she makes me want to cut my hair, wear bright matte lips, smile real big (and star in les mis).

anne hathaway on dave letterman

seriously glamorous.

saturday / pentagram artsy windows

window art by pentagram for cass art


saturday.
sleeping in. sorta.
bowls of cheerios with bananas in bed.
rice krispie treats for someone special.
making beds and an early start on laundry.
two boys headed out for dual haircuts.
serious fun adventures planned.
and a real shower.
and maybe a twilight dvd for tonight. yesss.
with lasagna leftovers.

happy saturday to you.

inspiring me lately / charcoal & mustard

this color combo is nothing new but keeps popping up in my pins. i especially like that it can go chic and professional or youthful and approachable. sources: la petite girl (love this look!) / peacock print / business cards / boden cardigan (and scallop blouse!) / girl painting by lisa golightly / fabulous (fancy) wilma bench

+ today we celebrated a friend's happy happy news over a rumbi salad. hip, hip.
+ we got in on a spontaneous story time at the bookshop. and were the only ones there.
+ dipped chocolate chip cookies in milk before naps.
+ am all caught up on laundry and ready to design pretty logos.

have a happy wed-nes-day.

wrap it up / fall fashion inspiration

01 / 02 / 03 / 04 / 05

i love how these girls look so cozy, comfortable and chic all at once. staying warm is my main goal between now and april. am thinking i need to step it up in wearing layers and looking pulled together. do tell, what is your must-have for fall fashion?

these days i'm living in
(and loving) paige jeans / a clearance steal
v-neck sweaters / uniqlo
university hoodies / go utes
thin turtlenecks / j crew
hand-knitted hats / nanny hats
dansko clogs (this is their fourth winter) / zappos
chunky cardigan / from a neighborhood swap!
 kate spade argyle socks / nordstrom rack
carrying giant bags / of all kinds
scarves piled high like luscious warm cakes (or snakes!) around my neck
eating practically a liquid diet of warm soups and hot cocoa
savoring slowly / peppermint jo jo's from trader joes (thanks anna!)  
am still on the hunt for cool riding boots that won't break the bank

+ tune in tomorrow. i'll give you a tour of my new home office! 

a good way to start november.

how was your november one? ours was snowy (giant first flakes of the season!) and cozy and full of stuffy noses and warm socks. we laid around, we baked apple cake (with best ever sauce). divine. grating apples is pretty fun. we i pinned during naptime. we ate candy. did laundry and made chili (with breadbowls). saving breadbowls in the freezer is my favorite idea ever. it suddenly makes a crockpot soup that much more gourmet. we read. ate candy and hunted around for a good book. am mourning the loss of that molly book i finished (and loved to pieces then forced sister to take it with her on trip). swept floors and played trains. one of the more worthwhile activities was re-reading an amazing article.


handscreened print by lisa rupp design

if you need a lift (and even if you don't), please read this speech, entitled forget me not. it is masterfully written and will remind you of all the good stuff of life. the holiday season already feels like it's breathing down my neck. it's so good for me to refocus on the important tasks and let everything else go.

november is going to be good. busy, but good. any big plans for your family? hosting family pie night is already penned in on my calendar. happy november two.

how ink is made. / awesome.

camera stills by printing ink co.

a blog reader sent this amazing mini documentary about how ink is made my way. wow. cheers to the printing ink company. the printed page is so simple and yet so sublime. the youtube vid made me smile. and the huge warehouse shots remind me of the equally huge california printing company i worked at for a year as a graphic artist. i learned so much there. i highly recommend landing (or miraculously falling into) a job wherein you feel like you're swimming with sharks and doggie paddling your way through. you'll come out a lot stronger. and maybe learn a thing or two. at the time, i had no idea how that job (and my clients there) would steer me into what i do everyday. isn't it awesome to look back on an experience that was extremely tough and finally get why it was essential to go through it?!

I believe that we are here to work, and I believe there is no escape from it. I think that we cannot get that thought into our souls and into our beings too soon. Work we must, if we shall succeed or if we shall advance. There is no other way.  - J. Reuben Clark Jr.

inspiration. / tub water.

everything about this image is so great.
the union jack mat.
the mustard yellow suitcase.
the pink wellies.
that tub.
the thoughtful (yet effortless) gallery of art too.

related note // i don't think i've mentioned this yet, but i've always wanted to write a book and entitle it tub water. not quite sure what it'll be about, but i think about it every time i take a soak. the tub is where all the good ideas come. and another thing, i am in the middle of a very very good book right now. but it deserves a post all its own. to be continued.

p.s. happy 65th birthday, dad. thank you for the glazed doughnuts at our door!

creative business owners & shoppers. / watch this.

oh goodness me. this is perhaps the best thing i've seen in a very long time. it makes me excited to support handmade. it makes me want to get back in the driver's seat and play with indesign. it makes me wanna whip up some invitations again. it makes me want to be creative and support those in the creative industry. (i count watching project runway too.)

