While I wish Wylie and Sami were lap cats, I have come to terms with the fact that they aren’t.
But they do have their moments.
Of course, it sometimes hinders my productivity when Sami curls up on my lap when I’m trying to do work at my desk or Wylie lays down on his favorite blanket right before I’m about to get off the couch, but I treasure those moments.
They are my favorite part of the day!
Wylie on his blanket
Sami in the office
If you love styling, decorating, collecting or interior design then you must buy this book…right after you buy her first bestselling book “Etcetera”.
My sister introduced me to Sibella Court last year and I immediately fell in love with her passion for details and her enthusiasm for collecting and her multitudes of curiosities. I wanted to live inside her book “Etcetera” because of how beautifully curated her living spaces are. Others may see clutter, but I see lovingly displayed oddities and curiosities.
I was reminded yesterday that her latest book, “The Stylist’s Guide to NYC” had been released just a few weeks ago and immediately went across the street to my local Anthropologie (best place to find it stateside) to get a copy for myself…and my sister.
I read two chapters at the pool this afternoon and am beside myself to share this book with everyone! In the book, Sibella shares a listing of her favorite stores culled together after living and styling in NYC for 10 years. But the details are what make this book a collector’s item.
Words cannot do it justice though so I am sharing a few pictures below. But trust me, you need this book in your library! And when you do get it, drop me a line and let me know what you think!
And if you happen to be lucky enough to find yourself in Sydney, Australia – check out her hardware and haberdashery store and props salon and then send me some pictures!
The Society inc.
18 Stewart Street
Paddington, NSW 2021
AUSTRALIA
The gorgeous (and surprisingly) embossed cover!
Each chapter is theme based and begins with a listing of Sibella’s favorite respective stores…
…followed by a map of a perfectly laid out ‘loop’ in order to see the shops in the most organized and efficient way!
Stunning pictures abound in the book and make me want to grab a bus to NYC in the morning!
Surprises abound everywhere, so make sure that your copy isn't missing anything under the cover!
Jessi Arrington is a Brooklyn based, color-obsessed designer and founder of the design firm WORKSHOP. Her favorite color is rainbow and she’s made a hobby out of wearing nothing new because it’s healthier for the environment, her wallet and offers her the opportunity to indulge her unique fashion sense!
She recently gave a lecture for TED and I was so fascinated by her personal style and spirit that I wanted to share her thoughts with all of you.
If you’d like to read more about what she thinks about color and design and thrift store shopping, check out her blog at LuckySoAndSo.com!
I just did and came across the most eloquent and insightful post about her struggles with perfectionism and procrastination, which just so happen to go hand in hand...something I never actually realized until tonight!
One mental epiphany later, I had to share the link to the post because it so perfectly articulates how I feel inside.
While waiting to meet up with a friend last Friday night, Miguel and I decided to kill some time in the gorgeous Room & Board home design store.
While we primarily went in because we noticed they had a rooftop patio area, I quickly found a handful of things that I wanted to take home with me!
Alas, the store’s prices didn’t agree with my wallet so I only left with these pictures…but I plan to do a little research on eBay to see if I can snag some of the vintage finds myself!I loved their window graphics…and the reflection!
And the view of a nearby rooftop garden – awesome!!
I’ve recently fallen in love with vintage maps and these one-of-a-kind French School maps are gorgeous!
I truly, truly, TRULY wish every Monday could be a repeat of today: sleeping in, going for a swim, doing a little work in between and hanging out with the fuzzies…
I can’t believe that another month has come and gone…but here I am writing my wrap-up to month two of MY Happiness Project.
All in all I think I was pretty successful in achieving my goals! Unlike month one, there were no tangible ways to really measure my success (which sometimes made me feel a little less motivated) but at the end of the day I think I made great strides in trying to be a better partner to Miguel!
And vice versa actually! Seeing my efforts made Miguel feel like he needed to step up similarly and I think it sort of shook us out of our comfort zone.
So how did I really measure up with my month two goals? See for yourself below!
- Quit nagging – I did find myself prodding Miguel at times to work on certain projects, but more often than not I bit my tongue and he actually started to do more on his own because I wasn’t bugging him. It actually made me remember how as a child I would become less motivated to do something when my mom would nag me…hmm, can you say epiphany!?
- Be nicer – Miguel actually acknowledged that I had been doing better with this one, which made me feel really good because it’s been an issue that has come up a few times over the years. Of course, I may have gotten a bit more sarcastic at work to compensate (oops!) but I have definitely become more aware of my actions when we're out with friends.
- Offer small gestures – I was better about this one in the beginning of the month, but I think I’m a lot more aware of how necessary the small gestures are and I’m going to continue to work on making this more of a habit.
- Cook more often – this is another one that I was better about earlier in the month but my schedule is really to blame! Getting home so late at night doesn’t bode well for making dinner and we don’t often eat in on the weekends, but I’m going to try and do better about offering to cook when the opportunity arises so Miguel doesn’t feel like it’s his sole responsibility.
- Don’t sweat the small stuff – I think I’ve done pretty great with this one! While I haven’t been able to fully adopt Miguel’s laidback personality, I have been careful not to burden him with my venting as soon as I walk in the door. It allows us to have more positive time together and leaves room for having conversations about things that really matter, rather than focusing all of our energy on the negatives on the day.
Apparently, it is…because tonight my GasBuddy app did me wrong, big time!
You see, in my quest for the cheapest possible gas I have started to use the GasBuddy app on my iPhone, which reports on gas prices in your local area so you can shop around for the best deal. While I won’t go way out of my way to save a few bucks, I have started to frequent the stations that don’t gouge the prices as bad as others (i.e. Exxon).
So, you know I was super excited tonight to find out that the cheapest gas in my area was not too far off from my normal commute! I quickly clicked “get directions” and became so engrossed with finding my way that it didn’t click that I was being prompted to take exits to Fort Myer until it was too late.
Yup, I didn’t realize until I was on the exit ramp that I had taken a Fort Myer ONLY exit…that dropped me right at the army base’s guard post.
Fortunately for me, it all happened so quickly that I had no time for my face to register my extreme embarrassment and turn bright red. Instead, I calmly mentioned that I had taken the wrong exit (hoping this happened all the time) and politely asked if I could do a quick u-turn.
The guard was very nice and directed me on how to exit, but on my way out I was forced to drive through an inspection tent…where I had to explain to another guard what had happened.
Oh, the humiliation! Why oh why would somebody have tagged a gas station located on an army base? Seriously people!
The Moral? Saving money is important, but be wary of no-name gas stations…you never know where you’ll end up!
