Dressing Your Age

I'd don any of these brilliant "kids" ensembles by phillip lim... happily.

I like it when kids dress like kids.

There's plenty of time later in life to dress with terms like "appropriate", "presentable" and "pulled-together" in mind. In another words, you have your entire life to look like a grown-up... One of the beauties of being a kid is that you can get away with, say striped tights, a floral skirt and your pajama top (or heck just your pajama top with some jeans for that matter) -- things that generally don't work as an adult, unless you are of course some kickin style maven (more than likely French as well.)

I'm also a big believer in allowing your kids as much self-expression as possible in the relatively harmless areas (such as clothes) and instead sweating the big stuff (like drugs and what not.) I do have some pretty hard and fast rules drawn up for later use around dressing slutty, tattoos and piercings, but pretty much anything else goes in the personal style department... Crazy outfits? Yes. Pink hair? Go for it.

So here's where things are getting a little complicated for me. While I don't want Audrey and Millie leave the house dressed like mini-adults, lately I'm facing the uncomfortable situation that I might be dressing like a kid. The past three summer dresses I've purchased look exactly like all my favorite "kid" dresses out there. So what's my stance on a grown-up dressing like a kid??? hmm... I'll get back to you in the fall.

p.s. -- she could have been the model for this post. those outfits...brilliant.

p.p.s -- after peeking in on my comments, I had to include a brilliant quote from Uncle Beefy... he recounts something a mother who let her daughter go wild in terms of sartorial self-expression once told him:

"If she gets to REALLY know who she is now, no one will be able to tell her who
she has to be later."

I just love that...

More Alcohol (+ Words of Wisdom)

My work week has been a total doozy. So out of her entire amazing etsy, this is currently my absolute favorite Jenifer Altman photo.

Happy Friday (I know I'm happy about it...)

And here are the words of wisdom -- so simple, yet so seemingly hard to follow... (Anthony Burrill poster via design is mine.)

Friday Morning Paper -- Glam Edition

My love for la Wearstler is no secret, and after meeting her in person, she's pretty much at the very tipy top of my list. I'm smitten with this pic of her from the January Vogue...love her outfit and rockin shoes, love her design commitment to adventure, but most of all love that stack of dripy, earthy hued, splatter painted paper splayed across her workspace.

Love it.

Reminder... (for me)

I love this line from Alyson's interview with photgrapher Stephanie Congdon Barnes...

most memorable advice you've been given:
You can have the life you want.

Tagged (+ An Awful Lot of References to Summer Camp)

I was tagged by the delightful Jora (and based on the tiny bit of background I can see in this photo she posted of her adorable daughter, I'm swooning over her house), so here goes.

What did you do 10 years ago?
I was living in Boulder Colorado, working for an educational software company. I was super poor...walked to work almost every day, lived in a tiny studio and subsisted on sweet corn from the farmer's market. Bryan and were newly dating and would end up moving to Texas a couple of months later. When we left Boulder it was 70 degrees and when we arrived in Texas it was 117. Sad.

Five items on your to-do list:

1. Get new swimsuits for the girlies (they've both managed to outgrow them in the past week)
2. Plan some fun activities for the upcoming four-day July 4th weekend
3. Finish liming our living room walls (this is a monster project that's been on the to-do list for at least 6 months)
4. Hang wallpaper panels
5. Buy tickets for a family vacation to Minnesota in August

Snacks I enjoy:
I'm not a huge snacker but always have nuts, olives, dark chocolate on some (preferably stinky) cheese on hand...

What would you do if you were a billionaire?
I'd buy some land on the west coast and build an amazing summer camp focused on the arts where we would live and work. Needs-based middle and high school students could apply for tracks like cooking, music, painting or writing, and we'd have artists-in-residence who could live there for a stint in exchange for teaching a few courses during the summer. (Can you tell I've put a lot of thought into this question?)

Said camp would feel something like this...

Places I would live:
The list is longer, but my top three are Portland, Mill Valley and Austin.

