tgif

I had so much fun finding photos like this a couple weeks ago, that I couldn't resist posting another today with my weekend send-off.

Have a good one!
xo, kristin

(Jump! on Immortally Yours' flickr.)

design inspiration: parisian kitchen

That's it. I'm signing up for those French classes now.

I cannot wait any longer to cross the pond and see some of the beautiful French interiors that have been inspiring me for years. Like this tiny, crowded kitchen - its walls adorned with lovely objects and a bright yellow window that casts a warm glow over the room.

I especially dig that chocolat clock.

The kitchen of Eric Bergere, p. 64 of Paris Interiors from Taschen Books.

dream house: butler's pantry

When my husband and I fantastize about our dream house, I always add that I want a butler's pantry off the kitchen with its very own sink and plenty of room to move and groove. Here's where I'd arrange flowers and store my ever-growing collection of vases. This dreamy space is exactly what I have in mind...


Isn't that collection of old photographs above the sink fantastic? It's another great place for a gallery wall that I never would have thought of.

I can't take credit for this one, though... Mary Ruffle found it first.

spotlight: eryn brinie apparel

Soft-colors, feminine silhouettes, natural lines. I love everything about the Eryn Brinie collection.

spotlight: betsy b design

This lovely tunic top has everything I’m looking for in my ’09 wardrobe. It’s made from a natural material (embroidered Italian cotton), it’s handmade to my measurements, and the pullover styling is fuss-free yet chic with pretty hand-finished pleats on both the front and back. Plus, boatnecks look good on me. It’s a crisp & classic white shirt… updated!

If it came in more colors, I'd buy them all.

Pleated Boatneck Tunic
See more at the Betsy B Design shop on Etsy.

(I discovered Betsy B via Simple Song.)

horne (aka the place where I covet everything)

Horne has so many beautiful objects for the home that I’ve been oohing and aahing through the site all morning. When I saw the Crackery Crockery Teacup #2 from Ornamented Life, my heart skipped a beat. It’s gorgeous! It is the most delicate, lovely little cup I’ve seen.

Be sure to read up on the background of this design. It makes this little number even more special.

(Crackery Crockery Teacup #2)
(Via Oh Joy! and Simple Song)

tgif

When I was a little girl, I usually went to sleep with one or two of my stuffed animals each night, but every once in a while I'd gather the whole group up and crawl into bed with all of them. I'd line them up around me from head to toe and sleep like that all night. Just me and my stuffed animals in my little twin bed - snug as bugs in a rug. Thinking back on that now makes me smile.

... and so does this.

I hope that something this weekend makes you smile too.
xo kristin

(Family Portrait by Doc18 on flickr.)

shopping conundrum

I’m flummoxed… there are so many wonderful, lovely dresses just calling my name, but I don’t know how to choose… which would you pick?

1. Stewart Brown Party Dress ($149) at Beklina.

2. Loyale Solano Tunic ($90) on Beklina.

3. Lemonstory by Kimenna Fall Shirt Dress ($92) on Etsy.

4. Lemonstory by Kimenna Abstract Art Jersey Dress ($100) on Etsy.

Right now, I'm thinking it would be #3 first, then #2, then #1, and finally #4. But I really love them ALL!

delightful dessert table

I'd get married all over again if it meant I could have a dessert table like this. Four balloons and an all-white palette make for a truly gorgeous display, no?

Amy Atlas... she is an event-planning genius.

(Photos from the Bridal Brunch Dessert Table (portfolio pages 6-10). / Jo also swoons.)

a special spot at the window

This photo makes me happy. The neat little table for two puts a smile on my face. It's begging the question, won't you join me for some tea and an afternoon of gazing out at the yard?

(photo by the ultra-talented Alicia Lynn Carrier.)

{sigh} I just love it.

spotlight: photographer irene suchocki

Looky-loo at the stunning portfolio of photographer-extraordinaire Irene Suchocki. In her own words, she’s a "purveyor of little poems for the eyes" – and oh, ain’t it so? Her photos are beautiful, dazzling, and whimsical. My heart skips a beat just looking at the magic of those glowing heart lights strung up over the street. Lucky for us, we can buy her prints here.

