happy weekend

Two things definitely on our agenda this weekend: catching up on sleep, and eating a lot. Both are things we kind of neglected this week. Monday night I had a traumatic experience that I'm still processing, and after seeing some doctors, they're sending us to a specialist next week. It's one of those things that could be something bad or nothing at all - so we're playing the waiting game until then.

I did make these double chocolate cookies mid-week to cheer myself up and they are seriously good! Plus, they're about as easy to make as regular chocolate chip ones (perfect for Valentine's Day). Hope your weekend is a good one.

(photos above: our cat minnie, and blueberry jam we've been enjoying from traverse city)

simple + sweet

A few favorite (handmade) things around the web just in time for Valentine's Day.
mini valentine cards.
pom-pom cushion (via decor8).
lavender french shot bag (via lanalou).
je t'aime cards.

the message bag

(images: baum-kuchen)

I'm loving this new collection, the Message Bag, from Wakako of Baum-Kuchen (a collaboration with TWELVEZEROSEVEN). They created these limited-edition screen printed bags, mixing fun typography with two lifestyle mantras: it is what it is and everything happens for a reason.

Wakako's creativity and approach to life that she shares through Baum-Kuchen is so inspiring, and she has lots more pretty things worth checking out in her shop, here (her French soup bowls are my favorite!).

books books books (and january)

My family + friends generously gave me these wonderful books for Christmas, and as you can imagine I've been in cooking/craft heaven (they must have really thought I needed help in that department...). And luckily, so far this January I've been feeling more productive than most winters, thanks in part to the new ideas and inspiration.

Really, it's sort of impossible to read a book like Real Simple Solutions and not want to go and organize your entire pantry, closet, and office. It's just the motivation I needed this time of year. Are you having one of "those" winters so far, or have you been feeling good about the new year?

his+hers: weekend indulgences

One great thing about where we live is that for me, Ikea is right down the road, and for Q there's a Coldstone - his favorite - right in our subdivision. Their cake batter ice cream was definitely his guilty pleasure this weekend because he (okay, we) had it twice.

My indulgence was the latest issue of The Nest magazine. I went to the bookstore just to peek at the feature on Emerson's beautiful house, but ended up going home with a copy because the entire issue looked good.



And surprise, there was an article with organizing tips from bloggers, including Brooke herself! (the other half of his+hers). So sweet to see her words in print... right below another great blogger, Jen. See photo above to read their advice.

military wedding photography contest

images: Andrea Dozier Photography

My friend Andrea Dozier is hosting a contest, offering a huge wedding photography package to one lucky military couple (to be announced on Valentine's Day!). It is so inspiring to read her story here and understand why she's extending this generous offer to another military family.

(If you or someone you know is in the military and getting married, here is all the important contest information - good luck!)

spring boden

The new Boden catalog arrived in the mail yesterday. Needless to say, now I'm dreaming of spring. (If you don't get their catalogs, you are missing out! go here).

Favorites above: 1 casual moccasins, 2 stripy scarf, 3 straight jeans, 4 tote

our house: the master bedroom

Thank you guys for all of your sweet words about our living room last week. I was unsure about sharing our house here on the blog, even though it's the reason I was inspired to start a blog in the first place when we bought this house (I just didn't get up the courage to share anything for the first year and a half!). So... much more of our house decorating adventures to come this year.

Here's the next room of our house, the master bedroom. Q made the bed for me as a post-wedding present (along with one nightstand so far, hence the random table on my side), and the beautiful dresser was handed down from his parents.

My inspiration for the room is tropical (inspired by trips to Cancun & Hawaii) and slightly British Colonial (hello, old dresser). Awhile back I blogged about being inspired by these bamboo nightstands, and I'm still trying to channel that look in here. But first, Project no. 1 for the room: go through all of the paper/ junk currently stuffed into that poor dresser. I'm working on it.

the perfect mug

I don't make new years resolutions, but I did tell myself I need to find the perfect mug for tea (ha). It's the little things, isn't it? And we have no mugs. We do have two cute wedding ones (thanks mom G!) but they're thin with a small handle so I don't use them for hot beverages.

I think this polka dot mug wins.

(via eat drink chic)

dreams that you dare to dream really do come true.

Wouldn't you love to see this hanging on your wall everyday? If only it were for sale.

(by libre versalita found via olive & a)

his+hers: nightstands

Brooke and I have decided to start up his + hers again this year, and today I want to get real here and talk about nightstands. Above are pictures of ours - his on the left, mine on the right.

