I'll Take One Of These

I came across this little gem while looking at jackets for this season. I really don't need another jacket, but I look anyway. I already have three wool jackets... I think it's three, it may be more...This "Ravishing Ruffle Jacket" from Boden would look lovely with a pair of dark jeans and some ballet flats, don't you think? This gets me even more excited for the change in weather!

The jacket also comes in blue and black:)

Peacock

Ever since I was a little girl, I've been fascinated with Peacock's, at one time in my childhood they were my "favorite animal." Like any child though, that changed with the wind, and I was onto another animal within minutes. What fascinated me, like everyone else, is the colors. So bright and beautiful. I remember going to the game farm in Sequim, Wa, and loving when we would see the Peacocks run passed our huge blue suburban. Those were some of the best days of my childhood. I don't know why I love Peacocks so much, I'm terrified of birds. One of these running at me would probably kill me. But they are stunning, and their color inspiration, and feathers make for beautiful pieces.

Here are a few of my Peacock inspired favorites!

I'm in the Holiday Spirit already, I would love to do something like this for our tree.

If I could do my wedding again, I would pick Peacock. I just love the rich colors. So divine!

Bit of a stretch, but I loved it so much I had to put it in. Anthropologie.

Yes, you might recognize this from a previous post. I can't get enough of it. I'm trying to talk my husband into something like this. I don't think it will work...

I want one of these just to wear. Found here

Not technically a Peacock feather, it's "A bird" but hey, its pretty and matches the color scheme.

Other images found via google.

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Alyssa

My Paris...

I've been waiting to post some photos of Paris for a long time now. I'm sure I've posted some before, but I've never been able to create the image of Paris I had in my head and translate it in Photoshop. Now I can, and it feels so good to have images from Paris that I like. These photos were taken two and a half years ago, and if I could go back and retake all the photos that I took in Europe, I would. Most of the time, I don't know what I was thinking, but these are two I love, and am thinking about printing and mounting for the huge blank wall we have in our living room. So this is the way I see Paris! There will be a full post tomorrow. :)

Au Revoir!

A Little Bit About Moi

Just thought I would put a few random facts about me on here, bear with me. If you can't that's okay too:)

I am- a wife. a daughter. a sister. a photographer. a dreamer. a romantic.

I think- love is the most beautiful thing in the world.

I know- the little things are what really matter.

I want- to love with abandon, Starbucks shaken green tea, to live in Europe again, to learn Italian and French.

I have- so many things I want to do, a wonderful husband, an awesome family, and soul friends.

I wish- I had it all together, my dad and grandparents were still here.

I hate- Bad customer service, making phone calls, running.

I miss- my dad, having that childlike wonder, not having to pay bills.

I feel- most like myself when I am being creative, like being a nomad.

I crave- chips and salsa, always. long conversations with friends, Margaritas from El Rancho, and peanut M&M's.

I search- for inspiration, for ways to be a better person.

I wonder- what my children's laughter will sound like.

I regret- not taking risks, the times I didn't spend with my dad.

I love- Josh, traveling, family, friends, Peonies,Europe, good books, wine, photography, laughing, and art.

I care- about your story, about others feelings, about family.

I always- listen to music, procrastinate, change my outfit at least twice in the morning.

I am not- Quiet, athletic, a football fan (sin of sins)

I believe- in Jesus, everyone should do what they love.

I dance around my house.

I sing- all the time, mostly in the car, sometimes at church.

I laugh- Most when my brother is around.

I cry- over most things - happy or sad, when others cry.

I don't always- rinse out my bowl before I stick it in the sink.

I write- lists, on every piece of paper I see, to keep myself sane.

I lose- my cell phone at least 5 times a day.

I never- take compliments well, like grocery shopping.

I listen- to the quiet, Pandora, 50's music.

I can usually be found- editing photos, blog stalking, with Josh.

I'm scared of- SPIDERS!

I need- Jesus, my family, to feel loved, creativity.

I can't wait- to meet new people, to make art.

Via Country Living

Lovely!

It looks like Kate Walsh is taking some styling tips from Alyssa Lillegard (right...). Kate Walsh showed up on Sunday to the 2009 Emmys in one (my favorite) of the three J. Mendel dresses I blogged about on Saturday. Seeing it on a real person, not just a model makes me fall in love even more, and look at the back. Oh what I would give to have this dress. I have no clue where I would wear it, so I'd just walk around the house in it.

Images [via]

Heading to the City

Josh and I are heading to Portland to day to see what we can see. Josh's parents are coming down, the only reason Josh would ever step foot in a city without a fight is if company is coming. We are headed out to have some delicious food at one of the Diner, Drive Ins and Dives restaurants Josh's mom saw on the show, and then after that, it's a mystery!

