hello yellow

i'm having such a moment with yellow recently. okay, a lot of moments. there are so many great shades of it, and it takes on different personalities used in different ways.

i love it in fashion and accessories because it's such an expected color but can look funky or classic at any given moment.

and i love it in home design, where it often provides a pop of color, even in subtle tones, unmatched by any other shade. (see this great house beautiful guide for the best shades of yellow - i love number 7 especially).

yellow, anything but mellow.

photo 1 from harry winston, photo 2 from daily mail, photos 3 and 10-13 from anthropologie, photo 4 from photos posh, photo 5 from oxygen, photo 6 from old navy, photo 7 from outfit identifier, photo 8 from runway daily, photo 9 from rebecca monkoff, 14-17 from bloomingdales, photo 18 from west elm, photos 19, 20 and 24 from crate and barrel, photo 21 from house beautiful, photos 22 and 23 from habitually chic, photo 25 from apartment therapy

tiny treasures...roll it up

i am of the firm belief that you can never have enough bags (exhibit A, my closet). totes, clutches, hobos, barrels...a purpose for every one of them, and once in a while, a bag truly wows me. the one i'm telling you about today happens to cost $3, so...tiny treasure, obvi. (if you're new to honey living, or just to tiny treasures, they're small indulgences to make you feel good for under $5. check out all the past tiny treasures here).

i've had these bags for a while (see here for the matching reusable shopping totes), but for some reason, i keep forgetting to write about them. forgive me! so...

pier 1 carries the bag in four extremely likable prints, and they roll into a small pouch which can clip on to...something. keys i guess? i don't know, that part i don't get, but i'm a huge fan of throwing one in my bag, one in the car, one in my desk drawer...the list goes on. they're so perfect for when you end up with more stuff than you thought you would coming to or from work, shopping, a visit with friends, etc. also, you don't have to deal with the annoyance of forgetting the reusable grocery bags in the car or your house every time you're at the store, because these are always in your bag taking up hardly any room at all.

me being big on matching bag ensembles, all mine are in the spot-on black and white damask, but the other three coordinate nicely with each other and might one day find their way into my bag too.

some honey living you might have missed:
-if you love black and white damask like i do, you might love the rainboots in this post.
-for more stylish reusable tote bags, see here and here.

photo from pier 1

on the grid

one of the nicest things about summer is surely all the deliciously fresh produce in abundance almost everywhere. last summer, i got really into farmers markets, and this year, i'm looking forward to the same, starting with today on my lunch break! i'll report any interesting finds in the next couple of days.


in addition to farmers markets, whole foods is my favorite source for retail produce because it's all so beautifully selected and displayed. plus, i really love shopping in a store where so much attention is paid to health and wellness. i just feel better shopping there. can you relate?

my favorite development at whole foods (or whole paycheck as i've heard it called) is the display of the ANDI score on all the produce signs, part of whole foods' "health starts here" initiative. ANDI stands for Aggregate Nutrient Density Index, and the score is determined by evaluating a range of micronutrients including vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals and antioxidant capacities. the higher the concentration of these elements per calorie, the higher the score.

i love it that they display this because it makes it easy to make educated choices about something that so many of us find important. i mean really, it could be a full time job to keep updated on all the nutritional research out there, so i love that whole foods gives you clear, valuable information at a key moment - when you're making your selections.

of course, pretty much any fruit or vegetable we're buying is generally a healthy choice, but i think it's great to know that strawberries rate a 212, while peaches only score a 73. although they're both quite healthy, if i don't feel a strong preference that day, the ANDI score would guide my choice.

you can bet i'm printing out this little grid and putting it in my wallet. first stop - farmers market! for a listing of farmers markets in your area, check out local harvest.

update: thanks to a honey living reader, i'm pleased to share a recipe for kale chips, an amazingly tasty way to eat the highest rated food on the ANDI scale! bon appetit!

rebecca's kale chips
-roughly cut 1 BUNCH CURLY KALE (with thick stems removed) into 2-3" strips and place on large cookie sheet (use parchment paper to avoid having to clean the sheet!)
-drizzle about 2 TBSP EVOO and SALT AND PEPPER to taste on the pile of kale, tossing to coat
-roast at 375-400 for about 13 minutes, checking once after about 8 minutes to make sure they're not burning and are roasting evenly

-enjoy, and definitely make more than one bunch if you plan on serving it to more than a couple people!

