state bird prints

I have a case of wanderlust. the only thing preventing me from dropping everything & traveling the globe right now is the fact that I'd be broke in about two weeks. so for now, I just dream & plan pretend trips in my head that will most likely never happen. but I find joy just in thinking about it. and these letterpress state bird/flower prints definitely inspire me to do more traveling in the usa.

robert & I found the first one at an adorable gift store while we were visiting friends in maine. we decided it would be a great tradition to buy one for every state we have visited together. luckily, dutch door press has an etsy store, so I have been gifting robert with a print for birthdays or holidays. right now we have texas, virginia, maine, new york, california & illinois. wouldn't it be awesome to fill the entire wall with prints? our good friends are able to fly for free & have taken their kids (ages 9 & 11) to almost every state (they are up to #42 right now!). so cool.

{print from dutch door press. 5x7 frames from target}

temporary christmas art

I love decking out the house for chirstmas. but we have a small house & don't have tons of extra space for keeping all of my christmas decor. so I'm always looking for creative solutions for storage.

I saw this beautiful print (I adore maps) designed by angela hardison & thought it would look perfect in one of the frames I already own. I downloaded it here on her blog for free (yes, free!) & then had it printed at mpix in a size that would fit the frame. when christmas is over, I'll just put the photo behind the poster that was already in the frame. perfect, easy storage. or I may even decide keep it up all year. such a great reminder of what christmas is all about.

music poster show

a few months ago robert designed a poster for a local poster show. the rules were simple: choose a song that inspires you & then design a poster around it. he chose m83's "midnight city" (so envious that my sister got to go see them last week in concert!). listen to the song here (oh, and just for the record- this was before victoria secret started using the song in their commercial!) then check out his poster. pretty clever, huh? he's good. ;)

{music inspiration}

{see the city in the keys??}

 {there were over 75 posters in the show!}

 {loved these simple cotton clouds hanging from the ceiling}

{tons of great designers}

 {see the tv reference in this one?}

{bryant in front of robert's poster & robert in front of bryant's winning poster: sergeant pepper's lonely hearts club band!}

king's highway diner + lounge

as if the ace hotel photos I posted didn't make that place look hip enough, they also have this restaurant on the property that is  just as awesome. the owners restored an old denny's restaurant & turned it into a super-hip diner, serving the most delicious food, most of which is organic & locally grown. one of the best parts is linda, "the singing hostess", who slienced everyone in the restaurant so that she could sing to us (and apparently she also hosts bingo on monday nights!). pretty rad.  

 {our great hosts for the week, eric + megan}

 {these ricotta pancakes were heavenly. I fully intend to make them at home}

 {and breakfast chilaquiles}

ace hotel, palm springs

so in case you are ever feeling down-in-the-dumps about yourself, do not visit the ace hotel in palm springs. you will leave feeling old, lame & extremely uncool. I have never been surrounded by so many skinny, aviator-wearing, tattooed, asymmetric-haircut hipsters in my life (I should also mention that there was a photo-shoot going on for american eagle, so there were a plethora of 95-pound models hanging around too). it was depressing. but this place is incredible. amazing design & signage everywhere you turn. it could not be a hipper hotel.

 {the pool, which is aptly named the "swim club", complete with bar & DJ}

 {great signage everywhere}

  {pool rules. I'm pretty sure there's one on there that says, "must be young & hot to enter"}

  {the rooms - some had patios with fire pits & couches}

  {how cool is this? by the second pool swim club}

  {the american eagle spring photoshoot. just look at those beauties scowl at me ;) }

  {our room}

bathroom renovation

after robert & I got married, I moved into his charming historic 1935 bungalow. while I loved my new home (and especially the person in it!), I wasn't thrilled with the bathroom (the only bathroom, mind you). the mirror was so high that I couldn't see; the pedestal stink allowed for no storage whatsoever; the wooden window in the shower was rotten; the wall tile was cracked; there was only one electric outlet. you get the picture.

so robert took two weeks off from work & got started on the demo. because our walls are plaster, they are a disaster to tear out. but after a few days, he got it all cleared out & put up dry wall & greenboard. he also added more outlets (even one in the drawer where I keep my hairdryer! he's a gem). we hired someone to tile the floor and the shower. robert also hired his friend to make this awesome concrete countertop & backsplash that we are so happy with (we're so not granite people). the rest of the cosmetic stuff, robert did himself. here are a few pics of the before & after:

shower & floor tile: ann sacks

paint: benjamin moore

mirror: scan design

shower curtain: anthropologie

wooden floor mat: crate & barrel

hand towels: pottery barn

art: ashley g

vanity, sink & faucet: home depot

concrete countertop: custom made

west elm makeover

I like west elm, but have never really loved it. their products seem very similar from year to year, none being all that special. but I have to say- I was blown away when I made a visit to our local west elm recently. the store actully had so much character- there were old wooden pallets turned into wall decor & cardboard chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. I complimented the manager & told him it felt very "anthropologie meets urban outfitters." come to find out, their new creative director came from anthropologie. anyway, here are some of my favs from their spring catalog. 

angela adams

robert & I have always been fans of designer angela adams. we got an amazing deal on one of her manfred rugs while in savannah a few years back. and we also have these lulu drinking glasses from the moca store, as well a few of these beautiful trays. so when visiting portland, the angela adams store was a top priority. it was absolutely beautiful & full of amazing art in the form of rugs, furniture, pillows, bags & stationary.

jeff lewis is back!

anybody else out there getting excited about the new season of "flipping out" starting tomorrow? I've missed jeff lewis' sarcasm, neuroticism, anal retentiveness, paranoia & obsessive-compulsive behavior. and jenni & zoila, of course. maybe this season he'll actually let them go #2 in his bathroom... 

regardless, the guy's got amazing taste. I love the way he's renovated these places:

{valley oak patio}

{commonwealth kitchen}

{valley oak bathroom}

{los bonitos}

I'll leave you with jeff's beverage order: “70 percent lemonade, 20 percent punch, 10 percent sprite. If they don’t have punch, do like 85 percent lemonade, 15 percent sprite. If they don’t have lemonade, do like 85 percent punch and 15 percent sprite. or 7-up.”

eames house

robert & I are big fans of charles & ray eames. we were out driving around in los angeles & I decided to put their address into the gps to see if we could find the place. sure enough, right near the edge of a cliff in the pacific palisades, in front of a grassy meadow & overlooking the pacific ocean, it stood.


charles & ray built the house in 1949 and they lived in it until their death. the couple's family now maintains the house to preserve their collections & decor. it was quite exciting to get to wander around the residence & experience this mid-century masterpiece up-close. it was definitely an unexpected highlight of our trip.

{the front of the residence}

{constructed entirely from "off-the-shelf" parts available from steel fabricator catalogs}

{there was a crack in the curtain & I was able to get a shot of the interior}