i really like these two images. mary oliver rocks.

photo 1: via apt #34 via the daybook, quote designed by lizzie mghee, via ez pudew’s pintrest

hope you all had a nice relaxing weekend! i kept mine nice and simple: perfectly comfortable clothes… a few indulgences here and there… time spent with my family… a surprise letter in the mail from an old friend. the weather was perfectly moody. i can just feel spring lingering in the air… can’t you?

flats by Liebling, sweater by Hetterson, jeans by Madewell, Truffle Truffle beer & pretzel marshmallows, notecard by set editions

“If you let fear control your life you are not going to do a lot of things.”

readers- meet my friend hailee. she’s the bravest person i know. she’s also an incredible inspiration to me.

today is an exciting day for hailee and i wanted to share her story with you.

hailee is embarking on a 3,100 mile biking and camping adventure today. she’s doing it because she believes that life is to be lived, and not feared. please read her story here. she’s also keeping a blog called Vida Es Perfecta, and taking donations, which will go towards starting a bike cooperative in her native town Northwood, Iowa.

her stories remind me that things are just things, and a life lived fully is priceless.

…it’s so true.

via it’s mary ruffle.

i keep a folder on my computer titled “wants vs. needs”. throughout the year, i fill it with things i don’t need, but really, really, really want. i thought it would be fun to share some of my favorite items with you at the end of this year.

1. canvas trench, $660, 2. Stella McCartney Molly Humming stretch-silk shorts, $16, 3. Prism Glasses ‘Paris’ Cream Tortoise Shell, $400, 4. Due Ice Oro Flatware- Lekker Home, $14.00 – $449.00, 5. Gilded Herringbone Tom’s Shoes, $54, 6. DODOcase, $60, 7. Plié Tank from Madewell, $52, 8. iVictrola, Walnut, Design Within Reach, limited addition (scouring ebay for this!), 9. NARS nail lacquer- Versailles, $16, 10. Lips in Satin- Topshop, $16, 11. Shadow Play Shirt Dress, $88, 12. Tom Ford Tobacco Vanille Eau de Parfum, $260, 13. Distinction Dinosaur Necklace, $80, 14. Rag & Bone Estelle Hat- La Garçonne, $150

I’m happy to announce that this week I am participating in a really cool blogger initiative created by Keely of Luxe and Lillies and Laura of Aspiring Kennedy called Well Done: Blogging for Charity. We’re asking our readers to help raise money for charity: water, a non-profit organization bringing clean and safe drinking water to people in developing nations.

The privilege of having clean and safe drinking water is something so common in much of the developed world it barely crosses our minds. I had always been aware of the problem, but never the magnitude. The facts are really terrifying: 1 billion people do not have access to clean drinking water every single day. In fact, it kills more people every year than all forms of violence, including war.

For a snapshot of what charity: water is all about, watch this video. we hope you can donate to the initiative here.

thank you for all of your generosity!

shades of coral + fuschia with accents of cobalt blue and black. a gorgeous combo.

marni, resort 2011

images via style.com

what? it is wednesday already? i have a lot to accomplish yet this week, but i can’t say that i’m not looking forward to this week being over. i’ve been a little distracted with a seemingly endless list of (mostly weddingy) stuff to complete, so i apologize in advance if this little blog hasn’t been as freshly inspiring as of late. i have a folder full of inspiring images that have been just sitting on my desktop for months now, so i thought i’d put them to good use. the whole palette feels like early fall, doesn’t it?

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7

eek! shelter pop did a little sneak peak featuring the newest decorating mag to hit the web, Rue Magazine, who’s co-founder happens to be one of my all-time favorite bloggers, Anne Sage (of City Sage fame). i’m so excited to see what happens when these talented girls collaborate… i think my head might explode at just the thought!

images by Manny Rodriguez, from Rue Magazine

thank you for all of your kind comments last week. it seems that things got pretty hectic around here mid-week, and blogging had to be pushed to the back of my mind. suddenly, it was the weekend, and i was getting ready for two very close friends of mine to come visit. friday, saturday, and sunday were grand; we did some exploring at a few estate sales and hunt & gather, ate at hot plate, hosted a little pizza party at my place, and spent the latter part of saturday night sitting Indian-style on my bed, chatting about the things girls chat about, like we were all in college again.

i spent a little time browsing the web last night while attempting to actually finish our registry… but i wound up collecting a folder of images that caught my eye… you know the kinds of pictures that don’t make a cohesive post but are quite lovely on their own. i’m a bit long-winded today, and the thought of editing my thoughts (and these images) just doesn’t feel right today. i hope you enjoy them as much as i do. happy monday!


wooden lights via oh joy, cat-eye make up via studded hearts, peacoat via this is glamorous, leather skirt via le fashion, wide brim hat via knight cat, black maxi dress via shoptometrist, all other images via convoy post here. note about all convoy images: if you know where these original sources are, please let me know, as they are not linked in this tumblr blog.

i spent monday indulging in my favorite vice, hours upon hours of mad men! i’m eagerly anticipating season 4 and this month’s la times magazine cover feature has me all the more giddy to see the series return to tv. i often notice that men and women differ when it comes to defining what they view as “sexy”. now that’s a whole other can of worms, but it is pretty apparent that christina has that certain something about her that men and women can both ogle over.

at the risk of getting a tad bit heavy here in cheery blogland, i just had to share this.

gold stars for all of you out there pursuing your passions. no matter what the out come, it takes some balls just to give it a shot.

“Everybody has a drama, a struggle that they went through, and for me it was turning myself from somebody who wasn’t any good at this thing (storytelling) into somebody who’s really, really good at it. I was a great intuitive story editor from the start, but writing, interviewing, performing on the radio—I was just terrible at all of that. All through my 20s, my parents were like, “Why are you doing this?” I wasn’t making any money, and I was so bad at it. I was 19 when I started at NPR and I was 27 or 28 before I could competently put together a story that I had written. All that time, I just stubbornly pushed toward this thing because I thought it would work out in some form. I was right about that, but I was wrong about pretty much everything along the way.”

via out of print. read the whole article here.

photo credit: image by hula seventy via design crush

so, yeah. we’ve all seen this flippin’ ridiculous sneak peek at design*sponge today. i need that headboard, duvet, trunk, suitcase, and those amazing warehouse windows. to put it bluntly, i love everything that is going on here. and where can i get one of those awesome light bulb chandeliers? hey-nick, wanna make one for me? pretty, pretty please?

oh, and happy monday!

happy monday everyone! i hope the weekend was/is as lovely as ours. i’m taking today off to finish moving (and hopefully to catch a few hours of sunshine). i am going to be doing a few guest posts over at Cup of Jo this week, check them out here! Joanna will be having guest bloggers the month of June, but she’ll be popping in to say hello (and to post some cute Toby pics! Yay!)

image from guest post: a few of my favorite things @ cup of jo

happy weekend friends! i hope you all have something wonderful planned. nick and i are gearing up for another move. we are staying in the same building but moving into a much larger apartment. i’ll even have my own little office and closet (!)- which i am dying to organize/decorate. we’re also hoping to spend some quality time with old friends, whip together a bbq or two, watch some baseball, and break in the new place.

enjoy your weekend…take some time to relax and enjoy the first few days of summer.

<3

k

images: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10