Wednesday, April 15, 2015

Honeysuckle

On my morning walk the other day, I came around a corner at one part on the trail and this sweet fragrance overwhelmed me and stopped me in my tracks.  Vines and vines of HONEYSUCKLE were everywhere and the fragrance instantly took took me back to my childhood.  As kids we used to spend summer afternoons seeking these delicate flowers so we could enjoy their sweet nectar - such sweet memories of a simpler time!
LiveBellaVita Honeysuckle
When I came across these vines the other morning, I was instantly inspired and went on a search to find all the ways that I could enjoy the beauty, fragrance, and sweetness of HONEYSUCKLE all year long!  Here are a few of my favorite finds as well as a couple of ideas for how to use that sweet nectar if you're lucky enough to have a honeysuckle vine or bush in your reach - ENJOY:
Honeysuckle Inspiration
Lambert Press Letterpress Cards
Honeysuckle Syrup Lemonade Cordial






Tuesday, March 31, 2015

LiveBellaVita: A New Season!

Hi friends!  I am refreshing this blog here - LiveBellaVita!  It has been my shop's blog (Bella Vita in Evergreen) since it was created, but since it's a new season, it seemed a good time for a new season of Bella Vita to emerge as well.  In the past year and a half, my husband and I have gone from Colorado to Texas and from brick & mortar shop to blog, but my heart and passion remains the same - to create and share visual stories that inspire others to celebrate the simple beauty of everyday living.  I'll share with you pictures, ideas, stories, and inspiration that's all about Home & Garden, Food & Gatherings, Gift Giving, and the Simply Beautiful moments of an ordinary day.  

LiveBellaVita, simply beautiful, spring, pansies

If you were a friend and customer of Bella Vita in Evergreen, then you'll be right at home as the look and feel of the shop will be reflected in the stories you read and pictures you see here at LiveBellaVita.  And, although I may not have a bottle of lotion or a tea towel to sell you at the moment, I do have lots of ideas and inspiration that will keep our eyes, hearts, homes and lives always looking for the simple beauty of everyday living.  I'm looking forward to this new season, to renewing the purpose that was behind Bella Vita in Evergreen, and to sharing with you here all those things that inspire me most about everyday living.  And, if you know of others who might enjoy following along, forward this on to them and let's bring them along too!

LiveBellaVita
celebrating the simple beauty of everyday living

For more updates & inspiration, follow along here:
       





Friday, August 23, 2013

Thank You

We have wrapped up our time here in Evergreen as we are making our move to Texas to be closer to family.  It's a big change filled with tons of emotions, but in the core of it all, it feels right.  It's time for Brent & I to spend time with our sweet families and enjoy them while we can.  And, we are pretty excited about the adventure this change is bringing!  The hardest part is saying goodbye to all the wonderful people we have met and to all the close close friendships we have made here. We will miss our friends but we take comfort in the fact that we will see them again and thanks to our world of social media, everyone is just a Facebook, news feed away.  I have to admit it has been bittersweet to close our shop.  All the joy, creativity, hard work, time, and energy that we have put into Bella is coming to an end.  But, again, I take comfort & joy in the fact that it has been a good place to be for the past 5 years, a wonderful experience, a great opportunity to meet some fabulous people, and the best, most-important part of it all for me personally, is that we will revive some version of Bella in Texas once we get settled.  

So, thank you to each and everyone of you for your love, support, encouragement, laughs, smiles, and hugs. Best wishes in your personal journey and we look forward to the opportunity that perhaps our paths will cross again soon!  If you would like to keep updated with what we are doing and all of our adventures in Texas, then follow us here on the blog.  You can subscribe (the box in the upper left corner) to the feed and you will only get an e-mail from us when we post something new.  I will be using it to update all of our explorations and happenings in the land that awaits us. 


Thank you & big hugs to each & everyone of you!!
Michele & Brent 


Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Happy 4th of July

We will be closing today at 5:00 pm & will be closed tomorrow for the holiday.  
Have a happy & safe 4th of July - we'll see you back here on Friday!

Vintage flag July 4th

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Summer with Sweet Paul

If you haven't had the opportunity to indulge in the beautiful lifestyle magazine Sweet Paul, then summer is the perfect time to do so!  Of all the magazines I enjoy & love, Sweet Paul is by far my favorite.  I look forward to every issue which is always FULL of seasonal inspiration, delicious (and easy!) recipes, crafts, home design ideas, cool places to see, party ideas, and so much more.  I just know you'll love it, so if you haven't checked this beautiful magazine out, then take a little sneak peak below of some of the features of the Summer Issue - it's a perfect summer vacation pick-up!
Sweet Paul Magazine Summer 2013

Summer Products from Sweet Paul Magazine Summer 2013

Sweet Paul Magazine Summer 2013 Homemade Gelato

Garden Party from Sweet Paul Magazine Summer 2013

Saturday, June 15, 2013

Herbs, Herbs, Herbs

Over Memorial Day Weekend we brought in a small selection of herbs that we sold in these really sweet pots as a great hostess gift & we sold out before the weekend was over!  So because you love them & we love them oh so much, we have brought in more.  These really do make great hostess gifts, housewarming gifts, or just a gift for your own kitchen window.  We have a small selection and they go fast, so come grab one or two before they are gone.   Current availability includes lavender, rosemary, sage, & thyme.
Potted Herbs great hostess gifts or housewarming gifts



Friday, May 31, 2013

Father's Day Gifts!

