a few scenes from my trip...

double click photo to make it larger.

something about these makes me smile

Joslyn posted these mushrooms from Roost on her favorites a couple days ago.
Not only are they soooo beautiful and would look lovely clumped up together, but I have been on a serious mushroom kick... besides the mushroom dabacle of monday night. Wise phrase to live by: do not mix 2 bottles of wine with mushrooms makes a nasty dish.

But in the meantime, check out the roost mushrooms.

scenes from the weekend

Lunch at Bolsa.
Stroll through Bishop Arts District.
Windows at Niemans.

iconic panels

Wall paneling is kind of like glass block - once upon at time it was awesome... then it lost it's charm... and now its coming back - kind of. These definitely aren't the 'wood' panels covering your grandma's basement.

I love so many of these, but here are a couple favorites!

TIME for change.

So, the watch that I got for Christmas almost two years ago finally quit. It was a silver-faced Fossil that told me the date...the time...provided a little bit of control, etc. Anyways, after a brief melt-down I started looking for a new one - no luck. Before that watch, I had the exact same model with a purple face... so I've basically had the same watch since Valentine's Day of freshman year in college - when I bought myself a 'girly' watch. Times are a'changin...

So, I've turned to the www to help :) My favs so far:
1) Lacoste ($195)
2) Burberry ($325)
3) Kenneth Cole ($85)
4) Kenneth Cole ($95) - my favorite! (for an everyday watch)
5) Lacoste ($165)
6) Citizen ($170)

berry pink

Lately I have gravitated towards everything pink... weird if you know me. but i looked around today after recieving my coat from Nordstrom that my mom got me. (thank you!!) and at my iphone case, also pink. and was a little shocked!

I went into Club Monaco and saw all of their delightful berry brights, then found this really cute necklace on etsy. lovely.

We'll see how long this girly phase lasts. But it sure is making me cheerful now!

mendhi

taken from aditi's facebook

Aditi Amalean, a girl we know from I.arc just posted pictures from a wedding she was involved in - isn't this picture gorgeous???

DesignForObama

This website, designforobama.org, has hundreds of posters and prints by designers from a pretty big variety of backgrounds, all showing their (nicely creative) support for Obama. I have a few favorites shown above, but this, seriously, isn't even a small fraction of those on the site. Check it out.

ps: "graphic designers for obama > you had me at the logo." -- LOVE.

Come Fly With Me

I just came across this necklace on Etsy... I know it's kind of different from the necklaces I usually wear, but it seems so sweet - I kind of want it. I just hope that the chain would be long / short enough... length is tricky sometimes.

Shiny Red Shoes

image from an open [sketch]book

I'm so in love with this design, I can barely put it into words. Suzanne (amazing) posted on her blog a design that she did for (the former) Megan Tremblay (now re-married) for a company she's started - a concierge service called Shiny Red Shoes. Having been in studio with Megan for 4(?) years straight, I know that she sported identical red shoes all the time - and pulled them off like no one else. The idea of the company is really cute - I especially like the assistance with gift-buying - so fun!

I'm so in love with the red + robin's egg blue combination these days, plus the white background of the site, the clean font used = a totally modern, simple, 'jcrew meets real simple' feel that works beautifully.

Love it!

the treehouse

Is what we have lovingly begun to call the new apt. Here is a picture of my new morning ritual and you will see what I mean. English muffin, OJ and design blogs while watching the squirrels on a crisp morning. Can you ask for anything more?

Nature meets Architecture

One of the partners at my firm sent this article through this morning. I'm in love with this house, especially because if they hadn't said it, I never would've known it was in NYC.

and speaking of gray

These boots are what I got last weekend to satisfy my gray craving. Not as preppy, pretty as your outfit kelley, but will definitely bring me back to my Manchester days of when I learned tucking the jeans into the boots was comfy and stylish!

For anyone going to try this trend this fall, my very clever british friends (Lucie and Natalie) taught me to tuck the bottoms of your jeans in your socks for optimum jean smoothness in going down into the boots.

