Midwinter itch: crocus

I think the most important flower for any garden to have is the first one to bloom each spring.  And the earlier it can do that for me, the better.  I am a woman who can barely tolerate winter and by February I just about lose my mind.  So having some perky little crocuses appear in March is akin to having the heavens part and a choir of angels sing.  You'd better believe that if I live where there's winter, I will always have crocuses planted.

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Etsy love: Tush Tush

I was trolling through all my saved favorite Etsy sellers lately and rediscovered Tush Tush.  If I could pick one talent that I absolutely do not have and bestow it upon myself I think I'd choose to be able to paint like this.  (Or play the violin... but that one I may still be able to tackle in this life).

I found the chandelier of my dreams

But I have no idea how to find it in real life.  (The blog post I saw it on had no sources).  Dreams are more fun anyway.

Quote of the Week: Stars

"If the stars should appear but one night every thousand years how man would marvel and stare."
Ralph Waldo Emerson



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Rhythm and ideas

My friend Shelley reminded me recently of the awesome webzine Rhythm of the Home.

Check it out for some awesome Waldorfian ideas of what to do with bored kids.  What, your kids are never bored?  Well what am I doing wrong then?

Some of my favorites:

St. Lucia Day
Storytelling with Young children
Mail Kit
Plough Monday
Art Bag
Embroidering your children's artwork
Benefits of Play
Pop up books
Crafts for young children
making playscapes
wishing rocks

The perfect shoe

In my mind, is a T-strap with a short 1-2" heel.
Stylish and sure-footed.  Not too trendy, and you could walk a mile in such a pair, and look good doing it.

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When life gives you lemons...

decorate with them!  Something about lemons seems so clean and perfect for a new year to me.

William Sonoma Home

Elizabeth Anne Designs

Laura Dowling

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project wedding

NZ House

The Knot

B*spoke

super stock

on etsy; make your own monster

The mother of boys in me loves this idea.

by David Scott Cole 

arts and crafts and transoms

I have such a soft spot for arts and crafts architecture.  Lately I've been dreaming of a friendly little bungalow with lots of built-ins and details.  Details like these sublime art-deco and art-nouveau transoms above the front door.  Pretty sure I'll have a few of these in heaven.

Visions in Glass

Glass designs by George

Simply Stained

Art Fix Daily

Lynne Parrish

Fairgreen

And wouldn't it be the ultimate way to mark your address?  I adore this idea:

R.A. Cleve

Sunrise Stained Glass

Quote(s) of the Week: tulips

The thought of the first spring flowers and blossoms tends to be my lifeline through the doldrums of real winter.  It's time to be forcing bulbs and branches in order to feed my soul.


"But I have always thought that these tulips must have had names. They were red, and orange and red, and red and orange and yellow, like the ember in a nursery fire of a winter's evening. I remember them." 
— Neil Gaiman

as tulips do

the tulip doesn’t know the word pink,
but lives it every day, warm
as the inside of a mouth

its petals don’t know their name
but the inner-breath of lovers
repeats it over and over,
like veins

it has never heard of the word bulb
yet from the dark earth
it pushes its heart ---


  as headdress,
  as opened light


 Nicolette Marguerite van der Walt

kids stuff: Snow Fortress

If you live where it snows, and you have a boy (or three) then you might need one of these.

Ask me how I know.

fashion: role models

Most areas in my life benefit from choosing succinct role models.  I have my "mothering" role models, my "homemaking" role models, my "wife" role models, my "brilliant use of language and learning" role models, blogging role models, and more.

But choosing succinct "personal style" role models?  That just feels like such a big commitment.  My "style", aside from not technically existing, would probably have multiple personalities if it did exist.

But here are a few I'd consider if you asked me today:

Caitlin Wilson manages to make globe-trotting with a baby in-tow look effortless and chic.  I can't even make taking a nap look effortless and chic.

And Tollipop's Caroline manages to wear what she loves and make it look good just because she loves it. I'd love to look that happily uninhibited. (Am I allowed to turn to the under 12 set for fashion inspiration?)  

My friend Vanessa is always inspiring.  The girl just glows, and seems incapable of making a fashion misstep.

I try to stay away from celebrity-worship.  I by and large don't care what really rich or famous people buy or wear or do.  I'm perfectly content to not have the troubles that so much fame or money tend to bring with them.  But, every time I've bumped into a photo of Olivia Palermo, I've had to concede that she's gorgeous.  I have the consolation of knowing that most of the world thinks she's a shark.

And since I was 10, I've always felt safest when I tried to emulate the irreplaceable Audrey.   Too bad there are no similarities in our body types. I am short and curvy where she was long and lean.  Her only real curves were her hips against her amazingly small ribcage, and I have nearly no hips but plenty of curves everywhere else!  Now more than ever I appreciate how she made motherhood look good, and how she shamelessly prioritized it.