We just stocked our online shop with gifts for dad!  Peruse our collection of gift ideas for dad & we will include a large Atticus Caramel* from Helliemae's Handcrafted Caramels with your purchase of any item from our Father's Day Collection now through June 16!

http://live-bella-vita.myshopify.com/collections/fathers-day

{* Atticus Caramel ~ handcrafted in small batches in Denver, CO, this Father's Day favorite from Helliemae's Handcrafted Caramels is made with all of the things that most dad's love - Colorado Whiskey, Louisiana Cane syrup, & salt smoked over bourbon barrel staves.}

Saturday, May 25, 2013

Happy Memorial Day Weekend!

It's an absolutely beautiful weekend here in Evergreen, Colorado, and I hope it is the same for you wherever you are and wherever you may be headed.  I took advantage of this gorgeous weather by putting out all of our flowers that don our shop for the summer and I love them!  I am always amazed how flowers bring such life to any area or space - even the front of a shop. : )

Bella Vita store front www.LiveBellaVita.com

Bella Vita store front www.LiveBellaVita.com

We know you all will be going to parties & barbecues this weekend, so we have put together these lovely herb pots that make super lovely hostess gifts.  Pick one up for yourself too while you're at it!!

Herbs and Herb Pots as Hostess Gifts at Bella Vita

Herbs and Herb Pots as Hostess Gifts at Bella Vita


Have a safe, relaxing, & happy Memorial Day Weekend!!

Bella Vita store front www.LiveBellaVita.com


Monday, May 13, 2013

We've Expanded!

I am so very excited to announce that we have expanded Bella Vita to the online world.  You can now shop with us in store and online!!  And, my hope is that your online experience will be just as lovely and just as inspiring as your in-store experience.  Our online shop is small but growing and we are working through all the hiccups, but please take a peak and let us know what you think.
Shop Online at www.live-bella-vita.myshopify.com

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

REstyleSOURCE

I couldn't be more excited to have Bella Vita featured this week on the beautiful national site REstyleSOURCE.  

Have you seen this fantastic resource to local businesses? You just must check them out!  REstyleSOURCE is a beautifully published online resource that focuses on reconnecting real shoppers with the real people and the real stores that built America.  You can easily find local shops, restaurants, coffee shops, florists, and designers that are in your area, find inspiration and even create a Style File, and peruse city guides as you prepare for weekend and summer getaways.  We are absolutely honored to be their FEATURED retailer this week, so please take a peak and let us know what you think!

Bella Vita on REstyleSOURCE

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

A Fresh Spring Table

I always greatly welcome and get so excited about the freshness & brightness that the spring season brings!  As I was thinking about ways to pull in a fresh spring look here at the shop, I couldn't get my mind and my eyes off this beautiful pattern & color of table linens from Hen House Linens.  Thinking too of setting an Easter table later this month, I thought this collection would be perfect!  The 'ocean blue' is a lovely nod to the season's popular 'robin's egg blue' but just a bit deeper, and yet paired with the white dinnerware, a little brighter at the same time.  The latticework pattern lends a simple elegance too without being overly stuffy or formal.  

Hen House Linens Table Style Simpatico Hobnail Candles Bella Vita

I am most definitely a HUGE fan of white dinnerware.  It is a simply beautiful staple & a must-have in any dinnerware collection as it is such a great foundation to mix and match any color and any pattern you wish.  The possibilities are endless and to have the flexibility of changing things up with the seasons or your mood is just the ultimate indulgence for any home entertainer!

Hen House Linens Latticework Ocean Constance Dinnerware Bella Vita

And, of course, I always look for a reason to mix in some of my favorite flowers into any table setting or just into any place in the house!  Hydrangeas are a big favorite of mine, and I love how these don't match the table exactly but instead complement the color scheme with tones of blue, yellow, & that deep leafy green.  They were just perfect for putting in this white pitcher & oh, so simple (love that part too!!) 

Urban Farmhouse Style Spring Table Hydrangeas Bella Vita


Happy Spring everyone!! May you be inspired to bring the freshness & brightness of the season onto your table and into your home!


