Friday Favorites

one: porcelain bird bowl and spoon by PennySpoonerCeramics
two: lemony raspberry buttercream cupcakes from thecupcakemint
three: reut earrings by rafya
four: please pass the milk by mrseliotbooks

Have a wonderful weekend! I'll catch up with you soon.

XOXO,
Jewels

High Tea at the Grand Hotel

At 3:30, every afternoon, the Grand Hotel puts on a High Tea--the kind that knocks your socks off! Granted, walking into the Grand Hotel is an event in and of itself, High Tea in the lobby with its outrageous carpets and furniture, a harpist in the corner and tuxedos on all the staff, well, it's pretty spectacular. We splurged and had the Champagne Tea which included a little pot of Earl Grey, a plate of six finger sandwiches, a plate of six decadent desserts (my favorite were the mini fruit tarts) and a flute of pink champagne--each! I was in heaven. My dears, pink champagne is the berries. Oh the giggles and sighs of delight were endless! If you ever make it to Mackinac Island, be sure to treat yourself to High Tea at the Grand. It won't disappoint, I promise!

First day on the island

And we're back! Thank you for all the wonderful wishes and happy thoughts sent our way--I give you guys all the credit for the beautiful weather we received. Thank you heaps!

Mackinac Island was wonderful. Cold, but full of sunshine and tulips and forsythia. I have a series of photos to show you, so stay tuned. These are from the first day on the island. We biked the 8 miles around the island and stopped for fudge and salt water taffy afterward--Ryba's has some of the best and their shop is all stripes and pink--gotta love that. There were tulips everywhere. Great big red and yellow tulips, like goblets, ready to soak up the sunshine. Near the east side of the island there's a large resort with a huge lush lawn that stretches out to Lake Huron. They set up dozens of white Adirondack chairs for their guests and random passerby's like us! We grabbed our afternoon coffee, picked out a pair of chairs and soaked up the sunshine. It was a delicious first day!

Tomorrow: Grand Hotel!

And Wednesday?

Friday was spent dancing. Saturday was spending chilling. Sunday and Monday were spent re-arranging the whole apartment (can you hear Andrew wailing in the background about how he can't find anything anymore?). Tuesday was spent catching up--or trying to. And Wednesday will be spent... well, I haven't figured that out yet. Hopefully being spectacularly productive while expending as little energy as possible. Can you do that?

Andrew and I head to Mackinac Island on Thursday and will be away--celebrating our second wedding anniversary--till Tuesday. So, once more, I'll be missing in action. But, I promise, I'll have heaps of pictures to share with you when we get back.

Love to you all,
Jewels

Images from here, here and here

Self Portrait: Green Cricket

Good morning! I'm so sorry I've been missing in action--I promise to catch up with you very, very soon. In the mean time, let me introduce to you today's Self Portrait. Beth from the Green Cricket blog and shop has been a tremendous inspiration to me. Her thoughtfulness and wisdom have bolstered me through some rough patches and I'm so, so pleased to share her self portrait with you today!

A map is my perfect canvas as it can take you anywhere you want to go. I consider myself a natural explorer/adventurer. Being confined or getting too comfortable in one thing is not fun for me. I joke that I will try anything once, but rarely the same thing twice.

Love : I met my husband in early Oct and when we exchanged numbers at a Chicago bar (matchbook seen here) I had told him my love for Halloween, so when picking me up for our first date a week later, he arrived with not a bunch of flowers, but a pumpkin. Although he has done many wonderful and thoughtful gestures since then, that took the cake, and I was hooked. This one is from a trip we took to Santa Barbara. We had fortune cookies at our wedding and used the sayings from actual fortunes we had received. I only believe the good ones and often turn to short little inspirational quotes to help bring things back into perspective.

Animals : Aside from my precious pup Abby, I have a deep love for dogs and all animals. There is a purity and 'living in the moment' they possess that really grounds me. I have been known to walk across the street just to greet a dog and can sit for hours watching the squirrels frolic in my backyard.