"Looking for Love"

"We Hold the Future"

letterpress love: Chewing the Cud

Sending cards is one of the simplest ways to put a smile on someone's face, and
I’m a sucker for letterpress. So of course when I saw these lovely hand-made cards from Chewing the Cud, I started to swoon. The colors are very chic (loving the combo of red, brown and light blue right now), and the designs have that modern-vintage vibe. Plus, they’re clever… let’s ketch*up? …chuckles…

Cards from Chewing the Cud on Etsy.

tgif

Never have I wanted a weekend to come more badly. I’m looking forward to a trip to the movies, an early morning yoga class, baking cookies, reading my new Domino magazine, and lots of naps...

See you next week!
xo, kristin

(click here to see rest of deuce-ish photostream)

let's shop: anthropologie

Brrr! To say it's cold today would be an understatement. It’s minus zero here in Chicago with windchills that make your eyes water and your fingers and toes go numb. Kinda makes you want to throw the covers back over your head and not even get out of bed.

The perfect cure to the chilly day blues? For me, it’s looking at the lovely spring line at Anthropologie. The cheery spring colors in blue, yellow and pink and whimsical polka-dot patterns remind me that spring is somewhere around the corner.

for your home...

for you...

{home: Flower Frenzy Dishtowels * Happy-As-A-Lark Coasters * Ditsy Dot Bowls}

{you: Skystones Necklace * View-From-Above Cardigan * Graphite Garden Scarf}

shopping at paper n stitch

I had no idea such a wonderful treasure-trove of goodies existed at Paper n Stitch until the lovely Ez told us about it. Oh, the treasures await at this Etsy-like space that features the work of artists, designers, and creative types selling their handmade goods.

A few of my favorite things...

Gold Rose Pendant from Plum and Sage.

Favorite Mittens from PLYtextiles.

The Courtyard Garden print from Gretchenmist.

my resolutions

Joslyn inspired me. I haven’t thought much about resolutions for the New Year, but I decided I should make at least a few. Even if I’m a little late, it’s better than never, right?

These are the things I want to do this year…

Stop procrastinating. (This is a very tall order. I couldn’t even come up with my resolution list on time. From now on - Do it now. Do it now. Do it now.)

Keep bouquets of fresh flowers. (Flowers make me happy. Trader Joe’s has a great selection – for cheap – and in a few months it’ll be farmer’s market time again. This should be an easy one.)

Try a new recipe once a week. (Time to put that stack of cookbooks to use.)

Take more pictures. (What good is a camera sitting in a drawer? Get it out, get out there and snap up as many photos of this life as you can before it passes by. Capture the beauty of the every day.)

Stop swearing. (I don’t look like a truck-driver, so why should I sound like one? Besides, "shut the front door" sounds so much more clever than the alternative.)

Perfect the Ashtanga headstand in yoga class. (Hold it for 20 counts, drop your legs to look like an L for 5 and then raise your legs back up for a count before exiting the pose. Do this with grace. 20 counts feels like an eternity, but I swear I will get this by the end of ’09.)

design inspiration: chalkboard wall

One of the things on my grand to-do list is to open a bakery. That's not about to happen any time soon, but when it does, I want to have a wall like this.

I love the retro table & chairs, and those wide plank floors are simply lovely.

(By Cat Scratch via my new fave Mary Ruffle.)

spotlight: ouma party dress

If only I had a party to go to...

Striped Babydoll Party Dress by Ouma on Etsy.

tgif

Woo hoo!
The weekend is almost here!

Let the good times roll.

See you next week!
xo kristin

(one of 365 days of photos in 2007 by Berly816)

design inspiration: framed photo gallery

What an inspiration for creating a framed photo gallery at home (from the brilliant minds at Sixx Design). Just looking at those pretty black frames lined up in not-so-neat rows tempts me to copy this idea at the top of our stairs.

But I also still love this idea.

