Oh My Sweet, sweet paul!

It's been a while. Anyone still out there?

I've been away, but mostly I've been procrastinating. Deferring action is definitely something that I do better than most, it's a fine art after all . I like to to think of it as time served as a "springboard for the imagination". Whatever works , right?

During my hours of restless inaction, I did come across this new gem of an on line magazine , so all was not lost and procrastination came to flourish. From the man who brought us the widely enjoyed Sweet Paul blog comes the first issue of sweet paul digital magazine!

To my friends and family , expect to see lot's of sweet paul influence in my cooking and entertaining. I am so excited for the next issue! It's my Lonny for the kitchen!

Take a look at all these fantastic ideas!

Better than bowl of chips.

Isn't this a great snack tray for playdates and impromptu afternoon guests?

Breakfast is my favorite meal, anytime of day.

And plenty of party ideas!

I do so love the internet and all that it brings!

A Peek Into My Pantry

When we first began to think about our new home and the rooms that we wanted within , not once had it dawned on me to create a separate space for the storage of our better china, linen and silver or to have a designated preparation area for large dinner parties. I mean all of this was supposed to happen inside the kitchen, right? But once the suggestion of adding a Butler's pantry had been made by our architect, I was smitten with the idea!

Of course I googled like crazy to come up with a design scheme that would suit and I came across several wonderful images and ideas to guide me on my pursuit of the Ultimate Butler's Pantry- well ultimate to me at least! One of the most enjoyable and informative sources of inspiration came in the form of the refreshing blog Willow Decor. The posts on the author's Butler's pantry and Kitchen renovation are just incredible , robust with information. Please do check them out here and here.

So here it is!

My penchant for black kitchens lives on in my new Butler's Pantry! I really am happy with the decision to use black to add to the room's sophistication and to transition the space from kitchen to dining room. I do hope that you all like it.

A view from the dining room looking in.

The countertops and backsplash is the same polished Arabescato marble that we used in the kitchen. Bin pulls and knobs courtesy of Restoration Hardware and cupboard latches from Cliffside Industries as recommended on Willow Decor.

This shot taken from my kitchen. It's a very narrow space so with my low tech camera it's very hard to get a good wide shot.

On the top, the hanging shelves have glass windows and shelves. One day when I buy a better

camera (and learn how to use it!) I hope to be able to take better shots.

Almost There... My Kitchen Preview

One week in and it almost feels like home!

A few of you have been sending me messages asking for pictures of the new "crib". Everything else is still a mess but I have sorted through the 40 boxes or so that belong to the kitchen . Please excuse the pictures as I took them on my iphone but here's a glimpse of our favorite room!

The butler's pantry is the room off the top right. I can't seem to get a good shot of it just yet.

Another angle taken in the evening. The door on the right leads to the service area.

And the other side , our breakfast nook. It looks really bare, I know. It will take some time to adorn. I have three bar stools on the way for the center island and some blinds for the windows, but I'll still need some more accessories. All in good time I suppose.

Hope you enjoy this sneak peak.

I promise to take some better pictures soon and describe everything in more detail.

Meanwhile, the rest of my house beckons for immediate attention!