Fashionable Fall Finds

The air conditioning blows on my toes even as I post these autumnal accessories. I'm trying a bit too hard to channel the cooler days with all these silly entries chalked full of things to be worn in October or November. But what's so bad about thinking of cable knit and cozy cardigans? Golds and greys? I did it here too I'm afraid. Worse things could happen.

I want to wear sophisticated wraps and gorgeous leather boots and tromp through the leaves (once they start to fall that is).

The colors of caramel and chocolate remind of Starbuck's short-lived salted caramel hot chocolate. So tasty. And don't we all need a grey corduroy jacket? Yes we do!

gold locket

neckwarmer

wrap

boots

bag

jacket

Spaces to Inspire: A Cozy London Home

Hi there. Did you have a nice weekend? Mine included estate sales, coffee with a friend, a fabulous find ( I hope to blog about soon!) a nice long nap and s'mores.

To start the week off on a bright and cheerful note, let's take a peek at the happy home of London artist and designer Catherine Hammerton.

Creating in the this space would be a pleasure indeed....

Have a lovely day friends!

It's Friday. Let's Get A Coffee

Starting such a nice day like Friday with a steamy hot cup o' joe just seems right. And think of all the nice things that go along with coffee - like macaroons...

 and latte art ...

 and berries with cream...

  

 

and chocolate shavings...

  

 

and fresh flowers ...

 

 (photo credits: here, here, here, here, here and here)

and those lovely curls of rising steam...

I also like to pair coffee with:

thrift shopping

friends

NPR

those little tiny pink doughnuts from Starbucks

sitting on the patio

farmer's markets

church

talking on the phone

shopping online

bread pudding

and road trips

(just to name a few).

Let's have some coffee now!

Etsy Love: Fabric Worm

I have a fun little (husband endorsed!) home project. I'm currently on the hunt for some sort of highly attractive-not-to-feminine-fun-cheerful-but-not-over-the-top fabric with which to recover our dining chairs.

It's high time we swap out the fabric as the stripe currently residing on them is not only faded and stained but just plain tired and a bit dated too. So! I've been looking on Etsy for just the right thing. I don't think I've found "the one" yet, but I've found some pretty darn cute fabrics that wouldn't work. Take a look at these adorable prints from yet another charming Etsy shop:  Fabric Worm:

Aren't these roosters a hoot?? I love the greens, pinks and blue color combo.

Check out Sleeping Beauty. And she's snoozing under a bough of  lily of the valley! So sweet....

Pink roses and citron colored dots. What's not to love?

This has such a soft and old fashioned feel. It would make beautiful panels in a guest bedroom...

I dig the chunky, graphic vibe of this print along with the colors. So many fabrics, so few things to recover!

I will keep you posted when we find the right thing. I might just do a before and after shoot.

Happy Thursday to you!

Fern & Flora Wednesday: Think Scarves

Here's my weekly tid bit on what's going on in the Fern & Flora studio: I'm thinkin' scarves girls. I've always loved them and have sort of  inadvertently collected them over the last three years. Now I have a nice stash of lovely vintage pieces and I'm mulling over the idea of cutting them up and turning them into hair clips....

Do I have the guts to chop up these pretty, fluttery bits of fabric that looks so chic in one large swatch? I don't know....

This is my dilemma. Will they look as sensational in petal form nestled in by a low ponytail? Or will they lose are their geometric splendor??

On a side note, don't you think Sophia Loren is an eternally classy dame? Even now at 75, she looks like a million bucks. Probably because she's spent that much to keep herself looking so good. I digress...

I think I'm gonna go for it. If the clips turn out stunningly, I will no doubt be posting pictures quite soon. If however, they just don't work, well then, I shan't speak of it again.

Garden Goodies

Tonight my friend Meg brought me a lovely little brown bag full of gorgeous tomatoes from her garden. Thank you Meg. What a perfect late summer surprise. Now I'm thinking about tomatoes and what yummy things we can make with them. Just look at this beautiful tomato tart from Cannelle et Vanille:

This crust is gluten-free and the crumbly topping contains almonds and parmesean cheese. Mmmmm.

(all photos via cannelle et vanille)

Have you scored some local late summer produce or are you lucky enough to have a friend who has bestowed upon you a little brown bag of home grown goodness? What sort of fruits and veggies are you enjoying right now?

