The world...

.....is your oyster. Add wax and a wick to spent oyster shells for a beachy glow.

Red, white, and blue...

Happy belated Memorial Day! These festive decorations can be found at Martha's.

Hook em'

I personally LOVE deer antlers as decoration, but I have gotten some negative feedback! I tried these on for size in the two photos below. In the pictures I draped some vintage necklaces on them, but currently they are unclothed. So what do you think? Creepy or keep?

This is really the look I am going for--and yes these are a KEEP!

Sweet Tooth....

So I got the good news.....err news last Friday around 6:30 pm. I spent half the day 7:00 am until 11:45 am in a doctor's lab getting a glucose tolerance test. Essentially you "drink the kool-aid" and have your blood drawn six times over the course of the next several hours. Needless to say, the process was mentally and physically exhausting! I was working off an empty stomach and no sleep and a sugary beverage. All in all not the best combination!

Well I brought a large book and magazines and curled up in one of the comfy chairs as I waited to repeat the process over and over. The nurse could not find my tiny vein so I ended up getting stuck with the darn needle countless times. I walked out feeling like an addict with all the pin pricks in my arms!! I was so light-headed even after eating lunch I had to leave work. I think I came close to passing out! Oh well, it is over....and that evening the nurse called an informed me I could very well be diabetic! That explains a lot about my diet and problems with diet in the recent years.

Sadly , I do constantly crave sugar or sweet things so I created a makeshift recipe. This is kind of a twist on the classic meringue puff (or forgotten cookie). To make it you take egg whites and whip them with a mixer until you have stiff peeks. Simply add whatever number of egg whites you desire. One egg white makes roughly 4-6 cookies. I usually use 4 or 6 egg whites, then add one pack of sweet-n-low for each egg white. If you can have sugar you can add vanilla or almond extract. I leave it out. When the whites are stiff, spoon the mixture onto baking sheets and bake at 325 degrees for 15-18 minutes. My oven cooks hotter than normal. *I must warn you these are tasty to me, but that is coming from someone who never has sugar! So for an Oreo eater they probably leave much to be desired.

Crate escape...

A little too boho for my taste (shocker, right?). I thought this was a cute idea of taking a vintage wooden crate and creating a shelf, or maybe you could use a suitcase?

So true/so false...

This statement is so true! I found it today and had to share. Although it is simply said, it is simply the truth. Great things take hard work.........where do you want to be?

Paper bag princess...

If you remember my previous post of the flowers I made at work, it looks like I'm not the only one with this idea. I found this post of vintage clothing patterns made into flowers. Some flowers were even put on light strings.

Rain, rain go away!

Well it was Memorial Day, as you all know, but I live at the beach and it rained!! It is quite sad when a three day weekend becomes and three day rainy weekend, how quickly one little adjective can change everything. The only good thing about rain is rain boots and I was fortunate enough to be able to wear my J.Crew wellingtons.

S&P 500

Salt and Pepper that is these blocks are actually salt/pepper shakers. Cute for kids!

A stitch in time....

....saves nine....or something akin to that? Help me, if I'm wrong. Look at these cute cards and notebooks. My mom's friend loves to cross stitch (and when I say love, I mean love). If she goes on vacation she will find a cross stitch store--yes they exist. In fact, there are two in my town!

Well I do not cross stitch but I did find these accessories and cards rather fun, especially the monogram.

I have had some requests (guess who?) as to where these could be found, well rest easy and check them out here.

On a wire.....

This perfect parfait chair from Anthropologie is the epitome of summer and ice cream. A pair for an outdoor deck would be so very cute!

Reading between the lines.....

Talk about ordered chaos, this bookshelf is amazing but would likely drive me bonkers if I tried to organize (I use the term loosely) books onto this. Love the lamp as well, you can purchase similar ones at Pottery Barn or Wisteria.

Window to the world....

Spotted at Apartment Therapy. Decorating with vintage window panes--see the arrow! This is not the optimal display I must say but a good idea nevertheless. I prefer panes displayed over a dresser, even filled with mirror glass to create a mirror, or you could do an installation of multiple panes, I have even painted several in my day. Paneless decorating.

Bueller, Bueller?

This Chicago house is on the market. Recognize it? Well, it was featured in the cult classic Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Perfect place to skip class, don't you think. I love the array of windows and the two leather chairs with steel bases.

The art of getting dressed....

With the premier of a new marketing campaign for my town I am spending tonight snapping shots of dresses and left in a quandary as to what to wear. All of my choices are different and beautiful in their own right. Will I ever be able to make a decision? I took some fun close ups of a few options.....Oh well, tomorrow is another day and decisions to be made. I think work will keep me occupied though.