I came across these photos today. I think they are just perfect. I've never been a huge fan of Kerri Russel, but these photos are just lovely of her. I want to own everything she is wearing. It reminds me of walking on a crisp cold morning in Paris. I miss that weekend we spent there so much. We are off to our adventures. Have a wonderful Sunday! Do something fun.

This sweater is amazing. I love the frills!

photos via instyle
I love a big scarf, and jacket!

Ciao!

J. Mendel Dresses

Found these J. Mendel dresses while perusing. I just love dresses, and these are just divine. Everything about them is amazing. If only I could afford something like this... Sigh... I hope you are enjoying your weekend!

I can't decide which one I love more. Maybe the middle one?

Divine...

The beautiful sunshine is making me want to ride around town in a Vespa. Have I ever said how much I want one of these? Happy Weekend! Enjoy the last little bits of Summer!

Image [via]

In A Pink Mood

I've seen a few bloggers posting about pink and white rooms lately, and I think I will follow suit and post a couple of my pink favorites.

Like most girls I loved pink growing up. I'm sure alot of what I owned was pink. If you were into Barbie as a child, you were probably into pink. My mom tells me I wasn't obsessive about it, but I had a healthy dose of pepto bismol colored items in my room, and I'm sure in my wardrobe. The pink item that stands out to me the most is a hot pink hat that I owned. It was purchased on one of our trips to Seaside, Oregon while on vacation. We never went on a vacation where my dad couldn't drive. We took many a trip to the same spots in Oregon. Anyway, this hat had a drawing of a carousel horse and had SEASIDE emblazoned on it. It wasn't just hot pink, but it was HOT PINK in only the way the 80's and 90's could do hot pink.

My favorite color, though, was red, and it still remains today. I remember my grandmother buying my cousin, who is a year younger, and me the same pair of "Jasmine" pajamas. No they weren't authentic Jasmine pajamas, just that style. She gave me the pink set, and Billie the Red set. We promptly switched when we took them out of the box, and spent Christmas morning running about playing Aladdin.

And when I grew into my preteen and teen years pink became more of a staple. When we moved into our "new house" I painted (I think) one full wall pastel pink, and the others sponged seafoam green, and pastel purple. I shudder at the color choice now.

College, I stayed away from pink at all cost. It made me feel queezy. College happened to fall during a hard time for me, so pink was something a little too cheery to take. Now I'm back in the land of pink. I'm pretty sure I only own 2 pink shirts. And nothing else that I own is pink, but I wouldn't mind adding a few touches here and there. Josh would never stand for this (hence the "Why would you want a fake pink Christmas tree?" statement he made when I told him I was on a quest this year to find one for my office. I'm also on a quest for a cheap pink velvet couch, but that's another story...

So now that I've told you a few random stories, here are a few favorite picks of pink that I wouldn't mind having!

Love the chairs, a little much for me, but still pretty.

I dont know what man would let his wife do this?

I'm a huge fan of chairs, so these two photos I love!

My Favorite (More my style white with just a touch of pink.

This one I love because its paired with orange. I love the combination of colors.

Have a wonderful Friday!

Bathroom: Before and After

Have I ever said how much I like before and after's? I'm so excited to post my own! I was going to wait til next week, due to the fact that one of the photos in the bathroom has yet to be officially chosen, cropped and placed in the frame. The original plan was to frame a Roman Holiday poster that we purchased on our trip to Rome while we were living in Germany in 2007.

But because the bathroom is so small, and moisture collects so quickly, I need something that won't be totally upsetting if it gets ruined. So with that decision made I was on a quest to find something else to frame.

For the last couple years I have been collecting LIFE magazine's Great Photographer's Issues. I only have 3, so I guess its not much of a collection. I missed out on Jackie O's issue which was out until just recently. But I do have in my possesion, Audrey Hepburn, Frank Sinatra, and Grace Kelly's issue. I knew there had to be something in one of those I wanted on my wall. I hated to cut out a page, but I'm cheap and didn't want to buy something that I knew might get damp.

Josh has the weirdest things that are really important to him, and it was really important to him that the photo that will hang in the bathroom not be black and white (it would go with the rest of the bathroom though). So I picked out the photo below, which is one of my all time favorites of Grace Kelly, one that I have posted on the blog before. I love thi vintage look, with hints of red in the photo, so even if it doesn't totally work, we both agreed upon the photo, and I can't wait to hang it!

Onto the rest of the room. When Josh and I bought this house, every room was (and still is) painted a taupe color. It's not an awful color, just totally not our style. The only room in the house that was a different color was the bathroom. The bathroom was painted a cucumber/mint green that had to go.

