“There are things that are perfection in their genericness...”

I like this. I believe in it. It comes from this article.

copyrighted

Just a little peak of what i did this morning:

frustrations

i'm getting really frustrated at the lack of supplies around here. i see things that i want to make all the time, online or in catalogs, or even just in my head, but i am constantly restsricted by the resources that i do not have to use. in fact, this is one of the biggest motivations for me to be looking elsewhere for emloyment.... ok, maybe not the biggest, but it's a part of that all.

this year for Christmas, i wanted to sew tote bags for a bunch of friends. you know, i'd fill them with a bottle of wine, a box of cookies, a pretty card and a few other goodies, and everyone would love them and then maybe my friends would start carrying their own bags to the grocery store instead of using those horrid plastic bags, and everyone would be happy! but when i began the search for great fabric, i realized that i would have to order fabric online, and that is frustrating in and of itself because you can only see a little swatch of fabric and cannot tell what the scale is or the texture or even the true color!

i need a bigger city. (ha! bigger city. hello, i need a city).

i cannot even find a thin velvet ribbon to tie in my j.crew driving mocs, to replace the toggles (which fell out in the wal-mart parking lot, sadly)! online is my only option.

i suppose this is only my own fault, so i'll stop complaining and try to spend the rest of the morning enjoying my peppermint latte and thinking about all the positive aspects of living small-town life....

Different Thursday

Today's one of those days when I should be working hard, trying to get to a good stopping point before the weekend. Instead, I'm sick. I've been laying on the couch all morning, watching old DVR'ed shows, trying to drink lots of water.

That's about all I have for you, readers. More inspiration another time.

this weekend....

i cleaned my entire house on a friday night.
i watched a parade.
i baked heart-shaped sugar cookies, wrapped them in pretty tissue paper and tied the box with a candy-red striped ribbon.
i went to church.
i made a garland for my front door.
i thought about advent.
i brunched with the girls.
i sipped my morning coffee drink with a friend at night.
i decided to drink more wine.
i experienced the christmas shopping nightmare.
i ran.
i slept.
and i blew my nose a lot.

ANOTHER new post!!

Hey Cronies,

So how was Thanksgiving? Mine was pretty decent, especially with the surprise ending of SNOW! I love snow. A lot. It makes me want to tuck my jeans down into my furry boots and hop on a sled, drink hot cocoa, and knit with a fury. I am moving right along into the Christmas spirit with this snow, I'm telling you.

So now, since I have been speaking about Christmas and snow, I feel like I ought to post a piece of Christmas art that I did for the big corporation for next year.... it will probably be tweaked to death before actually being used, but here is the beginning stage:



'Tis the Season indeed! Happy Christmasing!

Mel

New Post!

Oh boy. This is sad. No new posts since July.

"Summer whites" are completely irrelevant now--it's nearly time for winter whites.

So let's see, what is new around here? Not much, actually. I'm busy designing Christmas cards for the big corporation, working weekends and nights to stay afloat my schedules and deadlines (don't you just hate those two words?!).

Listening to Flaming Lips a lot lately.

Also on a bread-baking binge lately, because there is nothing better than bread fresh from the oven, slathered in real butter (especially when it is cold outside). Please let me know if you also like freshly-baked bread with real butter, cause then you can come over and I will make you some! Yay! I must say, I can make a killer wheat bread.

I have also become obsessed with reading little girls' books. Must reads include The Penderwicks, the Shoe books (Noel Streatfield), and The Witch of Blackbird Pond.

Oh and sewing my own clothes and transforming old clothes into new, fashionable, fantastic clothes--that has become another obsession of mine, but I haven't actually sewn anything yet. I tried last night and met with utter failure, so I can't post any pictures or success stories. I think I need a pattern, which I will get over Thanksgiving break while I am home.

What are your new winter obsessions?

It's still summer!

I was just looking at my last post...all those whites. Shortly after that, I spent the weekend on the Cape which was full of houses like this one:

here

Needless to say, I'm still on high alert for cool whites and beachy finds...

hanging wire basket for my porch

curtains with bits of vintage lace floating in the ocean breeze

a couple vintage eames chairs--I'd put them on rockers and put them on the porch

of course, my kitchen would be full of old fiestaware and enamel

I'm going to spend the rest of the afternoon trying to work, but really dreaming of my beach house....

The cool whites of summer

As the summer continues to wash our city in waves of heat and humidity, my liquids have to be icy cold and soup sounds awful, I have the urge to make my apartment more heat-friendly. I still stubbornly refuse to put an air conditioner in my window (although I escape to my boyfriend's for a brief reprieve on those evenings when the heat hangs low over the city long after the sun sets).

These are the days when my rooms feel too full of heat-conducting objects and rugs seem to trap the heat and release it in the night. All I want is pure, icy whites surrounding me. A quick survey of a few of my fav shops resulted in the following objects that may soon be cooling off my hot little bedroom:

A long-coveted pinapple from Well Dressed Home.Something from the sea:

Something else from the sea:

Perfect for the shelf below my earrings:

My favs of the week

Etsy shopping in between work projects...

