Lighter on the Feet

It's time for some new spring/summer shoes. My current silver Birkenstocks are falling apart and my J. Crew ballet flats have holes in the heels. I'm kicking myself for not getting the Vera Wang Lavender Label "Lillian" flats in red last year because I can't find them anymore:( Well, you snooze, you lose. I do like them in this Sapphire color. I tried them on in black last weekend, and it's amazing what a difference a little support can make. Like new running sneakers, (yikes, I need those too) you don't really know how much they've worn down until you slip into a new pair. It's time.



[photos courtesy of Zappos and Bloomingdales]

Bloomers

It's pouring outside today - serious cats & dogs! But I've got warmer & sunnier days on my mind while I'm looking for a baby gift online and came across these too-cute-too-pass-up Rikshaw Design bootie bloomers on Orange & Pear. My heart is melting.




[images courtesy of Orange & Pear]

Life

John was flying home last night and texted me from the runway that he had been watching Life on the Discovery Channel. So I tuned in & was hooked. (The narration by Oprah threw me a little, but having read about her relationship with Discovery, I wasn't totally surprised.) I love programs like this. The photography is exquisite. It transports you to these far off lands, in amazing proximity to, well, life. This Mammals episode, in particular, reminded me how incredibly similar we all are - the natural instinct & desire to procreate (as seen by the humpback whales risking their lives to pass along their genes), to protect our loved ones (as seen by the hienas warding off the lion enemies), and to survive (as seen by the day old elephant walking ten miles to water). It's a good one & is now on our DVR list. I highly recommend checking it out if you haven't yet.


Catch Life on Sundays at 8pm on the Discovery Channel.

[photos of a an elephant calf (top) and fruit bats (bottom), courtesy of the Discovery Channel]

The Little Prince

I'm leaving town this morning to attend a memorial service. And while it's a bit more somber in tone to my usual posts, I thought I would share this quote that was shared with me & gave me comfort, and one that I've shared with others during times of loss.

"And at night you will look up at the stars. Where I live everything is so small that I cannot show you where my star is to be found. It is better, like that. My star will just be one of the stars, for you. And so you will love to watch all the stars in the heavens... they will all be your friends… In one of the stars I shall be living. In one of them I shall be laughing. And so it will be as if all the stars were laughing, when you look at the sky at night." – Antoine de Saint-Exupery (The Little Prince)

Birthday Boy

Today is John's birthday & he gets the day off from work. So, I do too! :) I've planned a few little things, starting off with the Swedish tradition (at least this Swedish family's tradition) of breakfast in bed. I am glad no one's around to correct my Swedish when I sing Happy Birthday:)

A Brief History in Post Cards

Bare with me on all these post card images, but I'm still working with them and am fascinated by the different type treatments & the subtle variations in layouts. Why do they all say "Post Card"? And why is there a division line on some and not others?

After a little Wiki research, I discovered that post cards were originally only printed by the Post Office in the early 1890's. It was only after 1898 that private companies could start printing their own "post cards," and only after 1901 that they could call them "post cards," rather than "souvenir cards." And before 1907, you were only allowed to write on the front of the post card. After 1907, they created the "divided back" - one side for the address, one for correspondence. In 1908, more than 677 million post cards were mailed! This time was known as the Golden Age of Post Cards:) until 1915 when WWI prevented the import of German-printed post cards.

Interesting, no?

Spring into a New Wardrobe

I love the sneak peeks on design*sponge, but it's not often I want to move in. Until yesterday when I saw the New Hampshire home of Emerson & Ryan of Emersonmade. Pack your bags, John - and your bones, Kingsley. Simply put - it's gorg.

After seeing their home, I checked out their website which I hadn't been to in a while and spotted the perfect striped shirt on Emerson. It's spring (oh. yes. it. is!) and I'm coveting some new wardrobe additions like this one. I got my blue Sperrys the other day and along with this shirt, I'd be so ready for a cocktail cruise! :)

[photo courtesy of Emersonmade]

Birthday Cake

I threw a little birthday celebration for John's 30th this weekend. It turned into something that resembled more of a 21st birthday - so it goes without saying, we all enjoyed ourselves:) The classiest part of the little shin dig was this pretty cake made by a friend of ours. It's been a long time since I've had a birthday cake that didn't come from a box & icing that wasn't scooped out of a plastic tub. Multiple people commented on how the icing was so good. Apparently, most chocolate icings taste more like sugar than chocolate. Who knew? Well, now, I do. And man, was it goooood. Thanks, miss Lizzy!

From the Desk Fridays: European Goodies

I was lucky to receive fantastic gifts this week from two European strongholds. One was a gift I bought myself:) The Liberty goodies arrived yesterday - all tucked inside this beautiful purple box, which I'll definitely be using to hold stationery on my desk. This color is too good to go & get tucked away somewhere. And the second are Ekelund towels from John's Swedish cousins who have stayed with us the past couple days. (They're really for both of us, but they brought John his favorite Swedish mustard, so I'll say the towels are for me:) I love this company. They have an amazing line of linens that I seriously covet every time I see them in John's parents' house. I especially love the two-toned color palette of these towels. (Thank you so much, Elisabeth & Leif!) Lucky girl, this week.

