Looking for some last-minute Valentine’s Day ideas for all the loves in your life? Check out my February picks, a plethora of reds, pinks, and of course, subtlety and sweetness:
- Baby Penguins Love Their Mama // Melissa Guion: this brand-new release is the perfect gift for a new mother: Melissa Guion’s illustrations enchant (see the excerpt below) and the sweet story about a mother’s love for her children rings true. (Melissa’s on book tour at the moment: catch her at a shop near you!)
- Pretty in Pink Roses // Flower Muse: I love bouquets comprised of a single flower, en masse. Flower Muse seems to take that notion and run with it. And while I love the “pretty in pink” bouquet shown here, I’m also besotted with their “pale pink garden roses”. If I were in the States, I’d be FedEx-ing myself a little floral love this year.
- Tailor’s Ribbon // Terrain: 100 yards of ribbon in the softest blush pink at a price that allows use with abandon. (it’s washable/reusable, too!)
- Bookmarc Recycled Pencil Set // Marc Jacobs: clever packaging for a smart set of red pencils.
- Tiny Hearts card // Yes Ma’am: a sweetly scattered hearts pattern in blind deboss and offset makes the perfect card for all of your valentines (and use throughout the year as a love note).
hasn’t every mother felt like this?
image credits: 1. courtesy of melissa guion 2. flowermuse.com 3. shopterrain.com 4. marcjacobs.com 5. yesma.am // layout and type by jane potrykus
book excerpts courtesy of melissa guion
February: the month where I start to look for signs of spring anywhere and everywhere. It’s a bit more challenging this year, as I’m not sure what typical weather is for London. Good practice for living in the moment; terrible for control freaks who just want to know what to expect and to assign grades to the day’s weather. Guess which one I am? At any rate, let’s hope that February brings fewer snowy, cold photos and more photos of flowers + evidence of thawing temperatures.
A few of my photo favorites from January. Enjoy!
- 13|365|the moon
- Everyday
- 22::365
- Untitled
- Coffee date ….
- labels p. 92 …. (and yes, I bought the book)
- Chatham Fish Pier
- One brave peony ….
- One of the oldest houses ….
- Sunday tea still life
- #todayin3 01.01.14 …. (this brings a smile to my face: happy memories)
photo at top by jane potrykus
fish greeting card
By the time late January/early February rolls around, I’m ready for an infusion of bright color to reassure me that spring is on the way. Cambridge IMPRINT, a creative collaboration between painter Claerwen James, textile artist Jane Powell, and ceramicist Ali Murphy, turns out a delightful array of colorful, graphically patterned mugs, paper, cards (+ more) that will lend a bit cheer to the gray days of winter. I’m smitten with the fish print card (in acid yellow, no less!), but am partial at the moment to the pink + red papers as they’d be perfect for Valentine’s crafting and gifting.
paper prints: pinks + reds
paper prints: blues.
birthday birds card
images courtesy of cambridge IMPRINT
It may seem like ages ago, but the holidays marked our family’s first trip back to the States since the move. We divided our time between “home” (Chicago suburbs: cold!) and California (LA/SF: sunny + warm!). For January, my picks feature the tried-and-true stops from our holiday travels.
photos arranged clockwise, from top L
Chicago (Northern Suburbs)
1. Firkin, Libertyville Firkin is a suburban pub that feels like it should be in the city (but I’m so glad it’s not). Eclectic-cool decor, excellent food (order my favorite, shrimp tacos) and an extensive, ever-changing beer list make this a must-visit whenever we’re in town.
2. Miramar, Highwood Highwood, nestled between Highland Park and Lake Forest, is home to a plethora of restaurants, but I always choose Miramar. I love the cozy decor, the Cuban-French themed menu, and the service, which is attentive and friendly, but not intrusive. We had dinner with both sets of parents and everyone left happy. Success!
Los Angeles / Santa Monica
3. Cora’s Coffee Shop Cora’s, located right up the hill from our base of operations, Casa del Mar (we usually stay there or at its sister property, Shutters) is our go-to spot morning spot for coffee (cafe au lait) and pastries (blueberry muffins and apple tarts). This year, we added a lunch stop to our Cora’s repertoire and I’m so glad we did: eating a croque madame under the bougainvillea-covered arbor was a delight, and well worth the short wait for a table.
4. The Little Next Door The Little Next Door is an über charming café on LA’s Third Street. I highly recommend stopping for lunch on the patio, with a glass of champagne to set the mood. This trip, we were content to stop for some LND “oreos” as we walked and shopped the street. (Third Street is home to some of my favorite LA shops, including Noodle Stories, Le Labo, Joan’s on Third, new discovery Wittmore and OK.)
The Carneros Inn (Napa area)
5. Boon Fly Café The Inn’s on-site café can be found in the adorable red farmhouse easily spotted from Carneros Highway. Here’s all you need to know: Boon Fly makes the world’s most delicious doughnuts. If you’re feeling guilty, add a fruit salad for the breakfast of kings. (If I were king.)
6. Farm after talking about it many times, we reserved a spot at Farm’s New Year’s Eve tasting menu dinner, choosing the earlier seating to ensure we could stay awake. It made for a special evening for our table of three as we worked our way through the courses + wines. And after dinner, the delight continued as the walk back to our cottage was brightened by a sky lit with twinkling stars. I’d forgotten how bright (and enchanting) stars can be.
San Francisco
7. The Mill We visited SF on New Year’s Day. After a long walk through the Presidio, we headed to The Mill for coffee and oh-so-trendy toast (which was delicious, btw). So glad it was open on the holiday as the coffee break turned into an impromptu Instagram-friends meet-up.
8. March Oh, March: the source of so many of my obsessions. I just can’t get over the white tile; the clean typeface for branding; the carefully selected, perfectly utilitarian luxe product range. So please forgive me for my “I know you’re closed but I just need to take 1,000,001 pictures” visit. I’ll be back.
photos, layout and type by jane potrykus
look 1
I recently discovered designer Julien David while shopping for a coat at Dover Street Market. (I bought this one, in black.) I’m now a fan: his designs lend a touch of romance to minimalism. See the complete pre-fall collection at Style.com.
look 2
look 9
image credits: julien david courtesy photos for style.com
