NYC

My trip to the NSS in New York City was such a good trip -- lots of time with fellow designers and a feast for all paper lovers. I didn't take many pictures at the show, but my two favorite things were Linda and Harriett's 2013 Quilt Wall Calendar and the 2013 Cities Calendar from Rifle Paper Company:
I'll be sure to find a spot on our walls for both of these when the time comes! One thing that I love about them is that the months can be turned into art. Wouldn't the cities one look amazing with all 12 months framed and hung next to each other? And the large size of the Quilt calendar with the beautiful, bold patterns makes it perfect for framing.

I have some other random pictures, mostly of my room at The Mondrian Soho, which was amazing. If you have the chance, stay there -- you won't regret it. The hotel decor was inspired by the original French version of Beauty and the Beast. And it's hard not to feel like a princess -- there are crystal goblets by the bed for goodness sake!
The beautiful and talented Kelli Hall and I were sure to stop by the restaurant/bar that was inspired by the greenhouse dancing scene. We had so much fun exploring this gem of a hotel, which was a gorgeous respite in the middle of the bustling city. I can't wait to go back. That area of town was so fun, too. The morning I was flying out, I went for a walk to get some coffee and Robert Downey Jr. went jogging past me. Those kinds of things don't happen down here in G-ville!

Cupcake Joy

The boys and I made a road trip to Atlanta for part of their Spring Break last week, and while there, I tried a new place for lunch called Joy Cafe. For you Atlantans, it's in Buckhead right off of Pharr Road where Cafe at Pharr used to be. The soup and salad I had were delicious, and in themselves would warrant regular lunches there. But then at the end of the meal, the owner/chef brought over one of these:



There are no words to describe how insanely good these cupcakes are. No. Words. I consider myself pretty particular when it comes to baked goods, and I truly don't think I've ever tasted anything so good in my entire life. Honestly. I even went back the next day before we headed out of town to get more to take home with us! The owner told me the recipe was an old family one that had been tweaked a little, and that it incorporates several different varieties of imported chocolates. If you live in the area, I highly recommend making a stop there. Pronto.

PS: The owner used to live in G-ville -- coached swimming for the Gators!

Atlanta // Westside Provisions District

I'm still playing catch-up with holiday travel photos! One of my favorite places to shop & dine while we are in Atlanta is the Westside Provisions District. There are several options for creative, delicious food, and no shortage of unique shops.



My favorite spot to eat is JCT Kitchen [don't miss the lemon drops dispenser on the way out the door!] and my favorite shop is Seed Factory. I had lots of fun in the Jonathan Adler, too, though!

[PS: Laura took our family pictures here two summers ago]

My Kind of Town.

Chicago. Reg and I just got back from a few days there just the two of us. It was glorious. It didn't hurt that we had unseasonably nice weather, but the city itself is pretty unbeatable. This was my first venture to the windy city, and I fell in love with it -- the art, the architecture, the people, the public transportation, the food. Oh my, the food.



We whiled away a few hours at the Art Institute, and walked and walked and walked some more. I miss being in a walking city. There's so much going on! My favorite restaurant of the trip was The Publican [pictured middle row, far left]. I'm still dreaming about their cauliflower gratin. And the brussels sprout salad was surprisingly delicious [I wasn't sure how shredded brussels would taste]. Our server was outstanding and the overall experience was excellent. We also ate at Girl and the Goat, which was also delicious. It had the potential to be my favorite, but the hosting staff there was a bit persnickety. I don't much care for persnickety hostesses. Regardless, our server was fantastic and so was the food. Plus, they get extra credit for that adorable goat [pictured top row, far right].

If you've never been, you must go!

Italian Holiday

My junior year in college, I had the privilege of studying abroad in Florence, Italy. That was a decade ago, and I've been plotting my return trip ever since I left. On Holiday is my ode to two things that I like a lot: Italy and Fiats. I figure maybe if I draw about them enough, my return trip will come true.



I had considered putting a tree on top of the car, but then thought that the skis were much more romantic -- two lovers jetting away for the weekend through the Italian countryside to a remote little ski chalet where they sip hot chocolate, sit by the fire wrapped up in cashmere blankets and leisurely flip through the pages of A Farewell to Arms. At least that's what I think of.