Jobs I have had:
(I've had a lot of jobs...)

1. Florist
2. Camp counselor (and "camp craft" instructor) at an all-girls summer camp in (hot, hot) Texas
3. Baker at a summer camp in Canada
4. Checker at a groovy grocery store in Austin
5. Nanny
6. Event planner
7. Web Producer

Ok, I'm going to tag some of my Kirtsy cohorts -- Mary Eliz, Suann, Karey, Amy, Sarah -- no pressure.

Marching to the Beat of Their Own Drums

My apologies for the blurry pics, but I stumbled onto this scene of Audrey "waltzing" with her Hello Kitty yesterday, and in an effort to capture the moment I totally disregarded my camera settings

I am constantly trying to balance my desire for Audrey and Millie to do all the things I wished I had done (i.e. learned an instrument, studied photography, learned to speak French fluently*, gone to RISD, actually possessed a talent that would have gained me admission into RISD) and not pushing them so hard to follow a creative path that they both end up accountants (nothing against accountants of course -- we have a very dear friend who's an accountant -- love him.)

*Audrey and I were reading Madeline before bed last night, which lead to recounting stories of Bryan's and my trip to Paris before she was born, which in turn lead to her requesting to learn some French words. And despite four years of high school French and four more years of college French, I could come up with exactly 20 words of actual French to teach her. So given my regret over not learning and her desire to learn, I'm thinking it might be fun to take a conversational French class together...Stay tuned.

Golden

I'm a sucker for little shots of gold everywhere, so I'm loving these images from Fish Food via Frolic...

p.s. -- in high school and college you couldn't have paid me to look twice at gold anything...jewelry, decorative accessories, etc...etc...now i can't imagine not loving it. amazing how drastically tastes can change over time.

More (Hot) Pink Love

An odd follow-up to a post about a pee-chee I realize, but my fondness for pink knows no bounds...I always like it best injected with a strong dose of masculinity. Artist Anh Duong's loft is a perfect execution of this combo, with all the shots of hot pink + the chunky dark wood furniture. (Via beach bungalow 8)

p.s. -- while we're on the topic of Anh Duong, I have such a girl crush on her...she just seems so elegant and cool + of course there's the matter of her work (and wardrobe).

Happy Friday.

Friday Morning Paper -- Nostalgia Edition

I just couldn't help posting a Pee-Chee...

I know, I know...it isn't pretty stationary or a lovely collage. In fact, you can't even purchase these anymore, but after reading Joanna's post about the MASH game and my high school reminiscing yesterday, I'm stuck in a cloud of nostalgia.

Marked Up

There's a theory about graffiti that infers once an object or space is defaced it's more susceptible to subsequent defacing... Actual factual evidence aside, I'm inclined to believe there's some truth to this based solely on the recent behavior of my girlies (despite of course their otherwise general delightfulness.)

Specifically, there's the incident of the girlies + the two downtrodden chairs that had taken-up residence in our den. After a couple of "accidental" errant pen marks showed up on the chair cushions, Audrey apparently considered them "free game." Before long they came to resemble a love-sick high school girl's Pee-Chee folder, all embellished with hearts and doodles. Needless to say these chairs have since been exiled to the attic and replaced with a more kid-friendly set that have managed to stay doodle-free.

I know I should teach the girls that it's never ok to draw on the furniture, but since the chair episode, I've taken a more liberal approach and have instead designated a couple of pieces (such as a black metal coffee table that holds up nicely to crayon and chalk marks) as free for creative expression. Thankfully this sanctioned furniture drawing seems to have curbed their desire to draw on every surface of the house.

Here's where I relate this long-winded story to that barstool pictured above... We're in the market for a couple of new stools for our kitchen island. I don't want to spend too much on them, but I don't want to instantly resort to IKEA either, so I set out on an exhaustive Web search and ended up on this ultra resourceful site chock full of all sorts of nostalgic, well designed and totally affordable school furniture.