(I found this lovely photo via Mary. Be sure to check out her sites here and here... they're full of amazing photos that are sure to inspire.)

spotlight: handmade bags by moop

I {heart} these bags from Moop. Handmade in Massachusetts, the design of each bag is based on the mantra "form follows function"... and from what I can see the forms are lovely indeed!

The Messenger * The Tote

spotlight: Emily Ryan

I am swooning over these super cute dresses by Emily Ryan on Etsy. The design and materials are very organic in nature and the cozy materials (cotton sweatshirt and soft cotton jersey) make these frocks a great choice for the wintry weather. Pair them with leggings, a chunky piece of jewelry and boots for a chic look.

Ruffle Dress and Cowl-Neck Pocket Tunic

happy new year!

Here's to good things in the year ahead.

Little Birds' New Year on Flickr.

recipe to try: black and white mousse

You’ll be in seventh heaven scooping the sweet melt-in-your-mouth spoonfuls of this dark and white chocolate mousse from Flagrante Delicia. What a luscious dessert for a New Year’s Eve in with your honey... which is exactly what we have lined up this year!

etsy calendar collection

I told myself I wasn't going to do this.

There are already enough blogs out there with round-ups of gorgeous 2009 calendars, so why should I add to the mix? But then I started looking at the delightful handmade designs on Etsy and I just couldn't resist.

So here are a few of my favorites...

Hand-Gocco Printed Calendar by Sarah Parrott. $20.

Colorful Prints Calendar by Susy Jack. $34.

Decorative Frame Calendar by Paper and Inkling. $15.50.

Celebrity Birthday Calendar by Beauideal. $24.
Animal Calendar by English Muffin Shop. $15.

Pattern & Texture Calendar by Satsuma Lynn. $44.


Round Funny Birds Calendar by ModernPop. $18.50.

holiday wishes

There are cookies to bake, presents to wrap and a queue of Christmas movies to watch – so I’m signing off for the next few days. I do hope your holidays are full of all the simple pleasures and little joys that make you happy. And may your dreams – today and always – come true.

Hugs,
Kristin

Christmas Cookies via She Dances on Flickr.

100 things...

I've seen a few bloggers with their own lists so I decided to try one of my own. Wow... it's harder than you'd think to come up with 100 things! Here goes...

100 Things about Me:

1. When I was a kid, my cousin Kelly and I used to light sparklers and then see how many times we could run around our cottage before they went out.

2. I took great pride in beating him.

3. In high-school I had an iguana. His name was Bud.

4. I totally believe in horoscopes. I’m a Sagittarius.

5. My birthday is November 26th, which sometimes falls on Thanksgiving.

6. I did not like it when my mom made a birthday pumpkin pie instead of a cake one year.

7. My favorite book is “Just As Long As We’re Together” by Judy Blume and has been since about the sixth grade.

8. I read it every year.

9. I am left handed.

10. In elementary school, I was jealous of my sister because she had braces and “got” to wear a retainer.

11. Sometimes I snuck in her room to try it on.

12. Now I thank god that my teeth are straight and that I never had to wear braces.

13. I never get tired of 80’s hair band music.

14. And I’ll always have a crush on Jon BonJovi.

15. I’m a sore loser.

16. Once I lost playing “Life” with my family, and I ran off pouting and crying.

17. I was 24. They’ll never let me forget it.

18. I am totally uncoordinated.

19. I like to blame this on my parents who didn’t let me take dance class when I was little.

20. The last time I went ice skating was when I was eight with my sister.

21. She broke her arm and neither of us have skated again.

22. I have never broken a bone.

23. But I did drop a shot-put on my big toe in eighth grade.

24. And had my lip split open by a baseball bat when I was four.

25. I had to get stitches.

26. I also accidentally stapled the tip of my index finger with an industrial stapler when I was at my first week at a new job.

27. I was so embarrassed and couldn’t tell anyone since I just started there, so I had to pry it open and pull it out myself.

