Earth, Fire, Wind, Water, Heart! Sorry, I was thinking of the power of the elements and had a Captain Planet moment. Actually, I saw a video [see below] on Facebook this morning that really interested me. Water can be really calm and serene or it can be angry and scary and strong. And it can kind of be both at the same time. Hawaiian photographer Clark Little jumps into gigantic waves with his camera and shoots these incredible shore breaks. Some of the breaks are so big, I want to scold him for not wearing a life jacket (such a mom). He captures these amazing shots while he is completely enveloped and surrounded by the powerful water and the images are truly beautiful. Check out the video in which Little talks about his process and you can see more of his work.
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Summer is officially here! The last week has been a little crazy with a sick baby and our niece and nephew in town, but we had a lot of fun (minus the fever and cough).
Even though fall is my favorite season, I have so many amazing summer memories. One of my earliest summer memories is from when I was around age 6 or 7. I never went to sleep away camp, but we did go to day camp at the library. I was a voracious reader from a very young age (and would still like to be - I do miss all the book-reading time I had on the train commuting into the city!) so I loved being able to lie on the floor and plow through chapter books, in between getting outside and playing kick ball and doing other outside activities. I can vaguely picture the area where we sat for story time, but one of the things I remember most is all of us kids running across the grass toward weathered picnic tables where these iconic ketchup-and-mustard colored coolers sat filled to the brim with chilled cherry Kool-Aid. I remember, even then, having a feeling about what a great it was. Memories like that really drive me to want to provide similar opportunities to my children. I have so many other great memories of putting on plays in garages, hanging out in my spy fort, playing street hockey with the neighbors, going out with newly-licensed-to-drive friends, and the trip my husband and I took to London and Paris for our 5th anniversary. But I want to know, what is your favorite summer memory? There are so many beautiful cotton and linen napkins out there, but sometimes paper napkins are more practical or preferred, so why not have a cute selection on hand? Meri Meri's Toot Sweet line is super adorable featuring fun patterns and, on most designs, a scalloped edge. Most of them come in lunch and beverage sizes and the striped versions offer additional colorways. When I was new to market work and working really hard to learn about the home decor and design companies I didn't know, one of the first brands I became aware of was L'Objet. Someone had called in the Key Tassel candle for a shoot and later I ended up with it. I still have it, and love it, especially for the memories it evokes of the beginning of my career. I love how pretty it smells, and it was probably the first time I ever saw a candle and thought, "Wow, that looks so elegant." I will say all the best houses I've ever been in for shoots or interviews have always smelled incredible, so good, high quality candles are worth it. This year L'Objet celebrates its 10th anniversary and in honor of that milestone, founder and creative director Elad Yifrach has designed a new collection of pieces called Sous le Ciel. There are essentially two lines within the collection: The Han dinnerware and accessories, and the Soie Tressée dinnerware. China's Han Dynasty marked a period of unprecedented advancement and innovation in the arts, particularly in regard to the invention of paper, glazed ceramics, and developments in silk weaving. The Han Collection is a nod to this time and the ancient craftsmanship employed. The emperors of the dynasty were called "Sons of Heaven" and through their trade along the Silk Road, the Chinese acquired a superior breed of horse that became a symbol of power and prestige. They were called "heavenly horses" and are why the accessories have an equestrian theme. The designs are very pure and zen (the pattern reminds me of the designs you can make in the sand of a zen garden) but the techniques used to make this line were very complex. L'Objet shared that the plates are crafted with an unusually deep foot, which is almost impossible to fire and references the Chinese philosophy that we should never be too grounded, but always be lifted up a little toward heaven. As a complement to Han; Soie Tressée offers a contemporary take on an ancient shape. The pattern references the timeless image of the silk braid, and pairs its simplicity alongside the more intricate Han pieces. Over the years, L'Objet has incorporated bright colors and on-trend patterns (love the leopard and malachite), but this collection is classic L'Objet, featuring the crisp white Limoges porcelain and 24K gold for which they are so well known. Here is a look at Sous le Ciel: images via l'objet Xx a How was your weekend? We had a great time in the sunshine and the water (so happy my parents have a pool)! Now that it's basically summer, I'm thinking how much I can actually do on the iPad so I can work outside more often instead of always being cooped up inside at my desk. If you're going to work outside, you need a comfy place to sit. Now that I've seen these special edition hammocks in Elle Decor, I'm kind of obsessing over a loftier way of lounging. These hammocks are designed and woven by a young collective of craftspeople based in Masaya, Nicaragua. Each piece they produce (made-to-order) is handmade using cotton and bamboo or sustainable woods. The collective also makes a variety of hammocks, swings, and even a macrame crib! They further minimize their environmental impact by only purchasing hardwood not in danger of extinction and use recycled paper and small amounts of tape in their packaging. 10% of the price of each item is used for community projects. Don't these make you just want to set up a hammock outside, grab some lemonade, and sway to the breeze? I mean, look at these amazing settings. I just want to dive into these pictures, especially the last one (see more here): product images via savvy surrounding style, hang a hammock collective/paolo proserpio photography, hammocks in situ images via elle decor
Xx a Are you enjoying all of the sunshine as much as I am? The weather has been beautiful and I couldn't be happier about it. I am very excited to share that Arhaus Furniture and I had so much fun working together on my guest post for their blog the greenhaus, that together (and via Arhaus' extreme generosity) we are giving away their fantastic tabletop pieces to one lucky winner! If you win, you'll receive exactly what I used for my family dinner (pictured above):
To enter, use the widget below; there are a few different ways to enter: Good luck!Fine print: Total retail value of products is $1,392.12. No purchase required. No likes or follows required, though they're welcome! Sweepstakes is open June 4, 2014 through June 9, 2014 at 11:59pm. Winner must be resident of the U.S.; Void where prohibited. There will be one (1) winner chosen at random within two days of the end of the contest. Please use the widget to enter and submit your entry, there are multiple ways to enter and the more ways you enter the greater your chances of winning. For complete rules, click here. Xx a My father is notoriously difficult to buy gifts for because he always buys everything he wants immediately and then there's nothing left for birthdays, holidays, or special occasions. For Father's Day, he asked for tickets to a concert he wants to attend next weekend. I bought them the other day, so I'm all set ahead of schedule, but if you're still looking for the perfect gift for your father, father figure, husband (I am), or another great dad in your life, consider getting him a Man Crate. With a sense of humor and a masculine sensibility — a brass-knuckle meat tenderizer, supplies for increasing levels of zombie threat, and a Chuck Rodent club cover are par for the course (no pun intended) — the Man Crates fulfill a wide range of interests and tastes. More than two dozen crates are pre-arranged or you can request a custom gift. Each set comes with a crowbar so your man can pry open his own gift which comes adorned with "no bows, ribbons, or fluff."
Two or three years ago, instead of a work shirt or video game (my husband's usual requests), I bought him a bacon-related gift pack from another vendor and it was very well-received. Personalized gifts are always much better than something you might buy any other day of the year because they show much more thought as to who someone really is and what they like. If your guy is a first-timer, the Tactical Baby Bag (top) offers a survival guide and other smart supplies for added energy during the sleepless nights (note: this comes with the tactical bag, not a crate). Which ones suits your guy/dad? A few of these would work for my husband, but I think he is the retro gamer all the way. |
#checkout this blog with shop-themed puns
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