valentine's day at terrain

some simple and lovely gifts to give to your sweetheart from terrain.

1. kraft hearts garland
2. love letter kit
3. love poems
4. heartfelt garland

scenes around my parent's house

hope you enjoy these pictures of my parent's, pam and peter lubs, home in the mid-coast of maine (specifically on the saint george pennisula in the town of tenants harbor). they live in a new england cape built in the 1800's. my mom was an antique dealer so she has some beautiful collections. i admire them for making a change last year and moving from chagrin falls, ohio after thirty years of living there. they followed their hearts and put their minds to it and it all fell into place beautifully. and now they are living their dream.

josh's birthday weekend

we celebrated, my husband, josh's 37th birthday in boston this weekend. it was just josh + i. the girls stayed at my bro+sis-in-law's home in jamaica plain and had lots of fun. i found a living social deal for the ames hotel a week before his birthday and was pretty excited because we don't do this adults only thing very often. it took me a couple of hours to adjust to not being in my motherhood role. that and trying to dress sophisticated when it's 18 degrees out was pretty difficult for me.

it was all about the food this weekend. we ate vietnamese (pho pasteur), japanese (shabuzen), italian (pizzeria regina), middle eastern (cafe jaffa), and mexican (temazcal) food while we were in the city. eating. holding hands. and popping into design stores to get inspired was what we did.

i love you, josh with all my heart and soul and cheers to this being the best year yet. 

happy weekend

hope you have a lovely weekend filled with your favorite things. enjoy!

i took this photo last weekend at my parent's home.

jan eleni interiors

the common denominator in these pictures is jan eleni lemonedes. she has decorated these soulful and thoughtful interiors. you can tell she really gets a feel for what her clients are like before she starts her creative process. the rooms seem very personal. almost like she spent years trying to find the objects and artwork that are displayed in the space. how refreshing to see! 

all images from jan eleni interiors via remodelista.

trillium soaps

i totally buy into the idea of aromatherapy. walking into the trillium soaps store on 216 south main street in rockland, maine solidified this for me. with every inhale of the natural plant essences i took in, my blood pressure went down, my smile lifted and a peaceful calm enveloped my body. this store is way up there on my list of happy places.

the soaps are made from olive oil for a moisturizing quality, palm oil for a smooth lather and coconut oil for cleansing strength. they combine these oils with special ingredients like aloe vera, comfrey, rose petals. and the best part is they scent the soap with 100% natural plant essences. plant essences like grapefruit, lavender, rosemary, lime, and pine. they smelled so fresh and ripe i almost wanted to take a bite out of them. 

i walked away with an entire loaf of orange calendula soap and i have been washing my body and hands every chance i get.

and the soap wasn't the only happy maker in there. they also sell antiques, white dishes, glass cloches, linen napkins and aprons, oil paintings, handmade wooden spoons, and the most beautiful ribbon i have ever seen. 

i highly recommend a visit to the trillium soap shop if you are in rockland, maine or check out their website.

around the house

rubeckia hirta arrangement in snow by k

breakfast this morn. berry smoothie + almond butter on whole wheat toast. can't forget the honey.

josh surprised me by putting this arrangement on the wall this weekend. they are roots we collected from our winter walk at the beach.

hope you are having a good week. it is quite frigid today, but i am lifting my head to the sun and taking in all it's vitamin d. just some things around our house that i wanted to share today.

cisthene

gems, stones, and crystals seem to be in the spotlight these days and i am loving all the attention they are getting. created by nature. their texture and colors are a design enthusiasts dream. 

thanks to nelya povolotsky on pinterest i was introduced to the webshop, cisthene, owned and operated by jen altman.  the book in the first photo titled,  Gem and Stone: Jewels of Earth, Sea, and Sky  is by jen altman and published by chronicle books. it features 50 of the world's most beautiful gems, rocks, metals, and minerals. 

and then look at all the silk scarf loveliness from cisthene. amethyst, crystal quartz and malachite. buy them right here.

this weekend in maine

      you know how it is on winter weekends with kiddos. you and your husband have a list a mile long of things you want to accomplish but all you really do is have a couple dance parties with the kids, bake cookies with the kids and get the paint out to make some pieces of art with the kids. which turns into a full-fledged strip naked and paint your stomach with war paint party (the kids that is). 

we love spending time with k+r so it's hard for us to focus on paperwork, taxes, making plans for the future, or getting the general adult stuff done. 

enter the fabulous grandparents that just moved to maine.