Monday, February 4, 2013

Valentine's Day Inspiration

Valentine's Day is right around the corner, and I have been trying to think about different gift ideas this year that stick with my theme (& I suppose my word now) for the year - simplify.
Urban Farmhouse Style Valentine's Bella Vita
I love these sweet little gift ideas below that include something your special someone might already love and then just adding a simple red heart, a tag, or ribbon that presents it in that extra special way.  Hoping that some of our ideas will inspire you this
Valentine's Day!
Barr-Co Oatmeal Soap Barr-Co Hand Salve Barr-Co Hand SanitizerMoonstruck Chocolate Valentine's Day Heart Tag Gift Bella Vita

Notes on Love Notebook Bella VitaBarr-Co Oatmeal Soap Valentine's Heart Tag Bella Vita

Be Mine Letterpress Card Bella Vita

Thursday, January 10, 2013

Beautifully Organized

Welcome to the New Year!  If you are like me, you look at each new year with a feeling and a hope for new starts, new opportunities, & new perspectives.  And, it is inevitable that with a start of each new year, I get an overwhelming urge to clean out and get organized.  Quite frankly, the urge to do that comes up often throughout the year - perhaps because I always lose my momentum at the beginning of the year.  However, I really do feel like this year is the year for me to SIMPLIFY.  I am trying to approach every area of my life with this concept, and we will just have to see how that goes.  In the meantime, the task of getting organized for me goes hand in hand with my desire to simplify.  And there are just so many beautiful ways to get all of that stuff that looms in corners, in piles on counters & desktops, in closets, & in drawers, cleaned out and the necessities into beautiful containers that will motivate me to KEEP it organized.

Urban Farmhouse style Glass jars hobnail glass chalkboard tags Bella Vita
 
I think jars are just fabulous for containing & organizing!  You can see what you need to see but there is something about putting rubber bands in a jar instead of throwing them into a drawer that makes me want to keep all the rubber bands where they belong - in the jar!  Think about jars of all shapes & sizes for the unexpected storage like rubber bands, paper clips, thumb tacks, clothespins, chalk, pencils, & binder clips. 

Urban farmhouse style Wire Magazine Holders Glass Bottles Bella Vita
 
Wire baskets are also favorites for me too.  I am a hoarder (yes, I just admitted that!) of beautiful magazines - so what better way to keep them & to enjoy them but in a lovely magazine holder such as the wire one above.  

And, you don't always want the world to see all the stuff that is laying around that needs a home, which is where just regular baskets (the non-wire ones) come in handy.  Baskets of all kinds are just super great for collecting mail, toys, blankets, towels, & even extra toilet paper rolls.  

So, get creative this year with your organization.  Find things that you wouldn't typically think of using (like jars for rubber bands) for the things to reside in that you need to keep.  Perhaps the items you need to contain these things in are items you already have around your home.  Start there and see how to pull out those containers that you already have & love and give them a new, beautiful function!

Urban Farmhouse Style Ribbed glass jars wire baskets at Bella Vita

Happy New Year!  Happy Organizing!!




Friday, January 4, 2013

White SALE

It's our Annual White SALE
Jan. 2-31, 2013

White Sale 2013 Banner at Bella Vita

Stop in & take advantage of some great deals on our Turkish Cotton Bath Towels, Organic Cotton Shower Curtains, Robes, & Throws, & even our Table Linens and Pillows are included too.  The SALE is on through the month of January and applies to in-stock items only.

Coyuchi Organic Cotton Shower Curtains at Bella Vita

Turkish Cotton Mesa Bath Towels at Bella Vita

Monday, December 17, 2012

Holiday Dining SALE

Dec. 17-21, 2012
It's our second & last of two Holiday Dining Sales that we are having this season and it's your time to stock up on all the lovely dishes, table linens, & glasses that you could need to make your holiday table simply beautiful!  All of our in-stock dishes (including fall, holiday, & the "Constance" collection), all glasses, table runners, napkins, & placemats (including Kitchen Papers) are on sale starting today through the end of this week.  So hurry in and enjoy some happy holiday savings!
Constance Dinnerware Hen House Linens Kitchen Papers at Bella Vita

Thursday, December 6, 2012

Holiday Gift Guide 2012

Back by popular demand is our Holiday Gift Guide! 

Our Holiday Gift Guide 2012 is a little different in a couple of ways this year...

{1} Each week we will feature a daily selection of gift ideas for all the unique interests of the ones you love
{2} You can see our weekly features & daily selections over on Facebook!

So, pop over, like our page, & check out our selection of gift ideas for all of the folks on your gift list this year...

