sleepy time

I have a bit of a cold. It's just enough to make me feel sleepy and a little squinty-eyed, but not enough to keep me home in bed. It is, however, enough to make me dream of being home in bed and wondering how this day can drag so!

On that note, I'd like to curl up in this bed. It looks soft and quiet and warm, and I can almost feel the curtains being drawn and twilight tucking me in. I love this whole room, but I am particularly happy with the walls. I love the texture, the color, and how the shadows make the corner look cozy.

I am curious about the little bedside curio table (who needs a clock when a collection of skulls will do?). I love the contrast of rustic dark wood against a soft, pale wall.

Okay, in I go. It's too tempting.

Sorry, I've lost the photo credit.

sniff sniff

I love old buildings. Houses, lofts, warehouses, cottages, barns, castles, huts; the older the better. I like to imagine their histories, the lives playing out within, the candlelight, the re-wiring with electricity and all the little adds and restorations that happen over the years.

I've lived in both old and new apartments and houses, and have always been more enamored of the old. Even with their creaking stairs, the strange low ceiling in the pantry, and the oddly shaped walls where some landowner decided the house would rent better if there was a wall here or there to create a bedroom where the dining room used to be.

Now I find myself in a big, old house built in 1925. It's a rental. It has three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a basement, a large kitchen and a garage (for the tinkerer, the mechanic, the One with all the Tools). It's great for lots of reasons: It's cheap, it's near a great part of town, it has a wrap-around yard, a laundry room, and lots of windows.

It also stinks. Like really. Not all of the time, but especially when the weather is hot and the doors have been closed for a couple of days. I picture a grumpy old man with thin, bony fingers who's only happiness is restoring antique curio cabinets in his basement.

While smoking.

A lot.

I picture his yellowed fingernails, and his wispy hair. Imagining is easy because I can smell him in the walls. This great old house with it's 1960's oven and ancient windows has moved on to younger tenants, but oozes those olfactory stimulators. There are even spots coming through the paint (in the few spaces we haven't reached with a paintbrush, yet).

And now I come to the question that all of this ranting stemmed from: If I have a house guest (a respectable, older sort of person with taste and possibly money and expectations) should I worry too much about the fact that even though our home is nicely decorated, and welcoming, and cozy... it smells a little funky?

Should I spend the next two weeks painting like a madwoman, emptying each room and using a sealant-slash-primer in the hopes that this will finally neutralize the odor?

I suppose I shall, if for no other reason than I live there, and it really is a wrinkle-your-nose sort of encounter. Not every day, but just one is enough to say, "enough."

My mind runs in all directions with thoughts of the renovations and restorations that could happen with old houses. Including the one in the photo...

(I know, it's crazy.)

photo courtesy

mango me happy

She's lovely. She reminds me of an Alphonse Mucha painting. I love the vintage maiden feel with just a peek at her tattoo, a hint of the tough girl within.

credits:

Model: Jackie, Elmer Olsen Models / Hair and Make Up: Ivy Lam / Flowers and Floral headpieces: Stemz / Vintage Jewelry: Cynthia Findlay Antiques / Vintage Furniture: Mango Gallery / Bridal Gown: Vintage 1800′s grandmothers dress

Alphonse Mucha

Mango Studios photography

Lost at Sea Bridal Shoot - courtesy A Million Little Details

effervescent

Elie Saab is a designer who's work I find inspirational and lovely. The drape is exquisite, the lengths are stunning, the details are divine. Ultra feminine, dreamy fabrics swirl and float around the wearer. It's like donning a fragrance, the flowery petal colors blooming around you as you walk.

I am in love. It's like walking around in a daydream, nothing more sweet than this moment. And this dress.

another elie saab fan

stress free

I have a book that I want to read while sitting on this couch.

The white walls and light gleaming through the door are the perfect setting for the splash of fun color in the cushions, and the tray set on the ottoman.

I love enthusiastic design. I am delighted by the vintage touches and the black legs on the couch. It is a great mix of cozy and chic, inviting happy and contented guests.

Kick up your feet, and enjoy a stress free week. Those are my orders.

underneath

I came across Bri Emery's blog "DesignLoveFest" a few months ago, and I now peek at least once a day.

She's pretty adorable. Her blog is full of fun colors, lots of photos, great artists, fashion, type, and design. She incorporates little personal stories and a lot of exuberance. I like that in a blog. (Come to think of it, I like that in a person.)

Her colors of choice are bright and soft at the same time, and she sports some fabulous hot pink lipstick. I think underneath all the other fun stuff, she hooked me with her green tulle tutu skirt, and the photos of her girls' weekend in Palm Springs. Tulle skirts by the pool? Adorable.

It's a design/style/fashion/happy love fest.

Alice in Waterland found on DESIGNLOVEFEST

Elena Kalis Underwater Photography (who knew!?)

in silk

Aside from the strange "crystal wheat stalk accent" that reminds me of a wire coat hanger I once spotted under my car in a parking lot, I am in love with this dress. Monique Lhuillier (a graduate from my alma mater, no less) is an amazing designer, her creations dreamy visions of the modern bride. She incorporates classic style lines, adding whimsical features and layering lace and tulle into what I can only describe as loveliness.

The price points for M.L. bridal dresses range from pretty darn reasonable to wow-I'll-certainly-never-have-one-of-those. Inevitably the ones that catch my eye are the latter. No matter, I can dream and drool and in the meantime float a little as I scroll through her collections. Visit her website for your very own taste of heaven, but don't say I didn't warn you.

photo courtesy of monique lhuillier

flower heaven

I want to run, leap, fly, or jump into this bouquet! I love it's softness and loveliness. It reminds me of a painting (in color, only) that I had hanging on my wall growing up. Another world of pretty skirts, a beautifully laid table (whites and silvers with pale blues), sun beaming through wide windows and summer outside.

If it were fabric I'd make it into a dress, it's colors splashing against one another and long silky layers fluttering and billowing. I'd walk through wild gardens, letting the breeze push me wherever it may.

photo courtesy martha stewart

vintage charm

It just so happens that somewhere in the country of Thailand, one of my sisters is laying on a beach. She's wearing a swimsuit which makes my toes wriggle for sand and warm water, tropical breezes and all the other wonderful things I imagine surrounding her. The morning's relative warmth and my sister's tropical adventure led me to photos of bathing beauties from the good ol' days when suits were not stretchy or small, but literal suits. Over the years they've trimmed some of the extra fabric off and made them quite a bit easier to swim in, but I can't help loving the details of the before-time of bathing suits.

Let's not forget the hair and the shoes, which often distract me with their charm.

There's nothing like very cold weather followed by not-so-cold weather to make one feel very excited about spring and even more excited about summer. A bit of a February thaw, with little buds and fresh green shoots poking their timid heads out of the soil is just what I needed this morning. I can feel my muscles relaxing, inviting warmer air and dreams of sunnier days. It's no Koh Tao beach, but it'll do. For now.

Thanks to Lizzie at http://thevintagetraveler.wordpress.com/ for sharing her amazing collection of vintage photos. They prompted today's post and possibly a new project designing a vintage-inspired bathing suit for myself...