Wants, Needs, Desires

My current obsession, a stock tank pool...want.
Apartment Therapy

Art Appreciation

Carly in Flymask by Clare Rickman as seen at the California Sate Fair yesterday. Love...I seem inexplicably drawn to art work with a subject whose face is obscured from view.

Reader Giveaway

Looking to add to your summer wardrobe? Well, I have good news, friends, Shabby Apple has offered a $50 gift card as a giveaway for one Compulsively Compiled reader living in the US (as this shop is not yet shipping internationally). To be eligible, simply like Shabby Apple on Facebook and then comment here to say which is your favorite piece from their store site. I will randomly pick a winner from those comments on Monday morning!

Travel Plans

In three short weeks, one of my dreams will come true. I am heading to New York! I'll be going with two instructors and a classmate from the fashion program that I attend. One of the instructors has been many times and has a fantastically educational experience planned for us which will even include a visit to the Met where we will see Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations. I can hardly believe it!
From Me To You

Monday

Friends, we took a vacation last week (more on that later) which wound up a leisurely month of June. Ever since the school semester finished, I have been sluggish, in what I think of as a "research mode" which means much time spent watching movies, reading and searching the internet. All of which is necessary but today I feel ready to spring into action and into more of a "productive mode"!
Dust Jacket Attic

Imagine

A doorway into a garden...well, of course!
All Buttoned Up

Cost Analysis

Love. I could probably leave it at that but what I love most about this little tiny glimpse of a beautiful old kitchen is that it could be done up for nearly nothing. That's the kind of budget I'm on so it leaves me feeling encouraged!
Brooklyn Color

Look

I'm all about floral prints paired with denim at the moment.
The Beauty File

Inspired

I'm a night owl by nature so mornings can seem like a long drawn out chore to me, especially if there's no where I have to be. I prefer to take each thing very slowly starting with a cup of coffee. I love this little spot for that very thing. I can just imagine myself sitting there in my pj's which leads me to believe that I should make such a spot for myself here...
via La Dolce Vita

Freeform

Vintage portraits pinned in directly to the wall, expanding as new photos are acquired. Love.
Bird in Hand

Courtyard

A windowed courtyard seems part refuge, (when outside) part art (when in) and completely beautiful. Or at least it seems to me.
Marie Clare Maison

Art Appreciation

I've fallen in love with this piece, Moth #1, by Nicholas Mendise. See more of his work here.

Standard

As summer is here and we are all likely to pass by quite a few garage sales each week, I encourage you to do as I will be doing and keep an eye out for old dishes.

For me, the next six months is chalk full of parties. Not the kind where I just show up and have a good time, but the kind where I'm involved in a whole lot of planning. It started last weekend with our eldest daughter's high school graduation and winds up in November with the wedding of my youngest sister, with more in between.

At any party, I've found that replacing paper plates with my the eclectic mix of vintage dishes I've gathered for pennies from garage sales and second hand stores has multiple benefits. They make every guest feel important, they serve as a decoration of sorts, they start conversation because of their varied patterns and they are surprisingly simple to clean up. They've become my standard party ware!
Amelia Tarbet via Bustled

Dream

Brick, ivy, gravel, huge open windows, shutters; it's a dream!
Maison and Deco via Little Emma English Home

Look

I'm doing some wedding planning with my youngest sister at the moment. We've been searching for the perfect vintage or vintage inspired dress for her November wedding. This is one of my stand out favorites. Not only is it beautiful and simple, it also works for something old and something blue!
ReEnhabit

Plan

I think that when I'm finished shuffling the kids rooms around this summer, I'll look to this room as inspiration for my own. It's like an all inclusive retreat!
Canadian House and Home

Favorite

Mint, the color, is among my favorite things at the moment.
Homes and Gardens

Blur

Last night I showed my student fashion collection. What a fantastic feeling it was to see it come together to be just what I envisioned;  that it was well received makes it even better. Find more pictures here (I'll add more as they come in).

Luck

Love this piece (find it here)! Isn't it true in life, we have to work hard to make this all work out to our benefit. Right now, I'm working night and day on my student fashion collection to be shown this Friday. It's exhausting but so exciting thinking about it all coming together to tell a story. So, if you don't hear from this blog for a little bit, you'll know, I'm patterning or sewing or pressing or styling. I promise you'll see pictures when it's all finished. Wish me luck.

We'll be doing some shuffling of bedrooms around here over summer as our oldest gets ready to head off to college. What's the plan? Simple, classic, vintage.
Windsor Smith