Hey Little Birdie!

Earlier this week, Nicky wrote about picnic inspiration. And I have to say, I climbed right on board and brought along my checkered tablecloth, a delectable mix of cheese, crackers, strawberries and probably some wine. Dreaming about it, I can almost feel the sweet sunshine on my face and a light breeze in the air. You know, enough of a breeze to gently blow my hair perfectly but not enough that I look like I just got out a convertible that had been traveling down the autobahn.

Wait, back to the picnic. Sorry, I got distracted by my hair. I wish I could say that was the first time that’s happened to me… today.

I think these little goodies from Anthropologie would be the perfect addition. I mean they ooze of springtime goodness. And even on the rainiest days or, more accurately for Phoenix, the most horribly hot day in July, they would flood my brain with picnic images just by sweetly residing on my kitchen countertop.

p.s. they come in two sizes, so take your pick.

A couple weeks ago I read about the blessed union of one Martha Stewart with my favorite brand of office supplies, Avery. That is correct, Martha Stewart labels, journals, binders and more. Let it resonate, savor the moment. I will wait.

I have been stalking the collection online and plotting my purchase. When I got into Staples to see it in person, my careful planning went out the windows. I started doing cartwheels down this aisle:

They were just putting the product out so the selection was limited, but glorious. I am completely inspired to label everything in my home, even the couch.

This is what followed me home:

I am off to print off my labels and bask in their aesthetic goodness. And you should be off to your local Staples to experience the organizational Nirvana that awaits you.

PS Speaking of paper goods I am completely obsessed with my new thank you cards I picked up at Walmart (?!) Way to go Walmart, seriously.

I spotted this image of a gorgeous picnic on Pinterest and it got me all dreamy.

Apologizes to those of you who are buried in snow, but here in Phoenix we are enjoying highs in the 60s-70s this time of year. It makes up for our hellish 8 months of summer (kind of). The trees are full of citrus, there is sun but with a cool breeze- it is a wonderful time to be outdoors in the Valley. And what fun would it be to create a picnic in the groves like this inspirational scene?

1. Sandwich Cake! 2. Doilies and string lights 3. Cute Flats for picnicking 4. Lemon bars 5. Vintage covered dishes

Welcome to our weekly feature “Know Your Birdies” where every Friday a question is posed and you get to know us through our answers. This week we’ve asked… and answered: What is your favorite color?

Favorite color is hard for me. I’m not sure why. Maybe because I don’t want to limit myself, or maybe because I am so particular that I must include distinct shades. Either way, today I am committing myself to the color green. There are many reasons, really. It hints of nature. It can morph from a springy garden green to a more wintery dark green. And it compliments nicely with other colors I love, like browns and navys and rich reds. But I think the best way to illustrate my affection is through pictures, so here we go.

My favorite color is really more of a lack of color. Which makes my artist mother hang her head in shame. I would have my entire house void of color if I had my druthers.  That is right, give me black and white. Sometime if I am feeling sassy I mix it up and combine the two to go for gray.  If I am really really feeling audacious I go with red, which is my go to proper color. To me there is nothing better than a black sweater with pearls or a plush bed made with black and white hotel bedding. I feel like they are safe in that they are not going to be trendy, I doubt I will look back blushing at my color choices in 20 years like I might say, a chartreuse phase. More over black and white are serene to me, they are not jolting or exciting, but they can be dramatic or stark. I like the pairing of the two because it creates a crisp delineation that isn’t found in nature or goodness knows, life. They are just simple, timeless, versatile and beautiful. My new favorite decorating book, which was a birthday present (…from myself…) is a  visual embodiment of all that I love about my favorite (non)colors.

