i love ina.

ina garten has always been my second favorite food network personality, only behind giada. the blend of simplicity and elegance behind her meals inspires me to cook and entertain whenever i can, and i do.

i also love her relationship with her husband, jeffrey. my brother in-law always says good ole jeffrey is the luckiest man alive. they seem so in love, which is sickening, but i guess when a man has a wife that cooks her way into his soul, who can blame them?

ina films barefoot contessa out of her fabulous hamptons barn she renovated especially for the show and it was featured in housebeautiful magazine in january 2009. i've had these images saved on my computer for a while, so i thought now was as good a time as any to share it with you all...or share it again for those who have already seen it.

this is the "barn". yes...the barn. i would happily live in this barn. wouldn't you?

her AMAZING kitchen, which is what you all see on the tele

i could definitely see myself "working" at this rustic desk!

 a bed and bath filled with light. how darling is that bathtub?! i want! i need!

and last, but not least, an amazing patio out back. cocktail hour never looked so cozy.

*all photographs by simon upton via housebeautiful.com

now, if only i could find me a jeffrey to give me this kind of life. lol. jk. happy cinco de mayo, everyone! xoxo

sit. feast on your life.

-Derek Walcott

textiles and paper goods, oh my!

one of my lovely sisters lives in the UK and is one of my fabulous blog sources. she finds things i would never find on my own. i once asked her to be a contributor on my blog, but she replied with an "i don't blog".  =P

this morning, she introduced me to Olive Manna. how cute is that name? i've always been somewhat obsessed with paper goods and school supplies so you all can imagine my excitement =D

this is their homepage image. love at first sight! how cute are those red clothespins?!

a peak at some of the goods. too cute for words!

now, hop on over to olive manna to add a little bit of happiness to your tuesday morning. yay!


...and this is totally out of the scope of this blog, but i am so proud of my friend, phuc nguyen. if any of y'all are into cars, read this article featuring phuc's new and improved, award-winning civic. congratulations, sweetie!



Who cares what you are? Just enjoy it!
- Samantha Jones, Sex & the City

walls of endless knowledge

one reason why i have not and will not purchase a kindle or any other e-reader is because i love the look of books. in elementary school, i used to get so excited when it was book fair time. i would spend the designated 15 minutes there with my classmates but would then come back after hours with my sister or mom.  i was begging for books instead of barbies. go figure!

when i was 12 years old, my parents moved us into a new house and my favorite piece of furniture from my then-new bedroom set was my bookshelf. it sat like a hutch on top of my light oak desk. my books were organized by height, followed by author, then title. had i known i'd still love bookshelves to this day, i would've taken a picture of it for you guys...or more for me. these days, not much has changed. i can spend hours on end in libraries and bookstores...and i do!

i'm so happy that bookshelves are getting the recognition they deserve nowadays! this one is simply inspiring and i hope to recreate it in my next home:

i found this bookcase last thursday night in the latest issue of my favorite design magazine, livingetc. isn't it lovely?  i love how the books are organized by color on plain white shelves. shoot... i love the entire room, minus the coffee table and light fixture that are a little too modern for my taste.



books to the ceiling,
books to the sky,
my pile of books is a mile high
how i love them! how i need them!
i'll have a long beard by the time i read them!
- arnold lobel

rainy day

houston, we have a problem.

thuy is at work on this dark, humid, rainy day. i love the rain, but only when i'm in the confines of my own home. lol. for me, rain is one of the most beautiful acts of nature. i just love how without trying, it sets a mood. today, i'm in a rain-induced, pensive mood.

with so many things going on in everyday life, it's important to take a step back and just breathe. one of my "breathing exercises" is looking at all things related to weddings. i am not ashamed to say that i am 27, single, and NOT looking to be married anytime soon, yet i am almost obsessed with everything on and leading up to the "big day". instead of subscribing to martha stewart weddings like normal people who read the magazine as religiously as i do every season, i intentionally pay the extra $2 or whatever per issue i would be saving.

why, you ask? because i get a secret rush walking into a store and seeing a brand new issue sitting there, waiting for me to take home. like the song says, "this much is true." my eyes light up, my heart beats a little faster, and the excitement overwhelms my senses. i know this all may sound a little dramatic, but it is all very true. i don't know exactly where my love for all-things-wedding came from, but i have an inkling that it all started with one of my sisters, who, just as i did, grew up loving weddings. i never questioned seeing her sitting in her room or on the couch looking at wedding magazines, even though she was single. lol. wherever it came from, i love it. i'm sure long after i'm married, everything will be just the same...and my future husband will probably worry that i'll want to redo our big day all over again. (and i will) ;-)

my favorite site of the moment i'd like to share with you all is weddinggawker.com. if you love weddings as much as i do, you will fall in love. it highlights random wedding decor, photographers, themes, real weddings, everything you could possibly think of. check out these awesome invitations. a little wordy for my taste, but i love the story <3

 

and for those who are curious of what wedding gawker is all about...

*all images via wedding gawker via someplace else

have a great friday, folks =)



The best thing one can do when it's raining is to let it rain.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

please forgive me

i'm not even sure how many followers i have, if any, lol, but i sincerely apologize for my lack of updates as of late. pretty soon i'll be updating a little bit more often than i probably should =)

i'm super excited for the renegade craft fair in austin! for those of you who are not familiar with the event, it

"is a large-scale DIY event featuring hundreds of independent artists and their unique handmade items.  RCF is held in cities across the US every year - including Brooklyn, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles & Austin.  The fair is known for being one of the first events of its kind, and for having the top-notch indie-craft artists and designers who travel from all over the map to participate."

my gal pals and i have been so excited about our crafting adventures and i can't wait to share some of our products with y'all!

will you be at renegade? have you attended before? i'm so sad that i didn't know about this event before, but i am a newbie to the DIY and crafting world. any other events i should know about??

 WOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOO!