Kate Spade for Fall

I'm always excited to see what direction Kate Spade is going to take for a new season. Her advertising is always gorgeous with perfect, quirky styling. The ladylike trend for fall is beautifully captured in this photo above.
I love these shoes. I'm on the lookout for some new heels that will go with absolutely everything for fall. In person, the Karolina (above) is a little more gold than in this photo. I'm digging the crackly texture too.
However, I am madly in love with the color of the Kelley. While I tend to gravitate towards yellow, I think that these would provide the perfect pop of color to any outfit (especially some great trouser jeans). Plus, the spectator styling is delicate enough to not be overly obnoxious or costume-y.
The comfort-seeker in me, though, is drawn to the Carine style (above). I'm sure I could rock these for hours on end since the wedge heel isn't too high. However, I'm kind of bored by the black patent leather. If only they were yellow like the others!!!
Here's the 2009 version of the Kate Spade desk calendar. I'm so happy that they continue to crank these out year after year. It is my most favorite planner ever and I plan on purchasing another one of these (not yet, though) for next year. This will be my fourth year with the KS calendar, and I love to keep them as a kind of diary. They're so well-designed, and the perfect size to throw into my tote bag.

For the love of a chair

Have we ever talked about my chair obsession? I don't think so. Let's face it: I love me a beautiful chair. Of all kinds. In any shape, fabric, form. The more shapely and whimsical, the better. I am always on the lookout for a great chair, particularly if it's vintage. I've gotten lucky a few times. The chair pictured above came from a closing Saks Fifth Avenue in Kansas City. I was there back when I worked for Pink Sugar (another story for another day) and I saw this little beauty, totally painted Pepto-Bismol pink. It was only $40, and had been used as a store display in the young contemporary department. It was mine, and it rode home in the back of the car. I painted it a couple of times, and now it is currently cream.
The first chair I ever fell in love with, though, was this leather club chair (pictured in our old house). I've had it forever, probably since I was sixteen. It was a very generous gift from my parents, and it is a chair that I will have forever. There's something about a club chair. It has such style and elegance, and it is so comfortable. It is the ultimate mix of form and function, which is the hallmark of good design, in my opinion. This chair looks good in any room.

The Francophile in me, though, loves a classic French chair, like these. Seen in French cafe and gardens, they're charming and functional. I found this one at a little garden shop here several years ago. I would love to have a whole bunch of them for parties, in a variety of colors.
Finally, this is probably my most treasured chair find. In college at the University of Oklahoma, we liked to frequent Mr. Bill's Used Furniture in Norman, where there were frequently cool things to be found. One day I walked in, and there it was, just waiting for me. It was upholstered in a sadly fading pink velvet, and was really dirty. I talked them down on the price, and walked out with a steal. A few years later, I came upon these Amy Butler fabrics, and promptly fell in love, and I just knew that it was the right mix for this chair. Reupholstered, it's like it has a whole new life ahead of it. It's been my office chair for quite some time now, and I love it. Comfy, too!

{image source: unknown}

But there are always new chairs to be seen, new designs to fall in love with. I am lately really loving anything with nailhead trim. Whilst flipping through an old House Beautiful the other day, I saw some really incredible nailhead designs. Very inspiring.

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Aren't these green side chairs divine? I love the color, especially juxtaposed with the stark white and gray contrast. THe pink is pretty fun too.

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I love these too. I think they're Scandinavian...
Anything paired with a Kelly Wearstler/KWID fabric has to be good. I think I like the fabric on these chairs more than I actually care for the shape of them.  But, it's an interesting idea to use the stripes horizontally rather than vertically here.

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While I'm not really a neutral fan, the silhouetted chinoiserie imagery of this fabric against the French chair is so striking. Similar in style to some Thomas Paul pillows from a few years back (which I'd still love to get my hands on).

{pieces inc: Red Chippendale Dining Chairs}

I am obsessed with finding some chippendale chairs. I'm really hoping to stumble across some in an antique shop that doesn't know what they have (thus they'd be cheap -- ever noticed how darn expensive these things are?) or at an estate sale. I would be thrilled just to have one, even, although I can imagine a pair of them in our bedroom, or up in my office. They are just to die for. Any color, although probably white would be my preference, with some kind of fab fabric on the seat.

