A Few Lovely Things...

Artist Clair Nereim’s new hand printed note cards + her new blog

All the cute lauren moffit dresses on sale


Enhabiten's handmade eco-friendly pillows. I want that orange cross one for my den...bad.

Her tatoo (via simply photo)... I don't have a tatoo, but this makes me want one.

This church down the street from lovely cousin Erin's house (there are so many cool things on her street)

p.s. need an idea for what to make for dinner tonight?

Scenes from The Week-End

It was a very good week-end...right up until the viscous stomach flu that I was struck with last night. That was pretty much no fun at all.

But you're more interested in the fun parts, no? Audrey hosted her first sleepover guest to great success on Friday, we made homemade pizza twice over the course of the weekend and we cooked a birthday dinner for our dear friends Julie and Tim on Saturday, which ended with all of us dancing in the kitchen to a Michael Jackson memorial playlist that Bryan had quickly put together...

In other news, we cowered from the heat by painting, playing dress upand splashing around in our big blow up pool... I know, I know, we're classy!

Hope your weekend was good.

Blogger's Favorites -- Jenn of A Merry Mishap

Around this time last year, I spotted the above photo on the excellent blog the scoop and well, it was pretty much love at first sight. The incredibly cool woman behind that perfect wall also (not surprisingly) had a stellar blog, and it quickly became one of my daily reads.

Jenn, has incredible taste, a gorgeous, creative home, an amazing eye + she turns out crochet accessories that are unlike anything I've come across...artful and incredibly lovely -- not unlike Jenn!

In a twist on the normal blogger's favorites format, Jenn is sharing her favorite things inside her own home. I love focusing on the lovely and special things already in our lives, so of course I especially love Jenn's list.

So without further ado, herewith Jenn's favorites.

Enjoy and have a lovely week-end! Hope you're doing something fun... we're making homemade pizzas for Audrey's first sleepover.


*************

Lately, I have been spending more time than ever at home. In some ways it makes my day a bit more mundane but I thank it has also made me appreciate the things I have. My favorites are all things I already own, items around the house that seem to bring me some sort of happiness. With our first child due to arrive in September, many of my favorites revolve around nursery items!


Yellow Vase -- Every morning I wake up to this cheery little bud vase. It's usually empty because we don't have any flowers in our yard yet, but I think it almost doesn't need flowers!

Mirror Corner -- This is my favorite corner of our room! Not the best picture, mind you, but I love this magnifying glass. He sits next to my jewelry box and oversized mirror. There's definitely a lot of light reflected from this area!

Ginkgo Leaf Dish -- Sometimes I think this is a bit too glamorous for our little house but I still love it. It’s another item in our house that I don't feel the need to fill with anything. I just love the shape of this little leaf, it's just lovely!

Succulent -- I recently bought this little succulent because I love house plants but we have the worst lighting in our house! So far, this guy has grown very well despite the lack of light. Plus it looks great in front of my Rex Ray collage.

Cluster of Glass Globes -- I tied these together with twine & hung them in our entry. They actually hung inside the church we were married in and I knew I had to find a place for them in our home. For months I couldn't decide what to do with them until I found a ball of twine in our garage and now they greet people as they walk through the door!

My Husband's Clothes -- These are a favorite because they're actually on hangers!! It's a rare occasion so I really appreciate this!

Little Drawings -- These drawings are the originals from a children's book my husband recently illustrated. I just nailed up a stained piece of trim and they all sit in a row in the nursery. I love that it's something my husband made!

Moses Basket -- I look at this little basket & rocker every day! This is one of my favorites because I know our son will be sleeping here the day we bring him home! Plus, I got an amazing deal on the basket & rocker!!

Tiny Accessories -- Looking through my son's tiny hat, scarf, socks and booties makes me so excited! I can't believe he's going to be here in just a couple months! I also like that in everything I have for him, at least one or two things are handmade!

Shower Invite -- These is a new favorite for me. My husband designed these library card baby shower invites. We used a real stamp for his due date. They were also surprisingly inexpensive since my mom is a teacher & she was able to hook us up with supplies!

Things I Bought Thursdays...

First up, a birthday present for my dear friend Julie. I finally got a chance to use my wrapping paper from Riffe Raff. Julie is definitely worth stellar wrapping paper!


And now for the mildly guilt inducing items... I was seriously plagued by an insane sale at Barneys this week. I used my eBay earnings and bought the purse I've been coveting for 75% off ... I also succumbed to some super cute shoes (also 75% off). I've officially abandoned my quest for the brown dress in case your wondering...

A Couple of Random Bits...

Audrey has a new favorite food...and it's a vegetable!

I'm sharing some photos of Dallas on Erin's series, Your Downtown on her delightful blog Reading My Tea Leaves. Take a peek!

I Am In Complete Awe of Her…

All images via Judy Aldridge’s blog Atlantis Home + her daughter Jane’s blog, Sea of Shoes

First and foremost, it’s quite possible that she’s the most Stylish. Woman. Ever.

I can't even fathom possesing her ability to put pretty much perfect outfits together without looking in any way "over the top" -- she does this sort of genius mix of jeans, vintage and a heafty dose of American Apparel combined with swoon-worthy, collectible shoes and jewelry.

It's perfection.

But wait, there’s more.

She also has two incredibly chic teenage daughters, one of which (above) just designed a killer collection of shoes for Urban Outfitters… She’s 17.