Nature : I am inspired by the wonder of nature and all its seasons. A fern, a stone, a sunrise... fallen bark from an old tree. We dubbed our outdoor wedding in '05 'woodland chic' as there was an abundance of moss and these sweet little Kermit the frog mums. I guess I have always been kind to my environment, but as the years pass, my love and great respect for the planet has grown 10 fold. I am always trying to be more conscious of my choices and how they effect the earth. I guess that is where my love of salvage stems from. Giving a discarded item a new life gives me great satisfaction.

Sustenance and libations : I am a bonafide foodie. I have been known to plan trips around certain eateries (often cupcake spots) and am addicted to cooking and travel food shows. Opening a bottle of wine, turning on some music and cooking with my hubby is bliss, even in my tiny galley kitchen. I am also I part time barista at a local coffee joint.

Art & inspiration : I have about 10 of these Moleskin journals filled with everything from sketches for projects to quotes and recipes to websites. I have come to embrace my "busy brain" and found as long as I have a place to jot it down, I can move on to something else. Color is my favorite color. Although I have no one medium, painting is what I do the most of, even if it is on an old chair. The vibrant lizard is a souvenir from a visit to Gaudi's Park Guell on our Honeymoon in Barcelona. It was like a wonderland for me. The juxtaposition of color and mosaics just made me smile and still does everytime at look at him.

Adventure : mountain biking is probably my favorite, but I also enjoy kayaking, hiking, snowshoeing...anything that lets you experience the world from a different view... and get a little adrenaline rush too. Surfing and scuba diving are next on my list.

And finally the cricket. It is a nickname my husband Nathan gave me years back when we were living in the city and seemed a great mascot for my business. (Crickets are good luck in many Asian cultures) I often having him sitting on this rock I borrowed from the Mediterranean Sea. It is a simple reminder of the solidness of love, passion and living authentically.

Friday Favorites - a day late

one: Through the looking glass by NewFashionedWhispers
two: Boston bag from tagodesign
three: staircase to heaven from yvetteinufio
four: dive in by staceywinters

Sorry, a little late on my Friday Favorites post, but I promise, it was for a good reason. Yesterday was the last day at the engineering firm. My morning was swamped with cleaning up my space and making sure all the little bits were in order. Never have I been more happy to leave a place! Although there were a number of exceptions, there was a particular group of women who made my life miserable for the past four months. I began calling them the Toads because of their big mouths and itty bitty world. In any case, they made my exit even more of a relief. So, in celebration I went and had a massage at a favorite spot, saw Angels and Demons with Andrew and then had a small meal of tostadas and enchiladas.

I felt lighter, more buoyant than I have in months. I felt like dancing the whole day! There's so much to look forward to, so much to be excited about. Onward and upward!

Before I head off, I wanted to make sure to mention that Anne from City Sage is holding a number of fantastic give-aways this week (the birthday week)! Go see!

Have a wonderful weekend, lovies!

XOXO,
Jewels

When the electricity dies

Okay, when I said "stormy" yesterday I had no idea what that would entail. We were without electricity for two and a half hours last night due to a storm that hit Madison. Being without electricity can be very romantic, all moody and dim, but I didn't have candles I could read or make books by and I couldn’t boil a kettle of water on our electric stove so tea was even out! I did a lot of sitting on the couch listening to the thunder. The world stops when the electricity dies.

What do you do when the electricity goes out?

Images found here, here and here

Stormy Wednesday

A quiet post today as I'm traveling out and about! Sending you love on this stormy Wednesday.

XOXO
Jewels

Images found here

Self Portrait: Reading My Tea Leaves

Good morning! I have a new, beautiful self portrait to share with you. The genuine, clever and charming Erin from Reading My Tea Leaves has provided us a look into who she is! Enjoy!

me, in everyday objects…

this morning's pot of tea. a stack of books, just like dad's. 390 boston post road. grandpa's harmonica, for when the saints go marching in. mon carnet d’adresses. fan coral from wildlife adventures with james. james. a pill box, from grace, who taught me how to live graciously. wildflowers.

Monday moods

Which one seems to suit your mood this Monday morning?

