{photos I took at a flower shop in harvard square}

I have been doing a massive reorganization of all the photos on my computer (it's a hot mess, I tell ya), and it's been so much fun rediscovering all these memories. The naming and filing of these memories? Not so much fun. Anyways, my point in telling you this is because I need to beckon the wisdom of the blogosphere my way...I have retitled a lot of folders by date and month (2011.7_title or 2007.2_title, for example), and it's getting a little hard to find the photos (I always forget what year things happened in!) but it's great to see what I did each month. I am not 100% sure I am digging this filing system yet. How do you organize your photos???

 You may know Plum Pretty Sugar for their amazingly pretty 'loungerie' (their robes might ring a bell), and now you can add an equally enticing line of bedding and curtains to your list of things to covet. I am liking the uber girly Garden of Eden-esque florals and whimsical colors...there's a cool vintage vibe going on here that I am really digging.  Le siiiigh....I wish I had a houseful of beds to dress in these linens.

John and I got all gussied up and went out for a date last night....you forget how fun and important that stuff is even when you are married! We started off at rice.spice.noodle in Mystic, CT where we gobbled up pad thai, drunken noodles, and thai iced tea. We then jammed over to Watch Hill, RI where we caught a stellar sunset and indulged in a little PG-rated smoochfest. We then moseyed on over to St. Clair Annex and split a fresh peach ice cream cone. It was amazeballs. I spyed the most gorgeous horse on the way over there....a spotted beauty that put its wooden carousel kin to shame. I love spending nights like that with my hubby.

NOTE:  We got some frightening news about Uncle Doug's health this morning...we would all be very grateful if you could say a little prayer for him. Each and everyone counts.

Yep, I've got another one for you.....so go ahead and add Fab.com to your daily list of sample sale sites to check. This invite-only site features daily design inspirations and sales of up to 70% off retail....and ohmygosh, the products they feature are really cool. I think I could probably decorate my entire apartment with wares from Fab.com and The Foundary. Fab.com also has a neat Tumblr-esque side of the site with loads of inspiration boards to make your design vision come to life. Hoorah! Want to get on board? Sign up here. 

NOTE: WOAH!!! Polyvore went nuts and posted a cajillion things on my blog...I have since deleted all 8 posts. So sorry to jam up your readers, I have NO CLUE what the heck happened!

{Design by Triple Max Tons}

I read this quote by Oscar Wilde, and got a good chuckle from it. God knows that looking back on this blog, there are some posts where I can only salvage my self-esteem by declaring cleverness as an excuse for my late-night mumbly-jumbly posts. So, my clever and witty readers, I made this awesome wall art printable for you to enjoy. Thank you all so much for checking in each day to tune into my tangents on fashion, design, and this crazy thing called life.....I just want to give each of you a big hug. A super squeezy, long, awkward hug.

As usual, this is just for fun and free for you to download....all I ask is that if you care to spread the  please provide proper links back to my blog and this article. Thanks!

When I last visited my family in Texas, my mom and I picked up some fresh Vietnamese spring rolls for dinner...and I am still thinking about how delicious they were. The lightness of the ingredients combined with the fresh taste sets these rolls up right at the top of my "fave summer foods' list. Head on over to Design*Sponge for the full recipe to make these versatile and simple rolls. Mom - if you are reading this (which I am certain you are) - I can't wait to whip some of these up with you!

Hindsvik is a very cool vintage shop on Etsy run by owners Daniel and Valeria.  All the items look like they are in exceptional condition, and they did all the digging ahead of time....all that's left is the proverbial cream of the crop. At Hindsvik, you can expect to find a well-curated mix of vintage and modern furniture and home decor. If you are looking for a unique housewarming gift, special mid-century piece, or even a giant wood alphabet cut out, your search is officially dunzo.

{1,2,3}

 These reminders by Austin-based artist Erin Hanson must have been written with my kind in mind. Time to live them!

What are the things that you need constant reminders for?

Maybe it's the golden glow the sun casts on eveything this time of year or maybe I am secretly related to Donald Trump, but I just can't seem to get enough gold lately. Let's just hope my hair doesn't take on a life of its own after this post.

