Blogger's Favorites -- Samantha of style/SWOON

I’m particularly excited about this week’s blogger’s favorites, as not only is Samantha a talented graphic and interior designer (with a stunning home and amazing taste), but…she’s also a fellow Dallasite.

I love coming across other aesthetic kindred spirits on the Internet, and it’s even more fun when you can actually sit down and chat over a cup of coffee (soon!) Samantha’s blog, style/SWOON provides endless inspiration, so it’s no surprise that her favorites are lovely and soulful and a bit of a feast for the eyes…

Herewith Samantha’s list. Enjoy and have a splendid weekend!

All Things White... I can't help it. I try to fight it and I don't win. I just love it. Natural white, bright white, glossy white, distressed white, white walls, white clothes, white cars... you get the picture.

Chalkboard Paint -- I'm not sure when this obsession started... but chalkboards are now a signature thing for me in every space I do. Home, office, friends... all interiors. Can't seem to get it out of my system.

All 200 lbs of My Dogs -- From left to right, Kuma (45 lbs), Logo (17 lbs), Stella (40 lbs) and Sophie (German shepard, 100 lbs.)

My Parent’s Farm -- It's really a farmette... They moved there after I went to college. Three acres, lots of animals, lots of love.


Wine - What else is there to say on that?

Repetition -- In graphic design or in decor at home. Patterns, multiples of anything. I'm a sucker for it. Just love LOTS of just about anything...I think it's the graphic designer in me.

Vacations -- Currently enjoyed a great vacay in Park City!! Sundance 2010!

Texas -- I'm from here and I just don't see leaving. I love how everything is bigger in Texas, especially people's hearts.


My iphone -- Truly life changing. Can. Not. Live. Without. It. My husband and I talk all the time about being inundated by media and how we thrive on it.

+

Target -- Who doesn't? It's great. Clothes, toiletries, home furnishings, accessories, power tools....all in one happy little stop. I have shut down Target many nights. And PS - I feel like there needs to be a frequent buyer program here.

Happy Makers

Gorgeous children's clothes + gorgeous styling + twirling (because really what's happier than twirling) = instant happiness. (originally spotted via rachel...)

insanely happy blue shoes... (+ they're on sale...yet more happiness)

The fact that Renegade Craft Fair is coming to Austin in May and is now accepting applications for vendors...because really why should Brooklyn, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Chicago have all the fun?

Smile-worthy fabric from Polarn O. Pyret's archives. This one makes me especially happy, as it reminds me of my sweet Millie's obsession with her little stuffed lamb (which, by the way, I tried to convince her to take to show in tell on "S" day and call a sheep...She didn't go for it. It's her "lamb...L.A.M.B. got it." Her words. She's turning out feisty that one.)

Some Thoughts on Happy

Image via the most excellent at home at home...

“It is by studying little things,” wrote Samuel Johnson, “that we attain the great art of having as little misery, and as much happiness as possible.”
via The Happiness Project

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about happiness.

I generally consider myself a naturally happy person -- optimistic, positive…I go into most situations with a sense that things will turn out OK, and if they don’t, all will still (somehow) be right with the world. Despite this, for the last few months of 2009, I found myself, well…not so happy.

I wouldn’t go so far as to say I was “unhappy” during that period, as that seems a bit too drastic, but I was definitely in a funk, a bit bluesy, uninspired, irritable.

I’d like to say I know why, that there’s some perfect explanation for my less than stellar months, but other than a series of minor inconveniences (i.e. a house full of swine flu, botched travel) there really was no smoking gun.

So I spent some time on a long post-holiday car ride thinking (and scheming) about what I would like to do, experience, change in 2010 to get the happy back. Then as if by fate, the entire month of January has been peppered with all sorts of thoughts on happy (apparently “happy” is all the rage.) First there was public television's three part series on happiness, "This Emotional Life", then I got a note in my inbox about Gretchen Rubin’s new book “The Happiness Project”, not long after, I read Abbey’s fantastic post and started immediately thinking about “absolute and perfect happiness— the ten to twelve events that comprise a whole life.”

Not wanting to over-think things (while I believe happiness is often complicated, it's usually staggeringly, strikingly simple, no?), I decided to just sit down and make a list of the things that make me the happiest, and then commit to doing those things (far) more often in 2010.

So after much musing, here are a few things* that make me happiest (in no particular order)…

*I should note that my hubby and girlies make me incredibly happy, but for the purposes of this exercise, “spending time with them” is a given.

• Cooking a great meal (ideally with a kitchen full of collaborators)
• Riding my bike (simple but immensely pleasurable)
• Listening to music
• Road trips (ideally spontaneous... Bryan always drives and I do tons of reading, which leads me too)
• Reading (I'm never happier than when I'm reading)
• Seeing art
• Spending time with inspiring women (the time at Alt cemented this for me)
• Making things with my hands
• Being fully unplugged...

Strikingly simple. Maybe even pat and boring, but in reviewing the list, I realize I spent far too little time doing these things during my funk. There was far too much time spent online instead of lost in a book, in the mall instead of making something, eating out instead of cooking, over planning instead of embracing spontaneity... all with the TV on and the music off.

What are the things that make you happiest? What will you do more of this year?

Loving...

The fact that DwellStudio is donating 100% of their dwellstudio.com sales to Unicef for aid to Haiti today + they're doing a dollar-for-dollar match.

Totally fantastic, no?

For the record, I just bought that grey and yellow pillow pictured above...loving that too.

Jason Phillips' insanely lovely/cool gold log stool... (thanks Lucia)

Jane and Judy's gorgeous vintage jewelry...

