love the cardi, love the dress, love the bag, love it all.

there is so much to love about this outfit! 

...can't wait for spring...

seen on you are my fav 

paha, oh martha...

APRIL 5TH, 2010

Have as many as you like! One is fine.

SAID TO CHILDREN EATING COOKIES

via marthas quote book

thanks jaynz!

matchbook magazine

the blog world is all a-twitter with the sound of matchbook magazine. it is so cool! matchbook magazine is an online lifestyle magazine filled with interviews, gadgets + accessories, clothes, make-up, a field trip to peru, a gooorrgeeouus teeny apartment that functions as an office, bedroom and living room all in one (p.78-89) and tons more.

set aside a good hour to fully devote your attention and delve into the beautiful articles and well-laid out pages. i want to make one!

knitted neck warmer

as soon as i saw this on truly smitten, i wrote to norbs and asked her if she would make me one. mama's taken on a new hobby and is now quite the talented knitter! sarah of truly smitten, made two of these over the past weekend adding that if she can do it, so can you! (she's only been knitting a little while...)

love the dusty rose color she's chosen. i'd also go for a champagne color or a soft olive green. 

in her post is a pdf link to the pattern instructions...as a non-knitter, it looks cray-zay to me.

paperless post

making your own invites is such a fun and personal thing to do but if you run out of time, here's a great alternative: for big parties, i've been using this awesome website, paperless post, to send out invitations to friends. they have hundreds of templates to chose from for all sorts of occasions and the majority of the options are really quite nice! when you sign up, you're given 25 free stamps (1 stamp/invite) to use and once you've run out, buying more is really cheap (i believe 100 stamps for $8). you can also bling out the inside of the envelopes for extra punch! sign up to see what i mean.
so not your normal cheesy e-vite.

this is what your guests will see...

and slowly the invite emerges from the envelope (this can be glitzed-up)

the final reveal! our holiday party invitation

try it out and tell me what you think!

grilled cheese party

last monday, i threw a grilled cheese party at my house inspired by an old post. 15 friends came over, bringing with them a variety of ingredients. we had several loaves of bread, 8 (!) different cheeses, veggies like tomato, avocado, greens + onions, bacon, tuna, the works.

everyone had a great time and it was so fun picking out our choice ingredients, making our snazzy sandwiches and grilling them up. i also made a delicious tomato soup for dipping! 

gorgeous grilled tomatoes and garlic

blended!

we somehow hilariously made our way into the local paper! my fear of sounding like a lame, grilled cheese-obsessed fatty was realized but that's show biz, kid!

hand cut map

ridiculously cool! 

a hand cut map of san francisco. 

...sigh...

i want to go to there.

thanks wifey!

youz a simple...

hannah has been trying to get some hobbies while often alone in her french mountain village. two days ago, she struck gold: she's now a bonafide bloggette. now maybe i'm biased (no...i don't think i am), but hannah is one of the funniest writers i have ever read. back when i was making a monthly newsletter, i was always so thrilled to have hannah work on a piece because not only are her stories well written but they c.r.a.c.k. me up like no others!

in her new online adventure, hannah tells stories about people she's met, her roomate tp, recent revelations, cool musings, anything.

to check out the hilarity first hand, visit her new blog.

now, if you don't know hannah, you may find her colloquial jargon...challenging. let's be honest, even if you do know hannah, you might still find it challenging. i suggested a key terms sheet.

madrid y marruecos

over christmas, hannah and i decided we wanted to meet up over her 2 week vaca from school in march, and today, i bought the ticket. we're going to meet in madrid, spend a couple days, then fly into marrakech, morocco. i can't wait! i haven't been to spain since the semester i lived there (4 years ago!) and i've in fact never been to madrid! i just bought the time out guide book to madrid which will get us around wonderfully i'm sure. went a little overboard and bought several books on morocco. 

i'm getting so excited to eat... mmmm shawarma...

have any of you gone to madrid or morocco and have recommendations for places to eat, walk to, visit, stay, etc.?

satomi kawakita rings

japanese jewelry designer, satomi kawakita, makes the most beautiful and delicate rings. gushing!!

swoon...cognac diamond and gold

after attending an art school in toyko, she studied at studio jewelers ltd. in nyc. check out their classes!!

coincidentally, i've been thinking about taking this ring class (3/4 of the page down--rings 360°) at penland this summer.

tonight's sky: january 2011

the past few nights have been really clear. i looked up to the sky and hunted for the constellations and clusters i know of: the big dipper, orion's belt, the seven sisters. while admiring, i saw several other groups that i knew were constellations but i didn't know what they were. i went in the house, started to google, and came across the hubble site. check out the video below about the january night sky. 

from.

and a gorgeous embroidered northern hemisphere constellation chart!

thanks tor!

snow in connecticut

my dad emailed me a few pictures of the snow that they got up in connecticut--almost 2 feet! we were certainly hit down here in asheville but the tri-state area sure topped us.

snow as tall as maddie!

birthday video

when i make a video like this for you, it's because i really, really love you.

(from kc and sara via truly smitten)

beautiful.

from scratch: ina garten

it's certainly no secret that i absolutely love and adore ina garten, the barefoot contessa. she is so charming, so sweet, ridiculously adorable and watching her show puts me in a comatose-like trance: ....need...to...make...polenta...with...herb...chicken. 

here's an interview i found from npr's 'from scratch'. listening to her talk about the decisions she's made with her go-getter attitude is so inspiring! 

(from house beautiful)

seoul girl

beautiful and happy -- nothin' bettah. 

(via sartorialist)

adele - 21

i'm so excited for the release of adele's new album, 21. here is a great studio footage video of 'rolling in the deep' (the only song on the new album available for purchase!). she is too cute!

it's going to be a good day

such a cute art print by kristiana pärn via clay wood & cotton.

only 25 dollah!

long overdue...salem, massachusetts

the weekend after thanksgiving, i met sam in salem, massachusetts for a mere 26 hours. what a beautiful place! 

we went on long walks around the town, visited the witch history museum, rode on a trolley tour (i absolutely love city driving tours), ate tapas and had several glasses of delicious warm apple cider. 

i know that new england is chock full of colonial history but i believe this was the first time that i actually felt the history around me. you're retold the stories you learned in middle school of the early settlers, of merchants and traders and the witch trials but what really struck me was walking down the streets and seeing the gorgeous houses, some dating from the mid 17th century. just incredible!

many houses were built like this one, with the front door perpendicular to the road. papa speculates that it would reduce the house front tax...much cheaper to build along the side street. ¿?

the public library

the house of the seven gables

the high school from hocus pocus!

allison's house from hocus pocus!

the witch house: actually the house of judge corwin who oversaw the witch trial cases. when someone was under suspicion, they would bring the witch to his house for several rounds of questioning. creepy!

**side note, nathaniel hawthorn's great great grandfather, john hathorne also played a major role in the trials as a judge--author nathaniel added the 'w' in his last name to distance himself from his awful grand grand papa!

free printable 2011 calendar

ez of creature comforts created this simple and beautiful 2011 calendar. her post has a link to the pdf file which you can print from. i'm going to the print shop later today and make a few copies on thick paper or cardstock for myself and a few friends.

when the month is over, the image is the perfect size for a postcard, so just cut off the top, sitck a stamp on it and send some snail mail!