snuggle up

Aren't these blankets the best? I bought a gorgeous one when I was in Ashland last month, they make lovely bed-toppers. bottom image via housemartin

organized days = happiness

I am a lost soul without lists and a calendar/dayplanner. I buy a different one each year, mixing it up to keep things interesting. This year I saw this leather covered beauty at Paper Source and it's going to the top of my wish-list.

the outdoors {inside}

The first house I can remember living in was Two Oak Ave., an enclave of happy hippie couples and kids all living close by, all surrounded by tall redwoods, veggie gardens and lush greenery. Inside our house was much like the outside, clusters of palms and ficus sat on colorful Moroccan rugs, potted herbs lined window sills and an entire glass shelf/atrium area in my parents' bedroom was dedicated to ferns. We only lived there until I was 5, but I'm sure it played a part in my love for plants in the house (lots of them!). This pic looks to me like a modern day Two Oak Ave. image Miguel Flores-Vianna

ice cream parlor chairs

This freshly painted vintage set looks so sweet in a girls bedroom - what a cozy spot to do artwork or homework.

the {inspired} home

Hula Seventy let us peek in her cozy Portland home and it's just brimming with inspiration & utter charm. 

a {Whish} coming true

It's getting closer....
I'm so giddy! I've been designing like crazy, the Whish collection includes: invitations, announcements, cards, labels, a kids line, a holiday line, and posters & calendars (to come!). I'm so passionate/excited/hopeful about this business that I can't help but grin ear to ear when I think about it. **I'm looking for a web designer
with e-commerce expertise, so if anyone has some helpful hints, please share!**

whish invitations

paradise {bottled}

People ask Bakerella why she has so many spices in her living room, then she tells them to get a little closer. S A N D! I am in complete awe of this. This takes sand collecting to a whole new level and totally puts my piddly sand-filled ziploc souvenir bags to shame. Bravo, Bakerella, bravo.

{a bit of} nightstand envy

I've come across a few nightstand images lately that I have to share - all so lovely, and lots of room for book storage. orange room by sara story design, white nightstands from I suwannee

nesting lights

Saturday was spent wandering around Fillmore Street with my girlfriends and hot chai latte's in hand. We popped in the ever-amazing Nest (picture Indian textiles and Parisian chic) and I can't get these gorgeous hanging lights out of my mind - are they not SO good??

jeweled tooties

These wonderful sparkly holiday heels arrived in my arms today and they are every bit as gorgeous as I'd hoped. The new Lucky has an entire feature on sparkly sandals and there are some beauties out there! So good for those upcoming holiday parties.

hunter boots {wishing for a storm}

I'm such a warm-weather-loving kind of gal, but lately I'm looking for any reason in the world to buy these classic Hunter boots. With jeans or over some cozy gray tights, they're just cool. Emily (who looks crazy adorable in everything) wears them with a short dress and manages to pull it off. Maybe Santa will leave these under the tree...

did you know...

That Free People now has an entire line of dreamy Intimates?! Sweet boy shorts, cozy hoodies, pretty cami's...I'm in love. 

check me out on Cookie!

I'm so excited, our annual Harvest Party has made its way through the blogisphere to the Cookie Magazine Nesting section. Thank you to Jordan for passing it along!

the ones that got away...

So, get this, for about 2 years I passed a home on my daily dog-walk that had a set of these exact chairs (painted white) just sitting outside getting ruined by the cold weather and rain. I mentally wrote notes in my head that I would someday tape to their door offering $100 for the six un-loved chairs, and I'm sure I'd have done them a favor. When I finally got the nerve up, they'd moved!! The chairs were gone. These happy yellow bamboo chairs are so freakin' fabulous, this is the very thing I wanted to do with those chairs. 

dining image via designsponge

open & airy

I am a huge fan of bright, open living spaces, and I also think every kitchen needs an island. An island is like a hub for everything, especially since people usually flock to the kitchen, the island is like home base. I love this floorplan above, how the island is central and leads right into the living room. Image via Living Etc.

don't forget...

Today's the big day - don't forget to vote! image vintage Getty

the princess and the pea

The tale of a prince, a princess, perfect politeness, and a peculiarly hard pea. This modern version of the classic Princess & The Pea is so much fun to read - filled with snippets of vintage wallpaper dresses and tiny twinkling chandeliers. I bought this at Anthropologie about a year ago and read it almost every night to my daughter. Artist Lauren Child (of Charlie & Lola fame) creates the most magical scenes, you just want to jump right in.

into the woods

There's something very cozy and slightly eery about this tree wallpaper behind a bed. If I had a vacation cabin somewhere I'd be all over this, and even though I don't, I still really like it.

