capturing the sweet life.

{Fabulous Finds} Friday

In the process of going through my Google Reader feeds (if you enjoy reading other people's blogs and haven't figured out how to use Google Reader yet, it was absolutely a revelation to me), I'm always stumbling upon wonderful little nuggets of information, beautiful spaces, fun projects, etc. that I love to share with all of you.  I usually post them under the "I'm Lovin'" section on the right of the page. 

But since getting the hang of Google Reader, I'm now checking out more and more webpages and finding more and more things to share.  

So welcome to the first ever {Fabulous Finds} Friday!!

 

Here you'll find links to things I've found interesting, beautiful or noteworthy over the previous week.  I hope it'll encourage you to tap into all the amazing creative energy floating around in cyberspace, just as I have.  There are some really cool people doing some very fun/delicious/creative/inspiring/crazy things and this will just be my attempt to share those with you!

Without further adieu...

1)  I may never throw out a bed or mattress again after seeing this lazy lawn at a posh hotel/club in East London...

2)  More silhouettes...so cute!!

3)  What a cute, fun way to teach your kids about the world and all the beautiful places in it.

4)  Kale = my nemesis.  Every time I get my CSA share for the week, there you are again.  I'm so intimidated.  You are a bitter, bitter foe.  Perhaps if I douse you in oil, cheese, and garlic.  Perhaps THEN we can be friends?

5) New Ikea product sneak peek - love some of the new organizational stuff that they're coming out with and am especially pleased with their commitment to "greening up" the place!

6) I think these hair accessories would be especially cute for a girl's senior pictures.  Vintage-y, but not crazy grandma-y.

7)  I've been thinking I need to replace the plain oatmeal covered drapes in my living room, but now I'm thinking I may just need a little ribbon...

8) Love this gift wrap idea for books, photos, journals, etc...Christmas is just around the corner, folks!

9) I can't wait to have a Nancy Drew themed party for Natalie some day!!

10) Great DIY bench project - where do people find all this gorgeous reclaimed wood?!

So tell me what you think - do you like this idea?  Are there websites/blogs you visit to get inspired or find yummy treasures?  Comments and feedback are always welcome.

Have a great weekend everybody!

Thick Middle

Ugh.

I'm so bummed.

I ordered this dress from Boden last weekend (on a loneliness-fueled online shopping binge while my hubby was out of town).  

Isn't it so pretty?!   Some girlfriends and I are heading to NYC in October and I thought this would be SO lovely to wear to dinner...  And it's got that cinched in waist that Stacy & Clinton are always saying is flattering. 

Alas, I put it on and it made me look ginormous.  Like PREGNANT ginormous.  And heaven knows I don't need that.

So, after a moment where I considered stowing it away for my next fabulous-occasion-while-preganat (b/c this WOULD look fantastic on me if I were, in fact, pregnant!), I decided to return it.  

 

Good thing I DO have this dress to wear while in NYC...

...though I'm not entirely sold on how it looks on me.  It's a very cute style, though, and I love all the glitzy, silver-y embroidery.

I ALSO returned the following number to Boden...

...which didn't necessarily make me look huge, so much as like a crazy-kaftan-wearing hippie .  Apparently, I cannot board the kaftan train.  I tried.  Can't pull it off.

*Sigh*  I hate shopping for myself right now.  Probably why I spend too much money on clothes for my kids...

Martha Does it Again!

Oh, Martha.  Where do you come up with these wonderful ideas?!

Martha Stewart's lastest additions to the home crafters arsenal are the design cartridges she has designed for the new Cricut Cake Cutter.

Now, for those of you who don't know what a Cricut machine is, it's basically this little stand-alone machine that cuts laser-sharp designs and alphabets for scrapbooking, card making, etc.  (It's a good thing I no longer buy scrapbooking supplies b/c I'm sure I would have sunk a small fortune into one of these machines and all the wonderful little cartridges).

Well, now the geniuses at Cricut are coming out with a cutter that will cut designs out of FOOD (well, sugar gum paste, to be more specific)!! Check out some of the creations:

   

   

 

And Martha's contribution will be her own set of cartridges that contain images and alphabets in her signature smart, clean, classic style.

 

 
 
And my personal favorite...

  I love the butterflies, birdies & branches in this collection.

So if you're got a hankerin' to start a cake design business of your very own, maybe you'll consider one of these lovely little machines!  I'm sure they're a ton of fun and you could get really creative with the applications.  However, after the debacles that all of my past attempts at making birthday cakes have ended up, I'll stick with purchasing cakes from those who actually know what they're doing...

Wall Displays

So one of the many reasons I'm passionate about photography is that I think it has the ability to provide each home with singularly personal wall adornment.

But seeing the emptiness and utter directional wasteland that a wall can be sometimes causes people get stuck (myself included).  So whenever I find a display of photos that I like, I try to think of how I can recreate that in my own home.  My photo ledges are my most recent attempt at this.  And I have a few other blank walls just crying out for something like the following ideas:

 

If you're going to choose smaller images (5x7's, 4x6's, etc.), the BEST thing you can do is MAT THEM!!  A simple white mat with a plain black frame can turn even the smallest photos into a stunning collection.

