The scent of Maine (hint: it's not lobstah)

All this rain has me thinking of Maine...

Photo by Anne McClain for MCMC Fragrances

There are several specific places in the world that feel magical to me. New Zealand was one of the first places that spoiled me day after day with sheer amazement of the natural beauty that abounded everywhere. The Amalfi Coast of Italy made me squeal at every turn as we Vespa-ed around the gorgeous (and steep!) mountainous seaside. Cape Cod feels like home and nostalgia and happiness wrapped into neat summer packages. And the coast of Maine to me sings of relaxation, fresh air, and the sea.


My aunt owns a house near Boothbay Harbor, Maine, that is all at once beautiful, inspiring and creaky (it is over 100 years old, after all). The cheery blue ceiling of the huge wraparound porch beckons you to relax the moment you walk in. The back looks out onto the water, and the sounds of seagulls and lobstermen conjure up classic American novels and old whaling stories. I love it there.


We don't get up to Maine very often due to work, schedules, etc., but I just read about a possible new lifeline - it's a perfume called "Maine." It's made with sage, seaweed, beach plum and pine. I wonder if they were able to bottle the crisp sea air.

Originally spotted on A Cup of Jo.

Quickest weekend ever, but berry, berry good

This weekend was a blur. I felt like it was over before it even got started. Maybe that has something to do with the fact that we were in four cities (and two states) in two days, including making a mid-night drive from PA to MD on Saturday night/Sunday morning. Ah, the life of a baseballer's wife girlfriend. I've since felt like I needed a few days to recuperate. Today is sunny (and hotttt) and I'm feeling a bit more recharged, so here I am, back on the interwebs!

Ignoring the terrifying things from this weekend like the giant cheesesteak I consumed, a whirlwind bachelorette night on the town, visiting a 12-day-old baby that looked like an old man, and the aforementioned drive through the night, I do have one lovely memory from Saturday afternoon: raspberry picking.

B's dad is a prolific organic gardener, with a backyard that yields all kinds of delicious things. Is it possible that I've been alive this many years and I never knew about golden raspberries?

Photo from Dabbles with Apples

We picked them right off the bush and ate them, standing there in the middle of the backyard. They were so sweet and huge.

When we got back to Annapolis, I promptly went to the grocery store Sunday evening and bought a slew of berries. I couldn't find golden raspberries in my crapola Giant (especially on a Sunday - I think their produce comes in on Mondays - oops), but the regular raspberries I got were pretty good too.

Photo from Inchmark

Mmm. We've already demolished the entire stash of berries, but I'm planning to buy more soon, and in the meantime, I'm still thinking about those golden raspberries, fresh off the bush. (Perhaps a Whole Foods trip is in order...)

Thank you, summer. I've been waiting for you and your bounty of berries.

Matrix rug in a cozy clubhouse

The lovely Lauren Liess from Pure Style Home posted this photo today and I was instantly enamored with the cool graphic rug.

The best part? It's a twofer: The rug is not only indoor/outdoor, it's from Overstock.com (here) and pretty inexpensive. The indoor/outdoor function is key since the rug resides in what used to look like this:

Lauren took a pre-fab shed from fiberboard blah to gorgeous and inviting - the perfect playspace for her two young boys and even an occasional retreat for her husband and herself. Here's what the inside looks like after Lauren worked her magic:

Awesome, right? Click here for Lauren's description of the process and to see more pictures.

I want my very own backyard playspace! (I want a backyard, period.)

And in case you want some more outdoor living space inspiration, check out these amazing treehouse casas.

Word.

People. Are you in need of a last-minute Mother's Day gift, preferably one that is free? Well, lucky for you I am a genius. Oh boo, I can't lie, it's really my un-sister-in-law (B's sister) who is the genius.

I hope she doesn't mind that I am sharing this. I give her full credit. She is crafty and smart and has excellent taste - and she always gives thoughtful gifts. And luckily for me, she's a very busy lady (mother of an almost two-year-old and preggers plus working), so hopefully she isn't reading this to know that I totally jacked her idea... ;) Also, no one she's giving this gift to reads this blog (her mother and MIL are slightly technologically challenged, unlike my iPhone toting mom, so I think she's safe).

So get to the point, huh? Here is Kel's great idea:

DIY Word Clouds - otherwise known as Wordle. Behold:

"Art"


"Sound Poem"


"Month of March"

Still confused? These are totally customizable word clouds - you enter the text (deeming which words to make bigger or smaller by how many times you enter it); pick the font, the colors, the alignment; and re-arrange or randomize however you see fit until you find an arrangement you like. You can make these for all sorts of things: poems, thoughts, inspiration words, family members, etc.