read more about designer julie's amazing offer.
name your price custom wedding invitations. awesome.

thanks for the link, suzanne of she paperie! it made my day.

p.s. thank you for all the well wishes about LOTOJA (he killed it) and our big move. i may get my act together and upload photos someday soon. otherwise be prepared for sporadic acts of blogging. xo.

beauty in repetition

image sources 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7

finding inspiration (and such beauty) in repeated patterns.
what's inspiring you lately?

inspiration series / julian bialowas images

incredible / inspirational images by graphic designer julian bialowas.
i love the mixing of images + typography. magic.
scroll through more beauties on his flickr page.

headed home from our staycation in the mountains today. laundering and packing up. we had a giant patio party last night with my family. i forgot what it's like to host a party; felt so good. lots of photos and recipes to come.

i love the mountains, i love the rolling hills.

dan took me camping on our honeymoon (and every year after that); to me, the mountains are magic. do you have any favorite camp out tips or camping memories?

happy fourth of july.

take a peek at our camping memories. 
taking benji camping for the first time.
family camping Q&A and even s'more kiddie camping tips
the time we camped in montana
camp out essentials
dan packing up the gear (on cloud nine)
seeing a bear, a buffalo and snow in yellowstone.

image sources: 01 / 02 / 03 / 04 / 05

the new york city ballerina project

dane shitagi photography | new york city ballerina project

"I tried to take pictures of the ballerinas – not of their dancing. I tried to stay focused on the dancers – not on their poses. I tried to portray their souls – not their steps. Ballerina Project is more about the dancer than the dancing. As photographers we often try to capture momentums of the dancing without really acknowledging the obvious: the camera is not exactly the best instrument to do it. The camera can only take stills of something that is in its essence a flow."  
- stunning photos and shitagi quote via my modern met.

isn't this series utterly amazing?
i love creative people.
(i especially love when photographers + ballerinas + nyc combine.)

guess what? we're headed for the big apple. i. am. so. excited. dan's parents are generously taking the family for an unforgettable weekend, i can hardly believe it! am totally up for anything on this trip. am hoping to introduce dan to the moma and walk arm in arm a lot. i have high hopes to take more pictures than necessary. and we've already decided that we'll be eating constantly. enjoy the royal wedding this weekend. i may or may not be watching it live on the jumbotron in times square! am going to be back before you know it. xo.

best thing i've seen all week. no joke.

victoria of a subtle revelry has launched a gorgeous online magazine, styled.
it is bursting with pretty party ideas, cheerful sprinkles and confetti.
plus a grown-up lemonade stand too!
it's the perfect thing to revel in today.

p.s. i've been hit by a mack truck cold. am planning to stay on the couch this weekend and nibble on conference trail mix. do you have any exciting plans?

sweet paul online magazine / special kids issue

am loving the plethora of pretty pictures, amazing photo styling, instructional tutorials, art projects and recipes found in the spring issue of sweet paul magazine. flip through the entire issue online! thank you to the ever creative paul and team.

via amomsyear.com

p.s. happy birthday to my sister heidi! can't wait to see you and your darlings.

pinterest / thoroughly smitten and inspired

after weeks of intrigue, i decided to dip my toe into this pinning business over at pinterest. lets just say, i'm officially obsessed. are you with me? for those of you still wondering about pinterest, let me just give you a testimonial.

i love saving and organizing favorite articles, magazine rip-outs, party ideas, projects, inspirational quotes, etc. into my three-ring binders, however the blogworld has overwhelmed me with awesome ideas i'm afraid i'll forget. pinterest to the rescue! with a super simple browser bookmarking system, you can pin (virtually) anything to keep handy for future reference. (i loved giving dan a tour of rooms for our future dream house.) file your faves into neat inspiration boards and at a glance you are inspired by the things you love. i especially appreciate that your featured pins link directly back to their original sources, so you can easily track and re-read what you bookmarked.

of course this wouldn't be a booming online resource if you couldn't follow your faves (ala twitter), so you can look up friends and favorite bloggers galore. you can re-pin what they like too. the connecting of the minds is a very nice bonus. so while i'm not blogging, i am over here pinning. come say hello.

p.s. a client who runs a photog business recently came to me for a new logo design. she emailed me a link to her branding / identity pinterest board and ta da! suddenly we're on the same page about what type of design she is looking for. hurrah, hurrah. such a neat new way for me to get a glimpse of what a client is thinking!

p.p.s. benji recently learned the term, ta da! and shouts it randomly throughout the day. too cute.

what are your thoughts? do you pine for pinterest? why do you love it?

messy buns, elegant twists and curls galore.

dreamy long hairstyles via pinterest.

original pins
01 / 02 / 03 / 04 / 05 / 06 / 07 / 08