thanksgiving in ohio

thanksgiving in ohio. stopped half way in syracuse, ny. farmer's market on saturday morning. the green buliding. the cheese man is still there! h+m has the best kids line at carousel mall. listening to npr funniest driveway moments on cd. the girls handled the car ride like champs. they have long road trip genes. mom + dad's house looks awesome. so warm and cozy. lake farm park. the dryland sled dog challenge. baby calf.  hunan by the falls. my favorite stores in chagrin falls are nola true, deborah nicholl interiors, and stash style. date night while the grandparents watch the girls. nighttown (where josh and i went on our first date), billy elliot at the state theater. josh's brother's family arrives with r+k's 3 cousins. peyton. drew. and olivia. the girls were in heaven. thanksgiving dinner at josh's parent's house. 28 people. homemade pilgrim hats. great dinner, but my heart belongs to the dessert table. pumpkin whoopie pies. chocolate torte. penitentiary glen reservation. charliey harper designed a poster for them. welshfield inn. lots of hugs and kisses. it was a whirlwind, but we always love going back to the midwest.

i am loving this

ikea blog, livet hemma.

home tour

back from a week long thanksgiving vacation in ohio to visit family. now it's back to reality and the excitement of christmas decorating, carols, baking, and figuring out what new traditions we want to make here in newport.

wanted to start out the week with this home tour of emma and myles in toronto via hgtv.com. emma is the author of the fabulous design blog, the marion house book. i love it so much, i'm adding her blog to my list of favorites on the side. their late 19th century detached victorian home looks so effortless and chic. i love their eclectic style that makes their home unique and artful.

all images from here.

blog break

wishing you all a very happy thanksgiving!! hope you are able to eat, drink and be merry! i am signing off until the week after thanksgiving so i can spend time with family and friends and have no obligations. you know how great that feels. warm wishes to you all!

photo from toast via emmas design blog.

urban calendar

love this urban calendar from fe yerwerks on etsy. i have posted about this before, but i just think the height and the modern design would look cool on a desk. perfect gift for an architect or designer this christmas!

reindeer chucks

spotted these adorable converse high tops at real simple. instead of dressing your child in classic white, black or navy chucks, dress them in these reindeer cuties. $35 at converse.

motherhood

after 2+ years of motherhood, the i think the most stressful thing i have had to deal with is christmas card pictures. after baths with girls who scream when you wash their hair, picking out an outfit (tights and shoes included), trying it on and then realizing it wasn't the right one, then putting on the keeper outfit, getting the batteries charged on the camera, remembering to change my underwear before we leave the house, defending myself when my husband says that he thinks i'm crazy and answering "no" when he asks, "didn't we already take a picture this year that we can use", packing a bag with treats and toys to keep the girls happy during the picture taking process, and we haven't even put the girls in the car yet. then once we're at the beach balking like a chicken to get the girls laughing, handing out the lollipops to the girls, going through a box of wet-ones to wipe the red lollipop marks off of their face so they don't look like i'm trying to put red lipstick on 2-year-olds, comforting the girls when they drop their lollipop in the sand and when they realize that they can't eat it anymore, running back to the car from the beach twice because more wipes are needed and a different barrette that holds more hair is needed. and after my husband has patiently taken 88 pictures and we have returned home thinking we surely have one picture we can use in this years christmas card we realize there is not one. let me say that again, not one with them sitting and smiling together. so we chalk it up to a wasted morning and then after looking at the pictures again we realize that the pictures that are not posed and are full of their personalities are the winners. i think we are going to end up using the first one, but i have learned a valuable lesson. professional photographers are underrated.

l.l. bean signature line

found a thanksgiving day dress thanks to l.l. bean signature line. they have not disappointed yet. above are some of my favorites from the women and men's lines.

and do you know what l.l. bean stands for? leon leonwood bean. the founder of the company.

love this.

via lotta agaton via ffffound.

charley harper holiday cards at target

there is just something about charley harper's artwork that makes me happy. it could be his mix of modern illustration and natural elements or the fact that i was a zoology major and love the idea of mixing art and science. i was first introduced to charley harper during my undergrad years at miami university in oxford, ohio. i passed one of his animal mosaics on the entrance wall of the biological sciences building almost everyday for four years. so before heading to ecology, genetics, icthyology, and BMZ 101 i passed charley's artwork. my love for his work has stuck with me ever since.

i was purchasing some things from target this weekend and came across these charley harper holiday cards. was so excited to find these! get them here.

merry j.crew

just took a peak at j.crew's merry gift guide and the stylists for the pics above most certainly have the best job out there. the props of arrows, sleds, trees, peg boards, hatchets, and tents looks like a winter wonderland. not that i would expect anything less from j.crew. they have ramped up there styling the past couple of years. it is quite different from my days in college with their classic funnelneck sweaters and turtlenecks. love what they have done and want to step into this add and touch everything.

photos from j.crew.

home tour

all images from martha stewart home tours. this is the home of kimberely renner (interior designer-can you tell?!?)and her family in austin, texas. they took 2 run down duplexes and turn them into divine living space for a family of four. after seeing this house highlighted in martha stewart living september issue i couldn't stop thinking about the photo and light installation in the stairway. how clever is that. great ideas for storage in the kitchen too.

finnish blog

i get so much inspiration from the scandinavian blogs. this photo came from highway design blog out of finland. i can't read finnish, but design is an universal language spoken by the lovely pictures she has posted. how cute is this antique school desk. i love that the desk top is painted yellow. great idea for a kids room.

photo from highway design blog.

little winter market vendors

so bummed i live on the opposite coast from where the little winter market was taking place this past weekend. if you aren't a portland, OR resident and missed out on this handmade sale, here are some of the vendors that you can take a peak at. see a list of all the vendors here.

abby try again. shop. blog.photographer.



shanna murray. shop. whimsical illustrations for your wall or window.



tokketok. work. blog. design and letterpress.


garment house. shop. blog. clothing designer.


forestbound. website. shop. blog. utilitarian tote bags made from salvaged materials.