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Mark Your Calendars: The high country’s best summer events

April 24, 2012 in Events, Mountain Living by Caroline | No comments

FOOD & WINE Classic, Aspen, CO, June 15-17: This elevated epicurean celebration draws culinary stars, top winemakers, leading chefs and passionate foodies to Aspen for three days of inspired culinary events. Click here for more info.

Under the Big Sky Fine Arts & Crafts Festival, Missoula, MT, June 15-17: Browse beautifully handcrafted items, meet the artists (who will be present during the entire event) and enjoy the flavors of Missoula at this three-day, feel-good juried festival. Click here for more info.

Jackson Hole Wine Auction, Jackson Hole, WY, June 21-23: Celebrate and explore California wine at this classy affair, now in its 17th year, where 10 celebrity chefs will create California-inspired dishes to pair with wine from some of the state’s top wineries, among other tasty happenings. Click here for more info.

Dust to Dazzle: Renovation Home Tour, Butte, MT, June 23: Planning a remodel? Head to historic Butte, Montana, to see home makeovers in various stages, chat with homeowners and renovation experts, and gather inspiration. Click here for more info.

Cherry Creek Arts Festival, Denver, CO, July 6-8: Celebrating art in many shapes and forms, the Cherry Creek Arts Festival is no small affair: More than 350,000 visitors will flock to Denver’s Cherry Creek North shopping district for three full days of culinary demonstrations, art activities, and browsing booth after booth of outstanding art. Click here for more info.

Steamboat Wine Festival, Steamboat Springs, CO, August 2-5: Featuring a wine tasting on the mountaintop, a sip-and-stroll-through-town event and outdoor activities with a wine and food spin, this laid-back festival proves that wine culture doesn’t have to be stuffy. Click here for more info.

Summer Harvest Sunday Supper at Restaurant Kelly Liken, Vail, CO, Sundays starting at 4 p.m.: Savor the freshest flavors of the Vail Valley during this decidedly local feast, crafted by beloved Chef Kelly Liken who will base each week’s menu on ingredients culled at the Vail Farmers’ Market that very afternoon. Click here for more info.

Photo courtesy of Jackson Hole Wine Auction.

Click here to browse more of the high country’s best summer events at the ML online events calendar.

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IKEA Office Makeover: Now for the fun part

April 19, 2012 in Mountain Living by Caroline | No comments

We’re moving offices (you can read about our progress here and here), and in our mission to create a space that’s as organized as it is stylish, we’ve gotten to the good part: choosing furnishings and accessories, those building blocks and finishing touches that will make the space come to life.

With the help of IKEA, who’s partnering with us to outfit our space, we’re shopping for some big pieces—new desks and shelving to pair with some of our existing office furniture—as well as smaller ones, like lamps, magazine holders and picture frames. Staff members are getting the chance to pick the pieces they want for their individual offices, so each workspace will have its own unique feel.

We thought you might like to see what’s on our wish list…

Expedit Shelving

Docksta Dining Table

Fillsta Table Lamp

Karlstad Sofa

Varde High Cabinet

Fillsta Pendant Lamp

Hulto Easy Chair

Kvissle Magazine File

Ljusas Salbo Table Lamp

Stay tuned to see how we put it all together in the weeks to come, and visit ikea.com to browse more sleek furnishings.

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Guest Post: ML’s art director shares her essentials

April 18, 2012 in Behind the Scenes, Guest Post, Mountain Living by Caroline | No comments

Today’s guest contributor is hardly a guest! Our very own art director Loneta Showell shares the items and thoughts she gathered for her recent “tools of the trade” guest blog post at Flotsam & Jetsam.

As of two weeks ago, I have been the art director at Mountain Living magazine for 18 years. This is my first job out of college and all these years later I still believe I hit the lottery the day they hired me. It has been a good fit with lots of amazing experiences and great memories. These are the “tools of the trade” that I’ve carried with me along the way.

BACK IN THE DAY

Since my career started nearly two decades ago, the tools have changed over the years. When I started, these were some of the essentials of making a magazine. Most of our images were shot using 4 x 5 film. I would get multiple exposures of each shot, then spend hours hunched over my lightbox editing the film, picking the best shots and sizing them, and then have them scanned offsite on a drum scanner. Only then did they become digital files that I could use to create a layout. A very long road to get to where we start these days.

