Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio

When Sara and Ian were here, we visited the Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio in Oak Park.  They are now allowing interior photography (for $5).  I remembered really loving the ceiling in the living room and the inglenook (fireplace nook with curtains).  It's really a fascinating place.  (And Happy Halloween!)

Lotta Jansdotter - Bella

Have you seen the fun new fabric line by Lotta Jansdotter?  Bella, from Windham Fabrics is available in adorable charm packs.  So fun!

Friday Featured Art: Lewiston Herd

Joe has some fantastic new work available as studio offerings.  These pieces are available online and ship straight from his studio.  And, of course, they are lovely.  I like this one, titled Lewiston Herd.

Thursday Text: The Sixty-Eight Rooms

My sister and nephew came to visit over the weekend, and it was a lot of fun!  We went to the Art Institute where Ian got to see the Thorne Miniature Rooms.  Then we heard that some of the girls in Young Women's had read a book about the miniature rooms.  The Sixty-Eight Rooms by Marianne Malone sounds like a great adventure.

CallyCo

At Barnes and Noble the other day, I discovered a British magazine called The Simple Things.  It was kind of pricey, so I didn't get it - but it looked fabulous.  One of the ads that I noticed was for an online fabric shop called CallyCo.  It has lovely modern chintz as well as cute home accessories and craft kits.  So fun!

Fall Leaves

Things have been so pretty around here.  We were pleasantly surprised to see one of our trees turn a very bright red.  (Most of the leaves have fallen due to the rains of the past few days, though.)  I really love this time of year.

Friday Featured Etsy Seller: Claudia McGehee

There's a super bookstore in Iowa City called Prairie Lights.  I got a super cute squirrel bumper sticker.  It turned out to be a design by Claudia McGehee, who has a shop on Etsy.  She makes pretty woodblock-style designs.  Check them out here. 

Thursday Text: Country Living Deck the Halls

Now that we're thinking about Christmas, I noticed this fun new book in the latest issue of Country Living.  Country Living Deck the Halls includes punch-out gift tags, ornaments, and recipe cards.  It sounds like fun!

Greenwich Bay Trading Co.

Also in Iowa City, we visited a shop called The Soap Opera.  They have a fantastic selection of soaps, candles, and perfumes.  I picked up a couple of little soaps by Greenwich Bay Trading Co.  I got two from the Holiday Collection.  Winterfield is a lovely Christmasy scent.  I guess it's getting to be that time of year!

 

Erica Weiner Jewelry

Sorry about missing a couple of days!  My husband had a conference in Iowa City.  It's a fun place to stay.  At a shop called Revival, I discovered some fabulous jewelry by Erica Weiner.  I love these enamel horse earrings.  She also makes lovely long necklaces, like this one with gingko leaves.

Thursday Text: Delicious Autumn!

I found a lovely quote about autumn by George Eliot:

Delicious autumn!  My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns.

September Scene

Today I'm posting a mid-September scene from my driveway.  The clouds on sunny days are beautiful around here.

Simpatico

Our reason for being in St. Louis was the Best of Missouri Market at the Missouri Botanical Garden.  It's an awesome event, held the first weekend in October.  One of the vendors there had items by Simpatico.  Their solid perfume is heavenly, and I loved the pretty new hobnail candles.

Trader Joe's Cookie Butter

We were in St. Louis this weekend and stopped at Trader Joe's.  We picked up a few things, including this ingenious creation: cookie butter.  It's made from Dutch speculoos cookies (you know, the windmill cookies with spices).  Delicious!

Friday Featured Etsy Seller: Gemagenta

I noticed something about Gemagenta on the front page of Etsy the other day, and I'm glad I did.  It's a lovely shop with jewelry created by Lorena in Amsterdam.  I like the delicate little necklaces and earrings like the ones below.

Thursday Text: The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes

For October, our book club is reading mysteries.  I listened to Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None as an audiobook from the library, and I got this book on my Kindle.  The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes (Illustrated by Sidney Paget) is a collection of short stories written as Dr. Watson conveying his experiences with Holmes.  It's a fun introduction to Sherlock Holmes.

Bathroom Shade

Here's another peek at our bathroom.  I found some great fabric at JoAnn's to make a semi-Roman shade.  It's not the most professional, but it is functional, and I love the fabric.

Shelf Paper

Our house has about 10 different kinds of shelf paper - all from the '60s (and possibly '70s).  It's terrible.  I looked all over for some cute new shelf paper and finally found some at TJ Maxx.  This design is by Laura Ashley.  Our bathrooms have nice big linen closets.  This shelf looks so much better now - don't you think?  (Top=before/bottom=after.)

Pressed-Leaf Butterflies

The leaves are changing quickly around our house.  I can't believe that it's October already!  Check out this fun fall leaf craft from Martha.