Photo Finish

Aloha!  Thought I’d post a few pics from our first day in Hawaii.  The weather was perfect yesterday.  Not too hot and a nice breeze to keep the humidity at a reasonable level.  Just perfect for spending the afternoon wandering around Waikiki.
 
But even before we hit the streets of Waikiki, and even before checking into the hotel, we had to stop by Waiola’s to get shave ice.  It’s good to start off your vacation with a yummy treat, don’t you think? :) 









images by me

Gretel Home

I stumbled upon Gretel Home the other day and was so impressed by their great selection of unique and interesting housewares products.  Here are some pieces that caught my eye.    


Love the button tufted look of this one.  So cute!



I love the swirling blue and white on the inside and the raw clay on the outside. 
{image credit: Gretel Home}

Dapper Paper

I’ve been checking out all the posts around the blog world about the Stationery Show in New York (and being incredibly jealous that I wasn’t there with them all!) on the hunt for new and inspiring paper companies… ‘cause you know I love letterpress and paper in all forms.  Anyway I came across this super cute plaid wedding suite via Oh So Beautiful Paper from Dapper Paper, called Gatsby Plaid, and just had to post them. 



And they have the cutest blog where you can see where the inspiration for their designs come from, and which I just spent the last half hour reading when I really should have been heading off to Target to get a new bathing suit for our trip to Hawaii next weekend.  Yes! A vacation! The first true one Pete and I have taken (meaning all alone… just the two of us) since our trip to New Orleans (loved it and highly recommend it) last Memorial Day weekend (click here to see my posts). 

Pete and I had our first and second dates over Memorial Day weekend five years ago, so every year I plan a trip for us to celebrate.  In the previous four years we’ve gone to France, Venice, New York, and New Orleans.  This year I chose Hawaii because Pete started his own company this year, so it’s hard to get away for very long (or spend much money), and we, all right I, have a tendency to be in go go go mode from sunrise to sunset when we go on our trips. 

I decided this year we could both use a break from racing around on our annual vacation, so I picked a place that we have both already been to, and where you can’t help but sit back and relax.  I can’t tell you how much I’m looking forward to getting away from this unseasonably rainy and cold Spring that we’ve been having and defrosting myself in the tropical waters of Hawaii.   

Colors of Toast

While Mother Nature has yet to decide if it’s still Winter here in San Francisco, I’m going to sit and enjoy the warmth of these images from Toast’s latest catalog.




Did you know that Toast has a cute little behind the scenes “cultural scrapbook or mag” called Toast Travels?  I have to say that I really do love these little magazine within catalogs that a lot of retailers are starting to do lately.  It’s so fun to get a glimpse of what goes on behind the camera and the work that goes into producing products and images like those shown above.  

Since I missed my photo post last weekend and I’m having internet issues, I thought I’d share with you these images I took with my iPhone of some of the succulents that people have planted around my neighborhood.  I’m not sure what this particular type is called, but they do make for some great photos... the patterns of the leaves spiraling out from the center and the gradations in color.  



images by me

Darling Clementine

Adoring this new “Woodland” set of notecards by Darling Clementine. 

Into the Deep

Feeling drawn to these darkly saturated rooms.  Something so beautiful and intriguing about them. 




images: 1st & 2nd via Maria Grossmann; middle via Mikkel Vang Photography; last via Paul Barbera

New from Jill Rosenwald

I was perusing the May issue of In Style magazine and came across these great new pieces by ceramicist Jill Rosenwald.   



Jill is also running a big sale on some of her other pieces.  I’ve got my eye on this plate and these vases. 

Sweet Paul Magazine has launched!

I’ve been a fan of the Sweet Paul blog for a little over a year now.  Paul Lowe is an Oslo native, now New York transplant, whose blog features the recipes and crafts that he makes for both himself and various publications.  And now he can officially add magazine publisher to his list of credits, as he has just recently launched the first edition of his online magazine, Sweet Paul Magazine. 
The magazine includes all the great features that I’ve come to know and love about his blog and much more including an interview with Jewelweeds founder, Julia White.  Here is just a sample of what’s in store for you…





I can’t wait to try that French Toast recipe.  Doesn’t it look delicious? 
It’s so exciting to see all these new online magazines popping up lately, isn’t it?  It’s so great to see such talented people strike out on their own and begin filling up the void left by such magazines as Domino and Gourmet.   

Lisa Chow

I know I love an artist when I have an impossible time choosing which of my favorites of their work to show here on my blog.  That was very much the case with Houston artist, Lisa Chow’s work, so here is just a sample of the many pieces she’s done that I found to be pretty amazing.  I recommend you check out the rest of her work in her etsy shop or at Society6. 

Dazzle


Leaving on a Jet Plane

Creep

Two Birds on a Wire

Tea Party

Such Great Heights
images: the first two and the last images are from her etsy shop the remaining prints are from Society6

Happy Mother’s Day!

Wishing my mom and all the other moms out there a very happy Mother’s Day!  I wrapped up my mom’s gifts from my brother and I last night.  I used a modified version of Olivia’s crepe paper flower DIY for The Bride’s Cafe substituting crepe paper streamers for crepe paper sheets, and used leftover wire and florist tape from another project I had done previously for the stems.  I think they came out pretty cute for a first try.




images by me

Reclaimed Wood Furniture

These don’t quite fit with the aesthetic of my current apartment, but I can dream of having a house on the beach or in the woods someday that these would look perfect in.  Or maybe just a house in the city with a large porch just big enough for a bench to rock on.  There’s something just so beautiful about rough-hewn furniture. 




Available from New Moon Salvage.