Lazy Days of Summer?

So, my plan was to write an awesome post about some cool things I’ve seen lately but life, in the form of six loads of laundry, intervened. I decided that I should stop procrastinating and get it done… Which I did.

I also finished the last book of the Fifty Shades of Grey Trilogy (more on that in another post)…

… downloaded a new eBook called The Black God’s War…

… signed up for the email list for my friend Robin Burks upcoming debut novel Zeus, INC…

… played around with a photo editing app called Pixlr…

edited and added to some of my boards on Pinterest

… checked out the girly glam blog, This Is Glamorous…

… made two playlists on Spotify and listened to Nero’s Welcome Reality…

Um, but not necessarily in that order! Anyway, that’s what I did with my day off. I didn’t really do anything but I feel like that was a lot for one day! Until next time…

Summer Breezes

Indigo Shoal Asymmetric Dress at Anthropologie, $248.

I got an email from Anthropologie today with some previews of their offerings for summer. When I clicked the link this dress caught my eye. If I’m being entirely honest here, I’ve always been a sucker for deep indigo prints on white, no matter what it is (dresses, bedding, dishes…). So this is really floating my boat.

Happy Thursday!

Pimp Your Patio

Yesterday I had a few minutes to spare while I waited for my sister after work. I walked around and checked the activities section at the end of the store (that’s where we put all the seasonal stuff) and textiles (only my favorite department in IKEA. It’s been about three months since I took a turn through the sections at any length and I figured by now there were some new things in… I wasn’t wrong! Here are some of the cool things I saw:

The Malin Lov pillow:

eclectic pillows design by furniture and accessories IKEA

The colors in this pillow are just amazing! I’m going to be picking up two or three of them… I’ll figure out what I’m going to do with them later!

The Hogsten chair:

This chair is cute and compact and would look really nice (and fit nicely too) on an apartment patio. There is a matching stool as well.

Pekannot plant pots:

I like the whitewashed color and the texture reminds of grasscloth a little bit (which I LOVE). I really want a couple of these too. The smaller one is $25 and the larger one is $39.

Anyway, that’s it for me today. I hope you all are having a happy Thursday. I’ll catch you next time!

Suited

Crew Neck Coat – $99 and Shorts with Front Rib – $40 both at Zara, Drape Front Blouse – $60 at TopShop.

Billy Bikini Sandal – $57 at Isabel Toledo for Payless, Necco Enameled Rope Necklace – $172 at Shopstyle, Plaited Leather Shopper – $149 at Zara.

So here is yet another attempt at fashion… I think I did a better job this time. I’m kind of old school in that I think there is nothing inherently wrong with matching. So, lots of black to punch up the off white and coral combo. Btw, Zara… Wow! And Threadsence, Asos, and Topshop too!

Happy Friday, readers!

Orange + Pink + Black

All photos via Pinterest.

I’m loving this fresh and sophisticated color combination right now! It just pops and announces that spring and summer are on the way. Amid the photos above (all from Pinterest) are new fashions from J. Crew, art from Laurie Rollit, colorblocked pillows, a pinstripe cake and other fun and infectiously colored items.

Color inspiration board from Jessica Tierney Designs.Jessica Tierney Designs

More inspiration from Pinterest: this color inspiration board from Jessica Tierney Designs (image via Noa Noa) is a sweet and sexy example of this stellar combo.

A Holly Penikas pin from Pinterest.

Holly Penikas shared this colorful sign… a little kitschy but again, I love the color combination. This just proves that it really is a timeless combo.

It could also be great as a bold choice for a girl’s bedroom…

Pink, coral, and black in a girl's room. Via Pinterest

The just right pops of color to keep a library from being just a dull reading room:

Coral pink and back library in House & Home via Pinterest.

Or a statement maker in an entry:

Tablescape featured in Lonny Magazine via Pinterest.

Check out more coral + pink + black or orange + pink + black on Pinterest. Have a happy, fun and safe weekend!

Courting Summer

For my first post back from my mini break, I’d like to share some gorgeous outdoor spaces that I’ve come across during my surfing sessions.

Some are just really lovely backyards but quite a few are interior courtyards. I adore interior courtyards – they’re are honest to goodness “secret gardens”. Here are a few I’ve found:

I hope you’re having a beautiful, sunny Tuesday!

Sunset on a beautiful day…

I spent the entire day with my family today. We barbecued, talked, laughed, and had a great time with each other.

The miracle of it is that it’s the first time in well over a decade since all of my cousins have been together in one place. How wonderful for us all to finally come together!

We’ve packed up everything and everyone has gone home but we all promised not to go so long without seeing each other.

I call that a blessed day.

Do all yarnthings get down in the summer?

So… I have two knitting projects going right now but I haven’t picked them up because the thought of touching yarn when it’s this hot out seems kinda of icky.

Do you all find it hard to knit and crochet when the weather is warm? Or do you do just fine with your yarn projects in any kind of weather?

If you’ve got any tips, I’d love to hear them!

Winter blahs…

I’m from Seattle originally but for the past 10 years I’ve lived in So Cal and the Southeast. Sun is now my “thing”. The turn in the weather this last week and a half is giving me SAD I think! So, to perk myself up I’m posting my favorite picture from this summer.

I was walking down Pac Hwy toward my local library and I saw the most amazing thing: a bush of fully blooming hydrangeas with a random rusty mailbox poking through the blooms… but what really made it strange was that the bush and mailbox are situated in front of a vacant lot with a fence around it. No house or building in sight.

I thought it was lovely and I snapped it on my camera phone so I could remember how sweet and random it was when I most needed it. Winter.

That time is upon us. I sometimes wish I could skip all this cold and dark and straight to the sweet spot of summer… but alas, I have no time warping capabilities. I guess I have to live through it and make lots of sweaters!