 
For a simple, unified look, choose square frames and then mat your smaller pictures inside these.  Notice that the photos are different sizes, but by keeping the frame the same size,you create symmetry.  Instant gallery look.

On the other hand, the trend right now is towards LACK of symmetry and mixing up your frames.  So don't be afraid to put metal frames with wood, mats with no mats, brown with white, etc.  And the old rule about trying to keep all the photos at eye level?  Forget that too!!  You're going for visual impact here, so go ahead and carry those photos right down to the floor if you like!

 
Colored frames are also super hot right now, especially against a white wall.

Or go completely frameless!  One of my very favorite things right now are gallery wrapped canvases.  You can see that the photo wraps right around the edges of these so you can hang them directly on the wall and they look very fresh and modern.  Most portrait photographers offer them (including me!), and they're a great way to get ready to hang artwork for your home.  I'm planning on recreating this look in my bedroom with all black & white pictures of the kids.

 
And this is the inspiration I'll be using for my hallway gallery.  I love the incorporation of kids artwork (which you could change out each month or so) and the idea of using wrapping paper (or scrapbook paper) as the matting material.  A great way to add color and visual interest to your gallery. 

 

Of course, I still love ledges, so here's another idea for those.  Though silver frames don't really jive with the interior space I've created in my own home, I love the look of all silver frames with white mats.  I think they  look especially lovely under lights - they add a bit of sparkle and "bling" to a room.  I would probably choose to mix up the order of the frames (I'm not a big fan of matchy matchy or obvious order), but I love the collection of different sizes and the look of all black & white photos with the silver frames.
  

I'll continue to post photo display ideas as I find them.  I'm super passionate about decorating a home with photos - it doesn't make much sense to take a ton of pictures just for them to stay locked away in a photo box or, worse, never printed to begin with and just eating up space on your hard drive.  Get those photos printed!  Get them up on your walls!  Make your home a tribute to the people and places you love.

Gorgeousness

I think I may have a new favorite kids clothing company -- Tea Collection.  I love how girly their girls clothes are, without being frilly (you know how I feel about frilly!).  I love the unusual (for kids) color combinations - very sophisticated, but the designs are still very child-like.  These clothes don't look like mini versions of adult clothes, but the colors are so much more attractive to me than the bright neon colors you often see in the under 5 crowd.  Check out some of these for little girls:

   

This one's for my friend, Lisa, who collects Russian Nesting Dolls...are you SURE you don't want to try for a girl??? ;-)

   

  
  

And, yep, that one on the right is the same one in the Fall Collection from the "What to Wear" post the other day.  Now you know where to get it!

I have to say, I wasn't too impressed with their lineup for boys, thought maybe that's just the fall collection.  The colors are, again, very cool, but aside from a few cute sweaters, they really only offer t-shirts.  And $35 t-shirts, at that.  But I'll check back in the spring and see what else they can come up with for the lads.

Until then, I'll be watching their sale racks and hoping to pick up some of the above items for Nat!

Sisters

A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of photographing my very first set of sisters.  Can't you just tell that these two will be laughing and giggling together for a lifetime??

 

Not having a sister myself, I'm always particularly in awe of the relationship between sisters.  How lovely to have someone to share secrets with, laugh with, play with, argue with (I'm sure!), gossip with, SHOP with!!  For a lifetime.

It was a true pleasure to photograph these girls - thanks, Vanessa & George for opening your beautiful home to Kyle and I and I hope these photos capture the girls' personalities and the special relationship between them.

 

DREAM House

I think I've found it.  I think I've found my dream house!! (Click on the images to make them larger and really appreciate this beautiful home!)

 

 



    
 

 

  
 
 
 
 



    

Look, honey -- it even has a full basement for your man-cave!!
 
 

  

I love everything about this house - old bones/new finishes, all the moldings, all the detail, the wainscoting, the floors (oh my GOD, the floors!!), the fixtures, the rough finishes (I absolutely adore exposed brick!), the 5 panel doors...

Absolute home perfection.  I'm in love.  Pack up, honey - we're moving to Jersey!

What to Wear??

One of the hardest things to decide upon when you're prepping for a family portrait session is what you and the rest of your family will wear.  What will coordinate without being matchy-matchy?  What will photograph well?  What kinds of clothes look like something you actually WEAR in real-life and won't be a complete waste of money?

So I'm going to try to be on the lookout for different coordinating looks that I can post here as ideas if you're looking for inspiration.

First up, from the lovely folks at Inspire Me Baby, something for a casual family of four:

 

I think what's particularly appealing about this combination is the saturation of the colors.  Almost EVERYONE looks good in saturated colors and they really translate well on camera.

Or how about something for that upcoming fall family shoot:

Again, deep saturated colors, patterns that "go" but don't "match."  So cute. 

Silhouettes

One of the things I remember most about my Grandma Quinn was this charm bracelet she used to wear every day.  I remember arriving at her house in Dunedin, FL for spring break and one of the first things I would do is look at all the charms - it's been so long since I've seen that bracelet that I only remember a few of them --  there was a diver (for my Uncle Dale, I believe), a palm tree, a surfer (which I think was for my dad, which is crazy b/c the thought of him surfing makes me chuckle)...and a silver silhouette of each of her 5 grandkids.  I would always find mine and rub it between my fingers.  Something comforting about knowing that every time she looked at it, she thought of me.

