black & white family memories.

my sweets, momma and i have had too many gorgeous saturdays

on the new hampshire coast this summer . . .

and for this i am so thankful.

i certainly don't take for granted these warm days i spend

in conversation with my mother while sun beats down on us and

the cold waves lap our toes and then suddenly

crash over us in our canvas chairs.

some darling family photographs

{the "me" is my mother}

at the same beach we've been visiting since i was a baby . . .

yes, returning to the coast is in our blood, i suppose.

in case you have not yet guessed,

we venture out yet again tomorrow.

what are you up to this weekend?

{via}

art project.

sometimes i get to be crafty at my job.

i spent the majority of monday whitewashing and decoupaging

a background for some of work we do at the studio.

there's nothing quite like wearing sweats and a ratty t-shirt,

cranking up an audiobook

and creating something pretty with my hands that we'll use every day.

i wish i got to do it more!

my right wrist was a little shaky doing dishes that night-

after three coats of white paint

and mod podging the whole surface . . .

but sooo well worth it.

all finished and ready to photograph!

colour of the week // mauve {reader's pick!}

at the suggestion of a reader,

mauve is the selection for today . . .

i was a bit apprehensive at first,

considering my first introduction to the color was

in the 80's, when everything was a ridiculously horrid mix

of hunter green and mauve sofas. wallpaper borders and throw pillows.

but i was pleasantly surprised by the number

of pretty things i found in shades of purple to pink mauve . . .

i think my color appreciation spectrum just expanded.

just goes to show, you should almost always listen to readers!

i have a crush on rick steves.

well, after all that sun and heat this weekend,

it poured all yesterday.

so what is a girl to do but take a detour on the commute home by

pulling into a downtown parking space,

dashing through the rain and picking up a

1980's tour movie of france by the one and only rick steves?

i watched tour after tour through france

{my favorite was paris, duh.}

and dreamed about taking a fabulous vacation all over the country.

rick steves' europe on pbs was one of my

favorite tv shows when i was a kid . . .

i blame him for my perpetual travel bug.

if you don't believe me, read:

this

this

this

this

it probably does not help that i also watched

eat.pray.love. this weekend.

oh, i know, i'm my own worst enemy.

{via}

a day at the ocean

a potential day at the studio

turned into a glorious saturday off and a sunny {hot!} morning and afternoon

at the ocean with my momma.

we've been feeling it in the middle of this northeastern heatwave . . .

not that i mind, since new hampshire really only

gets about two months of summer as it is.

i'll take what we can get!

now to get back to work-

happy monday, sweets!

a romantic video for your weekend.

i wish everyday looked like a sharkpig production.

i've been missing my guy terribly this week,

and i've been further punishing my heart by watching sappy videos

like this one.

what are you plans for the weekend?

mine are a little up in the air at this point,

but if i don't end up at work, i'll probably venture to the ocean

with my lovely momma.

3 more weeks until johnny comes back to the granite state

for a little visit and trips to the beach

are a great way to make the time fly.

happy weekend, sweets!

chai latte at casablanca coffee

johnny and i share an affinity for chai tea lattes

and since nashville was all about the coffee shops,

we paid a visit to this one to try out chai lattes one morning.

i usually grab a latte with soy,

but sometimes there is nothing like a creamy chai latte . . .

they taste best when sipped in the middle of bitter new england cold,

but the nashville air conditioning was just as well.

casablanca coffee is a spot in the heart of a

super fun section of the city called the gulch

{evidently, a certified green community; kinda neato}.

escaping the heat by plopping down with our computers into comfy seats,

listening to great tunes and

chilling out with our tasty drinks

{casablanca drops a cinnamon stick into their chais- yum!}

was a delightful way to spend a morning,

even though crema still stands out as my favorite nashville coffee spot.

hers: chai tea latte, soy, extra hot

his: the way it is on the menu

we don't fall into male/female archetypes, do we?

colour of the week // tangerine

summer reminds me of creamsicles

and creamsicles are the tastiest kind of tangerine color.

i also faintly recall our high school jazz band playing

a very northeastern white kid version of a song called "tangerine."

maybe i'm making that one up though.

regardless, i think i'm not the only one inspired by this hot weather hue-

i found so many pretty pictures

that you get 4 boards instead of just 3 this week!

orange you glad i picked tangerine for this week???

{via}

my love affair with tart fro-yo

tart frozen yogurt has got to be the tastiest snack on the face of the planet

and it's not something easily found at ice cream shops here in new hampshire.

mix in some berries and coconut?

heaven.

johnny and i are much more snackers than wine and dine people.

we love a good bite,

but we both probably get far more enjoyment out of discovering

a neat little corner bakery or a coffee shop than

a super new and trendy restaurant.

there is no sweet cece's in new hampshire,

but it is all over the place in nashville and i can see why.

it may be a chain, which usually means that i am sort of adverse to it

{yeah, i'm a snob that way},

but the throngs of people outside it's doors prove its

a terrific little place for something cold

on a hot southern day.

i also tasted a tart blueberry yogurt

at mike's on broadway during pre-4th celebrations

and it was also one of the yummiest cones i've had . . .

why does nashville do fro-yo so well???