Hope you all have a great weekend!

Post Cards

Two of my favorite post cards from the eBay batch. On the reverse side of the bottom one it says "Be sure to visit the Exchange when you are in New York City" and "Own your share of American Business." On the reverse side of the top one it says "Printed in Germany." It was the color of the reverse-sides that drew me to all these old post cards, but I'm really enjoying the images, the printed details, the old stamps, the one-line addresses and the cursive handwriting.

Phish announces Summer Tour

Phish announced its Summer Tour yesterday & of course in typical cool Phish phashion.  (Sorry, that was too tempting:)  I'm obsessed with these images from their announcement video - probably because I'm chomping at the bit for warmer weather & anything having to do with it.  Check out the tour dates & see the full video here.

[images courtesy of Phish]

Post Cards

I bought a huge lot of vintage post cards on eBay over the weekend in hopes of using them for a project. They arrived yesterday & I had so much fun playing with them on our kitchen table. I love the subtle color variations of old papers.

Project for a Rainy Day

It rained cats & dogs here in Brooklyn this weekend. Hail, thunder & wind gusts above 50mph added up to a cozy weekend spent mostly indoors. And for me, it meant finally recovering old Ikea pillows, whose original covers I'd tossed last year. The gray skies & sheets of rain made Saturday perfect for this little sewing project. This Liberty of London material was leftover from the table overlays we made for our wedding. I based my simple covers off of a pillow I already had and went to work, figuring it out as I went. They probably need a button in the back, but as a simple pillow cover that gets these off the shelf, they work just fine for me.

From the Desk Fridays: 2011 Pantone Chips

Our annual calendar is hands down my favorite project of the year. I love the process involved with a bigger project like this - coming up with 12 unique designs that combine colors and images to serve as one piece. When I start thinking about our annual calendar in January, I write down each month in my notebook and jot down thoughts, images, or colors for each month. As I start fleshing out each one, I tape down the pantone chips so I can see if the colors make sense together or if there is an overuse of a certain color or is glaringly missing another.

I'm wrapping up our 2011 Calendar now and am still playing around with some of the colors. The color, to me, is just as important as the images and even as important as making sure the dates of the month are right. It's everything, really. And I really enjoy the process of tweaking colors until they match up just right. Really looking forward to being able to share more on the calendar in a couple months.

Have a great weekend!

Rodarte at Cooper-Hewitt

Can't wait to see this Rodarte exhibit this weekend.

Hello, Sunshine State!

We did it! We booked our trip to Florida for next month - two nights in a fancy Miami hotel & the rest of the time in a low key place a couple hours south, on the beach. I can almost smell the Coppertone, I'm so excited. I am so ready for some warm weather. Am I right, east coasters?!

Pedigree Ad

I'm taking the day off to hang out with my best friend who's in from out of town. On the agenda: movie at BAM, walking around the neighborhood and just maybe a Shamrock Shake. But before I head out, I had to share this ad. The photography is amazing, as are of course, the expressions on these sweet pups' faces. Well done, TBWA Toronto.

From the DeskTOP Friday: Sunday Suppers does an Oscars Party

When I think of Oscars decor, I think cheesy & over the top. But Sunday Suppers' taste is anything but. And this Oscars party table setting they did for the NY Post is no exception. I love the combination of glitz & glam and the soft pink accents. Well done, SS.

Have a great weekend, everyone. Enjoy the Oscars.

[Styling and Photography by Karen Mordechai, with Special Guest Styling by Randi Brookman Harris. Calligraphy by Anna Beckman]

Where are you Mr. Sun?

It's been such a bear of a winter here that I literally cannot stop thinking about warm weather (researching a trip to FL as we speak), lighter clothing (these shoes!) and vibrant colors (the 2011 calendar is going to be bright). Connie tweeted about these Loeffler Randall sandals yesterday & I was hooked. The pattern, colors and little heel lift are perfection. If I only had the tan feet & legs to go with them. (sigh) We'll get there.

[images courtesy of Loeffler Randall]

Mumford & Sons

Bedding

When we moved last year, we upgraded to a king size bed because we had the space in our new bedroom for it. (And because my 6'5" husband has never not had his feet hanging off the edge.) But I've been stalling on buying the bedding for it, mostly because I can't decide on a color. We used to have a white duvet that we paired with a an old quilt & colorful pillow cases. But I'm ready for some color. Our walls are a very pale green color. I'm inclined to go in either the red direction or the emerald green direction. Above are some of the patterns I've been eyeing. It helps me to lay them out like this to see what happens when you put them next to each other. They all seem kind of summery. Hmm, is that bad? I really am so ready for Spring!

[images top to bottom, left to right: John Robshaw Pepper quilt, Roberta Roller Rabbit quilt, Roberta Roller Rabbit quilt, John Robshaw sheets, Azure Fern sheets, Filigree Leaf sheets, Kerry Cassil pattern, John Robshaw Maya Sheets, and Kerry Cassil pattern]

50% off sale!!

We're doing some major (early) spring cleaning over here at L&H. Most items are 50% off. This week only. So go stock up!