A really great skirt

I love Michelle Obama's sense of style. I really loved the outfit that she wore to the Tucson Memorial service. Isn't this skirt gorgeous?

Friday Featured Art: The Hermitage

Instead of featuring a work of art or an artist today, I wanted to feature a museum: The Hermitage. It's the state art museum in St. Petersburg, Russia, and it's housed in the Winter Palace. Not only are the buildings beautiful, but the collection is really incredible. It would be a really fascinating place to visit.

Thursday Text: The New Sewing Essentials

This text is more of a handbook. I picked up The New Sewing Essentials at JoAnn's the other day (with my 50% off coupon). I've been buying patterns when they go on sale for $1, but then I realized that I'm not sure what to do with them. This book has great pictures and instructions to help you cut out and sew a pattern. We'll see how it goes!

Bend it Like Beckham

I know I'm about 10 years late, but I just saw Bend it Like Beckham. I had a root canal last week and then gave up on the day - and found the movie on TV. It was very cute and funny. Have you seen it?

Artisan Biscuits

On Martin Luther King Day we went to Iowa City for the day and discovered the Bread Garden Market. It's a really great place with a mix of organic and "regular" items along with some imports and a lovely bakery. We found a cute box of Artisan Biscuits from the UK called Two by Two. They have the story of the tortoise and the hare on the side - and they're yummy!

Charm Bracelet Display

We went to Temple Square when we were in Utah over Christmas, and I bought a pin made from the Nauvoo Legion button mold. I decided to display it with my charm bracelet - so I pinned it to some grey linen and put it in a frame. What do you think?

Friday Featured Art: Jeff Sojka

When we were in Utah over Christmas, we visited Montgomery-Lee Fine Art in Park City (where Joe shows some of his work). I really liked the pieces by Jeff Sojka. This one's called Field of Mustard. Isn't it beautiful?

Thursday Tunes: Carte Blanche

Did you see the Martha Stewart Show that was all about weddings? They had this great band playing going into and coming out of the commercial breaks. They're called Carte Blanche, and they're jazzy and fun. I really loved their outfits.

Dandee Stationery Kit

My sister, Sara, introduced me to a new blog that she found through her friend Dani's blog. It's called dandee, and it's fabulous. The author has impeccable style and comes up with some really great projects. For Christmas, she made her nieces stationery kits. Check out the project here.
(Photo from dandee-designs.com)

Martha Stewart's Cooking School

I recently ordered a copy of Martha Stewart's Cooking School. It is not really a cookbook - it is more an instruction manual. It has a whole section on how to select various vegetables and how to cook them. What a great reference!

Highclere Castle

Are you watching Downton Abbey on Masterpiece? The location is quite stunning. It was filmed at Highclere Castle in the Hampshire region of England. We were actually not far from there when we visited the UK - perhaps we'll have to visit the castle when we return! It was designed by the same person who designed the Houses of Parliament (I think you can see that in the tower).

Friday Featured Art: Symphony in White, No. 1

When we went to D.C. after I graduated from high school, I bought a copy of Whistler's Symphony in White, No. 1 on a small wood panel from the National Gallery of Art. I like that Whistler used musical names for his artwork. The souvenir was very affordable, and the piece is nice - don't you think?

Thursday Tunes: Sheep May Safely Graze

The other morning we woke up to Bach's Sheep May Safely Graze. It is a really beautiful song. As luck would have it, Tony has it on a CD! Here's a piano version from YouTube with some great sheep scenes.

Archipelago: Boticario de Havana

When we went to Merz Apothecary, they gave us a sample of Boticario de Havana hand creme by Archipelago. It is rich and creamy, but the best part is the smell. It says that it's coffee and pineapple, but somehow it comes across smelling like a really fragrant pine tree.

Oaken Acres Notecards

Last spring we spent some time nursing a couple of baby squirrels whose mama had been shot by our neighbor (I know!). We took them to a wildlife rescue near here called Oaken Acres. This picture is not one of our squirrels, but it is from the rescue. The lady who runs it created a book about some of the animals that she's worked with. We purchased some of the notecards, and they're very cute. On the back they include the stories of the animals.

Twistband

I read a copy of Real Simple while I was at the dentist the other day and came across these hair ties that are cute enough to wear around your wrist. The Twistband comes in a hair tie version or as a headband. I really like the one with the crown.

Friday Featured Art: Carl Bloch

When we were in Utah over Christmas, I went to the Draper Temple. I was struck by a couple of paintings by the Danish artist Carl Bloch. I later found out that there is an exhibit of his work going on at the BYU Museum of Art. Find out more here. (And let me know if you go!)

Thursday Text: The Quiet Little Woman

For Christmas I was given a copy of The Quiet Little Woman. It's a Christmas story written by Louisa May Alcott, and it's very sweet. The book also includes two other short Christmas tales. I highly recommend it.

The Lion House

When we were in Utah over Christmas, we spent some time in downtown Salt Lake City. It was a lot of fun. We ate lunch at the Lion House. It's a nice, tucked-away place to go, and you never know who you'll see (Elder Christofferson) - and of course there are the famous rolls.

Morris Volume V

Sanderson has a new William Morris line of fabrics and wallcoverings out through their Morris & Co. brand. Morris Volume V is really inspiring. I would love to have some long floral curtains - they are rather stately, don't you think?

Bird Cage Coin Bank

I read a few copies of Country Living at my parents' house over Christmas. One of them had this cute bird cage coin bank from Karma Kiss. I think it's delightful.