So when I saw these charms from Le Papier Studio, I fell instantly in love.  

 

*Sigh*.

If you haven't checked out Le Papier before, you totally should.  Great gift ideas for Moms, Dads, Grandparents...anyone.  

 

 

Facelift

Recently my mom was kind enough to give me her ginormous file cabinet and I've been thinking that it could use a little sprucing up.  Right now it's just plain black (which isn't nearly as bad as some of the garish colors I've seen those cabinets come in!), but doing something like this might make depositing all the misc. paper that we accumulate a little brighter...

 

 

Here's a detailed How-to as posted by Gabrielle Blair over at CafeMom:

1) Prep. 
Dust and clean your filing cabinet and take out the drawers. Take off the drawer handles and drawer label holders. (If you can, remove the lock -- but if it can't be removed, don't stress.)

2) Spray paint. 
You'll need two cans of primer and two cans of paint -- both should be products made for metal. Use the primer first. Do two coats, 15 minutes apart. Let it dry for 24 hours, then put on two coats of the colored spray paint.

3) Vinyl.
Use "stripes" available from Wall Pops (you can also find these at Target). Each drawer will have two horizontal rows of vinyl. Line the top row up so it sits just on top of the lock, then wrap the edges around. (It doesn't have to match perfectly around the sides because once you close the drawer, it doesn't even show.)

For the bottom row of vinyl, make sure to align the pattern, then cut a small square out for the lock, slide the vinyl in place, and stick it down.

4) Finish.
Reattach the hardware and put the drawers back in the cabinet. Done!

Add it to the list of projects I've got lined up for all that free time I'm expecting any day now...

Ikea Shelves

I recently installed these shelves from Ikea in my living room:

 

Right now they're a little more cluttered than I would like, but I'm not quite sure what I want to edit out.  I love all the pictures and really wanted a mix of pictures, albums, etc.  

But these shelves are SO versatile, I'm also thinking of going BACK to Ikea to get more so I can do something like this in the kids' play area in the basement...:

...where I can change out the titles as the kids interests evolve.  

So much inspiration, so little space.

I need more walls. 

Stationary

So I heard on the news yesterday that the Queen of England spends $455,000 A YEAR on Stationary.   Now some might hear that and think, "How could anyone spend that much on PAPER??"  

But when you consider all the lovely little baubles out there for your correspondence needs, $450K doesn't seem quite so extraordinary.  I mean, she IS the Queen...

  

I get it, Liz.  I, too, share a love of beautiful stationary.  Don't let the haters get you down....

Got Free Time?

Did you know that the Library of Congress recently digitized a bunch of its visual assets??  If you have some free time and love looking at little slices of history but can't make it to D.C. anytime soon, check it out.  Here are some of my favorites:

 

 
 

 

   

 

Also, if you yourself would like to contribute input to the descriptions of public images in the LOC, check out the Flickr group, The Commons.  I could spend hours looking at those images!

New Sarah

If you haven't already, run, don't walk, to get the newest Sarah McLachlan CD (or do what I did and download it from iTunes!).

It's another beautiful, soulful, melodic album from my very favorite artist.  Oh to have a voice like hers! 

I'm thinking I can have this thing memorized in a few days...anyone want to hear my renditions?!

Summer To-Do's

Inspired by one of my favorite bloggers, Meg Duerksen, I decided to make a little Smith Family Summer To-Do list, just to kind of organize all of the "Oh, we should do that!" type thoughts that are constantly swirling around in my head.

So here's our first annual to-do list!

 

We've already crossed off a few items (we saw the Chihuly exhibit - post on that later; we've gone for many a bike ride; held our garage sale - $400 baby!; we've picked strawberries; and, of course, the Warrior Dash).  I'm not sure where we'll find the time to cross off all the other items, but it's nice to have something to look at when I'm thinking, "Oh, what should we do today?"

Tuesday Tot Projects

This week's Tuesday Tot Project was 'Magazine Collages'...

...or, Sunday newspaper circular collages, as it were.

Jacob was not as into tearing paper as I would have hoped...

But Nat got into it so she and I got to pasting...

 

Here are our finished products:

 

Jacob:

Mine:

(yes, that's the King you see over on the right...what of it?!)

And Nat's...

 

Overall, a successful venture and a decent way to entertain the kids for an hour or so.  Now, how to fill the other 23 hours... 

The concert that was not to be...

*Sigh*

I had been looking forward to June 30th since December.  You see, I was supposed to have a hot date with the man they call Bono (and his band of fellow merry Irishmen).

But it was not to be.  Bono threw out his back a few months ago and had to cancel the remaining dates of his tour.

So the tickets sat here at my house last night, lonesome and un-used.  

*Sigh*

Well, at least I did get to go to book club and engage in some very lively conversation with great ladies.  That's a consolation, right?

Until we meet again, Bono...