Photo Finish

I was fortunate to capture some of the beautiful flowering trees a couple of weekends ago when it was sunny for a bit.  This magnolia tree was so very pretty. 



images by me

Magic Carpet?

Maybe not, but could certainly able to brighten one’s mood on such gray days as these.  A rug made of hundreds of felt balls in a rainbow of colors… no rain required. ;)

Available here.

Update: Looks like Anthro liked this rug too... see here. 

Cassia Beck

Cassia Beck’s photography can only be described as cotton candy for the eyes.  The warm, soft pinkish tones make the world in her photos seem as though we are looking at it through a mist of spun pink sugar.  I don’t know how I came to discover her, but it’s nice to gaze at them when it’s pouring rain outside.

Almost Free

By the Sea

Sweet Shop

Cup of Butterflies

My Lollipop

I Am Happy
Almost Free, By the Sea, and I Am Happy are available from Cassia’s Cassia Beck Etsy shop.  Sweet Shop, Cup of Butterflies, and My Lollipop are available from Cassia’s Lolas Room Etsy shop.

Spin Me ‘Round

While garlands have been the sweethearts of the blog world for some time now, I think pinwheels are coming up strong for a little Spring fling.  They make the perfect happy pick-me-up for those living in a still frost covered world. 

Floral Pinwheel Necklace (it works!) from Fey Handmade


“Pinwheel” photo by Claire Wise


Kate Spade Spring 2010 (see a fun video featuring more pinwheel play here)

Escort Card Idea via Oh So Beautiful Paper

Pinwheel seating cards via Snippet & Ink

Photo Finish

There is a small area in Alamo Square Park near the restrooms where there is what can only be described as a “shoe garden”.  It’s easily missed by visitors whose attention is drawn to much prettier things in the opposite direction, but I’m fortunate enough to live nearby and thus have lots of opportunities to study not just the view, but the park itself.

Fabulous Piece

An absolutely gorgeous antique solid mahogany bar cart with pistachio green high lacquer paint finish…swoon!

Available from Fabulous Pieces on Etsy.

Irene Suchocki

Irene Suchocki’s photos are like dreams.  Wouldn’t you love to just step into one?





Available for purchase here.

Tomoko Maruyama

I’ve been in love with Tomoko Maruyama’s work for months now (I think I first saw her work at the Renegade Craft Fair last August).  She is a graphic designer who is from Japan and now lives here in SF. 
Her first career was as a sports teacher and lifeguard in Japan, but she decided it wasn’t what she really wanted to do with her life, so she came to the U.S., and went to school to learn graphic design.  She didn’t speak any English at the time and had a hard time understanding her teachers much less making any friends, but she never gave up on her dream.  Now she spends her time designing the sweetest, happiest illustrations for everything from greeting cards to wedding invitations to t-shirts and wall art many of which are inspired by San Francisco. 
Here are a few of her images.





I just purchased that last one from a shop in Japantown yesterday.  Maybe it’s a little silly to live in San Francisco and have an image of San Francisco’s Painted Ladies, but I spent a lovely afternoon yesterday in Alamo Square Park on a nice, warm, sunny day enjoying this view, and the colors of the print match the palette that I have decided on for the living room, so it just seemed like too perfect not to get.  It now rests on our the console below the TV. :)
If you are interested in picking up a print of your own, you can purchase one from Tomoko’s Etsy shop.    

Happy Valentine’s Day!

I postponed my Friday Photo Finish, so that I could wish all you lovelies a happy Valentine’s Day today!  Everyone deserves a little love today.

image by me

Oh Happy Thursday!

I came across these images this week whilst tripping through the web.  They are such pretty Spring things to look at that I keep coming back to them over and over again.  They make me long for warmer days and sunnier weather, but until then these will certainly do.   

So many things I love about this shot… the angle, the balloons, the yellow skirt, and that aqua building with white trim.  Found via Chocolate Therapy whom I found via Mary Ruffle.  (If you know the original source of this image, please let me know so I can give proper credit.)

I may be a little late to have come across these little needle felted birds by Lauren Alane (whenever they appear in her etsy shop they immediately get scooped up), but seriously who could resist wanting a handful of these guys to put on your desk or your windowsill?

I’ve been obsessing over cake stands lately.  I really want to get a bunch to use when we have guests over or for decoration when we don't.  There are so many different kinds of them out there at very inexpensive prices (just do a search on etsy).  It’s time I dove in and got a few.
Such an easy and elegant way to dress up a table… top with food or top with flowers.

What’s not to love about this Love Shoot by Amorolgy Weddings and Jill Thomas for Style Me Pretty… the vintage handkerchiefs garland, the mix of colors- oranges, turquoises, pinks, and corals, the mis-matched chairs, and of course that adorable little cake stand! 

third photo down via Trine Thorsen

Liberty of London for Target

I just heard that Liberty of London is Target’s newest designer collaboration.  The collection will be available online and in stores on March 14, and will include Liberty’s iconic floral prints on everything from clothing to bedding to housewares and even on a bike!   


You can also see some additional items here on Racked NY, and Oprah.com has a first look at a few of the clothing items that will be sold. 
images via Wee Birdy

Poster Cabaret

So how was your weekend?  Our Super Bowl Party was a great success, if I do say so myself.  Lots of food and lots of friends.  The rug arrived on Friday, and fortunately, Pete’s mom was here to receive it.  The rug looks great, and came in handy for extra seating in addition to the folding chairs Pete and I picked up at Ikea.

