words for the week

starting a new series today...

a weekly quote.

so, in honor of my last weekend of waitressing for the season:

i am excited to dig into my "quote book" started in high school

and rediscover some old faves!

via

rikshaw's gift guide

catherine from rikshaw design

invited me back this year for her annual gift-guide round up...

check out my selections

for sprucing up our home for the holidays!

giving thanks

what a wonderful, joyful weekend

stuffed full of

...

family

food

laughter

beach walks

friends

projects

and

love

...

so VERY much to be thankful for

and

thanks to YOU

i do so love sharing in this space.

xoxo

29 wishes

i cannot believe my 29th birthday is a little more than a week away...

i little scary to be entering my last year of my twenties, i have to say.

here is my list of wishes, needs and dreams.

many, not so glamourous, but as a new homeowner

with a to-do list a mile long

this is what is on my mind!

others are truly "in my dreams"

but that's allowed, right!?!

...

canon 5d * my signature nude: sandy beach * kate's favorites * a couch!

organic king size mattress * gold toms * polka dot love * letterpress for 2011

a pantry full of glass jars * a perfect collection of classics * nellie for my charm bracelet * stylish hoodie

new contessa * no, not glamourous but needed! * king cases * riding boots

running shorts * livingroom rug * glam china * i'm over my ever-cracked screen

wallpaper for our entryway (3 rolls) * two sconces * yoga tank * first home charm

roller shades for the kitchen * easy eco ambiance * garbage disposal, installed

cashmere leggings * eyelash curler

what a tangled web we weave

OH, my...

jane austen on facebook

hilarious!

reid and i thoroughly enjoyed this.

i so often crave the simplicity of a life

before the world wide web and social networking sites...

found on the english muse

beautiful little fool

i was thrilled to hear that

carey mulligan

was chosen to portray daisy

in baz luhrmann's

the great gatsby

without a doubt

my most favorite book

of my most favorite class

the memories are still

SO rich-

junior year of boarding school

ms. hannay's english

i would literally run down the walkways and into

the school building

in anticipation of our discussions

of the assigned reading...

what book made you fall deep in love with reading?

image

girl crush: gwyneth

i am the first to admit

i've totally had a girl crush on gwyneth since the early days

and i know, at times she come across as a total snob in interviews

and some films have been less than stellar...

but last night

on glee...

she nailed it.

and my heart sang a little.

did you watch?

catch up - sewing class: halloween costumes

i'm a bit behind-the-ball

posting these halloween costumes

my sewing class girls

made

but

i wanted to get them up before december!

...

the girls spent some time brainstorming

before we started drafting patterns and sewing

and i am blown away at how close to their original sketches the costumes turned out!

medusa

the vampire

far far away

long long ago

i started my

far far away quilt

i actually finished it in a respectable amount of time

but wanted to get a sham done before i took pictures

and that... took awhile.

i had bought a fat-quater set with each print from heather ross' far far away I

from which i cut the squares for the top.

for the back, i used anna maria horner's pastry line voile in water (just girly enough)

i pieced a strip off-center on the back of the leftover bits from the top...

i included the "far far away" from the selvedges because i thought it added to the whimsy...

at long last...

a peek at the corner of "tay's room"

(which is also my home sewing room)

i am so pleased- the quilt reminds me of rainbow sherbet!

house guests

last week was crazy

and i LOVED every minute of it...

(ahhh... a house of our OWN to entertain in!)

after reid's party

amanda, my bff since high school

came for a visit

(we've been trying to make dates work for a very. long. time.)

she is ULTRA-busy with photographing gorgeous weddings and adorable kids

her yellow labbies came long to play with nellie (and the cats)

bernie loved tormenting the wimpy pups...

finally!

courage!

...my girl...

snugglefest with strider and sage

lloyd is very verbal

(especially at meal-time)

ok, seriously mom(s)

is it walk-time yet?

(please excuse the rug we messed while wrestling)

we met up with amy (another one of our high school "fab five")

and her chocolate lab, tiggy

for a gorgeous fall walk

all the kids

homecoming...

SO. good.

seeing you both!

AH- THANKS for making the trek

and taking the pics!

AQ- until next time...

xoxo

all photos orchardcove

before+after: GUEST ROOM

(wow! these house posts have been a loong time coming!)

one of the things i really loved about our house when we first took a walk through

was the 3rd floor

two(!) rooms with full-height ceilings, good closet space

and

it was pretty much a blank slate.

(original mls listing photo)

score.

i was anxious to get this space looking good right away-

especially as the larger room was to be the guest room

and my parents were visiting often to help with projects!

we bought paint the same day as our closing and my mom and i got to work...

nellie supervised.

although we had decent hardwood floors up there

they would have had to have been refinished

and it was cold.

i also wanted to be sure the space felt cozy and not that you were sleeping in the attic!

so we decided our major first-year expense would be to carpet the third floor and staircase.

remember those mid-century chairs?

my $10 score at our church fair a few years ago

i kept the green velvet upholstery and refinished the wood.

the chinoiserie lamp/table was my grama's.

bureau: craigslist

tray: john derian for target

funky brass+ acrylic scalloped table lamp: goodwill

the trunk was my "hope chest" which my dad bought at brimfield in the 80's

lamp: homegoods

tissue box cover: design works

a few more detail shots

crocheted rocks photo: etsy in ikea frame

high-low bedding mix- quilt: target, duvet: john robshaw

i still have a few more pictures to find frames for

but other than that, i love this cozy

(and a bit girly)

guest get-away!

happy weekend!

too cute not to post

photo by orchard cove

Anything fun planned?

the big 3-0

i know, i know...

a very pathetic blogging-start to november

but, i promise, it was for good reason!

reid turned 30!

last weekend

and i had been busy busy planning

a surprise party...

i was pretty proud of the invite

seeing it had been quite a few years

since i truly tested my illustrator and photoshop skills!

...

i finally made pennant flags

i did each word individually so that over the years (and when we have kids)

we can add new names or holidays ("easter" etc...)

guests big

and small

a peek at the dessert table

and trumpet cake

(excuse the yet-to-be re-done granny wallpaper)

...

and the next night

we spent in boston

seeing AfroCubism

live

my very handsome and happy

THIRTY year old husband.

sNOw

woke up to this

and i'm trying not to let it ruin my week...

i was just at the height of my fall-lovin'-

leaves crunching underfoot

creative layering

maple and pumpkin

an extra hour to snooze

...

but then saturday

a local radio station played nothing but CHRISTMAS music

and the starbucks menu has replaced the pumpkin spice with eggnog and gingerbread

and now

snow.

not. quite. ready.

(melt quickly please, and we'll pretend this never happened)