Friday Photo Finish

I had just 10 minutes to grab some early morning photos of Lancaster before hopping back in the car and heading to the airport to come home.  The rest of the time I was there, I was working indoors from morning until after dark unfortunately, so these were the best I could do. 
Happy Friday!





images by me

Sweet Lettering

I keep coming back to these sweet letters designed by Jeanie of Jeanie and Jewell ever since I saw them on Black Eiffel.  I just never seem to get tired of beautiful typography. 




Also check out the website for her line of custom stationery and announcements, called The Paper Nut.  Jane and Poppy are my absolute favorites.  Such exquisite detail to her work. 

Orange Slice

Orange Slice makes beautiful jewelry is made from a high-quality, non-toxic, hardwood laminate that is made in studio from sustainably harvested trees.  I saw their work up close at the most recent Renegade Craft Fair in December, and they really are impressive. 




The pieces are available for sale on their Etsy shop.

Valentine’s Garland

Isn’t this a great way to get more mileage out of your Christmas lights (because you know you haven’t taken them down yet anyway)?  From Christmas lights to Valentine’s Garland.  How simple and perfect. 


images by {elena} via Mary Ruffle Tumblr

Bright Stripes

I spent Sunday sitting in our sunny yellow kitchen while the rain poured and the wind howled outside the windows.  It’s such a bright happy room to be in, but it could use some curtains to give us a little more privacy at night. 
However I’ve always had a love hate relationship with curtains.  I like the privacy they offer at night, but I hate that they would block even just a little bit of of the window, and thus natural light, that comes in during the day. 
This image below got me thinking that it might be fun to add some bright stripes to the mix of yellow walls and white cabinets, and the bright fabric could make up for the small amount of window that get covered up.  Hmmm….

image by Magnus Selander via Desire to Inspire

And I'm back!

Sorry for the absence last week, but I was working some very long days at my day job to try to catch up after traveling the week before.  Turns out that no matter how much I love writing this blog, when I'm tired, it's impossible for me to post anything.  For some reason, when I'm tired I tend to think nothing is good enough to post, and thus end up searching desperately for something I find worthy to post, which means I ultimately post nothing. :)  Also pulling the photos and writing sentences after working a 12 hour day at my day job just seems like an insurmountable amount of work to do, and so I opt to veg out instead.    

Anyway, I've gotten a jump start on this week's posts so hopefully I'll be able to produce a full week of posts for you.  You've all been so nice with your compliments of my little blog.  I hope you've had a wonderful weekend because you certainly make my days!   

Nina Invorm

It started raining yesterday, and it’s been predicted to last all week, so I’m going to need a little happiness and brightness to keep my spirits up this week.  These ceramic pieces by Nina van der Goor, aka Ninainvorm, should help start off the week nicely.  Her work has been featured in publications such as O, The Oprah Magazine to decor8. 




This one would make a great gift for Valentines Day. 
All items available for sale from her Etsy shop.

Stripe it up

Loving the idea of a striped dining table… but maybe in navy stripes instead of pink… or silver… or aqua…hmmm.  Well at least I know that I’d keep the natural wood top to do it on. :)  Such a fun way to jazz up your dining table.  A chevron pattern would look great too. 

image via David Cleveland

Be Still My Heart

I know that it’s not always cool to care about Valentines Day, and that some people just think of it as a “Hallmark Holiday”, and that when you’re single it can be the most painful day of the year, but I can’t help but love it.  Even when I was single, I loved Valentine’s Day all the way up until the actual day, of course. ;)
These treats from Williams-Sonoma really make me happy.  I haven’t tried any of them yet, so I can’t vouch for their taste, but aren’t they just the sweetest (no pun intended)?

Message Heart Cookies


Sweetie Pies


X&O S’mores

And the most beautiful of all are these…

Heart Macarons!!!

Quilted Art

So how was your Monday?  I spent my day traveling from San Francisco to Lancaster, Pennsylvania for work.  The internet at the hotel is a bit slow, but I’m going to try to keep up my posts this week while I’m here (there?). 

In honor of being in Amish country, I’d like to share with you these beautiful handmade pieces by Laura Amiss.

Lost

Our Umbrella

She Wore a Yellow Dress

Running with Balloons

Genevieve Bennett

Beautiful bespoke hand-crafted leather wall panels, mixed media framed artwork, and wallpaper from designer Genevieve Bennett.

Embossed Leather Wall Tile

Sculpted Leather Wall Panels

Mixed Media Wall Art

Mixed Media Wall Art

Hummingbird Print Wallpaper

Reds & Grays

Loving the look of grays and red together whether it’s bright or light or in between. 






images via Atelier Abigail Ahern, Rachel Whiting, Design Sponge, Rachel Whiting, Daniel Cleveland, Real Living

Sweet Tea Cups

Aren’t Claire Coles’s embroidered tea cups so sweet?

Milly Goodwin’s Grey & Brights

Food and homes stylist for Easy Living magazine, Milly Goodwin’s home is a mix of cool neutrals and bright pops of colors.  Love!

The entrance features a runner made of hemp sacking.  A touch of red provides a nice pop of color along with the multicolored, and multi-national, antique blankets (underneath the basket) to a mostly neutral area.

Calm blues and whites in the bedroom provide a soothing space to relax and unwind.  The screen provides privacy and the cut-out pattern adds an interesting element without being a distraction.



In the main room, dark gray dominates, but the mix of white accents (sofa, lights, trim, and accessories) combined with natural woods (door, the Danish-style sideboard), and bright pillows gives the room a warm, cozy feeling.  Mixing different styles and eras of furniture and accessories gives a the room a timeless look that means it won’t look dated by the end of the year. 

images via The Guardian

Happy New Year!

I hope you all had a wonderful New Year’s with your loved ones.  Pete and I attended two parties (one with new friends and one with old) on New Years Eve, and managed to reach the second one with just minutes to spare before ringing in 2010.  All in all we had a great time, and had a nice quiet weekend and feeling well rested for the upcoming week.  It’s always a little bittersweet going back to work the week after New Year’s when it’s back to business as usual after a month of Holiday cheer. 

I hope these lovely images take some of the gloom off returning to work.  The photographs were all styled and photographed by blogger, graphic designer, online boutique owner, and photographer, Sara Duckett. 






You can read more about her and her many talents on her blog Sadie Olive.