before + after

there have been some really great before & after home design on the web this week.  i am feeling very inspired to tackle some things around the house and give them a new life.  here are a few of my favorite projects i've stumbled across this week - visit the sources to see the details!

from mosey blog, i love love love everything about this made-over ikea entry table -

apartment therapy just featured ryan marshall's amazing backyard updates via his blog pacing the panic room.  be sure to follow him on instagram (@ryanmarshall), where you can see more of his lovely family and beautiful home.



and finally, sunset has a great arizona ranch home reno worth checking out.  i am a sucker for a 1960's ranch house before/after - it gives me so many ideas for our house!



friday faves from pinterest

pretty vegetable tart 

via issuu.com

caprese pops

via brightnest

cute little kitchen

via apartment therapy

this room (and that blanket!)

via dust jacket

black one piece swimsuit

via piperlime

denim skater dress

via oasis

loving | college friends who've made it

my freshman year in college, my roommate jamsky and i were theater majors (she stuck with it, i didn't).  one of our theater friends devin kirk, a senior in high school at the time, was in a lot of scenes and shows with us.  jamsky and i just adored him - he was sweet and smart and very funny and wore pajama pants from the gap that had cows on them and was gay but hadn't come out yet (we spent too much time talking about "is he?" and "when is he going to come out?"). 

i can't remember exactly, but in what i imagine was boredom from rehearsing the same scenes over and over, we started our own fake school, which we named dj jazzy (d for devin, j for jamsky, and somehow, i was jazzy).  we made up a course catalog wherein we would teach students to be cool and their assignments would be doing our laundry and fixing us meals. 

devin and i also had parts in a pretty terrible play, called The Feigned Courtesan, where i played a foppish fencer named (i kid you not) Crapine.  devin had to wear a fake mole on his face.  i believe it was this play that made me realize i was not cut out for theater - let's just say, i lived up to the character name.

in our sophomore year, sadly (for us), devin graduated from high school and got in to UNC-Chapel Hill.  we kept in touch for a little while, but like so many of my high school and college friends, we lost touch. 

earlier this week, jamsky emailed me a link to elle decor.  it seems our sweet devin has made quite a name for himself in chicago and apparently has (thank the lord) come out of the closet.  his apartment is lovely and, though we haven't spoken in over 15 years (holy god, i am so old), i am so happy for him!

check out Devin Kirk’s Chicago Restoration on ELLEDECOR.com

a nursery for an elephant

internet, meet howard. 

howard, believe it or not, is 30+ years old.  he looks good for his age, doesn't he?  my aunt bern made howard for me when i was a little girl and he's grown up with me.  someday, when i have a little boy or girl, howard is going to be the inspiration for his/her nursery.

so, does it surprise anyone that the same girl who started reading wedding blogs 2 years before she was engaged already has an inspiration board for a nursery?  it should not.  and no internet, i am not pregnant.

still, i give you howard's nursery:

loving | west elm

i don't know why it's taken me so long to get on board with the west elm brand.  it was only once we bought our new place that i started to see the joy that is the west elm catalog.  our move coincided with a big bath sale, which coincidently needed the most updating.  so, we splurged and decorated with these items:

clockwise from top:  stripe shower curtain, fez bath mat, hammam stripe handtowel, modern stripe tumbler, menswear trays, variegated stripe tassel hand towel  

 the only problem with west elm is the cost associated with it - especially for a public school teacher & a corporate drudge.  i will say that the quality of many of their items is actually worth the high price, but we just don't have the type of budget that allows for splurging there all the time.  of course, this doesn't stop me from fantasizing about redecorating my home with $900 rugs and $400 nightstands.  just look at some of the to-die-for items:

clockwise from top: perch glass lamp, mini pebble wool jute rug, hand blocked pillow cover, wooden ombre vases, hand blocked quilt, kite kilim floor pouf

 in our most recent trip to the store, i fell in love with one particular kantha quilted throw.  they are supposedly one of a kind and handmade so, if you fall in love with one, you can't exactly order that specific one online. earlier this week and i came home to an amazing surprise from my husband.

 i think he's discovered it's always a win when he buys presents from west elm. :)

junie james' nursery

one of my besties is featured on apartment therapy today!  the nursery she created for her sweet daughter, junie james, is featured in their family section.  have a look!

friday favorites | from pinterest

here are some of my favorite pins from this week!

to make:

t-shirt headband










rope welcome mat


























heart cozy




























to wear:

Bottega Veneta shoes



wool coat from FM



Land's End Scarf (also in red)



























To eat:

French Onion Grilled Cheese








Zucchini Fritters (via smitten kitchen)



Arugula Sandwich (via eat-drink-garden)

















to buy:

geometrical throw



modern credenza





















susyjack 2012 calendar



my workspace

we really like a lot of things about the house that we're living in now.  but one of my favorite things about it is that we have enough rooms that i can have a workspace all my own.  little by little i've been adding to my craft room since we moved in about a year ago and, with the exception of a few changes, it's pretty much right where i want it.

Crazy about the desk - not so much about the curtains

all artwork by my very talented fiance

yarn!  where i can see it!

real live plants that I haven't killed yet

a place for storing projects in the works

i looove this room.  i wish that i could be in this room all the time.  sadly, i actually have to leave the house sometimes to go to work.  would anyone like to pay me lots of money to sit at this desk and make things for them?  please?

2011 calendars (part 2)

for those of you who prefer a regular change of pace, a monthly calendar may be more your style.  here are some of my favorites i've seen so far this season.

(gingiber $21, pistachio press $35, seasaw designs $32, parrott design studio $30, the sketched book $27)

2011 calendars (part 1)

every year i have a hard time pulling the trigger on a calendar because there are so many beautiful options to choose from.  this year is no exception and i'm starting to wonder if i should maybe just buy several.  i mean, i could use one at work, in my home office, in the kitchen, in our bedroom...right?  here are some lovely and affordable options if your preference is a yearly view.





(leah duncan $20, lisa rupp $20, wiley valentine $7.50, these are the things $25, caitlin keegan $20)

loving: compai

amazing before/after on design*sponge from justina of compai creative.

holiday gifts | for the photographer

i love the idea of a camera bag, but mine is so bulky and unfashionable that i don't like carrying it around unless my sole purpose for a trip is photography.  but this bag from emera is the best of both worlds - functional and fashionable.




















these lens bracelets from photojojo are a creative way to show off a love of the camera.


















i love the old school drawing on this compact mirror via cutcopycreate.

and last but not least, this colorful camera pillow from norajane (it would look great in my living room)

foxy lady

fox necklace from lulu bug

fox print from dee beale

fox plushie from sleepy king