hoodie in any of the fabrics. Check the shop for all the details.

The last of your days of schlepping the kids to get pastries in a parade of gaudy pj's is here as well. Lounge about in style....Gardenhouse Style!

luvluv.

Simone