Time Flies

Pete and I made it back from Boston…a day later than planned and after an hour of touring the tarmac at Logan.  Very few things are as humbling these days as plane travel.  Cancelled flights and delays force your plans to come to a complete stop.  You can’t get home, you can’t get to your meeting, your job, your vacation… nothing, nada.  Nothing you can do about it.  Work will just have to wait another day for my return.

So you make the best of it.  It’s not the first time Pete and I were stuck somewhere unexpectedly.  An extra night in Boston meant an opportunity to have a dinner alone, just the two of us, in a really great little Italian restaurant in the North End that had been recommended, but would otherwise have to have waited until we found ourselves back in Boston.  The North End was bustling, the night was hot, and the food at Giacomo’s was everything we had read and more.  So we went from having not enough time to delayed time to extra time all in one day.  Magic…time is indeed what you make of it. 
  
Speaking of time, I’ve been loving the look of these pocket watch necklaces from Love Nail Tree. 




So pretty when worn layered or alone.

Photographer Carl Bengtsson

Stunning editorial photos by Carl Bengtsson.  The perfect combination of gritty and dramatic.




Pete and I are on our way to Boston for a wedding today, so have a great weekend everyone!     

Sailing takes me away…

How adorable are these sailboat salt & pepper sets?  Perfect for the beach house, summer parties, or for when you need a little reminder of summer when you’re smack dab in the middle of winter.  I want to buy one in each color for each end of the table.  Available here.


Speaking of summer memories, we’ve finally had a couple of hot summer days here in the city.  It’s funny how the city can go from foggy and in the 50’s to sunny and 80’s overnight, but that is the way it is here.  We grab on to those days and hold them onto them as tightly as we can.  Case in point our neighbors, had a party in their backyard on Sunday that lasted from 10am until I don’t know when because it was still going when I went to bed.  

I’m sitting here in the chair that I recently, finally, got for our front bay window (oh my god, how I love my new chair! pics soon!), and the window is open with a nice breeze coming through.  It’s been foggy for some time, and I’ve gotten so used to the smell of the fog, and maybe even a little bored with it.  But tonight it’s beautiful out, and I’m smelling for the first time in a long time the smell of summer!  The smell of the restaurants nearby, the clean, cool (but not damp) air… and it’s sooo good, and I’ve so missed it.  It sounds strange, but I’m in love with the smells right now that are wafting through my window.  Whenever there’s a moment in time that I’m suddenly madly in love with, I always think to myself that I want to wrap my arms around it and hold it tight forever.  This is one of those moments.
 
Another good thing that has happened this week, is that I’ve signed up for a weekend long Photoshop class at the BAVC in September.  I’m both really nervous and really excited about it.  It’s something that I’ve been wanting to do for awhile.  I’ve managed to muddle through Photoshop on my own until now, but I feel I could get so much more out of it if I had some proper training.  It’s the first of many classes that I hope to take there.  I’ll let you know how it goes, and hopefully you’ll get to see some of the results in my photos and my future blogging endeavors.  

I seem to be a bit chatty today.  What can I say?  It’s one of those moments when I’m just happy in the moment.  :)

New Oh Joy! for Hygge & West Wallpaper

Joy Deangdeelert Cho of Oh Joy! and Oh Joy! Eats blogs has created a new collection of wallpaper exclusively for Hygge & West, which just launched yesterday.  The collection features her well known petal print in addition to others.  So cute! 



This last one, called A Stones Throw, is my favorite. 
{images via Hygge & West}

How Sweet It Is

The amazing Jordan Ferney of Oh Happy Day art directs paintings and her husband, Paul, paints them… and on Friday, September 3, they are having an art show to show them off.  :)

Happy Friday

Caitlin McGauley produced ten images for Tory Burch’s blog showing her favorite things about summer.  I thought this one of the sunset over the Hudson is the perfect end of the work week and beginning of the weekend. 

Go here to see the rest, and have a great weekend creating some wonderful summer memories of your own. 

Beautiful Birth Announcement

Graphic designer Ty Mattson created this beautiful birth announcement for his most beloved client…



His son.  What a little cutie! 

{via graphic-exchange}

Kiki & Coco in Paris

This is the sweetest little slide show ever by photographer Stephanie Rausser.



Happy Wednesday! :)
{via Absolutely Beautiful Things}

New Works by Paulova Design

Loving these new pieces by Paula Lopez-Ortero, who creates each one herself from start to finish.



