PopBetty

A Love Letter to Pop Culture

  • About
  • Books
  • Career
  • D.I.Y.
  • Film
  • Food
  • Holiday
  • Contact

Colonial Williamsburg Christmas Decoration Inspiration

December 7, 2011 by Renee Claire

My family and I spent Thanksgiving week in Williamsburg, VA. It was a great trip, and since the Christmas season apparently starts in late November, Colonial Williamsburg was already decked with holiday wreaths and garlands. Below are some of my favorites:

Williamsburg christmas wreath

A stunning apple wreath & garland…

Williamsburg christmas garland

…a simple doorway garland with rope & leather wreaths… 

Williamsburg christmas

…and another eye-catching garland bunch, which includes a pineapple and a hedge apple.

Aren't they lovely? It's amazing to me how festive and Christmas-y they look, all without ornaments, ribbons, or lights. Hope you find them as inspiring as I do!

Filed Under: Christmas, Festivus, Travel Tagged With: TBD

Welcome to Atlanta: The Reid House

August 18, 2011 by Renee Claire

The Reid House is a historic Atlanta condo, designed in 1923 by key Atlanta architect Neel Reid. My childhood library was the AFPL‘s Peachtree branch, which happens to be right across the street from the condo building. That, plus the fact that my dad is a residential architect meant I was always aware of the property & its significance.

I heard recently that some units were for sale, some for incredibly low prices. This turned out not to be true, but it got me looking at the available units, and my goodness, they are gorgeous. My favorite was the unit below, which has by far the best windows.

Reid House in Atlanta: Entry Hall

Reid House in Atlanta: Door Knocker

Reid House in Atlanta: Apartment

Reid House in Atlanta: Kitchen

Reid House in Atlanta: Windows

I DIE. The place has lovely vintage details, well-done updates, and tons of natural light. I’ve also heard that the building’s walls are sound-proofed with sand, meaning that despite the central location (on Peachtree Street, right across from the High Museum), the inside is quiet. See the full listing with all photos here.

Filed Under: House, Travel, Welcome to Atlanta

Map Wall Art Inspiration

April 28, 2011 by Renee Claire

I’ve posted before on certain dream house must-haves (see: bookshelves, hidden gardens). Another item for the list is “maps as wall art.” Below are some of my favorite map decor images, including one from my house. I hope these will inspire you too!

Wall Map Inspiration

Design*Sponge featured this cute D.I.Y. cork map project by Halligan Norris.

Wall Map Inspiration

A beautiful map in Lonny Mag. The apartment belongs to designer Lynn Nigro and the map comes from Côté Jardin Antiques {via This is Glamorous}.

Wall Map Inspiration

Repro antique map of Amsterdam, from my house.

Wall Map Inspiration

Image from Steph Davlantes’ studio (I love the idea of a map collage wall, and that Oceans print is gorgeous).

Wall Map Inspiration

Design*Sponge featured photographer Jess Loraas’ place, which has this custom Paris map (print done by Rollout).

Wall Map Inspiration

A giant reproduction antique map of Paris from Restoration Hardware.

Wall Map Inspiration

I love this image, but can’t find the original source, even with TinEye. Please leave a comment if you know who to credit {found here, via pinterest}.

National geographic wall map

Oh Happy Day turned me on to this huge National Geographic world map, a bargain at $100. The National Geographic map store has many great choices, as well. Below is an “action shot” of the map, via Honestly, WTF.

7144839_xjt6TF8P_c

Diy-1

A great idea from Better Homes & Gardens. I’m not sure where I found this first, but the first time I saw a credit for it was on Say Yes to Hoboken.

Mapsandboats

At $150, the Hammacher Schlemmer World’s Largest Write On World Map is another budget-friendly option. The bright colors make it popular for kids’ rooms; above, the map in a gym/office featured in New York Magazine {via swissmiss}, and on the cover of Room for Children {via Babble}.

Alice lane

A romantic image from Alice Lane (featuring their Margaret bed), photo by Nicole Hill Gerulat.

Ballard designs

Finally, a map triptych featured on Ballard Designs (product photo no longer on site).

Want more inspiration? Check out this map of Africa; these maps used as blinds; an Elle Decor map store round-up {via Babble}; this children’s map wallpaper; and this room with map-wrapped rafters.

Filed Under: Map Love, Travel Tagged With: TBD

Out-of-Print Wonder: VivaVenice

March 31, 2011 by Renee Claire

Written by Paola Zoffoli & illustrated by Paola Scibilia, VivaVenice is an amazing kids’ travel guide, the best I’ve ever seen. Published by Elzeviro under the series label Curiosamente, it’s chock-full of puzzles, tangents, and trivia, matched with fantastic illustrations: 

VivaVenice Cover Image

See? ADORABLE.

