house tour

I loved the pictures of this home, designed by Jessica Helgerson Design, posted on design*sponge yesterday. Makes me think of a fabulous house at the lake. Photos by Lincoln Barbour.

modica market

Even the grocery store, Modica Market, in Seaside is cool. Family owned, it was designed by architect Deborah Berke. These pictures are from a scrapbook I made a couple of years ago--you can only imagine how much Trey loves having his picture made (that's my southern accent coming out) in a grocery store.

the red bar

Oh, The Red Bar. Just down the road from Seaside, in Grayton Beach, it's the ultimate dive. Very funky, very loud, and very many of the booths have been repaired with duct tape. Though I feel I might be getting a bit old for the place--it's a mix of locals and SEC sorority girls in 3-inch heels and minidresses--you've got to go at least once.

sundog books

Smack dab in the middle of Seaside is my favorite bookstore, Sundog Books. You must go if you are ever in the neighborhood. I want every book in the place.
P.S. I think they are working on a website.

seaside, florida

Spent last weekend in one of my favorite places on earth, Seaside, Florida. Beautiful beaches, amazing houses, great shops, cute kids, excellent restaurants...did I forget anything? Perhaps the coolest thing-- it remains a fine example of New Urbanism.

pure bliss

I think my idea of pure bliss is this picture (from Martha): reading by the pool and then, in a little bit, taking a nap. Maybe she's reading this most excellent book, which I'm 3/4 of the way through, and I already don't want it to end.

great mix

Just one last thing before I leave town, from the Sartorialist.

happy memorial day

Hope you have a safe and fun very-beginning-of-summer weekend!

makeup addiction

I should have entered some 12-step recovery program for makeup addiction long ago. And it is taking everything in me not to order this precious little set from Tarte, at Sephora. Especially since I love all things teeny.
P.S. Somtimes by putting things on this blog, my impulse to buy goes away. But it doesn't seem to be working with this one!

popmats

How adorable is this placemat, with a pop-up for a placecard! By Publique Living, via Oh Joy!

a pigeonnier of one's own

Wouldn't you just love a place like this, to escape from everything? Originally built as a pigeonnier (you guessed it, a house for pigeons) on the 18th century Louisiana family home of Angele Parlange. She and her brother did a nice job sprucing it up--it's even got a little bedroom upstairs.
{from Cottage Living, May/June 2008}

well done, martha

I got my new Martha Stewart Living in the mail today--what a pleasant surprise. It is filled with beautiful pictures, like these straw beehives.

mario badescu

A couple of weeks ago, I started using this to wash my face. It took a little bit to get used to the non-foaming action, but now I love it. Especially the scent--I want to use it more than just twice a day. Which is not a bad thing when you have oily skin and the humidity is setting in down south.

french vacation

Roussillon en Luberon

Nicole posted some wonderful Polaroids from her recent trip to Paris and the South of France. This time last year I was there. You could say I'm a teensy bit jealous.

missoni chair

I love the fabric, by Missoni, on this chair. Not so much love, though, for the purple pillow or the wallpaper.
{image: real simple, april 2008}

thanks, mom

Thanks, Mom, for the beautiful peonies. I wanted to try another shot, but I only have 94 Polaroids to last me the rest of my life.

flowie

I saw these scarves last week on Daily Candy and liked them. A lot. By flowie.

in the kitchen

I just love this little kitchen. I don't think I'd be brave enough to put that color on my walls, but I think it's a great idea for a small space. It belongs to Eleanor, and I spotted it on design*sponge.

happy anniversary

Two years and counting. Photo by Tina Rowden. She does a really nice job, if I do say so myself.

something old

So that top picture is my mother's wedding dress, as worn by my cousin Leah. When I got married two years ago, Leah worked her magic and made the dress into the ring bearer's pillow and a ribbon for my bouquet. Alas, she couldn't really do anything with that collar.
p.s. Leah, please don't think that the title "something old" refers to anything but the dress!

paper lanterns

There are a million pictures of paper lanterns out there, and I've yet to find one I don't like.
{images: top, lola event productions; bottom, fete new york; via snippet and ink}

classic bride

Gosh, what an elegant picture.
{image: martha stewart}

wedding invitations

While I am in love with letterpress, my heart belongs to good, old-fashioned engraving. In Shaded Antique Roman, please. If you're in the market, Reaves Engraving does a wonderful job.
{image: my scrapbook, with credits to my friend susanna}

bouquet of the day

Sometimes I feel like dahlias get the shaft in wedding bouquets. I don't know why, because they are just so lovely.

bouquet of the day

Lily of the valley and hydrangea perfection.

flower girls

Flower girls may be my favorite thing about weddings. Strasburg dresses, ballerina slippers, floral wreaths, pomanders...these are a few of my favorite things.

bouquet of the day

I love simple, old-fashioned stephanotis, featured with gardenias in the bouquet above. Credit its long-standing popularity to its meaning, from the language of flowers, "marital happiness."

classic bride

I love her dress, her hair, her bouquet...everything. Including her handsome groom. Minnie Cushing and Peter Beard, 1967.
{image: Vogue}

here comes the bride

In honor of Jenna Bush's upcoming wedding (oh yeah, and I've got a 2-yr anniversary coming up), I thought I'd do some wedding related posts this week. I loved the idea of a wedding, but I found the actual planning to be torturous. To all you soon-to-be-brides out there, it's okay not to enjoy the planning. But it really is all worth it in the end.

kolo albums

The Kolo Cortina Lux album is the perfect way to save pictures from a trip. I love the stitching detail on the spine, and it looks so pretty on the shelf. The bottom picture is a page from one of mine, from our trip to Paris. I could not resist taking a picture of that kid eating the biggest baguette I have ever seen in my life.

how to make mopping fun

1) Make some coffee.
2) Use this.
3) Look at blogs and drink coffee until the floors dry.
4) Be happy that your house is clean and smells so good.

a perfect room

Every time I see this picture, I want to save it, so I finally did. Saw it this morning on decor8, and not too long ago on {frolic!}.