Stonehouse on Cedar.

I went to the best little store on Saturday. Everything in it was perfect. The house itself was perfect. The weather outside was perfect. The woman who owns it was delightful.

As I browsed around inside for a while, I thought to myself, I bet I could buy all my Christmas gifts in this one place. I didn't want to leave. I need to go back. As I drove away I couldn't believe I didn't take any pictures.

Stonehouse on Cedar, St. Charles, IL – for antiques and simple objects.

Always sorta wanted one of these...

Every once in a while I take a look at these Tonke Campers. Just for fun. Aren't they cool? I love the woodwork and the colors. They kind of remind me of a sailboat we had growing up that never really got used and just sat looking perfect and pretty in the garage.

I think I would find an excuse to use this.

Pretty things and ideas.

I got lost today looking at Christina Weber's blog, especially when I got down to the weavings. They are so pretty. Weaving has a lot of appeal to me. I never really considered it before. I have a feeling it could suck me in the way a jig saw puzzle does. And then when you're done, you have a nice little piece of art to keep instead of just taking it apart and boxing it up.

Christina is also the creator of these amazing tea towels I've had bookmarked to get someone as a gift for months. I never ventured past Studio Patró before. It's funny but the only two links I clicked today in the "friends" list on 2 or 3 Things were the same person and led me back to those beautiful tea towels.

The first thing I reach for.

Those first two weaves are actually the same thing, just different due to age. Both beautiful I think.

Blood Red.

I baked some beets the other night. The recipe said to put a layer of parchment over them and then a layer of foil. When I took it out of the oven, the parchment was filled with these pretty spatter-paint like designs.

The water in the bottom of the pan was the beautiful deep red of the beet. But when I poured it out in the sink (way to salty to drink) it felt a bit heavy, and watching it inch slowly toward the drain I couldn't help but think of blood. Then I sort of remembered that they used beet juice as blood on – maybe True Blood? But that led me to think of Dexter and the blood patterns he analyzes on the show. Doesn't this look like that, too?

Kind of an odd train of thought. I still think this is really pretty.

Renegade Craft Fair.

This looks like it might be good. I've glanced around at some of the artists doing it, and I'm pretty sure I'll find a gift or two for people on my list. (Lucky People). If you're free Saturday or Sunday, and in the area, check it out? Then go eat brunch at Flo or get the burger from Branch 27.

Peterbilt.

When I was in a sales job about a million years ago and drove around a lot, for some reason semi's drew my attention – but none so much and often as a Peterbilt. I've been in love ever since. If you've never taken the time to notice big trucks and you happen to be out on the road, look around. I swear, none of them ever look as pristine, have as much character or carry themselves quite the way a Peterbilt does. And if they ever change that logo, I seriously might cry.

Love. Love. Love.

I see interiors all over the worldwide daily that I admire and am inspired by, but this one breaks my heart. The walls... The floors... The doorknobs... The fireplaces... And this bedroom! I mean it, this bedroom literally makes my heart ache.

And of course I'm sure it's in Italy. It doesn't say it is, but it is right? Just to make it that much more – what? – impossibly incredible? I can't take it.

Images from B&B Italia - Maxalto via Solid Frog. Coincidentally, I work right above Maxalto, which might make it pretty easy to get my hands on a catalog... like, tomorrow.

My Mom Does It.

Click any image to enlarge.

Just before I went down to my parent's for Easter, Lisa over at A Bloomsbury Life did a post on A Well-Layered Room. My Mom totally does this. So while I was there, I snapped shots of a couple rooms. She does it outside too, as you can see above (dang those redbuds are pretty!). I regret not getting the family of stone rabbits on the shelf under the grill. Oh well... here's her sun porch. Note the collection of McCoy pottery in the shadows on the shelf above the windows.


And next a kind of overall shot of the living room, kitchen table, and hints of the kitchen. There are endless things to look at everywhere you glance. This style is not for everyone I know, but she has a definite knack for putting a room, full of little vignettes, together. (I'm not sure if you can see it – click to enlarge – but the wall to the right in the kitchen? She even hand painted a plaid pattern on it).

