Be My Guest

I get a kick out of preparing our guest room for company. Yup, I know I need to get out more.

The bed has an antique French headboard that I upholstered in a pretty toile. There's an enormous pillow top mattress and in chilly weather I add a feather topper.

All my beds are dressed in solid white linens. The sheets, blankets, duvet covers and pillow shams are in different textures...but always solid white. I spray the linens with organic lavender water as I make up the bed. White is so fresh looking, classic and you can bleach the hell out of it.

Freshly laundered feather pillows, two for each guest. I am may be a nut case, but I like to launder pillows between guests. It just seems more sanitary to me. 

It's actually amazing I'm able to sleep on hotel pillows at all! :-)

I try to anticipate everything they'll want or need so they feel right at home. The closet has lots of wooden hangers and I've cleared all my things out of it. It's empty.

There's fresh bottled water, a small vase of pretty flowers, bottle of wine, chocolates and nuts on the dresser.

~

I was a house guest last weekend at my cousins home in southern California. I wanted to stay at a hotel, but she insisted I be her guest.  She didn't take quite the same care with her guest room preparations as I do.

 No Martha Stewart wannabe in her!

This was the view from my bed.
Really.
You couldn't make this up.

I had the pleasure of staying in her sons room. He'd moved out years ago but not taken most of his things.  

A shame really, because I'm sure he had something treasures buried in this room.

Once I was led up to see my room, I couldn't insist offer go to a hotel without insulting my cousin so I sucked it up and fought for counter space in the bathroom. There wasn't much there either.

I set up my makeup mirror on top of the drum. 

Really, there was nowhere else to put it plus that's where the best light was.

"The worst indignity does not excuse you from writing a delirious letter thanking your hostess for a heavenly weekend."
~Alice-Leone Moats

And so I did...because that's just the way I am.

Dear Linda,
I wanted to thank you for graciously allowing me to stay with your family. It was such a delight to yada, yada, yada.
Fondly,
Jennifer

When we go down for the wedding, I will be in at a hotel.