could it be?

last week esb and i were walking about venice when we came across some amazing shoes that we couldn't really afford (they are still making appearances in my dreams). it took us a few long minutes to pry ourselves away from the goodness, but eventually we just had to leave, we were drooling, it was bad. anyway after soothing our pain with hot chocolate and cheesy twisty bread we headed south (by foot) and into steven alan annex. DO YOU KNOW WHAT WE FOUND THERE?

yup, that's right. we found keds. we also found a charming young man who gave an affirmative response to esb's question ... "are keds the new bensimon's?" i'm not sure i agree, but i do find myself putting them on the summer shoe list (after my gold toms but before a replacement pair of chucks...).

straight on to dessert.

i'm back in nc and to celebrate a couple of weeks with no travel in sight i'm attempting the planning of our foods. for tonight, i'm thinking risotto and leeks vinaigrette followed by butterscotch pudding. um, yum.

on my way back.

it was a nice vacation from winter, but i'm heading back to a place where cuddling is mandatory to stay warm ... not a bad gig really.

{photo from shauna richardson via the shiny squirrel}

it's been a good week.

between the food and the weather and the shop and the playing with fancy hair things, i would say, maybe i don't want to leave?

can i have one for my birthday?

only a little earlier (like six months)? please?

{polaroid available here}

i've been hiding.

in my studio. in california. and it has been lovely. i'm looking forward to doing more of this for the next few days.

{photo found here}

a pretty place for your dollars.

these wallets designed by artist jayme mcgowan are what i would call rad. she does these hand-cut paper pieces and then photographs them and transforms them into things like these wallets. check out the entire paper series of wallets over at poketo!

ps- i'm scared of birds for a good reason. just look what happened to that girl in the bottom pic!

new sunglasses.

i need* some.

{via notcouture and available here}

* need isn't exactly the correct term, i suppose want would be more accurate.

a long weekend in faux polaroids.

there was snow, and then sunshine. homemade big mac's and hot chocolate. a trip to asheville where we left franny with her grandparents, and then the watching of lost.

happy valentine's day

despite all of my negative words earlier i can appreciate a day that we are supposed to send a little happiness out there into the world. plus my husband is the sweets and that makes me smile ... wether or not it is february 14th.

it's friday, again.

well this week went by fast. it's been fun, and there are new projects on the horizon that are just so exciting. one of which is personal the others professional.

on the personal note mas and i are cooking our way through alice water's the art of simple food. we cook a lot but found ourselves in a rut that caused us to reproduce the same things over and over and over again. this is not for me, i tend to bore very easily. so last night was our fourth escapade in alice's world and the best so far (well actually the celery root mashed potatoes were delicious, but this was better, maybe) and we made spinach lasagna. the simple food version of lasagna entails making tomato sauce, béchamel sauce and pasta ... all from scratch. we make pasta a lot, but i gotta say this recipe was so.much.better than our last. mas has been on a tomato sauce kick so that was easy, and béchamel has been a favorite of ours for a while (though we had never made it). i would recommend it. all of it.

on the professional front, well its a secret for the time being, but i'm so excited i can barely contain myself. more on that in a month or so.

and now it is the weekend. i hope every one has a wonderful valentine's day that even includes flowers if necessary (mine is going to lean towards eating pancakes and movie watching, but to each their own.)

xo

ps- have you seen the 24 lunch bags series on the thussfarell photo site? i kinda love it.

yeah, i know it's a pain to remove.

i've been looking for a something rad to put inside an old bookcase... you know, like on the inside back part. i think this sweet wallpaper by the yard might be perfect!

thank you {dwell}. buy it {here}.

diy projects.

has anyone ever reupholstered a couch? we inherited a nice big comfy couch from mas' parents and while it is nice and big and comfy, it is not what you would call - our style. it is kinda green and gold and fits in to a much different life than we live. i'm thinking it needs to be grey canvas. maybe i'll cover the cushions with simple pillow covers (thing giant rectangles), but what about the rest of the beast? staple gun? i don't want to ruin it, but i do want to be able to buy this pillow and have it not look disgusting on our couch ... thoughts?

ps - mas thinks i am certifiable on this one ... kinda want to prove him wrong.

happy friday.

i hear the sky will be falling just about everywhere ... so stay warm/dry/cozy.

xo

{via ...}

i like this show.

is anyone else loving the new season of damages? anyone?

{image}

oh, did you know?

we're thinking about bidding adieu to etsy. the relationship has been good but i think it is time for a change. i'll keep you posted on our future, but for now you can find pretty.pretty.paper goods here.

.cevd. as always is still here.

check it out.

so you should know that my dear friend mouse asked for some help with the whole world of wedding invitations for her wedding blog. i obliged (how could i not?), and she was kind enough to let me go into the *almost* nitty-gritty details of printing methods.

also you should know the loverly lady over at vanilla water was kind enough to post the recipe for her chickpea+cauliflower+thyme veloute. i cannot wait until we return home so i can make it and gobble it up.

{image by simple+pretty by way of her flickr stream}

charleston.

yesterday was a bust, i spent the day in bed recovering from a wild night out with mas' aunt and uncle, and today it is raining (ahem a great time to work). but there are things to be done on the list ...

let's start with : baked charleston.
ok so i went for breakfast this morning, in the rain. however, mas NEEDS a red velvet whoopie, and an acutal monster cookie is in order.