It’s Friday, and with Easter just a couple days away, I am ready for sunny spring days in the hammock. As I daydream about warm lazy afternoons, here are my picks for a patio refresh to make my R&R feel that much more stylish.
Lazy days ahead
Tag: Home
The sting of defeat
If you’d like a little chuckle on this sunny Wednesday, allow me to take you on a hilarious harrowing journey involving suspense, confusion, ceramics, and ultimately, defeat.
A couple months ago, Anthropologie released their spring catalog of home goods. It was a visual delight after all the red/evergreen/gold of the holidays — pinks and whites and fresh greenery abounding in sun-drenched abodes. My eye landed on a particular pink ceramic footed bowl, and I instantly coveted it. Once it arrived in stores, I’d make it mine. Of course, thanks to the magic of advertising, I had thoroughly bought into the whole scene: sweet clementines in the bowl promising citrus-y sunny afternoons, books galore to savor — I wanted the whole package.
Fast forward a few weeks, Continue reading “The sting of defeat”
Have a seat
Lately I cannot stop looking at pretty accent chairs. Tactile elements like leather and velvet have me with all the heart eyes these days — luckily for my wallet, I don’t have room for any more chairs! I have the caramel leather beauty above in my living room at present, and paired with a pouf for my feet it is the comfiest thing ever. Having my dream chair hasn’t stopped me from looking, though, so here are a few other gorgeous options to kick-start your weekend:
Wouldn’t be a bad way to spend the weekend, refreshing a reading nook with a new chair to curl up in, no?
Safari Pink velvet Acapulco Rattan Gold velvet Teak lounger Teal velvet
Need some pretty pillows too? Right this way…
Little things
“Little things seem nothing, but they give peace, like those meadow flowers which individually seem odorless but all together perfume the air.”
-Georges Bernanos
Today this little trio of vases in our entry is making me smile. Sometimes it really is the little things.
Vases (l to r) via Target, Heath Ceramics, and West Elm
Tea(se)
For years my ideal refuge has consisted of tea, a blanket, and a good book. This is the trinity, my ideal, the combination of things I most long for amidst the bustle of each busy week. This Monday, here is a round up to celebrate that favorite combination of mine. It may be a bit of a tease, knowing that I have a full work week ahead, but let’s just consider it motivation instead, shall we?
I’d love to curl up in this super-soft alpaca throw from The Citizenry, and I’d be doubly happy knowing it is fair trade from talented artisans. This mouse creamer makes me smile so much, and it would be a great companion to my ceramic mugs. They have an angled top edge, all the better to inhale all those lovely aromas from renowned tea merchants Fornum & Mason. I’ll use my trusty Bonavita kettle, for the optimal brew temperature every time.
Blush throw Mouse creamer Ceramic cup British tea Electric kettle
Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore is a romp of a read, and a delight for people who love books about books! Mysterious, amusing, and thought-provoking by turns, I read this in a weekend.
All the Light We Cannot See, “about a blind French girl and a German boy whose paths collide in occupied France as both try to survive the devastation of World War II,” is on my list to read soon, and I can’t wait to dive in. By all accounts a beautiful novel.
The Builders was described to me by a good friend as “part brutal Wild West and part dark-edged fantasy.” Reading it was delightfully nostalgic, as though the Redwall novels of my childhood had grown up and gotten some extra bite. Yes, there are talking animals, but this is not a bedtime story. A thoroughly engaging read.
Toss ’em
Throw pillows are dangerously addictive. They are an easy way to update your space, no paint, ladders, wiring, furniture delivery trucks, or hammers required. Just toss them on your couch, your bed, wherever! Here are a few I’d love to bring home right this minute, in a black/blush/neutral palette that I can’t seem to get enough of these days.
Sources: Pom Circle Modern Peruvian 1 Modern Peruvian 2 Tasseled stripe Woven stripe Blush tribal Mudcloth Blush tasseled Blush lumbar
Zzzzzzzz
Thanks to the time change over the weekend, my early mornings have gotten even earlier. While my body adjusts, my brain is dreaming of calming, cozy bedrooms. Here are a few I wish I could hibernate in for a few days:
Bonus: If you’re having trouble adjusting like I am, here are some great tips for sleeping better from Erin Huebscher on Wit & Delight. Sweet dreams!
Images via Fantastic Frank Emily Henderson NoixdeDeco Avenue Lifestyle
Into neutral
For some reason reentry into the week is feeling particularly unkind this Monday morning. Maybe it is because I have to say goodbye for now to the joys of a good afternoon nap, or maybe 5:00 A.M. just came too abruptly, but either way, I’m loving the idea of a soothing neutral palette to ease me into the week.
My Little Booktique Lotta Agaton Atelier Dore Emily Henderson
A cozy Friday
It is grey outside today so I’m soaking up a bit of hygge in sweats with a candle burning and a mug of tea.
Essentials for a cozy weekend:
- The softest hoodie (borrowed from the boys for maximum cozy factor)
- Rooibos tea and a sweet mug that feels great in your hands
- Feminist socks, for running the world even from your couch
- A luxe faux fur throw, for snuggling under
- The perfect between-times candle — cozy and warm
Happy Friday!
Coast(er)ing
On the list of things I never thought I would be excited about, coasters were near the top of the list. Actually, they were never really even on the list, they were so incredibly far off of my radar. Coasters. Those unattractive things that people sort of politely and awkwardly feel the need to use if they are a guest in someone else’s home, and only if they catch a glimpse of them before setting down a glass, but otherwise never think about. And yet, here I am. Excited. About coasters.
–cue the collective gasps–
It all began with our new refrigerator. For the first time ever we had a fridge with a water and ice dispenser in the door, and a water line that was actually hooked up. (I know I am incredibly late to the game on this.) We had an easy and unlimited supply of ice for every beverage need. It was magical! Convenient! And soon, an annoyance I never could have seen coming. Dun dun dunnn…
In general I don’t add ice to my drinks at home — the chill from the fridge is more than enough for me. My dear sweet husband, however, was over the moon with our newly available ice supply, and filled his water glass with ice repeatedly and with great satisfaction. Enter… the puddles. All of a sudden, there were puddles of water on almost every horizontal surface in our house. I could not put down anything without a very high likelihood of it getting wet. Mail. An Amazon return label. My purse when I got home. A receipt. You name it. I had purchased some pretty marble coasters years ago out of an obligation to have something for when a guest looked around guiltily holding a glass aloft, but on the rare occasion they were used, puddles formed on them, too! And then eventually they dripped to create new puddles on the surface below.
Enter… the sale email from Bloomingdale’s. They had a clearance sale going on, and I spied some cute pink and grey mosaic tile-looking things that turned out to be Thirstystone coasters. They were adorable! They were only $9 for a set! They absorb the condensation instead of creating puddles! I am now the overly-excited-but-also-very-satisfied owner of a new set of coasters. They are solving a problem I never knew I would have, and they are doing so very prettily. And so, coasters of all things? They have now moved solidly onto to list of things I take a weird satisfaction from. If you, too, have an odd desire for excellently functional coasters, you can find them here. And while you order those, I will be setting my mail down without fear.
–cue the collective sighs of relief–
Pink&GreenMusings 