"a single event can awaken within us a stranger totally unknown to us. to live is to be slowly born." antoine de saint-exupery
once the blessed one told his monks the following story:
"this is the right way," said the blessed one and spoke further to his monks:
{top photo by cerezo, middle photo by hickoree, and last photo by michaela}
it's taken me a week to get around to acknowledging this honor, but better late than never.....
the 90/10 rule ~ teri lives in san francisco and infuses her both-sides-now musings with her great sense of humor and reality-clear perspective. it's very refreshing. she has an incredible eye for fashion and is my go-to gal for all fashion related advice & information. she also is a very talented baker ~ i've had the pleasure of baking with her so i know first hand she has amazing skills. but what you might not get from reading her blog is this lady is more knowledge hungry than i am ~ she dives into things with full gusto, and has an awe-inspiring fever to learn and grow and try new things. she also tells it like it is. every time. there's no b.s. fluff in her ~ and i gotta say i admire that so much. she loves you & life so much she will paint the most dismal picture if that's what reality is at that moment. now, that is truly celebrating what's real. and there's always some humor in it too ~ she certainly can laugh at her foibles and yours, and get you to giggle along with her. as i've said before, i really really admire her.
mackin ink ~ karey lives in jordan with her 3 beautiful daughters and is one of the most talented writers on the entire internet. every single time i read her blog a fountain of emotions comes up. she is truly an artist with her pen and perspective. her relationship to her family is so wonderful, and she sees things through so many beautiful lenses. i have a feeling you'll become as addicted to her charm as i am, if you aren't already.
the froth ~ chloe lives in greece and shares her life there in such a way that i want to climb into every picture she takes. i've always had a desire to vist greece, so i guess i am a bit biased, but chloe's images can inspire anyone to want to be there too. she has a warm generous heart and bright spirit. her luscious creative energy just leaps out of her blog with every post. someday i'm going to greece and i will get to hug her with gratitude for all that she gives. someday.
hula seventy ~ andrea lives in portland, oregon and in her i feel like i've met a kindred spirit ~ well we haven't actually met, but i still imagine it this way. she lives in my home state, she's a dancer, she's crafty & creative, and she clearly has a real sparkle for life. if we get the pleasure of meeting, i already know we'd have a ton to talk about and a friendship would form so naturally and quickly it would be like it's always been there. reading her blog reminds me to pay attention to the little things, to seek beauty everywhere, and to never forget my roots.
alex.tango.fuego ~ alex is my starry-eyed surprise of the blogosphere. he's a texan tanguero who makes ladies swoon with his charm. he's multi-talented, and insightful, and aware, and open {a taoist in our midst}, so he blogs about a myriad of very interesting things ~ mostly tango-related, but there's a lot more there to enjoy as well if you're not in to tango. and if you're not a tanguera, his blog will likely make you way more curious & interested....if for no other reason than the hope of someday getting to melt into his embrace. we've also discovered quite the kindred spirit connection and my adoration continues to grow. he's my favorite man in the blogiverse, all of texas, and perhaps even beyond....only time will tell, since we're already planning a photoshoot of my babybump when he visits sf this fall.
diana:muse ~ what a design diva dream come true diana is! her blog is full of delicious eye-candy, with delightful inspiration around every corner. if i could start a partnership in a business of making people's lives & spaces more beautiful and functional, then diana is definitely one i'd want to do it with. she's got a great eye, a wise mind, and she inspires me to no end.
where's my daughter {aka jendita's blog} ~ i recently did a lengthy post for/about jenni on her birthday, so i won't go into too much detail now. but i'll just say her blog is a nice little picture of the real life in san francisco of a very active, insightful, talented, creative, beautiful and fun woman who i adore entirely. so please dig right in!
p.s. if you haven't figured it out already i'm a naughty rule breaker. i couldn't keep it to 5 ~ ooops!
i'm so excited to discover and share designlush! its innovative collection of contemporary furniture is fully dedicated to the art of good design. their unique hand crafted collection {many designed exclusively for them} are created by designers and artisans who clearly appreciate and understand the philosophy of both design and furniture making. in addition to their retail line, designlush develops and fabricates custom designs for the trade, creating one of a kind pieces for designers and architects for use in residential, hospitality and visual-merchandising projects. and, yes that is a concrete platform bed frame in the photo above ~ hotness!
{single slab pine and glass library shelves}
{black walnut & pine coffee table}
{coffee table: open glass box with american black walnut slabs}
{naughty and woody lamps ~ walnut or maple veneer floor lamps}
{neapolitan bamboo & salvaged walnut media console}
{aurora acrylic coffee table}
{quad acrylic book shelf}
{firefly table lamp with acrylic base}
would you be so kind as to join me in a celebration of argentine tango dance and music at the de young museum in san francisco's golden gate park. . . .
{foglie iron bed by tuscan hills}
{the cocoon hammock, by henry hall designs}
maybe i'll just go for both? :o) which would you choose?
hope you have a rejuvenating weekend!
wouldn't these be a lovely addition to a summer party table? due to my obsession with umbrellas, these would make any table a happy festival in my eyes. benjamin hubert is quite the brilliant product designer ~ to see his website and other prodcuts go here.
the fabrics & textiles diva, tricia guild {also of designer’s guild fame}, explores the transformative power of blossoms in her new book flower sense. loaded with candy-colored photographs and innovative ideas for displaying flowers and plants in color-saturated city rooms, vintage environments, modern spaces and country settings, the book reflects guild’s vibrant and romantic approach to design. there’s a section on versatile and accessible arrangements for parties, as well as a practical chapter devoted to proper flower care and preparation for long lasting arrangements. i just love how well she blends contemporary with romantic!
this is one of the best urban interactive art projects i've heard of in a long time ~ 
i once read somewhere that a sister is a little bit of childhood that can never be lost. today my sister turns 31 and i'm beaming with celebratory pride that i am so tightly connected to such an incredible lady. growing up together teaches you a lot of things about each other, some good and some not so good {we're all human of course}, so it's no wonder some siblings don't remain close. but we're lucky ones. our friendship has always been there, and grew even tighter once we both left the nest. we know more about each other than any two other people. and now we're so close that rarely one day goes by without contacting each other. 
a sister ~ she is your mirror, shining back at you with a world of possibilities. she is your witness, who sees you at your worst and best, and loves you anyway. she is your partner in crime, your midnight companion, someone who knows when you are smiling, even in the dark. she is your teacher, your defense attorney, your personal press agent, even your shrink. some days, she's the reason you wish you were an only child. ~barbara alpert {but that last part i haven't felt since we were pre-teens sharing the same bedroom} :o)
{top two photos by me in sonoma; last photo from the far niente website of the oldest known bottle of wine in california}
the amazing andrea over at hula seventy is hosting a summer postcard exchange ~ jump on over to her blog to see what it's all about. 
a wall of summer lovin' colorful happy.
welcome to the magnificent photography & styling of the captivating spanish photographer eugenio recuenco. 
{first seen on the ever gorgeous designer's block}
