As I said in my Things to Accomplish/Bucket List, I’d love to own an English cottage–style house someday. When I think of lovely cottages, this home from the 1992 film adaptation of Howard’s End comes to mind. It’s the quintessential cottage (although maybe a tad large to be a true cottage) in look and character. Something with less square footage would be nice but a cottage needs a cozy fireplace and winding trees and greenery climbing the exterior.
I’ve had a bucket list since I was 16, only I usually refer to it as a Things to Accomplish list, which is certainly cheerier. Over the years, my list has evolved. I’ve marked through things I’ve done, deleted ones that are no longer priorities, and added new items. So, I thought I’d share a portion of my list as it stands now.
1. See the Great Wall of China.
2. See the Egyptian Pyramids. (November 2009)
3. Live in London.
4. Write a book…
5. …and have it published.
6. Read a 1,000-plus page book.
7. Learn to sew well.
8. Go to New York City. (November 2006)
9. Visit the Musée d’Orsay. (July 2002)
10. Pass the R.D. exam. (October 2005)
11. Visit a concentration camp.
12. Float in the Dead Sea.
13. See Jane Austen’s house in Chawton, England. (July 2002)
14. Attend a symphony. (2005 in San Francisco)
15. See Fiona Shaw perform in the theater.
Nicholas Le Provost and Harriet Walter in Much Ado About Nothing, 2002. Image courtesy of TheaterPro.com
16. See Harriet Walter perform in the theater. (July 2002 in London. She played Beatrice [my favorite Shakespearean character] in Much Ado About Nothing [my favorite Shakespearean comedy].)
17. See Kate Mulgrew perform in the theater. (June 2005 in San Francisco. She played Katharine Hepburn [one of my favorites!] in the one-woman show, Tea at Five.)
18. See Cherry Jones perform in the theater. (October 2010 in New York City. She played Kitty Warren in Mrs. Warren’s Profession.)
19. Skydive. (Summer 1999)
20. Go on safari in Kenya.
21. Go to Turkey. Visit Istanbul and Cappadocia.
22. Go to Peru and see Machu Picchu.
23. See a space shuttle launch.
24. Work as an illustrator.
25. Own an English cottage–style house.
26. Visit all seven continents.
27. Visit all 50 states.
28. See the salt fields of Bolivia.
Image of the salt fields courtesy of The New York Times
29. Study Spanish and gain some level of fluency.
30. Become fluent in French (or any language).
I simply love this font! As a devoted Jane Austen fan, how could I not?
And check out the numbers:
The best part is you can download it for free right here. Enjoy!
I’ve looked at the latest issue of Rue from cover to cover. There are lots of great things inside these virtual pages. Here’s what I liked most:
1. There’s a lot of content—297 pages worth.
2. There’s variety. Some of the features appealed to my aesthetic, others didn’t, but all of them were visually interesting.
3. My favorite article was the piece on lingerie designer Jessie Zinke of Zinke Design. I love her home! And I thought the opening spread of this feature was the best of the issue.
4. The images of designer Katie Ermilio and her home by photographer Jamie Beck are simply stunning.
5. I also enjoyed the images of Brooke White and Summer Bellessa a.k.a. The Girls with Glasses by Feather Love. The image quality and styling was really interesting and fun.
I enjoyed this issue and will definitely be back to see the third!
I love hopping on a plane to go to far off places and experience new cultures, but I also love traveling here in the U.S. Here’s my current top-five list of must-visit domestic locations.
1. Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire (We’re planning to go here on our honeymoon!)
2. Seattle
3. Austin (A friend is getting married on a ranch outside the city, so we’ll be heading here in June.)
4. Raleigh, Durham, and Wilmington, North Carolina
5. Tuscon and Scottsdale, Arizona
Top five places in the U.S. I’d like to visit again:
1. San Francisco (I always want to go here.)
2. New York City (Here too. Anytime.)
3. Washington, D.C.
4. Chicago
5. Boston
What are yours? Is there a city in the U.S. you’ve been dying to see?