Spaces to Inspire: Thomas O'Brien

Greetings and good Monday to you friends. To get the week started on a homey note, let's take a peek at the cozy, masculine and classic interiors of Thomas O'Brien. Perhaps you've come across his products at Target or seen his work in Domino magazine (sniff) or other publications. I wish I could throw out my love of pink and robin's egg and just go with the grays, caramels and smokey blues employed above. I'm sure I could live happily with them and I know my husband would appreciate a lessening of the girly quotient too...

I like the way he layers pieces and incorporates old and new. It gives his spaces a real and comfortable quality - not too show home-y, you know?

What say you? Could you move in to a space like this? Do you struggle with keeping a balance between masculine and feminine in your home decor? Does your man care? Do tell!

It's Friday! Let's Go Rummage!

(photo)

This is just the sort of sign that would make me hit the brakes as I drive by or pull a wild u-turn. Crap? Where?! And this will be me today as I do my usual Friday morning estate sale run. I am in need of some vintage jewelry as well as other essentials for my biz so it's always justifiable!

Are you prone to stop for a garage sale, estate sale, thrift store or random piece of furniture on the side of the road on your way to some other place entirely and even if you don't really have time? Please tell me I'm not alone. (And have a lovely weekend friends!)

Etsy Love Thursday: Hadley Hutton

Hello friends. How are you today? How has your week gone? This week started simply and has become busy and sort of stressful in ways I didn't expect. I was feeling a little overwhelmed today with life and found myself in need of a break. I think these beautifully soft prints by Hadley Hutton offer some welcome visual therapy. They are peaceful, calm and lovely. Which one lifts your spirits?

Tootin' My Own Horn (just a little)

Without being too annoying or overly gloat-y (is that a word?) I would like to tell you about what a lovely day Fern & Flora had yesterday. It was a mighty good day in fact. Before lunch I had a friendly message from a woman inquiring about a custom headband. "Nice" I thought. After lunch, I checked my email and saw a bevy of sales from my etsy shop! I do declare, there was a frenzy going on! One of the messages mentioned that they saw a headband on the Etsy Finds email and then it all made sense. I was a featured artist and apparently some folks decided they were in the mood to shop! Yippee!

Speaking of yippee, my friend Kayla of Whimsy Lou has recently begun blogging and is currently offering a her first giveaway right here. Hop on over and give her some comment love!

Late Summer Lovlies

Bits and pieces of inspiration for a late summer day...

1. Botanical Bird  2. Target  3. Brianna E   4. Modcloth  5. Jenna Rose  6. Anthropologie 

Oh Give Me A Home... Like This

It's Monday friends. Let's get the day going with a little feminine inspiration, shall we?

Jenny Grumbles of Uptown Country Home has pretty much the cutest darn place ever. This little abode would be the perfect girls-getaway-cottage, sort of a no-boys-allowed-drink-champagne-watch-chick-flicks-kind of place. Who's with me?

Love that cherry blossom painting...

My late uncle was way ahead of the cottage-chic-plate-on-the-walls thing. He taught me how to make my own plate holders from wire back in the 90s. Those pink plates just pop off that black wall so nicely...

Happy Monday! Hope you take a little time to get in touch with your feminine side today.

Think Fall Giveaway Winner!

Our lovely giveaway winner given to me by the true random number generator is....

Congrats Chelsea! I will be in touch shortly!

And many thanks to everyone who entered! I always love reading your comments. Have yourself a lovely weekend and stop on back soon! I've got other tempting giveaways in the works!

xo

Giveaway Ending Soon!

Top 'o the morning friends. It's Friday and what better way to kick off the last work day of the week (for most of us!) than by announcing the lucky winner of the Falling Leaf Necklace Giveaway? I can't think of anything either. But! The giveaway is not over just yet. There are a few more hours remaining before the winner is announced, so hop to it! Enter right here.

For My Friend

A dear old friend of mine from back home is getting married next week. She's a woman I grew up with and have considered a kindred spirit since I was oh, at least 10. Our families would go on hikes and picnics and all sorts of nice outings together. Her parents would throw amazing ( I mean, THE BEST) 4th of July parties year after year. I could go on about those shindigs, but that's for another post.

So anyway, next week she's getting married and my thoughts kept going back to her over and over this summer once I heard she was engaged. I decided to get in touch and see if she would let me make a hair piece for her to wear on her big day. She sent the most lovely reply and after a few email exchanges with links to the photos of her dress and shoes, I was ready to wield my scissors, glue gun and needle nose pliers in her honor!

Thank you for letting me be a little part of your big day Em! You will be the lovliest of brides!