A Moment

Sometimes I get swept up in all the things in life that I am looking forward to and forget to notice the moment I am in. In an attempt to live in the present, I have stowed my camera away in my purse and am on the lookout for moments in my life that make me smile. Driving home from work I stumbled upon one of those moments, stretched my hand out the window, and snapped a picture.

Dreaming of...

1. ...long mornings, tucked under covers, listening to the rain fall.
2. ...taking Mr. Smyth on a day trip to Sonoma to try farm hopping. I love the day trips described by Sunset Magazine, especially this one...
3. ...this beautiful bird lamp to place in my little sewing nook over my cozy chair to illuminate my work.
4. ...an Austrailian Shepard puppy to run with in the crisp, cool air.
5. ...time... for all of the dreams that linger in my mind.

photo from my parents' honeymoon

Our Urban Tree Adventure

The holiday season is something I love and look forward to every year. I love the smell of fires being lit in fireplaces as you walk down a gray sidewalk on a brisk evening. I love the way colors pop out at you because of how the light changes. I love that you can see the season coming in the way the trees' leaves start to change color and then fall. So needless to say, these past couple of weeks have been filled with little moments of excitement and joy at the anticipation of the holidays.

Jeff and I have been living in Emeryville for three years now and we are in the middle of what you might call an urban jungle. We both love Christmas trees and Jeff in particular has very fond memories of going to cut down the holiday tree with his family when he was growing up. In our urban jungle, there are no Christmas tree farms, but there is a Home Depot. To create our own version of Jeff's family tree tradition, we have started walking to Home Depot, selecting our perfect tree, and carrying it home to decorate. It is a tradition that we have become very fond of. People gawk at the funny couple walking down the sidewalk with their Christmas tree in hand. Bikers stop to give us high-fives, complimenting us on our "green" behavior.

The evening that follows is one of my favorite of the year. Eggnog, lights, and holiday music fill our little apartment. Lights are Jeff's expertise and I work on the mantle. Then we unwrap each ornament, remembering when we got it or who gave it to us. The last two ornaments to be put on are silver, stick-like reindeer that Jeff bought the year we were married. We find a place where they can sit together and watch over the holiday's festivities. What a wonderful time of year...

Dreaming of...

After reading an article in a recent Sunset Magazine, I have become mildly obsessed with this amazing invention, the teardrop trailer. I love being outside and camping is a favorite activity of mine, but I have always been a self proclaimed "car camper." Cushy sleeping mats, my portable kitchen bin, and my dreamy chair are essential to a quality camping experience. After a rainy October camping trip, trying to break down the tent and get every thing into our not-so-roomy two door Honda Civic, my desire for a teardrop trailer became even more pronounced. I have always loved the idea of being able to blow out of town on a weekend when the clouds sit in a serene sky and the brisk air proclaims that it is the perfect day to cook outdoors. The reality that has revealed itself is that packing for that trip is quite the task, not to mention getting the supplies to fit into the trunk.

With a teardrop trailer, blowing out of town would not only be possible, it would be quite a stylish getaway. With this dream solidly in place, I can now start conjuring up the decor, what homespun quilt will I create, what color can I stain the kitchen cabinets hid beneath the back panel... This is definitely making my before thirty list!

p.s. Can you even imagine a more enticing guestroom than this dreamy nook tucked into a backyard garden?

Images: 1, 2

I have a new years resolution...

So one of my goals is to update parts of our apartment throughout the year. One of my ideas is a bed makeover. When I saw this pillow tutorial, I thought it would be perfect. Thank you the purl bee.

New Favorite Materials

Having fun materials can help inspire unique creations. A couple of my new favorites are Happy Tape, which is made of beautiful Japanese washi paper. I also love to use twine, the natural fiber is a look I really like, but there are now several colors available through Divine Twine.

So I've been thinking about how to create a wreath inspired by the fabric one I posted earlier.  In rooting around I found this blog post on how to make fabric flowers.  Consequently, I also found a new blog I love, fun...