These lab stools would not only be perfect in our kitchen, but spotting them took me right back to high school, where these were a fixture in every art class and science lab and inevitably covered in ballpoint pen doodles of some bored student (not me of course.) In this case the markings might just add to the charm...maybe they'll become another free zone... Maybe.

You Know You Have a Good Husband When...

Bryan just sent me this exact e-mail:

"Our girls are the most delightful creatures on earth."

It was so lovely I just had to share...

Like Hippie Art Festival Pottery...

Only way, way better. (pppottery via d*s)

Light

Bryan regularly teases me about my obsession with candles -- Poor guy has come home on more than one occasion to a house that resembles midnight mass on Christmas Eve... But really is there anything prettier than candlelight?

I am awfully picky about candleholders though. I usually go for ultra minimal clear class cylinders, but after spotting these sweet votive holders from Cursive Design, I'm tempted to branch out a bit.

Shopping as Art

Not the mall or a museum, rather shots of the intensely artful (not to mention delightfully odd) local shop, Grange Hall.
Carolina has a good "review" of this place from her recent trip to Dallas...

For me, there is nothing more satisfying than seeing art in person. I'm obsessed with sharing this passion with the girls, so I've always vowed that I would expose them to as much art as humanly possible during their childhoods. Despite this mission, I've only very recently taken Audrey to a actual museum or gallery...(I know, I know bad mom.)

So when she asked me a few months ago if we could go "back to the museum," I was genuinely perplexed. I quizzed her on what this "museum" looked like, what we did there, when we went, etc, etc... to which she responded, (with slight annoyance in her voice) "you know, that place where you tried on lots of clothes and bought me the giant pink cookie."

Ahh yes, the mall... Bad, bad, bad mom.

In my defense (lest you think I'm in the process of raising a frivolous, cultureless, soulless bimbo), the mall I had taken her to is owned by the Nasher family and filled to the brim with amazing art and sculpture. So it's sort of a museum...right?

Needless to say, I'm now on a mission to make up for lost time. One of the top items on the list is to take Audrey to every museum in the area before the end of the year, and I'm proud to report that we're making pretty good progress... especially if the mall counts.

Saturday at the City Arts Festival

Bryan* managed to catch all three of us pondering our favorite pieces... (check out Audrey in Lynne's sweet dress)




More scenes from the day...





*btw -- whoever said you fall even more in love with your husband after you see him with your children was totally right. We are lucky girls...

One More Thing...

This is really sweet. (via Creature Comforts)

On Second Thought

I was going through my photos this morning and came across this shot of Audrey and her friend Arden doing tai chi on the streets of Austin...Perhaps I should rethink my previous stance on grown-ups having more fun.

+ I totally dig Arden's sparkly cape.

Hope you're doing something fun this weekend!

Friday Morning Paper -- Sharing Edition

I'm loving these little cards by Sarah + Abraham in that groovy olive green. (I haven't tired of the silhouette trend yet...I'm slow like that.)

I especially like the ultra efficiency of combining both girlies on a single thank you note + I'd be encouraging sisterly closeness...right?

It's Done...

The wallpaper is now happily covering that little bar space in my kitchen, and I'm not exaggerating at all when I say...

I love it so much that I want to marry it.

p.s. -- Yes, i know...not possible to marry wallpaper, but still.

p.p.s. -- I set up a little before and after on flickr so you can get the full effect.

p.p.p.s -- Grace featured it on design*sponge today, which is just...cool.

More Yellow + Grey Love

I am completely obsessed with this wall. (via the scoop)

One More List

Photographs of uber chic women (that aren't in their twenties) via The Sartorialist

This week marks my half birthday, which wouldn't matter at all as I'm not a celebrator of half birthdays, except that this year is a milestone birthday for me -- 35. (I consider any birthday ending in "5" a milestone birthday.)

I love my 30's. Sure my 20's were great, but my 30's have been so, so much better. I had Audrey a few months before my 30th birthday, and for obvious reasons that completely changed my life. It's been an odd, amazing, interesting ride, and I have never wished to go back in any way.