some honey living farmers market posts you might have missed:
local harvest
good and green

andi grid from fooducate

easy breezy summer

did you spend a lot of time outside this past weekend? for me, it was a bit too hot to sit outside for any length of time except in the evenings, but i saw plenty of people grilling and lounging outside all day long. i hope this weekend coming up is more temperate like these past couple days have been because i'd love to spend the majority of it outside, hopefully with a nice breeze and golden sunshine.

i love how by the time spring and summer arrive, we're all dying to be outside for every conceivable activity - eating, drinking, playing, reading, napping, etc...it's all just better outside when the weather is perfect.

i love the extra relaxed vibe of having gatherings and parties outside too - it always looks thrown together and casual, not in a messy way, but in a way that says "come on over, we'll throw some steaks on the grill and hang out." even if it's not truly that care-free to entertain at all summer parties, that general mood sets the tone for a relaxed get together, and those are usually the most fun.






are you planning any gatherings this summer?

check out my piece in overlook view (go to page 42 of the pdf) on summer entertaining for some ideas!

photos from country living, southern living and the kithcn

tasty harvest

well, i love all things tori and dean, so i might be a little biased, but i really think this might be one of the cutest ideas i've ever heard of. for liam's birthday celebration at school, T assembled mini terra cotta pots filled with hummus (one for each kid) with baby carrots sticking out of them, as if they were growing out of the pot. i only wish i had a picture of it, but you can imagine how great looking they were. i love this as a cute, healthy alternative to the standard cupcakes or cake, don't you?

i think it would be extra cute if you did it with mini carrots with some green still on top...as if you're literally harvesting them to eat!

although i totally love this as a children's snack idea, i'm sort of obsessed with it as a grown-up idea too. i just know they're the type of little touch that charms a house or yard full of guests.

UPDATE: in response to this post, concern about choking was brought to my attention, so that should be carefully noted with this idea. perhaps carrots are best suited for kindergarten and up, with something less hazardous like crackers or pretzel sticks for really young children.

photos from whos dated who, thermopakdirect, sabbah, health tips, and amy surf

simple abundance

while we're on the topic of bracelets this week, my attention has been drawn to the silly bandz craze of the last few months. i'm sure you already know about them, but just in case - they're thin silicone bracelets (much like the jelly bracelets of my childhood) in fun shapes when they're off your wrist, but conform to a regular bracelet shape when on.



kids across the country are collecting and trading them like crazy, so much so that they've been banned from all schools in certain states. i'm less interested in that whole debate - obviously if they're creating too much of a distraction in an educational environment, they've got to go, though i think some teachers' strategies of using them as rewards for good behavior is pretty genius.

what i do care about, and am really thrilled about, is that, at about $5 for a package of 24 bandz, this trend is something so affordable that most kids can participate. on top of that, i love that it's age-appropriate and that it engenders interaction and playing together, rather than each kid having their head buried in an iphone. not only are they getting peer interaction, but they're having fun and learning important social skills along the way, something that lots of kids' trends used to teach, but the digital age has, in many ways, taken away. i love the simplicity and innocence of this for today's kids, don't you?

the today show did a cute story on the fad, and i was really touched by the anecdote one mother told. she shared that the children were often known to each give a couple of bandz to the children who didn't have any...i think it's very nice evidence that when children are happy and having fun, and secure in the abundance they are lucky to have, they feel compelled to give that feeling to others even if it means having less themselves.

would it be weird to get a package for myself? okay, yes, it would. but i do love it for the little guys and gals.

top photo from flickr, 2nd and 3rd photos from as seen on tv guys, 4th photo from amazon, 5th photo from american cheerleader, 6th photo from daily news

a blank canvas (or four)

i've been in a very project-minded mood recently, so these colorblock painted canvases caught my eye as something totally DIY-able (no disrespect to the artists who make them, as they're great looking!).

unless i'm grossly miscalculating, all you'd have to do is get 4 canvases of whatever size you want and paint each one its own solid color. in the case of the blue set, the shades are slightly different than one another in the same family, while the set of earth tones are each a distinctly different shade. either option totally works.

although wisteria's sets vary in texture, as a DIY, they could lack that feature and look just as good, in my opinion. or of course, you could use a textured paint to get the exact look.

these could hang anywhere, in any formation and they're sharp-looking, modern and are a great way to fill wall space and add color to any room.

this is my kind of art project - no real artistic talent required. plus, you end up with good-looking, one-of-a-kind pieces custom made for your very own home. AND you'll know the artist personally...

some honey living posts you might have missed:

see this amazingly simple DIY project for a fun chair

loving the nautical look above? check out these adorable bags made from upcycled sailboat sails

all photos from wisteria