Painting walls is not my forte, so I thought painting the small bathroom would be a good start. The bathroom is so small that a bright color is needed, so it doesn't make the room seem even smaller. I'm not a pastel girl, and there was no way Josh was going for a bright color, so that left me with white. Let me tell you, I've always been against having white walls, but I had a goal in mind.

Black, Red and White is a combo that is always in mind. It encompasses just about everything we own, right down to the pot holders in the kitchen. I decided to pain the wood (the moldings, cabinet, and medicine cabinet frame) black, I wasn't feeling the wood color in the bathroom, and by doing that it toned down the red hues in the tile on the floor.

After I painted the room which was Behr's "Fallen Snow" black is Behr's "Black Suede." It was too bright. I'd turn on the light in the morning and be blinded. I added the black shower curtain (the only other purchase besides the paint) to tone down the blinding light.

Everything else in the bathroom has been repurposed from a different room. The frame above the window was repurposed, and the towels were purchased for a newborn session I did a year ago. The vase was a gift, and the candles were purchased during the storm last year. These items may be just temporary, I'm going to dig through our wedding stuff to see if there is anything that I can use for the bathroom. The Metro print in the frame was taken by moi on our trip to Paris and was a last minute attachment to a clients print order.

There are still a few more things that need to be done in the room, but overall, I love it:)

Sorry the quality of the photos aren't great. The room is so small I was practically standing on my head to take these! I hope you enjoy my before and after!

Hopefully there will be more rooms to show off soon! As money and time permits:)

Bathroom Before:

Bathroom After:

La Vie En Rose

La Vie En Rose is one of my favorite songs of all time. It's right up there with Moon River by Andy Williams, and Free Fallin' by Tom Petty. Learning how to sing La Vie En Rose in French is on my list of things to do before I die. I've never been a lullaby person, so when I have children, La Vie En Rose, and Moon River will be the songs I sing to my children (weird huh? that I've already picked something like that out). So imagine the wonder when I came across this letterpress poster while checking a favorite blog of mine Ish and Chi over the weekend. This is definitely a must have for me. I fell in love immediately. I've always wanted to work with paper, and would love to do letterpress, it's a dream of mine. You can check out this poster, and more work at Sycamore Street Press

Hopefully tomorrow I will have a full post! Have a wonderful Wednesday.

In Love

I came across this gem while playing "catch up" on Apartment Therapy. I've been too busy this week to gather inspiration from all my regular places. One of my favorite things about Apartment Therapy is the house tours. I especially love to see before and after's. This house tour has a few before pics of the living room and kitchen areas. This reading room is to die for. I love everything about it. The light airy feeling, and I LOVE the striped walls. It couldn't get any better than it already is. You can see the rest of the house tour here

Jackie O

I can't believe it's been a week since I posted last. This blog was finally getting updated on a regular basis, and then over the 3 day weekend (which turned into a 4 day weekend for Josh and me) the blog got totally neglected. Josh and I spent a much needed day together in Olympia just wandering around. We spend so much time running from place to place, we rarely just go do something together. Wednesday I had a session back in Monte, so I packed up my gear and made the trip again. Since then I've been editing like a mad woman and cleaning house a little in between. Hopefully next week the blog will be back to normal!

In honor of this month's VF issue I've decided to post a few photos about Jackie Kennedy (later Jackie Onassis). The article has a few photos, but the cover is definitely the best shot of the group.

Let me start of by saying that I love Jackie Kennedy. She's always been on my list of people who I would loved to have met. You have one too, I'm sure. When I think style icon she's right up there with Audrey Hepburn, and Grace Kelly. All three women are classic style inspiration.

Have a fabulous Weekend!

This Would Look Good In My Bathroom...

I would love to have it anywhere in my house:) You can find it here at MadeByGirl. I'm looking forward to a couple drinks, and some girl talk this weekend, with a sweet friend I haven't seen in months! Have a wonderful long weekend!

Feeling French

Oh to have one of these... It would be like a dream. I've always been fascinated by lingerie. Not the vamped up lingerie that we have been seeing at Victorias Secret for the past few years. The kind that doesn't make anyone but Alessandra Ambrosio, and Adriana Lima look good. I have been pleased to see the company gearing their lingerie more toward the French side of things. Sweet and beautiful, airy, and delicate. I can't get enough of it. I'm doing my first boudoir session next week, and I would love to see something like this. Everyone has a different style. This style I LOVE! You can read about Victorias Secret's new branding here. And check out this beauty from Anthropologie. I just want to be in Paris, sitting on my apartment balcony sipping tea, and reading the paper:)

And a new look from VS