{pieces inc: Curved Back White Chair}

Aren't you a sweet little darling? How cute would this one be at a vintage vanity?

{pieces inc: Bamboo side chair}

Ugh. Another fabulous Bamboo side chair. ::le sigh::

{pieces inc: pink faux bamboo chair}

I like this one, too, although probably not for much use. Looks too delicate.

{pieces inc: pair of white French open arm chairs}

Mmmmm. These are lovely and have a whole new life breathed into them with their bright orange fabric. 

{pottery barn kids: lullaby rocker in pink damask}

Ok, this is turning another direction, but I have to tell you that I am madly in love with our Pottery Barn Dream rocker that's in Jude's room. It's similar in style to this one pictured above; actually, it's like a club chair on rockers. It is the most comfortable chair, and perfect for the nursery. PBKids released some of these really bold slipcovers, and I am madly in love. If they had only had these when we bought ours....

{pottery barn: brooks slipcovered chair}

A chair like this would be good in our bedroom, where it could sit in a corner and look pretty. 

{eboniste: Chloe armchair}

Bamboo-esque. Not quite like the chippendales, but a good choice.
{design within reach: philippe starck icon barstool}

I also keep an eye out for cool barstools now that we actually have a need for them in the kitchen. These stainless steel ones are so fun. Based on a classic design, but modernized.

{design within reach: Nine-0 Stacking Chair}

{design within reach: Marais AC chair}

 Another fun, French-inspired design. I love the bright colors of these. They come in red and yellow, as well as stainless steel.  I think these would make a great chair for around the kitchen table.

{design within reach: 1006 navy side chair}

There's nothing like the classic Navy side chair. Nothing. This is another chair that I could have a bajillion of and never get tired of them. I might like some of these as barstools, actually.

{design within reach: philippe starck louis ghost chair}

And finally, a little fantasy. The Louis Ghost chair has been around for awhile, and it's nothing new, but I'm still delighted with it. While it's probably never going to be right in our house, or with our style of furniture, I can still enjoy its fanciful take on a classic chair.

Well, I hope you've enjoyed my little foray into the love of chairs. What's one of your favorites?

Coup de Foudre!

Check out the latest offerings from Anthropologie. I saw this image in an email from them, and I literally gasped. The color is so gorgeous and dramatic.

I love this standing medallion mirror (circled above). I think it would look great on an entry console.

I also need to find a reason to buy these faceted knobs above. The color is so delicious; they look like candy! I have the handles on the right, ready to install on our french doors in between the kitchen and dining room. Alas, I purchased the wrong size screws from Home Depot. :-\   {anthropologie: faceted knobs}
These latte bowls  are some of my absolute favorites. For only $24, you get a set of six in a variety of fun colors - what a deal! They are the perfect ice cream or cereal bowls. Plus, they also come in a teeny tiny size, perfect for feeding your impish son some oatmeal and bananas every morning. :)   {anthropologie: latte bowls}
Ok, and while we're browsing, I am all over these two dresses. The ruffly red one is simple but still really elegant. I like dresses that you can dress up or dress down. I want to be chic, but still comfy. And seeing as how much of what I wear these days ends up with spit-up (or worse!) on it, I need simplicity. {anthropologie: in vino veritas dress}

I've had my eye on this Ella Moss dress for awhile... I wish I had tried it on when I saw it in Dallas a few weeks ago. {anthropologie: warm breezes dress}

Monkey Nursery

Ok, I promise I don't work for Pottery Barn (seems I've been posting a lot about them lately), but it's hard not to rave about it these days when they just have so much good-looking stuff! I've been on the search for baby bedding for my mom -- she wants a couple of bumpers for the cribs at her house for the grandbabies. Anyway, I ran across this one, and I just love it. I'm not normally a monkey fan at all, but the color and mishmash of patterns is just so fun and non-babyish. And check out that Hollywood Regency-inspired quilt! I will say, I don't like the sheets at all; I would probably do a pink oxford stripe, or maybe an orange oxford.

Emmy Nursery Bedding at Pottery Barn Kids

Animal House

You may remember this framed alphabet card that I have hanging in the powder bath. I bought the set of cards from Michael's -- it's a Martha Stewart design, and for $9.99, I think it was a pretty good deal. I've also framed the letter "U" and have it on the mantel in the family room. It's got a lovely little illustration of a sea urchin. Remind me to photograph it sometime ....

