Happy Friday!

It's been a wild, crazy, jam-packed a great week. My mind is racing (butterflies in my head, so to speak) and a huge storm is approaching, but no worries. The weekend is here and I am ready to greet it. 

Here's wishing everyone a beautiful, magical, fun-filled weekend!

Photo from here.

Cooking Up Inspiration

Isn't this print great? Maybe if I hung it near my kitchen I'd feel complimented enough to actually cook. Okay, probably not, but it is cute, no?

Photo from here.

A Pretty Place

What a busy week this has been -- and it's only Wednesday! I've hardly been at home at all, so I was excited to have a cozy night in with my husband and pup. It was lovely.

When life gets chaotic, I want more than ever for home to be a haven of calm. This beautiful house, showcased recently on the always fantastic Ill Seen, Ill Said, is a great inspiration for this. All that white, offset with touches of wood and pops of color, would make coming home at the end of a long day a very happy experience.

Photos from here.

Hello, Gorgeous

My, aren't you just the thing to perk up a Monday? So sunny and sassy, I think you would be a fun addition to any day of the week!

Photo from here.

Wild, Wild Weekend

Well, this weekend wasn't as laid-back as I had planned, but that turned out to be a wonderful thing. The days became filled with lots of time spent with our families, plus a little departure from our normal life. On Saturday, we went to see my aunt in a horse competition. My aunt is incredible. She grew up showing horses and always has this cool, casual attitidue about her. So seeing her in a cowboy hat, on a horse and leading cattle across an enormous barn, she seemed at ease and completely in her element.

I can't say the same about me. Being a total allergy geek, my head stuffed up and I began wheezing and sneezing within five minutes of being in the barn. But it was so neat to be there, to witness something my aunt is so passionate about. That's one of the things I love most about my family -- that we're this crazy mixed group of people with all sorts of different interests and opinions. We may not do what someone else does, but we're sure as heck going to see what it's all about and cheer our lungs out for that person while we're there.

Photos by me.

Weekend Forecast

The weather forecast is calling for rain this weekend. But maybe that will be nice. After going crazy with projects on the house the last few weekends, my husband and I have made a promise to relax and have fun this weekend. Pouring rain and chillier temps could be just the thing to keep us inside. I’m hoping for a weekend of reading books, watching movies, cuddling with the pup. Yes, that sounds lovely!

I also look forward to rain sometimes because I like umbrellas. I feel chic walking around with a beautiful one, strutting down the street with my face partially concealed. If we venture out on the town at all this weekend, I’ll look forward to bringing this seasonal accessory.

Happy weekend!

Photo from here.

Oh, What a Beautiful Morning

My goodness, it was hard to get out of bed this morning. I think I could have spent all day lazing around. At least I was greeted with gorgeous sunshine when I did convince myself to get going on the day.

There’s something really special about morning light. Sometimes warm-hued, other times dazzlingly white. These photos by Stacy Bass capture the loveliness of light. They make me want to go back home and enjoy the morning … maybe from the comfort of my bed!

Photos from here.

Getting it Together

Recently, while in the car with our mother and me, my sister made an announcement: "2010 is the year I'm going to get my shit together." We laughed, but when she encouraged us to make the same committment we admitted we were intrigued and agreed.

What exactly getting our act together means isn't perfectly clear. We decided it means a lot of things: decluttering our houses, getting organized, taking care of ourselves and our families, deciding what matters and letting go of what doesn't, simplifying and making time for what we love. Our mom has been teaching us how to cook simple meals, and the three of us got pedicures the other day. At home, I've been working on some projects that I'd neglected, and I'm trying to get things runnings smoothly.

Of course, I've taken things too far, tried to do everything at once and completely stressed out myself and my husband. That's not the point of the exercise. But it's a process, right. I anticipate it being an on-going, constantly changing process, and that's okay.

No matter the form, it's empowering to take on this challenge, and the three of us have already noticed some benefits. It feels good to get it together!

Photo from here.

Small Wonder

I have such admiration for people who can live well in a small space. I typically prefer more intimate, simple homes to overdone large ones. But you should see what a San Diego couple has done with a seven-hundred-square-foot bungalow, showcased in Sunset. It's clean, crisp, smart and stylish. Here, have a look:

Photos from here.

