Inspiration 6.15

One of my favorite rooms from the new issue of Lonny Mag. A little crazy, and I probably would have cut the additional patterns on the bedding, but it works.

Library Greeting Cards from Simple Song

I'm always on the hunt for great stationery, but it's all the better when I find something this cute in my own backyard. Absolutely loving these library greeting cards from letterpress whiz Suann from Simple Song based out of Old Town Alexandria.

Inspiration 6.14

This Nantucket cottage decorated by Gary McBournie seems like the perfect place to spend a Fourth of July celebration. Steeped in history, with nautical touches throughout, an unfinished peaked ceiling, a cozy sleeping loft, and one incredible kitchen floor as blue and as full of depth as the ocean itself.

Pattern Love

There was a post on The Sartorialist a few months ago that I loved, and for once it wasn't about the pictures. Scott had just published an ultra quirky photo and a lot of the commenters were criticizing it for one thing or another.

His response post was titled "Abstract Inspiration" and the summary point was "sometimes,...images can make you think about something totally different than what the actual shot portrays."

I'd like to do more of this on my own blog, but I often worry that anything I put on here comes with an implicit endorsement of the whole photo or might seem too far off-topic.

I've been trying to get over that inhibition, and lately I've been especially inspired by photos where patterns take center stage -- I find that the content of these photos constantly spill over into my ideas on fashion, interiors and more.

So, I thought I would share a few with you and I hope you get something out of them too -- even if it's one of those intangible things that hangs around in the back of your head, but inspires an aesthetic decision unknowingly.

Photo Sources 1. Little House by the Sea 2. Audrey Hepburn Complex 3. and 6. For Stars will Rise Again 4. and 5. Pattern Blog 7. Clouds; Wired Science 8. Garance Dore 9. Just be Splendid 10. Resurrection Fern

Inspiration 6.10

(Source unknown)

Etsy Fave: Peg and Awl

File this under...heavenly. I don't relax well. I'm the person whose always running around cleaning during tv shows (or inadvertently making a mess while cleaning.), the person who closes their laptop in the hopes of signing off for the night only to furtively check their BlackBerry every five minutes. It's AWFUL.

The only way I ever actually relax is a long soak. I mean, once you're in, you're invested. Bringing anything electronic near the tub is at best a very, very bad idea, and at its worst, a great way to achieve sudden death.

But what if I could achieve the holy trinity of relaxing in one sitting: reading, drinking tea (iced, please) and soaking. Well, with this lovely tub caddy from Peg and Awl I can. The piece actually has a great back story too -- the wood is reclaimed oak from an hardware store built in 1897.

Available here, but fair warning. It's pretty pricey for what amounts to a plank of wood. If you're crafty, you could probably make a similar version on your own.

Inspiration 6.9

Via Sweet Home Style