I admire children who will wear their Halloween costumes in August.  I do the same thing, albeit in a slightly more subtle way.  At least I hope it is more subtle.  When I have a tough day or a challenging day ahead, inevitably I gravitate toward a cuff bracelet.  I think it is the similarity to a gauntlet – or more simply, to Wonder Woman’s unbeatable gold cuff bracelets.  There is something about wearing a cuff bracelet that makes me feel like I can deflect any hit that the day …

I already had so many reasons for loving Chicago.  It is such a beautiful, friendly, and exciting city.  But my love affair was pushed over the edge after I discovered Daily Sip Studios.  It is no secret that I appreciate and celebrate stationery (junkie?).  And, taking it a step further, that I become weak-kneed around letterpress stationery.  Learning that Chicago was home to Daily Sip Studios which produces gorgeous letterpress and other stationery was almost too much for me.  I nearly packed my bags and started to relocate.  But then …

Honestly, my bicycle is such a flirt! Whenever I ride around town on my bike, I always receive kind compliments about her. She’s a looker, that’s for certain. Since it would be a shame to deprive the rest of the world of her presence, I’ve been riding about town, as the weather allows.
Last weekend I rode my bike to the farmers’ market – called the Mercato – in Little Italy close to downtown San Diego. The day was gorgeous which made for a perfect day to …

I went on a little photo adventure with a friend a few months ago.  I had two old cameras that I had been interested in using.  One is a Kodak Brownie the other is a Kodak Duaflex.  Both require a size of film that is no longer made.  Fortunately, the internet came to the rescue and I learned that there is an equivalent size film but the spools that the film comes on need to be switched out.  Intrigued, I ordered a kit with the old-size spools.  Fast forward to …

Opening packages is fun – especially when you don’t know what is inside.  Usually when I’ve ordered something on-line, I know what will be arriving.  However, last week, I ordered a blind item!  RedStamp.com a stationery service based in Minneapolis will periodically offer ‘Mystery Boxes’ of cards and stationery.  As a person who has loved Nancy Drew since childhood, I was drawn in by the title.  My love of stationery is no secret, therefore all should be shocked to learn I ordered only one Mystery Box.  It was fun to …

I have an odd obsession with terrazzo.  I think it is such a beautiful building material.  I have a small(ish) and growing collection of terrazzo photos. I have the National Terrazzo and Mosaic Association, Inc. website bookmarked.  Don’t judge.  I’d like to eventually have some terrazzo installed at my house.  I love the thought of a white-on-white poured and polished floor.  But, the truth is, any time I see terrazzo floors I fall in with the color I see at the time.  Perfidious?  I don’t think so – I always …

Recent adventures reunited me with one of my loves: train cases. I adore these tiny trunks. I love that when packing, universally one reserves the best of the best and the most essential of essentials for one’s train case. That is just how it is. I won’t belabor the realities of air travel today and how the inconveniences and limitations have negatively impacted the use of train cases. We all know that air travel is one of the top 10 most demeaning experiences a person …

On a whim, I stopped in Progress Boutique in South Park, San Diego. To be honest, I was on my way to Velo Cult to pick up my new Linus Bike, which had been outfitted with a snazzy front rack. I saw a sidewalk sign for Progress and was intrigued.
Located in what looks like a refurbished warehouse now divided into multiple retail spaces, Progress is a great find! This boutique carries home goods, children’s toys, decorative pieces, select furniture, accessories, and delightful treasures. The space contains …

For the month of October, I decided to create a challenge for myself. I decided I wanted to write a letter a day. A real, pen-to-stationery, stamp-on-an-envelope kind of letter-a-day challenge. I quickly realized that I need to crawl before I can run, and frankly, there will be some walking in between the crawling and running stages. Translation: I modified the challenge to a card-a-day.
How did it go? Very well, thank you for asking. Did I write a card every single day. It turns out, no? But, I did write …

Of late, I’ve been very tempted to paint my ceiling.  I’ve targeted the ceiling in my hallway and have visions of an orange, plum, or a pink ceiling.  Most rooms in my home have colored walls and white ceilings.  I’d like to do something more surprising in the hall.  I’ve seen this technique used successfully in other places.  But I wonder if I can successfully execute something on my own, scaled down to the size of my house (tiny!).
I like the use of a colored ceiling in the restaurant Celedon …