And don't even get me started on her gorgeous house. Oh my, her house…

Oh and she lives in Dallas.

Loving...

Surf photography from the 60's...especially excited about going to the Leroy Grannis exhibit here in Dallas... (top poster via swell)



Urban's leather butterfly chair...


Flora's gorgeous abstracts...

Darcy Miro's groovy recycled gold bracelet...

This super cool Bonneville...just down the street from lovely cousin Erin's apartment...

Scenes from The Week-End -- The Ranch

lovely cousin kristin

The Weekend trip to our cousin's ranch was a great success. There was a new (unexpected) calf, swimming, campfire s'mores, cooking, playing games and just general comradrie...

Between Bryan and his two cousins, there are eight kids (seven girls and one boy). Our girls are the youngest, and the rest range between twelve and twenty. These are some amazinginly excellent teenagers -- funny, interesting, kind... no petulance whatsover. They're all genuine, highly individual, confident and witty and a true pleasure to hang out with.

I took all sorts of parenting notes ;-)

Hope your weekend was delightful!

Blogger’s Favorites Part II – Emily of Wide Open Spaces…

image via Wide Open Spaces (via like it, like it, like it)

I adore Emily… In fact I consider her a bit of a blogging kindred spirit. Her blog is incredibly lovely and interesting and diverse, and she’s so soulful and thoughtful. I’d love nothing more than to get to know her better over a cup of coffee one day...

Emily, you in?

So without further ado, herewith Emily’s favorites. Enjoy and have a splendid Father’s Day weekend!

Photo credits -- shoes, coffee, pencils

Traveling -- Anytime, anywhere. Train travel and fantastic hotels make me particularly happy. Put me in podunksville in a great hotel and I’m good to go. It’s a bit of a hobby for my husband and I to visit great hotels and determine how we might try to make them even better. And I never like to let my passport expire, just in case. Next on my list: Copenhagen, San Luis Obispo, Vancouver, & Asheville.

On a related note – I love a great town. Small or large, stateside or overseas, nothing makes me sigh with delight like a town well down. For me this means lots of local flavor, beautiful green spaces and interesting places to walk and get lost in.

The Four Seasons -- (Not the hotel chain, though they do make me happy as well, see # 1) The distinct look, feel & smell of each new season thrills me. I love celebrating seasonal festivities and I am always readily anticipating the next in line.

Books -- The smell, the feel in my hand, titles, cover art, first lines, last pages – there isn’t much about books that doesn’t make me happy. Walking into a bookstore or library is like stepping into heaven. I even like to decorate with books - the ultimate utilitarian décor.

A Morning Alone -- With two little ones, silence is indeed, golden. On the rare occasion that I have a morning to myself, every act feels utterly luxurious. That slow, sweet cup of coffee. The leisurely act of getting ready. Reading or exercising or browsing through a shop all take on an entirely different tone in the absence of my little loved ones. And with all sincerity - coming home is sweeter yet.

Thunderstorms -- Rumbling and patient with plenty of flashes of light. The kind that starts Friday afternoon and ends sometime late Sunday.

Fresh Starts -- Birthdays, New Years, the start of a new school year. I’ll even count freshly sharpened pencils and a new journal as blank slate enough to smile.

Swedish Imports -- Saabs, Volvos, IKEA, Swedish Massage and last but not least, Swedish Fish. Those Swedes know what is up.

High School Sports -- I’m not a big sports fan but nearly 15 years out of high school, all of the papers and proms have faded from my mind. Somehow just remembering those autumn afternoons watching football, or chilly winter nights at a basketball game – and not a moment has passed. The best moments of my youth remain there crystallized in time. Go, Scouts, Go!

Shoes -- This goes hand in hand with seasons. I am incapable of entering a fresh season without the proper footwear. Spring flats, Summer sandals, Autumn boots and Holiday heels – each beckon me like clockwork.

Blogger’s Favorites Part I – Me…

my favorites...find out more here

Despite asking dozens of lovely, talented and über-tasteful bloggers to share their all-time favorite favorites with you, I’ve never gone through the exercise myself and narrowed down all the things I love best into a nice tidy “top ten” list.

Not really fair is it?

Recently one of my favorite bloggers asked me to do a list for her site, Wide Open Spaces, and I thought it would be a perfect opportunity to not only finally go through the exercise but to also do a Blogger’s Favorites exchange if you will.

Of course I couldn’t stick to ten…Friends it’s hard! I have a whole new respect for all my Blogger’s Favorites participants.

Take a peek at my favorites over here, and stay tuned for Emily’s most excellent list…

Things I Bought Thursdays...

First up are the two pieces of art (and the two sweet dresses for Millie) that I bought last weeekend at the White Rock Local Market. One is a lovely oil on paper mounted on wood that I hung in the hall, and every. single. time. I pass it, I smile. A sign of a good purchase indeed. The other is a mixed media piece on wood that I bought for Audrey's room. I'm really smitten with both.

Second, I bought the organic hemp silk dress that I blogged about a while ago, deeply discounted from Beklina. I must say, I would not actually consider this a dress, unless you have pencil legs or wicked high self-confidence...neither of which I possess. But I love it nonetheless, and the shopping experience at Beklina was perfection.

In other news, I posted my recipe for guacamole with feta cheese over here. Take a peek.