blanket season / year four

it's blanket season again.

when the world's gone grey and cold. we're hauling in firewood nearly every day.

and the dogs are like furry heat seeking missiles,
rushing over to the vents every time the heat kicks on.

i didn't quite realize how many blankets had followed me home over the past few years.

it borders on ridiculous. (and lovely. lots of lovely.)

and of course, given the opportunity, i'd add a few more to the stash.

left to right, top to bottom:

ferm living / fine little day / west elm / hickoree's / woolrich / toast

want to revisit the past three years of blankets?

one / two / three

stay warm loveys.

xo. r

nesting

i have long admired the carefully curated products at neëst.

from the utilitarian to the superlative, simplicity reigns.

not only have i promised myself a cat upon our installation in the new house,

but a chemex coffee pot as well. (this is now a three year old promise. it's been a long time coming.)

i don't actually have a christmas list.

but if i did, it would probably look a lot like this.

xo. r

iittala

over the years, i have become quite enamored with the finnish company iittala.

it began with the crystal tumblers at the bottom. modern & organic and so delicate. the feet and entire bottom of the glass are shaped like the heavy drips of melting snow. i save our little set for very special drinks. i swear they taste better in iittala.

i'm dreaming a bit of that beautiful pot. the wood handle also opens the pot lid (in much the same manner as an old cookstove) and it seems just the thing for winter stews and hearty meals.

and of course, i'm enamored with their newest release of hand-drawn plates and mugs.

little wiggles and scribbles make it a more friendly approachable design than some of their higher-end pieces.
cozy like a cup of hot chocolate.

it's nice to know there are such lovely things out there.

it really is.

xo. r

papier tigre

 crushing hard on these loverly paper goods from papier tigre.

wee triangle boxes / yards of calendars / geometric greetings / desk blotting life organizer

a girl could get used to this kind of paper in her life.

also... loving the logo. rawr.

xo. r

string & sing

inspired, obsessed, utterly distracted by these kokedama - japanese string gardens.

i found a tutorial that looks fairly simple (here)

but i think i'm fair out of room to potter and play.

ferns. grass. a tiny trailing vine. a little fairy kingdom.

someday...

in the meantime, there are tons of beautiful pictures to peruse at stringgardens.com

and we can plan and plot our imaginary world together. 

(i should perhaps confess i'm having trouble keeping a ball of moss alive in a closed terrarium.

hopefully i'll have that sorted out by the time i attempt a kokedama.)

and speaking of obsessed...

these two songs by daughter are haunting me.

string & sing. there is so much to be excited about today.

xo. r

formes berlin

i'm delighted by these little laser cut postcards from formes berlin.
i may have to send myself the bird... a little totem to hang over my desk!
formes, for me.

xo. r

sort

my obsessive compulsive tendencies are tingling.

from kontor kontur.

xo. r

weekend cabin

weekend cabin is a favorite stop of mine on a busy weekday. it shares those places we retreat to on the days between. (okay, well, mostly it shows those places billionaires retreat to, but a girl can pretend.)

this weekend cabin happens to be rather near & dear... floating on lake huron in michigan. apparently, this is what you build when you own unbuildable property on an island. i can't imagine anything feeling more like an escape. adrift on the river, anchored only by a removable bridge.

more images and a short article here, the inside is pretty gorgeous as well.

xo. r

crush crush #2

some days the internet feels like the same old loop over and over again
and some days, i crush hard. and i'm feeling it today.

manomine.

her little animal sets are incredible. heart-string plucking in such an irrational way.
the level of detail. they come with pets, and clothes and accessories, and tea cups, and croissants, and letters from friends, and books. and not just blank books, hand bound family albums with photos inside.

it's something like peeking into a doll's house and exclaiming over each and every tiny recreated thing.
only i start to picture the hands that made these things.
and my heart starts to beat a little faster.

and of course, there's a waiting list
but there are a lot more images & sets to fawn over on her blog.
there is such a big joy in such little things.

xo. r

crush crush #1

feeling a bit of a thrill from these pieces by meg a. myers
handmade from recycled glass (old window panes!) they are simple, geometric and utterly charming.

stained glass is most striking to me when it's without all the crazy color.
the shape and form and work is so much more apparent.

(now, that's not to say i can't appreciate the windows in an old church, but that's an entirely different level of stained glass. i'm referring to the genre of things i can hold in my hand or hang in a window.)

something about her work makes me feel not quite content to just look at the picture.
i want to hold it in my hands. feel the weight and the angles.
i don't know if i can wait for christmas!

xo. r



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as if cootie catchers weren't nostalgic enough... ed emberley fabric!

jellyfish

quite taken with these little air plant jellyfish by petit beast.
a little sea urchin shell, a little air plant, a whole lot of sweet.

i do have a few sea urchin shells around here and an air plant or two that died with grace and valor
and still managed to keep there tentacley shape (if not their soft green color).
perhaps i shall find a small corner for their reincarnation.

you clever thing, petit beast, you clever thing.

xo. r


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on a side note, i'm hoping for a much more productive week.
last week i found myself a bit distracted and out of it. unable to concentrate much the whole week long.
is it the moon? distractions by ersatz jellyfish? do you have weeks like this?

fainting in coils

a few weeks ago i was contacted by sunny avocado...
she uses etsy listings as her inspiration for daily paintings,
and she wanted to paint one of my listings.
curious as a cat, of course i agreed.
today she sent me an image of the finished piece.
how perfect is that?
it's posted on her blog here and for sale here.
frankly, i'd love to buy it.
wouldn't it be a lovely little sister to this recent vintage find?
tickled pink, just had to share.

xo. r

style mama

looks i love: classy, classic, and perfectly draped.
it seems so easy in a photograph.
and yet i always find myself ill at ease in my clothes.
pulling, tugging, too wrinkled, too wrong.

i need a style mama...
someone to lay out my clothes, straighten out my layered sleeves,
tug out all the wrinkles, and de-birdsnest my hair.

anyone want the job? i can pay in banana bread.

xo. r