Live Like You & Marmalade Interiors
  • Great Places to Visit

  • 28Nov

    5 Comments

    Ten days in the islands

    Posted in: Great Places to Visit

    I’m back!

    I’m sorry for the complete lack of posts for almost two weeks. Luke, Dan I left with some friends to stay in a rented house in the Virgin Islands for Thanksgiving, only to find out when we got there (although advertised) there was no internet.  Serious grrrr…  And the last few days of the vacation we spent on a boat in the Grenadines. What a stunning place! So before I get back to the design posts and cold temperatures here I just have to share some pictures from our trip.

    It was so nice to arrive to warm temperatures and enjoy the warm ocean. St Thomas at sunset.

    Luke and Kate playing on the beach. A new beach to try every day.

    Kieran my godson being buried in the sand by Luke.

    Kieran doing his six year old interpretation of the “Gangham Style” dance playing on Luke’s phone. Any of you with kids probably know the song all to well…

    Amazing sunsets….

    Mustique in the Grenadines, doesn’t get better than this!

    One of my all time favorite bar restaurants to go to. “Firefly” if you ever go-you MUST visit!

    Amazing views, amazing vibe and amazing food. In short-amazing.

    So charming with an old world James Bond vibe.

    Macaroni beach. Rugged beauty.

    Downtown Mustique. definitely no rush hour traffic.

    The super charming airport. That is actually us in the plane taking off on our way home.

    Anyway back to reality and a huge amount of work!

    Stay tuned for a bunch of December giveaways, sales and sweepstakes!

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  • 12Aug

    7 Comments

    The Glorious California coast

    Posted in: Great Places to Visit

    After dropping Luke at his first ever sleep away camp at Lake Arrowhead, Dan and I decided to drive Highway 1 up along the jagged California Coast. I’m not big on sharing nature scenery snap shots, but this time, I’m sorry, I can’t help myself.

    If you haven’t been to this part of the world, schedule a trip NOW!

    Here are some great spots, tips and places to visit on this magical mystery tour…

    We worked our way from Lake Arrowhead in the San Bernandino mountains out to Santa Barbara.

    Stunning place for an overnight stay or two.

    Hiking clothes are highly recommended.

    Miles and miles and miles of amazing territory to hike!

    North of Santa Barbara close to San Simeon, stop to see the wild elephant seals.

    We would have made it to the Hearst Castle had we not had a little hick up (see P.S)

    As you get in to Los Padres National Forest the drive definitely gets scary.

    Insanely rugged stunning beauty and miles without a fence. Just a steep cliff between you and the ocean…

    At one  view stop, we met these super friendly squirrels. They jump on you the second you get out of your car and snag any food you have. They even take it out of your hands! Needless to say this Alvin and the chipmunks gang were major crowd pleasers.  These fearless squirrels are all over Monterrey county.

    In Big Sur don’t miss to visit Julia Pfeiffer state park. There you’ll find the leftovers of an old home stead, originally built by a pioneer woman in the late 1800′s. The land was purchased by an east coast heiress who built “The Waterfall House” right here with this view. All that is left now are the terraces. When she died she donated it to the state as park land, in the name of the original owner Julia Pfeiffer.

    This sign basically sums up the entire coast.  Yep, you need to be a SAFE driver.

    My shadow in the strong afternoon sun. Sun block is a must.

    Hiking at Andrew Molera state park. Stepped over a rattle snake here without noticing it, luckily I didn’t get bit. But a few minutes later a nasty yellow jacket got me!  I guess it was a bite from the better of the two.

    Note to self: Bring snake and yellow jacket bite kits when hiking here.

    Stay at Deetjen Inn. The hotel was started by a Norwegian man who housed wayward horse and wagon travelers in the 1800′s. Rustic simple cabins, no internet, no phone, and no internet bookings still. You need a room, call.  We didn’t stay there….next time.

    The golden hills of Big Sur at sunset. Magical.

    The golden hills of Big Sur…again, just because…

    Post Ranch Inn definitely worth a visit, if not for dinner, then for drinks a sunset. It’s all they say it is, and more.

    You dine above the fog on the Pacific.

    Sit quietly and watch the sunset. It doesn’t get better than this.

    Thanks for letting me share these pictures. I can’t wait to go back there again.

    P.S.

    What not to do when you are on the remote Highway 1 on your way home…..

    Do NOT grab the sunblock in the trunk, then lock it accidentally leaving the car keys inside it.

    You generally have to wait 6 hours for AAA.

    Thank You to Sunny of Sunny’s Towing who drove 4 hours just to spend 15 minutes to get us back in to our rental car!!

    And super thanks to all the kind people at Lucia’s Lodge…

    ..who gave us unlimited credit in their restaurant and convenience store until we could get our stuff!

    This place (minus the sunblock debacle) is a must. Best fish and chips in the country!

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  • 13Jul

    6 Comments

    A stay at Kragga Mansion

    Posted in: Great Places to Visit, Hotels

    Our trip to Sweden sadly came to an end this week.  But instead of opting for a sad goodbye and stay in a depressing airport hotel, we decided on another adventure.  To break up the four hour drive to the airport in Stockholm my friend Monica, Luke and I stayed overnight at Kragga Mansion, another one of c/o Hotels amazing old properties that dates back to the 14th century. Perhaps you read about last years stay at the haunted Haringe Castle?  These places make me swoon! If you ever visit Sweden, I highly recommend them.

