Hello, my friend. I hope you had a good week. I was on call for jury duty all week but never got called. Our son, Tommy was here visiting and that’s always fun cooking and taking walks together. Well, it’s Sunday and that means Annie, Cindy, and I have our five faves for you! I’ve got some good ones including a dining room refresh, smart cooking ideas, and a murder mystery that I just plowed through.
Dining Room Refresh, Smart Cooking Ideas, and A Good Book
1. Professional Grade Vegetable Chopper
My cousin, Janice LOVES this chopper. Janice says, “It chops onions and uniformly (with less eye irritation), and has a mincer for garlic and I use it to make Salsa Cruda.” See how uniform her chopped tomatoes and onions are? I think Howard would have some fun with this.
2. Tip To Store Fresh Herbs
This is interesting: How To Store Herbs So They Stay Fresher, Longer.
3. Traditional Dining Room Refresh
Anne is a virtual client in New Jersey. She has a lot of her own ideas but I act as a sounding board and resource. She wanted a fresher, brighter, little bit glam dining room. We started by recovering her existing chairs in a pretty stripe. We Facetimed to go through fabrics and I sent her the selected samples.
Mirror • Buffet candlesticks • Buffet Candles • Art (print only) frame is custom • Chandelier • Wallpaper: Sanderson Java Ikat
Here is the little dining room makeover video for Pinterest. Click on the small box at to bottom right to have it fit on your screen.
4. Great Murder Mystery Book: The Guest List
The Guest List by Lucy Foley. I loved this page-turner! Except I listened to it on audio from our library. So good with the British and Irish accents and atmosphere on a remote Irish island.
5. Amazing Cheese Boards and Fruit Baskets
My daughter’s friend, Shelby owns The Sorella Collective in Los Angeles, California. If you are local, you can order from them. But I love following them on Instagram for their beautiful feed and inspiration.
Shelby says, “All produce is based on what we find at our weekly Farmers Markets and what is in season. Produce changes from week to week and depending upon the availability.”
And those are my five good things including a dining room refresh and smart cooking ideas!
Let’s go see what my friends are up to:
Robin Wallis says
I love the dining room refresh! My book club just read The Guest List. I really liked it!
Mary Ann Pickett says
It was suspenseful!
Amy says
I forgot to mention- for parsley, wash, rough chop and put in a zip lock bag, then in freezer. It stays fresh and is ready when needed. I’ve used it up to 2 month later and it’s still fresh!!
Mary Ann Pickett says
Thanks, Amy!!!
Amy says
Great dining room refresh – so bright and pretty. Please share your fashion finds – I love your style and need some spring inspiration!!
Mary Ann Pickett says
I will, Amy….we are having a Spring Fashion show next week.
home before dark says
I’m glad that Anne loves her new dining room. I rise in defense of the red wallpaper…because at 71 I can be as old school as I like!!! Red dining rooms at night do glow. I have been intrigued by the slicer your cousin uses, but a decade ago I broke my thumb and wrist and I am cautious about having to use manual force (vs say my Breville dice and peel, is that a WHAM!!). However for small tasks, the allure was still there for getting job done with minimal clean up. I just ordered the vertical mandoline that is more ergometric. We’ll see how that works out. I have sliced my finger on the mandoline. It was a perfect, thin slice of of my thumb that could have been a biopsy!!! I see SF is starting to open up a bit. Have you gotten your shots yet? Always good times when Tommy comes home. Chief looks happy to have some man time with him!
Mary Ann Pickett says
Oh I had a red and gold dining room in the 90’s…I can’t go back there yet 🙂 I got one vaccine!
Carol S. says
Always love your five on five, very fresh dining room. And somehow I pleasantly got pulled back into an old string of posts from you in 2010! Including the Florida tailgate you went to, very fun! Have a good week.
Liana says
What a beautiful transformation on that dining room. Loove the Duncan Phiphe table, definitely a keeper. I’m glad you’re having your son visiting. Let’s talk soon. I miss you.
Mary Ann Pickett says
Great!!!
Karen B. says
Mary Ann,
This post is chock-full of great ideas. Your assistance in the dining room makeover is amazing. I loved the tip about keeping herbs fresh. I have read other ideas that aren’t as good. It’s so nice to have family home for a visit. Our oldest son and family just left after a week, visiting from Austin. The best.
Happy Spring.
Karen
Judi says
Hello Mary Ann, We are having a wet Autumn (your fall) here on the east coast of Australia. Typical to have so much drought in the previous year with the fires and now floods. As the other readers mentioned the dining room after is so bright and beautiful. I would love to see your spring fashions as it usually is an insight to what we can look forward to. Have a great Sunday.
meredith says
I love your dining room transformation! I especially love the abstract print from Minted. Do you think it would look good in my family room? As you can see, I’ve been decorating based on your posts. The pillows on the sofas are from Pottery Barn that you highlighted and I’ve been working on the coffee table styling from your post.
Is there a way that I can attach a picture for you to see?