But honestly it's not a real stretch for me...I'm pretty infatuated with age, which partly explains my obsession with the French -- a society that notoriously reveres older women. I've always loved the age I am, never wished to be younger, never dreaded or feared turning 25 or 30. In fact, on many occasions, I've wished to be older.

This longing was most frequent during my childhood when I would regularly declared my desire to be a grown-up. My parent's best friend (and my godfather) was completely perplexed by this. He would always emphatically tell me to enjoy being a kid, that it's not that fun being a grown up...too much responsibility...not enough fun. I totally didn't believe him. I knew I'd somehow more fun as an adult. And you know what, I do.

But, despite my perpetual quest to be older, I want Audrey and Millie to savor, relish and enjoy their childhoods in the ways that I didn't in. Don't we always want the opposite for our kids than our own experiences?

So, in honor of my milestone birthday, I'm totally stealing her brilliant idea and making a list of the 34 things I want to do before I turn 35 later this year. The list is still a work in progress, and most of the items are rather mundane, but it's been a fun project...I'll share in full once it's more fleshed out.

What about you? How do you feel about this whole age thing?

Stumps

images via martha stewart living

My sweet hubby hasn't had a whole lot of time for woodworking of late. The circumstances of life with two small kiddos make it hard to fully embrace a pretty time consuming hobby. So in the meantime, I wake up to the evidence of small attempts to satisfy his woodworking jones -- a little pile of wood shavings from testing out his new lathe, a Web browser open to the Fine Woodworking site, etc, etc...

There's also the matter of a garage (oops I mean woodshop) crammed with all manner of stumps and odd pieces of wood that he's collected over the past year. We're reaching critical mass, and he's loathe to part with any of it.

I'm trying to convince him to perhaps sacrifice a few of the stumps to take on these genius projects via the June Martha. I love the colored tops of the little trivets and side tables and the little bark covered pencil cups, and making them seems easy...not much more time than it took for him to create that little pile of wood shavings...right??

And Speaking of Shopping

This Definitely Falls into the Category of Impulse Purchase...

1. It never even made it to the list.
2. I can't wear it to work. (usually if I spend more than a certain amount on an item, I have to be able to wear it to work and on the weekend -- it's my rule...)
3. It's not really something I would even typically buy...
   

But I loved it, and I bought it, and now I'm admitting it to you.

That felt good. Thanks.

p.s. it's not this short in real life.
p.p.s. gosh that model's legs are skinny...

Lovely Spoils

Image via Liivian Talossa

I can't read a word of what she writes, but I'm totally swooning over what appears to be a very successful shopping trip.

Caught

We literally can't have enough cherries in our household lately.

Obsessed with our newly acquired (and highly addictive) cherry pitter, we're eating them by the bowlful (which is seriously cutting into the girl's college fund -- cherries are expensive...)

Audrey is fiercely protective of the cherries; she fears that once we finish our current supply, we'll never get to buy cherries again. (Ok, maybe I said something to that effect, per my above college fund comment.)

Case in point -- a few days ago, she stormed into the kitchen after school, tore open the refrigerator door and whipped around with her fierce little eyes trained directly on me, roaring, "I knew it, you ate all the cherries!!!"

Guilty.

Ample Justification for a Drink

Photo and recipe for this tasty concoction via the brilliant Orangette.

1. Millie's not sleeping at all right now, which of course means I'm not sleeping at all right now.
   
2. I've had two particularity intense (read stressful) work meetings this week.
3. Bryan gets home today after a week in Malaysia.

I think I'll be whipping these up this weekend...

Happy Friday

Friday Morning Paper -- Egg Edition

After posting about my love for eggs, Cassandra pointed me to this excellent notebook from Your Secret Admiral. A quick visit to their etsy site resulted in discovering all sorts of other delightful goodies fashioned of recycled/reused/rescued/salvaged materials...