Slice of Life

Growing up, my sister and I had a thing for rocks. On walks with our parents, we'd find a stone that struck us as interesting or beautiful and run up to our dad to show him our discovery. He actually kept some of them, and only years later did he disclose that he didn't understand what we found so special about most of the rocks.

When my sister and I were a little older, my dad bought a rock polisher from this hippie rock store in town. We carefully chose stones to throw into the polisher and worked at it night after night, scrubbing and buffing and waiting for the magic to happen. Unfortunately, the rocks never really polished or changed in any sort of way. Once again we were left with regular gray stones.

Maybe that's why this beautiful agate necklace on Fey Handmade strikes such a chord with me. This is what we thought would come out of our rock polisher! The colors are so rich and the pattern stunning. This necklace would be beautiful to wear and I also think it would be a nice reminder of my family's strange and enduring love of rocks.

Photo from here.

Seasonal Beauty

I love the change of seasons. And I love living in a place that experiences the change of seasons. Judging by her pastel landscapes, I get the feeling that artist Clare Malloy shares this appreciation. Her work is amazing. From the subtle changes in color and shadows to a sense of starkness and stillness, she brilliantly captures what it feels like to be in such a place.

Take a look at a few of her works. Can't you pinpoint exactly the time of year she's rendered? And don't you feel like you're right there in the midst of it?

Photos from here.

Pretty Lady

There is something delightfully ladylike and a little bit retro about Nadinoo's spring/summer collection. The flirty collars and shorts, colors and prints all seem perfect for this time of year. Fun!

Photos from here.

Home Work

It's been a full and great weekend. I've definitely had the spring cleaning bug, and it's been so satisfying to go through closets and drawers and entire rooms, clearing out clutter and organizing. We've coupled that with doing some work on the yard and buying a few new things for the house. It's such a great feeling to get the house a little more polished and put together. It makes me love home even more than usual!

Speaking of polished and put-together, this New York brownstone, featured on Design*Sponge, is exactly that and more. The combination of wood, organic shapes and lots of white is stunning and incredibly appealing. It's spare yet still filled with personality and charm. Perfect inspiration for springtime and the start of a new week, don't you think?

Photos from here.

Weekend Wishes

Spring is here. We are loved. Life is good.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Photo from here.

Picture Perfect

Ever since I saw this post about Elena and Gregory's Italian wedding on Snippet & Ink, I've been slightly obsessed. Not just because everything about this wedding was gorgeous, which is totally true. No, it's all because of this photo:

I want this girl's hair! I love the cut and even more so the color. It's just perfect. I am in a major hair rut and this photo by Leigh Miller is inspiring me to get me out of it.

My hair is naturally a kind of boring dirty blond/light brown, and I've always felt like I had to do something with it. So I've been highlighting it for longer than I can remember. Each spring I get restless with my hair and contemplate doing something drastic. Maybe this is the year I really change things up. I have a salon appointment next week and I'm thinking of going darker. Maybe a pretty light brown like Elena, or perhaps a rich auburn. Who knows! But I'm excited about the possibility of something new.

Photo from here.

Dark and Stormy

Maybe it's this onset of thunderstorms and the way the sky has remained dark all day, but I am feeling completely drawn to this moody London home on Living Etc. Something about the light of the place and its sumptuous textures makes me want to hole up there for a few days. 

Photos from here.

Natural Nuances

Today's been a dark, rainy day. The kind of day that makes you want to go home, wrap youself in cozy blankets and get lost in favorite books.

I wonder if they're also the kind of days that inspire Frances Seward's photography. The artist's images are stunning, perfectly capturing the colors, textures and moods of nature. I could stare at them all day.

Photos from here.

Instant Inspiration

Don't you love to people-watch? I do. It's just neat to see how unique every person is. But those who dress with an unusual point of view are especially thrilling. Maybe that's why Lookbook is fun to browse through.

Here's a look that caught my eye today:

Photo from here.

Clutch Decisions

The transition from winter wardrobe to springier dressing can be tricky. We're sick of sweaters and boots, thick fabrics and dark tones. But it's not quite time for full-out summery sundresses and strappy sandals. A fun way to bridge this gap is with a colorful printed clutch, like these beauties by Bagatelles & Co. These bags would perk up an outfit -- not to mention your mood.

Photos from here.