Office Tour::a' la mode

Hi Lovlies!  Hope everyone is having a great week so far...I know I am...especially because I get to spend the day in San Francisco tomorrow with some of my favorite bloggie gals!  Woo hoo!  

In anticipation of meeting in the heart of the design district and with so many inspirational ladies, I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to showcase an amazing designer!  I received great feedback when I briefly featured Shelli's home here, so what better way to celebrate design than to welcome the talented designer behind a' la mode?  She's dishing out details on her gorgeous office and I could not be more excited.  Take it away Shelli!

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Hi ya'll!  I'm super excited to be at Schue Love today!  My name is Shelli and I am a former medical device sales rep, turned stay at home mommy, to the cutest 17 month old hot mess you have ever seen.  I am fairly new to the blogging world, and have had a ball delving in! 

 When it comes to interior design, I am drawn to an eclectic mix of traditional furnishings and clean lines.  I love pops of color but on a calm and serene base palette.  I want there to be history in my space mixed with new, fresh furnishings.  I want the details to speak about me and my family. 

Please come meet me in my office!

 

 While I may not be working in the corporate world, I knew I needed a space all to myself.  A place to have a glass of wine with a girlfriend, listen to music, pay bills, or let's be honest...to blog!  I brought the chandelier with me from our bungalow in Atlanta, it was in our dining room there.  It reminds me of that home, and all the happy memories we made there....our daughter's first home, if only for a few months.

 

 Bookshelves can be overwhelming.  Especially if you are like me, and cringe at the thought of clutter or nic-nacs.  I found that grouping books together by color, and choosing a color 'theme' of sorts for my ceramics, helped to keep order in the chaos.  I like them to have a layered feel.  We need a place to put our degrees and my sales awards, but I certainly don't want them as a focal point, so I placed them behind something colorful and pretty.  

Seating for chit chats is a must for me.  When my favorite neighbor pops over for a glass of wine, we retreat to this room, shut the glass doors and vent about our husbands and motherhood discuss current events and important matters in the world.  The turquoise color pops continue here to ground the use of color in the space.

 A simple white parsons desk and Eames inspired office chair are the perfect setting to gaze out the window or at my favorite blogs on my laptop. This is also where I monogram (another random hobby of mine).  The blue lamps are a repeating color theme in most rooms of my home.  This helps those of us who have design ADD and like to mix up our accessories often without breaking the bank.

 The details in a space bring it all together. No room is complete without fresh flowers.  

 If only they magically appeared in my home weekly!

 A place for your book and your glass of wine to rest.  A detail not to be missed.

For me, my favorite design books are a  big part of those details.   I love to flip through them for inspiration.

 A very special thank you to Natasha for having me today!!

 All sources for this space can be found here

For more peeks into my home, please visit my home tour.

www.alamodemaven.com

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Thanks again for being here Shelli...I just LOVE your office!!!

xo natasha

Linguine with Clams {and our new deck furniture!}

I am feeling pretty fancy right about now...Sunday night Hubs and I made our first clam dish and it turned out great!  It was a perfect way to wine wind down from our busy weekend!  We also got to eat on our new deck set for the first time, which was great because it felt like a whole new room addition to our house.

First things first, we bought the clams from our specialty meat shop in town, Overland Meat Co.  I really trust their meat when it comes to trying new things {like tuna tartare}...I highly recommending seeking this type of store out in your area...it's worth it for the quality.

While we were looking for a suitable recipe...we kind of mixed and matched and came up with our own flavors.  The result was truly amazing...I'm telling you, this is a keeper!

Recipe:

• 2 dozen clams
• 1 lb linguine
• 1 stick salted butter
• 1 cup lemon juice
• 1 cup dry white wine {like chardonnay}
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 6-8 large cloves garlic, minced
• 1 large shallot, minced
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• Basil for garnish

Heat large stock pot over medium high heat.  Add butter and let melt.  Add olive oil, garlic, and shallots and let saute for 1-2 minutes.  Add white wine and lemon juice and turn heat to high to let boil.

Boil water in separate pot and let linguine cook until al dente, per instructions.

Meanwhile, once the sauce is boiling, add clams and cover tightly.  {Note: clams need to be thoroughly cleaned in cold water.  Also, hubby suggests to not use a non-stick pan as these little suckers scratch!}  Most cookbooks will tell you to boil 3-5 minutes, or until the clams open...ours took 8-10 minutes to open.  Discard any clams that did not open.

Pull clams out of sauce and set aside.  Reduce sauce on low heat for 3-5 minutes.  Pour sauce over served pasta and spoon clams on top.  Garnish with salt, pepper, and basil to taste.

Oh and here's a little new preview of our deck furniture:

{Don't mind the boards and construction in the backyard!}

We're waiting for the pollen to subside so we can stain the deck...then I'll do a FULL "after" shot of the deck!

Oh yes...and did I mention we enjoyed the clams?  They were perfect with a crisp glass of chardonnay!

Hope you enjoy!  Bon Appetit!

xo natasha

Linked to: Tasty Tuesdays

Weekend Wrap Up

Happy Monday!  

The past several days have been a total whirlwind with the Celebrity Golf Tournament...as I am writing this {on a Sunday afternoon} I'm hearing the private jets take off from our little airport...goodbye celebrities!  It's been great...now back to the quiet life.  :)

It was fun seeing everyone...one in particular that was super fun for me was Carrie Prejean.

She's married to NFL star Kyle Boller, but you are probably more familiar with her from her Miss America answer to Perez Hilton's question.  See the clip here: here.  I thought she was really sweet and gracious to take a picture with me and she just had a little baby girl in May named Grace.  Cute!  :)

We also got to attend a concert on Saturday night and The Voice champion Javier Colon opened for Darius Rucker...his voice was amazing!!!

All in all, my days and nights were spent enjoying the tournament...it's always a blast!

What did you do this weekend?

xo natasha

Friday Fancies::Celebrity Golf

Happy Friday!

This weekend is a BIG weekend for Tahoe...we have the Celebrity Golf Tournament happening and it always brings out lots of fun VIP's and spectators.  While most of the players are athletes like Michael Jordan, Emmit Smith, Tony Romo {it was SO cool when he was dating Jessica Simpson}, and others...there are still actors, like "Carlton" from Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Kevin from the Office, Kate Hudson's brother, Oliver and Jack Wagner {Heather Locklear is there too!}.  More info on the tournament can be found here.

Of course, I also love seeing all the celebrity's wives...it serves for GREAT fashion inspiration...let me tell you!  :)  I've been out on the course the last couple of days and this inspired my Friday Fancy post today.

Celebrity Golf by schuelove featuring orange shorts

Top: Splendid

Shorts: Dorothy Perkins

Sandals: Top Shop

Earrings: Max & Chloe

Bracelet: Hermes

Hat: Madewell

Bag: Meli Melo

This definitely has a "color block" feel to me...and that's saying a lot for the color neutral girl that I am.  But it's fun and fresh and perfect for spending the day on the course!  

I'll see if I can get any pictures this weekend...it's a fun event!!

Hope you all have a great weekend!

xo natasha