again and again

while i was in rockport, massachusetts earlier this month we stopped into thistle hill, a new lifestyle boutique located at 8a main street. thistle hill carries a well curated collection of sustainable gifts for your home, accessories and women's clothing. one of my favorite things in the store was a recycled sailcloth bag by again and again. frieda grotjahn handcrafts each bag and creates a functional and unique accessory that you can use everyday. she makes a whole bunch of different designs, but the skull and anchor cross bones one is my favorite.


more about again and again here.
more about thistle hill here.
image from captjoe06's photostream on flickr

art installation in brussels

how intricate and dynamic this art installation looks. this would just be so spectacular to see in person. the title of the installation was ‘there are no circles’  and was created by french-born brussels artist lionel estève. it was on display at fondation d’enerprise hermès in brussels. he used thread and plastic beads to create a magical movement.

photos © fabien de cugnac via yellowtrace blog.

happy weekend

via happy thursday.

enamored by

ben sollee!  play his you tube video above from his n.p.r. tiny desk concert. you can also check the video out on the n.p.r. website as well. his mix of classical and folk sounds have me hooked. he played at the newport folk festival last year and i'm kicking myself that i didn't see him. enjoy!

***this reminded my so much of my friend tara. when i was working at the harvard graduate school of education she had an office down the hall from me and she would practice her cello early in the morning. when i was pregnant with the twins i was going to bed really early and then i would waddle into work early and get a chance to hear her practice with the filing cabinet next to her and book shelves above. what a treat. miss you tara and you are going to make such a beautiful bride.

into the mystic

 

 

when josh's family came to town this weekend we did some touristy things that we usually don't do, but i'm so happy we did. one of them was take a ride on madeleine, a 72-foot sailing schooner.  it was a 1.5 hour trip around newport harbor and narrangansett bay. breathtaking views and from the water we were able to see hammersmith farm, jacqueline kennedy onassis's childhood home. i can't believe this was our first time on the water while living in newport, but i want to do it again soon. the wooden masts and white sailing fabric against the blue sky were so beautiful to me.

summer daydreams

1. outdoor fire pits. oregon coast house designed by jessica helgerson interior design

2. painting with watercolors. original watercolor painting by samantha r. sano via simple lovely

3. wrapping up in blue and white turkish towels after a salty swim in the ocean. striped hammam towel from toast via the style files

4. taking an outdoor shower under the blue sky to rinse off the beach sand. photo by andreas mikkel hansen for bo bedre via nordic design

5. eating pretty popsicles. photo by laure joliet for at home at home

6. eating tapas off sun print plates. nature sun print dessert plates from west elm

cassandra smith

chevron antlers by cassandra smith on etsy. and check out her website here.

via seesaw.

loft living with children

ohhh, look at the way the children's artwork is displayed, the grid of photos in the bedroom, the organized shelving, and the overall unpretentiousness of this kid-friendly loft that is home to rebecca robertson and her family.  pretty fabulous!

photos by michael mundy for an afternoon with...

ginkgo branches, drinks, and appetizers

 

 

 

all of josh's family came into town this weekend so there was 17 of us. 9 kids, 6 parents and 2 grandparents. they stayed in a hotel and we all met up together to go swimming, walking, exploring, shopping, sailing on a harbor boat tour and lots and lots of eating. we hosted everyone at our house friday night for a cocktail party before we walked into town for dinner. 

we had 2 tables. one for appetizers and one for drinks. for the drink table we served beer on ice in a galvinized tub, red and white wine and chilled vodka for martinis or vodka tonics with fresh lemon. lemonade and sparkling pomegranate-apple juice for the kiddies.

i purchased the fabric for the table cloth at ikea. josh cut some gingko tree branches and we put them in a large glass vase for the centerpiece and we received the white ceramic owls as christmas presents from west elm and we kept both of them so we could pair them together for entertaining. 

josh and i found this article by mark bittman from the new york times titled, "101 simple appetizers in 20 minutes or less" to jump start some ideas for appetizers. here's what we served:

1. shrimp cocktail:combined ketchup with  pepper, lemon juice, worcestershire, tabasco and horseradish and served with cooked shrimp. 

2. bay scallops: cooked in olive oil for just a couple of minutes and sprinkled with lemon juice and parsley and served hot.

3. cheese platter. 3 cheeses. saint andre. goat cheese. old amsterdam gouda. with green grapes and rosemary crispbread.

4. caprese skewers. a small ball of mozzarella. a small heirloom tomato and a bit of basil leaf. sprinkled with salt, pepper and drizzled with oil and balsamic vinegar.

last weekend

 

1. rory bounding into the water at second beach.

2. made artwork by taking gunvor fabric from ikea and stapling it to a large canvas that i had in the attic. cheap and dramatic art!

3. did some more decorating, rearranging, and hanging of artwork.

    4.  trip to simmons organic farm to feed the goats.

george anderson

while we were in rockport, massachusetts we made our way into george anderson's contemporary art gallery located at 10 main street. you can purchase all of the posters seen above right here. and check out his gallery of paintings right here. this is the first time i have seen an artist paint maritime and marine scenes using a modern aesthetic and i love it.

the reel catch

 all of the above packaging designs are done by jesse harris. what a feast for the eyes!! innovative packaging and streamline graphic design makes me so happy. see more of jesse harris's fabulous work here.

via emmadime.

happy weekend

hope you all have a lovely summer weekend. we headed to queen anne square last night and enjoyed the movie, 'life in a day', under the stars thanks to newport film. magical!

and today was supposed to be a beach day with our friends, but we woke up to rain so we turned it into an ikea day. picked up some slipcovers, black and white polka dot fabric to make a table cloth for an upcoming cocktail party and some bags and goodies to give to our family when they arrive next weekend for a family reunion. it will be fun to collect some other local drinks, treats and maps to put in them.

this weekend is the newport kite festival at brenton point so we will be definitely heading there with the girls. 

see you next week-

image by tony cenicola for the new york times.

inspiration from hus & hem

 

 

hope you enjoy these images from the scandinavian magazine hus & hem that embody an effortless, relaxing summer vibe. 

image 1-3: martin cederblad for hus & hem

image 4-7 +9: peter carlsson for hus & hem

image 8: mari eriksson for hus & hem