morning's light

a whole lotta Lotta {jansdotter, that is!}

Ever get something stuck in your head that you just HAVE TO HAVE?  I have an item in mind but will make do with photos from it found on flickr.

Lotta Jansdotter has a book called Lotta's Lifestyle that I MUST BUY NOW or at least that's what my heart is calling out for.  My budget has other ideas and has said we must wait for now to buy it.  

Curious?

Lotta's outfit above inspired an ensemble I can create out of similar items in my wardrobe.  That's the fun part! If I had the whole book (anyone want to sell me theirs?), what other wardrobe creations could I create out of my current clothing items?

I so want to go running errands this weekend in an outfit like Lotta's.  

image from tania

little things to brighten your day

Am under the weather - yes, again.  Took a month to get rid of the cough that accompanied the flu..then *bam* a cold.  But it's the perfect time to stay inside, rest and look at pretty things that the internet offers..specifically pretty blogs!  Here are some latest favorites.  

How are you feeling? 

okay - this is not from a blog but one of my junior high girls from church just tagged me in this photo on facebook... I'm tagged as someone she loves.  awwww.. very sweet.  that made my night!  thanks, alysia!

at wide open spaces, amber listed her faves which includes a superb list.  my favorite is: "Just the necessities, neatly organized. Whenever I start coveting a new kitchen or crafting tool, I go organize a closet or drawer. I get the instant gratification of seeing everything lined up in its place, looking back at me, and I feel much better. I think this rule also governs my favorite foods. I love fresh, simple foods. Like sparkling water and a slice of black bread with cheese."

freshly picked tomatoes by krickelin-krickelin

fall images from like a butterfly in your house

That's it for now!  The weekend is almost here. I have two plans:  a game night with friends and church on Sunday.  Ooohh and most likely a nap on Sunday afternoon.   

Kajsa's Swedish Home

DOS Family has posted another pretty Swedish home!  Kajsa, a blogger, lives here.  It's so neat and tidy!  

images: dos family

{adorable parisienne studio}

 

Hello, Adorable Paris Apartment!  I really like the layout, the separate dining area/office, the living area and the bedroom area.  I may recognize items from IKEA but you've been personalized so very well!  I'll call you Cozy, Adorable and Pretty!!  

 

 

Numerous Photos + Flat Owner's Blog here.  (upper left corner of the blog contains the link to an English translation)

color contest inspiration

I'm in love with the polka dot chair!!

Apartment Therapy is a wealth of inspiration and helpful hints for around the home!  I've enjoyed their site for so long, and from these photos, can you tell why?  These are mostly from the 2009 Color Contest.  

What a pretty studio - with the exposed brick, the happy green walls..and the simple layout.  

I must be craving green apples or just green at home!

The neat, tidy bedroom caught my eye immediately.
Could this apartment owner please visit me and re-do my bedroom?!

Will soon be buying similar accessories (paperwork/magazine sorter and the mirror with hooks).

images: apartment therapy

*nebraska*

I've been away in Nebraska....seeing a college friend, Amber, and her family. 
Above is Amber holding her daughter Ruby! 
It's been a relaxing weekend...and I'll be back here next week with loads more photos.
Hope your weekend is going well!!

 

 

Isabelle's Light Filled Home

 

I'm a fan of French homes, can you tell? Isabelle's has an airy feel to it plus so much light!

 

 

 

What gorgeous colors in this bedroom also found on Marie Claire Maison's site:

 

all images: marie claire maison

french cafe-turned-apartment

 

Clarisse is a decorator who lives in France in a cafe-turned-apartment.  How lovely is this?  The pink door to the original telephone booth is gorgeous!

 

What a convenient dressing area!  I'd love one like this - despite having a very large walk-in closet that truly makes me feel closed-in when I enter it. I'm contemplating turning my bedroom closet into storage for items that don't need to be accessed regularly, and then I'll get a simple IKEA wardrobe in which to keep my current wardrobe and accessories. 

