September 22, 2009
in Blogs
Good morning, sweet friends! I know I am a bit late posting my Blog of the Week, as I generally do this on Monday, but better late than never, right? After beginning my design classes, it has been a bit of a struggle to get back into the rhythm of writing here on top of getting accustomed to my new coursework – but I am finding my way! Blogging has become such an important part of my life, and I have “met” so many wonderful, creative, talented and sweet individuals through this medium. One of these individuals is the creator of this week’s featured blog: Sam of Sam’s Notebook, who I got to know a bit during the Blogging Your Way ecourse taught by Holly Becker of decor8. Sam’s Notebook is a constant source of inspiration for me, so I think you will also really enjoy this peek into Sam’s world!
Sam is an Australian living in Sweden – two places I am dying to visit – so right off the bat I knew I would be inspired by her unique vision. Recently, Sam traveled to Paris with her family and explored the city using Pia’s book, Paris: Made by Hand as a guide. I absolutely adore her posts from this trip, and have bookmarked them future reference! The photos above were all taken by Sam during her wanders in Paris – drool!
I love reading bloggers who live in countries other than my own – seeing a different corner of the world is so inspiring to me. Honestly, just looking at those little produce tags written with European-style numbers gets my heart racing a bit! Oh yes, and as a former-preschool teacher and hopeful someday-mama, I get super excited when Sam posts the occasional photo of her absolutely adorable little one. Just look at her strolling barefoot in that meadow! Have you seen anything cuter?
Sam’s Notebook is such a lovely little corner of the blogging world – why don’t you go pay her a visit?
p.s. – I’ve just added a category for Blogs, so now you can access all of my Blog of the Week posts right here.
{images: Sam’s Notebook}
September 14, 2009
in Blogs
So much joy and pleasure can be ours just by recognizing the beauty of each season; by keeping our eyes open and senses tuned in to the little changes happening all around us in the natural world. I chose my Blog of the Week, Beauty Everyday, precisely because the three talented, creative women behind it – Kristen Bach, Rebecca Wood and Rinne Allen – are committed to seeking out beauty in the little things that surround us.
Beauty Everyday is based in Georgia, and I love their tag line, “Southern beauty, creativity, & food” – doesn’t that just sound delightful? After spending a good part of the morning reading past posts and sipping good strong coffee, I wish I could hop in my car right now and drive down to Georgia to meet these lovely ladies in person!
Each day they post gorgeous diptychs like the ones above, focusing their lenses on everything from rusted-out tin cans and worn wood to wildflowers, mushrooms, and little corners of sky…
And you want to know what’s kind of funny? I actually found the Beauty Everyday blog after falling in love with the little books they sell on Etsy – I just ordered two, but don’t worry! If you want one (and how could you not?), I just noticed they have already restocked their shop!
I think what touches me most about Beauty Everyday is that reading it inspires me to open my eyes and notice the beauty in my own life – the first tinge of flame-red on the leaves outside my window, the creak of the screen door on my front porch, the abundance and generosity of nature. I do hope you will go visit Beauty Everyday this week!
And I would love to know: where are you finding beauty in your life today?
{images: Beauty Everyday}
Well, it’s the weekend, friends! Do you have any special plans on your agenda? It’s looking a bit gray and chilly where I am (I actually had to just run and put on a sweater!) so I have my fingers crossed for good weather in time to celebrate my sweetie’s birthday in our backyard tomorrow. I hope you have a wonderful, cozy weekend wherever you are! Before I head out though, I do have a nice collection of images and things that are inspiring me this week that I would like to share with you. So, go get yourself a cup of something warm and comforting (I have a mug of fragrant Earl Grey beside me to sip as I type) and relax…
1. All of these images from Tine K Home are really speaking to me right now – I love the darkly elegant feel of black and smoky grays with rich purple, silver and delicate glass.
2. Don’t you wish you could zip over to Finland to enjoy one of these mini pavlovas with black and red currants, made by the lovely Tiina of Sparkling Ink? I do, even though they almost look too pretty to eat!
3. I am in awe of California-based artist Amanda Hughen, whose work reminds me of patterns in the natural world. Featured on Coco + Kelley.
