Andrew said that I can only have five new years resolutions this year- and that they have to be realistic good ones, not far fetched, dreamy ones like winning the lottery, moving to an island and buying 10 more puppies. Drat.
It's been a pretty big year for me- my business took off unexpectedly, I was published and this little blog has more than a handful of readers, which still amazes me. There is much to improve on though!
1) Get organized and SIMPLIFY. Starting with my office and moving through the rest of my life- finances, purses, calendar, etc. Get rid of things I don't use and streamline our house so it's more efficient. I think life would be easier if things were more in order and there was less "stuff" around! I think Real Simple will be my 2009 bible.
2) Worry less about everything- what others think, expectations, money, my "life plan", the world, my health, my sanity! Be more present on a daily basis and reap the rewards of focusing on the now and not the later.
3) Commit to my new found yoga practice twice a week. And eventually hold this pose (scorpion) by myself (I can do it with assistance from my teacher, but I fear he's doing all the heavy lifting!)
4) Write more. I really love writing, and I've been doing much less of it since business got busier. I need to take an hour or two a week to work on writing, for myself or freelancing for publications.
5) Work as hard as I possibly can on making my business and this blog the best it can be!
** 6) I just remembered this and had to add it. I want to learn French and FINALLY go to Paris (and perhaps learn the secret to dressing this chic naturally).

What are your resolutions???

Some really interesting items from Bobo Intriguing Objects...

Amazingly stylish planters (the one with the lion doorknocker and feet? Genius!)

Vintage wine bottle pendant lights

Rivet mirror

Fantastic vintage wood table

Zinc top dining table

Simple, sleek linen sofa

French bakers cabinet

I am feeling so inspired by the images I found on the Thibaut wallpaper site. Bright, cheery and oh-so-chic!


(The above left paper so reminds of me Anne at Annechovie's work!)

I hope all of you had lovely holidays! I was here and there, busy traveling and seeing family. Some gift-giving highlights from my holiday:
I got crafty this year and refinished a desk chair for my mom's office. She'd been eying the Bungalow 5 bamboo one in black and so I took the bamboo chair I got at Brimfield this year and painted it glossy black and had it re-upholstered in a great stripe fabric I found at Zimman's! It came out PERFECT!

(before and after)
For my Dad I took I few of the really old family photos we found at my grandmother's house and had them matted and framed. We are going to create a photo wall going up their front stairs using these as a starting point. They are such spectacular pictures that are so rare for a family to have!

And speaking of craftiness and great photography, my brother Sean set up these great shots of each of us based on pictures of us already taken or using parts of our lives as inspiration. I almost DIED when I saw mine- a Lego people replica of my famous wedding shot!!! How fantastic is it?
(Side note: He just had a book published of his photos of toys taken with his SX-70 Polaroid camera here- he also is the founder of SavePolaroid.com)

The others of the family are fantastic as well:
My parents in front of their house with a big ol' pile of mulch (a running family joke- my dad seems to ALWAYS be mulching somewhere...)

My brother and his fiancee in the Turks and Caicos (where they are getting married in the spring!)

And my youngest brother Connor in Boston with his new Mini Cooper (which was hit by another car over the holiday- sadness).

Sean will do photos like these on comission so be sure to contact him through his site for pricing. Such a great gift!

Oh, and if you feel so inclined, Apartment Therapy is taking nominations for "The Homies" awards for best design blog... hint, hint. :)

I have boat loads of work to do to catch up, but sure am glad to be back!

One last post before I really sign off for the vacation... this card from my favorite site someecards just cracked me up because if my finances were in order, you better believe Baxter's gifts would be three times as much as anyone else's.
(Gotta love the Red Sox "B" on the scarf too)

So last night I was bored and played on Polyvore for like two hours. It's seriously my new favorite thing in the world- kind of like my version of a video game. Anyways, I put together two outfits that absolutely have nothing to do with each other but here they are regardless!

Someone requested a Christmas day outfit and so here is a lovely one in black and white. I had to use the Manolo Mary Jane's because it reminds me of a) wearing patent leather Mary Jane's as a kid at holidays and b) that Sex and the City episode where Carrie is in the Vogue sample closet and declares them "an urban shoe myth".

Xmas by elementsofstyle

I saw this picture above the other day on The Sartorialist and thought to myself "That girl is cool." Naturally, she's from Paris which means she was born with style and coolness in her DNA. I recreated an outfit inspired by hers for us equally chic Americans... ;) I am jonesing for a red plaid shirt now...very holiday appropriate.

Parisian Cool by elementsofstyle


So kids, this is it for a whole WEEK! :( I'll miss you- but I hope everyone has a very happy, safe holiday and I can't wait to rehash holiday gifts and goodies Monday the 29th when I'm back!
Happy Holidays!
xoxo,
Erin

I got to take some pictures of a job that is pretty much all done last night- a 700 sq. foot condo in Cambridge. Having a space where each room is so open to the next provided a challenge, but also was so much fun! In the bedroom we did a fabulous John Robshaw duvet cover, custom made shams by Matouk that are divine but took a friggin' LIFETIME to get, a custom bed pillow in the fantastic green colorway of Brunschwig & Fils Dhzambul print (I had to practically sign away my first born to find 2 yards) and some fantastic foo dog lamps from WS Home. The shades were from Smith and Noble and the chocolate and white color scheme reflects the rug in the living room which is visible from the bedroom.