what are you doing new years eve?

christmas (wall) tree

There are no words for how rad I think this is.  Phenom.  Found at Apartment Therapy.

scarf weather

I've been wearing my scarf for a couple weeks already.  I only know how to wear it a couple ways...until now.  Found at Design Mom.

PS:  in exactly one month my little family will be on an airplane headed for the desert to spend holiday merriment with my fam!

dear journal

 I have never been one to keep a hand written journal.  I'm fairly confident that I never will (I do keep a blog...obviously...and not even very well!).  These are simply gorgeous personalized journals...and a steal at $16 a piece!  From Minted.com.

 

christmas gifts

here

Rest assured...my Christmas gifts are finished.  Thank goodness.  I'm in such a holly jolly mood!  Aren't these handmade ornaments so pretty!!  Maybe I will try to make those someday.

the graphics fairy

The Graphics Fairy is a great blog, with hundreds of vintage graphics available for FREE download.  Amazing selection...now to just narrow it down to the ones I love the most...that's the tricky part.  Thanks Hindsight Bride!

not yet!

here

How can it be autumn already?  Everyone is all jazzed about their pumpkin spice lattes and sweater weather...and so am I (autumn is my favorite)...but I blinked and summer was gone.  I didn't even make it through my sundresses.  It's so weird to move from a state like Arizina, where it's perpetual summer, to an area where summer is a blimp on the radar.

I am excited about the leaves though...they are already starting to explode around here.  I'm not sure I am ready to be cold again.

missoni must haves

love the cardi...love the jumper...love the tights...ugh...love.

I tried to resist the urge to become obsessed with the Missoni for Target line....I tried REALLY hard.  Especially since I have to work that day and by the time I am free, everything will probably be sold out.  But I just had to take a hot minute to compile a "wish list" of my fave things...just in case the universe is listening (or my husband??)

beautiful beautiful blanket.  beautiful.

who can resist a fab umbrella??  not me.

Clara needs Missoni.  (Clara is my sweet baby girl...if you didn't know that.)

I happen to be in need of a new make-up bag.  Lucky me!

what can I even say?  Be mine.

Again...love the cardi...love the dress...love the tights.  But I SUPER love the cardi.

bright n purdy

my pinterest

Just when I thought the quilting bug was out of my system for awhile...I see this...and my heart pitter patters for those bright fabrics in funky shapes once again.

Soooo mesmerizing!

QT

It was a WARM weekend here in upstate New York...but I know it was nothing compared to the summer oven that is my home back in Arizona.  On hot days back home we would beat the heat with big refreshing 44 ounce cold drinks.  My favorite was the fresh brewed iced tea from QT (Quik Trip).  Their ice...it's actually perfect.

I would kill for a QT right now.  And their wall of amazing fountain beverages.  Best gas station ever.

People here don't drink fountain beverages purchased at gas stations.  I never see it.

Boy are they missing out.

gorgeous gorges

I only want to live where it is beautiful.  I hope it works out that way.

We fell in love with Ithaca.  Soooo in love.

*note - Ithaca is famous for its gorges...I didn't misspell gorgeous.  I admit I am a horrific speller...but I didn't get that wrong!

photography

We bought a fancy camera when our daughter was born...along with one of those "Dummies" books to help us learn how to take sweet shots with the camera (soooo many buttons!!???)  We haven't even cracked the book yet - no time to read about taking pictures while we are actually taking pictures.  This looks helpful (and so visually stunning).
  Found at August And After

congrats grad

These are the sparkly glittery CONGRATS cards I bought last week.  I had to buy two because both of my little sisters graduated from college last week and they both deserved sparkly glittery cards. One graduated from medical school and is now an official MD and the other graduated from ASU with her bachelors.  I'm so proud of them.

*they are actually HERE visiting us this weekend!  I hadn't seen them in nearly a year!!!

hand made baby mobile

LovelyFriend - $78

Our baby is REALLY into playing with the hanging toys on her baby gym.  Made us realize that we want to put some cute hanging animals over her crib.  I currently have some beautiful yellow poms hanging over her crib...but they just aren't as stimulating as we'd like.  These little critters are wicked cute...and animals are all over her crib sheets - could be stinkin' cute!  

