lazy hair day

with the heat the way it's expected to be today, there is nothing to do but put your hair up and leave your neck free to breathe what air is available. loving these braids as inspiration.

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a cozy corner

well we finally moved and i've been wanting to aggregate pictures and thoughts into a post to share and the days get away from me. in the meantime, i thought i'd show you an inspiring dining corner shot... our new place shares nothing in common with the above image other than wood floors. but we're hoping to create a little banquette area with a bench and some eclectic chairs. i also love the idea of the gallery wall above the table. totally planning on that as well.

image source unknown

these are nuts

so good. they remind me of these, which are harder to find and more expensive. both are insanely good for a you-only-need-a-few kind of snack.

take me there

i want to go to there.

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a sweet surprise

have you heard of the baby gender reveal cake idea? admittedly, i should probably have come up with a catchier name for it, but listen: when it's time to find out the gender of your baby, your ultrasound technician writes down "boy" or "girl" on a piece of paper and you bring that paper to your favorite bakery. then when you're ready to celebrate whatever that gender is, you pick up the cake and cut into it to reveal either pink or blue cake. some people even make whole parties for the reveal! HOW CUTE!!!

i know that i, for one, will DEFINITELY want to know the gender of my baby, though i am struck by the simplicity of the response i got when i recently asked an expectant father why he and his momma-to-be chose to wait. "there are so few good surprises in life" was what he said. i love that thought, and i love the idea of celebrating that good surprise with colorful cake and then having months and months to plan knowing exactly what gender my baby will be :)

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smart salvage

i think we all have at least one eyeshadow or blush that has dropped or just generally degraded to where what was once a solid is now not so solid anymore. it gets messy, dusty and doesn't go on right anymore. so i love this glamour mag recession-friendly beauty tip on salvaging those downtrodden faves. for containers for this project, i love these.

so easy that it's kind of like, why have we not been doing this since the beginning of time? or at least since the beginning of middle school...

a prune prelude

okay so even though i'm not into sardines, doesn't this plate seem like the perfect bar snack? well that's what it is at downtown restaurant prune. and maybe it's the perfect prelude to prune chef gabrielle hamilton's recipe for braised chicken legs with shallots and vinegar.

 i love how both dishes seem to blend savory and tart, salty and sweet, deftly and with confidence. dare i say i might try sardines in this iteration.

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happy monday

how low can we go?

you know i'm a fan of the high/low analysis, and just generally of finding accessible ways to try trends we like. don't get me wrong...i also like the occasional splurge, but we can't splurge all the time. so here, i found an even lower version of the yellow satchels i wrote about last week (admittedly this one's not neon, but still very yellow) and also a very affordable colorblock heel like the ones i admired here.

though i love the ones below for sure (mainly for color choice), i think the above version is a pretty good replacement, especially given that they're over $300 less. thoughts?

tuesday morning

this is the part of winter that feels long and dark, isn't it? this morning felt like the kind of morning where a bunch of flowers goes a long way. i'm a fan of grouping them by color for display...part because i love all things monochromatic, but also because the simple act of grouping and arranging and putting like with like can feel calming. there's something orderly about it that we just don't get very often in the chaos of real life. agree?

i'm listening to this song this morning as i write and sip my coffee and it makes me smile and feel happy. happy tuesday.

barely there

one of the most loved gifts i've ever received was this necklace from my sister and brother-in-law. i love it because it's so perfectly delicate and barely there, but has a little glimmer and falls just perfectly. because i love it so, so much, my husband bought me the matching bracelet as a sweet surprise for channukah. normally, i'm not one for matchy matchy or things in sets, but because these pieces are so subtle and quietly lovely, i love wearing them both. and i do...every single day.

 

i've been loving initial jewelry lately, and last week on a business trip, i admired this lovely initial necklace that had that barely there quality. i particularly love the way the certain letters (like the H and the N) which are suspended on a bias and looked just perfect. 

you can also get them with more than one letter (perfect for one's own initials or those of children), and also with numbers. and of course, the bracelets are as dainty as the necklaces.

while i totally love huge, flashy jewelry (i'll gladly admit that), my love for that kind of bling is rivaled only for my love of this kind of delicate perfection...like whispered bling. love it.

high/low...neon sachel

well there's this one for $155...

and then this one for $498.

save or splurge?

colorblock gone wild

obsessed with these all-in-one colorblock accessories. whole colorblock outfits can be a little...bold, so i love the idea of packing a bold punch in one piece like these. you like? 

shoe links here, here and here; bag links here, here, here and here

midcentury love

what's your feeling on the midcentury modern pieces that have become all but ubiquitous over the last few years? the two that come to mind immediately are the saarinen table (replete with tulip chairs as seen here) and the eames molded chair. although there's a part of me that desires them less because it seems everyone has them now, there's a larger, more pronounced part of me that feels like if i still love a piece regardless of how mainstream it's become, then who really cares? 


are there items you've loved, only to love them less when you see them everywhere? does ubiquity water down something we love? does it have to? i think not. look at all the gorgeous ways these two iconic pieces can be used and enjoyed...the one thing i probably wouldn't do is use them together, but mixed with other special and not-so-special pieces? eclectic perfection.


i love the idea of a slightly less-oft seen take on these special pieces like the saarinen table with a marble top or in an oval shape, or the eames chair as a rocker in a punchy color.

p.s. this saarinen replica is under $200. just saying...ubiquity be damned.

images from here, here, here and linked sites