I feel it is appropriate to share a snap shot of my daughter’s self styled outfit today. The child is not a fan of black and white it turns out:

I also find it difficult to limit myself to one color. Growing up it was without a doubt pink. I even drew pictures of my future pink house with all pink furniture. I bet Adrian is thankful that dream never became reality! I also gravitate towards bright sunshine yellow, because it makes me instantly happy. My sweet father in law has never forgotten this and has sent me a bouquet of all yellow flowers every birthday since high school. For home design, I agree with Katie above that black and white is tops in my book. However when it comes to all time favorite shade, my choice is bold, kelly green. I love it in clothing and accessories (Hello Kate Spade!) and even in home decor. In fact, the photo below is Ms. Kate Spade’s guest bathroom.

What is your favorite hue?

A collection of things you should know about my me and my life, as of late:

1. I love my neighborhood. It’s full of interesting and quirky people. Case in point: I have a neighbor who cuts his yard with a riding lawnmower yet has no grass. Instead he cuts the weeds and, I guess, plows the dirt. Insert my questioning glance here.

2. I have been doing a “fast” of sorts lately. And because of my ineptitude in the kitchen, I have a sweet friend who has been bringing me bags full of “fast-approved” meals and snacks. I mean, really, everyone should have friends like that. But I’m not telling who it is, because I don’t want you all to steal her. A girl’s got to keep a good thing when she’s got one.

3. I’ve felt kind of kooky-crazy lately. A mess of personally tragic things going on in my life that I promise to share at some undisclosed future date. But I felt so cuckoo the other day, I started to daydream that if anyone ever admitted me to a crazy hospital, I would like my padded room to be made out of fresh mozzerella. Because honestly, I think I could still be happy there. I really love fresh chucks of mozzerella.

4. I think the joke of a “D-bag Jar” as seen on the show New Girl (with Zooey Deschanel) is nothing but pure comic gold. For reals.

5. Last week, I discovered that I could (just about) put my little Lyla’s slowly growing locks in to makeshift pigtails. They are simultaneously the cutest and saddest things I’ve ever seen. But I love them all the same. (See above photos for proper swooning)

6. I just ordered FLOR tiles to use as my new living room rug, and I’m kind of schoolgirl-giddy about them. Like I might just create a shrine to them in my house, while I wait for my UPS driver to grace my front porch. I’m thinking a Teen Beat type poster with lipstick kiss marks, as well as doodling my name with their name in a heart on my tennis shoes.

7. I think the word “shop” should always be spelled with the -pe at the end. You know, shoppe. Just to make it more playful and merry.

That’s it for today. Love you guys.

p.s. I would love it if you would share your random thoughts with me in the comments, so that I know I’m not the only one… I’m not the only one, right?

My sweet little son’s birthday lands a couple of weeks after Christmas. Which means he has gotten cheated in the birthday department. The last few years in addition to not wanting to do anything after the Christmas craziness we have had family emergencies that have prevented his having a proper birthday party. He has been asking about having a “Curious George Birthday Party” for over a year. Every time we would go to another child’s party he would ask me if he could have a birthday party. I will tell you right now if he looked at you with those blue eyes and asked that you would have thrown him a party too.

I am pretty sure he would have been cool with some Curious George plates and a cake, but I had Mommy’s guilt for not doing anything for his birthday for the last two years. So…we did a little bit more than Curious George plates.

We had the door man greeting the guests (painted by my mother.)

And of course I had to do Curious George themed food, which I couldn’t think of so I just gave the food names with various characters from the show. I came up with Renkins’ Farm Fresh Veggies, Chef Pisgetti’s Speciale Macaroni and Cheese, Hundley’s Hotdogs and The Man With the Yellow Hat’s Elixir.

Then we had the dessert table, or as I liked to call it ” Chef Pisghetti Ristorante.” Again with a sign painted by my mom. And what Italian restaurant would be complete with out a red and white awning? There was enough sugar to fuel 25 small children for several hours and coat my house in a thin layer of sticky for a week or so. And those cake pops? Goodnight, NEVER again. Every time someone would eat one I wanted to weep and ask them if they knew how long it took me to make it. Then I decided that wouldn’t be very hospitable of me.