*note:  we have 0 dollars to do this, so I think I want to try to make one.  Hummm...why do I get these ideas in my head??  Why do I long to craft things!??   

i heart travel

Found this little lovely at We Ski Slow and I think it's fabulous!  We could so easily fill it with the brightly colored maps of the dearest places to our hearts - one would be Flagstaff...one would be our current home...one would be Rhode Island...ohhhhh so fun.

daffodils

via PipiPhotography - pretty pretty print!

I've decided that daffodils are the happiest flower.  I used to think it was sunflowers - with their big fancy faces and brilliantly outstretched petals.  Yet - after a winter of gray skies and snow covered landscapes, once these little yellow daffodils started showing their brilliance my heart started soaring.  SPRING IS SO CLOSE!  Even though the grass hasn't sprouted yet, and the trees are still cold and brown, the daffodils have fought their way through the soil to bring some sunshine to my walk to work. 

Oh I do love them. 

Happy Easter - hope you have a bouquet of these somewhere in your house today.

raw art letter press

There is still a blank wall in the baby's room.  It's killing me. 

I'm currently fantasizing about the possibility of one of these prints  by Raw Art Letter Press.  They are so simple and divine.  Of course, if I got one for Clara's room, it would have to be yellow.  It would just have to be.

Aren't these delightful? There is something about them that makes me smile.

samoas

Bless you Jo for guiding me towards the culinary genius who figured out how to create homemade Girl Scout Samoas at Siriously Delicious.  Not that I will have time/patience to attempt these for awhile...it's just blissful to know that the possibility is there.

ugly chair = love

So.  I had an experience in one of those hideous gliding baby chairs at the breast-feeding center of our local mall (it's a gorgeous space for mothers who want to nurse their little ones...seriously...gorgeous space!).  I have hated the look of those chairs from the get-go and refused to entertain the thought of buying one for our home.  (please don't be offended if you have one of these in your home!)  I wanted to buy a pretty gliding chair...with slick lines...something we could use as real furniture once our baby wasn't a baby any more. 

But...those ugly gliders are sooo comfortable.  And nursing in it was a dream.  We couldn't come close to purchasing my dream gliders (here or here).  The ugly glider is somewhat of a steal in comparison. 

I can't wait to get my amazingly comfy ugly chair!

the whole world on a wall

Totally no recollection where I snagged this picture, but I love it.  Great idea for a wall in a play room or a children's bed room.  Ummmm...even a living room.  I rather fancy this a lot.  Maps are so exciting...they get me dreaming and scheming about adventures in far off places. 

We still have a blank white wall in our baby's nursery... still no real plan on what the heck to do.  As you have never been in my home, you would know that I have something against plain white walls....every wall in my home is covered.  I've tried to do the minimalist thing...I fail every time.  I love being surrounded by visual "pretties."

My heart it still so in love with this whimsical ( yet super pricey and significantly smaller!) world map by Julie Mercier.  I think it would look smashing in our baby's room. 

brilliant new york

One of the biggest reasons I was psyched about moving to upstate New York was being within a couple hours of New York City...as I LOVE New York City.  Who doesn't?  I love the museums.  The pizza.  The architecture.  The lights.  The parks.  I could go on infinitely.  Too bad residency has kept me busy almost every single weekend of the last 10 months...only made it into the city once...which is actually quite a tragedy.

One year I traveled into the city  over a dozen times...which is a lot for a girl who lived in Arizona (though I was living in Rhode Island at the time!).  I think this is a fun print by Julie Mercier; certainly not the most sophisticated portrayal of NYC, yet it is a fun and bright and lively interpretation.  I am a fan of Miss Mercier...remember here?

wood wall

I think this is wonderful.  Not sure if I'd love it in a home with small children (hello splinters??) but I think it adds such a quirky fun element to a room...warms it up.  Woodgrain is so beautiful. via Poppytalk

missing arizona

here

I will go days and days without really thinking about life in Arizona...probably one of the perks of being super busy.   Yet, then there are days like today, where it's extra cold outside, a fresh layer of snow is sitting on my car, Tommy is working and I'm home alone.  In these quiet moments, I miss Arizona.