Anyway, I've had the rest of the alphabet sitting in a pile in my very unorganized office, and I finally got around to doing something with them this weekend. I hung almost all of the rest of them in the bonus room in a little nook where Jude can see them as he hops in his Jumperoo.  Every day, I take him over into the corner and we look at the different animals. I love the expressions on their faces. The cow is particularly demure.
I had to quickly clean up/clean out Jude's playroom today as the drywall guy was coming to patch up a few places that have unfortunately cracked. I threw all the stuffed animals into the crib and promptly forgot about them until naptime. All but two or three of these animals were mine from childhood. I still love them, especially the giraffe. Anyway, I put Jude in the crib with all the animals and he thought it was just the funniest thing ever. I let him play for awhile before removing all the animals. But he was happy this time to go down for a nap! :)

Kylie Duvet

Ohhhh yes. I'm thinking that this gorgeous duvet needs to come live at our house! Thank you, Pottery Barn! 

New Furniture!

I was delighted when our new furniture for our bedroom was delivered promptly at the beginning of August. I give Z Gallerie credit -- I've had furniture delivered by the alleged white glove service of WSHome and Pottery Barn, and neither were as efficient or professional as the service that ZG offered. So, 5 points for the ZG. Since we had ordered a new dresser, our old Ikea dresser got moved upstairs into the bonus room, where it now houses our board games and other goodies. I also spent a good majority of today trying to install our stupid top-of-the-stairs baby gate (see photo above, on the left side of the picture). Ugh. I have a college degree for goodness' sake, and I could not get this thing installed to save my life. Very frustrating. 
Anyway, here's Simon's new nightstand (see above). It is the match to our new dresser below, which I am so pleased with. I really loved the look of this WS Home dresser, but the price was very prohibitive. So I feel like we got the look of the stacked dresser but with nowhere near the price tag.
Plus, it fits perfectly in our little nook in the bedroom. Our room originally had two built-in closets; the woman we bought the house from ripped them out, and added in a ginormous master closet to the house. So, we have these little inset areas; one of them houses our TV (not worth showing yet -- still rough, designwise) and the 2nd one houses our dresser.
Here's my nightstand; it was really hard to get a good picture of either of them. Our room tends to be a little on the dark side. I really love mine, though. The mirrors are so fun, and it's great to have enough room to stack up all my books in the compartment below. PLUS, I am LOVING that we both have pull-out trays. So convenient! Our old bedside tables were so dinky, and not tall enough. We feel like we're living in luxury now. 
Our room sits off the main entryway. I really love coming out of our room and looking at this vintage poster. She has such a funky style and great movement. To the left is the formal living room and the stairs; to the right is the family room and kitchen.
I also realized that in my post below about Grandmother's buffet and the PB knockoff, I needed to take a newer picture of it. Here it is in our entryway. I just love it here. I received many things from my Grandmother, including the mirror above the buffet. The globe lantern to the left was in Grandmother's guest bedroom. As a little girl, I always loved to turn it off, as if I were blowing out an old-fashioned lantern, before I would go to sleep. I loved staying at her house. She was such a wonderful Grandmother.
These two tiny pictures of me as a little girl were from her house, too. For as long as I can remember, these were in her house, and I loved to hold them and look at them. Mom let me have them when she went through Grandmother's things. The one on the right makes me think of Jude.
Speaking of Jude, here he is, caught in the act -- getting into all of my magazines! Guess it's time to move them; he's already shredded up Harper's Bazaar!

Hmmm, similar?

Mom and I were perusing the Pottery Barn last week when we came upon this:

Which bore striking resemblance (in person, at least) to this:

This lovely buffet belonged to my Grandmother Blanche. When she passed away, I came into possession of both it and the china hutch, both of which I adore. At first, I wasn't too keen on the color. According to family legend, my aunt Judy and one of my cousins got ahold of them back in the 70s and painted the original wood this avocado green. While the Pottery Barn version is a shiny lacquer, it is nearly the identical color!