Patricia says
Wow……That dining room looks fantastic. I love everything you planned and changed in the room. The wallpaper, the updated light fixture, and the colors give it such a fresh and timeless elegance. I am not much for abstract art, it does look terrific, but if some one wanted a more traditional look, what would you recommend for that wall?
Mary Ann Pickett says
I think it would have to be something simple to not compete with the wallpaper…like a serene seascape.
Patricia says
Can it be a serene landscape?
Anne says
Mary Ann you were a huge help on my dining room. It was flat and blah before your help!! The wallpaper idea, drapery trim, pillows the art that just didnt work and rearranging things so it didnt look like a conference room! You were incredibly helpful. Your great ideas for my kitchen are shaping up beautifully. Almost done. I am so lucky to have you. Thank you! Anne
Mary Ann Pickett says
I am so lucky to have you, Anne. You have great taste and follow-through!
Mary says
Your brightened up that dinning room. Really liked the change
Wren says
I like Cindy’s expression “drab to fab”. That totally expresses what you did. Great transformation and I bet the client is thrilled!
Please show us what you found on your shopping excursion. I’ll be armchair shopping with you~
Mary Ann Pickett says
Ok, I will, Wren. Like my cute new reading glasses that I am using right now!
Alexis says
The dinning room make over is breathtaking, I can see a beautiful Easter / spring table
Just waiting to happen in that dinning room . The fruit baskets could be gorgeous paintings
what a great idea .
Our college granddaughter is visiting now that we have been vaccinated ( hallelujah ) she
was videotaping us this morning asking her PaPa was he was reading “ the Wall Street Journal “
surprised a rancher reads the WSJ , and what are you reading as she turned the camera on
me “ Classic Casual Home” TeeHee she has taken over my iPad reading all the past posts….
What a Blessing to be able to have her here I see light at the end of the Covid tunnel !
Mary Ann Pickett says
This makes me beyond happy, Alexis!
Beth says
That dining room! What a beautiful transformation! Any idea what size art that is from minted?
Mary Ann Pickett says
Anne says that it is 40 x 54″ and can be hung vertically or horizontally.
Annie Diamond says
Wow! Mary Ann! You really breathed new life into the dated dining room. I love the combination of traditional wallpaper with modern abstract art. Love the new sideboard and the lighting! They must be thrilled!
Mary Ann Pickett says
Anne has a good eye…I was the Yay or nay person.
Mary Ann Pickett says
Thanks, Annie!
Marci says
Thanks, as always, for the lovely photos and recommendations. I have a couple of book recommendations. Deacon King Kong is number one, if you haven’t read it already. Also Parnassus on Wheels, a lovely 100 page story by Christopher Morley written a hundred years ago about a woman who works on the family farm with her brother and decides to give herself a holiday by buying an itinerant bookseller’s handmade bookstore on wheels, pulled by a smart old horse and accompanied by a dog. Then, a more modern, but equally lovely, novel called Meet Me at the Museum, about a friendship between a British farm woman and a Danish museum curator that starts with her questions about the (very real) Tolland Man, and told in their letters to one another. No mystery murders in the last two, although I do like them and will be taking a look at the one you recommend.
Mary Ann Pickett says
Thank YOU so much Marci for the book recommendations. I need a new bok or two. I really appreciate it.
Linda Salazar says
Love the dining room refresh…especially that wallpaper! Your herb method does work well, although mine would always end up getting lost in my veggie drawer or get squished. I finally purchased the Cole & Mason Fresh Herb Keeper last year after they reviewed Herb Keepers on America’s Test Kitchen. It does keep herbs fresh a lot longer but not quite as long as they said. (up to 6 weeks…nope) It comes with 3 dividers…I mainly use mine for cilantro and parsley.
Those board/baskets are amazing!
Mary Ann Pickett says
Thanks for the tip, Linda! I will look into it.
Shelby says
Thank you so much for featuring us!! What a sweet post! Thank you for following along on our Insta 🙂 xoxo
Shelby
Mary Ann Pickett says
Loved the gorgeous fruit basket that you gave to Alexandra and Luca!
Mary Ann Pickett says
Thanks, Shelby…hope to see you soon.
Cheryl says
I loved the dining room! Would you please share information on the area rug? Thanks.
Mary Ann Pickett says
It’s from Stark, custom cut.
gayle Olson says
Loved it all today! This is a fun series by the three of you.
Mary Ann Pickett says
Thanks, Gayle!
Patti C says
Such a pretty dining room! Yes, I’d like to see what you found while shopping recently.
Mary Ann Pickett says
Ok, Patti!
Joanna says
Beautiful refresh! I love the lighter more modern wallpaper, rug & chandelier. Anne will love to entertain in her refreshed dining room.
Those boards are artfully arranged. All of a sudden I have a craving for fruit. 😉
Mary Ann Pickett says
Thanks so much for commenting, Joanna.
cindy says
Wow! This was one of your best! Loved every single detail. What a gorgeous job you did on that dining room! It went from drab to fab!! P.S I want to hang out with Allie and her friends. Would she mind if an old lady tagged along?
Mary Ann Pickett says
You are not old, Cindy…you are cool!