gift ideas {rifle paper}

Ok. I have been saving this little gem for a while. It's probably one of my favorite things ever and I've been obsessed with having it ever since Rifle Paper posted it on their website a couple of months ago. These recipe boxes are all handmade from locally salvaged wood and take three months to finish. The lids are then screen printed with flourishes and type. They were made in limited supply so, of course now that I've decided to talk about them, they're sold out, but you can reserve one through the website.

The recipe cards are darling as well. Rifle has such a lovely style, I especially love their flower illustrations. Just think of how much more excited you would be to cook or bake if you were able to pull a recipe out of one of these!

happy thanksgiving!

thanksgiving parade {tear}

I love Thanksgiving. I have no shame when I say that I watch the Thanksgiving Day Parade in it's entirety, drinking countless cups of coffee and hanging on Matt Lauer's every word. There's something about it that seems magical to me. I remember when I was younger and my parents used to take me on the train into the city where we'd freeze our butts off on the sidewalk. We'd go into some no name cafe every 15 minutes and buy another hot chocolate, and at about 10:00 my sisters would start cry about how cold they were. Once we even had spiderman fall on us, it was awesome.

So every year when I watch the parade on tv, I remember those times when we actually went, and I think about how much I love NYC. It's a ritual I haven't broken ever before, but this year I won't be able to watch it. I'll be working all day serving other people their turkey. Lame. So I thought today I'd share some photos of the parade to lift my spirits and get you all excited. Happy day before Thanksgiving!

festive neckware

Isn't this necklace lovely?

have a truly magical weekend

Magical like these shoes.

In the spirit of the seventh harry potter movie {!!!} I wish you a weekend filled with magic and adventure. :)

day dreams {the pixie cut}

OK. So these images of Twiggy and Mia Farrow are totally iconic. They made the pixie cut edgy and romantic. I've always sort of dreamed of cutting all my hair off to look like Twiggy. I think it would be totally rad, but I've never had the courage to do it. It has taken me a really long time to grow out my hair, and I always said I'd keep it long for a little bit and then chop it all off, but I'm finding it difficult to part with.

Then I saw all these young starlets chopping all their hair off and I got really jealous again. I mean Emma Watson's new do is enough to make anyone weak in the knees. God I would kill for it to look that good, but I'm not sure if it would make me look indie rad like these girls or like a fat little boy, hmmm. I guess that's the risk everyone takes, although I don't really have the $$ to pay for extensions if it doesn't work out. I'll have to think about it, but man, I really want to.

click click click {andra johnson}

My friend {and former roomie} is an amazingly talented photographer. In the last couple of years she's move around a bit, starting in Savannah and moving to San Francisco, Detroit, and now Richmond. She's catalogued her cities of residency in her photographs and on her blog. Now she's opened an etsy shop so we can all enjoy her work!

Laduree Sucre in English {HOLY CROW}

I don't think it would be possible for me to adequately describe my love for french macarons. They are a little piece of heaven, no matter the flavor. I've been meaning to teach myself how to make them... I need to get back on track with that. Perhaps Laduree Sucre can help me. They've released the AMAZING restaurant's patasserie book in english now and I swear, my heart stopped when I saw it.

I visited Laduree multiple times while in Paris. Reba and I had some embarrassing moments of gluttony within those gorgeous marble walls. It's the ultimate luxurious lunch date. I mean it's hard to go there and not lift up your pinky while sipping rose tea.

Anyway, this book looks almost as beautiful as the restaurant itself and I can't wait to start practicing from it. OR sitting on the couch admiring every page.

{photos from Paris Patasseries}

madewell gift guides {!}

Mom- feel free to ignore all other chirstmas gift ideas up to this point.

Madewell has featured their ultimate gift giving guide. Under these circumstances, please allow me to use an overplayed term that I don't use very often. OMG. Oh yes, OMG. There, I said it again. From the vintage inspired tea dress, to the flannel lumberjack coat, and finally, that chambry shirt, these guides are beautiful.

I'm not sure what it is about the chambry shirt, I think it was one of those trends where, at first, it made me cringe a little. Perhaps it was a memory of my mother dressing me in all denim as a child, but I'm trying as best I can to push that image out of my head and move on to what I think is an adorable new trend. Now I'm not sure I could pull off the light denim shirt on top with the dark jeans look, but I think mixed with a pattern or sequin skirt, some tights and low boots, it's a pretty awesome outfit.

Anyway, if you're having a hard time thinking of clothes to get your fashionable, yet financially stunted daughter, or if you're short on holiday outfits, Madewell is a good place to start.

cedric smith on d*sponge

Cedric is an awesome Savannah photographer and painter. He's featured on design*sponge today for their "what's in your toolbox" segment. I suggest you check it out!