'bold gold'

Unfortunately, erin, you won't be in town to celebrate homecoming at our booming-sports-crazed alma mater this weekend - please note quite a bit of sarcasm in that sentence. In four and a half years at uncg, I attended one sporting event - with a liberal background, we aren't lucky enough to have a football team.. but we've got a strong dance program :)

Anyways, weather's getting chillier, so what's a girl to wear?? It's an all-day event of reuniting with everyone - alumnae and current people alike. Morning to evening wear? There's potential for a change of attire at night, but still... during the day... cute, but warm - adult but fun? Tricky.

I tend to be on the conservative side - this is the plan this year : I just bought this "frock" from American Apparel - it actually isn't as long as they show and kind of bunches up, especially with these pockets, so I'm wearing it as a shirt with some cute jeans :) Plus, it's only available in size medium, which I'm new to wearing after the weight-loss, so it's still not as baggy as they've shown on the model... crazy, hmm? In light of the blue and white stripe and the boat-neck (sailing, anyone?) I'm thinking chunky gold jewelry - which is where I've fallen in love with the bracelet shown from JCrew. Of course.

ABC carpet and home

ok, so if you have been to this legandary place you know about the 6++ floors of brilliance in the two buildings. You also know that there is a lovely merchandising scheme that keeps you discovering new things around every corner. You are aware of the groovy merchandise from all over the world. But mostly you are wondering when you finally found this glorious land of things for home.... why you had never been there before?

This was the thought in my head as I went to ABC carpet and home while I was in NY. I felt like I was a kid in a grown up candy shop (substitute candy for lovely home and crafty goods and a few pieces of clothing as well!) And there is a kids section too... I am sure they would be just as delighted.

I floated from floor to floor and if I were rich with a place to put anything at all it all would have come home with me... or better yet I would have just moved in. but alas, I brought home a pretty cool wood-cut stamp to try out some new printing ideas from Lena Corwin's book that Ben picked up. How fab is that gieant bowl I dug through to find the perfect one.

cycle obsession

ok, so I am on a bit of a bicycle hunt/obsession (after returning from Denmark), scouring the likes of ebay, craigslist and multiple bike stores to find the perfect (albeit affordable) bicycle. I'll let you know how that turns out.

In the meantime, I have found not only a super Rad website devoted to scandinavian design here in the US, its called Scandinavian Grace, but I also found the most lovely, perfect, awesome bike basket on their site.

Ahhh!

home sweet....

I am in Vegas right now longing for my own apartment. Or this one....on design*sponge sneak peak from Shauna and Stephen of Something's Hiding in here. If you didn't see it yesterday, you simply must check it out. It is glorious.

lovely color palettes

I read Style Me Pretty almost everyday (thanks to Kelley) . And although I am VERY far from getting married myself I love to read it because it is a style blog after all.

One of my favorite features is the inspiration boards/color palettes and Abby happens to have a contest going on right now for reader inspiration boards. The idea is to take a photo and make an inspiration board for your wedding (event) from it. This one is by far my favorite. Inspiration photo above/ style board below. We'll see if it changes as more entries pop up.

selina rose

design*sponge just covered this, but I was so in love with it that I had to share, as well! selina rose has a collection of 'textile surface design,' my favorite part of which is the water-cut felt products. These rugs are so, so cute- some day, when I have a loft with these giant brick walls, I'll have the money to buy one of these (not today, especially with the dollar/euro exchange rate..) and will hang it on the wall so that the brick shows through... ahhhh well... just a dream for now!

I'd never throw something like that on the floor- I have a feeling the puppy would destroy it in a matter of minutes.

lovely outdoor living

In the summer I will use any excuse to be outside. I found this image and idea from A Merry Mishap. She threw a party with her sister and recreated an outdoor living room. I think I will need to come up with a party idea to utilize this idea in my rarely used side yard.... or maybe I will just drag my chairs out there for some reading.