{for the record, i don't mean to hate on nh so much,

so here is some granite state love:

i tried an amazing ginger ice cream on a date night with

my momma a few evenings ago and it was delicious!}

a style crush.

good morning, everyone- i hope you

had a most glorious weekend.

it was gorgeous here in new hampshire!

well, harry potter was a-maz-ing.

i have to admit, it was a little sad to see it all end . . .

maybe not as sad as when i finished book 7,

but it was still a little emotional.

i mean, i've been reading/watching this series since i was a teenager!

i love that clemence poesy makes a small appearance in these films.

if i had to pick a celebrity style icon,

she would probably be it . . . even her wizarding costumes kick bum.

bestest and i agreed while we were at the theater

that she is possibly one of the gorgeous actresses we've ever seen.

don't you agree?

who is your style icon?

{via}

it all ends!!!!

i didn't join the "real" fans at the midnight showing like i have in past years . . .

i've become far too sensible

{and sleep deprived}.

i've prepared myself for the final chapter in harry's journey

by quietly streaming the movie score over pandora

during the day and, of course, watching pt. 1 with friends last weekend.

and i've placed a moratorium on all final movie discussion at work

until we all go see it over the weekend . . .

obsessed???

believe me, i'm no where close, compared to most anyway.

i hope you enjoy your weekend and don't spend allll of it

inside an imax theater.

i promise i will get some sunshine too!

{via}

crema

coffee in new hampshire is not an art.

it's difficult {maybe impossible} to find a place

where baristas take pride in their concoctions.

i mean, most people in new england are devoted to dunkins

and to me that's just not coffee.

in nashville, this is my place to go.

a mid morning cup of coffee, computer in hand, boyfriend at side.

i seriously would visit crema every single day.

it's the home of my favorite latte ever

{just a soy one, extra hot}

with a cheerful yet ultra-relaxed atmosphere where

it's obvious folks just linger around with their friends,

share conversations and eat lots of scones.

commitment-a-phobe

i pondered getting a tattoo from time to time

during the course of my early twenties.

they're beautiful and really look fantastic on some people

{my sister, elizabeth, wears hers incredibly well}.

but i've since come to the conclusion that i would probably love

my ink at first and tire of it before too long . . .

therefore, they're really not for me

{being permanent and all}.

but, hello, look at this-

temporary tattoos from tattly via the amazing swiss miss???

here are my three faves;

a color wheel, typography love and a lovely shutter

for your fancy.

far more rad than the ones

next to any wal-mart gum ball machine.

do you have tattoos?

what are they?

do you love or regret them?

colour of the week // lavender

i can't tell which i like better-

lavender the scent or the color?

i suppose they go hand-in-hand, don't they?

i was a little bit lost as to which color to feature this week,

until mr. wonderful reminded me that purple is a great "girl" color, as he said.

i chose lavender instead . . . anything purple is something

i always overlook entirely.

such a pretty thing and yet i think there's only one purple item

in my entire closet.

what colors would you like to see me feature on wednesdays?

quiet morning

breakfast is by far my favorite meal of the day.

i've learned over time that my boyfriend also loves breakfast . . .

he loves breakfast even if it's for lunch or dinner.

while i was in nashville, coffee shops were our fave thing to visit.

the other morning, he picked me up and took me to dose

on the west end of nashville for a tasty morning treat.

{after stopping at a walgreens, that is, so that i could buy deodorant

because halfway to the cafe i realized i hadn't put any on that morning. grossss.}

~~~

before: a ginger latte and cardamom banana muffin

after: no more ginger latte or cardamom muffin

~~~

things to bring to dose:

your computer or a well-tattered book.

a couple ideas for deep conversation if you have a dining partner.

an indoor voice- holler-ers like me may get the hairy eyeball.

the ability to linger.

stay tuned for my favorite coffee shop of all time . . .

you'll want to visit there too!

drunk on happiness?

i think yes.

i just want to smooch those round, rosy cheeks.

a retrocam account of our sunny centennial park stroll.

a sunny morning meant a lovely walk through the park.

that's just the way we roll . . . er, stroll.

nashville, evidently, thought it necessary to own

a southern version of the parthenon

and so johnny and i made our way to centennial park

to explore one day.

having visited the actual parthenon during my college years,

it was a little difficult to wholly enjoy nashville's efforts without unfair comparisons.

still, it was a visit full of gorgeous sunshine, swing swinging,

hand-in-hand walking and picture snapping.

oh, the things i would do all day if i didn't have to live in the real world.

{thank you, johnny, for sharing your android version of instagrams.}

a scooter ride video for your friday!

johnny and i spent a lot of time in nashville on his scooter . . .

and capturing the city with his 8mm app.

it was so hot outside that scooting was probably the most

comfortable outdoor activity.

besides eating lots of popsicles and ice cream cones.

i hope you love this little snippet of my vacation as much as i loved making it!

friend-filled fiestas planned for this weekend-

a jewelry reception for one of my crafty friends tonight,

beach day tomorrow with the ladies,

followed by a harry potter #7 pt. 1 in the evening to prepare for our trip

to see the final movie in just a few days.

wherever you are, i hope you're enjoying this summery weekend!

{{my guy wrote a fab post on his blog about long-distance relationships.

go read it and leave some blog love for him!}}

we heart paletas.

paletas are all the rage now, aren't they?

i've been dying to check out this shop ever since i saw them on

throwdown with bobby flay last summer.

we didn't have time to visit during my february trip to nashville,

so this time around we were sure to make a stop.

twice.

for my first visit, a $2.50, a pineapple blackberry popsicle and a walk through the park later,

i was in a cool, sweet berry heaven.

it was so hot, the popsicle dripped down my leg and i was

a little kid all over again.

it was amazing.

a couple of days later,

i got a little braver on my second try and ate an avocado flavored treat.

changed my life forever, it was soooo good.

gosh, forget the cupcakes . . .

we need one of these in new hampshire.

pronto!