optimism: a cautionary tale

almost lost

our computer crashed a couple of weeks ago.  this may not seem at all momentous, but in the years since our dear (and supremely generous) friends carlee and bryan gave it to us, our little imac has accumulated years of music, joel's poetry, and of course all of eliot and ezra's baby pictures. i heard about a study just last week that seemed to prove that optimistic people tend to have shorter life spans because they live as if nothing will go drastically wrong, and therefore take greater risks.  sky diving? sounds fun! smoking? i probably won't get cancer! back up my computer? why bother? (yes, they used the computer thing as an example). apparently one doesn't need a sunny disposition in order to be an optimist because joel and i have never backed up our computer.  

found

you may have guessed that there is a happy ending to this story.  we took our precious memories -entombed as they were in our stylish though non-functioning mac - down to old town computers and a lovely little hipster-geek performed a miracle on our motherboard.  i suppose the moral of the story is to take special care of that which you hold close to your heart (even if it means backing up your hard drive) and perhaps you'd be better off if that glass in your hand wasn't half-full.  with love and caution: j

sweet stationery for a sick day



download here


how sweet is this stationery?  poor baby ezra has been down with an incredibly nasty little cold for over a week now, which means that i've had a rather snotty, coughing barnacle 24 hours a day.  no surprise that joel and i woke up this morning feeling lousy.  my day was brigtened considerably though, when i discovered this free download by tocotoco mag on creature comforts. i love the woodland creatures in spring colors - it's just perfect for a quite day at home, nursing colds and practicing letters with eliot.
love: j

kiss me, i'm irish

yes, please!

with st. patrick's day right around the corner, i thought i'd share some pics from this gorgeous, modern irish wedding i came across on style me pretty.  it's no a secret that i'm a big fan of st. patrick's day - who doesn't want an excuse to indulge in heaps of shepherd's pie and tall pints of guinness?  it's been a life-long dream of mine to one day visit the emerald isle, land of the ancestors who gave me such a large helping of pale, freckled skin.  i'll get there someday, until then i'll make do with a little mr. heaney in front of the fire. 



the seaside setting really couldn't be prettier. i love the mix of rustic woods, simple greens and small doses of metalic. and the cake is such a cool intrepretaion of the four-leaf clover. click here for more of larissa cleveland's photos of the beautiful handfasting ceremony.

 

  

here's to the beauty of the irish. sláinte! love: j






a studio study

a lovely san francisco studio via apartment therapy

our dear sister crystal is taking a big step this weekend - moving into her very own fantastic studio apartment. i'm so proud of her! she is going to grad school and working hard, so she needs a cozy space to decompress at the end of the day.  of course, it should also be a little funky and fabulous like she is!  for this inspiration post, i'm thinking bohemian chic on a student-friendly budget. the lovely studio pictured above has, i think, all of the right elements. check out the full house tour here.

a cozy bed with a dash of color to anchor the room

she's been living with roommates for years now, so crystal has managed to pare down her possessions to the basics.  now she can begin to build her own space by mixing vintage and new, and incorporating tokens of her affection for music, fashion, books and art.

via sfgirlbybay

i love the idea of using all your available wall space - especially when you have limited room.  the bathroom is a great place to personalize with mementos like postcards and pictures as in the photo below.  displaying collections of jewelry or perfume (crystal has a great collection of both) is a great way to show-off great finds while defeating limited closet space.

cool and personalized bathroom (RIP domino mag)

space saving solutions don't have to be boring - a cool table brightens the kitchen nook, while an eclectic mix of vintage chairs add extra seating for entertaining.  

more small space table solutions here

i can't wait to help my little sis get all set-up in her new space!  love, j