Friday Featured Art: Lions

A pair of bronze lions greets visitors to the Art Institute of Chicago. They were sculpted by Edward Kemeys and installed at the Art Institute's Michigan Avenue entrance in 1894. They always look so solemn to me, but I know that at Christmastime they are draped with wreathes, and when the Bears went to the Super Bowl they got to wear football helmets!

Thursday Text: Barack & Michelle

I found the text for today in the recent Vogue article on Michelle Obama. When I watched the Obamas at the inaugural ball, I thought it was the cutest thing - and this quote, I think, really captures what can be so great about marriage.

"I'm extremely happy with her," he told Mariana Cook in a 1996 interview with the couple recently published in The New Yorker, "and part of it has to do with the fact that she is at once familiar to me, so that I can be myself and she knows me very well and I trust her completely, but at the same time she is also a complete mystery to me in some ways. ...It's that tension between familiarity and mystery that makes for something strong, because even as you build a life of trust and comfort and mutual support, you retain some sense of surprise or wonder about the other person."

Japanese-Motif Soaps

Here's a Martha project that I wanted to make for Christmas presents but never got around to. She uses decal paper to apply pretty Japanese prints to soaps. I really want to try this. Click here for instructions. What projects are you working on?

He's Just Not That Into You

Last night a friend took me to dinner and a movie as a late birthday celebration. We went to He's Just Not That Into You. There was a great cast, and the movie was OK, but what I loved was Jennifer Connelly's wardrobe. (I liked her character, too, and was mad about what happened to her.) There were a few questionable parts and a lot of bad words earning it the PG-13 rating. There were some cute moments and a lot of cliches, and Scarlett Johansson is the devil. As I told Tony when I got home, his look-alike (Ben Affleck) turned out to be the best one. But, seriously, Jennifer Connelly's clothes and hair were my favorite part of the movie.

Felix Doolittle

As I was writing thank you notes for my birthday I was reminded of a lovely stationery shop that I found on Martha's sources. Felix Doolittle sells beautifully-illustrated personalized cards, labels, papers, etc. I really like the book plates and anything with the rabbit design.

Blue Butler's Pantry

Did you see Eddie Ross's butler's pantry project from his new (old) house? It was so inspiring. Of course I love blue, and the silver is so sophisticated. I especially love the stacks of platters and the little drawers that he painted to match.


{My husband has a conference at a fancy hotel in Chicago over the next few days, so I invited myself to tag along! I may still be online but will definitely be back on Monday.}

Happy Darlybird To Me!

Today I am 30. The big 3-0. It's not a big deal, but birthdays always become a joke because I'm about 6 weeks older than my husband. He won't let me forget it.

After seeing on DesignMom that Darlybird was clearing out their inventory by selling grab bags, I thought that I would order one as a present to myself. It was great fun! I got some funky earrings and a square bangle bracelet, a little felt zipper pouch (made in Nepal), an apple ornament, some hang tag note cards, beautiful brown cupcake wrappers, foot scrub, and some solid perfume made in Spain. Oh! And a metal yo-yo that looks like a globe. How fun is that?

Pella, Iowa

Probably because it was so cold last week, I've been thinking about Pella, Iowa. We made a trip there in February three years ago. The high for the day was 8 degrees. We bundled up to explore the little Dutch town but had to run into a shop every few minutes to keep from crying. We stayed at a lovely bed and breakfast called De Boerderij, and it was warm and toasty. Below is the Vermeer Windmill. It was built in Holland and then reassembled in Pella. We really need to go back and see things when the weather is nice!

Friday Featured Art: 1904 St. Louis World's Fair Poster

The 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis, also known as the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, was an almost unfathomable event. It covered acres and acres and took place over months, and I'll have to post more about it at a later date. For now I want to draw attention to the famous poster for the exposition, designed by Alphonse Mucha. He was a prominent figure in the art nouveau style that was popular at the turn of the century. I find the intricate designs and elaborate draping really interesting. I got a copy of this poster at the Missouri History Museum in St. Louis, on the site of the World's Fair, and I think that I will always love it.

Thursday Text: Nathaniel Hawthorne on marriage

During our courtship, Tony sent me some wonderful quotes from Nathaniel Hawthorne to his wife, Sophia. When we were married, he again quoted from Hawthorne. Last year on the occasion of our anniversary, I found the following quote that I really love. I guess it gets you in the spirit for Valentine's Day.

Nobody but we ever knew what it is to be married. If other people knew it, this dull old earth would have a perpetual glory round about it.


{Yes, I sneaked one of Thayer's paintings into this post.}