Here she is playing solitaire... with original, beautiful and personal stuff all around her.

I mean, this is her LAUNDRY room, where I'm pretty sure she pretends to "work" but doesn't really.


I swear this stuff is basically in storage, waiting to be rotated into the main living areas when their time comes, but still, it's set up like this in this little room no one even sees.

Not to be outdone, my Dad actually even does this in the garage. This is in case he, or anyone he knows, doesn't have time to make it to the local Wal-Mart and finds themselves in a fishing "emergency". The other side of this wall is likewise full, and there is another whole wall like it I didn't photograph. Behind it you might notice meticulously organized tools underneath a valance of fishing lures, and it's surrounded by collections of maps, baseball hats, and stacks of outdoor/fishing/golf magazines – all at your disposal in case you "need" them.

These 'collections' are ways I find that make a house a home. Rotating them around your living areas to look at every day is a wonderful way to express yourself, your passions, and to keep life interesting. At least, I think so.

2009 Cookbooks: Done. Phew.

Now I remember why I didn't do these for several years. Holy a lot of work. Thank god I took the week of Christmas off so I could spend two days of my 'vacation' back at the office. What a dope. Anyway, here's a couple shots of how they (all 16 of them!) turned out.

Gruen Galleries.

A couple weeks ago, Rita, Bruce and I (plus Jacki for a little while), tried to take in a couple First Thursdays gallery visits after work. Maybe it was the pouring down rain, or the general lack of interest due to the economy, but a couple places I'd wanted to look weren't even open. So we basically just wandered into a few others, and saw some neat things.

I enjoyed the paintings by Amy Casey at Zg Gallery. What was really special was each of these houses looked like they were based on actual homes. The attention to detail was fantastic, and there were a lot of them. Paintings, and houses. I like when you can see the time that goes into the creation.

I also liked the work of Gary Weidner at Gruen Galleries.

And these waxy, unfocused trees, branches and landscapes by Tom Brydelsky, also at Gruen Galleries.



But it was the space of the Gruen Galleries that continues to pop into my head. Along with the art, they had all these potted succulents everywhere. Huge ones. And this really large, metal, bird cage with tiny blue finches fluttering about in them. I loved the old floors, beams, columns. The tin ceilings and in some places, walls. The overall exposure of everything. I want to throw a party there.

New Chair.

A lot of people are going to think this chair doesn't match my living room, but I disagree. I think the ice blue of it pulls the blue out of the rug, as well as backgrounds of two paintings in the room, and is an interesting and surprising accent color. I love it with the rust.

What's even more fabulous? On a break from work today, I browsed the Floor Sample Sale at Luminaire. Their version was $430 (on SALE!) compared to the one I bought from Room & Board at $39 (also a floor sample). I know one's a designer, and one's not, but I swear the only notable difference is the rubber stoppers on the bottom of the legs!

Loving Wallpaper.

I feel the need to wallpaper something, especially since this happened. Crazily I think I could do my kitchen? This Julia Rothman pattern for Hygge & West called Daydream* might go well, and it's relatively neutral. But I can't decide if I think the whole bird obsession is too trendy?

A much bolder option, Crested Fireback, from Anthropologie caught my eye in the recent catalog. This would be really dramatic, and go well in the kitchen, but would clash I think with the general groove of the rest of the place.

For starters I think doing something a little smaller and less important in the grand scheme of things would be a good move. Like the linen closet. I could choose just about any pattern by Ferm Living, also for Hygge & West. This one is Wildflower.

And then there's this one A Bloomsbury Life posted a while ago, by Timourous Beasties, called London. What's especially wonderful about this is it looks all old school French toile, but the vignettes are actually contemporary depictions of general life you'd see today. Skateboarding. Cellphones. Punks hanging out. I love it.

And then I go back to an all-time fave, ROMO. These blossoms have always pleased me...

...until I just saw this. Again with the birds. What can I say? I like them! These colors could quite possibly be a perfect compliment to the rest of the stuff going on around my little house. I need to order a sample somehow to be sure. And then reconsider doing the little hallway instead of the closet. How do you ever decide?

