friday fave finds.

1. striped canvas kindle cover by kate spade

2. yusuke aida tea cup from far 4

3. personalized stationery by silhouette blue

4. green stripes art print by peggy wolf

5. minimarket tokyo sunglasses from urban outfitters

6. striped sandals via the fashionables

7. photo from madcapmagician2009

8. striped kilim floor pillow via hipster chic

do not adjust your television set.

in a stroke of shear genius (or shear stupidity), i created this minimalist treasury late last night. i think it's the most creative (or least creative) collection i've ever put together. what do you think?

wordless wednesday.

via bunting boutique.

sneak peek... my living room & dining room

this will be the last round of house pics for a little while... enjoy your sneak peek into my living and dining rooms!

i love my living room chairs! i've been obsessed with the ghost chair for years, and i'm so happy that i finally own one. the pillow is from karen hilton, a long-time etsy fave based in london. i also love the exposed brick wall and our newly refinished original wood floors :)

my mantel. the rustic wood is totally different from everything else in the room, but i liked the contrast so i decided to keep it. the super bright artwork is by kathryn dilego, and the ampersand is from tucker reece. the round mirror was a diy project... it started as a colorful magazine frame from urban outfitters, which i painted matte white.

the dining room, my favorite room in the house! the color palette is so calming (compared with the crazy brights everywhere else in the house!). i was inspired by paris, so i decided to display some of my favorite photos on the far wall. the pendant from shades of light was a pain to install, but i love it! the feather tray is john derian for target.

i've been completely obsessed with using ceiling medallions as wall decor since i first saw it in a home decor magazine years ago. i'm so glad i decided to try it out in the dining room! the medallions are from architectural depot. i'm also really pleased with the paint color... it's called sharkey gray, and it is from martha stewart's paint collection. the perfect taupe-y, mushroom-y, warm grey... just what i had in mind.

well, that's all for now! i'm actually planning on re-doing my living room in the near future, so hopefully i'll have some new stuff to show off soon :)

dear pumpernickel.

gorgeous watercolor originals and prints from dear pumpernickel. if you're a bird lover, each piece of artwork comes with an extra bonus... 10% of the purchase price is donated to the royal society for the protection of birds.

friday fave finds.

1. vintage spoon garden stakes from hammermann

2. linen and lace dress by bayou salvage

3. vintage trophy from sara kate studios

4. concrete planters by a.t. designs

5. ballet-inspired sneakers by bensimon via words, a blog.

6. vintage tolix chairs via porchlight interiors

7. succulent wall via cactus blog

8. ceramic candles by astier de villatte

9. vintage horseshoe collection from laurel leaf farm

the artist is present.

in 2010, marina abramovic embarked on her longest-ever piece of performance art. for 72 days, she sat in front of a small table in a gallery at moma, inviting visitors to sit silently across from her for the duration of their choosing. some stayed for only a minute, others sat quietly for hours, and a portrait was taken of each visitor.

there is something strangely compelling, intimate, and overwhelmingly human about these portraits. some people have tears streaming down their faces, some reappear again and again over days and weeks, and some look only vaguely familiar until you realize you are staring at the face of a famous person (i see you, james franco).

i could literally spend an entire day poring over these photos of strangers. click here to see the entire set on flickr. what do you think? what is it that makes them so enthralling?

wordless wednesday.

via integrity studio.

heartsy + lesley sico photography

i'm so excited about this... today on heartsy, i'm offering a deal of 66% off everything in my photography shop!

for a limited time, you can get a voucher worth $32 for only $11! that's three 5x5 prints plus shipping, all for only $11. but if you want to snag this deal, you'd better hurry... there are only 50 vouchers available!

stumped.

is this not the most adorable little side table ever? it's tough to pick a favorite, but i'm leaning toward the lavender.

from twinkle twinkle little one.

dying to try . . . fashion forward fingers.

{via the door in my wardrobe}

{via fashion wave}

{via bespoken4}

{via beautygeeks}

{via lacky nails}

i feel like i've been seeing all kinds of modern, chic, colorful manicures lately. from mirror-like metallics to reverse french manicures, they've been all over the runways and the streets.

i've never been the type to keep my nails perfectly polished, but i'm really into the idea of making my fingers into their own little fashion accessories. what do you think? which look would you try?

sneak peek . . . my new & improved kitchen!

here it is... your sneak peek into my freshly painted kitchen...

i know you can't tell much from this little corner, but trust me, the new paint does wonders for my little retro kitchen! the walls were previously a dingy, flat, stark white. the color we chose really warms the space up while still keeping it bright and fresh. the rest of the space is still a work in progress, but i have tons of amazing ideas.

another project i've been waiting to reveal... my chalkboard fridge! the appliances that came with our home aren't exactly what i would have chosen, but they are fully functional so i can't justify buying new ones. the one thing i really hate is the ginormous black fridge that you walk into as soon as you enter the space... so i decided to spruce it up with a coat of chalkboard paint! what do you think? très cute, no?

another fun little project... my diy mason jar soap dispensers! such a sweet detail to add to the farmhouse kitchen vibe i'm aiming for. this project was soooo easy... check out the tutorial from girl in air here.

here are some other elements i am hoping to incorporate into my new and improved kitchen....

1. adorable vintage bird egg prints i purchased from vintage foster care.

2. i really want a schoolhouse ceiling light like this one from lamps plus.

3. i've been debating over what chairs i want to use for our tiny eat in space... i think i've decided to go for a french-industrial look with these stools.

4. a pink teapot! from reston lloyd.

5. i bought this vintage street sign ages ago from bella lulu vintage, and now i finally have a place for it!

6. my sister gave me this retro clock, and it is absolutely perfect for the space.

7. i just ordered this repro holophane glass pendant for above my little eat-in table. from rejuvenation.

8. air plants! i would love to see a row of these little beauties on my window sill. these ones are from air plant supply co.

9. i've been eying this vintage metal tray from vintage now & then for a while now... and i finally have an excuse to buy it :)

friday fave finds.

1. photo from anthropologie's april 2011 catalog

2. paris bookstore photograph by honeytree

3. striped tee from j. crew

4. french connection soap gift set from rocky top soap shop

5. mythic paint from the land of nod

6. vintage french atelier school desk from factory 20

7. ranunculus photo by ciao bella photography

8. amazing ombre tights from kron by kron kron

sneak peek . . . my studio & guest room

as promised, more pics of my house!

here's where i spend most of my time... my computer/inspiration corner. i made the inspiration board by affixing pretty scrapbook paper to cork tiles, then nailing them to the wall one by one. now it displays some of my favorite artwork (from the likes of nancy mungcal and leah duncan), old photos, and other little bits of inspiration.

my bookshelf is also home to some of my favorite vintage finds, like this sweet mint green camera.

another corner of my studio, for those times when i just want to kick back with a book or my sketch pad. the eames chair was a total rehab... found the shell on the curb near my parents' house, painted it bright yellow, and bought the rocker base on ebay. love it! more great art here from catherine campbell, erin paisley, betsey walton, and others.

my guest room also doubles as a music room for hubby & me... hence the music theme! i was psyched when i found the "hello, i love you..." poster from blu lima, which matches the color scheme perfectly! the chevron pillow was custom made by deco yellow.

i also created a fun little chalkboard wall in the guest/music room. the frame decals are from simple shapes... i just taped off the centers and filled them in with chalkboard paint. voilà!

that's all for now... to be continued :)