♥ whatever women do they must do twice as well as men to be thought half as good. luckily, this is not difficult.

laced (literally and figuratively) with social commentary and literary archeptypal

references the ultra feminine/ ultra utilitarian furniture pieces from

slovenian designer, nika zupanc speak volumes about women's role

in society but in a way that is very tongue in chic.

read about her april 2010 gone with the wind exhibition here.

and her 2009 exhibition, i will buy flowers myself here.

♥ fashion fridays on regarding design!

happy friday my darling readers!

i would like to share some very exciting news!!

i will now be writing a weekly post every friday for regarding design.

(notice the little logo on the right hand corner of this blog)

for the most part, i will be writing about two of my favorite thing on earth:

fashion and books. i will be reviewing a number of works on everything

from style, to crafting, to sewing and design, all of which are published

by rockport, quarry, and others by quayside publishing group.

i will also be attending a variety of events, so please be sure to let me

know if you hear of anything fashion related going on in boston!

check out my first post here and my first book review here.

and have a very fashionable friday!

xoxo

sami

♥ wild horses couldn't drag me away.

the other night i dreamt of horses and since then they have been

running wildly through my mind and turning up almost everywhere

i look, which can mean only one thing: a blog post dedicated

to the majestic beauty and graceful nature of horses.

i came across this gorgeous foyer (above) in house beautiful and was struck

by the horse portrait by sarah friedman. with its quiet countenance,

and the light grey and white contrast, it just makes the entire space.

here are some more from her equus collection (which is also a book!)

similarly, stella maccartney is now offering cotton tank tops

with similar style horses on them. but at almost $200,

that's a horse of a different color!

this $14 beauty from urban outfitters is much more my speed,

even though its a lot less realistic..

can i please take a moment to tell you how much

i adore this horse locket.

...and this vintage horse pendant.

..and these amazing horse lap top bags.

..and this horse ring, which is just too cute!

...and this fantastic stampede of cardboard horses

(which i want to make myself!)

and the name of this blog:

ok, now i must go to bed, and instead of counting sheep

i will count horses.

♥ i dream in color.

source.

with my wedding a little over a year away,

i have been giving a lot of thought to the color combinations

that i feel will best represent nick and i as a couple,

while also bringing out the natural beauty of the colorful characters

that will make up our gorgeous bridal party.

so far, i am having quite a time trying to make a rainbow connection.

for my birthday last year my sister bought me carole jackson's book,

color me beautiful, a phenomenal bestseller from the 1980's that is

still relevant today even though it is rife with models with bad blow outs,

bad shoulder pads and way too much blush.

the premise of this book is that each of us has our own individual

palette of colors which are believed to bring out our most dazzling

physical characteristics. our skin tone and hair color determines which

season we are and accordingly, which colors suit us best.

determining which season we are essentially comes down to three colors.

red, (a color that is part of our collective genetic makeup), yellow and blue.

depending on whether or not we have a weak or small amount

of yellow and blue in our skin will set the tone for which season we are.

{find your season!}

winters have a blue undertone, and have features which contrast dramatically

with one another such as dark hair and light eyes. they look best in sharp,

intense color which brings out their features, rather than light colors which

wash them out.

summers also have a cool blue tone to their skin, but the contrast in features

is less defined and they look best in more subtle colors that do not

overpower them or look too dramatic.

springs have a warm, yellowish/pinky undertone to the skin with freckles

and light, blondish hair. they often look best in soft colors and pastels.

autumns also have a yellow complexion, but instead of a rosy tone

to the flesh are more ruddy or even colorless. they are usually redheads or

brunettes with golden highlights.

while it seems sort of ridiculous and rather limiting to adhere to a list of colors

when shopping for clothes and makeup, i believe that you will find on

each list the very color that people always compliment you in

or the color that you feel most confident wearing.

if you stick with what looks well on you, you will ultimately save time

and money because you will be able to accessorize quickly and easily,

always have the right makeup on, and never kick yourself for buying

something that totally doesn't look good on you.

color me convinced!

♥ once in a while, right in the middle of ordinary life, love gives us a fairytale.

my latest wedding obsession is the photography of yvonne wong.

each of her images are a mini masterpiece. i just love the way that

she captures the landscape and the happy couple in it, and how

each photo seems to tell its very own love story.

get ready to drool and kick your feet because she is based out

of seattle and not out of boston (or maybe that's just what i do?)

"life, love or art, i am here to celebrate every moment with you."

yvonne wong

♥ on marriage.

one of my very best friends is getting married this weekend,

so in honor of the lovely occasion, i may focus a little more on weddings

this week. beginning with one of my favorite passages from

kahlil gibran's work, the prophet. here is his take on marriage:

(photo from a wedding, 2007)

you were born together, and together you shall be forevermore.

you shall be together when the white wings of death scatter your days.

aye, you shall be together even in the silent memory of god.

but let there be spaces in your togetherness,

and let the wingds of the heavens dance between you.

love one another, but make not a bond of love:

let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.

fill each other's cup but drink not from one cup.

give one another of your bread but eat not from the same loaf.

sing and dance together and be joyous, but let each one of you be alone,

even as the strongs of a lute are alone though they quiver the same music.

give your hearts, but not into each other's keeping.

for only the hand of life can contain your hearts.

and stand together yet not too near together:

for the pillars of the temple stand apart,

and the oak tree and cypress grow not in each other's shadow.

♥ love is a dress that you wear.

source.

as of last friday, the fall 2010 collections for jcrew are now available.

get ready to start falling in love all over again. (but this time with a dress.)

ps. i still can't wait to see my bff's dress! she got it at jcrew :)

♥ to dye for.

love these schumacher ikats

today's post is dedicated to one of my favorite methods of fabric making: ikat (pronounced ee kaht) is a craft in which a variety of threads are tie dyed before they are placed on a loom and woven into a finished pattern.

as one of the oldest forms of textile decoration with ancient examples found everywhere from japan to guatemala, it is unclear exactly where ikat got its origin. what is clear is the fact that ikat requires a great deal of time and skill to make and has therefore been traditionally associated with status, wealth, power and prestige. in some cultures, it has also been thought to retain a bit of magic.

today, ikat fabrics can be found for the home as well as the wardrobe, and in both instances adds a bit of the exotic to each look. here is a way to look instantly well traveled.

love this ikat dress.

this ikat skirt looks fabulous with a white tank and nude shoes.

this bag will remind you of summer (without the 95 degree heat!)

love these laid back ikat nomad bags for those bitten by the travel bug.

these ikat scarves will add a touch of excitement to your summer wardrobe.

add some spice to your space with ikat pillows from plum cushion!

or a touch of love to your living room with these fabulous

ikat pillows from fabricadabra.

speaking of which, here are some fun, funky,

ikat–inspiring interiors:

source.

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