Wanted

{Kate Towers, found @ Oh Joy!}

{Spirocreations}

The dress for a party tomorrow (hoping to whip up something inspired tonight). The moccasins for the fall which I am thinking about a lot lately.

A Script

When I'm old and have to downsize my living space, I'm going to refer to this picture and design accordingly. It's so sleek and subtly dramatic. Husband & I will use the table for dinner and then I'll sit here in late at night, drinking coffee, writing something. I'd do it now but it's nice to have something to look forward to.
Living Etc.

A True Workspace

This picture of the kitchen of Julia Child for the new movie coming out, Julie & Julia is really a space that you look at and know - someone cooks in that kitchen and is passionate about it. It's serious business. I really like home spaces that show that they are used and loved.

*Be sure to visit Country Living for great information about the space.

Looking For

Looking for this corner bench kitchen table thing so I can turn it into a beautiful nook like this. I'll store board games and cards in the benches and we'll sit together at the table playing them. When we aren't, I'll tuck the table in kinda tight to the bench and we'll still be able to walk by the small space in front of the corner nook without any trouble at all.

For the Birds

This is quite possibly the most beautiful image. Ever. It makes me wonder about the story that would go along with it.
Daisy Pink Cupcakes

Implementation

I'm an idea person. I have lots of them. I make my family crazy with them. I don't always implement them. They float around in my mind, taking up space until I do. I've decided to try this one, a handmade Etsy shop, Compulsively Created. I think it will be fun.

Paired

This months Gourmet has a recipe for Salted Caramel Ice Cream that I must try. Today I ate 8 salted caramels from the candy shop at Santa Cruz. They were amazing. I can only imagine how good an ice cream in the same flavor pairing must be.

Enough

{House Beautiful & Skona Hem}

Enough already about the stripes! I know, but somehow, I just can't get enough. And in red, they are so much fun! Look at how much the red stripe livens up these rooms. Wow.

Coppery

{Living Etc. House Beautiful}

These kitchens are all to die for. I think you'll agree. Every once in a while, I allow myself to dream about a new kitchen. Mine is certainly sufficient but I wouldn't be opposed to new appliances and a little elbow room.

Subdued

{House Beautiful}

This space is so serene. I love to look at it. It immediately calms me. What's I find most interesting though is that in my own spaces I want more. More stuff, more color, just more. Maybe I should give this simplicity a try. It might just change the way our house functions (those living in it, I mean). Maybe we'd all be more cool, calm and collected.

Drama

{Anthropology}

Lighting's the perfect place to implement some drama. These pieces are sure to add quite a bit with the first act including the difficulty of making a choice between these beauties.

I Wonder . . .

{Russell Simpson}

Do those of you reading in countries outside of the U.S. romanticize the idea of living here (in the U.S. the way I do about living overseas? This lovely home is located in La Cambe, Normandy, France and looks absolutely dreamy to me.

Back to School

{JCrew}

We've started our back to school shopping for the children. Only one week left in this summer break. Here's what I'd like to be wearing when I hit the classroom.

Desperate Times, Desperate Measures

I've become fixated on white painted floors. I desperately want them in my living room and master bedroom. I won't be satisfied until I do. I have been making Husband crazy pestering him to pull up our grungy carpeting and just paint the plywood until we are ready to invest in a long term solution. He's not going for it yet.

The Wonder of Words

{Found @ Lime in the Coconut}

I love book pages on walls. I imagine you'd find new bits of information each day as you walked by your walls. Individual words would provoke thoughts. Whole sentences might inspire deeper research into new subjects or maybe specific quotes would affirm the day's apparent direction. I'd keep a pencil on the table there so I could make notes in the margins when I felt it was necessary.

Color

The colors that occur in nature are so amazing. Of course we try to bring them into our homes. We'd be foolish not to. These are pages from a Taschen book, Dezallier d'Argenville, Shells, that I am dying to add to my collection. For now, I'll be satisfied just leafing through it's pages on line. Here.

Stripes

{Domino}

I love a room like this with so much going on. I'm not a morning person. I turn off the light in the kitchen if it is on when I come out to get my coffee. It seems to me though that a happy stripe like this in the kitchen would somehow give a cheerful kick start to every day.

Beneficial Bugs

{Etsy}

They're not only good for the garden.

Community

Wednesday we took a short trip to visit my siblings in San Francisco. My sister is a fantastic tour guide who knows all the best places and takes us to them. This time we went to visit the community garden at Ft. Mason. It is lovely. There are vegetables, cut flowers, cacti, zen gardens and even a picnic area. The waiting list is 7 years long for a plot. I dream of starting a community garden in our town. Someday.

Simple Things

{Found @ Marley & Locker}

{Living Etc.}

I have a weakness for upholstered pieces. I have pieces in my house just waiting to be renewed. I sometimes purchase them with no clear idea of where they are to go in our home. It's just so tempting.

When I thumb through magazines, my absolute favorites are the pieces that are left unfinished and a close second are the ones that look worn and mismatched like this bottom photo.

I think I'm just a hopeless romantic when it comes to interiors and furnishings. I like pieces that show the signs of having been loved.

Inspiration

{Domino}

This photo makes me want to do things to my outdoor dining space that I never would have thought of on my own. I like that.

Time

For a break. Happy weekend. Happy 4th. See you next week. Monday or Tuesday.

Work

{Flor}

{House Beautiful}

{House Beautiful}

These are fantastic work spaces. Each of them allows for a fair amount of spreading out with a large desk. The extra storage in this last photo is a huge plus and I love the color schemes. They are studious, fashionable and inspiring! Proof that form and function can co-exist.

Anticipation & Inquiry

I love a new magazine! This one from Michelle Adams and her business partner, Patrick Cline. Coming in September, I am so looking forward to a new one to love.

With this announcement from someone whom I already admire for her textile business, I do have to ask, "How do people learn how to do this stuff?!" I mean really. I'd love to be a textile designer(which she is). I want to be part of a magazine (which she is)! But how? Anyone, anyone? I sit and ask husband these questions. He doesn't have the answers and I think he's getting a little tired of the questions. Don't get me wrong. I know that it takes hard work and talent but what else? I would really benefit from a step by step tutorial if available.

Grey

{Elle Decor}

Right now it's one of my major weaknesses. I think the thing I like most is how surprisingly well the natural wood looks with it. Of course, the contrasting ceiling and the black and white canopy striped rug certainly help.