{ inspired by: lisa congdon's, a collection a day project }

I recently stumbled upon A Collection a Day, 2010--

an utterly delightful 365 project, by artist, Lisa Congdon.

Each day, she documents one of her collections, creating a daily masterpiece, if you will, that showcases her talent for capturing the extraordinary in the ordinary. Real collections, found in her home or studio, are photographed. Those that are "imagined" are either illustrated or painted. Pictured are a few of my favorites. To see more of her swoon-worthy collections, visit the lovely A Collection a Day blog.

I missed you all yesterday...I hope you're enjoying a most wonderful weekend.

{ thursday thoughts }

as seen here

{ how to have fun for $15 or less }

I'm always on the hunt for little lovelies that fit my budget while still satisfying my desire to keep things fresh and stylish. This year, especially, I've made a concerted effort to make the most of what I already have in my closet and simply add an accessory or two to update the look. So, I was thrilled to recently stumble upon Down & Out Chic's fun etsy shop. I adore Christina's line of accessories which are handcrafted using vintage finds. A pop of pink blossoms on your ring finger and suddenly your favorite jeans and t-shirt feel new again.

Visit the Down & Out Chic shop here and stop by the Down & Out Chic blog for oodles of affordably stylish inspiration.

{ psst... }

I'm daydreaming over here today. I hope you'll stop by for a visit.

{ sunshine on a cloudy day }

from our garden to our table { oh-so-delicious! }

hope you're having a lovely weekend too.

{ thursday thoughts }

spotted here

{ art i heart: lovebird plates by nina in vorm }

So cute for Valentine's Day or to create a fabulous plate wall.

Designed by the oh-so-talented Nina in Vorm

{ pretty in pink }

Happening upon the peonies and polaroids blog was just what I needed today.

It's been a rather gloomy week and I was longing for some pretties...

And then I spotted this...

I can't help but smile when I see a pink door.

Discover more lovelies in the p & p flickr stream.

P.S. The shop reopens in February.

Smiles and a happy, happy weekend!!!

{ thursday thoughts }

image found here

Today, I can't help but think of the unimaginable losses and suffering in Haiti.

So, I'm doing my tiny part to help spread the word about ways in which we can all help.

If you would like to contribute to the earthquake relief fund, there are many options.

I was amazed how easy it was to contribute simply by doing this -- 20 seconds max.

{ real digs: kelli jane's photography studio }

You may remember my friend Kelli from her inspiring guest post on S.HOPtalk last month.

kelli and her daughter in their matching wellies

Recently I was perusing her lovely new photography blog and was thrilled to see that she had included some shots of her studio space which I had the pleasure of visiting last year. I was instantly smitten with its casually chic and warm, welcoming aesthetic -- a reflection of Kelli's irresistible photography style.

I especially love that Kelli was able to furnish her space for pennies on the dollar with pieces found by stalking Craigslist and local thrift stores. My kinda girl! A few coats of colorful paint and her studio was born. Isn't it sweet?

I know we all love to drool over home design magazines, but I find it refreshing in these budget and environmentally conscious times to see how real people use repurposed pieces to style real spaces , don't you? Thank you, Kelli, for letting us take a peek.

I'm always on the hunt for stylish spaces to feature on S.HOPtalk. Please email me at shoptalkbuzz {at} gmail . com if you're interested in having your real digs featured on S.HOPtalk.

{ hazy shades of winter }

Alicia Bock's latest photo collection is absolutely stunning.

Fingers crossed that the lovely Alicia will add these

dreamy captures to her etsy shop {soon}.

Happy, happy Friday!

{ turquoise...a love affair }

acreativemint

allen_company_inc via sfgirl

knack

decor8

domino

domino

lolalina

Turquoise...because my adoration of it is well documented and now, I feel validated.

My first 2010 tribute (of many, I'm sure) to Pantone's color of the year.

{ a photo a day for a year? shutter sisters 365 }

Very excited {and a little nervous} to challenge myself this year

by participating in the Shutter Sisters 365 project.

This is one of my first few photos taken and submitted.

You can follow the featured photos here.

To see all of the photos submitted, visit the Shutter Sisters 365 flickr pool.

{ winter c-h-i-l-l }

I'm back! Thank you sweet friends for giving me some PTO...I promise you, I used it wisely.

We approached our winter holiday break with one main mission in mind: to do as little as possible. By that I mean, under commit and over relax. By all accounts, we were wildly successful.

It's amazing how busy we kept ourselves doing nothing. Oh the fun we had...Stay in our our PJs till noon? Totally acceptable. Snowball fights at midnight? Absolutely. Hot Cocoa AND cotton candy at the ice rink? Well, of course! Sure, the laundry piled up, the Christmas decorations still haven't been put away, and I now have a to-do list that's about 3 pages long. The bonus is, we're relaxed, reconnected, and ready to take on this thing called twenty-ten*. Bring it!

P.S. Quite happy to say buh bye to 2009 I might add.