They have always been a source of stress for me, because more than any other place in the house, it seems to be a junk magnet for us. Papers, receipts, books, magazines, phone chargers, etc. (there's also a background story behind the temporarily mismatched nightstands that I'll get into in another post...I know, you're on the edge of your seat aren't you).

So, last fall I was in an organizing spree and came up with this decent arrangement to try to keep things clean. I added a simple bowl on Q's side for him to toss his wallet, phone, and book into at night. And then on my side, I stack the latest magazines/books I'm reading under my lamp to prop it up, and have a little dish for my phone and glasses at night.

Also, the lamps are from Ikea, and the only reason Q has the housekeeping handbook on his side is because I put it there to prop up his lamp like mine. So far it hasn't increased his desire to clean the house, but I'm still hoping.

globes + weekend

(images: 1, 2 photo by jen lowery, 3)

This weekend we're headed out of town, but once we get home I'll probably settle in on the couch with something good to eat and watch the Golden Globes. I'm pulling for the King's Speech and its cast, plus it's fun to see what everyone wears. Q just rolls his eyes at me and stays away. Do you watch, or are you with Q on this one? Hope you have an awesome weekend.

(See more vintage globe photos here on LIFE.)

champ de mars

(image: robert doisneau)

My bff Allie got this print for me for Christmas, and it's nearly the cutest thing ever. It's a photo taken in the garden of the Champ de Mars in 1944 by French photographer Robert Doisneau.

The sweetest part is that she saw it in a magazine and said "oh that's Alli!", so she saved the magazine tear and gave it to me on Christmas day (we love to exchange magazine tears). The actual print was still on its way from the UK, but next time she comes over we'll find the perfect place for it.

our house: the living room

My sweet husband got me one of the best gifts for Christmas: the Photo 101 book. I've always wanted to take pictures of our first house and document the changes we make along the way, but I'd get frustrated because our house doesn't get very much natural light.

My pictures were either too dark to see, or too overexposed because I'd use the wrong manual settings. This book, which I read all in one night (and then woke up the next day and practiced a ton), should come with every camera. It teaches you how to get the correct exposure for every shot, and get light-filled pictures. It will make you want to photograph everything.

So, now that we've taken down all of our Christmas things, here is part one of our house: the living room! We've rearranged it a million times because the layout is tricky and I'm the most indecisive person ever. But here it is, with a furniture arrangement I finally like, ready to be personalized. I'm thinking: more plants, more pictures, more pillows. And maybe paint?

winter essentials...

A really cute hat and the perfect pair of boots. Both on my wish list!

(knitted hat found via).

laura amiss

I love these cityscapes by artist Laura Amiss. They're so colorful and cheery for both winter and summer...

Shown above: Canal Houses, and Paris. (found via pink street)

fog & weekend

While we were in Traverse City it was really foggy (and relatively warm, which was nice for walking around). At first we were a little disappointed about the lack of visibility everywhere, but it ended up being pretty and mysterious against the (melting) snow.

Photos from top: the village & front lawn, the lighthouse at mission point, and looking out onto the foggy beach and water.

Have a great weekend!

new years in traverse city

To celebrate our 4th wedding anniversary, we took a spontaneous trip up to Traverse City over new years. I have family there so I've been many times, but this was my first time playing tourist, and there was so much to do both downtown and in the village.

TC is a great foodie town with lots of organic food, bakeries, and of course cherries. Being a waterfront town, it's also a great spot for fish. We ate lunch downtown at Scalawags (fresh battered fish + chips!), and had dinner one night at Apache (more fresh fish!).

And the highlight of our trip was going to the historic State Theater on new years eve to see a movie, and then browse the local bookstore until the Cherry drop at midnight. Yes, they had a giant lighted cherry at the center of town, hanging above the Christmas tree, with live music. It was the perfect way to ring in 2011 and begin our 5th year of marriage.

happy new year...

(images: Andrea Dozier Photography, styling: hooray)

Hope you all had a wonderful end of the year! We just returned home the other night after a whirlwind trip to see family & friends and celebrate Christmas (a celebration that lasts until Epiphany on the 6th), including a mini getaway for our anniversary/new years.

Here's a little party tray Andrea & I put together for new years. These are fun to do - just fill a tray with snacks, confetti, flutes, and a bottle of champagne. I even painted my nails a festive red (seriously, I'm always too lazy to paint them :), and Andrea captured the sparkle of the lights, confetti, and bubbly perfectly on camera. Hooray for 2011!