Kelly is making one a custom one of these - including all the family members' names - for her mother and MIL, then printing it out and framing it for each one. Nice gift for a mom, right? And, except for the frame, totally freeeee!

Very cool, Wordle. Genius, Kel.

Enjoy! (And if you make your own, share it with me here!)

M is for Mom

These cards from Rifle Paper Co. are the perfect sentimental-without-being-sappy cards for Mother's Day. So pretty!

I also just saw that they're now available at some Anthropologie stores - congrats, Anna!

Hello Frosting edible cupcake decals

I talked about edible cupcake decals before, but the faux bois edible icing decal from Hello Frosting on Etsy won me over.

I am chomping at the bit once again to have an occasion to bake cupcakes and decorate them in some ridiculously pretty, over-the-top way. With these decals? It'd be easy and cheap - two things I like (hellooo, Forever 21).

Isn't this lattice option simple, springy and pretty?


The ever-trendy moustache rears its head again:


For the punk-rocker (or 11-year-old girl) in your life:


And just in time for Mother's Day (don't forget - May 9th will be here shortly!), this lovely topper would be perfect to surprise your mom:

Hello Frosting's decals are fully edible (made with food-grade inks); work on cupcakes, cookies and brownies; are made in the US; plus they're Kosher certified and Gluten-free. Oh and they're 15 bucks for 24 decals. Holla!

Hello Frosting edible decals originally spotted here.

Want another easy, affordable and cute cupcake decorating idea? Also check this out....

Little Bro & Boston

Photo from BCoM

My brother has been accepted to Berklee College of Music and they've awarded him a scholarship based on his talent! Hooray!

I am so excited for him, and so proud (and so looking forward to having a place to stay in Boston, but that's just a bit selfish, hee hee). Sam, this officially makes you a (M)asshole! (I keed, I keed.) ;)


Good thing it panned out - otherwise these hand tattoos would've just seemed ridiculous (wait...). ;)

Congrats, little bro! That's major news (ha - dorky music pun...).

Heading out...

Photo by Douglas Friedman, via Aubrey Road

Hello again, lovelies. I'm sorry to bail on you this afternoon, but I've got to head out the door (ha). I've got a serious to-do list this afternoon and time is a-ticking. Among the fun tasks I've got to check off? Sending out some of my tax docs (bleh), finishing up a present for my grandmother's 90th birthday, and - this is just a tad random - buying a costume for a Mexican fiesta birthday this weekend (ole!), among other things.

I'm off, but I'll be back tomorrow; hope you will too!

xo, r.

Spring has sprung!

Via Fairy Tale Diaries

This weekend was lovely. The official start of spring on Saturday did not disappoint; even though I was up north on Cape Cod, we still had absolutely beautiful weather both days of the weekend. I even got to walk on the beach! Hanging with family, eating tons of food, walking in the gorgeous sunshine, reading and relaxing...I am recharged and ready for Monday, despite the rainy forecast. Showers bedamned, flip flops here I come! (And more posts to come, so check back...)

Have a great weekend!

Photo of Jessica Stam by Sølve Sundsbø, via Bits of Beauty

I have to head out a bit early today as we're heading up to the Cape to celebrate my grandmother's 90th birthday (whew, way to go, Nana!) with family. It'll be 10 degrees colder there (booo), but hopefully nice and sunny nonetheless, so I'm hoping to sneak in a quick trip to the beach.

Here's wishing you a fabulous weekend, whether you're just hanging around outside (ha, see photo - baaad pun) or booked all weekend like me.

I'll be back bright and early Monday - hope to see you back here then!

Have a great (rainy) weekend!

Photo via Absolutely Beautiful Things

I am running out the door with a million things to do before this evening sneaks up on me. We have a busy, busy (rainy) weekend, starting with the second-ever Annapolis Wino Club tonight - for which I need to bring some tasty treats (and haven't even thought of what to do yet!). Tomorrow we head up to Phila for a friend's birthday party at a country western bar; yes, you read that right - and we're trying to squeeze in a pit stop to the Erin Express on the way. Yikes.

Don't forget to set your clocks forward tonight before you go to sleep - Sunday is Daylight Savings! I'm shuddering to think of losing that hour of sleep, but at least it means an extra hour of sunlight for the days. Hurray!

(Oh and don't forget the unveiling of the new Liberty of London line at Target this weekend! If I wasn't going to be running around PA, I'd be there at door's open on Sunday!)

See you back here Monday, when hopefully this rain will be gone and the days will be longer and bright?

