great quote

"One of the things that Americans do very well

is working with bright primary colors. 

Think Ralph, J.Crew, Gap. 

I guess we are a bold people"

-The Satorialist

twelve days of fitness

Just in time for the holidays, Gold Gym has posted an article that has twelve great workout ideas to rev up your fitness this season.  My favorites include:

     - Clock a 5K. Time how fast you can run 3.1 miles
     - Do 100 push-ups. Break them up throughout the day
     - Climb the Empire State Building: get on a stair stepper and climb 102 floors

For the complete list: http://www.goldsgym.com/healthy/newsletter/2009-12/12-days-of-fitness.php

A must read

I am currently reading The Philosophy of Sustainable Design by Jason McLennan, and it is the most captivating book that I have read in a long time.  I really highly suggest reading it; here is a good quote from the book that basically sums up its premise:

My past has taught me two important lessons;
that we have an amazing capacity to damage
the habitat of all living things while building our own,

but we also have an ability to heal it through good design.

also makes a great gift for the environmentalist in your life

Beautiful

The owner of this gorgeous bed, Elise Vaughn, states "personally, I thrive when I am surrounded by bright colors and vintage treasures."  Ahh...I love that!!

via design*sponge

Discovering your Signature Look (part 1)

I was listening to Christian Siriano on NPR last week, and he talked about creating a signature look and I love this because everyone has certain looks that they are drawn to.  For example, I bet if you inventory the pieces that you wear again and again you will find that certain colors, styles, and fits are repeated many times.  The following are examples of shoes (apparently suede flats!!) that I am drawn to and that would seamlessly fit into my wardrobe.  What style shoes help complete your signature look?

black suede ballet flats, j. crew

golden discs oxfords, anthropologie

ruby & bloom gracious flat, nordstrom

LOVE this look, anthropologie

back from my blogging sabbatical!!

In the interim, I have been working on getting my ducks in order.

Mama duck, getting her ducks in order

happy friday

Have a lovely holiday weekend!

image via apartment therapy

plum cobbler

ps  If you are looking for a wonderful and simple end of summer dessert to make this weekend, check out this cobbler recipe.  I substituted plums (about 4-5) for the cherries, but any stone fruit that looks good would work.  It was gone before I could take a picture of the center!