So now that we have the floors and the seating settled, I think it’s time to start hanging some art on our bare walls.  Poster Cabaret offers a great selection of art prints and concert prints.  These are some of my favorites. 

Friday Photo Finish

Ready to escape to a weekend filled with cooking, friends, and football. 

image by me

Before & After

Ever have one of those days where you are just so fed up with life or work that you just want to sit down in the middle of the sidewalk and give up?  Just throw your hands up and quit life?  Sometimes I just get tired of fighting life or caring about anything, and I’m beyond the point where even running away to sell lemonade on a beach in Mexico sounds like an escape.  It’s definitely been one of those weeks.
  
But then you persevere.  You keep putting one foot in front of the other.  You get on the train and eventually it arrives at your stop.  You get off the train, and because there is a rainstorm coming, the air is heavy with the scent of early Spring blossoms.  So you keep moving forward, smelling the trees and the flowers and the freshly cut grass in the park.
 
You get home, get on the computer, and see a stunning “Before & After” room makeover on Design Sponge like the one below. 
The first thing that catches your eye is the most amazingly detailed ceiling medallion in a creamy white against that deep, dark ceiling.  Simply stunning.  Then you start to notice the other details in the room like the gold candleholders on the wall, the polish of the rich mahogany floor, the luxurious floor to ceiling drapes, and the mix of the modern dining table and upholstered chairs with the antique chairs and table all paired with a simple sisal rug.  And just like that your day is transformed from the “before” to the “after”. :)       

Go here to see the “Before” photo.  You will be amazed at the difference.

Sweet Valentines

I can’t believe Valentines Day is just a week from Sunday!  Where did January go?  Apparently I’ve been too busy at work to notice it creeping up on me.  I haven’t even so much as put glue to paper this year to make my Valentines cards, and I’m not sure that I will have time between now and then either with our big Super Bowl Party coming up this Sunday.
   
Fortunately these super adorable cards from The Black Apple are still available at her Etsy shop, and ready to ship for those of you who like me are unprepared.  It’s like she read my mind.  I was just out a few weeks ago looking for cards just like the ones that kids hand out at school, but for adults.  Lo and behold, here they are, the “Anytime Valentines”. 

Apartment Update

It’s been four months now since we moved from our tiny studio apartment into our much larger apartment in San Francisco, so I thought I’d update you on some of the recent purchases we’ve made on the long road to making this place our home.    
Since we have no carpeting anywhere in our apartment, we really needed to get some rugs to help absorb some of the echo of our voices and footfalls in order to keep the peace with our neighbors downstairs and up, especially since Pete and his business partner often take late night conference calls with their team in Pakistan.  Plus we’re planning a big Super Bowl Party this weekend and a nice padded rug can serve as extra seating if necessary. 
So here are the ones that we’ve chosen, so far.

The Henley Rug in Taupe from Pottery Barn for our living room.  I’m hoping the color will be close to that shown in the photo as the room is in the middle of the apartment and doesn’t get much natural light, so I want the rug to help add a little warmth and lightness to the room.  I almost went for this brightly patterned rug from Crate & Barrel, but decided that a neutral rug that I can dress up with patterned pillows and other accessories would be best for now.
For the dining room, I chose the Andalusia Rug from West Elm to go under the table.   

What really sealed the deal for me on this one besides how much I love the pattern, was this image above with the pale blue-gray sofa which is the same color as our walls.  It can be difficult to parse yellows online as they can seem much brighter than in reality.
For the hallway that runs between the front door and the kitchen, I picked up the Sigrid Runner below from Ikea while Pete and I were there to pick up some folding chairs for our party this weekend.  It was split-second decision to grab it, as Pete was waiting for me by the registers, but I’m really happy with it, so far. 

So now we just need rugs for both sides of our bed, the spare room, and one for the office.  It’s not that I don’t love the wood floors, but with our high ceilings, the smallest sounds can be so loud.  Also the floors are really chilly to walk around on in your bare feet especially in San Francisco where it’s going to be months before the warm weather returns.  

One last item, we’ve decided on for the living room besides the rug, is this Olivia Sofette also from Pottery Barn.
  
I’ve been looking for months for a suitable seating solution for our small living room.  We already have a large sofa and a small chair in there, but definitely needed to add either a small loveseat or a couple of additional chairs to go along the wall, so we can seat more people.  This image below from Skona Hem via Decor8 helped me finally settle on the Olivia.  I fell in love with the antique loveseat, and combined with the modern sofa, it looks so cute and refreshing. 

The Olivia fits in perfectly with the Victorian style of our apartment, while also fitting into the limited space we have for it and filling our need for additional seating.  We can just add a throw blanket and some pillows covered in some modern fabric to help tie it in with the existing sofa.  

I’ll be sure to show photos of our apartment once everything has arrived.

**note:  As an employee of Williams-Sonoma, Inc., which includes the brands Pottery Barn and West Elm, I do receive discounts on merchandise from these brands.  The information contained in the above written post are my own thoughts and opinions and do not reflect those of WSI.  I was not asked to write the above post nor given any special dispensation for writing about WSI product.