the haystack needle

friday pause

I still have a bolivian blanket on my wishlist (and was actually searching for one!) when I popped by Lena's blog and saw this beauty. Obsessed.

A few other finds from the week:

+ This could be dangerous, considering my love of Polaroid, but I'm definitely heading here (maybe over the weekend.)

+ A gorgeous wedding in France shot by the talented Jen Altman.

+ The prettiest guest post — what a collaboration. I'm in love with those cake stands, dreamy setting, the styling, everything.

+ I'm excited to check out Anthology.

+ Loving Mercie's photos of what I've been eating (in large quantities.)

+ A cool peek inside Crane's warehouse.

+ And we just added some vintage art (with gilded frames) to the shop, if you'd like to check out the first two in the series.

The past two days, I've kind of felt like I've been pedaling hard but not moving very far. So I'm going to try to take the weekend to make a gameplan for next week (time management is not a particular strength of mine.) Hope you have a lovely weekend!

ps. A song to get the weekend going. 

friday pause

Hello Friday, I'm happy you're here. Dan and I are scooting up to Maine for the weekend as a last summer hurrah. Hope you have a great weekend, wherever you are!

And a few links for your Friday:

+ Katie Armour just updated her Etsy shop. I love all the vintage brass objects (here's a peek, above). I have a bunch of friends entering mamahood and I think any of these would be so sweet for a nursery.

+ Check out Katy's adorable hat! We may be hat twins, as I'm asking my mom if she'll knit this hat for me. 

+ I've got a crush on this new wallpaper collection. 

+ Jaw-dropping amazing botanical paper details and invitations for a simply charming wedding. 

+ I love this party tent!

+ This post brought me back to all the summers I spent sleeping on bunk beds at camp. 

+ Have you heard about this cool photo contest? And check out these gorgeous photos by Erin.

Also, a big thanks to Ashley for including me in her Small Measures post on Design*Sponge today!!

Here's a Friday song for you. I heard this favorite in a coffeeshop yesterday, and it brought me right back to our wedding in Maine, since we used the song in our wedding video.  

 

friday pause

 

I'm feeling a bit exhausted (and it's only the start of the day), with an eye on the work and to-dos ahead of me in the next couple days (Gift Show starts tomorrow). So I'm leaving you with some links that left me feeling relaxed, happy, and inspired to grab hold of the last month of summer. 

+ If I had my own patio space, I'd want these chairs to lounge outside.  

+ these fish tacos look amazing!

+ I know they've been blogged about everywhere, but I'm still really drawn to these garlands. 

+ such pretty lake photos — Lost Lake sounds so cool.

+ obsessed with these wallpapers. can't decide which one I love more. 

+ what an amazing art exhibition. I think I'll never tire of birds done right. 

+ I don't knit yet, (hoping to pick it up this winter, for realz), so I'm asking my mom the knitter if she'd make me this for the fall. Discovered via Chelsea.

happy weekend to you!

(photo by me of some summer tomatoes I spotted in the Ferry Building when I was visiting San Francisco.) 

friday pause

 

I'm back from Brimfield with a good loot! I'll be sharing with you later (as I have projects in mind for most of my finds.) And I'm sure many of you won't be surprised to hear that I went back to the shoe trolley booth (the owner corrected me that I should be calling them shoe racks, but since they're on wheels I still feel attached to my use of trolley.) A mini shoe trolley/rack did make its way in the back of my car. I didn't find the right dresser, but my friend Yolanda scored a fantastic coffee table at the end of yesterday that made the trip complete. I also fell in love with European grain sack textiles. One thing I learned from this trip: July is not the best time to go to Brimfield. We thought the rain on Wednesday would bring us down, but instead, it was the scorching heat and sun yesterday that was a real drag as we walked through the fields. I think May might be the perfect time to hit up the market. The photo above is from our favorite homemade ice cream stand up there where we ate a couple drippy cones yesterday.

A few links for you:

+ loving the entire collection of watercolor cards in this newly opened shop.

+ this post on barnyard party photos caught my eye as I'm excited for a friend's wedding in a couple weeks that will be on a farm in Northern California.

