austin daze + books to adore

The longer I am in Austin, the more I remember the Texas weather moods. Haze filled mornings and an easy breeze fills my days here at home. Sipping my favorite coffee and catching up on some of my new decor books has been such a nice indulgence for me. The best part? Gazing at this incredibly beautiful bouquet of my favorite flowers from a very dear friend. Domestic Bliss at its finest.
Books I am loving now...

a House Beautiful as ever! {manhattan apartment love}

Have you guys seen the lastest issue of House Beautiful?
I cannot get over the cover + the gorgeous NYC apartment that graces it.
Lots of color (as i'm sure you can guess) is my favorite, I literally get some serious pleasure looking at homes with extremely bold color palates. It warms my soul and feeds my eyes to see such goodness.
This gorgeous pink wallpaper is amazing! Chinoiserie, hello, i love you!
Oh, and of course all of the purple in this space....sigh.
images via EOS

The Art of Living...like a starlet

make like Lauren Conrad and throw a dinner party.
(She tweeted this pic of her place.)
Throw down a zebra rug, mix floral + studded dining chairs, light white candles in clear glass hurricanes and sprinkle in some pink tulips and
voila...starlet dinner party!
loves.


and in other blissful news...
added my blog to her
wow. i feel so honored because girl is a rockstar!

keeping up with the glossies!


So usually when I buy design magazines I buy like 4-5 at a time.
Then I fly through each one, devouring the images and then I'm done.
I'm always wanting more.
For some reason, the March issue of Elle Decor has me hooked.
I can't put it down.
I especially love the room on the cover...It's the home of the executive producer of the Oprah Winfrey show. So of course Nate Berkus ended up doing the design.
The dark blue walls have me wanting to repaint my apartment.




It's incredible....so grown up. I love it. 

i have a SHELTER obsession

Everyday in the blog world, something amazing inspires me.
I am kind of freaking out over this blogger's home.
Wowzers!
Julie who writes for her design firm blog SHELTER
shared her home with the blog world yesterday.
I just can't get enough of it.

The dark walls of her office are fantastic.
She made over this hutch herself. How gorgeous?
These bay windows are my dream!
beautiful inspiration board!


I'm in love...

traditional rules

Glamour + Sophistication are on top of its game in this new home designed by Kara Mann.
I follow her every move as she is one of my role models in design.
Edgy, yet classic, she pulls out all the stops on this sophisticated home and does not disappoint. 
As always...she makes me want to move to Chi-town, just so I can see her work more than they appear in the glossy mags.
How amazing is this home featured in this months Traditional Home?





today I'm lovin on...

Some days I feel inspired and ready to conquer the day. Other days I feel so relaxed I could lay in a bath full of lavender scented bubbles for an entire afternoon. 
You just never know what mood might strike. 
I am determined to live my life full of love, every single day. 
Appreciating all blessings that life has to offer.
Today I want to share things that bring me bliss...

feeling feminine in lingerie
metallic valentino foot candy

photographs of parfume
lovely thank you's
luxurious bedding
beautiful bouquets
beyonce at the grammys
images via madebygirl. lolalina. thisisglamorous. sarahkaye. netaporter.

wishing i lived here right now

I am kinda loving Kristen Bell right now.
I am sooo loving her home and wishing I could move in.
Instyle did a spread on her home a while ago and I fell in love with the ottoman in her living room instantly. It makes me think of spring and I am so ready for spring.
She uses wallpaper everywhere, even her ceilings. love that.
and really, who wouldn't want to sit on that outdoor patio on a sunny LA day?






images via Kristen-B

art i heart: kathy womack

I got a few emails about one of the photos I posted earlier.
Artist Kathy Womack from Austin, Tx (my hometown) rocks the art world 
with her fantastic painting series called
'women and wine'.
My sister and I have a few pieces of her work and we absolutely adore her.
We used to go into her gallery in Austin, at least once a month to see what she was brewing up.
Her work is so fun and girlie and I hope that this finds girlfriends everywhere
and that they enjoy her art as much as my girlfriends and I do.






idol: Paul Costello

Photography is one of those professions that I wish I would have taken in college. 
I love the way photos capture the essence of the subject. 
This photographer is no exception to those that capture brilliance.
You have seen his work in the glossy magazines that we adore so much.
Paul Costello rocks my world with his photographs of interiors. 
He has plenty of work on his website for your viewing pleasure.
Here are a few of my favorites.
I just love the way he captures women in their domestic blissfulness.




(i love these blue china plates)
i soooo want to cook in this kitchen

loving the zebra
i am desperately wishing i was in a photography class right now. 
i just think i might need to enroll.