28. I almost passed out.

29. The first time I was on an airplane was sophomore year of high-school.

30. I went to Orlando with my friend and her family.

31. I went to Cancun for spring break my senior year of college with eleven friends.

32. When we checked in, they only had one room reserved for us so we had to share one room – and one bathroom – for a week.

33. When we were kids, we liked to sit on the floor vent in our living room when the furnace kicked on. We’d pull our sleep-shirts over our legs and tuck our heads in to create little tents of warm air.

34. I still like to sit on the vent in our bedroom now.

35. I have three tattoos.

36. I’d like to get more.

37. When I was sixteen, I lied and said I was eighteen so I could get my belly button pierced.

38. It was 2 months before my mom and dad found out.

39. When I was little, I used to love catching frogs and salamanders.

40. I wanted to keep them as pets.

41. Once when I caught a teeny tree frog, I was holding it, standing by the campfire, when it suddenly jumped out of my hand and into the fire. I cried all weekend.

42. My first car was a brown Chevy Cavalier.

43. I named it Phil because the license plate started with FYL.

44. The first – and last – time I went snorkeling, it took me about 30 minutes to figure out how to breathe through the mouthpiece. Once I finally got it, we were called back on to the boat because the time was up.

45. Some day for Christmas, I’d like to get my husband and I (and whatever kiddies we have) matching pj’s to open our presents in.

46. We had to wear uniforms in middle school.

47. All the girls would roll up their plaid skirts at the waist, but we still wore shorts underneath.

48. When I was in seventh grade, I had a huge crush on an eighth grader. I wrote my crush’s name and “I heart my crush” all over the bottom of my shoes in class. When we went out for recess that day, someone told him, and he came over to look at my shoes. I was mortified.

49. When I was in high school, I finally dated that crush and when we broke up in college, it was me who broke it off with him.

50. I cannot drive a stick-shift. My friends tried to teach me in high-school, and I was awful. After about the tenth time of clonking out, I just gave up.

51. I am a Packers fan living in Bears’ country. We are a household divided on football Sunday.

52. I believe that ghosts exist and that houses can be haunted.

53. On our trips home to Wisconsin, I like to moo at the cows in the fields.

54. I don’t like to eat white foods – mayonnaise, cream cheese, ranch dressing, sour cream.

55. But I do like vanilla ice cream, marshmallows and yogurt.

56. Growing up I always wanted to be a teacher.

57. Sometimes I wonder if that’s still what I should have done.

58. I also wanted to be a librarian, a waitress, a cashier and an architect.

59. Some day still I would love to open a bakery.

60. We didn’t have Nintendo at our house.

61. The only video games I liked – and actually got good at from playing at friends’ houses – were the original Super Mario Bros. and Tetris.

62. One of my favorite books growing up was “Dr. Seuss’ ABC’s.” I still know it by heart: “Big A, little A, what begins with A? Aunt Annie’s alligator. A A A…”

63. I don’t have an iPod.

64. I’m scared of doing handstands in yoga class.

65. I can’t read in the car or I’ll get carsick.

66. But I can read when I’m on the train or running on the treadmill.

67. Whenever we roast marshmallows, I like to burn the top layer of my marshmallow, peel it off and eat it and then keep burning it down layer by layer.

68. When I eat a bowl of cereal, I like to mix a couple kinds together.

69. And then I drink the milk.

70. I love making lists.

71. Sometimes when I’m going through a list and realize I did a task that wasn’t on it, I’ll write it on anyway just so I can cross it off.

72. I love board games.

73. I always want to be Miss Scarlet when we play “Clue” and the dog when we play Monopoly.

74. I don’t like sushi.

75. I love karaoke.

76. When I was in kindergarten, I got to be the partridge in a pear tree in our school Christmas play. Every time that verse of the song came up, I had to get down from the “tree” and flap my wings and squawk around the stage.

77. And then when I was in sixth grade, I was the dove in our Christmas play and had to sing a solo. I guess there’s just something about me and birds…

78. I took Spanish in high-school and in college.

79. I still can’t speak it.

80. I’d like to take French classes now.

81. And then take a trip to Paris.

82. My top five favorite movies (in no particular order because it’s too hard narrow down): “You’ve Got Mail,” “Sixteen Candles,” “When Harry Met Sally,” “Love Actually,” and “Baby Boom.”

