Some Scenes From The Weekend...

pots in the window by my friend (the amazing potter) jonathan cross...

So I think we're finally getting the hang of this "lazy weekend" thing. After several weeks of fewer plans and the abolishment of back-to-back commitments, the thing I had hoped would happen has happened... Our creative juices are flowing. It's amazing what can surface after allowing yourself some empty space to meander in for a while. You feel refreshed, inspired (or at least I do). Sure we did plenty of futzing around (it was a blissful 70 degrees for most of the weekend, so we had to loll around outside a bit), but we also spontaneously made a super deluxe "taco bar" for lunch (when normally weekend lunches are hastily put together sandwiches) complete with flank steak, sauteed onions, fresh cilantro and blue cheese, thrifted with lovely cousin Erin, read, worked on the living room "refresh" and were inspired to eat chocolate chip pancakes for dinner. I also started really thinking through a couple of projects I want to put more time into this year...reasoning through them and planning in a way that wouldn't have been possible during one of our previously typical jam-packed weekends. Now here's the only downside of the new approach -- I'm now getting the Monday blues. Bad. Before, the weekends were so busy that Monday was a bit of a respite...I looked forward to it. But now I'm transported back to junior high, all depressed and melancholy on Sunday night. It's a small price to pay I suppose. Hope your weekend was splendid!

some fruits of our thrifiting...a groovy "candelabra" and an etching from the 1930s...

Blogger's Favorites -- Jennifer Causey

images via jen causey

For my first (belated) "blogger's favorites" post of the new year, I am incredibly excited to share photographer and blogger Jennifer Causey's beautiful list...

I've long been a fan of Jennifer's work...she is hugely gifted, managing to capture the most simple, everyday things in a wholly magical way. And as evident in her picks below, she has the most perfect aesthetic sensibility (striped shirts, Spartan, coffee...yes please).

So without further ado, herewith Jen's favorites. Enjoy and have a splendid weekend!

japanese design (like fog linen work). I love simple design and muted colors. Beautiful linen and lovely wooden objects.


stripes (photo via Chance). I wear stripes any chance I get. I can't help it, i'm addicted-especially when they are in navy or grey.

Brooklyn pizza. (photo via Motorino) I love thin crust Neapolitan style pizza. Brooklyn has some of the best.

Dinner under the stars. Early or late summer dinners, drinking wine with friends, under the stars, it doesn't get much better than that.

travel. I am filled with wanderlust and am always dreaming of travel. Right now I can't get Iceland out of my mind. Or maybe somewhere warm like Palm Springs.

having coffee with friends.

everything they sell at spartan in austin. (photo via Spartan) This is a beautifully curated shop and it makes me happy anytime I am able to visit.

photos from David Ryle. (photo via david ryle website) These photos feed my wanderlust. I can be transported just by looking at them.

simple beautiful jewelry. (photo via esservesper) I don't wear much jewelry, so I love simple designs.

The Zen of Calligraphy, A Wise DJ and An Outfit (aka My Alt Summit Recap)

pretty business cards gathered at Alt...

There are so many fantastic Alt Summit recaps floating around the interwebs, filled with all sorts of goodness, so rather than rehash what's already been said (and likely better than I could say it), I thought I'd just share the things I can't seem to get out of my mind since coming home:

1. Calligraphy is akin to meditation -- On the first day of the summit, I took a calligraphy class from the lovely and incredibly talented Melissa Esplin, and it was a revelation. Let me just say, no matter how easy Melissa made it seem, calligraphy is hard. It takes work, and I'm not very good at it (not surprising given my DIY track-record), but the act of working at it is quite possibly one of the most relaxing things I've done in a long time. You can't really think about anything else while you're trying to get those letters just right; it sort of puts you in a trance. Incredibly therapeutic that calligraphy... I'm hooked.
   
   (I also had the pleasure of sitting next to the totally fantastic Alexis in the class... we've been blog friends for a while, so it was the sort of surreal experience of meeting someone for the first time, but having the most natural, "I've known you forever" conversation.)
   