Image Sources: One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six.

Florida

If this doesn't scream "Old Florida" [what with the golf clubs, fishing poles, palm tree and old window], then I don't know what does. Last weekend, I took a little jaunt with some friends to Micanopy, my favorite close-by getaway. I picked up some vintage Pyrex dishes with little Amish people on them, too [my too kind and generous friend actually secretly paid for them for me for my birthday while I was checking out some old matchbooks].





They go nicely with my 1960s countertops, no? Countertops that I don't think I could ever bring myself to replace. Even with my soft spot for marble. You just can't buy gold flecked ones anymore!

Caliza

Our second stop at Alys Beach was dinner at Caliza, the poolside restaurant. Yes, I drool over the white delectableness that is Alys. I can't help it.



The one thing that I didn't really like were those metal pool rails. Why did they have to make them swirl around like that? It reminds me of those picture frames with the translucent colored stones on them that have wires that make a little swirl pattern around the stones. Do you know the ones? They were all over my dresser in middle school. Alongside my fabric-strip-decorated banana clips. So, if I could change one thing, it would be the pool railings. They should've consulted Jeff Lewis on those.

OK, back to the drooling...









See those little box house looking things in the back? Those are private cabanas. Some of them even have TVs in them. Do you think there are fist fights in the morning over who gets the best cabana?



I must go back. Soon. It's so yummy. So is the food. I had a Fried Green Tomato BLT that had fried oysters on it -- need I say more? And our waiter was so nice. And so were the restrooms. Who doesn't like nice restrooms, right?

I've got lots of pictures from this past weekend, too, just haven't had time to upload yet. Hope yours was a great one! Also, new holiday cards are popping up on the site [hence the reason I haven't had much time lately!]!

Fonville Press

You had me at "Magazines." After I got back from San Francisco, we packed up the car and headed to the Gulf Coast to meet up with my family. Our house was down the road from Alys Beach, and one morning we took the kids over to Fonville Press. Aside from being a hip little cafe, it has by far one of the coolest playgrounds I've ever been to.





Being in Alys Beach makes me want to slather white concrete all over my house, trim everything in rich dark wood and hang up a red awning. I took extensive pictures of the patio at Fonville Press in the hopes of recreating it behind our house, knowing full well it would only be an ugly stepsister in comparison, but maybe a sister just the same?



[I was tempted to Photoshop out that overflowing trash can because it just seems wrong.]

Also in the name of said recreation, I nudged Reg over to the grounds keeper to find out what plants were there. The vine that grows up over the patio [see it growing up the white columns?] is a Chocolate Vine. Cool, right? Easy, no? If only we could recreate the grounds keeper too.





[My little peeps were hot. Oh so hot. Even though there were wicker-camouflaged fans. And the littlest one gets mighty miffed when she's hot.]



I highly recommend checking it out if you are in the area!

San Fran

[The view from my hotel floor. Not bad, eh?].

Finally, some trip pictures! My first stop was in San Francisco to see the folks at Minted. I was beyond thrilled to see where all the Minted magic happens, and even more excited to get to spend some time with people that I communicate with mainly over email. Everyone could not have been more welcoming, and I was totally inspired by the hard-working and creative forces they've got out there.





Since I work mostly by myself all day, I had more fun in this open office environment brainstorming, seeing new designs, gossiping by the water cooler. There actually wasn't much gossiping, but I did discover two fellow Housewives watchers, so that counts a little I think. What else? Oh, so I was filmed for a video, which I feel the need to forewarn everyone right here and now that it might not be pretty. Let's just say that those types of things aren't really my forte, if you will. I don't remember a word I said, and afterward I practically begged the videographer to please edit my lines as much as possible. One second snippets are cool with me.

We ate dinner at a restaurant called Town Hall. It was delish.





And the company could not have been better.

I had a couple of hours to walk around toward the end of the trip [this was my first time in SF], so I headed out toward the Piers, hoping to see the Golden Gate Bridge. I think it may have been too foggy? I don't know what was up, but I couldn't find it. I did see lots of hills and trolleys and sea lions and Alcatraz and a street named "Larkin," which was surely after my sister's husband's family.