An Ode to Growing Up Green

I thought you might enjoy a little glimpse into the house where I grew up. My parents have such a bold sense of style; my mom's favorite colors are blue and green, and they chose to decorate based on that theme. Back in the late 70s, they hired this fantastic interior designer with a real flair for what we would now call the Hollywood Regency style. I wish I could've met this guy; I think I would have loved so much of what he designed. Plus, the wallpaper he chose was unbelievable. Everything that is old is new again, non?

But it's funny how things work. Have you ever noticed that when you were a kid, the things you were surrounded with were just, well, old hat? When I was younger, I just wanted to do things differently, more modern, more contemporary, blah blah blah. But as I've gotten older, and experienced different styles, it's amazing how I keep gravitating back to what I was raised with.

I sincerely believe my love for color is based on growing up in our blue and green house. I love color; I can't imagine living or working without it. My mom always loves to have all of the blinds open in the house, so light just pours in all day long. It's just a happy, bright house and I had such a wonderful childhood there. And it is still a happy house, one that my siblings and I love to go home to, and bring our kids and just hang out.

Check out these marvelous lamps. They are HUGE and have the most fantastic shades. I'm talking, like, at least three feet high. Truly a dramatic statement in Mom and Dad's beautiful wood-paneled formal living room. We call it the Piano Room because that's where the baby grand is, and the scene of many a tearful piano practice. :)

How about this fantastic wallpaper above? This is the powder bath, what we call the Monkey Bathroom because it's basically a monkey, well, toile, for lack of a better term. Everybody that comes over loves the Monkey Bathroom. Isn't the color fantastic? If there's one thing that defines my parents' house, it is gorgeous, vibrant wallpaper. 

Ok, ok, I know - this faux bamboo bookshelf is TO. DIE. FOR. And it gets even better: there are two! I totally have dibs on these shelves when Mom decides she wants to get rid of them. I looooove them. I have seen these bookshelves in several high-end stores such as Mecox Home, and I nearly died.  Oh, and this is in my old bedroom, FYI. I would still put that wallpaper up, too (Laura Ashley, circa mid-90s). I love it. It's such a calm, soothing room. 
So, how about this fantastic faux-bamboo chair (above)? I keep seeing these popping up on eBay. Plus, the wallpaper in the kitchen pictured here is so reminiscent of Kelly Wearstler's collection of paper and fabric for KWID.
Here's Jude, headed down the hallway towards the Monkey Bathroom. The wallpaper in the dining room (where I'm sitting) is a large-scale print. Maybe somewhat Asian-inspired? Not sure. And finally, look at the beautiful detail on the front door (below).  ::sigh::

Thanks for checking out my little homage to my parents' house! Hope you were inspired!

Currently Loving: Heather Bailey Fabrics

Fabric designer Heather Bailey's blog, Hello My Name Is Heather, has long been one of my faves. Her husband Isaac is a photographer, and I was initially drawn to her blog via Flickr because of her fantastic photographs. Each photo is so bright and colorful, and her blog is too! Anyway, she designs the most amazing fabrics, and just released her latest batch. They really speak to the graphic designer in me - I'm loving the juxtaposition of unusual color schemes, as well as some vintage references. Also, she released some great sewing patterns for you seamstresses out there. I'm wondering if I've got enough of Home-Ec sewing still left in me to attempt the cute Happy Stacker Ring Toy (pictured above).
I can't get enough of this fabric; it comes in several different colors, but I adore the yellow above, and this orange one below.
I'm really drawn to the green and reds of this floral pattern below. It has a little bit of art nouveau in it, but the circles still keep it fresh and whimsical.
And of course, the Francophile in me loves the Provencal reference in this fabric, below. While I'm not normally a fan of traditional Provencal fabrics, I love this one. The colors, the paisleyish design -- ugh! So cute!
Of course you know I can never pass up a good stripe, and it's only all the better if it's a chevron. Once again, as with all of these, they come in a variety of colors. The hardest part is picking your favorite one!
Mad props to Heather Bailey. If you've never checked her out, get on over there. Not only is her website and blog beautifully designed, but her writing and creativity is so inspiring. I think I may have to snap up a few yards of some of these and make something!