2. Creative geniuses know when to unplug and use their hands -- On day two I attended a session on events for the sole purpose of getting inside the brains of event super-stars Jordan, Ashley and Britney (of my rainbow cake inspiration). I wanted to know how they come up with all their brilliant ideas. I was heartened by Ashley's tales of making lots of "ugly" things along the way to coming up with the final perfect execution of an idea and her declaration that to foster creativity you have to "walk away from the computer and make things with your hands". Obvious but so often (by me) ignored.
   


3. Green hair is not stupid -- I expected a lot of things out of Alt, but one thing I didn't even remotely imagine would happen was that I would get some spot-on parenting advice from a wunderkind DJ. On day two, DJ Spooky gave the lunch keynote and was fantastic and brilliant and a little crazy (in the best possible way, as most brilliant people are).
   
   During the Q&A, an attendee asked him how his parents influenced and cultivated his desire to learn, and he shared a bit about his upbringing (his parents were academics and political activists) and how he was constantly challenged and expected to "challenge back", to form arguments, to know what he believed in and why. He also said that his mother told him, "Dye your hair green but don't ever do anything stupid"... Quite possibly the best parental line ever. It's all about putting things in perspective. Thanks DJ Spooky.
   


4. I believe in women -- I am heartened by what I saw go down last week. There was a palpable energy, an amazing sense of rooting for each other and the genuine feeling that there are more than enough opportunities available for everyone to get in on the action. It's a powerful thing when women bond together and support each other like this (and the men too...there were a few men in attendance). It reminds me of a post I wrote last summer and specifically this Michele Oka Doner quote originally found by my beloved Karey (my Alt roomie and partner in "crime.")
   
   "Evolved women have begun to form a collective awareness of how to support one another. It goes way beyond 'what dress am I wearing tonight?' I really like women. I've learned how to negotiate a world filled with intelligent and attractive women, giving everyone their due."
   

from left: danni, melanie, me, liz and amy after our panel ...


And now (as promised in the post title) a little bit of an "outfit deconstructed"... Since I forced you to take a peek into my pre-Alt packing process, I thought it only fair to show you an outfit I wore last week in its entirety.

Here's what I sported on day one...


(Note how much attention I'm paying in the calligraphy class. I really, really wanted to get it right... oh and look at how lovely that sweet Danni is in her fab yellow skirt...)


The Details:

• Striped "dress" -- Chance
• Skinny grey cords -- Gap
• Black "paperchain" necklace -- J. Crew
• Heels -- J. Crew
• Nail polish -- Chanel Particuliere

Honor Your Stuff...

I don't think you are defined by your stuff.

(Although, admittedly, my fondness for peeking into a stylish person's closet/home/drawers via The Selby or Jeana's genius series to try and get a better sense of them is pretty strong.)

But I do think your stuff is a significant component of who you are. It has to be recognized. I think there's something good in having a (healthy) reverence for the things that you own. You, after all, spent hard-earned money or time acquiring or making those things. They should be treated well, respected...honored.

You know one of my resolutions this year is to purchase fewer things. And (because I'm a girl that likes structure and rules) I hope to do that with two "guidelines" in mind.

• End 2011 with less stuff than I started with.
• Buy only things I know I will have for at least five years.

See, I'm not sure I've been honoring my stuff in the past. I have impulse shopped (a lot), tossed things that were slightly downtrodden, purchased essentially disposable shoes at Target ad nauseam just because I was jonesin' for something new.

I believe when you buy only the things that you really love, things that are made with integrity, things that are high-quality, beautiful and meaningful...you will have them for a very, very long time. I believe these types of things are worthy of display (I'm not sure I'd necessarily put my new Celine wedges on my bookshelf, but that photo above has me seriously considering it).

Most of the time it costs more to buy these types of things (quality and our rampant discount culture are generally incompatible), but not always...I have found many of my most special, most lasting things on the cheap, at estate sales or thrift stores. Similarly, there are things in my closet that, with the proper care, have lasted years despite their lowly providence (i.e. a Banana Republic skirt that I've had for 10 years (!), have had tailored three times, and still wear every.single.week.)

I am digging this new site the Coveteur big time, because it reminded me yet again of the specialness of the things you own...especially when you acquired them with purpose. It gives those items a story. That's a good thing, an essential part of our own personal histories, a little archaeological exploration of our lives.

