Sharing

Yesterday I received the sweetest email from a reader by the name of Lynn who lives in Ireland (lucky gal!) and she was sweet enough to recommend several online shoppes that she thought I would love as much as her.... She was right! I did love them and now I have to share my favorites with you all as well...

Re-Found Objects

Probably my very favorite of all the sites. Beautiful web design, great objects, love it all!

Peacock Blue

Full of great treasures and a BIG sale page!

au maison

A Danish company with great style and a list of European Fairs that they show at - very handy information.

Cambric & Cream

Precious handmade lovelies, especially for gift giving...

What are the secret shoppes that you love the most?

J&J

What is it with me & Meryl Streep lately? A new love affair I suppose...

But this time it really can't be helped. This time she is playing Julia Child and what true foodie can resist that?

On August 7th (or there shortly after) you will find me and my sweet man in line to catch this new flick, based on the delightful (and hunger inducing) book by the same title.

Nathan & I both read this back during his first big Julia phase (remember this post?) and both of us fell in love with Julie and her experiences cooking Julia's food.

The movie stars Meryl as Julia and the always adorable Amy Adams as Julie.

And because the Powers That Be love me so much and wanted to throw some delicious icing on this cake, guess who wrote and directed this? Nora Ephron that is who! Just pinch me now people, pinch me now!

From the pictures alone it seems the Meryl has done a good job of capturing the great spirit & mannerisms of Julia...

Isn't she cute?

Oh, the yumminess!

WASH

This is what our bathroom looked like when we moved in to our house almost 6 years ago.
Lovely huh?

Currently we are a 1 bathroom family. I try not to focus on that inconvenient fact, because in all seriousness there are people all over the world who don't even have running water in their village let alone their home, so I try not to complain about it too much.

Although sometimes I do bang on the door and shout - I gotta pee!!!!! Because frankly, I gotta pee. I pushed 2 10lbs babies out and my bladder control is not what it used to be...

But enough potty talk. On to the pretty talk...

Because I share the bathroom with all my boys, it is the one room where there really isn't any pink. I tried to keep it bright and colorful and not too girlie. I am saving all the girlie stuff for my "someday" bathroom....

I have been slowly re-decorating the family bath and I think I can finally see the finish line in sight! This has been a slow process - started a year ago with the changing of the cafe curtain and has continued on, one small change at a time. This week, as part of my Spring Cleaning, I did 3 things that got me that much closer to being DONE...

1st up, WASH is all in place. For months there was just the letter S hanging above the sink, and then there was the letter A and the letter S, now finally, W & H have shown up to complete the set....
Also, you can see in the mirror the reflection of the paper lantern I hung. To make it more festive I tied a bunch of left over ribbon scraps to it for fun. I just love hanging lanterns.

Next up, I decided that I am going to use colorful vintage tea towels as the hand towels in here.
They won't get quite as dirty as they would in the kitchen and the colors fit great!

I also added some vintage pom pom trim to the bottom of the cute little Martha Stewart shades from K-Mart that I bought a while ago for client and then didn't use. They were a great deal (on clearance I think) and I loved the shape. Now with the pom pom trim they are that much more special...

On my Still To-Do list is:

*Finish Embellishing Shower Curtain
*Hang Vintage Poster
*Paint Vinyl Floor
*Change Faucet
*Take good pics of window

Wonder if it will take another year to get done?

Happy Earth Day

Heaven is under our feet as well as over our heads.

Henry David Thoreau

Springy

Things are starting to feel springy around here...flowers are blooming, dust bunnies are being kicked out...
A busted clothes dryer has interrupted some plans, but that is all fixed now and we are back on track!

I have some painting and other projects up my sleeves as well as cleaning, and this time I am determined to do more than just blog about re-painting the dining room, kitchen, master bedroom, I am resolved to make it happen... I hope.

At least some of my surfaces are looking very clean and that is making me happy.
Now, back to my regular scheduled program of laundry and glitter...

it's all about the color

About a month or so ago (or longer? time flies...) I finally sat down and watched Mamma Mia with some friends... While some of the movie was a teeny bit silly (and for any super fans out there, please take note that I said "teeny") and while Pierce Brosnan's singing was very, shall we say, "average?" there were 2 extremely lovely & redeeming qualities about this movie (besides the sheer "funness" factor of it all ...) First was Amanda Seyfried's beautiful, beautiful voice that was as big and clear as her amazing eyes. Her versions of I Have A Dream & Thank You For The Music were by far the best songs in the movie...

But it should come to know surprise to those who know me well, that when I think of this movie, the thing I think about the most, the thing that enchanted me, and would cause me to give it a second, third and perhaps even a fourth look were the amazing, wonderfully, beautiful colors.. on everything from the walls, to the towels to the rugs....

