jamie shelman

via black eiffel. love these abstract paintings by jamie shelman. i'm so inspired to paint right now, but with twin girls roaming the house i don't think it's realistic. this sudden urge to paint may come from the fact that we just moved and our walls are bare and screaming for some artwork.

design candy

1. kitka blog via decor8
2. hytteliv via my scandinavian retreat
3. marieclairemason.com via blue pool road
4. bolig via black.white.yellow
5. pisarapilvi via emmas designblogg

these are images i have spotted around the blogosphere. love the clean lines and feeling of openness in all these images.

newport, ri

here we come! josh started a new job last week in newport so we are packing up and moving this weekend. we are so excited, but after living almost 4 years in the boston area i was kinda getting used to the fast paced life and crazy drivers. i'm relieved we don't have to say goodbye to our friends in boston because they are only 1.5 hours away. ikea is right in between newport and boston, so i'm hoping to plan some get togethers over swedish meatballs and lingonberry juice. i have a hard time with change so instead of thinking about all the things i'm going to miss or the fact that our family doubled in size here in mass., i realize i need to look to the future. so here are the places i want to visit in and around newport once we get settled in our new place:
-the modern printed matter store + studio in warren, ri
-nonchalant mom's store in wakefield, ri
-roger williams park zoo in providence
-breakfast at the barn (15 main road) in adamsville, ri
-newport art museum
-the redwood library and athenaeum
- pick up a growler of beer at buzzards bay brewery in westport, ma
-horseneck beach, easton's beach, gooseberry beach
-tiverton four corners
-westport rivers vineyard and winery
-south country hot air balloon festival in kingston, ri
-newport antiques show
-casey farm in saunderstown, ri
-hike at beavertail state park in jamestown, ri and fort adams in newport
-rhode island antiques mall in pawtucket, ri
-the haskell nursery in new bedford, ma
-take a drive on ocean drive
-hike the 3.5 mile cliff walk in newport
-newport yachting center festivals (chowder cook off, irish, ocktoberfest)

polka dance

i'm a sucker for polka dots! look at these new patterns from ikea. i think you could do an entire theme for a kid's birthday party around a table cloth in one of these colors.

easter weekend

hope you all had a fun easter! cheers to new beginnings and a happy spring! my parents + josh's parents traveled from ohio to spend easter with us. on thursday we went to mount auburn cemetery to check out the spring buds + dinner at jasper white's summer shack. on friday we went to the park + my brother hosted a cook out with our entire family in the area. saturday we took a day trip to rockport, ma. and sunday was church and an easter celebration at our place with everyone. here are some of my favorite pics from the long weekend:
r+k

grandma + grandpa t with r
k
r


family pic

what we're really like
my bro,uncle rob being goofy, and my mom

josh + matt holding k+r/ wearing the girls hats

my mom + i in rockport

josh and me


k on easter morning

r with her easter bonnet

my dad and the girlies

the men hanging out on easter

matt teaching k how to make farting noises with her hands...lovely
k

gemma smith

our place is pretty much decorated with white, black, and grey. i think one of these paintings by gemma smith would add some vibrancy to our walls. pretty spring colors. it makes me want to run to the art store to get a canvas and some large brushes.

daffodil centerpiece

via stephmodo. stephanie always has the greatest ideas! she found this martha stewart paper basket bouquet here. i think i might line a couple of these down the center of my easter dinner table. i like that they are low so everyone at the table can see each other. i also love natural colored materials and that paper bag makes it not so fussy.and bonus- i think i saw bouquets of daffodils at trader joe's for like $1.50. score.

friday inspiration

some design eye candy. these are some images that get me going. hope you enjoy!!

{image1} from the new york times

{image 2} via remodelista

{image from domino magazine}

{image 4} via remodelista

{image 5} via my scandinavian retreat

{image 6} via emmas design blog

{image 7} via jordan ferney

easter eggs

photo from here at trufflegirls.com blog. looking forward to dyeing some eggs this year. how pretty are these! via design mom

random stuff

wanted to wish you all a very happy spring!! it was in the 70's last week so we have had a bit of spring fever at our house. the girls and i have been taking a walk every morning around fresh pond in cambridge and then going to the playground. they love it and i love that i don't have to scrounge for things to keep them entertained. here are some random things that are on my mind:

-have you tried the dark chocolate covered pomegranate seeds from trader joe's? so good!

-i'm hosting 10 people at our place for easter. if you have any fabulous recipes that i have to make, please pass them along.

-i bought a couple yards of this yellow and white striped fabric from ikea to make a table cloth with for easter. can't wait to see how the table looks when everything is put together. and while i was there i picked up some cinnamon buns. yep, ate 4 in one day. that's what pms'ing does to me.

-check these $16.99 denim wedge slingback shoes out at payless. i don't think they look cheapy.

-found these 2 new sites for women's clothing. mod cloth and shabby apple. pretty good prices.

-did you get your spring fix at target with the new liberty of london line? i went 2 days after it came out and a lot of things were sold out. i went back again yesterday and it looks like they got another shipment so if at first you fail, try, try again. the girls clothing was my favorite from the line.

-did you see design mom's freshly updated blog? 5 kids and one on the way. boy, she is an inspiration. you go girl!

-ll bean's signature line launched as i had previously posted here. what do you think?

jamie oliver

well, where do i start with jamie oliver? my husband and i have been watching him since 1999 when he started the 'naked chef' on the food network. we liked that he brought a no fuss attitude and simplicity to cooking. i think he coined the term 'easy peasy'. he is the same age as us so we could relate to him. his down to earth personality, the fact that he has the most stylish family out there (beautiful wife jules and their 3 girls with another babe on the way in september), and his english slang kept us intrigued. his beautiful cook books with creative styling and photographs are such a treat to look at. it's been fun to see what new ideas he comes up with. i think he is just the greatest because he uses his fame to positively change the world. in 2005 he started a campaign to jump start english children into eating better. his actions were heard and acknowledged by the english government. and now he is heading to hungington, west virginia to help change the way americans eat, think about food and depend on processed and fast food. his new tv series on abc is called 'jamie oliver's food revolution'. did you watch the preview this past sunday? what did you think? i loved justin and can't wait to see how jamie positively changes the way his family eats. if you didn't catch it you can watch it online or this friday, march 26th at 8 pm. i love jamie oliver!

cuteness

for babes and toddlers. only $10 at old navy.

forshizzle

convergence by jackson pollock, 1952

orange and yellow by mark rothko, 1956

asheville by william de kooning,1948

elegy to the spanish republic no. 34 by robert motherwell, 1953-54

did you get your hands on these 44 cent pieces of art yet? i did and i'm smitten. j picked some up at the post office yesterday and i was ecstatic to see how bold and beautiful they were in real life.
order them here.