2011 calendars {1canoe2}

Perhaps it's the cute illustrations, or maybe the hand-drawn type, but i think the 2011 calendars from 1canoe2 are adorable. I'm kind of a sucker for line drawings and I mean, come on, look at that weenie dog, so cute.

bailey doesn't bark

Let me begin by saying that I don't need anymore plates, cups, utensils, or tea towels. In fact, I don't need anything else for my kitchen at all. Cabinets are filled, which is saying something because we have a lot of cabinets. For two people we have more than enough of everything. However, I can't stop looking for more. Every time I find one thing I like, twenty more pop up.

While reading Martha Stewart yesterday, I discovered Bailey Doesn't Bark , I almost wish I had skipped the article because now I'm obsessed. I mean who wouldn't be? Look at how amazing the four seasons set is. Those spoons! What would I use them for? Maybe I could make jams and put them in little mason jars and then use the spoons for that... Is that good enough justification? Say "yes" my dear reader.

Now, aside from the four seasons set, I'm completely in love with these gold plates. Sigh. Perhaps I'll splurge someday, or wait until next week when I see a new set and fall in love again.

2011 calendars {leah duncan}

Leah Duncan is a designer in Austin that I just love. Her illustrations are whimsical and her color choices are just lovely. I've been admiring many of her prints for a while now for the house. I think I need to purchase some soon, especially since her color schemes match our's almost exactly. Grays, blues, and yellows. Perfect. Anyway, I love this calendar on top. The mixture of her different patterns is so simple but really beautiful. I think as a print in the office this would be great, but I'm a little hesitant to have a one page calendar so, luckily for me, she makes a twelve month one as well.



check out her etsy shop for all her goods.

paris versus new york

How does a person compare two of the greatest cities in the world? Well Vahram Muratyan tries to do just that on his blog. Each post is a whimsy graphic comparing the small details that make up each city. I love the simplicity and straight forwardness of each image. They remind me why I love both of the cities on their own, I can't pick one and I'll never try to. <3

2011 calendars {seesaw design}

LOVE this one from SeeSaw Letterpress. It's so subtle and beautiful. Each pattern is inspired by vintage textiles and has two months on it. Metallic foil, clean, geometric shapes, and vintage textile patterns? I'm in love.

dark night of the soul

If you haven't already listened to the collaboration between Dangermouse and Sparklehorse entitled "Dark Night of the Soul," then you are seriously missing out. The album is packed with artists including this David Lynch. The director's voice is haunting, especially in this song. It pulls you in and makes it hard not to listen to it on repeat.

{Aesthetic Apparatus}

Uh, yes this poster is going on my xmas list, duh.

2011 calendars {little brown pen}

Oo lala. Sigh. Who wouldn't want to spend everyday of the year starring at lovely photos of Paris? Especially when they're taken by Nichole Robertson of Little Brown Pen. I've loved Nichole's photographs for some time now, and her blog is so wonderful. Her photos of the small details of Paris are incredibly charming.

Check out some of her Paris color series on her etsy shop.

gift ideas {pantone mugs}

OK, get ready. Remember when I was posting about fall everyday? Well there may still be the occasional fall post, since it's only beginning her in Savannah, but now I have moved on to Christmas and gift giving ideas. My mother has been hounding me for my xmas list and to be completely honest, I can't think of anything I really need, but there's a lot of little things I really WANT. So, I think this is the perfect place to work through all the gift ideas in my head. I may even be able to figure out what to get my family, and hopefully some of these things will help you too.

Now on to the good stuff. I need another mug about as much as I need another hole in my head. I already have cabinets stocked to the brim with glassware and mugs, but I can't stop buying them. Is it weird that I fall in love whit drinking vessels too easily? Oh well. These are still going on the list. Pantone mugs. For any graphic designer, heck, for anyone that's ever taken any kind of computer class, these are for you. It doesn't get much more design geek. If you have a friend that's a graphic designer, this is a great idea. I mean who wouldn't want to sip their coffee out of the industry's standard color system?

2011 calendars {jhill design}

Every Christmas my mother buys me a new calendar, and every year I spend countless hours trying to find the the perfect one to ask for. I try to switch it up so that I have her purchase one from a different designer each year. It's always difficult to part with last year's calendar though, they're just so beautiful. Luckily, if you choose wisely, you can use the calendar as art even after the year has ended. It's part of the beauty of buying letterpress or well designed ones, they're not meant to be tossed away. Last year I asked for jhill design's "Places I've never Been" series, a collection of prints inspired by cities around the world. Oh how I've loved it. Every month I get excited to switch to the next print, totally dorky, I know. Now that the year is about to come to an end, I look forward to framing the prints and using them around the house.

I'm tempted to ask for the 2011 jhill calendar, but I also feel obligated to change it up a little bit and ask for something else. Decisions, decisions. Anyway, this month I'll be posting beautiful calendars that are in contention for next year. Mom, pay attention.

the sartorialist

The Satorialist is a collection of Scott Schuman's photographs of inspiring street fashion. He photographs women and men on the street that he thinks could be inspirational to designers and fashion lovers. Each person he captures has their own sense of style whether it be quirky, polished, or haute couture. He was in Savannah this month and featured some of his subjects on his blog, check it out!