The horizon just doesn't stretch out forever like it does back home.  The sunsets aren't quite as wild here either. And I crave REAL tortillas like crazy (you literally cannot buy decent tortillas here...believe me...I've searched and searched.)  Umm...or Mexican food at all. 

I am getting along just fine in our new place, yet whenever I see an image of the Grand Canyon, or a tumbleweed, or the desert, my heart strings tug because that was once my home.  And a little piece of my heart is always going to be there I suppose.

I think I need a pet cactus.  

best of both

Huge thanks to Laura for bringing this little beauty into my life.  Gorgeous stairs....gorgeous bookcase...in one.  Gotta love that!  From apartment therapy.

discovery street giveaway

I want this I want this I want this.  In fact - I would argue that I need this. 

To carry our baby around...looks so convenient.  I would still have my hands available...for washing dishes, or reading books, or blogging with the baby.  Or for taking in a walk at the park, a quick trip to the grocery store or for an outing to the library.  Possibilities are endless.

Discovery Street is having a give-away for $40 towards something rad....this carrier is what I'd get if I win!

staircase

here

I'm thinking my fascination with staircases and bookshelves stems from the fact that I grew up in a house that didn't have any stairs.  Most people in my hometown live in ranch style homes...one level...no stairs.  I always wanted stairs...to slide down the banister...to twirl evergreens around it at Christmas and to line the wall with interesting visual stimulation.

The bookshelf obsession I have is clearly because...well...bookshelves are so gorgeous. 

Someday.

help feed my soul

I just found this fab site, Feed Your Soul, that has free downloadable prints from indie artists.  This might be the answer to my little prayers as I've been trying to find something lovely to hang on a patch of white wall in our nursery.  Our budget is maxed out - so I was going to have to get uber creative (which, unfortunately, I just don't have the time for) or print a photo we've taken...but we aren't photogs here.

Help me pick one of these three...I'm leaning towards the print on the top...whatdoyathink?  Go find your own free inspiration at Feed Your Soul!

pretty pretty steps

via Exquisite Banana

Such cheerful designs.  In the best color.  *Sigh*  Another "someday" thing to keep in my back pocket.

floating boats

As much of a fan of bright colors I proclaim myself to be, I find softer pastel hues rather divine.  Though, I have nothing in my own home to suggest that sentiment.  These floating boats, by the ever talented Ann Wood, are so dreamy and so captivating I'm having twitching impulses to scrap our current nursery decor and instead play with the whispering colors of the softest blues and grays and creams.  Wouldn't these be delicious over a crib?  Or reading nook? 

These ships make me think of Peter Pan's adventures, and pirates and mermaids and lost treasure and fireworks over the ocean.  Anything that reminds me of Peter Pan is gold in my book. I hope our baby loves those tales of adventure too.

crib sheets

 Michael Miller Zoology Lagoon

I just ordered a couple pairs of custom crib sheets from a shop called Sweet Bobbins.  I just wasn't liking much of what I saw in the stores...so I turned to Etsy and it didn't let me down (and the price was roughly the same as the sheets at the baby superstore...so that was fantastic.)  Bought two pairs of sheets - one of each of these fun colorful graphic designs.  SO excited! 

 Alexander Henry 2D Zoo Multi-color Fabric

childhood

These pictures remind me of my childhood.  My sisters and I were usually messy...disheveled hair and all.  But there was lots of playing.  Lots of imagination.  Lots of creating.  Lots and lots of awesome.  Oh I am excited to watch our little girl grow, play and create.  Pictures from here.

abc's of architecture

How freakin' stellar is this print!?  I've been looking and looking and looking at art for our baby room and then I see this...and I want it for my room.  Ha!  At only $25 it's such a steal!!  By jikits