January 4, 2012 / 5:00 am
I started my very first blog, Midwest Musings, in May 2006, using iWeb to compose and post. I chose iWeb partially out of fear: I didn’t think I had a strong enough tech background to blog and I figured that Apple’s program would be straightforward and easy to use. By May 2007, I needed more space and was ready to move to Blogger – The Speckled Egg was born. Fast forward to 2009: I was feeling more confident and was eager to have my own website, deal with hosting and other issues, so I moved to WordPress and rebranded myself as simple + pretty.
While The Speckled Egg posts have always been available at simple + pretty, until now, the year of posts for Midwest Musings was only accessible by clicking through a link from the sidebar. As that site will go away this June when Apple stops supporting mobileme, I thought the Christmas holiday was a good time to consolidate my 5 1/2+ years of posts. What started as simple “copy + paste” project soon turned into a whole lot more keyboarding than I’d bargained for. Nevertheless, the effort was worth it: I’m proud to say that my full blogging history is now available at simple-pretty.com. Better yet, it’s all searchable, too. I hope you enjoy having a more comprehensive resource. Moving the posts was a bit like re-reading a diary – I was surprised at the ways I’ve changed, and smiled when I realized that some of my quirks haven’t changed a bit.
I look forward to another year of posts + discoveries and invite you along for the journey. Please share your comments + opinions; I enjoy hearing from you.
January 3, 2012 / 7:00 am
Happy 2012! I am up to my eyeballs in self-improvement resolutions …. and seems that many of my favorite bloggers are too. Which is inspiring, and also a bit competitive. (such is my personality) I’m once again kicking off the new year by striving to simplify: less “stuff”; more “being”. Taking down the Christmas decorations really makes you aware that less is more.
I’ll be back tomorrow with the first post of the year, but until then, enjoy a few of my Flickr favorites from December:
- untitled
- cotton candy pink
- good cheer to all!
- minnesota rowboats dock
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- Singular
- Blooming
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December 28, 2011 / 5:00 am
In my mind, as long as you are not charged with lots of returns/exchanges and do not obsess over football, the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day can be long. Long in a good way because the days are full of possibility and the to-do list is (mostly) clear; long in a not-so-good way because the world is also taking a break and thus you must create your own diversions. May I suggest an afternoon reading The Gentlewoman Magazine? I bought the Fall/Winter 2011 issue at a NYC newsstand in early December and devoured it. From the cover profile of actress Olivia Williams (loved her character in An Education) to an interview with Apollonia Poilâne to gorgeous, minimalist fashion, the magazine is a treasure: the photography is stunning; the writing is smart. I actually felt more intelligent after finishing it, which is rare for a fashion mag. Admittedly, unless you’re in a big city or are lucky enough to have a comprehensive newsstand, it may be tricky to track this down, but trust me, it’s more than worth the effort*.
jewelry designer gaia repossi
riding the tube w/magazine editors
utterly sublime corset by céline
* online stores la garçonne, buy olympia, and stuart & wright are options as they have copies available to ship.
December 21, 2011 / 5:00 am
skate at somerset house*
If I could magically transport myself to London this week for one hour of holiday revelry (admittedly, a big if), I think I’d spend it at Somerset House. A beautiful ice rink with festive Christmas tree (“Skate” sponsored by Tiffany), my two favorite London restaurants (Tom’s Kitchen and Fernandez & Wells**), a Rizzoli bookstore for perusing and last-minute shopping, and a Tiffany outpost for treats + trinkets. Yes, it would definitely be Somerset House. Now I just need that magic transporter ….
inside fernandez & wells
tom's deli
fernandez & wells
* photo by david jensen/courtesy of somerset house
** my husband thought our lunch at fernandez & wells/beak st was the best food he had in london + i developed a predilection for f&w’s pasteis de nata; our dinner at tom’s kitchen/chelsea was a big hit with the in-laws. i was on a roll with restaurant picks over our thanksgiving holiday.
December 14, 2011 / 5:00 am
signage
Oft-recommended (and with good reason) Petersham Nurseries makes for a lovely day trip when visiting London. It was my most anticipated stop on our Thanksgiving holiday visit, and the word that comes to mind when describing Petersham is charming – the nursery was charmingly full of greenery and plants I wanted to pack up and take home, the shop was a charming profusion of lovely home accoutrements, and the teahouse, festively (and yes, charmingly) decorated for the holidays, was the perfect place to refuel with a light lunch (or indulge in pastries, if your sweet tooth desired). As I never really left the city this visit, it was nice to feel a world away in the country, if only for the afternoon. Next time, my goal is to eat at Skye Gyngell’s Petersham Nurseries Cafe. (Word to the wise: tables book a month in advance.) You can see more photos from my November visit at my Flickr set.
the nursery
teahouse seating
inside the teahouse
potato-leek soup (quite spicy!)
i still may order one of these trays, shipping costs be damned
