treehouse

a grownups tree fort. how awesome would it be to live in one of these!

images from Pete Nelson's New Treehouses of the World.

happy weekend!

time to sit back and relax - watch the snow fall - and dream of warmer days.

online inspiration - interiors

white walls throughout ones entire home can be boring, unless your doing the minimalist-clean-swiss approach. i personally love a bit of flavor a color or wallpaper can add to a room. i can not wait to own a place so that i can do something like the following to it's walls.

intricate nature inspired design created out of dried moss. by Oki Sato via design*sponge

shiny gold patterned mosaic walls. bling bling. by Bisazza via oh joy!

new photographs

the almost zero temperatures is keeping me inside today. i decided to go through my many folders of photographs and found a few to share. enjoy!

check out my photography section - i added some new galleries.
click here to view interiors >   click here to view holgas >   click here to view michigan abandonment >

online inspiration - crafting

since the bitter cold chicago winter decided to show itself again - i was beginning to think we got off easy this year - i have been looking around the blog world for some fun, interesting and somewhat easy crafts to do while i hibernate the rest of winter.

waterslide decals - a fun way to fancify any plain piece of pottery....learn how to decal>

tin can planters - what a cute way to recycle unique old cans....learn how to transform a tin can >

brrrr

my windows are icing over....

itouch repeat

f e v e r  r a y
unique mysterious tribal eerie moving music.

online inspiration - photography

my favorite subject. being a photographer myself i love searching and saving inspirational photos from blogs i subscribe to.

lately i have noticed a trend in photography. a lot of images i save are very subdued in color, have an old photo feel, or a hazy natural light source. here are a few of my favorites.

love the colors. by Aaron Feaver from sharesomecandy
loving this photography of pressed flowers. by Heidi Romano from design*sponge

where is this and what are these people doing? by Carlo Van de Roer from triangle triangle

full of soft, sweet love. by and from Rachel B.

her spirit carries on

even though my grandmother passed away three years ago, she is still 'alive'. one way her spirit lives on is through her items - furniture, clothing, dishes, knick knacks, jewelry, etc. i am fortunate enough to have some pieces from her jewelry collection and love them all. the black onyx stone earrings and ring are my favorite (wearing them today in honor of her). my grandmother always looked great, even as she got older she still made sure she looked presentable - hair done up, red lipstick, and a piece of jewelry or two.

the longer it has been since she passed away, the harder it gets. not because i miss her more (i do still miss her) but because those days of me thinking about her every minute have turned into every couple days. it is strange how that happens, but i know that no matter how many years go by since we last spoke or met eye to eye, she will always be present, in my heart, and in things i have of hers around me.

give

i know you all have heard and seen the destruction of the earthquake in Haiti. the photographs of bodies in the street, people without water, food, homes, buildings & roadways now just rubble, break my heart. so i have been looking up many ways to help and i thought i would share the different organizations i have found. you can donate money, supplies, and eventually your time.

http://www.genevaglobal.com/
a trusted organization that does wonderful work in helping those in need. hopefully by tomorrow their donation to Haiti page will be up and running. and the great thing about them is whatever you put in they will match.

http://www.yele.org/
a small, new group started by Wyclef Jean. you can quickly donate $5 by texting “Yele” to 501501 (the charge will appear on your phone bill).

http://www.idealist.org/
a non-for profit organization founded in 1995. their website is a place "where people and organizations can exchange resources and ideas, locate opportunities and supporters, and take steps toward building a world where all people can lead free and dignified lives."

also if you are a member of facebook there are many pages created to help raise money and support those in need in Haiti.

online inspiration - packaging

when you go to a store and look for an item what catches your eye first? the brand name, the box size, the type treatment, the colors? All of this is package design and sometimes good design helps the item stand out in the crowd. here are some wonderful items with beautiful packaging found at a blog dedicated to good package design, lovely package. 

this packaging might make me drink more water. designed by Mindscape Films.

this packaging is made out of recycled material. designed by Monakol Praneenit.

amazing op art wine packaging. ill have a bottle please. designed by Meeta Panesar.

my weekend

despite the fact that aaron was out of town i had quite a wonderful, interesting, and somewhat relaxing weekend. i began my saturday organizing and working until my uncle asked me if i wanted to cross country skiing. never been, always wanted to. so i agreed and spent the afternoon in a forest preserve working my entire body, sweating, and trying to keep my skis from crossing. i confess to falling numerous times but enjoyed every second of it and will be out there again.

sunday morning i woke up early and decided to make banana bread since i had two bananas that were about to cross over into rottenness. i tried a new recipe, as always, and added nuts and chocolate chips. quite yummy! my breakfast for the week.

i ended my weekend curled up on the sofa watching 'the virgin suicides' starring kristen dunst. i read the book not too long ago and remembered they had made a movie, which i did see a long long time ago, but thought why not watch it again. the book is much better.

fallen snow

yesterday i woke up to a neighborhood covered in white. it snowed all day and the next morning i woke to another layer of snow. so beautiful. it is always quieter outside when it snows, like it muffles sound. at night it sparkles against the dark.