Madeline Weinrib Atelier

We are big rug people, Simon and I. It's like an addiction, really. But what better way to bring a little color and pattern into your everyday life than a fantastic rug? Our old house had gorgeous hardwood floors throughout the entire house, just begging for gorgeous rugs to be laid on them. Our new house, though, has carpet in most of the house, with the exception of the family room, kitchen, and entry (a cool brick floor).  

Anyway, we're always in the market for a new rug, and our front entryway in particular calls for a nice runner. When we were in Florida on vacation, we were totally set on purchasing one of the gorgeous Madeline Weinrib Amagansett rugs from ABC Carpet & Home in Delray Beach (yes, that ABC Carpet & Home -- who knew there was one in FL?). However, it was with great sadness that we just couldn't seem to find one in the right size or color combination to really make it work. So I need to call them again now that we're in the house so we can get something to work. I really love the pattern on the one pictured above. Each rug comes in a variety of colors; it's so hard to choose just one!

I love the color of the aqua one above; I'd like to paint our bedroom in that color perhaps. I'm also totally loving the French blue of the one below, though... so many colors, so many choices!
And while it's not right for any of our spaces, check out the electrifying pattern of the fuchsia one below!
I particularly love this red one (below). I think it would be perfect in our family room, and we really need to get a new rug in there. The old stripe rug we have has seen better days and is showing its age. The green version of this rug is one of my faves, too.

Ok, and who can resist a great zigzag? Isn't this one exciting? I don't know how it would be to look at day in and day out, though (hard on the eyes?). Any thoughts?

Accentuating the Positive

Today is all about accent tables. Since we bought our new house, I'd been on the hunt for some snazzy new side tables, specifically for our bedroom. Up until now, our nightstands have been pitiful; an Ikea Lack table for Simon, and an old college Target find for me. Both are showing their wear and tear, and aesthetically, neither fit the look that I was wanting for our room.

So, thus began the great hunt. As I was searching, there were numerous choices that I could fall madly in love with. Alas, their pricing is hardly worth writing home about. But, they make for nice eye candy, so I'm going to post them here so we can all drool together.

In the end, we ended up going with this white mirrored table for me (above) and  this great dark wood table below for Simon (below). Both pieces are from ZGallerie and were better when it came to the $$$. The one thing I love about both of these pieces is the pull-out tray. How handy! Plus, both have adequate storage for books, magazines, and other whatnots.
So now that we've got our bedside tables, I still find myself drawn to several of these other accent tables. I especially love garden stools - I just saw this white one over at the ZGallerie website. Isn't the detail gorgeous? At $99, it's an excellent price for such a distinctive design.
I'm loving these brightly-colored garden stools from Pottery Barn. They're so shiny and candy-esque. I also like that they are a simplified take on the classic Chinese garden stool. Minimal theme, you know? At $149, also not going to break the bank.
Speaking of breaking the bank, check out this beautiful side table from Williams-Sonoma Home (below). I adore WSH. If I could just buy out their entire catalog, I would. Their showrooms are to die for, too. If you ever get a chance to visit one, take the opportunity! I try to keep an eye out on eBay for any pieces that show up, but they're few and far between.
I just found Cottage & Bungalow via Elements of Style. C&B has soooo many great accent tables from several of my favorite designers. Once again, the colors seem to make all of these tables that much more fun.

Both of these nailhead-trimmed tables(above and below) are fun; I like the exotic twist on the blue one below. 

Loooooove this one (below) -- it comes in a bunch of colors, too.
Another rif on the garden stool.


Whimsical and fun, this table (below) would be great for a little girl's bedroom.

A couple final favorites from Eboniste, another of my favorite online purveyors of unusual furniture. There are a ton of great little side tables in a variety of whimsical styles. The curves of the Hollywood Table (below - $695) are fantastic.
And finally, while this isn't exactly an accent table (it's a console), I thought it was worth adding to the mix. The calligraphic curves on the Paris console are incredible. I would love to see this one in person. It also comes in a coffee table version, although I think the console is far more dramatic.

More Bathroom Eye Candy: Missoni Towels

Don't these Missoni towels look yummy? Granted, I think I want one with their signature crazy stripes, but I would take some of these, too.  Thank you, Horchow!

