Ophelia's Adornments blog

Jennifer Aniston's Beverly Hills home

I have a confession: I'm a fan of Jennifer Aniston. It's a little embarrassing, but there it is! I've been curious about what her post-Brad abode would look like, so I finally did a search for some images today.

I'm impressed. Originally built in the 1970s, her Beverly Hills house has an earthy, unpretentious (if a house worth $15 million can be unpretentious), Zen-like vibe that I love. She basically gutted the house and designed it from scratch. Trying to be eco-friendly, she even had solar panels installed and used fallen - not harvested - timber. She said she wanted the house to feel "like a hug". I like her even more now...what do you think?

Images courtesy of Architectural Digest.

So in love with the purple chairs!

Stunning rock wall

Beautiful grain/color of the wood paneling

My favorite room.

Perfection.

Would love to see which bottles are in there...pizza oven to the left

A koi pond leading to the front entrance - fabulous.

Une Charmant Boutique Francais

It's no secret to people that know me well that I am a Francophile - big time. Love the language, culture, food, people...all things French! Yesterday, I found a cute little Etsy boutique (Royal Bebe Shoppe) which specializes in french home decor items. Below are some of my favorites. I am seriously lusting after the beige pillow with the light pink ribbon. And who doesn't love Audrey Hepburn (no, she's not French, but she should be!). Visit the shop here .

Dreams...

I'm not sure whether it's the change of season, the fact that I have a week off (yay!), or some other cosmic reason, but I've been having some very vivid dreams these past few nights. I won't bore you with the details, but suffice it to say that they've been interesting! Anyone else out there dreaming up a storm lately?

A Dream Within A Dream by Edgar Allan Poe

Take this kiss upon the brow!
And, in parting from you now,
Thus much let me avow--
You are not wrong, who deem
That my days have been a dream;
Yet if hope has flown away
In a night, or in a day,
In a vision, or in none,
Is it therefore the less gone?
All that we see or seem
Is but a dream within a dream.

I stand amid the roar
Of a surf-tormented shore,
And I hold within my hand
Grains of the golden sand--
How few! yet how they creep
Through my fingers to the deep,
While I weep--while I weep!
O God! can I not grasp
Them with a tighter clasp?
O God! can I not save
One from the pitiless wave?
Is all that we see or seem
But a dream within a dream?

Indian food...& lassi recipe

Ok, I'm hungry. More specifically, I'm hungry for some really great Indian food. Since the best Indian restaurant in my area is 45 minutes away, and it's too late to drive there now, I'll just have to torture myself by looking at photos of Indian food (masochism, I guess). What I wouldn't give for some chana masala, naan bread with mango chutney, and a mango lassi....sigh...what are you craving tonight?

Here's a recipe for mango lassi, courtesy of Simply Recipes:

Mango Lassi Recipe

Ingredients

1 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup milk
1 cup chopped mango (peeled and stone removed)
4 teaspoons sugar, to taste
A dash of ground cardamom (optional)

Method

Put mango, yogurt, milk, sugar and cardamom into a blender and blend for 2 minutes, then pour into individual glasses, and serve. Can sprinkle with a little cardamom.
The lassi can be kept refrigerated for up to 24 hours.

Make Mine Matcha

So, the fabulous boyfriend and I went to Teavana this weekend and got introduced to their matcha. Gotta say, I'm hooked.

Matcha is a high grade green tea which has been dried and crushed into a fine powder. The Japanese use it exclusively in their tea ceremonies. You prepare it by putting a small amount in a bowl, adding hot water, and "whisking" it (Teavana carries a nice bamboo whisk) until frothy. It has a nutty, almost sweet flavor, with very little of the bitterness you usually find in brewed green tea. Just one cup has the equivalent of TEN cups of brewed green tea's antioxidants. But the real hook is that it's just plain good. Here's the link: matcha tea

Happy Mother's Day!

To all of the fabulous Moms out there (and Moms-to-be!), I hope your day is blessed with peace and happiness! Today was a perfect Mother's Day...my son Nate helped me spring clean, and my daughter, Erica, booked her tickets home for a July visit (she lives in Denver). I'm so grateful to have such beautiful children, inside and out!

Pretty in Pink - bedroom makeover

The winds of change are blowing in at my cottage. A self-professed "earth-tone girl", my home is primarily in shades of beige, burgundy, sage green, black, etc. While I'll never completely abandon that palette, I've been craving a girly bedroom lately...you know, not a five-year-old's room, but a vintage inspired, soft look with some sophistication. I've decided on a palette of pink (Benjamin Moore's "Boudoir"), taupe, white, and a little black. Still haven't decided whether to do the walls in pink with taupe accents, or the walls in taupe with pink accents. What do you think? I will be posting "before and after" photographs as I go, but for now, here are some inspiration bedrooms that I found during my internet wanderings...stay tuned!