83. Every year growing up during one week of the summer, my mom would put up a tent in our backyard so we could “camp out” with our friends.

84. My grandparents lived on a dairy farm and used to name the cows after me and my cousins.

85. I loved to go into the barn and check the list to see what my cow was doing that day.

86. I love to do crosswords, sudoku and word jumbles.

87. I wanted to be just like Sam on “Who’s the Boss.”

88. And I thought Susanna Hoffs – from The Bangles – was the coolest person ever.

89. I have a birthmark on my upper thigh that I used to cover up with my hand whenever we went to the pool as kids.

90. I still have a habit of covering it up when I put on a swim suit.

91. My favorite ice cream novelty was always a Mickey Mouse Bar.

92. Now it’s a Dove Bar.

93. I never really liked cats until I got a dog.

94. Now that I’ve got her, I realize how much I love all animals.

95. The worst household chore? Ironing. Followed very close behind by dusting.

96. The best? Vacuuming.

97. I love books. Novels, coffee table books, kids’ picture books – all of them.

98. Some day I want a library in my house.

99. My niece and nephews have brought more joy to my life than I would have ever thought possible.

100. I can’t wait to have children of my own.

So that's 100! Thanks for reading!

design inspiration: decorating diy

I {heart} this lovely diy decorating idea from Lobster and Swan.

Create a lovely garland using bits of pretty paper and fabrics. String it up from wall to wall, and you’ve got a simple and sweet way to brighten up any room.

Garland by Lobster and Swan on Flickr.

crafting: decorating with cranberries

Here are some lovely ways to decorate for the holidays - in a cheap and chic way. Ruby-red cranberries can be used in myriad ways to spruce up your home. Gorgeous.

Cranberry Topiary * Cranberry Table Setting * Cranberry Initial

(from Better Homes & Gardens ~ BHG)

bedding love: cosmina & cirrus bedding from anthropologie

ohmigosh.

A ruffly, fluffy duvet and shams in a gorgeous steely silver color topped with a quilt swirling with paisleys of dark gray. The tones remind me of wintry days at nightfall when the gray sky casts its dusky shadows over the city.

This is some serious bed-love. {And actually, if I'm being honest... I'm smitten with this whole darn room - the tree wallcover, the drapes, the chair, the pendant. Oh if I could only have them all...}

Cosmina Quilt & Sham * Cirrus Duvet & Sham
{from Anthropologie}

holiday shopping: antique brooch

Wow. This is a real stunner. I love that it's black. I love that it's French. I love that it's old (over 100 years!). But most of all? I love that it's unique.

French Jet Clover Brooch from Erie Basin

gifts for a sweet-tooth

I'm sure these mouthwatering treats from Vosges Chocolate are every bit as delicious and decadent as they look. A perfect gift for the sweet-tooth on your list!

Caramel Toffee * Caramels * Dark Chocolate Truffles * Peanut Butter Bonbons

holiday shopping: coil candle holders

*UPDATE* Contented Me readers can save 10% at Burke Décor! Shop online and get 10% off your entire order by entering CONTENTED at checkout. What a great deal!

Whenever the holidays roll around, I find myself totally gravitating towards things silver and sparkly. So naturally, I find these candle holders pretty pretty pretty.

Silver Coil Candle Holder from Burke Decor. $16.

Get a couple of these and throw in another lovely item or two to your shopping cart and get free shipping! That's right... enjoy free shipping on all orders over $50 at Burke Decor this holiday season.

stocking stuffers: glass ornaments

Moo-ve on over to CB2 this weekend to corral these adorable cow ornaments! Those little round bodies just make me smile.

{It says they're no longer available online, but maybe you'll be lucky and snap up a few at the store closest to you. I'm hoping there are a still a few left at the store by my house. Fingers crossed! }

But just in case the cows are gone...

starburst ornaments * trumpets ornaments * finial ornaments