You can purchase these and more from her shop. 

Bike Love

I’ve been itching to get a bike all summer.  Living on the Wiggle, we see a parade of bikes go by every day, which just makes it all the more sad that I don’t have one with which to join them on their ride through the city.  Unfortunately, I just don’t have the funds right now to buy one, so in the meantime, I’ve been compiling a list of bikes and bike relate products that I love.

Below is a comprehensive list of the coolest items I’ve found starting with European style bikes ranging from the most expensive to the least expensive.

1. Velorbis Dannebrog $1895 2. Skeppshult Nova $1795 3. Pashley Princess Sovereign $1295 4. Civia Loring I-Motion 3 speed $1095 5. Simple City 8 Stepthru $970 6. Batavus Old Dutch Step $750 7. Electra Girard 3i “Tree of Life” $750 8. Public M3 $750 9. Simple City 3 Stepthru $600 10. Electra Gigi 3i $550

Of course I’ll need a basket for trips to the farmers market. 

clockwise from left: Basil Forte Memories Basket, Basil Pasja Rear Dog Basket, Carrie Front Basket,  Peterboro Original Bike Basket

And if I ride to work, I’ll want something a little more stylish.
right: Po Campo Rack Tote; left: Basil Mirte Shopper & Pannier

And of course it’s important to be heard and seen by cars

clockwise from left: Brass Bell Side Striker, Linus Bell Alloy Silver, Soma Retro Rear Light, Soma Retro Front Light

And why not add a gorgeous bike seat?

top: Brooks B18 Lady Bike Saddle; bottom: Kara Ginther Custom Bike Saddles

Some stylish gloves for riding on those cold foggy morning, and a cute reflective collar.
top: Dents Crochet Gloves; bottom: Hello Sailor Reflective Collar

And last but not least, helmets!

Bike Helmets by Yakkay via Bobbin Bicycles (Yes, these are real bike helmets…so fun!)

Or you can always go with the standard shape…

Helmets by Nutcase… they offer a huge selection, but these are a few of my favs.

A list of resources featured above:
Civia Cycles
Public Bikes
Bobbin Bicycles
Copenhagen Cyclery
Linus Bikes
Nutcase Helmets
Skeppshult Bikes
Gary Fisher Bikes
Brooks England
Adeline Adeline

Recreate Suitcase Furniture

South African designer, Katie Thompson, takes ordinary every day objects and “junk”, and creates amazing and useful furniture out of them, which she then sells through her company, Recreate.   

Sometimes She Does

If you read blogs regularly you may have heard of the ceramics company Bailey Doesn’t Bark founded by Re Jin Lee.  Well she just recently launched a new brand called Sometimes She Does, which she considers to be the “unpredictable little sister”, i.e. playful and modern (so of course I love it!), to the upscale and modern style of her brand Bailey Doesn’t Bark.  While the style aesthetic and price points (Bailey is higher and Sometimes is lower) are different between the two brands, they both share the same philosophy of being Earth friendly by using second-hand and vintage goods made in the USA.  Consider it upcycling at its finest. 





Many of the pieces are one of a kind, so if you see something you like, grab it while it lasts.  You can shop the line through the Sometimes She Does website or from their Etsy shop. 

Scenes from a Vacation

Pete and I are back from our vacation on the lake in Minnesota.  I thought I’d start off the week showing you a little about where I was and what I’d been up to while I was away via the photos I took with my iPhone. 

We stayed at the Grey Wolf Lodge on Pelican Lake just outside of the very small town of Orr, Minnesota.  It was a peaceful, read all day and do nothing kind of place or it was get up early and go to yoga, then fishing, then swimming, then kayaking, then peddle boating, then frisbee golfing, then BBQing kind of place.  It was all up to you.  No schedules and no agendas.  It felt like we were there for a long time even though it was only five days.  I highly recommend the place if you're looking for an escape.  


The cabins were cute (I’ll post more photos on Friday).  Ours sat right next to the lake.  Pete and I shared a two bedroom cabin with his brother, and if you were to climb out of our bedroom window, you would land right in the lake.  It was nice to go to bed at night with the window open and hear the sound of the water lapping against the shore. 





I must say that as nice as it was to get away for week, it is sooo nice to be back home.  I really missed our apartment and of course, blogging.  I have to say that the best vacations are the ones that by end have you glad to be back home.


{images by me}