josh was able to stay home this weekend in peace and quiet and cross off a mile long list while i carted the girls up to maine for some quality time with my parents. it was a win. win. 

it may seem like josh got the raw end of the deal doing the taxes, but to have the entire house to yourself. to drink coffee in silence. watch some basketball games. read a book. get inspired about the future and start the legwork to make all the goals we have for 2013 come to fruition. i think there had to have been an ounce of bliss in all of it.

meanwhile, my parents, the girls and i went to the farnsworth art museum in rockland, maine. had york salads filled with all sorts of goodness at clan maclaren's. went antiquing at the rockland antiques marketplace where i found birthday gifts for josh. tea partied it up with my mom's collection of blue willow china. (the girls had french vanilla and my mom and i had a tea called malbec red. ha. full-bodied and lovely ).  watched episodes of downton abbey. made paper hearts. read children's books that take place in maine. and went on winter drives to take in the scenery.

and then we reconvened monday night in newport. josh relieved to have actually accomplished something on the weekend. the girls happy about all their new experiences with their grandparents. and i very grateful for my parents and their hospitality and thrilled to see my husband.

athena calderone's style filled urban abode

 

i'm wiping the drool away from the keyboard right now. such style and sophistication athena calderone possesses. and she does it all with an organic touch of quiet grace and down-to-earthness.

i have posted about interior designer athena calderone's amagansett summer home right here and her lovely blog, eye swoon right here. well, this is her urban abode in brooklyn, new york featured in harper's bazaar. 

soak it all up. it doesn't get much better than this.

photo credit: christopher sturman for harper's bazaar

gravity and grace: monumental works by el anatsui

El Anatsui (Ghanaian, b. 1944). Earth’s Skin, 2009. Aluminum and copper wire, 177 x 394 in. (449.6 x 1000.8 cm). Courtesy of the artist and Jack Shainman Gallery, New York. Photo by Joe Levack, Courtesy of the Akron Art Museum

ghanaian artist el anatsui's traveling exhibit, gravity and grace: monumental works by el anatsui will be on display at the brooklyn museum from february 8-august 4. he uses used aluminum and copper wire to stitch together found items.

i am so attracted to his handmade sculptures. they represent a transformation in my eyes. taking a consumer product, such as a bottle cap and aluminum wire that has a functional everyday purpose and changing it into an intricate sculpture that breathes life, color and radiance.  i have got to get to that museum to see his works of art. but, staring at the photos of el anatsui's work will have to do for now.

transformation and change have been on my mind lately. it must be from the new year and the fact that i heard a sermon at my church this sunday about joy in your heart. it feels like my natural tendency in this dreary january weather is to complain and use lots of sarcasm. to talk about the annoying things people do and focus on my pet peeves when talking to my husband. anyone else out there tend to go there more often during this time of year? maybe it's just me, but i'm going to make a conscious effort to change this way of thinking. to be more grateful. to be more patient. to listen more. and to see the good things that occur rather than the bad things.

there is certainly no shortage of horrors in this world. but, there is new hope. and i am making a vow to spread kindness, positive energy and joy during my encounters with people. i want to be a bearer of light. so starting today, you may see a woman driving around newport with a huge smile on her face. she didn't just win the lottery or land a publishing deal for her first book or find the cure for cancer. she is just counting her blessings and is trying to make a change.

lemon-lime detox smoothie

i have lots of lemons and limes left over from the holidays. i tend to overestimate on food in a big way during the holidays. our fruit drawer is filled with lots of citrus goodness that i best be using up or it will go to waste. and since it is the new year and all i thought i would kill two birds with one stone and make a healthy smoothie while using up the lemons and limes. lemons and limes rank high in the detox department. apparently they contain a large quantity of water which helps flush the toxins out of your body. anything to help rid my body of those nasty toxins, right? plus, this smoothie really does taste good (my daughter, rory even had a glass). here's the recipe:

Lemon-Lime Detox Smoothie Recipe

• 1/2 medium lemon, peeled and deseeded
• 1/2 medium lime, peeled and deseeded
• 2 medium bananas, peeled
• juice from 1 large orange
• 1-2 cups chopped dandelion greens, kale or spinach  

use your blender to blend all ingredients until smooth. 

i used frozen kale and i also added 1/2 cup of coconut water.  cheers to your health. 

recipe from here.

a winter walk

the new year always lures our family outside to appreciate nature and our surroundings. this weekend we headed to the john chaffee nature preserve in north kingstown, ri. hiking and taking walks is one of our favorite things to do as a family on the weekend. it feeds our souls and makes us happy. what is your favorite thing to do as a family?