This reminds me of a science class on memory. I asked if any students had a specific methods to remember things, e.g. first letter, associations, etcetera. A girl quickly raised her hand and said, "I remembered everything shiny--the CD, the water, the dolphin...." My heart goes out to her! What a cute way---only a girl would do that I think.

It is perfectly fine to be selective.

Selective=a nicer way to say picky!

Thanks to 1001 rules for this thought: 351. Know your furniture. But never buy it all at once. (This outlaws Rooms To Go or anything of the sort)

Take your pick. George Nelson, Edward Wormley, Eero Saarinen, Harry Bertoia, Charles Eames and Jens Risom

*above chair-Anthropologie

Sea of Life.....

The new deal across the fashion universe seems to be all things aquatic and anything with an Anamalia theme.These rings from Anthropolgie reflect this theme. Check out the octopus, while I must admit it is different, I'm not sure I'd want this eight-legged creature swimming around on my finger for very long. A fun accessory, but for $150-$200 for costume jewelry I think not. You can also check out the Sea of Shoes blog (love it!) and the real deal octo-ring is displayed proudly on the blogger's mitt.

Backyardigans.....

Well leave it to Anthro to have perfect accessories, as they put it "for home" and "for you." Very well said! I picked out a few accessories for your home. They have a retro/50s vibe which is a little much for me, but they are absolutely darling! It is absolutely time to get out, to your backyard, to the beach, on a hike.....it is officially sweet summer time!LOVE the floor pillows. Very boho and very me!LOVE the grill. How cute is this? Can I plan a picnic just to use this? Not sure how practical, but very cute. Although I must admit, I'm scared of grills.We all scream for ice cream and this cream dream set of wooden spoons! Very cute, especially for an outdoor party.

Go Fish! A perfect beach accessory to open all those brightly colored sodas!Love the glass...it reminds me of blue jell-o with gummy fish in it. Yummy (well, yummy for a five year old!)! I remember that sweet treat from summer parties, esp ones with a beach theme. Boho lanterns-a must have! Probably because I have them.

Get out!

There was a slight nip in the air this morn and I loved it! There was a skip in my step, no humidity in my hair, and chill bumps on my arm. I am Back in the New York Groove so to speak and went for a half hour walk and jog this afternoon. I just need to stay motivated people! I need to get out and move! I feel like I could run circles at the moment. I hope it doesn't rain this week.....

Sweet surprises.....

Well, as you know my job centers around being an analyst/statistician, but an added perk to my job is the time I get to volunteer! Trust me when I say this, it is not about getting out of the office it is so rewarding and I adore working with the children. I volunteer with three fifth grade classes and teach a science class to each once a month. Well, the school year and my science time is sadly coming to an end. I hate it when school ends, granted it is only a couple of months but I dearly miss the kids. Yes, I do take the teaching seriously and they do in fact manage to learn whilst laughing!
Today, was my last lesson with one of the classes and Aubree ran up and hugged me before the class started! So sweet. They were a little late making it back to the classroom because they had just finished running a mile! The children are such a joy to be around. I feel like their cool/fun older sister! Basically, I'm not their parent, I'm not their full time teacher so they love me unconditionally. Today was very bittersweet for me. It was almost my last class for the school year and next year I will have a new crop of fifth graders. Thanks to their extremely thoughtful teacher they surprised me! One girl shyly came up with a gorgeous bouquet of flowers, a card they had all signed and a tiny pouch. The flowers were perfect, smelled wonderful and matched my yellow and white striped sweater beautifully. The card was so thoughtful and is now sitting on my desk. Side note: last week in my class two of the boys wrote me a sweet thank you note too! The last and final surprise was a tiny satin pouch with a sterling dolphin charm from a local jeweler. How perfect? It is their school mascot. While normally I would oppose any sea life jewelry I love, love , love this and plan on putting it on a necklace or bracelet by tomorrow morning.
I cannot thank the class and their fearless, thoughtful, wonderful teacher enough. They thank me for coming each time, but it is truly a joy every single time I go. I would not trade this experience for the world! (with or without the gifts I love doing this!)

A Gentle Reminder....

Every time I get a hankering for a dog, I peer into my closet and remember Heidi grabbing a pair of pumps and leaving tiny tooth marks on the leather. Well, I still have Heidi, but she isn't with me. She is safely at my parents home where she has freedom to roam. These pictures from French Marie Claire remind me remind me why Fido isn't footwear friendly.....but that doesn't mean I can't wish I had one. For now wishing is enough for me!!!

The real McCoy!

Don't you love it when you stumble upon something when you aren't looking? Well I spotted this picture this morning! It is a full-size version of the tabletop houses I posted yesterday.

Secret garden...

As a little girl I read The Secret Garden and saw the movie. I absolutely adored this story and these miniature greenhouses remind me of the very book. These glass houses can be filled with whatever flowers or greenery your heart desires and are a great way to bring the outdoors in. This is one glass house I could live with!