*via Simple Lovely

My Friend Carter.

We all know how brilliant and talented and creative a person Carter Pann is, but then, the premier of Summer Songs, followed by something like this has to come out so we can all say "Holy Cr*p" as we remember again, and then get on with our lives. My favorite part of the article is when one of the movements (wrapped around 5 poems read by one of the Queer Eye's guys, designer Thom Filicia) is described: "...[the poem] Pann framed within a wild, tongue-in-cheek concoction of pop and parlor music. The hectic, screwball musical delivery..."

The words chosen in this sentence are perfectly descriptive of a lot of Carter's work and personality.

Me with the musical genius and his nephew.

I'm Grinning.

This is really very exciting. The fabulous Lisa Borgnes Giramonti, who keeps the blog A Bloomsbury Life, arguably my favorite blog on decorating, travel, and attitudes about life in general, has agreed to use my design as her banner!

I've been a regular reader of A Bloomsbury Life since January and had often thought about designing a banner for it because her posts are filled with gobs of imagery and inspiration for creating one. She writes with such personality and has impeccable taste in decorating, fabrics, shops, art, travel, literature... I could go on and on. It's like she takes you on a little journey with her as she continues to design and enhance her home. And she's so REAL about it – it totally adds to the allure. I've written before about her here and here. But really you should just go read it for yourself.

NYC.

Ruth and I finally nailed down our plans for this weekend and it's just so exciting! It would be great if the crappy weather the city's been having all summer would hold off for a few days. Really. Please. Oh, how I love the hot and humid atmosphere that's supposed to be present the month of August in New York.

So I'm already overwhelmed, but excited to browse the furniture, and even more the rugs, at ABC Home & ABC Carpet. Also to view the patterns of Madeline Weinrib Atelier. Mostly I just want to take pictures to put in the someday files. Then, I think it would be fun to pick up a little accent or small piece of art at John Derian. We've joked about the fabulous John Derian and visiting his shop for a while now – and this weekend we get to do it!

But the real fun for me is some of the art we're planning to see and some of the incredible opportunities that have materialized. My trip happened to coincide with the opening of a new installation by Liz Jaff, who I've written about before. So we're headed over to +Kris Graves Projects in Brooklyn to see the work Hedge*, and meet the artist. I can't wait to see how these are put together, and get the effect in person. Yay.

I also decided to bite the bullet and contact Elizabeth Schuppe, to find out if I could view her paintings anywhere. Talk about excitement, she suggested we come down to her studio. If this happens I might flip out**. I've mentioned this art having a strong effect on me. I need to have a piece of it in my home some day. I just love it.

We're also going to the Guggenheim to see the current Frank Lloyd Wright exhibit. I watched this video and decided I needed to see it. These models are amazing! Hopefully while we're up there, we'll stroll around the park a little too.

Sunday we're going back to DUMBO to browse the Brooklyn Flea Market. I can only imagine the treasures we'll find here. I can't even begin to guess. But what a great way to spend a morning!

And I haven't even mentioned the food yet. We've got reservations at Salt, Pastis, and Pearl Oyster Bar. And we've been pulling recipes because we're also going to shop and cook at home one night, which I look forward to as much as all the rest of it. And High Line Park. We're going there too.

*About the work: Hedge describes something that surrounds, separates and protects what is valuable. It defines space and restricts movement. It suggests avoidance, doubt and risk. During a time of anxiety and uncertainty, it is reassuring to think of it as something that grows and changes.

**Luckily for all involved, this only means I'll probably just get real nervous, quiet and slow, and have difficulty talking. After the experience, I'll probably act like it was no big deal, but then say over and over, Can you believe...?. I fear that looking at these paintings will make my eyes water.

Credits: NYC street scene image by Melinda Applegate, found on Flickr at Scandblue. Safety Pin image by Hugo Guinness via John Derian. High Line image by Douglas Friedman via the High Line Park website.

Oh, and...

The invites finally went out. Horray!


Designed, printed, trimmed, glued, addressed, stuffed, sealed, stamped (twice)... by me.