A Look at Home

We've been home much of today, with the rain sprinkling down here and there, keeping us from spending too much time outdoors. I thought I'd take a few pictures of my newest lovelies from Anthropologie. I picked up a couple of plates for my wall when I was there last week but still have to put them up. The colorful whistles are little gifts from grandma's trip to South Africa and I decided to add the hydrangeas to the mix, since my home and garden are currently filled to the tippy-brim with them.  

It's the tiniest of (sweet) details that catch my attention ...

An attempt at drying hydrangeas, which isn't all that pretty really, but still kind of interesting. I suppose they should dry upright in a vase? Oh well, I have enough to try any which way, and row upon row of these look quite (eerily) beautiful.

At the peak of pretty. 

 Friday is almost here! Whew.

A Beach Dress

Our parents are finally home from a 5 week trip to South Africa. Sounds like they had an amazing time over there and we've enjoyed their stories and prezzies very much. This dress is something my mom picked up somewhere on the beach in Cape Town. A true beach dress. How sweet is that? 

Now if only I had a beach vacay planned where I could wear it in it's proper element ...

She also brought a rockin' collection of wooden bangles and beaded necklaces for the girls. I obviously wasted no time dressing up in all my new goodies. 

 Here are just a few of the cute things the boys received. 

And these sweet hand painted t's. 

 Oh, and one of my faves, this gorgeous bag!

Isabella's Home

 I enjoyed this article over at Etsy's blog so much that I had to share it with you!

"(Isabella Stewart Gardner) The 19th century art collector and patron, who designed her Boston home as a museum, stipulated in her will that no piece of art should ever be moved. Even empty frames remain on the walls after thirteen paintings valued at $500 million were stolen from the museum in 1990.

Gardner felt that coldness characterized most American museums of her time, so she hired architect Willard T. Sears to create a warm, light-filled space. His plans resemble a 15th-century Venetian palace, with three stories of galleries circling an exquisitely landscaped interior courtyard. In 1901, Gardner moved into the fourth floor, where she lived for the rest of her life. She spent over a year carefully placing each of her 2,500 artworks on the three floors below before she opened her space to the public on January 1st, 1903.

Today, this remains a museum that exalts personal vision, and it’s a thrill and inspiration to those of us who tackle our own spaces with an idiosyncratic sensibility.

Entry is free to anyone named Isabella, and anyone who visits on his or her birthday. Galleries are neither arranged nor named after moments in art history, but instead after the color of the wallpaper or after artists she favored. In all the galleries, works from different times and places are mixed, and unlabeled, to encourage visitors to respond directly to their substance and their arrangement."

 Isn't this place and it's story incredible? How I would love to visit (with my little artist). You can read more about it here.

This and That {at home}

Good morning friends. Hope you had a smashing weekend. Ours was not quite as spectacular as that, but that's due to the fact that little E now sounds like a barking dog. Not quite healthy yet but perhaps on the upswing? Though everyone else is healthy! 

Here's what I did this weekend - I spent some time ... reading (Little Bee), ... exploring new-to-me shops (Assemblage), ... eating disgustingly good food (Five Guys Burgers and Fries), ... celebrating more tiny birthdays (Chuck E Cheeses - AGAIN - arg!), ... preparing for dance classes (sigh - back to work - how I love to be "lazy"), ... paging through the new issue of Lucky (when did they become so small?), and finally, chilled at the movies (Country Strong - loved it - can't stop thinking about it). 

First things first, my 6 year old. Seriously?!

And then ... I found a picture of my outfit from last weekend's New Year's Eve (seems like ages ago already). A little late but here it is.
{sweater - Gap, belt - Aerie, skirt - J. Crew, boots - Michael Kors from T J Maxx}

 

 I asked my sister if I could share this clutch with you. It's so incredibly gorgeous in person and I hope these pictures do it a bit of justice. She received it for Christmas (from Anthropologie - but how could it not be?). 

 Made myself a few heavenly cups of tea this weekend. 

 And tried out my new (free!) IPhone app called Instagram. Pretty great little pictures.

 A flokati rug now offers a much cozier spot for our bums to get comfy fireside. 

 An interior shot of Assemblage. A sort of scrap booking and odds and ends kind of store, filled with oddities and vintage buttons, beads, pocket watches and more. Really inspiring. Looks like they offer book making classes and the little creations there are fantastical! (De Pere)

 Lots of dreamy snowfall over the weekend. Quite Narnia-esque in the backyard actually. 

 The shower curtain basking in the morning sun. 

My sick little man spent some time laying in my bed while Yo Gabba Gabba entertained him. (Taken with Hipstamatic app). You can tell how much weight he's lost, can't you? ha. 

Street Style and Art

I found these unbelievable color comparisons over at Miss Moss and was so taken with them. Most photographs are from street style blogs (i.e. The Sartorialist) and compared side by side with vintage art & design. To a stunning result! Enjoy. 

Just a couple of days left to enter the giveaway. Good luck friends!

A Few New Lovelies

Happy Monday friends! I want to welcome all the new readers that have recently joined. I'm so completely thrilled to have you! As I write this morning, I'm watching the prettiest tiny flakes of snow fall softly and very slowly outside my kitchen window (in the forest of trees in our backyard). It's pretty magical ... and after a rather stressful weekend, it's quite therapeutic & relaxing. Now I just need that coffee ...

Well, I spent a bit of time redecorating a couple of rooms yesterday. Well, just adding some touches here and there. Thought I'd share the updates with you. I went to Besselli's 50% off sale and picked up this gorgeous silk scarf (the one with roses) It's supposed to go around my neck, but looks so smashing on my wall. Our "head board" is constantly changing ... sometimes art and other times scarves (usually vintage finds), just whatever I'm in the mood for. 

 A sweet little pillow made for me by one of my students.

This perfect little beaded bow is from Daena (Anthropologie) and the tasseled layers necklace is from my mom (Loft).

I adore this jewelry dish with it's tiny bird keeping a watchful eye over my jewels (I have a little one that likes to swipe them) - (Pottery Barn).

 {little white purse - vintage, bracelets - grandma, Piperlime & Banana Republic, leaf hair pin - vintage}

Monty's new guitar pillow (from Oeuf). Sort of the coolest thing ever.

And the boys received this awesome tee pee from Land of Nod (needs a good steamin' though). Grannie created a little kit of colored cord and "bug-y" clothes pins for displaying our rotation of art work. And there's that chalk board decal again.

Grannie also made these capes! Isn't she the best?

I picked up this bookcase from Target. It's tidied things up so nicely. I'd hoped for a similar set from Ikea but these were great too and even a better price. 

I also did a little thrifting over the weekend. Goodwill, how I love thee.

Grand total for all of this - $34 and a few cents. Thought that was pretty great!

Don't forget to enter the winter giveaway for a chance to win a $30 gift certificate to CSN stores. They even have a luxe site that sells some fantastic shoes and bags, if that's more up your alley!