I Want Wednesday: Perky Little Pouches

Now that my office is painted (five coats over enamel trim - which was a near disaster in and of itself), the moulding for the floor has been taken out and lowered, the two new glass panes to replace the ones that broke for the French doors have arrived, and the massive dollop of white paint that spilled on the floor is mostly gone I feel its safe to think of other things. Things like pretty little pouches that store all of our essentials; makeup bags too cute to hide inside your purse. So stand back ladies these tiny bags deserve the spotlight...

clockwise from center left: learn to write pouch, double zipper nautical rope print pouch, large retro squares zipper pouch, Polly goes to Paris mini zippered pouch, plum floral pencil pouch, celery green tough ruffles zipper purse, mums print mini coin purse, love is the key makeup bag

clockwise from center left: orange and yellow Elena wallets, red leather pencil case, yellow Mono mini purse,black living leather cosmetic pocket, white and red leather zip pouch, pink elephant cosmetic bag, Alex pleated and punched white leather pouch, teal wristlet

Beauty Tools...

Every woman knows the tricks behind a five minute face. With some good lighting and a handful of carefully selected beauty tools - well, let's just say miracles can be achieved. So, I'm wondering, now three days into my office re-do, why no five minute tricks have come to mind? I'm wondering why this kind of beauty makeover seems more like cosmetic surgery? And I gotta say I'm not a fan of breaking bones for beauty's sake; it takes far too long to heal.

An Afternoon At...

On Sunday I headed over to the Falls with some out of town friends to ride the Maid of the Mist for the first time. I'm not sure why it is the case, but it seems that most locals have yet to take the short and very wet boat ride to the base of the falls. I, for one, am so glad that I finally did. It truly is an amazing experience and thankfully it doesn't have to be a once in a lifetime one either. I plan to head over and ride that boat again and again and again until the summer's end. And if you know what's good for you, you will to.

Until then, here's a mini picture show to wet your appetite (no pun intended):

Niagara Falls, as most of you already know, is actually made up of two massive fresh water waterfalls owned by two separate nations. Ours in the States is aptly named the American Falls while the lovely Canada is home to the Horseshoe Falls. Both are equally awe inspiring and come with their own plethora of site seeing activities on their side of the Niagara River.

We didn't have time to explore the Cave of the Winds and I gotta say I wasn't too upset about that. I have a slight aversion to rickety wet slippery stairs. Even though I was assured it is neither rickety nor slippery and that the stairs are actually re-built once a year I still think I'll have to work myself up to that one.

It was so difficult to take pictures of the Horseshoe Falls. The sheer volume of water is astonishing. Look at the center picture above; you can hardly see through all that mist! And once you get you closer, well be prepared for you and your camera to be sprayed, misted and flat out drenched. But don't get me wrong, it's lots of fun. We were all smiling ear to ear.

Here you can get a better sense of the Horseshoe Falls' overall shape. I was able to snap these as we were headed back to the dock. The boat ride is about a half hour and unfortunately seems much shorter. There are two boats that run every 15 minutes. So while one is headed out, the another is on it's way back. Which, as you can see, makes for some fun pictures.

Next time I head over I plan to pack a picnic lunch and hunker in for an entire day spent relaxing at the Falls with a good book and waterproof shoes.

I Want Wednesday

I love boats. I love seaside fishing towns. When I was a little girl I dreamed I'd marry a fisherman. Heck, I still do sometimes! So its no surprise to me that since boarding the Maid of the Mist on Sunday I've been craving nautical inspired goodness. Today I want nothing more than to be effortlessly chic and wear these nautical inspired duds around town.

{striped cotton joie top via InStyle, white porter grey shorts via InStyle, Dean & Wood sunglasses via Anthropologie, cotton and brass rope bracelet by Club Monaco via InStyle, gold Genevieve Trotters via Zappos}

I Feel Happy, Oh So Happy...

I'm so excited this morning because the lovely Heather from Gathering Spriggs has done a little (though it seems pretty big to me) spotlight on Birdcage Cards! First off, I'm just plain old excited because its the first time my work has been featured anywhere, but to have the 1st time Birdcage Cards has been featured to be on such an inspirational and beautifully put together blog as Gathering Spriggs is, well...amazing! I feel blessed and excited and I can hardly sit still!

Its such a validating feeling for an artist to have one of their favorite blogs say "hey, I love your work and I think my readers will too". I feel so lucky and honored to have that experience be happening to me right now. So, please join in on the excitement with me and go check out Birdcage Cards on Gathering Spriggs!

P.S. - did I mention that Gathering Spriggs readers are entitled to a 10% off discount on anything in Birdcage Cards' shop from today, July 6, through next Monday, July 13? For more details head on over to Gathering Spriggs.

Happy Fourth of July

Wishing you a bright and sunny July 4th weekend filled with friends and family, laughter and love, warm beachy days and cool nights, comfy shoes and lightweight cardigans, apple pie and vanilla ice cream and most of all some gorgeous fireworks! 'Cause hey, nothing says patriotic like a ridiculously expensive firework display, right? Anyhow, without further ado here's your healthy dose of red white and blue...

left to right: linen drawstring pants, red coral and aquamarine earings, red glass beads, red flowers photograph, small neck tall vase, blooming blue earings, meesh vintage ring, blue & red birds tea set

left to right: berry and coconut bakewell tarts, ice cream pie with warm blueberry sauce, red, white and blue parfaits, summer shortcake

top two photos left to right: Praia Piquinia photo by Christian Chaize via 20x200, parasol and skirted bather photo via toast catalog

I Want Wednesday: Office Decor & Accessories

I'm in the process of re-decorating my workspace and while there are certain things that a.) I might not be able to afford right now or b.) just don't match the aesthetic I'm going for I still find them lovely and want to share them with you. But be forewarned, picturing all these items existing within one space could cause seizures.

1. I want my desk to feel distinctly feminine and I think these lovely white porcelain pieces, aptly named Emma, from see Jane work will do just the trick.

2. I want my space to be organized and tidy like it is now, but this time with thoughtfully placed fresh light colors. {clockwise from top left: drawer detail of Porter Collector's Desk via Pottery Barn, oh so tidy closet via Point Click Home, bright and colorful accessories via see Jane work, soft blue themed drawers organized just so via Martha Stewart}

3. I want a little whimsy on my desk. {clockwise from top left: diamond push pins via Paper Source, dozi paperclip holder via MoMa Store, staple free stapler via Paper Source, mini desktop cleaner via MoMa Store}

4. I want a space full of airy metal baskets; a little bit industrial, a little bit vintage and a whole lot of fresh open organization. {left: basket letter tray via see Jane work; right: pic via Martha Stewart}

5. Even though I'm a library junkie book storage is always the first to fill up in my home. I want, no I need, a stylish way to display all of my books. {clockwise from top left: book club vintage bookends via Burke Decor, this leather covered Webster's dictionary makes me swoon via my new fav see Jane work, perfect espresso stained filing cabinets and hutch via Pottery Barn, sapien bookcase via design within reach}