{a wee bit} acorn obsessed

A few weeks ago I saw a felt acorn tied to an envelope. It was just a little nugget of cute, but I've (strangely) had acorns on the brain ever since. stamp, felt acorns, acorn poster, acorn necklace, paper

{happy halloween!}

wishing you all a spook-filled halloween, see you Monday! xo

  pic: vintage/FPG

the pumpkin hunt

I helped out at Ruby's school today, hiding pumpkins for their halloween hunt and tending to their winter gardens. I couldn't help but post these funny pics of her and her friend Ella, they're such little hams!

spooky treats

All of these halloween goodies look so festive and {super} tasty. We'll be busy carving pumpkins tomorrow night, but if I have an ounce of time to spare I may need to make at least one of these or a big batch of these...

to do: {force bulbs}

One of my favorite things to do in the Fall & Winter is to force bulbs indoors. It's a great way to satisfy your inner gardener in the colder months, and you don't even need a drop of soil. I usually force freesias, hyacinth and paperwhites. Each variety takes between 10-14 weeks to fully bloom, but the entire process of watching the roots grow and wind inside the glass is almost as fun as the bloom itself.

the harvest party

The second annual Harvest Party was so much fun ~ a day of dear friends, crazy good food, adorable kids crafting, and yes, even adult pumpkin relay races. For the relay race we teamed women against men, the men winning by a landslide - darn those well-balanced men. I had a craft table set up on the porch for all the kids, lots of stickers and harvest-coloring projects. The food, oh the food: potatoes gratin, baked mac 'n cheese with prosciutto, lasagna w/ bechemel sauce, blue cheese stuffed dates, spinach salad, frosted pumpkin cookies, caramel apples - the list goes on and on. I am still full two days later. The decor: I made branches hanging with leaves to hang over the burlap covered tables, vases of sunflowers and wheat placed around the house, and pretty harvest corn draped around the front door. I'm thrilled to have this Fall tradition, it really doesn't get any better.

come-what-may

I went to Anthro the day before our harvest party and left with this dress, a cute top and a big 'ol smile on my face. You have to see it in real-life, it's silk with pretty detail in front and back. I wore it to a dinner party that night, and I kind of adore it! 

Harvest Party Update: it was fabulous! I haven't had a chance to download the photos, but I should have it up by tomorrow. Thanks to everyone who came & brought the most scrumptious food!

pretty pumps {guilt free}

Today I went to Target for the usual household fare, and some things for the party this weekend. Now, I don't know about you, but I can not leave that store with only what I came for. It's been proven impossible. Paper towels? check. Napkins & forks? checkity check. These RAD red patent pumps? super check! The picture doesn't do them justice, the tall thick heel is the best part, and if I didn't know better I'd guess they came straight from J.Crew (but they were $20, not $220). So, since I'm trying to limit my spending lately, I left guilt free and I can't tell you how cute they are with a sweater & jeans. The others were pretty cute too...

busy busy

Sorry for the lack of posts, work has been beyond crazy. Today I'm home making burlap table cloths for the Harvest Party and planting some Fall-ish flowers in the front of the house. It's going to be a very crafty kind of day.

witches brew {drawings}

These Halloween inspired drawings by Irene Sophia are really sweet.

The Dress.

This is quite simply the best dress I've seen this Fall. I need this dress. It has dolman sleeves. It's called "The Rocker". Maybe for a holiday party, sipping red wine, with black tights and heels? LOVE.

{happy friday!}

Have a lovely weekend! I'll be doing some gardening, going to a Halloween party, and collecting Harvest decorations, more on Monday, xo

LC's got style.

Lauren Conrad (aka The Hills chick) just showed her clothing line at LA Fashion Week, and I'm super impressed. Pretty muted colors with lots of draping fabric, all very flattering and nothing too flashy. Oh, and anyone who puts flowers in their hair always gets my vote.

favor bags

These wedding favors from the new Martha are adorable times 10, and they're hung on a clothesline for extra cuteness.

Ashland

Ashland has quickly become my favorite intro to Fall with full days spent hiking, shopping and munching our way through town. We saw 3 magical plays: The Clay Pot, A View From the Bridge, and A Comedy of Errors. Each had such intricate set design and costumes that told beautiful stories.  My favorite spot to shop, Prize, was filled to the brim with goodies (pictured), including an entire table of old fashioned candies wrapped in sweet little bundles, and of course I left with a few bags. The owner, Jennifer, is the sweetest, so stop in if you're in Ashland! 

harvest party {invites}

We're having our annual Harvest Party potluck at the end of October, it's just a fun way to celebrate the season, hang with friends and eat some seriously good food. I just finished up the invites and mailed them off. The leafy save-the-date is just a little goody to post on the calendar or pop on the fridge as a reminder. These were the most fun to make!

{bound for} Ashland

I apologize for the lack of posts lately, I've had a bit of "blog block". But, that's about to change -  tomorrow morning I'm heading to Ashland, Oregon for 4 days to see some plays, eat, hike and shop. This is our second trip, last year I tagged along with my mom and her girlfriends and this year I'm doing the same. I'll be sure to find plenty of pretty inspiration to share with you! xo