life, blog, & speckles

Hello,
If you haven't heard from me lately it's because life is a little crazy around here. So far this week, in addition to the norm, I've:
-turned a year older (hooray!)
-gotten a little flu bug
-filled my first wholesale order for Hooray (and then a second one after that)
-and gotten a major decorating bug (much better than flu bug, but more costly!).

Tomorrow I have a big deadline for an expo show we're part of for our event planning business & for my shop in November. So, I'll be back soon. Have a happy, scary-good Halloween...


photos by neil atherton via oh joy!

Aren't these speckled photos gorgeous?

lisa stickley london

I found this adorable textile company called Lisa Stickley London and am thinking that a few items from this shop need a place in our home (or be used as lovely gifts). How cute & clever are these table linens, with food rations & menus written on them (variations of traditional British dishes, like lobster, oysters on toast, fillets of beef...)?

photos: lisa stickley london

movie night

This past weekend, on Friday night, Q and I stayed in for a movie night (my favorite). It was the perfect night to watch Sleepless in Seattle: outside it was dark & rainy; inside it was cozy and made complete with blankets, movie candy, and sleeping cats. It left me smiling, humming A Wink & A Smile as I made my way to bed, the rain still pouring outside our window.

photos via here & here

PS. My husband thinks I'd pretty much live in the above outfit if it were socially acceptable. (It's probably true).

monday cheer

Some happiness from around the web for your Monday...



amazing photography by cade martin found on ivay


inspiration found on oh, hello friend


simple seasonal styling tips on Decor8


lessons in upholstery on the haystack needle


dreamy film bright star (seen here on frolic)

travel

I spotted these tiny travel books on Clover & Bee. It reminds me of the pictures you see in a magazine accompanying a little article about cute things to travel with. When we travel to Europe (someday), I'm going to pack little books like this & snap cute photos while we drink cups of tea, passing the time away at a tiny cafe somewhere.


Meanwhile, we're doing a little traveling this weekend, but not far away. Saturday we're off to a play & a fundraiser dinner in my hometown, and on Sunday a small get together (my brother is also traveling to visit).

nina in vorm

I'd like to collect a few pieces from the shop, Nina in Vorm. It's based out of the Netherlands and Nina screen prints designs onto vintage ceramics. The result is beautiful & unexpected. She sells artwork, too, which is probably all I could afford, since the cost of shipping the ceramics is more than I've spent on our entire set of dishes here at home.



photos: Nina in Vorm

k.ventura design

Kelly from K. Ventura recently shared her work with me & I'm so glad she did. She has a lovely Etsy shop with beautiful screen printed shirts, scarves, pillowcases, and more (I like her signature floral design and simple packaging).


photos via K.Ventura

chair makeover

Several weeks ago I posted the inspiration I found for our office and upstairs loft. Project #1 on my list was to makeover a chair I found at a surplus store that looked similar to the one in this J.Crew shoot. I bought it for $10. Here's how it turned out:



It only took about 30 minutes to complete. We simply removed the seat, stapled on new fabric, and sanded the wood frame to remove old paint splatters.
I love using it in my office, but unfortunately I have to keep a blanket over the seat, otherwise my cats use it as their personal scratching post (& bed).

monday cheer

Mondays. They've never been a favorite for me, so here are a few cheery things for your day...

the cutest wedding featured on Olivet


irresistible paper goods by Olive Manna, found on Fee Amore



a darling balloon adventure (complete with champagne) on bonjour!


Another happy thing: my eye is no longer a puffy marshmallow. It started bothering me Wednesday, and by Friday I gave in & went to the doctor, took what she prescribed, spent the weekend away from people (& contacts/makeup), and slept a lot...much better now.

weekend ...

Things I feel like doing this weekend (in no particular order)...

riding my bike


going out to a show or play


visiting a new place

photos via flickr: 1 elseachelsea, 2 tigerlace, 3 simply hue

Things I will be doing this weekend:
Nothing remotely close to the above.
I have a long list of must-do things to tackle. And today has been anything but productive, as I have a right eye that is quickly swelling to the size of a marshmallow (I have no idea why). So it looks like a trip to the doctor is in order... hope your weekend is better!

(Ps. I'm giving away some goods from my shop on oh, hello friend this week! Entries are open until Monday, if you'd like :)

squirrel in the attic cards

These sweet & quirky cards would be fun to use. Description for the hey, husband card (pictured below):
"Hide this note in his suitcase before he goes on a trip or in his closet to wake to in the morning. Fill it with "I love you" and tell him reasons why. He'll love the thoughtful surprise."


photos via Squirrel in the Attic

kate spade 2010

Love the look & details of the 2010 Kate Spade desk calendar, illustrated by Bella Foster...


found via Felt & Wire

favorite things

Heather from Gathering Spriggs kindly asked me to share 5 of my favorite things on her blog yesterday (you can see it here, if you'd like). It's part of her new series similar to Domino's 10 Favorite Things that was at the back of every issue. I always loved that feature...


(a snippet from my list of favorites: my olivetti typewriter)

Also, thanks so much to Holly for featuring my shop on Decor8 yesterday (and for your thoughtful comments & emails about it!).

favors

Favors are so sweet, tiny, & personal - just a little something to say,
"I thought of you."

From top: 1: Frolic, 2: 100 Layer Cake, 3: the knot, 4: simplesong, 5: Ritzy Bee, 6: MS Weddings

(To keep track of my overflowing collection of favor ideas, I'll try to post my favorites here each week...)

silk headband

I want this adorable turban headband. It's available in six different colors (how to choose just one?).

photo hopelessly devoted

elisabeth bentz

I admire the work by Elisabeth Bentz and I'm happy to see she's a featured seller on Etsy this week (read her interview, here). I like the natural, simplistic beauty of her creations and the styling of her photos. (And her blog, good long while, is equally sweet & simple).


photos via Elisabeth Bentz

fall comforts

Here's a snippet of my post today on my friend Stacy's blog (I'll be guest posting this week while she's out of town). Today I shared some cozy images & my favorite recipe for creamy chicken noodle soup! Go here to see it and check out the rest of Stacy's blogs while you're there (she has three!).

all images credited here

dressing up napkins

Martha Stewart Weddings featured this "bow tie" napkin. I thought, what a simple idea, why didn't I think of that? I guess that's why we have Martha. Here are some other simple napkin ring ideas found on the MS Weddings site.





Photos via MS Weddings
1 + 2: Ribbons + Bows, 3 + 4: Lace

I heart...

I always enjoy looking at Etsy/Flickr favorites - the little gallery of images that the sites put together for you when you "heart" an item or photo. Here's a snippet of my latest favorites...




Gallery of my favorites here.
1: Needle Felted Lamb, 2: Gift Bag
3: Tea Pot Terrarium, 4: Juliet Tote
5: Hymnal Paper Garland, 6: Bicycle Card
7: Love Letter Pillow, 8: Umbrella Pendant