Earlier this week, I saw the photo on the left pop up on a Pinterest board that I follow. I’ve been drawn to neutrals for as long as I can remember, but something about the color and composition of this photo made me happy. I started hunting for other bright things.

1) Chair Photo  2)  Pretty Rings via Catbird  3) Red Tights &
4) Tea Time Dress by Shabby Apple

I decided that since it’s February it’s okay to put up my Valentine banner from Something’s Hiding in Here.

The letters are made from recycled letterpress papers and it came in the cutest packaging.

I think this pretty table setting was meant for Christmas, but wouldn’t it be nice for a Valentine’s party with friends?

Lara Lewis is having a ginormous clearance sale and I spy lots of pretty pink:

I love these Doctor Who prints by Nan Larson!

I can’t finish off a February first post with sharing some pretty flowers with you!

More info about the project from Jeska:
Matchbox Challenge – To decorate, alter or fill a different matchbox for every day of February.

The Gist – Each tiny artwork will be listed in the Lobster & Swan Etsy shop and sold to raise funds for Oxfam.

Jeska hopes that other crafty folks will join her and she’s made a schedule to inspire everyone with themes loose enough that they can be interpreted any way you choose! You can find out more about the project over on Lobster & Swan. Looks like lots of fun!

*All photos by Jeska. See more of her beautiful photography over here.

A rough wooden desk. My desk is dark, polished wood and I love it, but…

{Photo Credit}

Pretty monogrammed cards from Rifle Paper Co or In Haus Press.

Unique cards. I love these post card gardens!

Two Records: The Suburbs by Arcade Fire & Belle & Sebastian’s Write about Love

Surely I’d write all kinds of letters with a handsome fountain pen.

Do you write proper letters?

Now I’m grown up with a sweet corgi of my own, but if I were the royal dog walker these are a few things I’d wear or have in my cottage:

1) Silver & Diamond Ring by Rust  2) Pewter Bead Bracelet
3) Antique Sewing Machine  4) Tin Cup and Saucer  5) Velvet Cardigan
6) Lace Tunic  7) Lace Up Boots

Wow, this post is starting to sound very lazy. But I don’t mind admitting, that if I could sneak an extra day off into this week, I would spend it tucked up reading and eating cake.

1. Bedspread  2. Blankets from Toast  3. The Great Gatsby  4. Lace Cupcakes
5. Slippers by Toast & 6. Bedroom via Design*Sponge

Friday afternoon, I spied this recipe for apple sharlotka on Smitten Kitchen and it looked so good (and easy) I thought I’d give it a shot. The recipe was a snap. Just peel the apples, slice them, and then pile them up in your cake pan. Whisk up eggs, sugar, vanilla, and flour into a thick a batter.

Pour the batter over apples and then bake.

After baking, flip onto a plate and sprinkle with cinnamon. (By the way, it smells amazing!)

Sprinkle with powdered sugar and then dig in!

This is such an easy, wonderfully-tasty, yummy treat to make that I have a feeling it’s going to be in regular rotation around here. You can find the full recipe over on Smitten Kitchen.

I ordered this shirt while it was on sale New Year’s Day. New year, new shirt. Somehow I missed that the print on the shirt is made up of pairs of tiny cardinals. What a fun surprise! I love it!

I’ve slowly been replacing my cheapish makeup with better quality, organic upgrades from Josie Maran.  I really love the mascara and lip gloss I just picked up. The lipgloss is called “Optimism”, which I love.

And last but not least, I love having this week’s evenings free for coffee, reading and keeping up with my 365 Project.

What are you loving this week?

For some reason the start of a new year always makes me want to buy new stationary. I’m not sure if that’s a normal reaction to have, but I would love to stock up on things from Our Paper Shop:

 I love this painting by Janet Hill. I spotted on Little Brown Pen’s blog and now I want one for my own!

This former chapel in Kent looks like something out of a fairytale:

Three links to things I like:
-I could look at The Grid for ages.

-I would listen to this song all day.

-I want to drink good coffee forever.

Apple a Day belongs to Amy Merrick and it’s the most perfect place filled with photos of stunning flowers. Really the photos are so lovely I’m almost surprised that I can’t smell the blossoms. I love this blog because it makes me want to learn more about plants. That might be a nice little goal for 2012.

Jen’s a Chicagoan (like me!) and her blog is called Grainline. She’s a pattern making wiz and I’m quite in awe of her process, sewing abilities (mine are still pretty basic), and her wonderful desk.

Last but not least, there’s Junkaholique, the personal blog of Artemis, who is one half of the jewelry makers, Rust. I love her posts about the camper van she recently bought with her husband. They have such lovely adventures and the whole blog is just jolly. I can’t think of a better word than jolly or joyful to describe it.

PS. If I didn’t already have two rings on my left hand, I would need a Rust wedding ring. I am more than a little in love with all of them!