    We started out driving three hours on one of Sweden’s biggest highways. Yes, this is what highways look like in Sweden. One lane roads….

    Just not enough people for the five lane freeways  I guess…

    After some maneuvering we finally found the entrance to this old place.

    Can you resist a tree lined street? It always makes me so curious what will be at the other end of it…

    This is what we found…Kragga Mansion.  You can read the history of the home here.

    My favorite part about staying at a property that c/o Hotels own and manage, is that you always feel like you are the private guest of someone.

    Photo op on the front stop. We stayed this casual all the way through dinner.

    The big decision of the night was deciding on what room to eat in…

    The dining room?

    Perhaps the living room?

    The pretty blue down stairs dining area?

    (I was obsessing over this great blue color – the back wall shows the color correctly.)

    Cool accessories!

    We decided since it was a perfect evening to dine outside.

    We would eat in front of the lake in these castle like dining sets. That’s the wing of the property where we stayed in the back.

    Next to beautiful roses!

    How could you not want to enjoy this view?

    The sun shines until late in the evening, so better bring your sunglasses when dining outside even late at night! Luke’s hat wasn’t enough.

    As the evening progressed it got a bit chilly and the blankets offered by the hotel came in handy. Luke wore his as a cape, and ran the length of the yard down to visit the lake cottage and famous sauna.

    The perfect spot to finish off a glass of wine! A lot of old Swedish homes built these little funny buildings down by the water to dine our have drinks in. The houses were built further away to stay away from the cold water front. Really anything to stay warm in Sweden!

    I love the dramatic Swedish summer sitting wrapped in a blanket and breathing fresh air.

    Ho cozy chic is this?

    Swedes are big on fur covered chairs, for one reason, to warm up your behind!

    L-O-O-O-V-E-D this spot!

    I want a space like this, a cottage just to sit by the lake and be cozy!

    And enjoy the natural beauty.

    We headed out to have a look at the sauna at the end of the dock.

    Just really enjoying the night.

    Checking out the hotel from afar, that was once a private home.

    And then we retired to our small but cheerful room.

    Have a great weekend!

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  • 26Mar

    6 Comments

    An artist’s tropical dream home

    Posted in: Great Places to Visit

    I’m back.

    Well this trip did not turn out the way we had expected.  We had NO IDEA that there was a huge DJ festival in all of Miami, and that one of the biggest DJ concerts would take place at our hotel pool for FOUR DAYS!! After only two days of peace, the hotel turned in to a torture chamber. Crowds, obnoxiously loud techno music, thousands of women dressed like South beach “working girls”. (What’s with the dress code ladies?)  And on top of it the hotel internet didn’t work!! It’s safe to say The Raleigh Hotel lost lots customers this week, since they never informed the hotel guests! So we spent an entire day hunting down a hotel room in Miami, which was of course impossible.

    Instead we ended up in the only available room, in a less desirable hotel in Fort Lauderdale.  Trying to make the best of it, we decided to explore the area, and started with a museum close by, only because we heard there were cute monkeys living in the garden. Well, we never saw any monkeys, instead we found the ultimate LIVE LIKE YOU house!

    This is what we had hoped to find.

    Instead we found the most beautiful tropical home, The BONNET HOUSE. Early settler Hugo Taylor Birch bought 3 miles of ocean front property in 1895. In 1919 he donated 35 acres of it to his daughter Helen, and her artist husband Frederic Clay Bartlett. Helen soon died of breast cancer and Frederic married artist Evelyn. Together they turned the entire house in to a remarkable work of art.

    It’s a blue and yellow house, now a museum, situated on the only untouched acres of land along the beach, near massive, depressing developments.

    image via Flickr

    Beautiful colors, shell embellished doorways, painted ceilings, all done by the artists themselves. Every inch of the home was a beautiful piece of art.

    Image via travelblog

    Every ceiling was painted a beautiful motif.

    my Iphone pic

    Every door way was a scuplture.

    Even the windows were embellished!

    Image via Martha Stewart

    The house had all kinds of elements incorporated in to the structure.

    The courtyard was filled with two things that I love..

    SHELLS!

    And whimsical animal sculptures and art.

    Inside the artist’s studio there were INCREDIBLE paintings.

    We were not allowed to take pictures in here, but I found this image on the internet.

    And this one from Martha Stewart, who had just visited there as well, I found out.

    Image via Martha Stewart.

    Big colorful paintings, with a whimsical twist. None of these images do justice to them.

    image via Flickr

    Talk about really living like you!

    Image via Martha Stewart

    This is the master bedroom, which you are only allowed to see on film at the museum. Not sure why.

    One of the many patio doors.

    Thank You to artist Evelyn Bartlett for donating it to the Florida Trust for Historic preservation, so we all can enjoy it. She passed away at 109 in 1997.

    The following is from the Bonnet House site:

    “Due to the threat posed by inappropriately massive nearby development, the National Trust and the Florida
    Trust for Historic Preservation designated listed Bonnet House as one of
    America’s 11 most endangered sites in 2008.”

    If you’re ever in the area, DON’T miss it. It will inspire you.

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