Lavender Bar Soap & Sugar Scrub Holiday Gift Set at Bella Vita

Friday, November 16, 2012

A Simply Beautiful Thanksgiving Dinner

Holiday Dining SALE
{Nov. 15 - Nov. 21}

It's our first of two Holiday Dining Sales that we are hosting this season and we hope you will take advantage of some great deals with us as you prepare for the Holidays this year with your family & friends.  If you are getting ready to host Thanksgiving Dinner, then let us help you set your table beautifully this year.

Constance Dinnerware Kitchen Papers Hen House Linens at Bella Vita

Our 'Constance Collection' Dinnerware, a simple but beautiful earthenware collection made by hand in Portugal, are the beautiful beginnings of classic table settings.  We have plates, pasta bowls, cereal bowls, & dessert plates in classic white and dessert plates available in Poivre (Pepper), Mastic (Tan), & Verde (Green) that can be mixed in beautifully with the classic white collection.
Constance Dinnerware Kitchen Papers at Bella Vita
Add in a lovely selection of cotton placemats or dinner napkins to add color, texture, & interest.  Or, if you want to forego the laundering of all the linens, choose from our collection of Kitchen Papers Placemats, Cocktail Napkins, & Paper Runners - an elegant yet easy way to entertain a large crowd.
Constance Dinnerware Hen House Linens Tapestry Licorice at Bella Vita

Wishing you a wonderful & very Happy Thanksgiving with your family & friends!


Monday, October 8, 2012

Save the Date - Holiday Open House 2012

Holiday Open House 2012 at Bella Vita

It's coming, coming quickly! 
Our Annual Holiday Open House will be the second weekend of November this year,
so mark it on your calendars & plan to join us, Nov. 9 & 10. 
We will feature all of our new holiday decor, ornaments, gifts, & more,
so you definitely do not want to miss out this year! 

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Getting Crafty

Okay, I don't really consider myself crafty.  I have tried my hand at scrapbooking & even pottery painting, but have discovered utter failure each time.  However, having this little Bella shop, I most often times have to resort to some sort of crafting.  Window displays are such tricky little things in the retail biz.  It has to be eye-catching, reflective of your goods, & able to tell some kind of story, all of which challenge me greatly on a fairly regular basis.  Lately, I have been noticing on my new addiction Pinterest all of these really amazing flowers, leaves, garlands, wreaths, etc. that are made out of book pages.  I LOVE the look and completely admire that someone came up with this idea!  The book pages add great texture, interest, & simpleness of color to whatever you create.  Being that it is fall & all, I decided to give my un-crafty hand at making branches with book page leaves to complete my fall-themed, leaf-themed window display, and to my ginormous surprise, I think they turned out okay.  I gathered branches from my yard, used old newspaper (I couldn't quite bear to cut out of a book just yet, but I think any old book that you don't love will do), dug out my hot glue gun, & began my crafting.  If I can do it, well, I am completely confident that you can do it too.  Give it a try, get creative, & have fun with it.  Happy crafting!!
Pinterest craft Paper leaf branches Bella Vita
{I just gathered really big branches out of my yard, cost = free! 
Added bonus = saved my sweet husband from having to clean up the branch pile}
Pinterest craft Paper leaf branches Bella Vita
{You can use any leaf shape, just find a template that suits your project. 
I thought about going with maple, or oak, but that seemed a little wrong being
surrounded by aspens so this is my best attempt at duplicating the shape of
 an aspen leaf}
Pinterest craft paper leaf branches Bella Vita
{This is a really bad picture, but it was part of the process, so forgive me for my 
amateur ways.  I re-discovered my hot glue gun, which was a necessity & quite powerful
in adhering these fragile newspaper leaves to these old branches}
Paper leaf branches window display Bella Vita
{And, the finished project....not too bad!}
Paper leaf branches window display Bella Vita

Monday, September 10, 2012

For the Love of Burlap

Fall is coming!  And, I love it because I just absolutely LOVE fall!!!!  It has always been my favorite season - I love the colors, the smell, the flavors, the feeling, the light of the sky - everything about it.  I am obviously very ready to fully embrace the season, but, alas, we have still been experiencing summer like weather, since after all, it is still officially summer.  So, what to do in your homes during this late summer/early fall transition time? Oh, there is SO much you could do, but I think the texture & color of burlap is such a lovely transitional accent.  It can bring such warmth and coziness while also allowing for a light yet earthy neutral that hints of picnics and the enjoyment of the outdoors.  Pair a burlap runner with a large glass vase full of yellow sunflowers and I am instantly happy!  Toss some burlap throw pillows on your mudroom bench, sofa, a favorite chair, or a guest bed & bring a little touch of the transition easily into any room.  The possibilities are endless...how do you love burlap?  I would love to hear and see how you integrate the love of burlap into your home as you transition into the upcoming season!
Burlap table runner urban farmhouse style Bella Vita
Burlap Pillows Urban Farmhouse Style Bella Vita
Burlap Ribbon Urban Farmhouse Style Bella Vita