SPEED RACER

I still edit a large quantity of images for each issue, but now we work solely in digital so most of my days are spent behind my computer. In addition to art direction, one of my other passions is cars—fast, red, European sports models, in particular—and my mother bought this mouse for me as a birthday present years ago. It still brings a smile to my face when I walk into the office every morning, and it makes the designing go faster… baaadum dum.

GRANDPA’S TOOLBOX

Photo shoots are what get me out of the office. This is my styling kit, equipped with items to solve almost any problem that could arise on location, whether it be a house or studio shoot. There’s glass cleaner if I need to be the maid, clamps in case the drapes just won’t stay put, even small paintbrushes to erase any dust on a perfectly placed teapot. There are so many other possible problems—and so many other MacGyver solutions that all live happily in the toolbox handed down to me from my grandfather.
INSPIRATION
The concepts for many of my favorite studio photo shoots begin in colored pencil. I can sit around for days with the directive to create a shopping page about summer fabrics. My colleagues know when the real inspiration has struck only when they hear the clinking of my well-worn colored pencils. A lot of times I will sketch multiple ideas, but I am most energized when I’m able to make one of them really come to life in the studio. For this shoot, I rifled through thousands of fabrics to find the colors and patterns that would work best. ML contributing photographer Martin Crabb and I strung up sisal rope as a clothesline and I cut a peony from my garden and a branch off my apple tree to create the rustic, oversized clothespins. One shopping page featuring summer fabrics delivered.

Help us find our Home of the Year!

April 17, 2012 in Contests & Competitions by Caroline | No comments

Every year, we get excited to start the search for that special home that we award “Home of the Year,” a one-of-a-kind dwelling that combines top-notch design with feel-good livability, distinctive touches with a sense of place.

We consider homes from all over the West—some rustic and traditional, others modern and edgy, some big and some small.

So whether you’re a homeowner, interior designer, architect or builder, we hope you’ll share your home with us through Mountain Living’s 2012 Home of the Year contest. The winning home will be featured in our November/December 2012 issue.

For complete contest rules and to learn how to enter, click here. Entries must be sent by July 15, 2012.

Above photo by Gibeon Photography.

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Guest Post: Sue’s five faves

April 11, 2012 in Decorating Secrets, Furnishings, Mountain Living by Caroline | 1 comment

Style guru Sue De Chiara, author and curator behind The Zhush blog and online shop, shares the five items she thinks every mountain home must have:

I’m here to chat about a subject near and dear to my heart: home accessories. For you, I’ve narrowed down my ever-growing list of decorative accents to the top five must-haves for every mountain home.

1. A chic catch-all tray. This small ceramic tray from my shop, zhush.com, is a great way to stylishly stash your keys, spare change and even fishing lures. We have several in our Vermont vacation home, in the guest bedroom and in the mudroom entryway.

2. Vibrant artwork.  Even though most mountain homes have stunning views, it’s nice to mix it up with some eye-catching abstract art, which can help pull together the colors in a room. This lovely piece, a favorite of mine, is from Laura Trevey’s etsy shop, Bright, Bold and Beautiful. Etsy is such a great source for finding beautiful and affordable original artwork.

3. A bit of whimsy. Why not add a fun and unexpected twist to your coffee table or vignette?  This large gold wishbone, another personal favorite from zhush.com, is perfect for adding a metallic accent to a room. It’s also a great conversation piece.

4. Greenery. It’s nice to have a bit of nature around the house, but if you’re like me, it’s also hard to keep plants alive. I adore these faux topiaries from Diane James Home. Favored by high-end designers for their realistic look, these beauties are an especially smart choice for weekend or vacation homes.

5. A cozy throw. Even in warmer months, most mountain homes can get chilly in the evenings or when the clouds roll in, which is why it’s a good idea to have some warm, soft throws around. This charcoal herringbone throw works well with any style of decor.

There you have it, my five essential mountain home accents. Now tell me, what are your favorites?

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