 

For some reason, this photo of a kitchen makes me think it's what all French kitchens look like: baskets, wire mesh on the shelves, jars with colorful contents, pretty trays..... Am I even close?

images: marie claire maison

giorgia + barbara: citrus colors + artwork

 

I was perusing the Apartment Therapy Color Contest finalists to select whom to vote for, and I was stopped in my tracks by the rental of Giorgia & Barbara - an entry titled "From Italy to California".  

 

I love the artwork above!!  Original and stunning!

 

For more information, visit their Etsy page, and the artwork was created by Addie.

subscribe by email + tangerine

image: Amanda Fuller Designs

It's 4 AM. Cannot sleep.  Checked email and was delighted to hear from Amanda (in Australia!) who asked for a way to subscribe to this blog via email.  Your wish is my command!  See the upper right corner to subscribe.  

Now to see if a couple more hours of sleep can be obtained before a very long day at the office begins.

happysilly: sara's home

 

A delay!  Jenny of Dos Family messaged me on Saturday morning that she had new photos up on DosFamily, so here they are!  It is the home of Sara, author of HappySilly.The details of the flat charmed me right away - from the little illustrations popping up in unexpected places (see the ballerina below on top of the laundry pile) to the colors (orange! pink! lots of white and light!).  Who else has pink clouds in their pink dining room?  No one!  Check out this one of a kind flat! 

 

 

 

yellow kitchen + pink children's rooms

 

Rainy, fall morning = need to look at this bright yellow kitchen shown in Marie Claire Maison!  I was only going to show the yellow kitchen but then found these charming children's bedrooms - most which have pink in them.  Pardon me while I revert back to being an eight year old girl dreaming of a room like one of these.  I do have a favorite, do you know which one it is?  
all images: marie claire maison

 

 

 

 

 

floral curtain

Storage Behind the Door, originally uploaded by pinklovesbrown.

I am unable to take my eyes away from that floral curtain.
 It's a colorful accent to the perfectly ordered shelves!

one more pop of color

one more pop of color....this one from AprillAprill:

pops of color

What's making me happy today:

Kate: dining area with the white + orange

13 Threads:  Her clothing line reminds me to buy a long sleeve pop of color to wear beneath the black jumper I'm wearing today.

Swedish Interiors:  All that white, natural light and the great pink accents. Love the artwork!

Fearless Color in Denmark:  Because who doesn't like an orderly, white kitchen, dark wood, a cute toddler, a fluffy dog and green as an accent color?! 

letter writing + blog reading

 

It's a quiet Sunday evening...a perfect time to pull out some pretty stationery and pens and create a handwritten letter to a friend.  This new-to-me blog, Nectar & Light, is gorgeous and has inspired me to write a letter tonight. The house is quiet, the white (not just for Christmas) lights are shining into the darkened living room, and the peace is enjoyable.

Hope your weekend was well.  What were the highlights?

AT calls it a "white nest"

 

Haldane Martin moved into his Cape Town, South Africa home a mere one week before the house tour photos were taken.      ][       I'm smitten with his use of color in the bedroom and bathroom, the pretty dining room artwork pronouncing "it's beautiful here", and the cozy corner that is the living room.  

Apartment Therapy has all the photos. 

 

 

Jenny (of Dos Family) + her home

 

Dos Family = my most favorite house tour blog. This time Jenny (one of the co-authors of Dos Family) features her own home.  What I love about it:

• White painted floors
• Stacks of magazines
• You can tell someone really lives there!
• It's not all matchy-matchy
• Organized office
• Brightly colored futon/couch
• Pink kitchen cabinets
• Loads of light streaming in
• Unusual/fun artwork arranged on the walls

 

 

 

more images here

Jenny & Isabelle (of Dos Family) can be found here: 

Isabelle can be found here and here.

