Gooooood MMMMORNING (!) This post is not about The Bachelor, nor is it another Gone With The Wind-esque run-down of what’s popping over at Casa Covet Living. Lately, I’ve been looking at an AutoCAD / Cabinet Vision screen and reading plumbing fixture & wood flooring reviews with a fervor that I think may’ve begun to make my eyes start crossing inward. And sidebar – lemme tell you – I honest-to-goodness LOVE doing all of those things, and feel REALLY grateful to be doing them for a living (which is still such a funny and amazing concept to me), but it’s also been a minute since I free-balled it and did my absolute favorite thing… and that, my friends, is fiddling the morning away on Pinterest – while the coffee maker gurgles in the background and bacon cooks and Gus lays at my feet. Which is what is happening right now (except the bacon is pappardelle), and it’s heaven I tell ya. And it’s good for my soul – in the same way planting potted herbs and using my power sander and riding a beach cruiser and smelling saltwater and painting and spending the day at a flea market is. So you can tee up my favorite Sunday morning mix if you wanna…
…and then, hey. Feel free to fiddle faddle with me – here are the things that make me REAL happy, and the things currently tickling my proverbial pickle these days:
Is it Spring yet?
This Easter-egg-amazing crochet ditty from Kiini…
Love me some Aloha.
PS: Get 20% off sitewide today with the code SPRINGDREAMIN.
This situation, which is a sultry version of my every-day wardrobe.
This stunner, which – at this point if I ever wanna get married – I would probably wear. On a warm saunty beach. With a taco stand as a caterer.
…or this:
Speaking of marriage and tacos, have you seen this? Truer words have really never been spoken.
I love this Gigi Stoll photograph so much it hurts.
Could I please get two claps for my big man GusGus for President? I’ve never seen him not chase and/or have an absolute melt down when faced with a cat. My friend Kristine graciously took (amazing) care of him while I was in Hawaii, and sent me this one day. I was all kinds of jaw-on-floor for at least an hour.
This striped blue fabric makes me weak at the knees in an English country house / It’s Complicated sort of way…
And while we’re in a blue period, so does this custom ottoman from Brooke Wagner Design. She’s a designer out of Newport Beach, and I lovelovelove her work.
That goes for these perfect blue and white pots from Bixby & Ball I saw last week at the John Robshaw event (remember when I diddled in my drawers when he kissed me on the cheek? Then patted him on the arm LIKE AN A$$ HOLE and said, “Good job buddy. Keep it up!” Cuz I do.)
Last blue and white thing: I need this.
Today, I’m delighted to be hibernating and working on my own business and I haven’t thought too much about it as of late… maybe I should, ‘fore my ovaries look like something from the Walking Dead… but someday, maybe this’ll be nice to have again.
The perfect weekend outfit..
I wanna make luscious drapery panels out of this Zak + Fox “Sauvage in Raffia” situation REAL BAD.
This goofy outtake is the only pic I have of it, but how gorgeous is the fresh jade lei Hope’s mama made?? PS have you guys ever smelled pua keni keni?? It’s this little flower that grows on a bush, and it is the most delicious thing these nostrils have ever encountered. If somebody makes a pua keni keni candle, I’m buying stock.
Um. Schumacher took one of their most gorgeous wallpaper patterns (Feather Bloom) and came out with a buncha new color ways, including Fuschia. Could you die?
My homegirl Priscilla Presley aka Adrienne showed me this last week and I basically did.
I dig this bathroom – in all its rustic + unpolished brass glory.
I saw these at Country Floors last week. They’re brand new and they SO PRETTY IN PERSON.
This tile is not new but it’s also not ugly, AT all.
This makes me so happy.
So does this oyster chandelier from Lowcountry Originals, which I fawn over every time I see it at market. I’ll take one for my beach house. Thanks.
Where was this number when I was packing for Hawaii? Remind me to blog about that untouched fairy wonderland soon. Or you can just scroll my insta feed from 2 weeks ago and you’ll get the idea.
Speaking of suits, this Samudra situation is the best one-piece I’ve ever seen, and the colors are beautiful in person. I have Easter Egg fever – can you tell?
As things that aren’t ugly go, there’s also this:
PS: I’m eating leftover Lupi for breakfast right now, and it is nothing short of amazing. #pms
Sigh. Nostalgia. This looks like the field behind my house as a kid.
