Pillow Negotiations

I think that I mentioned a little while back that we are currently freshening up our bedroom. I can’t even describe how bad it had become. And not in a dirty hoarders kind of way, but in the way that when you live in a one bedroom apartment, there aren’t too many places to store things. The living room is the room you have to keep nice for guests, and so the bedroom quickly becomes the overflow for “everything else” (think: the drum-set from RockBand). I’ve  been trying to break the habit and we have been getting rid of quite a bit lately so now that I can actually SEE the top of the dresser- the next step is to invest in some new grownup furniture. I don’t mean custom $10,000 side tables- but at least an upgrade from IKEA.

Problem is, while we aren’t polar opposites, we can’t seem to agree on what direction we want to go. We both love neutral bedding and carpeting but while I’d like to stick with light/ white furniture, Nick prefers the dark contrast. It shoudln’t be giving me so much stress- but once we commit there is no turning back! I”m only dealing with the service elevator/ furniture delivery woes ONE TIME.

The lighter version:

And now with darker furniture:

Actually I am really drawn to the indigo hues in the last photo….maybe I’m thinking TOO neutral?

Either way I want your opinions! Which do you prefer? Or do you love the little bit of color? And please for my sake, don’t quote that scene from Devil Wears Prada where they fight over WHICH turquoise belt to use because they are SOOOOoooo different. Because its been running through my head on repeat and I”m wondering what kind of crazy person I’ve become that THIS is the biggest anxiety in my life…..

 

Scenes from the Boston Flower and Garden Show

Hi there! I’m back! Where have I been?? Hiding under the covers avoiding the snow? Jetsetting around the globe to fabulous destinations (HA!) Nope, believe it or not- I’ve been working! I’ll let you swallow your shock. In all seriousness though, this blog is NOT my full time job and every once in a while my real one does pick up quite a bit. Engineering has its ups and downs based on project schedules and lately I’ve been designing buildings non stop.

I did happen to squeeze in a visit to the Boston Flower and Garden Show this past weekend. I had never been before and was happy we finally made the trip. It was a nice break to the endless winter we were having. I’m seriously craving Spring!!!

For the event, the entire World Trade Center Exhibition hall is transformed with several gardens of varying styles brought indoors.. I can’t imagine the amount of work that goes into setting this up. Not only do the exhibitors have to build up the planting areas, fill them with soil, plant all of the TREES, bushes, flowers etc, build patios and arrange seating areas, BUT THEN some of them even go so far as to install working waterfalls and fountains. I’m explaining this all poorly, but here are my best pictures. I’ll apologize in advance for any cameo appearances by Boston area grandmothers- they were swarming the place!

This was by far my favorite setup- not only did they have flowers and a gorgeous fountain- but do you see those “cages”?? THERE ARE REAL BIRDS IN THERE:

Nick was pretty much ready to move into this child’s playhouse- I can’t say I blame him:

There were also a bunch of vendors “peddling their wares…” Everything from wind-chimes and outdoor grills, to local honey and outdoor inspired art. I was in LOVE with these framed butterflies (I have a butterfly weakness).

Of course these gigantic garden displays are lovely if you own a house with a big yard and have $25,000+ to spend on landscaping, but for me and my current living situation, everything was more of a mental note for “someday”. Thats not to say there weren’t some more indoor friendly garden ideas. This Bonsai was out of control beautiful and I STILL am obsessed with terrariums. There was also an entire room of beautiful floral arrangements.

I can’t wait to go back next year! I really would recommend the event to anyone who finds themselves in Boston in late March. While I can’t promise that it won’t be winter outside, it was certainly a welcome taste of Spring.

Inspiration from above….

Have you seen this month’s Veranda??? I stopped in my tracks when I saw the Atlanta home of Danielle Rollins- especially the bar:

The room was inspired by the ceiling at Grand Central Station in NY and the family’s zodiacs are the ones painted on the ceiling. Its no surprise the designer, Miles Redd, felt inspired, I bump into at least 10 people every time I find myself at Grand Central because I’m looking up instead of in front of me. I know I look like the ultimate tourist, but I can’t help it- there is something so inspirational and awe inspiring about gazing at the stars…even if they are painted ones.

A quick search around the internet, and it seems I’m not the only one to agree.  Neither Grand Central nor the Rollins house are the first with ceilings paying tribute to the constellations:

Mount Stuart in Scotland

Villa Farnesina in Rome

a private home in California

So the question of the day: do you embrace astrology??? For me, its more of a fun game than a way of life- but I know people who won’t get out of bed in the morning without consulting their horoscope. I’m an Aries: headstrong, independent and COMPETITIVE- although sometimes very gullible. Even if I don’t always agree with my horoscope, I DO love wearing red and buying trinkets with rams on them. If you are looking for a ways to mix astrology items in your life, and don’t exactly have the budget to redo an entire room in the house, you will be happy to see these zodiac themed items that are little more wallet friendly-Virgos and Taurus especially 😉

Deja Vu.. and the art of blogging

WARNING: Taking a minute today to rant about the art of blogging. Regular content to resume tomorrow.