4. I stumbled upon the work of photographer Max Attenborugh through this wonderful post by stylist Selina Lake (written for decor8) – and I am so glad I did, because each photo in his portfolio is a little treasure!
5. I am dying to try something from Portland General Store, a line of skincare, bath products and perfumes handmade in Maine. I love the old-timey aesthetic of the packaging, and the scents sound amazingly good. Creator of the line Lisa Brodar also has a shop for men’s products with cool-sounding goodies like Whiskey Shave Jelly.
6. And finally, I am developing a bit of an obsession with buntings (or banners, or whatever you would like to call them) – two of my favorite examples for use-of-bunting have to be this lovely white kitchen, found on Desire to Inspire, and the letter bunting personalized just for the family goat, featured on the Country Days blog.
That’s it for now! Thank you so much for spending time with me here this week. I hope you have a really lovely weekend, and I will meet you back here on Monday with a new blog of the week!
{images: linked to their sources above}
Good morning! I am feeling so much better today, thanks to my afternoon off. I took a nap, tidied up the apartment, and in the evening cooked a nice dinner and enjoyed a glass of wine with B. I think it is really important to recognize when you are not feeling your best, and give yourself permission to have a little down-time instead of feeling the need to runrunrun nonstop, do you agree? And then this morning, I opened the sweetest package containing a gift from dear Michelle – thank you, thank you! Getting packages in the mail makes me feel like a million bucks. So, on with the blog of the week! My pick this week is Emma Thorn of Emma’s Corner – Emma has an amazing sense of style, so if you enjoy street style or are looking for new, original outfit ideas this is a fantastic place to visit. Let’s take a look…
I read a bit about Emma’s background in a recent interview with Antler Magazine and was fascinated to learn that while her mother is Swedish, Emma was born and raised in Spain – so her outlook is a blend of both of those cultures. Even though we are so much more connected these days and many people around the world have access to the same types of things, each culture still has its own unique aesthetic sense and I love seeing how people dress in parts of the world far away from where I am!
I think what I adore most about Emma is that she obviously has a lot of fun with fashion and style – definitely not a “fashion victim”! Each outfit seems to tell a little story, and the photos are completely dreamy. Her blog is mostly in Spanish, but she does post bilingually in Spanish/English quite often, so I’ve found that I can follow along most of the time. And if you took Spanish in school, why not use this as an opportunity to brush up? Much more fun than a textbook!!
Always original, Emma tends to pull together outfits with a mix of vintage pieces, cheap & chic items from chain stores, and a few really special accessories. She reminds me of what fun it was to be a little girl playing dress-up – how nice it would be to capture that feeling again as an adult!
Oh yes, and how can you resist her giant, slobbery dog? So cute. You can check out more at Emma’s Corner.
{images: Emma Thorn}
Hi dear friends! I have to admit that I am feeling completely worn out today. I’ve been sitting here sipping iced coffee, rubbing my sore muscles and staring at the computer screen hoping that any minute now I will be filled with a burst of creative energy. So not happening. Instead, my eyes keep drifting over to the mountain of boxes surrounding me and I just…want…yawn…a little nap. After a full weekend of packing for the move, I just need a little break. So, I’m going to be taking the rest of the day off to give myself a rest – and perhaps neaten up some of the offending boxes so that tomorrow I won’t feel like I am working out of a shipping container. But I do have one lovely thing to share with you before I go!
This adorable little camper is displaying one of the wallpapers in the new Oasis line from Swedish company DecorMaison, coming out this September. My favorite from the line (spied on emmas design blog) is the one above, which does remind me, as Emma also noted, an awful lot of a certain Orla Kiely print. But even more than the paper itself, I love the way this camper has been put together! It kind of makes me want to leave all of my current belongings behind and forget the house and become a wandering gypsy in the cutest little camper ever, complete with whitewashed furniture and a pretty tea set – but I suspect that is mostly the fatigue talking.
So, I’m off to take my little break and I will see all of you back here tomorrow morning for my blog of the week and a bit of fun travel inspiration!
{images: DecorMaison, via emmas design blog}
Interested? 
Twitter
