home for christmas

merry christmas everyone! i hope you all have a truly wonderful holiday.

this is where i'll be spending christmas, at my parents' lovely home with my amazing husband and family... then we'll all be flying off to sunny puerto rico for some more quality time :)

see you in the new year!

xoxo,

lesley

flickr favorites... merry & bright

1. madeline bea 2. thorsten(tk) 3. treasured heirlooms

4. another planet 5. melanie defazio 6. fountain coke

7. jenni penni 8. strelar 9. kezzaroo

xoxo,

lesley

new patterns + stuff in the shop

today i thought i'd share a couple fun new patterns i've been working on...

i like tea

bows and pearls

i've made both of these patterns into notecards that are available in my etsy shop, along with this cute little art print i created using elements from my i like tea pattern. i think it would look adorable in a colorful, retro kitchen!

i also wanted some feedback... i'm thinking about having some of my patterns made into fabric and making some things for the shop. so, i want to know... what would you like to see my patterns on? throw pillows? tote bags? i would love to hear your ideas...

xoxo,

lesley

fashion finds... warm & cozy

{photo from honey pie living}

happy monday! we got about 18 inches of snow where i live this weekend... it is truly a winter wonderland! in honor of the snowy weather, i posted some warm and cozy clothes over at papernstitch. click here to check out my finds.

xoxo,

lesley

etsy finds... violet bella photo

yesterday i was clicking through my blog comments, and i was lucky enough to discover the etsy shop of the lovely violet bella. her photos are just gorgeous... so dream-like, whimsical, and feminine. it's impossible to pick a favorite... i can imagine covering a whole wall with these lovelies!

my blog followers are so talented! :) click here to visit violet bella's photography shop on etsy.

have a wonderful weekend!

xoxo,

lesley

the ruins of detroit

photography by yves marchand & romain meffre. click here to see more.

xoxo,

lesley

featured in cleo mag!

today i have something really exciting to share...

a while back, an editor from the aussie mag cleo contacted me and said she wanted to feature some photos of my apartment in the magazine. after i finished squealing with glee, i sent her over some photos, filled out a questionnaire, and sent her the link to my etsy shop.

it's been a few months in the making, but it is finally here. i am featured in the brand new january issue of cleo! yay! here is the feature... a whole entire page, all about me!

the feature highlights my apartment, decorating tips, and my etsy shop. i've never, ever been in a magazine so this is all really exciting for me. i'm having a few copies sent over from australia (thanks lawani!), and i absolutely cannot wait to see it in print. thank you so much cleo mag... i love you!

xoxo,

lesley

fashion finds... lavender lovelies

{photo from persephone vintage}

click here for this week's fashion finds.

xoxo,

lesley

surface collective

after seeing my ode to blik, rod from surface collective was nice enough to send me over one of their amazing wall tattoos! i chose the grass blades tattoo, thinking it would be the perfect design to put over my bed. there's been a big blank spot there since my hubby and i moved into our apartment a year ago... but not anymore!

doesn't it look fantastic? and we just switched over to our winter bedding, so it's like we have a whole new bedroom! wall decals can be tricky to apply, but i managed it all by myself with a little determination and elbow grease :)

since we're renters (and we have old plaster walls that make it nearly impossible to hang large pieces of art), wall tattoos are the perfect way to add some extra personality to our space. i love the matte finish and sharp edges of the graphics... it gives the impression of a high-end, painted design.

surface collective has tons of really cool designs to choose from... here are a few of my faves...

click here to view more designs from surface collective.

xoxo,

lesley

a compendium of curiosities

if you are in new york city this holiday season, you absolutely *must* stop by bergdorf goodman to see their window displays. my husband and i were in the city a couple weeks ago, and i was absolutely blown away by the imaginative, elaborate installations.

the theme is a compendium of curiosities, and the whimsical displays take inspiration from alice and wonderland, m.c. escher, and vintage victoriana. check out these photos i took of my favorite windows...

i took about a thousand photos, and none of them do the windows justice. go see them for yourself if you can, you won't be disappointed!