Jenny has a blog and a shop.

prettiness from buttons magee

This photo on Buttons Magee caught my eye as well as the other photo below.  A recent blog entry discussed the various tutorials you can see on YouTube....ones I had no idea were out there!

Last night, I did some cleaning and sorting but stared in dismay at a pile of boxes and "stuff" that line one wall of my bedroom.  I just don't know what to do with it.  I should donate/toss all of it and just live without it as it's doing me no good just piled up.  Once that's taken care of, I could venture into the closet and neaten what is there.  Hoping I'm not writing about this very thing in one year after procrastinating even longer on the two projects.

Any motivation hints for me to overcome this procrastination?

 

(maybe this image provides a hint about one reward for completing a task:  chocolate!!)

fall decorations (sweet, sweet life)

 

I can barely put up a small tree for Christmas - once a year - much less decorate for each season.  Thus I am choosing to live vicariously through Amy's decor this fall.  She has adorable cookie jars with labels, pumpkin decor, apples and so much more.  Visit her blog to see more photos.

 

 

 

Mee a Bee: home tour

 

Bloesem Kids featured the home of Jacqi of mee a bee.  What I love about her home are the simple lines, the pretty bookcase and lamp next to the bed, and the creative, orderly storage.   mee a bee has a line of children's bags that are about the cutest things ever! 

 

 

A friend's office has a set of the cupboards above - with the transparent doors, and I've wanted cabinets like that for a long time. 

new to the wish list: letter bag

 

 

I'm a fan of Moop bags and have immediately added their newest bag to my wish list: the Letter Bag in black. I have the Market Bag in Rosewood (see below) which was the best bag to take on the plane and around San Francisco when I was on vacation there in May.  

I've a feeling the black letter bag would be a daily carry for me - to and from work and all the errands in between the office and home.

 

images: moop

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The weekend was so not long enough.  I visited a local private school's annual Barn Sale and found three wooden bar stools for $22.  Turns out the height of the stools was exactly right for the counter separating my kitchen from the living room.  (My kitchen has been lacking bar stools for more than two years now but the wait was worth it - for the price and the quality of the stools.)

Movie Night was held Sunday night - which involved games of Apples to Apples (the guys select winning cards logically and the girls tend to use emotions to figure out which card wins), munching on comfort food, and watching Eagle Eye - a film I found to be quite good.  

Hope you had a good weekend!

babysteps to order + brightness

The Bill Murray film, What About Bob, has been on my mind lately.  So many great lines in there [Baby step to four o'clock. Baby step to four o'clock.]  plus I've seen it so many times that I now recognize the very moment in the film where Bob begins to seem normal and the doctor starts to seem a bit.....intensely focused (to put it nicely).  

This flu/cough is finally ending - I can breathe again between fits of coughing but to make sure all is well, I'll be sticking pretty close to home this weekend.  That means that I can bring order to an apartment that has gotten a bit untidy and perhaps tackle a few other projects as well.  I have a plan to baby step my way to success + use some inspiration photos to guide the way.

1. Clear the clutter from my bedroom + actually make my bed. 

2. Put up artwork on the three magnetic boards above the dining table.  (Inspired here by the simple, pretty touches in the dining room.)

 

3. Add bright splashes of color as seen on this gorgeous couch and the green and pink pillow on the left.

4. Watch Grey Gardens + Twilight. 

5. Read The Prairie Girl's Guide to Life: How to Sew a Sampler Quilt & 49 Other Pioneer Projects for the Modern Girl (by Jennifer Worick).

Photos 1-3 from Apartment Therapy

maisonette / jim + pam

 

I adore the blog maisonette and was delighted to find out some photos of her apartment are in a magazine this month.  Isn't the bedroom above orderly and adorable?!    

  And then the kitchen.  *swooning*  Why do I not have a big ol' chalkboard in my kitchen yet?!!  One day...

 

A new episode of The Office begins in thirty minutes.
 I almost wish it were next week...when it's The (television) Wedding - Jim & Pam's.
  How sweet are they?
  *sigh*