craftgawker

moving, the stress of finals week, and no sleep have got me feeling a bit under the weather today (or, the past few days), so i'm spending a little while in bed, perusing a site that my sister introduced me to. craftgawker is a photo gallery that allows you to visually search and discover handmade arts and crafts...sort of like tastespotting, but for crafts rather than food.

... and now i'm more inspired and have even more blogs to browse through on days like these! thanks, tawny!

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{images: one|two|three|four}

happy [late] easter

hope everyone had a great easter! steve & i dyed eggs on saturday with some friends and then on sunday steve sent me on an easter egg hunt. we had a ham dinner over at my aunt and uncle's and spent the rest of the evening watching celebrity apprentice!

{photos by me}

oh my GOSH

i want these now.
mother's day is may 8th. my birthday is may 18th.

more here.

weekend

it's finally starting to turn the corner to spring here in logan...but this weekend i will spend inside, relaxing and listening to conference.

have a relaxing weekend, everyone!

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{images: inspired design}

reupholstery

hey everyone. so here's the deal: s & i are moving into a house on the first of may. this house is nearly one hundred years old. it belonged to my grandmother. we are thrilled, but a little nervous about all the changes and updates we will have to make. we are also nervous about filling up a four bedroom home...we are currently residing in a two bedroom apartment. there is some furniture in the house, but most of it is not in the greatest condition, and we will probably just get rid of it. however, there are a few pieces that i think could be salvaged if i knew what i was doing. i am always really inspired by people who can turn a piece of crap couch into a timeless beauty.

i've seen these transformations many times, but the problem is that no one ever explains how they did it. i'm beginning to think the only way to do it is just to go for it and see what happens.

i found a somewhat helpful tutorial here, and i've also looked up some youtube videos. we reupholstered a rocking chair last year, before little j was born, and it was easy enough, but a rocking chair is much less daunting than a fifty year-old wing chair, or tufted sofa.

i'm beginning to think that the only way to find out if it's doable or not, is to try. and if i fail, i fail. so wish me luck. has anyone ever reupholstered something themselves, or have any tips?

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images: design*sponge before and after gallery; better after blog

more stuff i want

who wants to buy me this vintage mirrored tray from etsy shop, sharingbliss? seriously, it's only sixteen dollars. and it would look preeetttyyy great on top of my dresser.

i'm also eying this, this and this.

oh, and this:

my birthday is in may. aaaand also, mother's day is coming up, and i am now a mother, so...just saying.

longing for summer

today is another cold, wet, gray day. i can't wait for hot days!
happy wednesday, everyone, we've almost made it through another week!

In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer.
- Albert Camus

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{all images in this post were photos taken by me. top image: beach in puerto rico; middle left: photo of my rainbow sandals taken outside my freshman dorm; middle right: me! on a beach in mexico; bottom left: bikes outside a floral shop in alexandria, virginia; bottom right: the sun, taken in ocean city, maryland}

lavender

i'm usually not a big purple fan, especially light purples, but i found these shades of lavender stunning. also, it's kind of a soothing color, don't you think?

enjoy your week! we're heading out early for my brother-in-law's wedding this weekend!

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{images: lavender fields in provence, france via lybian soup; color me pretty - purple hues via decor8; day home spring/summer 2011 collection; j.crew; the decorologist; dreaming in pink; southern accents; aura linens via the style-files; maine lavender store}

ballet-inspired photos

i don't think there's anything more elegant or graceful than a ballerina. if you know me, you know i am far from ballerina material. but i'm still inspired by everything ballet. is there a girl out there who isn't?

have a wonderful end of the week, everyone!

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{images: ballet-inspired wedding by yan photography via ubb; ballet in black&white photographed by klaus goffelmeyer via my.opera.com; michaela bodenmiller by david bellemere for elle russia, march 2011 via oh fashion models found here; blurry ballet girls by Allie Anne via frolic-blog}

some green

i'll be honest, i've never been a huge fan of st. patrick's day. probably because i have zero irish roots and i don't drink (also, i don't even know what we're celebrating here...all i know is that you're supposed to wear green). that being said, i am a fan of green, so my contribution to st. pat is to post some green inspiration today. enjoy!

happy st. patrick's day, everyone!

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{images: best of green via design*sponge; oscar de la renta green jewel necklace via style.com; green inspiration via birch&lily; bulgari by matthew williamson via style.com; green shorts by jcrew; green satin pumps by casadei via style.com; green stripe dress by shabby apple}

wanting...

...these adorable hair bows from etsy shop, hunter gatherer.

i don't care if they would make me look like a little girl. i want them.

bedrooms&bookshelves

it seems like i'm always being inspired by bedrooms and bookshelves more than anything else...

i like the idea of having a sitting/reading area separate from the sleeping/more private part of the bedroom. especially with a pretty wall like this.

sorry for the lack of posts recently...i started work again. yuck. one day i'll be brave enough to quit my day job and earn money living a creative life. but until then, i'll be at the office...

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{image via nathalie}

pink interiors

when it comes to home decorating, pink is one of those colors that i'm just not sure what to do with. i don't think i could ever use it effectively in my own home (or even if i could, i don't think my husband would allow it), BUT i admire those who are bold enough to do so.

p.s. i love that pink fridge! would i ever buy it? no. but i love it nonetheless!

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{images via housebeautiful}

green & yellow

this photo makes me long for rain puddles rather than snow banks, bright jackets instead of coats, fun tights instead of leggings, and sunny heels instead of  furry boots.

hope you all had a lovely weekend so far! we had homemade pizza tonight and spent time with family and friends. it's snowing like crazy out right now, so we will enjoy another relaxing night inside on our squishy sofa. have a fabulous day off tomorrow, blog friends!

image source: leighton meester on the set of gossip girl, via pinterest

thursday

after an arduous two hour (yes, i said TWO hour) job interview, curling up with a great novel next to a view like this one would be heaven to me right now. hope you all are enjoying your thursday! i will spend this fine evening snuggled up on our big, comfy sofa watching my favorite shows with my two favorite boys!

image via tinywhitedaisies

valentine inspiration

happy valentine's everyone! my hubby and i are going out for chinese this afternoon and then will probably spend the rest of the day watching parks&rec and eating homemade sugar cookies! hope you have a wonderful day with the one(s) you love!
images via tastespotting.com, this is glamorous,  and etsy. flower image taken by my dad at my very own wedding

shops of note

i love etsy, but once i start browsing, i just can't stop. here are a few shops i found that i thought were noteworthy. or, rather, blogworthy as the case may be. enjoy!


tinahdee

love these beautiful handmade rings by tina of tinahdee. you can checkout more of her gorgeous "wearable art" here.

from soul

from soul is a sweet little shop from...seoul. who would have thought? it's got cute fabrics to stationary, to 100% recycled pencils! check it out.

pollen arts

pollen arts makes these awesome candles that are 100% beeswax. They find these vintage bottles from antique shows, dealers and diggers. pretty cool.