corners I covet {my home}

This is the first thing I see when I come in the front door, it says "ahhhh, I'm home." The poster is a vintage find that I bought a few years ago, it's kind of a relic and not in great shape, but how could I resist the gorgeous yellow and the block print? Well, I couldn't. The yellow dish, from Soule Studio, was a wedding gift and is really the catch-all for just about everything; keys, mail, remotes, tiny Barbie accessories and the occasional lost earring. I received a few emails wondering when I was going to post more "corners I covet", so if you've missed my other posts, visit them here and I promise to keep up!

corners I covet {my home}

There are certain areas in my home that just make me smile when I walk by. These are the spots that make me feel like I'm home, cozy and warm, that surround me like a big smushy blanket. This little spot is nestled on my fireplace, the painting is my most favorite piece of artwork we own, bought in southern California at a surf gallery in Del Mar. It's titled "Holiday" and is filled with the most relaxing colors and patterns. These tulips just opened last night, I try to get fresh flowers whenever, wherever, it's such a treat. I spend a lot of time by the fireplace, sitting with a magazine or jotting down thoughts for the blog...it's just a good place to be. I'll be posting my most coveted corners, every Friday until, of course, I've run out!

{pretty little} pockets

It's become painfully clear lately that I am a saver - sure, a picky saver, but nonetheless, a saver of all cool things big & small. If only I had a way to consistently display these fun findings, they wouldn't end up in tiny piles clustered in desk drawer corners, nightstand drawers and of course, the "to be filed" file. These pocket pages could make organizing both vacation shells & concert stubs a snap!

corners I covet {the bedroom}

I just had to share these new prints in our bedroom. Vintage botanicals in thick, glossy white frames, they make me smile every time I get into bed. Sweet dreams!

just hangin' (pod-style)

This is just the type of hanging chair that I'd like to sprinkle all over my new garden, in hidden vine-covered corners and under a shady pergola. However, at $500 a piece, that will have to remain a lovely dream for now....but let's just imagine (pretend), mkay?

and a crafty day it was!

Summer kid-project alert! Today we made big chunky heart shaped crayons - no need to buy a thing, plus it helped clean up tons of stray crayons living in the corners of Ruby's room. Just chop up old crayons, fill heart-shaped tins with fun color combos, bake at 150 degrees for 20 minutes and let cool. They'll pop right out - ready to draw!

corners I covet {my home}

This corner, on the ledge above the kitchen sink, makes the daily dish debacle a bit less of a chore. I usually find myself spacing out during this time, or meditating if you will, but it's usually a nice quiet time. The beachy bottles were a gift from my husband, after I'd blogged about them a while back. Sometimes I stick flowers in each bottle, but mostly I just leave them as-is, each one is a little different and neither one is perfect.

coming clean {corners I don't covet}

The word "perfect" is not in my vocabulary, in fact, I've never been a fan of the word. At times in my life when I've caught myself thinking "wow, things are just perfect", something goes very wrong to knock my life out of whack, and so, no more perfect.

That said, I think I may have misled you. I received a comment the other day on post I'd written about fresh flowers I'd just picked. The comment, which has been resonating in my head for the last 3 days, said "wow, your life seems so perfect!". And I literally laughed out loud and wrote back that it wasn't the case. But then it hit me, this blog of mine is such a small snippet of me, a "pretty-things" blog without all the nitty gritty that makes up real life.

Last night I saw Sex and the City with my friends Rosalie & Susannah - it was fantastic by the way - but why I'm bringing it up is the closet scene. The big, light filled closet that Big had built just for Carrie. It made me think, right then and there - could I even keep a gorgeous closet like that clean?

And so, I've decided to share with you my dirty little secret, the corner of my home that I really don't covet, that I'm actually pretty embarrassed about- my closet. It's a mystery to me, how I can keep a clean, organized home, but then refuse to clean my closet...even my friends agree!

* Please note, not even one item was moved in order to create a pretty picture. The mess & disaster you see here are real, it's a real mess that I'm sharing with you.

corners I covet {my home}

The sunlight in my bedroom is so pretty in the early morning. I don't have too much color in the room, a bright pillow here and there, I like it very serene, like a little sleep haven. These are the gourds lamps I ended up with (after a month long search), the linen shades look so warm when they're lit up in the evening. The "For Like Ever" poster was a gift from my mom, I think it's cute over the bed, and I haven't heard any complaints from the husband, so it's a keeper!

oh, hello there {again!}

Well hello there, beautiful blog friends! It's me, Amber, your old friend who loves yellow, the smell of candles on a rainy day, and most of all, the ever inspiring people like you. I took a wee hiatus, mostly oohing+ahhing over my baby who is now not quite a baby anymore at one, but a little person with all kinds of delicious words and thoughts of her own. It's heaven I tell you, I am truly addicted to all things Layla.
However...I have been finding some time to design, as in fun/graphic/nature-inspired paper goodies that I will share with you soon.
Today I'm off to pick up some maidenhair ferns to add some springtime greenery pep to the dark corners of my home. How have you been? I missed you! xo
photo by Anna Kern via Sarah's Fab Day