It’s Back-to-School time!

by Karen on September 3, 2010

It seems that no matter where you live there is something in the air around the first part of September—it’s that back-to-school, fall rush of energy that affects so many of us.  Like spring’s “new beginnings” I believe it’s safe to say that for many, fall is just as bracing.

School days have been gone from my radar, aside from the traffic jam near University High on my way to work, for 5 years (when Son #2 graduated from college).  Still, my internal clock reminds me that it’s that time of year when the excitement surrounding buying school clothes and supplies hits me, as if I were headed to the classroom.

They had me at "Preppy" --- disclosure: I've been a preppy since they came up with the term.

Russel+Hazel has some unique school/office supplies.

I’m clearly not the only blogger that has been bitten by the bug.  paper{whites} had a great post on school supplies, as did Content in a Cottage.

Knock-Knock has some fun stamps—maybe more for adults than back-to-school kids :-)  

Knock-Knock is worth a visit.

Reading fellow bloggers musings prompted me to do a Google search of unique office supplies.  In addition to the outstanding See Jane Work site I found a couple of others (listed above)  that could be dangerous to the stationary/organizing/office geek.

3-ring binders have come a long way!

Have fun and I hope you are ready for class (code for gearing up for fall) to begin.

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Rushing towards fall

by Karen on September 1, 2010

I have always been more of a fall/winter person than a spring/summer enthusiast.  I’m certain there is as much debate (trivial as it may be) about this topic as there is about being a morning person {raising hand} vs. a nighttime person!

Pumpkins at the entry announce the season. Image via Victoria

Don’t get me wrong, I love spring.  What’s not to love, right?  But I gain a burst of energy at the very thought of fall’s approach.

Persimmons and bittersweet make fall tablescapes a no brainer. Image via Country Living

So it was with much excitement that a fellow blogger, Melissa Michaels at The Inspired Room announced she was hosting her annual Fall Nesting Party.

I love the unexpected use of pumpkins in are non-conforming colors! Image via Victoria

Ornamental cabbage and orange flowers are beautiful in contrast and the centerpiece is low enough for great conversation during the meal. Image via Country Living

Melissa is also a fan of fall so she hosts this annual event where you can link to her site with your fall ideas for decorating.  The event isn’t until September 8th but I’ve started thinking of what I want to do, things I’ll layer on.

This is such a simple but elegant way to give a nod to the season without using orange, a color a friend of mine can't abide. Image via Victoria

For my sun-loving friends, trust me, I won’t pull out the plaid and pumpkins just yet but I’ll be thinking of them in eager anticipation!

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Crossed Wires

August 30, 2010

Dear Readers, As you may know, Son #1 created this website for me.  What you may not know is that he works for a huge interactive ad agency all while managing his own websites, one of which is Trojan Wire.  (Please give him a few days before trying to link to this site, he’s in [...]

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A wedding shower and beautiful antiques, what more could a girl want?

August 30, 2010

I recently attended a wedding shower at a good friend’s home.  We started with a choice of raspberry blini, Champagne and/or iced tea.  (Who can pass up raspberry-anything?).  The two hostesses did such a beautiful job with lunch (Mandarin chicken salad, fresh popovers and strawberry butter; killer cupcakes from a specialty bakery in Newport Beach [...]

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I’m going to be a Grandma!

August 27, 2010

I have some exciting news to share!  Son #1 and his lovely wife, are expecting a baby girl in November.  This will be our first grand baby, you may know how this feels, unbelievable! The fun part, at least for me, is that it’s a GIRL.  I get to think pink for the first time.  [...]

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Trader Joe’s — Theo Albrecht, RIP

August 25, 2010

As some of you may know I love Trader Joe’s.  When I posted this, I mistakenly thought the market was unique to the western United States.   As it turns out there are 340+ locations in 25 states, including Washington D.C. Trader Joe’s was founded in 1958 and it has an interesting history http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trader_Joe’s but in [...]

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Be _ _ _ _ _ (fill in your name)

August 23, 2010

Melissa Michaels over at The Inspired Room recently posted a great piece on decorating in your own personal style.  Read her piece HERE.  She recommends that you ignore some of the designers who publish their views that certain colors, furniture styles, room arrangements are “IN” or “OUT”.  I get it, there are trends and styles [...]

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Simple Summer Meal

August 20, 2010

I live in Southern California and somehow we were cheated our summer!  To be perfectly honest, I don’t miss the heat, but the sunshine, which SoCal is known for, is missing as well.  We get a burst of it sometime around 1:00 PM daily but honestly, is there anything better than waking up to a [...]

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A cottage…love at first sight

August 18, 2010

I first met this cottage (okay, I know you can’t really meet a home, but I feel you can make a connection with certain houses and/or rooms) when I opened the November 2004 issue of Cottage Living Magazine (which has ceased to exist {sad}). From the first page of the feature on the Laguna Beach [...]

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Accessorizing…icing on the cake.

August 16, 2010

As a follow up to my post of last week…more thoughts on accessorizing. The components of an inviting home are many.  A house can have “good bones” as they like to say and still not be warm due to an ineffective layout of furniture, proportion / scale of furnishings and/or any number of other factors. [...]

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