Silhouettes, part trois

Photo from Martha Stewart Weddings

The obsession continues. I know, I know, silhouettes - along with cupcakes, mustaches, owls and mushrooms - are sooo 2009. Whatever, I still love them.

I just can't stop talking about silhouettes (here, here and here previously, if you're curious). Plus it's not my fault if people keep doing such cute stuff like this:

A family tree (and a pregnancy announcement) of silhouettes from the amazing Brooke Reynolds of Inchmark:


The little pink bow on her baby's head totally makes these for me:

From Caitlin Wilson Designs.

See? They're hard to resist, admit it! I'm going to try and practice some self-control for a while though, I promise...

"Hey Mom, Livie's on the internets!"

I read Style Me Pretty every day, even though it's a wedding blog. I'm obviously not planning for a wedding, but founder and editor Abby is one of the more well-known bloggers out there (she partnered with Google on their Google Docs Wedding Templates, for goodness sake) and some of the wedding ideas shown on SMP are pretty translatable for parties in general (not to mention the large helping of overall girlie eye candy on the side).

So imagine my surprise yesterday when I came across this gorgeous California vineyard/farm/lavender field wedding:



This wedding was my god-sister's (I know "god-sister" isn't really a thing per se, but we grew up with her family and her mom is my brother's god-mother, so how else do you say "someone who is almost family"?) and took place in June 2009. I couldn't make it out to CA for the event, but my mom and dad were there. As you can see from the above photo, the ceremony took place in a lavender field; my mom said it smelled amazing. It looks like the entire shindig was pretty incredible. And didn't Livia (the bride) look beautiful?:




Glad to see that all the hard work Livie and Sylma (her mom) put into the wedding came across....and look ma, Livie's famous! :)

If you want to see more pics, read up on the details of the day, or find the full list of vendors, it's all included in the post on Style Me Pretty. Photos by Anna Kuperberg.

Happy birthday, Mom!

Today is my mom's birthday - happy birthday, Mom! Let's all wish her a happy one, shall we? Thank you in advance for any wishes on her behalf!

So in honor of her day, here are some small pieces of eye candy just for her:

Limited-edition giclée print by Josh Brill of Lumadessa - because my mom loves red cardinals.


Bouquet of peonies and sweet peas from Martha Stewart - who doesn't love peonies? (And my mom really does.)


A few more peonies from photographer Sara Norris.

Hope you like these little gifts de la internets and have a great one, Mom. Love you! xoxo, r.

Off to play nurse

Photo by Leo Pantone, via Mary Ruffle

Good morning! I hope you all had wonderful holiday weekends. Anything fun to report?

We had a nice holiday break full of family, food (so much food!), great gifts and catching up with friends and family from all over the country, but unfortunately my dear B came down with the flu last night after we got home from PA. The poor guy never gets sick so it's weird to see him so knocked out. So, I hate to do this to you all, but I need to take a day to take care of my sick muffin. I'll be back before 2010 I promise! Hope to see you back here in a day or so?

Summer on canvas: Samantha French paintings

I remember when my brother and I were younger and spent our summers on Cape Cod, we would spend literally all day in the pool in our backyard, swimming and diving. We wouldn't get out until our mom dragged us out for dinnertime, and by then our fingers were prune-y and numb.

At summer camp on the Cape, we had morning swim lessons in the freezing cold pool or in the murky pond (depending on how old you were), and then I'd spend all afternoon sailing on little Sunfish boats or FJs and 420s as I got older.

To me, the water symbolizes everything fun and full of life I remember from those summers.

Now I live in Annapolis close to the water, and fill my house with things reminiscent of the sea and the color of pool blue. As I get older, I hope to one day have a real painting (or at least a high-quality print!) to put on my wall to remind me of the summer.

I spotted these Samantha French paintings on Mint a few weeks ago and fell in love. The colors, texture and movement of them feel so connected to me.




Do Samantha's gorgeous paintings and prints speak to you too?

Up and running...and eating

I'm baaa-aaack! My once-state-of-the-art laptop is still on shaky legs, but at least at this point it's functioning. A big thanks to B, the lovely boyf, for his technical advising, and to Google Chrome for not making the internets crash 12 times in a row like Firefox does to me. Whew.

So let's get back to it, shall we?

--

I've posted this print before, but I love it and it works for this post (bear with me):

Poster by Erin Jang, as seen on happy lady eats

Last night we celebrated Hanukkah with my family. It was great - the gifts, the latkes, all fab. But the best part (Mom, don't kill me, I loved the gifts and food and company...) was that my mom surprised us with the best dessert ever. Let me say that again because it's a huge utterance coming from me (oh queen of the sweet tooth): Best. Dessert. Ever.

