advent calendars

In honor of these amazing advent calendars that Jordan Ferney found for Babble.com (if you're the motivated-last-minute-type, she also has some awesome tutorials for advent calendars on her own blog here and here), I have decided to make my own advent calendar of sorts here.  For the next 25 days, I plan to only post things related to the holiday season.  So while there is no real opening of boxes or eating of candy (well, I encourage you to eat candy on your own, obviously), I'm going to treat each post like a little surprise for you.

forget the pumpkin: try these christmas-worthy pies

I had really been hoping to share some Thanksgiving photographs with you, but Dan and I accidentally left our camera bag (including the cord that connects it to my computer) in Vail.  Don't despair - a friend will mail it soon, but until then, you'll have to bear with me.  Then, you'll have to check out some unseasonable Thanksgiving and fall photos :) Just think of it as my way of keeping you on your toes.

Anyway, even though Thanksgiving has passed and taken pumpkin pies with it (sigh), let's take a look at some other delicious pies and that could be great for Christmas. While we're at it why leave joy of the pies to just the holidays?  I, personally, would be up for eating these pies all winter long.

Stone Fruit Lattice Pie

Custard Pie

Momofuku's Crack Pie

Pear-and-Fig Pie-in-a-Jar

Raspberry and Dark Chocolate Ganache Tart

Hungry yet? I know I am.  

happy thanksgiving

"Gettin' Cozy" by Caitlin McGauley 

I hope your day is warm and cozy and filled with ones you love!

schoolhouse electric & supply co.

blackline stoneware tray

the stephenson chair

higgins mirror with rope hanger

schoolhouse canvas organizer

morgan bed

I have long loved Schoolhouse Electric for their vintage inspired, rustic feeling light fixtures.  So imagine my excitement when I heard they had expanded their line to include home furnishings and decor.  All of the new items hold true to the original Schoolhouse Electric vibe that I find so inspirational.  Now there's just more to love!  Check out their virtual catalog for some absolutely gorgeous inspiration.

found via {frolic!}

blog love: la maison d'anna g.

J'ai trouvé le blog parfait.  Oui.  Je ne mens pas.  Je n'en suis pas capable.  Quel blog, vous me demandez? Il s'appelle La maison D'Anna G. et il appartient du design et déco scandinave, mais (suprise!) il est écrit en français.  Est-ce que vous auriez pu imaginer un blog plus parfait?  Pas moi!

Regardons ces beaux photos du blog:

I found the perfect blog.  Yep.  I'm not lying.  I can't lie. Which blog, you ask? It's called La maison d'Anna G. and it's about Scandinavian home design and decor, but (surprise!) it's written in French! Could you possibly imagine a more perfect blog? I couldn't! 

Let's look at some of the beautiful photos from the blog:

J'aime comment cet appartement (à Göteborg en Suède) en blanc a des accents verts et bleus qui donnent une qualité vivante à l'espace.  Et j'adore surtout les chaises vertes dans la cuisine!

I like how this white apartment (located in Göteborg, Sweden) has green and blue accents that lend a lively quality to the space.  And I especially love the green chairs in the kitchen!

organizational fiend

I looked at this picture and I started hyperventilating.

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Not because I want one of those necklaces, but because of how perfectly organized it is.  Because of the gold and the wood tones.  Because of that little owl in the middle.  Did I mention because of how perfectly organized it is? A place for everything and everything in it's place.  :)

amazing things made out of snow

Holy crap.  How do they do that?!

Clearly I need to spend less time skiing and more time snow sculpting.  Just kidding.  I would much prefer to ski, but this stuff is still amazing.

All images via

thanksgiving decor

Construction paper Pilgrim hats and hand print turkeys hold a fond spot in my heart,  but I can't wait to try some classier decor this year.  At 78th Street, we are hosting "Friendsgiving" this weekend.  In an ideal world with unlimited funds, I would decorate with natural colors (especially lots of shades of brown, green, gold) and materials (branches, feathers, acorns) and fabrics (linen, burlap and maybe a bit of velvet here and there).  I have collected a few images for inspiration:

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Our little table only seats four.  There are 12 people on our guest list. Realistically speaking, individual place settings aren't going to happen for me nor is spending a lot of money on "pre-fab" decor. But, I still plan to use these images as inspiration for centerpieces and other decor to be found around the house.  Luckily for me, many of the pieces I'm most enamored of, like the acorns and pine cones, are free!

snow globe

I love winter.  I love the cozy silence after a fresh snowfall.  I love the serene, sparkling beauty of a snow covered forest. I am mesmerized by snowflakes falling under street lamps.  I wanted to share the gorgeous photos below, because each one fills me with an uncontainable excitement for snow.

Snowy Amsterdam

by Leafde

Wintry Cathedral Beach, Yosemite National Park
by Robin Black

Church in Iceland by a lake called Úlfljótsvatn

by Ingólfur Hartvigsson

Edinburgh - Dead of Night

by Lawrence Winram

Hallstatt, Austria

photographer unfortunately unknown found via 

Bring on winter.  I'm ready.

happy friday and more & co.

It turns out Lynsey's boyfriend is almost as cool as she is (sorry, Ryan, but it's true :). He and his creative studio, MORE & CO., which was also founded by MAV and CDR, do amazing work.  Seriously.  We're talking Starbucks campaigns, local publications, book design, photography and video...you name it, they do it.  And they do it well.  Plus they seem to have a darn good time while they're at it.

MORE & CO. Walk All Day from More & Co. on Vimeo and their blog

I hope your weekend is as much fun as this video! Happy Friday!

babylonstoren

I want to go here:

Babylonstoren, located just outside Cape Town, is a hotel at one of the oldest Cape Dutch farms featuring gorgeous decor and fine food fresh from their huge and beautiful gardens.  Who wants to go with me and pay for my trip? :)

All images found on Full House