Images from here

Friday Favorites & other goodies

1. Silk bloom from myrakim
2. Poppy Red by NatashaMorton
3. Lollipop swirls from simplethings
4. Depth by F2Images

Good morning! I have heaps to share with you this morning!

First off, I have a guest post to share with you over at the ever enchanting Design Lovely, and I have to implore you, if you haven’t seen all of Rachel’s gorgeous wedding and honeymoon pictures, you need to. You’ll feel so inspired, I guarantee it! Thank you, darling Rachel!

Second, P.S. Erin (such a charming blog) taged me in a game of “meme” this week!

Rules of the meme: Respond and rework on your own blog. Replace one question and add one question. Pass it on.

1. My current obsession: Whimsy & Spice Earl Grey sandwich cookies

2. One item from my wardrobe I wear most often: Chacos

3. The last thing I bought: Fancy schmancy paper

4. I’m listening to: Libera

5. Any Pets? Why or why not: My parents have to siberian huskies, does that count?

6. My favorite holiday spot: Petoskey

7. 4 words to describe me: Youthful, curly-haired, spritely, otter

8. Guilty Pleasure: *whispers* I love being n’ked

9. The best thing I’ve had to eat or drink lately: Curry madras hot chocolate

10. Favorite film: Pursuasion

11. Favorite song: Adagio for Strings

12. Favorite Flower: Lily of the Valley

13. Who makes me laugh: Gob from Arrested Development

15. First sign of spring: When the air smells like worms--and don’t tell me you don’t know what I’m talking about

I’m going to pass this lovely tag onto these beautiful ladies: Scissors Paper Glue, Reading my Tea Leaves, and Wunderbug.

And thirdly, if you’ve made it thus far, I was given a Kreative Blogger award from the ever-delightful Down and Out Chic! Thank you, thank you, thank you! I’m going to pass this onto some new sources of inspiration and delight: oh hello friend, old sweet song and two brunettes!

Have a wonderful weekend you guys!

XOXO

Summer cottage

Just a sweet summer cottage for two, thank you very much! Well, two and then my sisters, their husbands, my niece, my parents, grandma, Andrew's family, you, you and you too!

Images found 1st-Option

Lingo

Red Otter lingo:

heaps: an expression to signify a great quantity; often used in conjunction with chocolate, walks, and hugs from Andrew

hobnobs: rolled oat tea biscuits dipped in chocolate, great with Lady Grey tea or Black Current tea

chippies: corn or potato chips; delicious paired with lemon Perrier

Images from flickr lovin' here, here and here

Gray Day

These remind me of the beauty in a gray day. How the light becomes subdued and the edges soften. Maybe you can even smell the rain about to fall. If I was home right now, on this gray morning, I would make a pot of Black Current tea and nibble on two or three or four Hob Nobs! Wanna join me?

Images found here, here and here

Comforts

Top five favorite comfort films:
1. You've Got Mail
2. The Philadelphia Story
3. Howl's Moving Castle
4. Persuasion
5. Age of Innocence

Top five favorite comfort foods:
1. Ruffles baked lays
2. Welch Juice gummies
3. Hob nobs
4. Mashed potatoes
5. Fried chicken

Top five favorite comfort activities:
1. Drinking black current tea on my couch
2. Long walk along the shoreline
3. Reading an old favorite book
4. Laughing with loved ones
5. Hugs from Andrew

It's one of those Mondays. The kind where you need to surround yourself with all the good comforts of life!

How about you? What are your comforts?

Images found here

Friday Favorites

one: Lemon mini pitchers from PigeonToeCeramics
two: Shabby tea party by syko
three: Narwhal shadowbox by papersparrow
four: Sprout Earrings from stellaandlux

It's been an intense week over here. One that had me begging for the weekend on Monday. I have two weeks left at my present employment and I have a funny feeling that it's going to be a very long two weeks. But, on a happier note, Andrew and I celebrated my birthday a day early last night--complete with David Bacco chocolates and special little gifts! *does a little happy dance*

I'm off to Minnesota for the weekend! A baby shower for my niece and some long walks with my mom and dad. Spring in Northfield is divine--all lush and green with blankets of Triliums and Silia.

Sending you all heaps of love!

XOXO
Jewels