Needing some inspiration today—it was a long one. Laura’s farmhouse is featured in this month’s Domino and I immediately loved it, so I looked her up online… white is the best! The below isn’t of her home, just some of her photos that I liked. Enjoy.
It was the most dreary weekend, the kind that are best for staying in with a hot cup of coffee and knitting or sewing or reading or just doing anything but go outside. And yet somehow, I don’t think we were home for the majority of it. No complaints though, because I got 1/2 of my Christmas wish! Hooray and thank you work bonus! And along the way, it was a rainy car ride with the Shins, the Weepies, and a little Ryan Adams… sometimes rain is the best!
ps: If you can make out the blur in the background, you’ll see Nathan putting up the trim around our front door… the other 1/2 of the Christmas wish! :)
There’s been much talk about Christmas lately… mainly in the form of the question “what would you like?” We could analyze the cultural flaw that is the American Consumerist Christmas, but let’s save that for another year, one where the precedent of no presents is set long before December 7th.
I am a terrible Christmas shopper in the sense that once I start looking for other people I get instantly distracted by what I like, and it spirals out of control from there. Online shopping is the worst, as I can easily navigate from one site to the next and be buried in my wish list before I know it. But when presented with the question of what would I like for Christmas, I find myself at a loss for ideas. Sure I can find things I like, but the idea of putting them down on a list and committing brings up a whole set of issues on it’s own.
When asked this morning what I would like for Christmas, I immediately started to panic. The things listed previously, do I really want those (yes)? What if I don’t like them once I get them? What if they look good online, but in person they lack the textural quality that I would really be hoping for? What if… what if… what if…
To my surprise, this morning I really did think of two things I really wanted. Both are too big to ask for, but if I could ask for them, I most certainly would. And really, I already have asked for them, it’s just that the delivery for the one is about six months, and for the other, the price tag is too high for me to ever ask for from anyone other than our own savings account. The first one is [drum-roll please] a finished house. Complete with light fixtures, wood work, paint, porches, and furniture. The second is the Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT which my friend Mike so graciously recommended for me. The first one is five years in the waiting, the second leads me to my next thought—originality and blogging.
Nathan and I were talking about “art” and blogging a few nights ago (just for the record, I’m a little opposed to the use of the word art, as well as harbor a deep hatred for anything with the word graphics in it… especially if there is an x on the end, as in graphix). Nathan was talking about an article he read a while ago that talked about blogging and how since it started to hit mainstream, that a lot of blogs really just regurgitate the same content from other bloggers, or from other sites. I am guilty of this for sure, seeing as I like to find photos of charming and inspiring photos and post them, all of which are from other artist, photographers, magazines, and so on. It was a long and interesting talk about originality in the blogging world, but I won’t exceed the thirty-word limit I seem to have established thus far on every post I’ve had, by too much more. The point is that it got me thinking and since I have hibernated my need to create since art school 7 years ago (and really, even then I wasn’t very good at expressing myself creatively), I really want to get back into things… making things, designing things, finding things. And a camera is number one on my list of ways get from head to internet, which brings me back to the second item on my can’t-ask-others-for-Christmas-list.
So because a finished house is in the queue of things to be done, and the camera fund is still a little short, I found some more inspiring images… ones that I find inviting, warm, and cozy. Soon little one, soon.
I started our Christmas cards about two weeks ago, but I haven’t actually started making them yet. Ultimately I’d love to have these screen printed (I don’t think they’d be a good letterpress project), but there is the small hiccup of time and I don’t know how to screen print. Ha!
I was searching Domino for gift ideas (actually I was searching for some of the stories in the most current issue because I only had a chance to thumb through it last night and it looked really, really good), and I found these really lovely posters for kids by Robin Rosenthal. I wish I were pregnant or had kids so I could buy them both.
It’s a shame I like white interiors so much, because I’m the last person on earth who should be allowed a white interior. I’d like to think it’s the rehab that turns everything we own from fresh and clean, to dirty and disgusting, but I think it would only be a half-truth. Two dogs and my aversion for mopping is probably the real reason. But really one of our dogs is sort of a non-dog, so it’s really like we only have one-and-a-half dogs, but that’s not helping my case any so I’m not sure why I’m mentioning it.
Anyway, I just found these two really lovely images on Bo Bedre, that I find really inspiring. If you look closely to the photo on the left, you’ll see my favorite cookbook of all times nestled there on the shelf. Everything in there is absolutely delicious and the images are beautiful as well. And while I’m at it, the uncoated paper gives the book an amazing feel. Essentially, buy it, it’s awesome! And after you buy it, you can join me in what I wish was a room in our house… the image on the right.
I love warm interiors. Love them. Love them. Love them. I found a link to Marie Claire Maison off desire to inspire, and found these delightfully warm beauties!
And these…
And yesterday I was exploring Living, Etc. and found this lovely hall:
I absolutely cannot wait until the rehab is complete and it’s time to decorate! Sweet mother of Jesus I can’t wait!
I am so excited I can hardly contain myself!! A new knitting store opened up in the Loop, Knitting Couture, and their website is beautiful! There is something to be said about being inspired by a shop and if their store is anything like their website, I’m in for a treat! I’ll be checking it out today! St. Louis has so much potential, and there are a few stores and shops that I find inspiring, but I welcome any store that aims to provide well-designed, high quality products with a warm and inviting atmosphere.
“We aim to emphasize the traditional craft with modern designs while presenting a warm and comfortable atmosphere for both knitting and shopping.” Isn’t that perfect? I can’t wait!
[UPDATE] I just came back from my first visit and the shop is absolutely delightful! I’ve found my new favorite place!
I was reading the December 2007 issue of Elle Decor and was wowed by Malene and William Waldron’s home. It has such a warm, cozy, and elegantly modern feel. I completely respect the patience and time that went into picking out each piece, and I especially like how they refuse compromise and instead wait until they wholly agree on something before they bring it home. I can’t wait until it’s time to look for furnishings!