The hills were crazy! See how everyone has their tires turned in toward the curb? There are signs telling drivers to "curb your tires." I don't know why but I was intrigued by that...maybe because it felt so uniquely San Francisco?







For lunch one day, we ate at this amazing Greek restaurant that had a gigantic fireplace:



Yes, I feel weird when I take pictures like this.

It was such a great trip, and I hope to make it out there again sometime soon!

And speaking of Minted, voting has started for the Great Ideas Notebook Challenge! Here is my submission:



I designed this notebook to record gatherings and celebrations -- what was served, what happened, who was there. It could also make a fantastic storybook if passed around to guests for their input from the day/night.

You guys, I've seen a prototype of these notebooks and they are going to be beautiful. I think they'll be the perfect way to check off your holiday gift list. I can't wait to see which designs are chosen!

Home Again

I've got so much to share about the past almost two weeks. It's going to take me a bit of time to get all my pictures and thoughts organized, what with back to school prep and everything, but I promise I will! In the meantime, how about some clues about my travels?

On trip #1, I was here:



And on trip #2, we pretty much lived in our swimsuits.



And gave Aggie lots of love.



More to come!

Stacks and Things

My house has been overrun with piles and stacks over the past couple of days.





Shambles, I tell you. I've been packing for a trip and trying to ship out all the orders that needed to be gone before I left. It's never easy closing up shop, but I couldn't be more excited about this opportunity.

Thankfully, I had this little helper to tell me "Ess you" whenever I sneezed. Toddler-ese will never get old.



And this little helper, too, who wanted to come along in my suitcase.





And this helper, too, who was around to ask me lots and lots of questions. Like for instance, do I know how tall Michael Jordan is?



I'm going to miss all my people when I'm gone. I don't think I've ever been this far away from all of them before. I'm sure I'll get over it pretty quick, though, when I'm strolling the 62 degree streets of San Fran! It's going to be a nice change from our hot and sweatiness.

I'll be away from the old blog for a bit, so cheerio for now!

[The studio will be closed from Aug. 3 - Aug 14th. I will be checking email sporadically, and you can also order anytime from my collection at Minted]

Villas, Teepees, Treehouses + A Geodesic Dome

Those are just some of the places you can stay using Airbnb. Have you heard of it? Used it? I'd only heard about in passing a while ago, but it really caught my attention when I saw the collection identities by Kelli Anderson. The combination of her charming illustrations and stellar typography make for some truly great design.







I'm so curious to hear some first hand Airbnb info -- either from listing a place or staying in one. And aside from Airbnb, are there any other sites that you like to use for travel to find quirky or off the beaten path places?

A 5-yr-old's Suitcase

Seeing what Spencer had packed all by himself in his little orange suitcase was one of those moments where I thought that I wasn't going to be able to take one more second of this little man growing older. He can usually be found off in his own world somewhere, which I don't know if that is a personality thing or a defense mechanism for dealing with a make-my-presence-known older brother and younger sister. But, I love seeing what he comes up with.

I knew he had packed his suitcase, but I had no idea what was in it until we got to the hotel last Thursday and he unpacked everything. By himself. Finding the perfect spot for all of his treasures.

His lantern, a necessity in any hotel:



His bouncy ball, that found a cozy home in one of the hotel glasses:



His blanket:



Superman and Wonder Woman and a cellphone:



His stuffed animals, neatly tucked by the spot he chose to sleep:



And last but certainly not least, his whistle, stashed on the bathroom vanity shelf:



You just never know when you might need one of those.

I had so much fun with my boys in the hotel. We swam until way past dinnertime, then came up and ordered room service and watch the NBA finals. Spencer fell asleep pretty quick:



But Henry would've stayed up to watch the whole game if I let him.



When he did finally fall asleep, I looked over at him and wondered, when, when, when did you get so big? He's almost the length of the bed!



He told me that night that he was going to be in the NBA. And then he asked if I would come to all of his games. And then I almost started crying because I always want him to want me around. I told him that of course I would. Wouldn't miss it for the world. To which he asked, "If I was playing would they give you free tickets?" Yep, they sure would, buddy.