Missoni Towels, via Horchow

Getting Settled

I am really enjoying getting settled into the new house. I was a little bit worried about how our stuff would fit into the new house. The seller had everything decorated in an "olde world style" as we refer to it, and we are definitely not of Ye Olde Worlde. However, I am pleasantly surprised. I feel like we have a great eclectic mix, and I look forward to continuing to design our living space around our varied taste.
I'm really liking this pendant lamp from Pottery Barn. At $149, it's a pretty good price. I'd like to switch it out with the black wrought iron chandelier that is currently hanging in kitchen nook. Thoughts?
Here's a view of the chandelier in the powder bath. Pretty and girly, plus it gives a really pleasant glow.
New artwork for the powder bath. I bought a set of Martha Stewart's alphabet cards from Michael's for $9.99 and framed a couple of them. There's a really cool sea urchin one that I've got on the mantel right now. Anyway, I like how the black of the frame mirrors the black of the vanity.
I also switched out the mirror in this bathroom. The original one wasn't cutting it for me. This one is so much more glamorous, in my opinion. Plus, the other mirror was, dare I say, a fat mirror. You know the kind - the one that makes you look like 10 pounds heavier and 5 inches wider than you actually are. Yeah. It had to go.
This is our upstairs bonus room. I don't quite know what to do with this space yet, so it's really in kind of a holding pattern for now. It is currently containing our West Elm daybed, as well as Jude's bassinet (awww) and a few other things. I love the two windows. I'm so glad I finally get to use my fun Pura Vida PB Teen stripe shades. I got the window hardware from Target. They're just so cheerful!
Aaaand, finally, the other bathroom. I absolutely loved the idea of this bathroom when we were looking at the house. At the time, there was no wallpaper, and I fell in love with the black, clean vanity, and the white shiny subway tile. The floor is a great black-and-white vintage pattern. It's fantastic. It's basically the Restoration Hardware bathroom I have always wanted! So imagine my dismay when we came into the house and found....

BUNNY TOILE!

That's right. Bunny toile wallpaper. Against my uber-cool, super-clean design subway tile, there was creamy, sweet, ye olde worlde bunny toile. I knew that once we owned the house, it was going to be the first thing to go. I know, I know. I love bunnies as much as the next girl. But even in my love of girliness and bunnies, it just had to go. So I've started ripping off the paper, and let me tell you, it is the devil.
I can't wait to get this project finished. A few years ago, some friends of ours gave us this gorgeous mirror, similar to the one pictured below (ours is oval, though). We couldn't ever use it in our old house because we would have had to rip out a medicine cabinet, and replace the drywall; far more work than we were interested in doing at the time. So we just hung on to it, and knew that it would be great somewhere else. It will look perfect in the bathroom once I get it finished.
This picture below is basically my inspiration for the bathroom. I don't know that I will paint it blue like this, but I just love the overall look of the room. I think we'll eventually need a sconce for improved lighting. I'm also planning on hanging up the framed prints from the old house's striped bathroom (see below). It's going to be so cute!

Ok, if you've made it all the way through this post, you're a pro! Any design suggestions welcome!

The Nursery - finally getting pulled together

This is the beginning of the third week in our new home, and I truly love it more and more everyday. Jude and I have been enjoying strolls through the neighborhood; everyone is so friendly and it is just so beautiful here! We are on a cul-de-sac, which is also marvelous. I feel like we've gone to polar opposites; we used to live on an extremely busy corner, which wasn't bad, but it sure is different now that we're on a super-quiet, uber-private cul-de-sac. 

Anyway, I'm slowly starting to get things put away into their rightful spots. I will say, I am overcome with the beigeness of this house. I know neutrals are in, but I'm about to go nutso. It's a pretty beige, almost buttery, and I will leave it in many places, but some rooms just need some color already.

Like Jude's room, for example. I loved the cheery green that was in his former nursery. I'll probably paint one room in this house that color. However, for his room this time, I want to do some light blue and navy. Nothing too baby-ish, maybe include some stripes as well. My color inspiration comes from the Matterhorn bobsleds poster pictured below. Simon gave it to me years ago as a birthday present, and I LOVE it. It's an authentic Disneyland poster - it's one of the ones they actually use to display in the park. It's got such great vintage character and typography.
Jude's room may also be my most favorite room in the whole house. When you walk in his room, to the right is a fantastic little play nook. This is where the rocking chair is, as well as his bookshelves and toys. I just love it. I wish I lived in there! It's a kid's dream come true really.
This is the main part of his room, with a great view of the backyard. I'm telling you, we're living in paradise here. It is fantastic. Otherwise, beige beige beige in this room. Zzzzzzzz.
I also finally hung up his book rack that I got while I was pregnant. It's stuffed full of Little Golden Books and other faves. 

