pretty lips. mid~day color inspiration

bring on spring and bring on the color! these oh~so~pretty lipstick colors stop me. going light on the eye make~up and a little more on the lips, makes for a striking look and feel.


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my son and i are off to the bookstore, to peruse their shelves, flip through pages together, hang out, talk, be silent, sip tea and to enjoy each other's company for a while. i hope your saturday afternoon is relaxing and full of pretty color like these lips ;) enjoy!!

saturday & simone viola design.

i'm delirious today over the industrial design of simone viola. there is a sexy fluidity to viola's work. sensuous, flowing, tempting and simply intoxicating.





each piece is strong, yet soft, with all of those smooth edges, rounded corners and melting character. viola was born in switzerland studied in milan. viola specializes in both industrial design, with offerings such as these, to interior design, equally as eye catching and heart pounding.

i'm back from my french coffee & croissant run. my son, home for the weekend from college, when he wakes, will have chocolate croissants waiting for him. i love to surprise him and to treat him. and let me tell you, these croissants are a real treat, so delish! i hope that this saturday finds you enjoying something sweet too. enjoy!

how sweet. mid~friday softness

i hope that your friday is winding down, that you are feeling relaxed with each hour that passes. i'm home from picking my son up at college. he's playing the guitar, i'm listening. pasta is slated for dinner, cheese bread and red wine too. should be a soft, quiet, relaxing friday night.



i recently visited a tumblr site called how sweet. these images are from there but currently i can't find the site to link to it. if you are familiar with the site, let me know ;) cause like its name says, it's full of super sweet images like these.

have a super evening friends. eat really delicious food, have a glass of your favorite beverage. put your feet up and enjoy!!

quasar. exclusive. creative. inventive.

by now most of you know that when it comes to design, i'm a complete lighting junkie. quasar satisfies my lighting curiosity this friday morning by offering an interesting, complex and decadent line of lighting. here are a few of my hand picked favorites for you...









and how about quasar's use of options regarding materials used? from feathers, to lace~like mesh, to metals like copper and glass, tons of glass. i'm still amazed every day, on every level, when i stop and consider the design options our there. all of the talented artists, designers, conceptual artists, so much goes into really great design. it's complicated but really it can be just so simple. these lights are truly fixtures of fancy, fancy lighting that is.

happy friday friends! i'm still running on empty but the weekend is in my sights. i'm off again today to pluck my son from his college campus and bring him home, feed him, finish watching a movie (this) that we started last time he was here, stay up too late, and eat a giant breakfast with him in the morning. can't wait! i hope your plans are exciting, relaxing and just plain great for this weekend...enjoy!!

lighting & line, mid~day lighting love

these spool lamps, offered up by lucente have my mid~day inspiration attention. the elegance of all of that white, the easy, simple design. and then as if to not drawn too much attention, yet it can't help but draw much of the attention, is that little line, that intriguing element of color, pleasantly interrupting all of that white space. just really fabulous lighting.


there is something very retro and very modern about these lucente lamps, all at the same time. for me, these would be super fresh and inviting in a kitchen space, residential or commercial. somehow industrial & utilitarian, somehow not.

heading up to boston again for a course meeting. my sister is coming along for the ride to keep me company so that will make it more fun. perhaps a glass of wine together afterwards is in order? most likely it will be. ;) enjoy the rest of your almost friday friends!

marrakesh. crazy for this tile.

this almost friday, i wanted to talk about quick and instant face lifts. not the face kind, but the interior design kind. just like paint can do, provide that instant face lift for any space, residential or commercial, giving it a burst of pizazz, a new feel, a new mood, so too can adding in or changing out flooring. and with these fresh, super interesting tile ideas offered up by marrakesh, how could you even hesitate...









aren't these new styles by marrakesh out of this world gorgeous for spring and summer style? ah, yeah. inspired by classical arabic geometry, this flooring option is stunning. marrakesh has collaborated on this line with claesson koivisto rune (another fab find) to bring a hard to describe in words, set of designs.

hey, hey! how are you today? i'm still working on getting my energy level up. not sure why, but this week i'm dragging my body around a bit. i will definitely try for a run today to help the energy level get up there ;) i have another class tonight, then a weekend ahead where my son will be home from college. looking forward to that. i hope this almost friday morning finds you in a positive, inspired place. enjoy!

mid~day simplicity, the vamoose

playing more on the rather nautical theme i have going today, i wanted to share with you this mid~day wednesday, the wonderfully refreshing, beachy, nautical inspired rope necklaces and bracelets offered up on the vamoose.


twisted pieces of rope, adorned with solid brass discs and faceted citrine stones, each piece unique, as is each stone. the vamoose has tons of other pretty, pretty product, and all at very reasonable prices. have a look for yourself here. can't you picture these accompanying your favorite t~shirt, jeans and heels? oh, i can!

ok, i'm heading to boston, to sleepily attend class. who knows, sometimes my courses and lectures inspire & energize me somehow. so yeah, i'll go with that theory today ;) enjoy the rest of this mid~afternoon. i hope your day is going really, really well!

the coral pendant from arturo alvarez

i've always loved, as many of you have, the lighting design of arutro alvarez. this mid~week wednesday, i'm enjoying his very new line of "coral" pendants. utilizing a silicone mesh, allowing for texture, volume, & slight transparencies, alvarez takes you under the sea, captivates you with organic coral~esque shapes, reminding you of the beauty that lives below.




placed either singularly or clumped in bunches, hung at the same height, differing heights, alvarez's coral pendants instantly transform any home's space. commercially, alvarez's pendants lend themselves to bedrooms, swanky lounge areas or restaurant windows, looking out toward the sea. your sleeping, dining, sipping wine experience, or just your cooking dinner at home experience has become just a little more exotic when incorporating this lighting. don't you think?


how are you this mid~week? i'm running on a little lack of sleep, so i'm trying to drink alot of water, rejuvenate where i can, and muddle through. i'm hoping by the end of the week, that i'm feeling as if i've accomplished much of what i'm trying to, for courses and in daily ol' life ;) enjoy...

mid~day interior inspiration, robert young

i'm sucked in this mid~afternoon, to the interior styling of robert young. young states that when approaching design or space that he utilizes "creative exploration and thorough investigation of the essential facts and distinctive possibilities of each site and client's needs leading to organic, apt and inevitable solutions that are true to their time and place." perfect.

so, what is inspiring you this mid~day tuesday? have you seen something recently, one unique piece of furniture or lighting, or perhaps a pairing of unusual patterns or color palettes? have you discovered new designers or websites like robert young's? if so, i'd love to hear!

off to buy my paint and get creating, attempting this cool project. for now, enjoy the rest of this day friends! you know you want to ;)

maria hatling. a signature style

this tuesday i'm not only drawn to thoughts of spring & summer, but to the lively, clean, nature~inspired textile and print designs of maria hatling. good news & a fab find if you are a pillow junkie like me!








hatling grew up in norway but currently lives and works in london. reminiscent in her designs though, are those open, care~free scandinavian lines and concepts. hatling rejects many traditional printmaking techniques, choosing to create her artwork, freehand and input that artwork directly into the computer for printing. the result is just that, pure exploration...her work shows testing the boundaries between "color, shape, texture, space, technology and tradition." plus, they're just really great designs ;) bonus!

hey, hey for tuesday friends! what's on your agenda today? i'm working on the never ending reading and researching for my courses. but, in between all of that, i'm going to attempt this do~it~yourself project for a birthday gift. i already have the candle sticks, i am heading out this afternoon to purchase the paint. if it comes out really great, i'll snap some pictures. enjoy!