VivaVenice

The book is 167 pages, and unlike adult travel guides, does not spend much space on practical information (restaurant/hotel reviews, itinerary plans), assuming, I guess, that parents will be making most of those decisions. That leaves almost the entire book for glorious cultural tangents, like this intro to the Commedia dell’Arte…

VivaVenice: Venetian Architecture

..or this mini-architectural guide (in a children’s book! I love it). I also love that the writing is accessible but not dumb (e.g., “Gothic style windows are often decorated with floral motifs and have the traditional acute arch shape, pointed at the top”).

VivaVenice

Here’s a gorgeous rendering of the city, pointing out the three bridges over the Grand Canal (also, the text notes that Venice itself is shaped like a fish).

VivaVenice Excerpt

Each chapter has a section called “Oddities,” featuring trivia like “Why is there a bridge called Ponte delle tette (Bridge of Breasts)?” & “What are the Bauta, Tricorno and Tabarro?” (Answers: The bridge is near an area once reserved for courtesans, who lured clients with their assets; the bauta, etc. were parts of a disguise worn by noblemen when in public).

VivaVenice Excerpt

Here’s a guide to common seafood found at the Rialto market & at many restaurants. The fisherman at the bottom right is one of numerous puzzles hidden throughout the book.

VivaVenice: Gondolas

An obligatory intro to gondolas (complete with steering guide) is followed by a thorough overview of the many different Venetian boats.

VivaVenice: Venetian Baked Goods

As a final example, here’s a guide to popular Venetian pastries. There’s a recipe for zaleti on the following page.

The above spreads weren’t cherry-picked, either. Every page resembles the above, packed with cute drawings & fun info. Simply put, the book is a gem.

Buying info: VivaVenice is available from Amazon.

Filed Under: Books, Festivus, Out-of-Print Wonders, Travel

San Antonio Wrap-Up

July 31, 2007 by Renee Claire

Sorry to drop out for a couple of days, but San Antonio was so much fun! We’re on our way back home now, and my internet situation will be shaky until at least Friday.

First, though: several people asked me about the crickets. I want to clarify–we only dealt with them for that one night. After we saw a cricket on the ceiling the next morning, we talked to the management, and they let us exchange rooms from the first floor to the third floor. We went from 20 crickets in our room to zero, thank god.

What we saw in San Antonio:

  • The Alamo: I’m glad I saw it, but the heat and crowds were no fun.
  • Alamo: The Price of Freedom (IMAX): I might have enjoyed this more than the Alamo itself. In it’s favor: air conditioning and a very attractive Santa Anna.
  • Riverwalk/Rivercenter Mall: Riverwalk is crowded, but beautiful. We stopped at Casa Rio for midday margaritas, and ate at Lucianos twice (good rec, J. D’Amico!). At the mall, I went to Forever 21, found a cute-but-crappily-made skirt, and remembered why I don’t shop at Forever 21. We bought Granddad a flaming wallet.
  • Mission San Jose: Again, I’m glad we saw this, but I don’t like outdoors anything when it’s a humid 90 degrees.
  • Mi Tierra/Market Square: Delicious food and great atmosphere. The pastries were just O.K., although I liked the chamucos. We didn’t get breakfast tacos, though, so I’ll have to make some at home (recipe recommendations?).
  • Bombay Bicycle Club: Nice place for lunch.
  • La Hacienda: Probably my favorite restaurant on this trip. The best sopapillas, great fajitas and margaritas, and my first chimichurri. I ate so much I could barely breathe.

My only regret is that we didn’t go to the King William District. I wanted to, but my selling points of “beautiful architecture and good German food” didn’t win anyone over. We’re definitely coming back, though, so I’ll make sure to see it then.

Filed Under: Festivus, Travel

  • 1
  • 2
  • Next Page »

PopBetty is the personal site of an Atlanta-based writer who loves books, travel, nonprofits, and all things digital.

It is currently on hiatus.

Logo created by Typematters.

Popular Posts

  • Recipe: Houston's Grilled Chicken Salad Copycat
  • Teriyaki Chicken & Perfect Sticky Rice
  • D.I.Y. Idea & Tutorial: Floral Wedges
  • Snack Monster: Lotte Kancho & Hello Panda
  • Comme des Garcons comes to H&M
  • The Writing's On The Wall
StudioPress Theme of the Month

Disclaimer

PopBetty earns money through banner ads and affiliate links. If you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, then we may make a commission from that purchase. That said, all posts and recommendations reflect our genuine interests and feelings about products. We do not offer sponsored posts or allow third parties any editorial control over site content.

Copyright © 2023 · PopBetty · Contact Us · Subscribe · Privacy Policy

 

Loading Comments...