+ my friend Yolanda was on the fence about buying up a batch of silver at Brimfield. She wound up passing — since it's heavy to carry around the fields and requires a lot of picking through bins to find your set. Here's a good alternative: silver by the pound. 

I'm off to get some work done before relaxing and finding some ice cream. Enjoy your summer weekend! xx

happy july 4th!

Hey everyone! I'm off to mad-dash pack for our trip as we're hitting the road today to head up to Maine for the holiday. I'm definitely planning to eat my weight in lobster rolls, check out as many antique shops as possible, swim in the lake every day, and light some sparklers to celebrate.

It's my first roadtrip in a very long time (as I haven't had my own car in years!). Any tips? What are your must-haves for roadtrips? 

Also, I have lined up a week of fantastic guest posts from two of my favorite bloggers while I'm away. They'll be sharing summer pleasures, summer entertaining inspiration, and even a couple summer recipes! So check in next week. 

Happy July 4th! xx Jen

Photograph by Charlotte Jenks Lewis (from our Maine lobster bake the day before our wedding)

friday pause

Have you picked up the July issue of Martha Stewart Living? It's the 200th issue of Living. I recommend running out and getting a copy. Honestly, it's the best magazine I've picked up in months. The entire issue, cover to cover, is packed with inspiration. I love how they included a bunch of "made in America" finds and stylish touches of Americana done right. My favorite feature was on decorating with map textiles. (Remember my love of vintage map art from Julie & Julia?)

Other favorites from around the web:

+ a peek at Thomas O'Brien's home and his new book American Modern 

+ gingham gift tags — yes, please. 

+ sign me up for a pancake party!

+ gelato on a stick? amazing. 

+ these made me smile: rooftop gardens. 

+ I can't help but dream of a country home like this. 

ps. Thanks to 100 Layer Cake for including the Cabin 7 LOVE blocks in their pretty colorboard! And I spotted a photo from my wedding in Alyson's guest post on A Cup of Jo (that was a cool surprise!). 

Have a lovely weekend! Chris and I will be part of a designer brunch market at Sweet Afton in Astoria on Sunday (from 12 - 5pm). If you're around, stop by and say hello! There will be more than a dozen local designers and artists, good food, drink specials, and a charity raffle (we're raffling off a gilded cardholder!). It should be a really fun day. 

For a Friday song, I was feeling like some Yo La Tengo. Here's Speeding Motorcycle. 

Photograph by Dana Gallagher for Martha Stewart Living. 

friday pause

photograph (that makes me want to throw together an outdoor party immediately) by Jonathan Ong, via Oh Hello Friend via 100 Layer Cake.  

This is another one of those weeks where it's been overwhelmingly crazy and today is more of a how-fast-can-I-possibly-work kind of Friday. For those of you in the city, come visit Chris and me at the Brooklyn Flea tomorrow! (I'd really love to meet some readers in person!) It's our first time with a Cabin 7 booth, and I definitely have a case of the nerves. I'm also super excited! We're going to have some amazing (rare!) gilded objects (a few one-offs that are not on the site), and we'll be selling the gilded cardholders at a special discount for our first market. If you follow me on Facebook or Twitter, I'll be sharing a sneak peek later today of these special gilded objects that we'll be debuting at the Flea (become a fan!). 

A few links for your Friday (though I am in blog withdrawal as I haven't had time to read much this week.)

+ strawberry-picking video and photos that make me so excited for our summer getaway to Maine. Another day of strawberry picking is definitely on my list.

+ a gorgeous clothing line that feels so summer and supports a good cause.

+ outside dreaming? check. my mind feels like it's been racing and I can't wait to dip my toes in a lake for July 4th and kick back on a swing. 

+ love this — a DIY tent. 

+ Jane keeps finding upholstery that makes me wish I could win the lotto and adopt a comfy English roll-arm sofa or chaise with the tiny vintage wheels that's my absolute dream for our living space (we're currently without a sofa partly because I'm not willing to compromise. What does that say about me?!)

And does anyone have any ideas how to snag tickets to one of the sold-out She & Him shows? I'm desperate to see them live. For the Friday song, here's In the Sun. Isn't Zooey adorable? Enjoy the sun this weekend!