exit, pursued by bear

feeling wistful.

{"All Saint's Parish Church, Bakewell, Derbyshire" by Bert Camenbert via Wikimedia Commons}

"There is not a finer county in England than Derbyshire"
-- Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice

kitsch chic?

I'm not sure this bed fits with my recently diagnosed decorating style -- but spotted this while clicking around. For some unidentifiable reason, it's borderline terrifying, isn't it? And yet I'm still oddly drawn to it:

{"Ball Poster Bed" from The Conran Shop, via mydeco - £8,995 (Exc delivery), I'm not even going to convert that for you, trust me, you don't want to know}

I feel like that bed might give me nightmares. Maybe I'm over-thinking it. Maybe it's the price tag that would give me nightmares. That may be closer to the truth.

Here's the "Contemporary four poster bedroom" that the bed is featured in:

{photo from mydeco}

Anyway, after taking the surprisingly fun quiz (via How About Orange), I was labeled with the aforementioned "kitsch chic" style, which I'm rather proud of. Not too fond of accompanying photos, though, for my logo -- I know it's a clock, but that thing on the left looks like a bomb:

"You're a real magpie, always on the look-out for retro-style things that will add happiness and personality to your home. You love to mix old and new to create an interior design cocktail that's easy, fun and whimsical ... Your home reveals your fun-loving, whimsical side - the look is nostalgically modern and elegant with a cheeky twist."

Yay! I love being a cheeky magpie. What's your decorating style? Find out.

one more quick thing ...

Am absolutely IN LOVE with this:

{photo from elements of style, via {the blog} at Urban Grace Interiors}

The colors! The design! The font! The sheep! The English-ness! Love!

My jaw literally dropped when I saw this. It would look so fabulous in our home and I'm incredibly envious of the lucky person that snapped this up. Wish I could have gone to Brimfield in May. I need a time machine!

delish.

Basically I just wanted to post about this picture because I've been fantasizing about eating this bagel ever since I saw it this morning. I implore you to click on that link and see a bagel in all of its inherent deliciousness.

Bagel heaven, indeed.

And if you need more bagel-y goodness, check out this yummy looking sandwich from the Pioneer Woman. This looks like a great weekend-at-home lunch.

{photo from "Cool, Crisp, and Delicious: Veggie & Cheese Bagel" recipe on The Pioneer Woman}

All right, who's hungry? ;o)

note to self: don't show this to husband.

Oh well, he's bound to see it since he reads my blog (hi honey!) -- but I cannot not post this, it's just too awesome:

{"The Pizza Pro" pizza scissors from SkyMall (where else?!), via peepculture}

And now, thanks to that picture, I'm going to have to go home and make pizza. THANKS, INTERNET! ;o)

what's not to love?

Everything about this photo makes me happy. It looks so serene. Had to share, since I'd love to find something similar for our dining room:

{French cupboard photo from the "Inspiration Gallery" at Tine K Home, via Pancakes & French Fries}

that whole wedding "thing"

Over the next few days/weeks/however long it takes me to get my act together, I thought I'd post some more pictures/details/reviews from our wedding, seeing as that might be of some value to those still planning weddings, especially anyone in the Saint Louis area.

Cool?

In the interim, a picture of me and my dad (who rocks, btw -- have I ever mentioned that? Consider yourself lucky if you've had the pleasure of meeting him, lol):

{© 2008 Koch Photography}

You can't tell from this photo, but there should be like, blurred action lines behind me because I apparently completely booked it down the aisle. Hello? I have a cute husband, I was excited to marry him.

You'd hustle down that aisle too if you had this handsome man waiting for you:

{© 2008 Koch Photography}

He's so cute I can hardly stand it ;o)

just breathe.

{"More North York Moors countryside" Copyright Alan Clements}

"He said the pleasantest manner of spending a hot July day was lying from morning till evening on a bank of heath in the middle of the moors, with the bees humming dreamily about among the bloom, and the larks singing high up overhead, and the blue sky and bright sun shining steadily and cloudlessly."
-- Emily Brontë , Wuthering Heights

truer words were never spoken.

{Appropriate sentiment via someecards}

Do you ever have those mornings when you just CANNOT, for the life of you, wake up? Oof. I was up earlier than usual this morning, which typically helps in the alertness department ... but today is a struggle for some reason.

Pass the caffeine, please.

cheery.

I love the colors used in this dining room and just the general "look" and feel -- spied this over at MarthaStewart.com, while browsing for organizational clip art/templates (!):

{Martha Stewart styled dining room, via "Leather Place Mat How-To" feature}

Lovely yellows, greys and shades of aqua -- very soothing and cheerful. I'm really drawn to that china cabinet color, and the arrangement of pottery -- especially the cake platters. I love stacking cake platters like that :o)

I snagged this picture as an inspiration/design idea for my mom -- their kitchen/breakfast/sitting area is one long room -- with lots of white beadboard and molding. The room is currently painted in a similar yellow and I think adding these accent colors would look fabulous.

But you're hung up on the organizational clip art, aren't you? Here's what I downloaded:

• Freezer Labels
  
  
  
• Luggage Tags (where were these when I was looking for something cute like this for our honeymoon? And how much does this picture make you want to run right out and buy totally inappropriate baby blue luggage?)
  
  
  
• Cook's Helpers
  
  
  
• Keepsake Recipe Cards - I like this one the best:
  
  

Thanks Martha!