And of course there were centerpieces, with bananas, and pinwheels. That’s normal for a four year old’s party right?

And here was the real star of the show, the bounce house. So much fun. Yeah, I played on it before everyone got there. Wouldn’t you?

I told my son that was the last party I was going throw for him until his rehearsal dinner before his wedding. But, I don’t know, sometimes I just can’t say no to this little face.

A million thank yous to my dear friend Brittany @ DTL Photo for capturing photos of the event while I was running around like a mad woman!

Thank you, Dr. King.

Welcome to our weekly feature “Know Your Birdies” where every Friday a question is posed and you get to know us through our answers. This week we’ve asked… and answered: To where would you love to have a $500 gift certificate?

I feel like I can easily sum up the answer to this question in two words: West Elm. And while I could leave it at that, you know me, I’m nothing if not wordy, so let me tell you why. Theirs is the catalog I most look forward to seeing in my mailbox. Their design esthetic mixes unbelievably well with pieces that are vintage or modern or much of the in between, so it accommodates easily. And finally, and probably most telling, I’m still in a home decor shopping mode rather than a wardrobe update mode. You remember how I facilitate between the two, right? So most likely to start, I would give my sad master bedroom a kick in the right direction with some new bedding. From there, who knows…

I chose the place you knew I was going to choose (which is Kate Spade in case it wasn’t a given.) I could blow through a $500 dollar gift card there in a red hot second. I don’t think I would get any clothing in order to maximize the purchase. I even took this opportunity to go on an imaginary shopping spree. Here is exactly what I would purchase if I had this said gift card. I might have gone over budget by a hair, but doesn’t everyone do that with giftcards? They are kind of like a coupon for me, get me started, but I will still end up paying.

I’m going to shock you all and say Home Depot. I know, right? But there are so many things I want to do that involve them. Like build a upholstered storage bench for my entry way. Or construct a container garden so I can grow my own veggies and herbs. I also have a dozen things that I want to paint and refinish in my home. It might not be glamorous, but Home Depot it is!

Where would you like to spend an extra $500?

Have you ever wondered why Sprite tastes so good when you are sick, but when you are well, you can easily take it or leave it, with an emphasis on leaving it? Well, trust me, it’s true. This week I have been sick ALL week. Sick like my daily count of awake hours could never quite make it to double digits. Sick like my greasy hair could be sculpted and my pile of kleenex was taller than my three year old. I actually count it a feat that I am a upright at all today. But upright I am. And seeing as this is the first time I’ve sat down at my computer, please bear with me. Wit and wisdom may be in short supply.

Enter simple elegance. Being that it is completely the opposite of how I feel right now, I think it may be the perfect thing to perk me up again. This beautiful necklace from Upper Metal Class on Etsy is pretty much lifting me from my utter doldrums. And basically, I thought you all should know… and potentially share in my devotion for it.

What do you think?

One more Jina sick fact, my voice wasn’t even Phoebe Buffat sick cool. It was worse. Like toddlers (or one toddler and her dad) would scoff at me. Oh my wounded soul.

My in laws bought my daughter, Estelle, a doll house for Christmas. I wasn’t thrilled about it at first, now I am completely over the top into it. Because it is about me, you know. Anyhow, Jina reminded me of Emily Henderson’s I am a Giant contest and I started looking up ideas. And all I can say is, whoa. Doll house people have their own crazy and decidedly creepy subculture. I guess that is the path I am going down. I don’t think I am going to let my daughters even touch it when I am through “remodeling” the house. Here are few of my favorite ideas I have tracked down.

I love everything about this exterior. Estelle told me it needs a pink door, I think I will make that concession.

How is this for an interior?  I am really making this house about me, you don’t think Estelle will mind do you?

And if the child insists on some color, I found a few vibrant rooms for inspiration as well:

I will post some pictures as the dollhouse progresses!