I am in love with this little embroidery. Do ya think I could replicate it?
This little green pitcher, found here.

And I know you're going to agree with me that these are just some of the coolest ceramics out there. Maybe I should make my kitchen a little more modern when I move...
Finally, vintage flashcards. Maybe I should get an "R"...wonder what it is? Rooster, can't deal with it. Racoon, could like it. Even better idea: Can you graphic design one for me? Wouldn't that be just too fun & fascinating? Can that be my half-birthday gift?

Ok, so it's my turn for a post.

The past few weeks have flown by with trips, projects at work, and workouts to catch up on. I feel like I'm finally getting back into the normal groove, and I'm starting to look for my next "home" project.... With that said, here are some finds that I'd like to incorporate into my new apartment, come August.





















Eames chair.... I can't remember where I saw this picture, but I love these.... or I'd take one of their rockers. Only, they'd' make everything else in my apartment look clumsy.


















This cool little magazine rack from Two Modern would fit perfectly in with my current furniture.
























Finish it off with some dishes from my all-time favorite, Mud Australia.




















The clock that has gained so much public attention lately....
















And a pretty quilt for my bed (ok, so mine isn't this intricate).

What a mix of modern and traditional....

It's here because it would be a long e-mail

Image stolen from here.

here you go, dear sister. my ramblings:

so in my recent e-mail, i said i was tired. now, why i'm tired. here's my schedule this week:
Monday: leave my house at 6:45 am for a conference that runs 7:45 am - 5 pm. i leave at 4 pm b/c i can't stand any more. later learn that a fire alarm went off right after i left & everyone had to leave the building. walk over to chris' at 8 pm to get ice cream.
Tuesday: wake up around 6 am again so that i go for a walk & then get ready for a conference that runs 8 am-3:30 pm. stay the whole time, then drive my coworker home, meet her parents who are living w/ her for a month (she's chinese & so the 'rents like to visit the US & her family), get to hold her adorable chinese baby. the 'chinese' part was unnecessary, most likely. bitch about job stuff for an hour. get a cool dangly thing from her mother (who doesn't speak english) to hang in my car--some kind of charm to keep me safe. go home, change, meet up w/ friends at the mall 20 min away for a kiehl's store opening. we were lured there by the offer of schwag. and the gift bag was damn good--probably $60 of product, at least. amy poehler (and her hubby) were there for publicity. not really sure why. the man appeared to be stoned out of his mind & took pics with people all while smiling very, very oddly. afterwards, narrowly escaped dinner at the cheesecake factory hell and instead drove back to boston & had dinner at the site of miracles: the bar where my dear bf & i met 18 months ago. they have an irish pizza (lots of mashed potatoes, cheese, and bacon on a pizza) that i'd previously shunned. i awoke to the error of my ways.
Wednesday: woke up at 6 am again to run. of course it rained, but the drizzle did not stop me from doing 2 miles. then off to work, work, work. tonight c & i are meeting up with the kingsley family. i'm still stressed over where to meet them for dinner. that's me.
Thursday (tomorrow): wake up early to run (damn marathon training schedule), then off to work. (yay of course) then escape as soon as possible, go home, get ready to go into town, watch satc with a bunch of girlfriends, then stay out late getting drinks and gossiping.
Friday: oh, this is the day i want today to be. take a break from running, sleep in, then work, work, work--but from my couch! stay in & make dinner with the bf.
Saturday: wake up at the crack of dawn--have to meet up with the bf & friend to go help with a race. not run in it, just help point the runners in the right direction. get free food & beer after. (beer at 11 am???) please let there be no plans for the rest of the day. well, actually, i take that back. will probably grill out w/ the bf & his friends. must plan a salad for that.
Sunday: wake up who knows when so the bf can catch his 6:30 am--or 7:30 am--flight to california for a week of training for work. cry hippo tears that i won't see him for so long. and also due to the fact that i have to wake up that early. debate going to church. maybe only if i walk. try to be ambitious & go to home depot, target, & the grocery store. probably end up laying on the couch watching tv & reading magazines, dreading work the next day.

Complications this week:
--i'm already tired. as previously noted, i am a very bad tired person. i get cranky, demanding, and obstinate. and indecisive, yet even pickier. the bf (and everyone else) does not enjoy this rachel.
--i have NO groceries, something which makes me very cranky. and i want some healthy food.
--along with the above, i have no cheezits. being tired makes me crave salty, crunchy foods.
--i have no control over my schedule. i...umm...can be a bit of a control freak and i like having everything planned. even better if i was the one planning.

i'm sure everyone will be happy when this week is over!

Danish Delectables

Hey Rachie,

In thinking about my upcoming trip to visit you in Boston, I went to this website to see what furniture I needed to come and purchase. How about this:

(1st Dibbs, $4,300)

Unfortunately, the price tag is well over what I even have saved for my new car. Dang it. Isn't it beautiful though? I think it would go well with my new chair.

It appears that, until I am rich and famous, I will have to settle for knock-offs and Arkansas flea markets.

