river city

father-daughter bonding activities have been going on for as long a I can remember. and even now that I have a husband, I still cherish the time I get to spend with my daddy. on a rainy sunday evening, the two of us took the boat out for a cruise down the st. johns river. it was a beautiful, peaceful evening (well, except that part where we stopped at the landing to eat dinner at hooters. can you believe they still wear those scrunchie socks?!). 
our city looks really lovely from the river at sunset. 

portobello road

this is the soundtrack that played on repeat in my head the entire time we meandered down portobello road. if it wasn't so crowded, I'd probably have been skipping. the street was buzzing with activity; everywhere I looked there was something beautiful or interesting. giant piles of handmade breads and pastries, tightly bound croquet balls that smelled of leather, white flowers that appeared to be dripping off the buildings. portobello road is certainly one of a kind. 

christmas in july

my mom gave me a heads up about an estate sale in an older neighborhood across town. I happened to be in the area, so I stopped by. one thing that annoys me about estate sales is when the family puts them on & doesn't have the items marked with prices & then on top of that, doesn't want to part with anything because it's too sentimental. which I totally get... but if you aren't ready to part with things, then don't have a sale & haggle with people over every item that elicits some sort of memory. that's why hiring a company can be such a great service & well worth the money.

ok, enough complaining. so if you don't know, I love christmas. and these vintage santa glasses were just too cute to pass up. a lot of them broke as the family was pulling them out for the sale. and then two actually broke in my car. so I don't have full set of either, but I still think there's enough to mix & match for a holiday dinner party. 

I also picked up some vintage christmas ornaments. if I can find a few more boxes, I'd love to make melanie's ornament chandelier! $12 for everything.  not bad.

{love the progression of santa coming out of the chimney}

{dried pine needles & shiny tinsel of christmases past}

stonehenge

on our 5-year anniversary trip to england, we took a quick trip to stonehenge. I really never expected a bunch of rocks to be impressive. but there is something totally mysterious & intriguing about stonehenge. what is it? an astrological chart? a calendar? a sacred burial ground? and how'd those massive 30-ton stones get there? by glaciers? aliens (this one's my personal fave)? just the thought that it was built around 3,000 BC is totally incomprehensible. it was definitely worth the trip.

{the real stonehenge? you'll never know}

macarons

while in london, we made a point to stop by ladurée in covent gardens for some macarons.  my sister bought me this cute book awhile back but I had never made or even tried a macron! and I gotta be honest...they are beautiful, but don't really look like they would actually taste good. boy was I wrong. they are heavenly! the outside is slightly crispy, but when you bite into it, it's super soft & light -almost chewy- with the most refreshing, sweet flavor. they are to-die-for & were totally worth the ridiculous £

the guest room

my mom has great taste. she has this seriously amazing ability to walk into an estate sale or thrift store that is packed to brim with junk and spot the treasures. it's a gift. and she also has a real knack for arranging old pieces in new, modern, creative ways. these are some photos from my parent's "guest room" (my old bedroom, before I left the nest) that I snapped the last time I was over there. 

{old suitcases stacked up make the perfect night stand. I love how she painted the stripe on the curtain to blend with the walls}

{mom's collection of vintage hats on display}

{vintage martini glasses are used to display old jewelry}

the blues

I found a great estate sale in the neighborhood last weekend (thanks, craigslist). the family didn't use a company for the sale, so everything was really reasonably-priced. I got this pretty, low milk glass cake plate for $5. then I spotted these blue glass canisters in the kitchen for $1 each. when I turned them over, they were made in belgium, so I was sold (we just got back from a trip to belgium). and I really like these blue cloth napkins - they will be perfect for eating out on the deck this summer & were only $1. oh, and the scarf is for my sissy. not sure if it's vintage or not, but I just loved that blue & green print!  and all of this for a crisp hamilton (I had to google that). 

blueberry picking

{3 pounds of berries for $9!}

singing in the rain

rainy days in the river are almost more fun than sunny ones.