Eye Candy du Jour

(moroccan spice bracelet)

J. Crew, you're looking good these days. You have a marvelous creative director (see this month's InStyle for a great inside look), your colors are bright and cheerful, and your swimsuits are more fun than a barrel of monkeys.

But you took the cake with these gorgeous bracelets. They are. to. die. for. I saw one of them in person a few months ago, and I was surprised at how big they really are, but man oh man. They are fabulous. I particularly love that they have pretty names for their colors, with the exception of the one below (boring ivory).

I love the mixing of yellow and coral. 

This one is my absolute favorite. I love the seaside theme; the color is listed as tidepool. How romantic.  ::le sigh::

At $150, these are not exactly cheap, but then again, they are gorgeous pieces that you will want to keep forever. Your fashionable daughters and granddaughters will appreciate them when you pass them on along with all of your fabulous handbags. 

Um, I LOVE this!

Ok, how fabulous is this? What a great way to store your books! Heck, even I would love one of these to put all my books in; they're always overflowing off of my bedside table. I may have to make one of these for Jude when he gets bigger.

Seen on Odeedoh/ApartmentTherapy and One More Moore

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens...

Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens,

Brown paper packages tied up with string,

These are a few of my favorite things!

So in honor of my birthday (27!), a silly post today: I'm posting a few of my favorite things. I'm inspired by so much that I see, and as I was looking through some of my Flickr faves, I realized there are definitely a few themes that come together.

vive la france!

(image: Chateau de Versailles)

I spent several summers during college in France, primarily Paris. I studied French, as well as fashion and fine arts. After an initial visit to France to visit family as a teenager, I was irrevocably hooked. If it's French, odds are, I'll love it. Nobody does style like the French. I look back on my time in France as such a delightful experience, and undoubtedly a huge influence in my design career. I look forward to future trips someday. I would love to push little boats around the fountains in the Jardin du Luxembourg with Jude. 

(image: Kirsten Dunst in Sophia Coppola's Marie-Antoinette)

Speaking of my love for France and all things French, I really enjoyed Sophia Coppola's Marie-Antoinette. Visually, it is unmatched. Colors, textures, fashion, textiles -- even the food is to die for. It's an absolutely gorgeous movie, and a visual love letter to the chateau at Versailles. My favorite scenes are of the Trianon and le Hameau, where Marie-Antoinette would get away from the rigours of palace life. Anyway, worth a rental, especially if you've got a big ol' flatscreen TV.

print+pattern

It was also inevitable that I would fall in love with prints and patterns. I grew up in the most fabulous, colorful house ever. My parents' favorite colors were kelly green and royal blue, and their interiors entirely reflect that. They hired an interior designer who was inspired by what we would now term the Hollywood Regency style, with lots of chinoiserie accents (gorgeous bamboo shelves, I love you so). My parents were unafraid of color, and as a result, so am I. I've never met a color I didn't love, perhaps with the exception of mauve. Because let's face it, mauve is such a hospital color. I gravitate towards color, I totally crave it. 
The kelly green carpet that runs through their home was the perfect setting for all of my childhood dollhouses, stuffed animals, and My Little Ponies. A Barbie House really looks better with the most luscious green carpet you've ever seen. Nobody makes carpet like that anymore.

stripes

Stripes get their own category, aside from print+pattern because they are just so darn fabulous. I know that someday Jude will look back on his childhood photos and wonder what on earth was up with all the stripes he was wearing. But stripes are so awesome - they can convey order, but also whimsy; they can fool the eye and deceive the viewer.

(gratuitous photo of our darling child against a striped background)

In fact, I love stripes so very much that I painted our powder bathroom in black and white stripes. I'm sure our future buyer is going to looove that, but oh well. It still makes me smile every time I walk in it.

cakes!