Monika over at Splendid Willow is hosting a lovely guest blogger series called A postcard to you where we shared one of our favorite places to visit. Hop over to say hello to Monika and the other bloggers in the postcard series. You can see my summer postcard here.

And happy weekending. xo

via automatism

Aloha!

A note about mochatini birthday giveaway last week. I am extending it another day so you still have time to enter. I’ll be accepting entries until the end of the day.

And now, here is a lovely guest blogger, heather thompson. Heather is an artist and designer based out of nashville, TN. Her amazing life involves decorative painting for clients in nashville. If that was enough on her plate, this amazingly talented lady also has an etsy store selling art, clothes, jewelry and more. Her vintage inspired design blog, gathering spriggs is a daily read for me. Take it away heather..

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Greetings Mochatini readers! Its such an honor to be here with you today to share the fabulous Australian homewares shop: Whiteport. Founder, Jennifer McCabe has an impecible design sensibility and even shoots all products in her beach house on the northern shores of Sydney. She also pens the Whiteport blog with inspiring design ideas, images of her home, and product placement ideas. McCabe has a beach cottage sensibility in her own home ,but encourages customers to pursue white as an accent toward any decor: Urban chic, to modern country. I especially love the natural linen furniture and white pitchers and pottery.  How about you? What do you love about white, its power as a striking accent or would you do an entire room bathed in white?

visit heathers blog and etsy shop

Hi my dears, hope you are having a good week. Today is a big day for me. It involves a photo shoot of my home and my tabletop designs. To say I am excited is an understatement. I’ll be sharing details with you as soon as I can. While I am busy with the shoot, I leave you with a post from a wonderful woman.

Allow me to introduce today’s guest blogger Monika of Splendid Willow. Monika is a dear dear blogging friend and has been an incredible pillar of support to mochatini and me. Her passion for decorating is indulgent. Her charming home in Seattle, WA and inspiring blog Splendid Willow are attributes to her distinct twist on Swedish style. It is a real pleasure having her here today…without any delay, take it away mon.

Hello! Monika from Splendid Willow here. When Manvi invited me to write a guest post on her lovely blog, I felt more than honored. Not only is she very talented and creative (and her blog so inspirational), I also consider her a very dear friend. Manvi asked me to write something about design linked to my Swedish roots. So, this is what I consider – Simply Swedish.

Swedes crave light. For many long winter months the country sees very little light and the people do everything they can to let the light into their homes. No wonder gallons and gallons of white paint is the main staple in most Swedish homes.

Hardwood Floors. The Scandinavians love their hardwoods floors. And they show them off with pride. Area rugs on top of the floors, yes. But wall-to-wall carpeting makes most true  Swedes totally nervous. (Never know what’s hiding in those carpets…).

Swedes like it clutter free. And to them, less is definitely more. Most people prefer to save for that very special object rather than to be caught up in mass consumption.

I personally think the Swedes are masters when it comes to mixing old with new – whether it is architecture, art  or interior design. And they do it so effortlessly. Sweden is an old country where the “Modern Sweden” emerged in 16th century. The country is filled with lovely old treasures. On the other end of the spectrum,  Sweden is a highly modernized state-of-the-art technology country. That mix, between long ago days and today,  is something I so take to heart.

Swedes showcase their books with pride (and books are not props, they are meant to be read!). Don’t hide the key that tells people what you are all about!

Swedes love and respect mother nature. And their love is so apparent in all the organic materials and colors the Swedes love to use in their homes.

Swedes treasure time off work and would rather take more vacation days than salary increases. Many Swedes are saving for or dreaming about their own weekend/vacation homes where simple living, closeness to quiet and to nature are priorities. I so heart this spot between the sky and the ocean. What a place to unwind!

Thank you so much for reading all the way to here! I had fun sharing a dose of Sweden with you. I wish you a happy rest of the week! Cyber hug, Monika.

Images via: 1) Flickr, 2-4) Skona Hem, 5 = 6) KMLDesign-Dk, 7) Solid Frog, Skona Hem, 9) RumID-Dk, 10) Trendenser, 11-13) KMLDesign-Dk

Thanks Monika for such a lovely post.

If you havent already, hop over to visit Monika on Splendid Willow

Hi dears, while I am dodging falling branches and hoping for minimal damage to my house and yard {the noise of the chainsaw is driving me crazy}, here is a guest post from Renee Rodriguez. Renee runs a design studio renee rodriguez designs where she creates custom wedding invitations and stationery. Her designs are fun, chic and super cute! Here she is -

First, thank you to Manvi for having me as her guest today; I am totally thrilled and honored to be here at Mochatini.

A little bit about me  – I have a fine arts degree from the University of Michigan.  I was trained in classical ballet and contemporary dance and spent a great deal of time in the theater. My love of the theater led me to the world of fashion and eight years of running a small boutique.  Currently I’m a marketing director and a freelance designer. Most importantly I am a mom to an artsy, imaginative and Cinderella obsessed five year old, Oliva.

I decided to create a blog because I wanted a place to document not only my designs and images that I find beautiful and inspiring, but also highlight the talent of others.  The things that fascinate and influence me as an artist are the details and craftsmanship of vintage couture, anything by Coco Chanel and luxurious interiors blended with modern design.

I love to combine clean, modern lines with a little something swanky and fabulous. I would love the Italian designed cocktail ring or glittering crystal and gold clutch paired with my favorite jeans, or maybe a pair of ballet flats adorned with small gold bows, all extravagantly elegant and enchanting.

I think by surrounding yourself with beautiful objects, which have been created with the utmost care, and exquisite details, will bring a touch of elegance to your world.  Like the sparkling subtleties of a crystal chandelier paired with a modern loveseat or a period lamp, updated with a stylish shade or a collection of pearl necklaces paired with t-shirt and jeans can be the dazzling touch to make you feel quite remarkable any day of the week.

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hope over to renee’s blog and say hello. you can find her designs here

Today’s guestpost is by Tina of the blog Luphia loves… I adore tina’s style and you must check out her online collection.

Hi everyone, my name is Tina and I am currently based in the beautiful historic city of Cambridge, U.K, where I run my online fashion boutique {luphia} .

images: net-a-porter and thefashionspot