xoxo,

lesley

doily diy

i'm loving this doily diy i found on maya*made. handmade doilies stretched in wooden embroidery hoops have that perfect cottage-chic look. i have a whole slew of vintage doilies lying around, so i just might have to try this one out myself!

xoxo,

lesley

fashion finds... starry night

{night sky photo by mrc78}

it's that time again... click here to see my latest fashion finds.

xoxo,

lesley

embroidery art by lori hutchinson

click here to see more.

xoxo,

lesley

fashion finds... 'tis the season

{gold glitter stars from marilyn healey}

hope everyone had a wonderful long weekend! now that thanksgiving is over, the holiday season is officially upon us... so my fashion finds this week are all about festive, fun party wear! click here to see what i picked out.

xoxo,

lesley

ruche black friday/cyber monday sale!

just heard about a great sale from one of my fave online shops... head on over to ruche today or monday and save 15% when you enter the code RUCHEBFCM!

xoxo,

lesley

happy thanksgiving!

{give thanks earrings by pamela susan}

happy thanksgiving everyone! i hope you all have a wonderful day filled with many things to be thankful for. i will be celebrating with family today, then taking off for a weekend in new york city with my husband. see you on monday!

xoxo,

lesley

paris photos by karen mordechai

i think these photographs by karen mordechai capture the essence of paris perfectly. the light, the colors... everything is just so dreamy :) and she gets extra points because she photographed one of my favorite places in the world.

karen is a food stylist and photographer, and she is also one of the people responsible for the popular brooklyn cooking class/dining experience called sunday suppers. check out the sunday suppers blog and karen's personal blog for more gorgeous, mouth-watering photos!

xoxo,

lesley

money origami

how cool are these? i love the little hats... such a clever idea. click here to see much more.

xoxo,

lesley

fashion finds... colorblock party

{photo by darius twin}

hope everyone had a great weekend! this week, my fashion finds are all about bold blocks of color. check out my picks here.

xoxo,

lesley

what i'm listening to... heaven can wait

when i first heard that charlotte gainsbourg was working with beck on her latest album, i couldn't wait to hear what they would come up with. today i got my first glimpse at their collaboration with the brand new video for their duet heaven can wait, and i'm more excited than ever!

the video is bizarre and surreal (i wouldn't expect any less from either of these two), but the song is definitely a winner. i love how their voices sound together, and i just know i'm going to have this song stuck in my head all day...

xoxo,

lesley

smart shopping... gilt groupe

{silk dress by gold hawk}

for all you shopaholics out there... if you haven't heard of gilt groupe yet, this one's for you!

gilt groupe is a new online shopping experience made up of two invitation-only discount fashion websites... gilt and gilt fuse. every day at noon, members log on to the sites to score designer wares at up to 70% off retail. each sale lasts for 36 hours and inventory is limited - think online sample sale.

gilt fuse showcases edgy, young fashions from fresh, up-and-coming designers. at gilt fuse, you can find tons of fashion-forward pieces with purse-friendly price tags.

{charm bracelet by ettika jewelry}

the original sample sale site, gilt, focuses on luxury brands from alexander mcqueen to zac posen and everything in between. they also have fabulous men's, children's, and home sections. when you sign up for gilt groupe, you get instant access to both sites.

{shoulder bag by orla kiely}

with the holidays fast approaching, gilt groupe is the perfect place to shop for fabulous designer gifts without breaking the bank. oh, and did i mention that you get a $25 account credit for every new shopper you refer to the site?

{cardigan and dress, plenty by tracy reese}

all the items featured here are pieces i found today on gilt fuse... tons of great stuff, and the inventory changes daily!

{zipper booties by members only}

so what are you waiting for? you're invited. click here to sign up.

xoxo,

lesley

julie morstad

there is something about julie morstad's illustration style that really pulls me in.  i love her mysterious, somber characters and whimsical, dreamlike settings.  check out more of julie's stellar work on her website.

xoxo,

lesley

fashion finds... the color purple

{photo by lutonian}

this week's fashion finds are all about one of my favorite colors for fall...  click here to check them out.

xoxo,

lesley