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Hello, Friday! No big plans for the weekend. Yes, we’re under another winter storm watch – hooray – but you never know. Crossing my fingers that we avoid the big snow. Looking forward to Sunday night’s Oscars, and the fashion parade. On with the five: this week, I thought I’d focus on one photographer, dropfocus, and his photos:

1. brooklyn cobblestones
2. snow fence lake calhoun mpls
3. minnesota rowboats dock
4. nyc soho
5. mississippi river

I found dropfocus while searching for sunrise photos. Hope you enjoy the five! My photo above is the view from our cottage at the Inn at Palmetto Bluff, taken last weekend.

And as an aside, Holly at Decor8 posted about the new issue of Blueprint that she received last weekend! I am now even more eager to receive my copy, with any luck, before it hits newsstands.

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I spent a lot of time yesterday thinking about where I’d rather live. Do you ever do this? I am so ready to leave winter behind, and our Charleston/Savannah getaway last weekend further convinced me of this. Here’s what’s on my wish list: city living that is walkable, with a good bakery, florist, market for fresh fruits/vegetables, butcher, and of course, an excellent coffee shop. The weather needs to be mild. I am willing to endure up to a month of hot (which means over 90). And of course, entertainment in the form of restaurants, theatre, and a museum or two for the occasional jaunt. Is this possible in one city? I love Charleston, but fear that the summer would do me in. So many of my recent clothing purchases (a black sundress, for one) are adorable + fun for “city” living, but seem ridiculous for running to Target, which is my current life. Suggestions, please!
How I forgot to mention the utter necessity of a good newsstand is beyond me. It’s a must.

Step one of vacation recovery is dealing with masses of laundry. Check. Step two is getting through all of the mail. I start with triage: bills and junk mail get dealt with first. (Seems strange to give junk mail high priority, but that is how it’s done.) Then, magazines and “good” catalogs get stacked and sifted through. That’s where I am today. The stack is looking manageable: usually, my biggest mistake is churning through it all too quickly, and then having nothing to read in a week or so. Oh, my problems are so large!

I have two articles to recommend today:

1. The New York Times has an interesting story about magazine crews. You know; the groups of kids that are dropped off in neighborhoods selling subscriptions for “a trip”. The Times website also features video of current and former sellrs talking about the job. I haven’t watched it yet, as the article was depressing enough.
2. New York magazine’s current issue features “What Happened to Jeffrey Sebelia?”, for those Project Runway fans out there. I’m still crossing my fingers that Laura Bennett will end up with a collection or retail presence soon. And by the way, Ms. Bennett will be in Charleston, SC on March 24 for the Finale Gala for Charleston’s fashion week. Now that would be fun!

I am not the type of person who can just let piles of laundry sit in suitcases until I get around to it. So, I’ve beeen running on adrenaline since we walked into the house last night at 8pm. On the upside? I got to watch Studio 60 during its time slot instead of online. The downside? I couldn’t fall asleep until past 11, which is unheard of for me.

I’m slowly decompressing from the “get it done” feeling. In the meantime, I recommend you check out Design*Sponge today. (I will be.) Grace says that her letterpress guide will be up around noon. I have been waiting for this for-ev-er (patiently) and can’t wait to see who’s in it!

If letterpress isn’t your thing, I suggest you gaze at the photo above, taken at The Inn at Palmetto Bluff. Sunset on Saturday, just before we sat down at the bar for a glass of wine …. ahhh, total relaxation. Need to recapture that feeling.

Happy Mardi Gras! See you tomorrow.

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We are having all of our winter in February, and trying to cram three months of cold and snow into twenty-eight days is not fun. Yesterday’s “1 to 3 inches” turned into more like 8! The above photo is not representative of our current conditions. Where are you, March?

I’m taking a short break from the blogosphere – should be back on Tuesday or Wednesday of next week. Here’s an early Flickr Five for the holiday! Stay warm, and Happy Valentine’s Day to you all!

1. off with her head be sure to read the text below the picture – what a fun idea!
2. Be Mine adorable card
3. box of chocolates for our neighbor great packaging!
4. Peony Bud looking ahead to warmer times …
5. the MOST delicious oatmeal most appropriate for the day, I think!

See you next week!

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