Thursday Text: Brideshead Revisited

I'm currently reading Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh. Have you read it? Did you know that Evelyn Waugh was a man? I am enjoying the book so far...

Alexa Pulitzer

At one of the huge Anthropologie stores in Chicago, I saw these great mousepad notepads on clearance. They're by Alexa Pulitzer, and they are fabulous.

LUMA Merchandise

The Loyola University Museum of Art shop has some really great merchandise. I especially like these makeup bags (and wallets and luggage tags, etc.) that were made out of old exhibit banners. What a great way to recycle!

The Zoo

While I was in Chicago, I visited the Museum of Contemporary Art (it's free on Tuesdays and there's a farmer's market). I did not especially like any of the art, but I loved the shop! I saw some really cute bunny and squirrel banks by the Zoo from Capventure, a company based in Holland.

Friday Featured Art: Loyola University Museum of Art

While I was in Chicago, I visited the Loyola University Museum of Art (it's free on Tuesdays). They had an interesting exhibit on cloth. Their permanent collection includes a lot of religious art and is really fabulous. One piece from the collection is The Rest on the Flight into Egypt by Il Guercino, below.

Thursday Text: The Handy Book of Artistic Printing

My husband's workshop in Chicago was at the Newberry Library. I visited their fabulous bookstore and found this fascinating book. (Then I went home and ordered it from Amazon!) It has some really great designs and fonts - I'm excited to have it as a reference.

Gap District Green

The gigantic Gap on Michigan Avenue actually has a lot of very nice things right now. This color is so beautiful in real life - they're calling it "district green," and it encompasses a variety of tops.

Urban Outfitters Tights

I spent last week in Chicago. My husband was at a workshop, so I hung out at a hotel and went shopping and museum hopping. A lot of the stores that I like to visit in Chicago are chain stores, but they're not ones that are anywhere near where I live! One place I went was a huge Urban Outfitters store. They have fabulous tights.

Cross Your Fingers

This is something that I found when I was cleaning out some boxes at my parents'. It's a funny hemp necklace that I made - probably in junior high. The thing that I like (and plan to reuse) is the charm: a hand with crossed fingers. I wonder where I got it?

Friday Featured Etsy Seller: Hot Apple Pie

In honor of the final Harry Potter coming out today (!) I'm featuring an Etsy shop that has a bunch of fun Harry Potter goods. It's called Hot Apple Pie, and they have bookmarks, pins, and iron-on sheets featuring everyone's favorite wizards.

Thursday Text. Dr. Seuss Quote

Here's a quote by Dr. Seuss that I really like:

You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams.

Regal Hook

Here's another great find that I got at Olive & Dahlia. I know the crown/royal trend is getting a little out of control, but I like it.

Love Bunnies Ring Holder

Urban Outfitters always has great options for jewelry storage. This little bunny ring holder is so cute.

Beautiful Bowl

I bought this pretty little bowl the other day. The funny thing is that I saw the same thing when I was at the airport in Denver. I wanted to buy one but didn't. Then on a whim we went to White Pines State Park where I found the same pottery made by the same people! So I got one.

Friday Featured Art: The Frog Prince

This illustration by Maxfield Parrish was featured on the cover of a 1912 magazine. We saw a copy of it in an antique store the other day. It's called the Frog Prince. I really like how whimsical his paintings are.

Thursday Text: The Calligrapher's Bible

One of the things that fascinated my husband while he was in Turkey was the beautiful Arabic inscriptions he saw at mosques and in museums. I've been thinking about calligraphy a bit lately myself, and I recently ordered The Calligrapher's Bible from Amazon. It shows how to draw 100 different alphabets. It's a pretty handy book!

iPod Case

I've been trying to find a case for our iPod and have never found one that I was really excited about - so I decided to make one. Since my husband and I share an iPod, I needed to make it somewhat masculine... I just used a small piece of fabric and sewed some soft padding inside and then added a pearl snap. It works like a charm!

Chocolate-Amatller Barcelona

I found a beautiful tin of chocolates at Rainbow Gardens while I was in Utah. They are from Chocolate-Amatller Barcelona and feature an image by Mucha. (I got the one on the bottom.) Delicious and beautiful!

Tissue-Paper Fans

Happy Independence Day! I was thinking about getting some patriotic bunting for our house, but it looks like these tissue-paper fans from Martha would do the trick. Find out how to make them here.

Friday Featured Art: Turkish Rugs

On my husband's recent trip to Turkey, he learned all about Turkish rug weaving. Here is one of the beautiful rugs that he was shown. Some of them have hundreds of knots per square inch, and one rug that he saw cost $100,000! They are very beautiful.