Hello Friends! How are you? Today was the day the jet lag finally caught up with me. I put my head down to rest for a few minutes and woke up 6 hours later. Hah! Now I’m curious to see what time I’ll fall asleep this evening. : )
Do you have any fun plan for the weekend? I’m in the mood for a really practical few days of laundry, ironing and errands. Seriously, those tasks sound so good! Maybe for some extra fun we’ll take a spin in our happy little car. In the meantime, here a few things I’ve been wanting to share with you:
- I’m flat out in love with this series, Portraits of Swedish Workmen.
- He said he was leaving. She ignored him. Thought provoking article. (thanks, Erin)
- A play kitchen you can make yourself!
- Clever idea for displaying a quote.
- Long live funeral potatoes.
- Speaking of Mormon stuff, I was just featured in BYU magazine.
- Simultaneous Invention, Derivative Work, and Plagiarism — a good discussion.
I also write for Babble. Here are this week’s posts:
- Amazon says these are the Top Picture Books of 2011.
- Make this rad outdoor playhouse. No tools needed!
- This shop only carries (hip!) upcycled items.
- I’m excited about this announcement from Target.
- A new book from the Queen of Sweets.
I hope you have a wonderful weekend. I’ll meet you back here on Monday. I miss you already!
kisses,
Gabrielle
P.S. — You know what I miss? My blogroll. I think I’ll bring it back. I’m thinking a short-ish list that I rotate and update. What do you think? Do you like blogrolls? Do you favor any particular rotation methods?
Remember when you traveled to Paris and fell in love? With the city, with your husband, with the croissants — or all of the above?
Well, my brother-in-law, Paul Ferney, painted a series of little Paris store fronts. They would make a wonderful Valentine’s Day gift to remind you of your romantic trip. Grab one before they’re completely sold out. I think they’d make the perfect souvenir!
You will love today’s giveaway. Super stylish Tea Collection is offering a generous $150 gift certificate!
I’m such a Tea Collection fan — and I think the timing of this giveaway is perfect. Because Tea Collection is in the middle of their semi-annual sale, so you can snag something cozy to help your kids make it through the winter — at up to 60% off! Like this sweet raglan dress and this cool plaid hoodie. Both are under $20. (I love a good bargain hunt!)
Or, if you’re looking for something sunny, take a peek at their spring catalog and daydream of the warmer weather that’s only weeks away. I love this eyelet top for me, and this batik romper for June.
Visit Tea Collection and leave a comment below to enter. The winner will be announced on Monday. Good luck!
See those words above? They were designed by Kal Barteski and written by Karen of Chookooloonks. At Alt Summit, Karen gave them to me in poster form and they made me a bit weepy.
Then, I read this post by Shannon Colleary. And it made me a bit weepy too (also, it made me laugh really hard).
I’m having one of those weeks where I’m surrounded by so much beauty that it’s all I can do to acknowledge it and soak up as much as I can hold. Have you ever had a week like that?
P.S. — I still owe you an Alt Summit recap. Hopefully tomorrow!
I’ve found myself happily lost on Trend Tablet, and I haven’t sent up flares just yet. It’s an addictive, idea-brimming site, and the projects will floor you. Plus I feel smarter after reading its posts. Do you have websites that do this for you, too?
Curated by Lidewij Edelkoort, a trend forecaster, Trend Tablet is a tool that explains how and why trends grow and evolve into something that touches our daily lives. Tell me, Friends: What’s your absolute favorite happy-making trend right now? I’m a fan of temporary tattoos!
P.S. The name of this red installation in São Paulo is Penelope by Tatiana Blass. Isn’t it breath-taking? Do you think the carpet is being woven or unraveled? Your answer, I think, reveals a bit about you!
Photos by Everton Ballardin via Trend Tablet.
Heart-in-hand gloves by Yastik izi.