Also let me preface this by saying the B wasn't really into it. But he is a salty/savory guy and not really into dessert.

Last (I promise the punchline is coming soon - stay with me!), even though I'm a huge sweets/dessert person, I'm not really into cake or baked goods that much and I do not like pie at all. (Insert shocked sounds of betrayal here.)

My mom knows how I feel about cake and pie, so for dessert she bought these:

ICE CREAM CAKE CUPCAKES.
(I did the all-caps type on purpose. Like I was screaming. Because I screamed when I saw them. For real.)

These ice cream cupcakes from Cold Stone Creamery were ridiculous. They're rich, so I'd recommend splitting them as we did, and they're best eaten with a fork instead of trying to pick them up. They have just enough cake at the bottom so that you baked-goods loving folks get your taste of cake, plus the ice cream flavors (sweet cream, cake batter, chocolate) are amazing.

Mmmmm.

And just for the record, if I ever get married, I'm skipping the wedding cake and doing individual ice cream cakes (or cupcakes like this, now that I know they exist!) for each guest. B, stop fainting.

Thanks for the great treat, Mom!

Ride in style (or "stiz-ile"?)

Good morning and TGIF! So I could not wait to post this one - it's too funny and a potential perfect gift for some of the younger folks in your life.

For those of you with a TomTom GPS navigation system in your car, get ready for a supafly ride. Snoop Dogg has lent his voice to VoiceSkins, so for $12.95 you can have Snoop read your driving directions rather than that snotty lady who's always telling you what to do.

Here's a sample:


I love that he says, "Bear leff. Yeah, just like that" - where'd the "t" go? I was almost expecting him to say, "turn right, shizzle ma nizzle" at some point, but I guess he kept it proper-like for the good folks at TomTom.

If you want Snoop as your navigator, or if you have a sibling or friend for whom Snoop would make a perfect gift, you can buy it here.

Thanks for the clutch heads-up on this, Dan!

Off to turkey day...Happy Thanksgiving!

Image from (the now defunct) Domino

I’m heading up to New England to spend Thanksgiving weekend with my family, so I'm officially turning off the laptop this afternoon to clean up the house and pack before I hop on a plane tomorrow.

I'll be back on Monday with regular posts, but in the meantime, I hope that you all have a wonderful holiday with friends and family. I'm thankful for both my family and friends, for B, and for this blog! And thank you - all (six?) of you who continue to come back and read my ramblings. :)

Happy Turkey Day and see you Monday!

xoxo, r.

More holiday gift ideas: randoms

Joanna Goddard had some awesome gift guides last year. I've ruthlessly included a few ideas from her 2008 list (though I'm crediting her, I swear!). I do hope she does another one this year. The ones at the bottom are mine all mine. I'll continue to do more gift ideas posts, but so far mine only consist of gifts for cooks and that's just kinda lame. But without further ado, here are some random gift ideas for the various beloved vagrants in your life:

For my friend Val, a magazine editor and the "classiest" girl I know (well, at least by Ron Burgundy's standards):

Stay Classy pencils, $6 for 6

For my boating friends, who could definitely use a bath after a day on the water, or for those who just want to smell like they've been yachting in Sweden:

Swedish Summer soap, $4 for a 1/2-pound bar

For your nesting friend, or for those who like some nautical flair (and have heavy doors):

Rope Knot Door Stop, $42

If I had a door that we could keep open, I'd so want this (but all we've got is the front door and bedroom or bathroom doors...and sometimes we want those closed).

Ideas that are mine all mine (AKA not as good as Joanna's):

For each of my un-sister-and-brother-in-laws' dogs:

Snuggie for Dogs, $14.95 (plus $7.95 P+H of course)

They come in sizes large and small! MP, speak now or forever hold your peace...or the dog gets it. Mwuahahahah. ;) (Kidding, kidding.)

For my friends who "think they can dance" and/or want to Get Fit through dance:

So You Think You Can Dance Get Fit DVD, $11.99

I would choose "Cardio Funk" over "Tone and Groove" simply because I adore Travis. And who wouldn't want to get funky while doing cardio? Ha.

So what do you folks think? Anyone running out to get any of these gifts?

Family (since you're the only people reading this thing): please note that I do not want any of these gifts. They're just fun ideas for others. Seriously. Okay, that door stop is pretty cool, but the aforementioned lack of doors here is a problem. Maybe just the Get Fit DVD then... ;) (I keed. I keed. Really.)