artist: miss capricho

As long as I've received my Daily Candy emails, I've always wondered whose done their artwork - lovely, whimsical watercolors.  I love the cityscape of Boston and always thought it would make a great print in my home.  So, I tracked down the artist - Miss Capricho.  And I bet she does your city, too...

And she does other great things, too.  Be sure to check out here site for more.

as one project ends...

("formal friday" with some co-workers since we normally dress like slobs)

...another begins.  Today was my last day after 14 months at the same production company (the longest time somewhere for this contractor).  It's surreal - I'm excited to start on my new project, but I've made some great friends, worked with people always pushing me to be better & learned a whole lot along the way.

On to the next.  And on and on and on...

food as art

Bright red, orange and green peppers.  Plump baskets of blueberries.  Swirling cocktails.  You know what?  Food isn't only good, it's pretty.  And while the food as art episode on Top Chef this season was the worst challenge ever, I still can't help but love that moment at a restaurant where your plate comes out and it just looks so gorgeous.

Meet Megan Elmstrom.  She's a local photographer and I simply love all her food photos.  They're perfect for marketing, sure, but they remind me how beautiful food can be. 

south end snap shots

Pretty light yesterday walking home.  I walk up this street everyday and these look like the pictures in my head when I think of my neighborhood.  I could see blowing them up and framing them some day.

on the road: las vegas

Uploaded some photos from my trip home to Vegas and these are some of my favorite shots.  Little Brother is the tennis player and I went hiking with Sister, Brother-In-Law, Niece & Nephew.  I didn't appreciate the desert beauty when I lived there.  I think it was all those years growing up by the ocean that made me dismiss the sand, lack of trees & unrelentless heat.  But the light there is really lovely (which inspired the tennis photo shoot - it was perfect) and the wilderness evokes wonder.

 

tracy reece

Bought a new Tracy Reese dress a few weeks ago and itching to wear it....

It's pretty fabulous - great print, great coloring, great fit.  While I can't buy one of her dresses all the time, I definitely think she nails great dresses you can wear to multiple kinds of occasions.  Got my eyes on...

crazed transition

I've been crazy busy and in transition mode and if you've followed me for a while, you know that means my posts start to wane.  So, I went through my inspiration folder to throw some stuff here I've liked for a while &/or are on my mind.  Helps me to take a moment and appreciate the world around me & its simple beauty, no matter the craziness.

(are super fun warm weather parties around the corner?)

(a quite chic home office in my favorite color, turquoise)

 (simple delights: fresh flowers & pretty new shoes)

 (a lovely mirror & feminine home I'm sure Roommate would love)

(framed old letters)

 (smart design & homey comfort in a small space)

(stacked books and Louis V - what's not to love?)

*images via pink wallpaper, elements of style, little blue deer, pink wallpaper (x2), apartment therapy, louis vuitton

diy: clementine candle

How To Make a Clementine Candle from maxwell gillingham-ryan on Vimeo.

Great video today over at Apartment Therapy on how to make a clementine candle.  Fun party decoration for those spring dinner parties we're all dreaming about...

want: spring flat

(give me these kate spade flats - please?)

guest post

Please turn your attention to Please Welcome Your Judges, written by pop culture blogger and BFF, Brian Forte.  I wrote a guest post today about my American Idol favorite and maybe soul mate, Paul McDonald.

before & after

My mind is blown with this before & after shot of a kitchen over at design sponge.  They often have awesome before and after posts; great for inspiration, so check it out.  This one was a heart-stopping transformation.  So lovely!  While the idea of remodeling a kitchen totally terrifies me, it's still pretty neato.

happy fat tuesday

The best part about Lent is the pancake supper at your church on Fat Tuesday.  For you non-church-going/non-christians, yes, it's a thing.  We get all fat before a season of fasting and prayer and it's awesome.  My Big Boss at work makes pretty awesome pancakes for his three daughters, like letters to spell out their names.  Mermaid pancakes were the winners last week:

(yeah, I'd be excited, too)

So fine, maybe I wanted to see what other cool pancakes were out there because I can't stop thinking about pancakes today and I stumbled upon Jim's Pancakes.  It's just a blog about a dad making stupid cool pancakes for his daughter.  And you know what?  It's delightful.

Off to find some pancakes...

improvisational cook

Sally Schneider just gets me.  She lives life improvisationally, and I'm also a fly by the seat of my pants kind of girl (check out her awesome and interesting idea blog, the improvised life).  So when she came out with The Improvisational Cook, I knew it was a must-have cook book for me.  I like to cook and I can follow a recipe, but sometimes I just like looking at what's in my fridge and figuring it out from there.  This book is something in between.  It will be mine soon!

 

bea-u-ti-ful rooms

Stunning rooms both inside and out this month from House Beautiful that made me gasp - gasp!

 (love that sahara-scape)

 (love those thick stripes)

 (contemporary cool)

 (understated elegance)

 (small space chic - loving that gallery above)