Since I am currently on the custom cabinetry side of design, I notice gorgeous details – like the molding on these doors – more than I used to:
Love how these folks used a repurposed shop counter as a kitchen island:
Love an unexpected color-combo – like neon + beige. Maybe I’d cut the sleeves off this guy though – or make it cap sleeved but backless. Cuz, you know, I’m not a pilgrim. As is evidenced by my affinity in recent years for crop tops, which I know my parents love.
I’d like to have that. For breakfast. #pms
Walker Zanger wonder.
Exhale.
This Bolivian blanket is gorgeous. These aren’t cheap, but man they’re stunnahs, and you can use them in oodles of noodles of ways… as a rug, thrown over a headboard… as upholstery for your dining chairs… or at the foot of the bed – à la Karrie’s guest room.
Um. I saw this and then read it 7x, because it is as true a phenomenon as I’ve ever seen when it comes to SO MANY of my close friends’ relationships I know about, and my own relationship from a few years ago. I don’t know if it’s a Peter Pan situation or what… but maybe not, because it applies in some of my 50-something friends’ relationships too. And loving someone like that is so, so ****ing rare that it is truly the saddest thing in the world to let go of when the other person can’t get it together… but whoever wrote that is right – about the you must leave part & all.
This chunky, nubby Boho coverlet. Please get in my beach house.
I am so about to paint my bathroom this dreamy, salmon-y dreamsicle color. Don’t tell my landlord.
My favorite print from Spoonflower. Looks like Eskayel, but sans the price tag. I just ordered this sample and it’s even more gorgeous in person.
Love these antique pendants from Ann Morris, cuz seeing the SAAAAAAME usual suspects of lighting gets real snoozy real fast.
And this Scottish lantern. It’s a cool $5k, but hey. Great for inspo. (*COUGH* – you can also have things like this custom-made, which is not inexpensive but not as $$ as you’d think)
Speaking of knocking things off… y’all know from this post that Sally King Benedict (former fellow Charleston-ite) is my favorite artist, ever. And then she shared the Dream Beach House thing I put together on her Insta and I nearly shat myself.
ANYHOW, the ditty below which popped up in her Insta-feed recently is one of the most gorgeous paintings of hers I’ve ever seen… but she’s become SO POPULAR in recent years and her pieces are now so valuable that there’s no way in hockey sticks I’ll be able to afford one – at least not for the foreseeable future. And so my right hand woman Karrie is painting me something similar. I accidentally saw it hiding in the guest room when I was there last weekend and it was already so beautiful I almost died. I cannot wait till it’s done.
Love this dreamy exterior. We’re using it as inspo on my Modern Farmhouse project in Ohio.
This is goofy and I love it.
On a more covered up note, this I love so much it hurts. It speaks to my I would’ve also loved being born in the 1940’s sensibilities.
This pillow slays me. I don’t know what’s so different about it than alllll the batik and mud cloth situations I’ve seen 9 trillion times, but something is. I think I might buy it for myself for my birthday, like the slut that I am. Nothing haunts you like the things you love and didn’t buy… or so they say.
Preach sistah.
Je love. And je don’t know why je love things like that and then je wear sweatpants in real life, but c’est la vie.
Anyway – it’s Sunday before 7am so imma go hike with Gus then take my pasta-from-last-night-filled buddha to the beach, then watch the Oscars. Which makes me feel like this.
Sees yous latas!
Love your things-that-bring-a-smile posts. What is it about any shade of blue that reminds me of summer cottages, sunshine and waves? And totes looking forward to the Oscar fashion review. “…there’s the love that will be ready.” This is exactly what I wish for all but especially for you. Keep the faith!
S&K:
I adore your blog. I mean…check it every single day, multiple times a day, adore. It’s smart, fun & well-written. I love your friendship, your encouragement of each other, the way you follow your passions, the bach recaps (guilty pleasure that you make seem less guilty) & your overall honesty. I’m sitting @ my desk @ my 9-5 with tears streaming down my face bc this specific Sunday blog was exactly what I needed to read today. The b&w photo of the couple & Steph’s caption “Today, I’m delighted to be hibernating and working on my own business…but someday, maybe this’ll be nice to have again.” My eyes welled up. I feel ya girl. & then the quote about how “someone can be madly in love”…& ending with “Life is tough…” all the while mixing in beautiful, colorful, live your life images? You ladies have inspired my life in so many ways. I look forward to every new post you publish.
I was feeling so incredibly lonely today. On this path of following my passion, my dreams, my desire & my longing for a man & a family to call my own. Thank you for making today feel a little less lonely. A little less dreary. & a helluva a lot more I got this.
now that I’ve been sufficiently sappy & rambled more than I probably should, have an excellent week & thanks for all you share.
xo, cef