Completely unrelated to anything on this blog, yet entirely appropriate

Alright, Melly, this one is for you.

Somehow I stumbled upon this little test: Which Jane Austen character are you?

p.s. my results: here

What happens in the bedroom...

It's time for a confessional: I need some help. I no longer adore my bedroom.

Don't get me wrong. For goodness sake, I really like my furniture, and I have no desire right now to repaint my room. (Heck, I wasn't even supposed to paint it in the first place!) But I've tired of the colors & the accents & the room arrangement. Here are a couple glimpses (& sorry for the poor lighting in the first one!):

If you can see it, I have a lot of orange in this room. Orange & white & minty teal. While has been inspiring as well as relaxing for the past six months, it is almost spring now & certainly time for a change! I've been sneaking around on design blogs & favorite-ing items on Etsy. I think the final straw was seeing Amy Butler's book, full of creative, colorful fabric uses.

So where does this leave me? Well, I think the color scheme is going to be a little more monochromatic. Lots of flavors of green & blue. I'm in love with these and these prints from Amy Butler, my favs of which are below.

So tonight I'll be dreaming of quilted throws, pillow covers, green plants, and a mix of blue & green accents. Sweet dreams to you too!

Orange + Pyrex = love

As my sister knows oh-so-well (often from "I can't concentrate at work" e-mails), I dearly seeing the color orange & Pyrex are combined into one sturdy, functional, beautiful bowl. I love the pop of color in my kitchen, particularly now in the winter when everything just seems to feel blah and completely over itself. Since I rent, the look of my kitchen is pretty inflexible, and with lots of white 80s cabinets & a weird shade of creamy pink on the walls, I don't have a lot of options, people! Thus, I believe, the fixation on color for serving bowls & other kitchen accessories.

The question is, where to find these? There seems to be a dearth of thrift stores in this part of the country--the only one nearby provides only a few treasures. So for the most part, I have to get my fix online. Few days have gone by in the past several months when I haven't spent at least a minute putting "orange, pyrex" or some permutation into the search box of Etsy, Ebay, or Shop Goodwill. So imagine my joy when I found this on Etsy last night:

Sorry, people. I already snapped it up! It'll go so well with this smaller Pyrex I found (surprisingly!) at the nearby thrift store.

A little break never hurt anyone!

A week ago, I hopped a plane to Florida for a (sunny vacation) conference for work. It was the best kind of trip--intellectually stimulating presentations & conversations with vendors, visually stimulating verdant surroundings, and physically stimulating with warm weather for running & walking.

In addition, I celebrated my birthday with an afternoon trip to Epcot. (And don’t even ask...a woman never tells her age.) A few nauseating rides & a trip around the world later, I returned to my hotel, rejuvenated and even feeling that I could face the rest of the New England winter. The following are a couple of my favs.

A hint of spring (Just a hint)

Today was a giddy day. The fact that we're supposed to be celebrating-- something about presidents--was excuse enough for me to take the day off. It even came on the heels of a relaxing weekend, so I awoke early this morning & cheerfully attacked the remainder of my list. The morning started with a rainstorm & a space heater, but when I ventured outside, it was a balmy, damp day that smelled of rain and dirt and spring. It was 60F--wait, yes really! in the usually frigid northeast! Enough to make this girl giddy with joy.

Somehow, there is just nothing like rare warmth & a free day...in this case, it led to two steamy loaves of french bread and a full pot of soup*, as well as a bevy of organizing & errands. In spite of the cooling weather outside, the joy of being able to slowly, happily savor my day still lingers with me this evening.

*I promise to post pics tomorrow. It was a lunch feast that I quite happily devoured!

What I dream about at work...

Now, don't get me wrong. I truly enjoy my job and work hard (really, I do!). However, there are those moments when I find myself thinking about things other than healthcare & clinical guidelines. Namely, the ugliness of my cubicle. To be fair, it's nicer & newer than plenty I've seen, but it just doesn't welcome me with open arms or beg me to linger a few moments more.

If, my fantasy begins, perhaps, my company permitted, or even encouraged full-out cubicle customization, these would be a few of my picks:



CB2 desk & Ikea file cabinet, for a touch of the clean & modern. Plenty of space to spread out on the desk, but a great place to store all of the junk underneath it.





Comfy Pottery Barn desk chair, a perfect blend of the old with the modern desk. (Please note, craigslist.org is also a great source of these chairs!)




Fun desk accessories from See Jane Work & Bell'occhio to add a little color to the cubicle:

And wouldn't this Room&Board chair (maybe in a red/pink wool fabric) be fabulous to settle into on those afternoons when you just want to put your feet up to work?

One Lucky Helen

Well, we've been a little lazy with our blog here. I guess work has snowed me under, and Rach might actually be snowed under.... hmm.

I "found" a new artist today though (thanks to Print&Pattern), and I had to share. I am in LOVE with Helen Dardik's artwork (and patterns). Her vector art is phenomenal-I tried my hand at vector art once, and I now respect anyone who can do such a fine job! Here are some samples.










































Seeing artwork like this, done by an artist who loves their work and has made it their job makes me infinitely jealous....