...and barring all of that, the site is just really freakin' cool, yes?

all photographs by Jake Rosenberg via The Coveteur...

Loving...

Giovanna's shoes... those crazy, insane gorgeous shoes. Holy cow. (From this fantastic blog found via jessica.)

Emersonmade's pretty (and clever) little gold pendants...I'd like the four leaf clover one to mix in with my other necklaces...

This gorgeous room -- the art, the leather chair, that hot pink (!) rug... Awesome. (Via a note on design, which I am completely and utterly addicted to.)

The perfect bangs-sporting girls that work at DwellStudio... (but then again all those DwellStudio girls are awfully cute, yes?)

Dream rugs. The kind of rugs that make everything else in a room look better just by being in proximity to them. (via Elizabeth)

This simple/beautiful necklace...

and all its sundry pieces and parts... (via Ashley)

These J.Crew wedges...my summer shoes. I like a little suede for summer.

These sweet/artful handcrafted yarn animals...so perfect for all my buddies having babies (and there are lots of them...there must be something in the water!)

Some Scenes From The Weekend...

After a full week of travel (two planes, two hotel rooms and three different time zones), I arrived home Saturday afternoon sporting a pretty unfortunate head cold. The girlies were feeling pretty cruddy too, which, while sad for them, was convenient for me, as all I really wanted to do after six days away was cuddle in the bed with them and watch movies. So the weekend was pretty much the movie/cuddle-fest, some reading and drawing and the beginnings of "Operation Valentine 2011" -- we try to make homemade ones every year (they're not always pretty, but it's the thought that counts, right?) and between both girls, we're up to 54 (!) classmates, so we have to start early. We're playing with some pen and ink handwritten notes adorned with Japanese masking tape mini-bunting. We'll see how they turn out ;-) Alt was completely fantastic and inspiring this year (more on that later), but boy am I glad to be home! Hope you had a splendid weekend friends.

Evolving A Room...

images via house beautiful...

I'm itching to change-up things in my house a bit...nothing too drastic, just some tweaks here and there, moving stuff around, editing the rooms a smidge. But I am thinking of doing a few more dramatic things in the living room, as I'm feeling like all the neutral (i.e. safe) earthiness going on in there could use a little amping up.

It makes me a bit nervous, but this is my first attempt at "embracing fear" in 2011, so I'm going with it.

I'm using Roman Alonso's house as my inspiration. I posted his sunroom a while back in a "loving" list and have since been sort of obsessed with the space. I like that it's earthy and natural but with a slunkier, groovier vibe.

I've already pulled the trigger on a rug, (which seemed key to the whole enterprise) and laid it over the existing sisal in the room. I also got a big fiddleaf fig and a groovy pot that I'm loving in the space (both visible in weekend scenes). Now I'm thinking I need to switch out my grey and yellow anthro pillows on the couch with some sort of cobalt blue ones (maybe velvet) and am on the hunt for a big chrome swing lamp and something, well...hot pink.

Hot pink = totally embracing fear.

We'll see how it all goes ;-)

I'm heading out to Salt Lake City in just a bit for Alt, so I'm signing off for the rest of the week, but I'll be back on Monday.

Have a splendid rest of your week friends!

Loving...

This cozy Prairie Underground tunic/dress number -- I can't get this one out of my mind...with skinny jeans and boots, or leggings, it's got major "wear to threads" potential.

This sweet make-shift gallery wall + grass cloth wallpaper

and...

this entire den. My two favorite rooms from the latest Lonny. Fantastic...

This insanely cute (and refreshingly happy) girl (via garance)...There's nothing better than a major smile.

This great Max Dalton Beatles poster via size too small...

The girlies love The Beatles more than words...in fact, one of my proudest parenting moments was when somebody asked a then 3-year old Millie if she knew who was singing the song on the radio, expecting her to respond, "The Beatles", and instead she paused, put her finger to her temple, listened really intently and said:

"John".

Oh and loving Beatles on bikes too... (via joanna)

This really dreamy scene...+ you know of my fondness for a teepee (via a desert fete)

This lovely + genius + super artful "wrapping paper" created by Essimar. Japanese masking tape might be the best multi-use "pretty-maker" of all time.