It is no secret that bloggers love J.crew. And why wouldn’t we?? Brightly colored classics, affordable statement jewelry, well designed prints- its a dream. But there is a downside to having this accessible mecca of blogtastic items- we all share it – constantly- and many times its the same 5 items… Today I’m talking about the colorblock tartine satchel.

First I saw it here. Then here. Then here and today here. And I can’t remember as I’m writing this but I’m sure I’ve seen it a few other places too….. It seems like everyone and their mother thinks this bag is the cat’s meow. But is it really? Has anyone seen it in person? Or does it just have great colors and photograph well?? I dunno, front-on it looks lovely- but side view??? It seems rather gigantic and a little awkward to carry under your arm:

 

I don’t mean to be criticizing these ladies in anyway- I love each of their blogs and draw on them daily for inspiration. I mean, as you can see each post has the bag mixed up different ways. They are in no way the only “offenders” , and this is not the first “viral” blog item. Remember the Jcrew bubble necklace??? Then a few months ago it was the US launch of Zara Home (did anyone even buy anything??) and we saw it again a few weeks ago when everyone shared images of Miranda Brooks home featured in Vogue (don’t we ALL get the magazine??).

What is it that makes a specific item (product, image, design, painting, etc.) sharable? And how is it that no matter how long we spend researching new ideas, we oftentimes end up sharing the same ones? I can’t even count how many times I’ll have come up with an “original” post to only find out its been blogged 10 other places – with the same images! And then I catch myself thinking- did I truly come up with this idea independently?? or was it somehow influenced by something I saw earlier?? (Kind of like Leibniz and Calculus…… too nerdy??? I’ll stop…)

Is something great because its truly great- or do I think its great because others told me it is? Do we post something just so everyone knows “hey- I know this awesome thing exists- I’m not blind to trends!” Or is it to be one of the popular kids-this club where “omg you wear sperry’s and like diptyque candles too??”

When I was little I used to enjoy reading catalogs. Not magazines- literally Pottery Barn, Bloomingdales and Hannah Anderson catalogs. My mom would even send me some in care packages at summer camp just so that I could skim through and look at outfits and products. I don’t know what it was that made me enjoy them- but just imagine my delight to what the internet has evolved into today. An ENDLESS supply of visual stimulation. So maybe I’m the only crazy person to notice how many times the same things appear everywhere- because I spend hours online everyday?

There is this mantra in blogging that you should post EVERYDAY no matter what, to help build a readership. Well- I can say its sometimes difficult to post something new everyday- especially if you are looking to share cool things that aren’t over-blogged about. I don’t like the idea of someone noticing the days I don’t have more time to devote to research, or a more original idea to share- the perfectionist/ introvert inside me says NO! So I second guess myself and don’t post. But maybe I should- maybe I’m missing out on an aspect of blogging where we love and read each other BECAUSE we have so much in common.

I in NO WAY have 10,000 readers, but it truly makes my day when I recognize someone from a previous comment. So at the end of this long ramble-  are you still here???- this question is for the handful of you: What keeps you coming back to read? Which posts/topics are your favorite? am I deluding myself thinking that anything can be truly original?

guilty??? via

Note: I almost deleted this post. I’m guilty of everything I say here- and I’m probably not articulating my point in the clearest way. I hope no one gets offended- because its something that EVERYONE writing a blog must deal with. The irony is that I’m sure I’m not the first one to post these questions! I guess I just wanted to throw out a frustration I have. Do you see it too? Do you have a blog? How do you distinguish yourself as an individual thinker while still staying relevant to the interests of your readers?

Traversing the snow and thinking about Spring..

Did you hear? It snowed 22 inches this past weekend in Boston. I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen so much snowfall… I remember when I was little this used to mean exciting things like snow days and making forts in the mountain of snow at the bottom of our driveway, but now its more like “ugh. whole foods is closed- how will I eat?!” While the snow IS very pretty while it lasts, in a city that window isn’t long. There are 8 foot mountains of dirty snow everywhere they can shove it and three lane roads are down to only 1. The struggle back and forth between the plows and the guys shoveling the sidewalks has made for very interesting walking around the city- at the end of each street is an OCEAN of slush. Its kind of like a maze to just get where you need to be! It doesn’t help that its been sunny and 40 degrees since Monday….

So I”m over it. Rant complete. Now I’m looking forward to Spring. Here are a few images that are keeping me going. You can find all of the sources on my pinterest page aptly named “Gardens”:

There is also a great garden sale on One Kings Lane today if you feel inspired to pick up a few items in anticipation. Here are a few of my favorites:

1. This little Perched Rabbit would look SO CUTE peeking out of a flower bed. I would name him fluffy.

2. I imagine putting glowing white candles in these weathered lanterns. And then of course sitting on the patio drinking wine at twighlight.

3. Cant decide if I would cluster these garden birdhouses all together or scatter them around different trees- but they are so whimsical- I love them

4. You can never have enough containers- and at $39 for a set of 2 these little crackle planters are a great find