I gave birth 7 1/2 years ago. It was an ordinary labor and delivery, free of complications. Because it was my first, the 10 hours it took from start to finish felt average and acceptable. My boy came screaming into this world weighing 8 lbs. 7 oz at 10:14 am. My husband and I beamed from ear to ear, but no different than other first time parents I’m sure. It was a Wednesday and the last day of March. The weather was typical of early spring in these parts: overcast with a few beams of sunshine.
Click here to read the rest of Mariah’s story.
Jordan introduced me to these little pots of heaven, and I think they’re one of the sweetest savor-a-moment-together gifts I’ve seen — just perfect for Valentine’s Day next month! But if you’re not ready to be reminded about another holiday just yet, don’t worry; there’s a entire shop full of kitchen goodies over which to drool. All equally lovely.
It’s called Mignon (pronounced “min-yawn” and meaning “cute” in French), owned and operated by Rachel, the superb curator, writer, and photographer behind Elephantine. She also shoots videos of some of the treats she makes, and if you’ve never dreamed of making an upside-down pineapple cake, then you must never have watched this:
Cute? Oui.
Bargain hunting is a true skill, but doing it with style is another kind of trick altogether. So when Jen Hansard told me that 99% of her home furnishings were bought second-hand from Craigslist, The Salvation Army, and garage sales, I wanted to see more. Naturally, I wanted to show you, too! I hope you enjoy the tour of the Hansard’s brand new home as much as I did. Her reasons why she loves her photo wall absolutely melted my heart. This is a good one, Friends.
Q: Who are the lucky ones living in this home?
A: Me, my husband, Ryan, and our two amazing kids, Jackson (4) and Clare (2). We moved from Southern California to Florida six months ago and sold most of our belongings on Craigslist before we left. So these last few months we have spent a lot of time scouring Craigslist, hitting up garage sales and thrift shops to re-buy the essential pieces of furniture we sold, like beds, our kitchen table, and bookshelves. My husband is a pastor of a new church in town and I am a work-from-home mom; I run Family Sponge and a design agency called Hansard Studio. Needless to say, we are pretty darn busy between our two kids and our three jobs!
Click here for the full house tour.
Well hello there! I arrived home from Alt Summit this afternoon — just in time to see the kids get out of school. Holy moly I missed my family! I am going to settle in and unpack today, and I’ll be back to full posting tomorrow (hopefully with a fun recap of the conference). But I won’t leave you empty-handed. Coming home to the ever-lovely La Cressonnière brought this to mind:
I get extra invigorated when I see unconventional spaces turned into homes, like this Costa Mesa barn with open space galore by Corey Gash or that airy chapel by Nick Kenny. Rethinking such non-traditional structures and making them livable, incredibly artistic spaces is so far beyond genius. I’d LOVE to try my hand at this someday.
Would you have issues living in homes that once housed livestock or praying parishioners or even firefighters? Or would you pack your bags and move in tomorrow? I’d love to hear your thoughts!
Hello Friends! Did you have a good week? I’m still here at Alt Summit and I don’t want to make you jealous, but I can’t lie, I’m having an amazing time. The top photo is me introducing the Keynote Panel yesterday. (Yes, I’m doing cheesy air quotes. Caught red handed.) And tonight, I’ll be hosting a Chinese New Year party with HP for Home and the Kirtsy girls. I’m super excited to write everything up and share it next week. Until then, if you’re curious, here’s a link to the official Alt Summit 2012 photos that have been uploaded so far (40 pages and counting!).
While I get back to my hosting duties at the conference, here are a few things I’ve been wanting to share with you:
- I want to hug this Huff Post article about Alt Summit.
- Love the open hanging rack. Why hide cute baby clothes?
- Made me laugh!
- These look like they’ll be a huge hit.
- A little interview of me and my thoughts on baby names.
- Oh man! I want one of these in my next house.
I also write for Babble. Here are this week’s posts:
- 10 Favorites from Boden’s spring line.
- Wow. Check this out. (The future is now.)
- So charming. I wonder where I would hang one.
- Super helpful for your next trip.
- These look so good to me! I would tinker with them all day long.
I hope you have an inspiring weekend. I’ll meet you back here on Monday. I miss you already!
kisses,
Gabrielle
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