Image courtesy of here.
A new online lifestyle publication is hitting the virtual newstands in January: Matchbook: Field Guide to a Charmed Life.
It comes to us courtesy of a trio of charming and talented ladies—Katie Armour of The Neo-Traditionalist as editorial director, Jane Lilly Warren of Lox Papers as creative director, and Fallon Hogerty of A Lovely Being as associate editor. I read and enjoy all three of these blogs. Each of these ladies has an interesting aesthetic, voice, and editorial eye, and I’m excited to see the results of their collaboration on these pages.
I’m ridiculously excited about seeing Burlesque, which is due out on November 24. Cher! Does it get any better? Yep, it pretty much does when there’s dancing, singing, and Stanley Tucci involved. And Christina Aguilera is one pretty talented lady, so I can’t wait to see what she does in this movie.
If you haven’t already, check out the trailer:
I’ve been anxiously waiting for my copy of Anthology to arrive in my mailbox, and today was the day.
The magazine itself is a piece of art. The cover by Kris Atomic is insanely beautiful, colorful, and happy. (I already described how enamored I am with it here.) I want to frame it and hang it in my home. I love the refreshing and fun design, and the paper is a sturdy, thick paper stock that feels quite luxurious by typical magazine standards. The theme is the slow life—taking it easy and enjoying the simple pleasures in life—which is something we could all benefit from.
I really enjoyed the variety of the homes and people featured, and the fact that they covered cities across the U.S., not just on each coast—loved seeing Monroe, Louisiana make an appearance.
Some of my favorites from this issue:
• The graphic features and behind-the-scenes info in Making the Magazine.
• The layout, design, and information of Anatomy of a Lovely Bike
• The Southern Comfort feature and house tour. I love the artwork by Meredith Pardue (shown below).
I’m already looking forward to the next issue due out in January.
Clearly I’m a couple months late on this one, but I just discovered the Toronto-based online magazine Covet Garden (which premiered in September). Refreshingly, the images and interiors are not styled by photo stylists or decorated by interior designers; they’re the homes of real people. Each issue is small in size—the first three issues ranged in length from 18 to 23 pages—and is devoted exclusively to one person, couple, or family.
The editorial team introduces us to some of Toronto’s most interesting people and gives us a glimpse into their homes and lives. Each issue also includes a Q&A with the homeowners, a craft project or recipe, quirky other tidbits of information (see Sock It To Ya! with the sock illustration below—love it), and an inspiration section about how to get their look in your own home. They’ve included embedded where-to-buy links, which are always handy.
The photography is stunning and the layout is clean, simple, and uncluttered. I love illustrated covers, and this magazine has offered that on two if its covers so far—the premiere issue is my favorite—as well as the interiors. In a market that seems to be saturated with online homes magazines (and new ones popping up all the time), this one provides a unique and intriguing perspective. I’m looking forward to seeing what this mini-magazine has to offer in the future.
All images courtesy of Covet Garden.
Like so many others, I love Domino and miss seeing it on newsstands every month or two. Go on any design blog or check out any design blogger’s home tour, and you’re bound to see old issues of the magazine sitting around and the Domino book situated front and center somewhere in one of the pictures, usually on a coffee table nestled among a tray or stacked on top of other design-related books with a paperweight or some other sculptural element sitting on top. My copy is sitting on a bookshelf with my other design and art books. It seems you can’t be a design blogger without one.
So with that in mind, I drew this, my first Ode to Domino based on the colors of the book. It’s sort of a synopsis of all the homes I’ve seen that have this book prominently on display. There are many other variations that I’m sure I’ll draw someday, but this is the first.
(Note: The colors are coming in really funky on my screen, but I assure you the seafoam green and pink used in the drawing match the cover of the book.)
Blue Print 