pink?

Are you noticing a trend lately? First it started with the chair, which has dashes of pink in it. Then the pillow. I also can't stop thinking about these two images lately:

The latest cover of House Beautiful.

And an image from the Serena & Lily catalog/website.

I love the "city eclectic" feel of both of these rooms, from the bright colors (that still feel sophisticated) to the art on the walls, with a dash of wordly accessories (like that amazing white moorish table above). I think this style is perfect for us because I love bright colors, but I still want the room to feel inviting and cozy. We also have a lot of interesting art and accessories from Africa that will be here soon (if our shipment ever gets here) that would mix well with this style.

I love the warmth that pink brings to both of these spaces, so I'm considering pink for the living room:

I bought two samples from Ben Moore this weekend, pink innocence (on the left) and pink begonia (right), which is the exact color from the House Beautiful image. I'm leaning towards the pink begonia because I think it would bring a lot of warmth to the large room and well, if you're going to go with pink you might as well go all the way!

Am I crazy? Hubs is actually on board. What do you think?

pink anthro pillow

I had something to return at the mall the other day and little man fell asleep in the stroller (a rare occurrence), so I stuck my head in Anthro to check the sale section. I found this little lady stuffed in a sale bin, marked half off. I checked the zipper and it worked, but the actual zipper was missing. I asked if they would take any more off for this and they ended up giving me an additional 30% off!! An Anthro pillow for $34.99...also a rare occurrence! The colors are perfect with my new chair.

flower power!

I love spring and the blooms it brings! My friend Kat sent me this plant as a Christmas present and I have literally done nothing to it (haven't even watered it) and it has turned into this! My kind of plant...thanks Kat!

I thought my hydrangea bush was completely done-zo, but little buds are starting to poke through!

I found this cute little window sill-sized herb tub on sale at CVS for $5.99!! Fresh basil, chives and parsley? Yes, please! I've never been much for growing things, but herbs seem like a good thing to start with. I'll let you know how it goes.

NYC inspiration

Hubs and I managed to squeeze in a short weekend getaway to NYC for the holidays and I've been meaning to post the photos. Most of them were taken from my phone, so please excuse the quality.

My first stop was one of my favorite places on earth, Cafe Sabarsky. It's this little Viennese (as in Vienna, Austria) cafe on the Upper East Side, facing Central Park.

The coffee is incredible and presented just so.

Fishs Eddy is a little shop I stumbled upon on my way to ABC Home. What a gem!

Such a fun chandelier!

Just gobs and gobs of dishes. I was in Heaven.

Onto ABC Home, where I spent an hour in just the baby section. Their displays were so creative.

How cute are those little artists' palette pillows?!

And I was just dying over this pint-sized mod chair.

A John Robshaw display in the bedding department. Yes, this place had FIVE FLOORS!

More ABC eye candy.

And of course we had to make a pilgrimage to Magnolia Bakery.

Hubs was a saint for waiting in line (in the cold) with me.

So worth it.

22 months

Dearest Calder-loo,

It's hard to believe that your second birthday is right around the corner. It's going by too quickly!

You are a hoot lately. You're talking up a storm and starting to form small sentences. Some of the things you say are hilarious. You're also becoming very good with your manners. You can say "please mommy, may I have___" (with a little coaxing from me, of course) and you're very good at thank you.

You have also started to sing! Your current favorites are the Itsy Bitsy Spider, Old MacDonald and Twinkle Twinkle. I love to hear you sing and grab your "guitar" (any old spatula will do) whenever you hear music.

You love to practice counting. So far you can make it to 3, but you also know 8 and 9.

I have noticed a huge energy boost in the last month. All day you tear around the house (leaving a trail of course) and climb on things while constantly chattering...it's all I can do to keep up with you, but it's a ton of fun.

You're also becoming more social. You know the names of your friends now and you're quickly learning that a little sharing goes far. You also love to talk to your animals and make believe with them. For example, today I found Froggie in your high chair having a snack of cheese. Pretty funny.

This is a very entertaining age. You are absorbing everything and learning very quickly.

Kisses to you,

Mommy

bamileke stool

Do you remember when I blogged about my African stools? Well, I found another one on the Serena & Lily website for $950!! I really should have bought more in Africa to sell here...I could have made a fortune!

ferris wheel

OMG, I just saw this ferris wheel on one of my favorite blogs, Making it Lovely. Wouldn't this be awesome for Calder's circus-esque room? It's a total stand-in for the mammoth yellow one, right?!

MINE!

I popped into Home Goods on Saturday and this baby stopped me dead in my tracks. It was love at first sight. I couldn't get over the price tag either...$300 for a well made, tufted chair with turned wooden legs. It looks like an Anthropologie chair that sells for $1600 or something ridiculous. I bought it on the spot. I have no idea where I'm going to put it yet, but it was too awesome to pass up. Maybe it will come to Paris with us? That's right. We are moving...again. To Paris, next year. Are you laughing yet?

hot hue: cobalt

I've noticed this color everywhere lately and I'm loving it. It pairs well with so many colors...red (for an Americana look), kelly green, pink, yellow, orange, or even just crisp white.

1 & 2: Crate & Barrel

3: Serena & Lily

4, 5, 6, 7 & 8: Target

9: West Elm

saturated satchels

kate spade

anthropologie

boden

anthropologie

Ahhh...yay for spring.

better late than never

I've been meaning to post photos of the house, so I guess I'll start with the Christmas decorations. Better late than never, right? Here's a photo of the mantle:

And a close-up:

Aren't those stocking holders the cutest? Yeah for Target finds! I wouldn't normally put lamps on a mantle, but they kind of look like vases to me. More on those later...