After seeing the magic designer Nick Olsen worked on this 295 sq ft (yes, you did read that right) space, I pledge to never complain about living in a small city apartment again. I absolutely adore the use of color in the space - the green accents add just the right amount of pop without being over-the-top. The dresser is also a great DIY idea.  He utilized every single inch of his space, and made it look mind-bendingly awesome and uncluttered. If you live in a mouse hole too, and want some tips on how to make it look super cool, check out Nick's video tour on House Beautiful.






{House Beautiful via everythingfab}

Warning: Grab a bottle of Windex before you read this post, as you might involunatrily find yourself licking the computer screen.

Introducing Kettle Confections, purveyors of hand-made, hand-cut, and hand-wrapped premium gourmet candies. Once you take a glance at their shop, you can quickly gather that nougat is their sweet of choice. All their candy is made with the finest, freshest ingredients, in eight flavors....vanilla almond nougat,  cherry almond nougat, chocolate almond nougat, strawberry almond nougat, café au lait almond nougat, green tea latte almond nougat,  pistachio nougat, and pistachio cranberry nougat.  They describe their candies as deliciously flavorful and not too overly sweet. I describe them as "thank God they are on that side of the screen otherwise my willpower would be rendered utterly useless and I would probably eat the whole bag in one sitting."

Julian Bialowas is a photographer and graphic design student with a very inspiring idea - take a photograph snapped all by himself, overlay it with a motivating quote, and post a new photo everyday for an entire year. Brilliant.
 
{via evie s}

{interior image: Le Journal de la Maison via Desiretoinspire}

Isn't this just hands-free perfection? Adore this orange leather!

Nicole Miller and nonprofit social enterprise Indego Africa have launched a colorful and exclusive line of fair-trade shorts and sarongs to complement their already existing line of textile bangles and woven bracelets. Made from five vivid fabrics hand chosen from the markets in Rwanda, these cute shorts and skirts are $65, and bracelets start at $25.  What can be better than wrapping your bodacious beach-bound curves in these summer separates? Knowing that 15% of each purchase goes back to Indego Africa. It's so right, it's sarong (haaaaaaa!).

Can we talk about how cute this breakfast nook is? It's from the latest issue of current issue of Southern Living...not normally a huge fan of this magazine, so it was a lovely well-designed surprise. Dare I also mention all the art was scored from Etsy for less than $40 each? I heart Etsy.

{Sweetie Pie Style via Pinterest}

After a Canadian adventure, we are back in action!  It's amazing how, after a 7 hour drive from Connecticut, you can arrive in a French-speaking city that feels so familiar yet culturally different. We spent our time walking around the city, parking ourselves under a tree in the park and listening to the music play at Jazz Fest, wandering around museums, noshing on French food, and sipping on wine. Occasionally I injected a grumble about how extremely high the price tag of everything was. Sticker shock aside, it was a fun and mellow trip to visit our 'neighbors' up North!

{via Pinterest}

Happy fourth of July! We hit the road early this AM, and are heading back to the good ol' USA for this very special holiday. Hope everyone has a wonderful day celebrating 235 years of freedom, liberty, and justice for all (well, it's an ideal we can at least strive for). I want to give a shout out to all the veterans and soldiers on active duty - especially my cousins- that brave bullets and bombs defending our country to keep the American dream alive. Words can't even describe my gratitude, but a sincere 'thank you' is a start. Hope everyone enjoys the bbq, cold beer, friends, and fireworks! I will also be adding 'birthday cake' to that roster, since my awesome father-in-law is turning another year older.  I have been known to start small fires in toasters every now and then, so I will give Lala a break and keep the candles virtual on this occasion. ;) So without further ado....HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DC!!! Hope all your birthday wishes come true.

{via Hello! Lucky}

{Cake by Sweetapolita // Gift Tags by Triple Max Tons}

Anyone else encounter a total birthday boom in the summer months? If you are like me, there is a 99% chance you are a last minute gift shopper. With all the insanity surrounding the hunt for the perfect present, I usually forget small things like, oh, wrapping paper, gift tags, and cards. What can I say, I am a total spaz. This is when the handy gift tag printable comes into play....print and cut them out, wrap your gift in inside out paper grocery bags, and secure with some colorful ribbon (whatever you have in the house...I have a craft stockpile of bakers twine and white ribbon that comes in handy). Shazam! An instantly wrapped gift that is almost too cute to give away. Want the goods already? Download the gift tags here.