things i love thursday (the farmcoast edition.)

last week i took a little road trip to the quaint coastal villages of tiverton, westport and little compton. despite the rain, it was one of those perfect days. below, a few highlights.


flowers in bloom. everywhere. i love the moodiness of this photo. (thank you, big clouds.)

antique chairs in sweet little jewelry shops. this photo makes me want to learn how to upholster.

an artist at work. so inspiring.

behind the scenes at a flower shop. be still my heart. these colors are some of my all-time favorites.

an amazing old cash register at the cottage. (yes, i snuck behind the counter to get this photo. rebel.)

an adorable consignment shop called rummage. and rummage i did. :)

to see more photographs, you can visit my flickr account here.

farmcoast, i will be back soon.

this and that.

on friday, i popped into one of my favorite vintage shops in davis square. as i was running my fingers along the stacks of old records and daydreaming about owning pieces of the dusty furniture, i spotted this sweet little car and truck. i'm still not sure if they were left behind by a busy toddler, or if they were for sale... but i love them. can't you just imagine the little hands that have made them go zoom zoom across the floor?

p.s. we are not big into valentine's day in our house, but in classic simon style, he arranged these gorgeous flowers on the dining room table for me to find. :) the scent of the lilies has now filled up the condo, and i am a happy girl. happy valentine's day!

i love this time of year.

hello friends! how was your thanksgiving? ours was lovely... we drove up to maine, spent time with our family, practiced a little yoga, ate a lot, watched movies, snuggled with our nieces and decorated our house for christmas! (we don't waste any time.)

here are a few snapshots from the weekend:

we took a little walk around kennebunkport and stopped into this adorable coffee shop for peppermint mochas.

have you ever seen such a cute to-go cup?

christmas decorations are popping up everywhere and i couldn't be happier. is it just me, or does this fake snow look really good? :) we put our (tiny) tree up yesterday and it makes me ridiculously happy.

the smallest, sweetest little vintage christmas book in the world. i want.

anyway, starting tomorrow, i'll be kicking off a month of holiday-related posts: crafts, gift guides, my favorite holiday traditions and much more. i hope you are all enjoying your weekends! see you soon. xo.

out and about.

lately, i spend my days getting things done. so, today, i decided to play hooky from all my responsibilities and have a solo adventure around boston. and it was... divine.


it started with a brief walk: hat on my head and camera in hand.


then i went and voted! (and somehow, mysteriously, ended up in a secure area and got escorted out. seriously, how do i get myself into these situations? ha.)


i spent the rest of the morning reading and sipping coffee at athans cafe. (i particularly enjoyed eavesdropping on a couple nearby who were loudly daydreaming about their next vacation.)


a brief stop into a consignment and thrift shop left me inspired, but empty handed. that's probably a good thing. :)


then, i went to the library. what a concept, eh? books i can borrow for free... oh, the possibilities! (i ended up choosing a couple of titles from your suggestions; thank you so much!)


last but not least, i poked around a new antique store in the neighborhood. it was conspicuously empty and quiet, so i just tip toed around and smelled the old furniture.

and now? well, now i am going to try a recipe from julia child's mastering the art of french cooking.

i know, i know, it's such a cliche for a blogger to even so much as open her cook book. (but we got it as a wedding gift, and i can't help myself. the salade a la d'argenson sounds delectable).

wish me luck!

wedding stamps and calligraphy.

good morning, my friends!

i'm sorry for a lack of posting this week. things have been wonderfully busy! but i will be back in the swing of things next week as i prepare to leave for my kripalu yoga teacher training.

in the meantime, now that most of my friends and family have received their wedding invitations, i am excited to share them with all of you. first... the envelopes.



we chose ashley osgood to do the calligraphy. (she is incredibly talented and has a unique style that i simply love.)

and then i adorned them with a variety of vintage stamps (butterflies, flowers, birds etc.) that i found on ebay. what do you think?

next week, the actual invitation... stay tuned!

old school toys.

while browsing etsy last night, i fell in love with these vintage sunday times market toys. wouldn't they be adorable on a little shelf, or even better, in the hands of a toddler? love.

posh chicago.

as far as chicago posts go, i think i've saved the best for last. :)

on saturday evening we were walking back to our hotel and suddenly stumbled upon this store. i took simon by the arm and said: "ohhhhh! can we go in here, please?"

and from the moment we walked in, i was in heaven. i proceeded to go completely camera bananas (the lovely shop owner gave me the okay, thank goodness).

simply put, posh chicago is the sweetest little store with gorgeous vintage and flea market finds. if you're from chicago or visiting the windy city, i can't recommend it enough. i was literally in a constant state of oohing and ahhing. it was loverly.

(and in the courtyard behind the store, a wedding was taking place. adorable!)

here are some pictures:

i still can't believe i left empty-handed. (saving money can sometimes be such a drag.)

hurray for posh chicago!

pretty things.

etsy will be the death of me. in the last month alone, i bought a fun ball garland, a set of brass swans (aren't they romantic?) and a vintage brass sail boat.

and i still can't help but browse etsy every day. is there a support group for this? :)

p.s. as you can tell, brass is the new black. :)
p.p.s. these photos were taken with my new camera! i'm in love.

books books books.

good morning, friends!

today i am off to new york city for 48 hours. in addition to seeing a dear friend and getting lots of work done, i have one priority: a few hours at the strand bookstore.

in case you've never been, strand books is a huge store filled with overstock, used, rare, and out-of-print books... in other words, heaven on earth.

when i was in college and living in downtown manhattan, i used to roam around the store for hours: smelling the old books, flipping through literary anthologies and looking for hidden gems.

i haven't been back in ten years, (let's ignore how old that makes me...) and i can't wait! now, if only i had an adorable little book nook like the one above to enjoy my books when i come home...

now tell me, do you have a favorite book store? if so, where is it and what do you love about it? i'd love to hear.

(photo credit: the selby, via sfgirlbybay)

for the wee ones.

lately i feel like there are babies in the air, and i am loving it. this vintage mid century penguin would make an absolutely adorable baby gift, don't you think? available here.

creative idea of the day.

turn a vintage brooch or old piece of jewelry into a magnet. how sweet!

for instructions, visit the country living website.

happiness is...

... pumpkin beer and listening to the radio.

... fresh brewed coffee and discovering gorgeous vintage typewriters in second hand shops.

... the smell of clean laundry and bundles of yarn (in our wedding colors no less).

what has been making you happy lately?

(photo credits: the cheshire smile, sandra juto, ta, perfect bound, nevara, and britt - cucumbersome)

these boots are made for nina.

these moccasin vintage boots from la vintage are one of a kind and already sold. isn't that just so sad? i can't remember the last time i coveted boots this much... woe is me.