Movies like this make me want to repaint every room in my house... The art directors on Mamma Mia struck the perfect balance between vibrant and faded;

Sun drenched and long shadows.

so happy....

Cobwebs and Sushi

Part of spring cleaning in a house involves a lot of sorting, organizing and throwing out... The same is true for a good spring cleaning of the brain and heart as well.
A portion of my "clearing out the cobwebs" of my brain includes clearing out some of the things that have been piling up in my mental "to share" closet. Things and places, people and faces that I have been meaning to share with you, but just haven't gotten around to yet...

So with out further fuss or muss, I am clearing off a space in my mental closet, and sharing with you the beautiful photography work of my friend (and former design assistant, oh those were the days...) Whitney Loibner.



Whitney is beautiful inside and out, and it shows through in her work. Recently she taught me how to roll California rolls during a Sushi night at a friends house and afterwards she took the most amazing pictures of our hard work. ..just looking at these is making me hungry!



She does portraits and weddings and news photography, but I think maybe I love her food work the most. Maybe that is because, like me, she is a true foodie.

To see more of her work visit WhitneyLoibner.com , it's all yummy!

Pixie Dust GIVEAWAY

The spring cleaning is well underway around here, and I must say I am enjoying this little blogging vacation. I can feel the cobwebs clearing out internally as I combat them externally as well!

BUT I had to pop back in briefly to let you know about a great giveaway that the fab Farm Chicks are hosting at their blog...


You must run right over there and see what is going on because you could win 2 yards of lovely Pixie Dust fabric, which is simply precious!

The Time Has Come

For some cleaning.

I've got some spring cleaning to do.

Around the house, around my mind, around my heart...

A little blog vacation seems in order.

Be back soon, I promise!

Cheers!

Dinner with Friends

Today was, is, Maundy Thursday, and to honor this day, and what it means, our church community hosted several "Dinner with Friends" meals all across town. Here is the little bit that I wrote about it in our church e-newsletter..

Maundy Thursday, Dinner with Friends
Maundy Thursday is the night we stop to remember the last meal Jesus shared with his friends before his crucifixion. What better way to observe this very personal & pivotal moment in God's story than to take time to stop, remember and gather together ourselves to break bread just as he did ?

Several Dinner with Friends meals are happening all over town, hosted by members of our community - some in homes, some in restaurants, all are open to anyone & everyone who are interested.

One of the really cool parts of the night was that each Dinner with Friends group could conduct their dinner however they wanted, making them each unique and personal.

One group held a traditional Seder Supper (this being the first night of Passover,) one group met in a pizza joint, another grilled burgers & dogs in the backyard, and so forth and so on.

My friend Mark found this really great verse from a Mennonite songbook that he shared at his dinner; I think it sums up the heart of the night, and of communion, perfectly.

"Sing the Journey"

This is the Welcome Table of our Redeemer, and you are invited

Make no excuses, saying you cannot attend; simply come,

for around this table you will find your family.

Come not because you have to, but because you need to.

Come not to prove you are saved,but to seek the courage to follow wherever Christ leads.

Come not to speak but to listen, not to hear what’s expected, but to be open to the ways the Spirit moves among you.

So be joyful, not somber, for this is the feast of the reign of God,

where the broken are molded into a Beloved Community,

and where the celebration over evil’s defeat has already begun.

wordless wednesday

Katrin Cargill

I was so excited to discover Katrin Cargill's site yesterday after seeing some of her pictures featured on Linda's blog. I have loved Katrin ever since I picked up her book The Curtain Bible a few years ago.

Finding this book in the clearance section at Barnes & Noble was like finding a design life raft.
At the time of it's discovery I was drowning in designer self-doubt, and frustration. I was working as an assistant to another designer in town, and everything we were doing -including the curtains- was big and overwrought or cold and modern. All the materials we were using were heavy, dark, expensive, & excessive. I felt completely lost & hopeless in a see of brocade and taffeta and bead trim.

Katrin's book was a breath of fresh air for me.
Here was someone who designed curtains the way I thought they should look, out of simple, beautiful, charming, & fresh fabrics. And almost always with a whimsical twist somewhere in the design... Nothing stuffy or dark and too serious. Instead she offered curtain ideas that were light, and airy and real life ready....

Turns out, she designs a lot more than just curtains...


Don't you just want a swing like this in your backyard?


Or how about a picnic like this? I have a red plaid flannel blanket that I think is begging for a G monogram. What do you think?

The simplicity is breathtaking.

Don't you love the clean layers & repetition?
Wouldn't that be the best bunk house ever?
Now that is what camp should look like!

If you get the chance you should visit her website and see all her other lovely creations, they will inspire I promise!

Sunday Reading

some lovely Sunday, post-church reading (looking really,) thanks to my sweet man who knows what I like and how magazine deprived I have been lately...


now, if only I had studied harder in french class...