Happy 2010!

New Year's Eve...a time for glamourous clothes and fabulous parties. I want to wear something this:



paired with this:



(This necklace is by Candace Ang. I just found her and the jewelry is amazing. I need all of it)

Alas, for my New Year's Eve I will be wearing something more like this:

We'll be attending a "Preppy" party. This is not the time for a "Preppy" party people! Oh well, I guess there's always next year.

The bright side, my brother and his girlfriend are staying with us for the whole weekend. Can I wear a cocktail dress on New Year's Day?

Happy 2010!

I love these pictures posted by coco+kelley, taken from the Shine Lookbook.

Geodes, fossils and jewelry...some of my favorite things.

how awesome is this table?

Made by hand (!) by Joslyn's (of Simple Lovely) husband. That's a talented man.

He wrote a recap of the project here.

Merry Christmas!

We're in Michigan visiting family for the holidays. Meanwhile the kitties are all by themselves for the holidays and that makes me sad. Extra cuddle time is in order when I get back.

Happy holidays everyone!

going home for the holidays

We're heading to Michigan after I'm done with work today. We got a pretty layer of snow overnight. Hopefully it doesn't effect our trip!

christmas present

I spent this past weekend finishing some custom orders, here's one of them.

I've been really good this year about not buying myself Christmas presents while out shopping for others. But I wandered into The Gap today and this was too good to pass up. You know how I'm obsessed with Fiona Paxton, look at this awesome alternative (read: knock off). The best part...it was on sale for $10. Merry Christmas to me!

I like

this necklace.

The Gift Exchange

On Christmas Eve we all get together with family from my Mom's side. The highlight of the evening is usually The Gift Exchange. We take this game very seriously. Each year a person is selected to choose a theme for the next year's Exchange. The price limit this year is $35. We draw numbers and choose a gift from the pile. People can steal. The best gifts are highly coveted, stealing ensues, couples conspire and work together. Unfavorable gifts are mockingly advertised, available for stealing. Gift cards are shunned.

This year's theme is Home Decor - No Gift Cards. So I've taken my search to Etsy, it can't let me down! Here are the top options I'm mulling over...



DORIT 12k White Gold - Decorative Wood Candle Holder by Jean Pelle.

Tiny Stoneware Bottle by Sara Paloma

Chosen by Blissful Images. I could get a nice mat and frame.

Terrarium No 109 by The Oak Leaves

What do you think?

mmm

I had this on my english muffin for breakfast...mmm...

I got it here

oli + me

I like yellow gold lately. And I really want one of these...



Whisper Ring, 14kt gold, $35

I'm also thinking about one of these...

My engagement ring is actually a set of small rings and I'm always worried about losing them. This little bag would be cute to keep them in.

courage

I was perusing Simply Lovely this afternoon, pettily thinking about what to buy with my next paycheck, when I found a link to this blog.

Just over a year ago, Stephanie and her husband were in a plane crash. The NieNie Dialouges documents their lives before and after the crash with their four adorable kids. I really can't put into words this woman's courage and amazing faith. Her positivity during such an excruciating challenge is extremely inspiring

photo via NieNie via Justin Hackworth Photography

Around the House

We hosted a little get together on Saturday so the house was tidier than it's usual state.

We had the windows open all weekend and it was gorgeous...probably the last time this year.

Productive Sunday

I got a lot done today and I am giving myself a pat on the back! Among my many projects, I photographed some new pieces that will be making their way into the shop in the next few days.

Hope you had a happy weekend.

Eric likes to make fun of me for my dedication to You, Me and Dupree. If they're airing it in on TBS, I have to watch it. I love those stupid, funny movies. But what makes this one especially irresistible is the stuff Kate Hudson's character sports throughout the movie. I've loved the gold bracelet she wears since my first Movie and A Makeover.

So I tried my own...

Now I have to run, they're showing The Sweetest Thing again...

custom order

for a friend. I'm liking this new design!

drop me a line if you're interested in one!

last weekend in the south

Last weekend we took a long road trip during a short weekend. We headed off to Nashville Thursday night after work and got to look around the city a little bit on Friday morning.

This is Hatch Show Print - really cool place. They are now part of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum and make/remake great music posters, art prints and stationary.

one of the resident kitties

Buy 1 Get 2 Free cowboy boots!

Later that day we continued onward to Birmingham, AL for a friend's wedding.

The ceremony took place at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens.

And the reception took place at the couple's friend's ad agency - Scout Branding in Birmingham.

This was my first trip to this part of the country. I really liked Birmingham, very pretty and hilly with stately southern homes. And everyone is so friendly!

On Sunday we drove the 10+ hours back to Chicago. Long trip but definitely worth it!

Last Weekend on the Beach

With a really good friend!

See you next summer!

Man Shops Globe

A new show premieres tonight on the Sundance Channel , Man Shops Globe, which follows an accesories and home accents buyer for Anthropologie. From the Sundance website:

In each half-hour program, Keith Johnson travels to a new country in search of fantastic and unusual decorative objects, furniture, and textiles. He also seeks out the world's best artists and crafts people. MAN SHOPS GLOBE follows Johnson, who travels six months of the year, to ends-of-the-earth excursions, from flea markets in Paris to remote villages in India and obscure art studios in Turkey.

We all love Anthropologie and this show sounds really fun (like, my dream job??). But it also kind of sounds like a long ad for Anthro and makes me feel bad about the mass production of cultural arts and crafts for all us bohemiam yuppies.

More opinions and reviews can be found here.

I will be watching though.

Fiona Paxton and other weekend activities

I've been loving these necklaces by Fiona Paxton.

So this weekend I attempted a version of my own. It didn't turn out very similar but I like it.

This one's for me but feel free to contact me if you're interested in one.

Another necklace I made this weekend...I love the color combinations but I do not love the quality of the chain. So I'll keep it for myself but can recreate it with better quality materials if you so wish!

xo