Weekly Devotional: 2.28.13

While my post Monday may have been a little light, this has been a great week on the internet.  I'm not sure I can even share everything that has delighted me via blog readers, frequented sites and social media streams.  But let's be grateful for what I can remember to pass along:

I could move to Madrid, especially if I was going to live here:

If you don't get House Beautiful, you need to check out Ruthie Sommers' project here.  Kooky, preppy, traditional in Chicago.

Sometimes you just want a short, sweet round-up of stuff.  Just something to think about between conference calls.  And Peppermint Bliss delivered that here.

via

I finally tracked down the designer behind the oft pinned

via

Emily McDowells.  Turns out, I've re-pinned a lot of her stuff.  So maybe I should buy some from her shop

(Side note--I stare at a 10x10 wall in my office...what if it was a mad assemblage of framed quote prints?  Like balls to the wall, all type and a combo of witticisms, snarky remarks, and nice quotes?  You know, some of the above with a few "Carpe that Fucking Diem" and "Luck Favors the Prepared"?)

Some of you may have noticed from my pinterest boards that I'm a little obsessed with paper, paper craft...paper art....Well, Audrey made this beauty, using the printables from minieco

I think it has nursery mobile potential (especially as I'm taking a few steps back from my over the top British men's club design I've been mulling over and heading back to my comfort zone of half modern half trad/vintage).  And Emily Henderson had a paper roundup here, which included this crazy mobile.

The tie-off leaves something to be desired, but if I had super high ceilings this would probably find a place in my home.

So what's up with the new book from B.J. Novak (you know, that guy from The Office)?

Anybody reading it?  Since he referenced wanting to be like David Sedaris in this interview, I've been thinking I should pick it up (since David Sedaris's latest collection of essays is the last book I read finished since Grace Coddington's memoir came out...what is that, one every two years?).

Speaking of printed matter, I bought the new Porter magazine.

I figured I loved Net-a-Porter's online publication, so why not buy this crazily expensive magazine (OK, its $10 but still...).  I started flipping through last night, and just wasn't getting it.  Not loving the layout...sort of appreciating the not-19 models...but then I got to their features and I started to come around.  Lovely clothes on random, insanely successful women.   Like Angela Ahrendts, who was Burbery's CEO and recently moved to Apple (side trivia--she is from Indiana, one of 6 kids and went to Ball State).  So I will give it a more thorough read, and probably buy the next issue.  Really, the only downside to having bought this magazine is that Charlotte is a little obsessed with Giselle Bundchen....although I may have subtly killed that dream this morning by emphasizing how very tall she is.

While I read Young House Love, like hundreds of thousands of others, I usually find their house crashes just OK.  It is not about envelope pushing design, and there are nice houses, but there are nice houses in Better Homes and Gardens.  This was my favorite house crash to date, and I plan on checking back with the owner, the author of swoonworthy.  Pleasant to see a cheerful budget reno.

And I tracked down that awesome pop-art pillow in the bedroom here.

(Hard to tell quality from the pic, no?  Can't decide.....good thing I don't have sofa fabric yet or that would be problematic).

You know, I'm generally not a fan of Jimmy Fallon.  Sorry, I have to keep it real here...I don't like dogs, almost never remember to wash my sheets each week, and I've just never really gotten the appeal of J. Fallon.  BUT--I saw two videos from his Tonight Show that I enjoyed.  Albeit, the second (which I think has gotten a lot of play) was good mostly b/c Paul Rudd was awesome (and for those of you who knew me in 9th grade, you can verify that I totally called that Paul Rudd had staying power beyond Clueless...although, my predictions for the rest of the cast were less accurate).

Brian Williams's Rappers Delight

And Paul Rudd Lipsyncing contest

Really, you just need to fast forward to Paul Rudd's second number.  No, not as edgy as my past comedy links for y'all but I enjoyed it.

Is there anything shocking about this picture?

Nope  (well, their European air/heat unit on the wall and they are better looking than average).  Pretty believable scene.  But apparently, stock photos--where ads get a lot of their images--has pretty dated pictures of women and is lacking in pictures showing men involved in raising kids.  This article on Cup of Jo (which links to some further articles) clued me in to the issue, and that Sheryl Sandberg's organization is working with Getty Images to update their stock photos to include pics of girls working on computers, women leading meetings and men as caregivers.

And finally, let's all give a round of applause for Little Green Notebook coming back online and giving us the tidbits that a book is in the works and that she totally steam cleans dirty thrifted chairs, rips their skirts off, and uses them (while subtly inspiring jealousy at being able to thrift chairs upholstered in lemon yellow Scalamandre stried velvet--am I right?  how many hours of thrifting does it take to yield that?).

 I would have never thought I could get those scuff marks off and tried to re-upholster...evidently, I just need to pick up my not-used-enough copy of this more often.  Oh, Martha.

Happy weekend!