This bag from Anthro...

(It's sadly no longer available on their site -- I've had it bookmarked forever, and now, well...it's gone.)

I have dreams about this bag.

Satsuma Press' sweet new valentines, because I'm always a sucker for anything sporting a bike.

Three Things...

This completely adorable girl makes me want to get bangs... Thoughts?


I just bought this dress from Gilt*... Clearly I need to start my spending hiatus stat.

(*If you're not already a member of Gilt, you can join with my invite...although first be warned, it's highly addictive.)

Despite the fact that I usually only buy white cloth napkins, I'm seriously swooning over these lovelies from i am dorkas...

Scenes from The Weekend -- Alt Edition

Joy's pretty much perfect accessories...

The view from our hotel room...

I suppose the sign of a really, really good weekend is when you’re so busy having fun that you pull out your camera a woefully inadequate amount of times, no?

The Alt summit was fantastic…beautiful setting, amazing people, completely inspiring.

I’m already looking forward to next year!

Since I’m clearly at a loss for words this morning, pop over and check out Ellie’s great re-cap of the entire event.

Happy Monday!

p.s. and now you MUST go read Karey's alt post because, well...you just have to. Trust me.

Alt Packing + Little Bean Party...

* A few notes about the photo (because some of you have asked ;-) -- The black and gold ball necklace is from UO, and the big gold necklace was an anniversary gift from hubby, sadly I don't think either one are available anymore. The croc clutch is clare vivier... + suann made me some incredibly lovely letterpress business cards (sitting on top of the clutch.)

After much consternation, I am (finally) all packed for Alt...I'm a bit of an obsessive packer, laying everything out on my bed before it goes into the suitcase.

Does anyone else do this?


Since I'll be in Utah at the aforementioned Alt (so excited), I'll (sadly) miss my friend Christine's party this Friday at Little Bean to show off Sarah Tippetts' gorgeous new window installation...

There will be champagne and cupcakes + she's donating 10% of all sales to the Red Cross' efforts in Haiti. Definitely plan on stopping by if you can, as Little Bean parties are the best!


I'm drooling over Christine's Baby Bean Spring collection...so lovely!

Change is Overrated…

Images via loft life

Anita Calero’s loft is one of my all-time, without a doubt, favorite spaces.

I’ve filed away iterations of Calero’s home from every shelter mag I’ve spotted it in, and (these are the types of things I do for fun in my rare spare time, in case you’re wondering) I pulled them all out recently to see how it’s changed over time.

It hasn’t. Not much.

Sure she’s made some tweaks, added a few lovely things, moved objects around, but (and this is a rare and highly admirable trait in my opinion) her style and aesthetic is so consistent, her vision so clear, that it’s essentially the same space, only better.

I feel seduced by the need to “change” far too often…worried that my house will fall into some sort of design rut, like a haircut way past its prime, and start getting itchy to make things look totally different. Usually when I go this route I fail…miserably.

I’m always more successful when I resist the lure of “change for change’s sake” and instead embrace what I already have, just tweaked to feel fresh…

Can you tell I’m starting to gear up a bit for the spending hiatus?

In this spirit, I also recently re-read this article, first spotted on Stephanie’s blog, about the rise of taste and restraint during times of economic strain and was again taken with these passages:

"Austerity is a good thing - an inspiration, not an impediment to genius. It forces more expressiveness and more interesting choices. The tighter the discipline, the more creativity flourishes.”

“The must-have items and fleeting celebrities would fall by the wayside, replaced by objects, experiences and individuals of lasting value.”

Objects, experiences and individuals of lasting value…Exactly.

Loving...

So, so much goodness to love this week...(there was actually more, but I tried to restrain myself, barely.)

First up this monogrammed tote that I first coveted way back here, but after recently spotting it again on Jenny's excellent blog, my love was freshly ignited.

A simple (but rather lovely, no?) necklace... thanks Jora.

A perfect return address stamp (I want this bad...)

Castle's fantastic prints...

Mollie's insanely gorgeous mobile, “dream of the bird.” (I’m also really loving her notes to self.)

A perfect (free) printable calendar generously designed by Something's Hiding in Here...

Oliver Yaphe's sweet "family tree" rug...

Scenes from The Weekend -- Millie's Cowgirl Shindig

I finally got to use the Fuji Instax Mini Bryan got me for my birthday (photos above), and I am in love...

It was another super mellow weekend (I could seriously get used to this)... Other than a yummy dinner on Friday with our friends Julie and Tim (baked pasta courtesy of Julie) and family movie night on Saturday (all four of us crammed on the couch + a big blanket + popcorn = a pretty much perfect evening), it was all about party prep for Millie’s festivities on Sunday.

Despite a small dose of three-year old defiance (Millie refused to wear the pink suede cowgirl vest bought just for the occasion for more than 5 minutes, opting instead for a sparkly faux-sequined monstrosity dredged up from the bottom of the dress-up bin, but hey it was her party right?), the party was a rousing success.

we managed to get one shot of Millie in her vest posing with Audrey + lovely cousin Erin...



Patsy Cline was on heavy rotation, and the kiddos donned their cowboy hats, played pin the tail on the donkey and took a few whacks at the horsey piñata (sometimes the basics are the best, no?)…although Millie did proclaim numerous times that she was going to "beat the horse with a stick" (note to self, next time get an inanimate object piñata because that’s just, well, kinda sad.)

I also got to finally break in my new little Fuji Instax Mini for the party -- I love this thing so much, I’m going to have to set aside a whole seperate fund for film this year...

Hope your weekend was lovely!