12 for '12: Sleep under the stars

Intention #7
Travel is always near the tippy top of my to do list for each new year, but this year it's looking like most vacation days will be spent stateside, which I am totally cool with. There are approximately 800 places I would die to visit in the U.S., so I plan to cross at least a couple of them off my list. I'd like to try something off the beaten path in 2012 and sleep out under the stars and among the forest canopies in...a treehouse! You may have noticed that I've been daydreaming of treehouse vacations for years. I think this year my little dream will finally be realized.

Thanks to my boo, sometime this Spring we'll be visiting our City by the Bay, after almost two long years away. My mind is already spinning with visions of favorite people to see, places to visit, and foods to eat (and eat and eat and eat). I'm also thinking this might be the perfect opportunity to burrow into a Human Nest in Big Sur, or climb into a sky-high suite at Post Ranch Inn.

In the midst of my obsessive searching, I also discovered these amazing treehouse hotels in my own home state. Yes ma'am!

Have you ever slept in a treehouse hotel? One of my good friends lived in New Zealand for a year and always raved of these stargazer huts she would stay in - they had large windows above the bed where you could peer out into the night sky...dreamy.


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Hotel, Motel, Holiday Inn, Nov.11

I forget where I came across this slideshow of the world's best new affordable hotels, but I find myself scrolling through it at least once a week. Thought you might enjoy a little Saturday scrolling, too.

1, 5, 11 and 17 are of particular interest.

P.S. Take a peek at this one, too. (Doe Bay, represent!)

turkish delight on a moonlit night, apr.11

off we go to istanbul (not constantinople) and cappadocia, turkey. this is technically my first trip to ASIA! and high on my long list of things to do, see and eat are:

hagia sophia/ayasofya
sleeping in a cave
the blue mosque
figs, nuts & honey
hot air ballooning above fairy chimneys
a boat trip down the bosphorous
turkish coffee fortune-telling
beautiful rugs (1 for us, 1 for my mama)
spice markets and bazaars

and turkish delight in a rainbow of colors...






ciao for now.

xo

eeeataly, oct.10

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i'm heading off to salerno and florence italy on friday for a 10-day work trip. it will be filled with a leather fair and tannery visits, but i'm definitely planning on squeezing in some art, pizza and gelato, gelato, gelato! if you have any recommendations, send em this-a-way.

coffee talk sept.10

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i'll give you 3 good reasons why my long-term love affair with coffee has just received a kick in the pants:

1. with the new season and cooler weather, my usual cup in the morning doesn't do the job - i need an afternoon delight.

2. just the thought of 11 days in italy (in less than 10 days!) makes me want a machiatto in the worst way.

3. hampton chutney co. cardamom coffee. i don't know how i lived so long without it.

vuelvo a casa bebé, apr.10

i'm going back to sevilla today, 9 years later after leaving. my in-flight soundtrack might just consist of this song on repeat...!!!

Olé, apr.10

off to sevilla for a week on tuesday! la tierra de oro y toros...


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blinks, apr.10

no morning is complete without flaky cheddar ham biscuits and teapot toasters!

i'd trade comfy for cool with these steel wire chairs

this yellow air balloon treehouse is giving my lofty dreams a run for their money

homemade sesame pretzels would make a good addition to a picnic in the park

"i want to go there" is putting it lightly

i would looove to own any of these fruit shaped pieces, especially the pinaepple. wouldn't a pineapple bone china lamp be a dream?

inspiration for getting that fire escape garden growing

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blinks, feb.10

bonjour february! i'm heading home to seattle tonight for 6 sweet days of family, weddings, friends, dancing, birthdays, dicks (you KNOW what i mean seattle-ites), barn sleepovers, top pot donuts, islands and on and on. i can't WAIT! here are a few tidbits to tide you over...xo

i scrimped and saved and finally bought myself the canon rebel t1i but now i think i need a lady carefree!

send your love a message in a butter cookie with these crafty cutters.

this japanese paper globe balloon is a really sweet alternative to the traditional greeting card.

i'd like to sit and watch these clouds float by.

ohhh myyy mociun nailed it with their fine jewelry collection. i'm drooling over the black diamond stacked rings and geometric charms.

i combined this recipe with the one on the back of the tollhouse bag and mmm...the whole batch disappreared in 5 days flat.

i love DIYs and and How-Tos and just re-discovered this little gem. upon my return i plan on taking a stab at #2, 4, 6 and 8

10 for '10: wear out my passport

resolution #2: this year I vow to pinch as many pennies as possible so that I can travel a ton. i want a roadtrip to savannah, a mini vacay to santa fe, a study abroad reunion/ golden bday party in sevilla, christmas in copenhagen and new years in reykjavik and i'm hoping that $100 from each weekly paycheck will get me there. any true traveler needs a few good accessories and these are at the top of my list...

a cashmere pashmina is perfect and easy to pack for any weather, anywhere
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my trusty chucks are great for all seasons and only get better with age (*)


a globe bank serves as two-fold inspiration and makes a cute, colorful little addition to your home (*)


the Canon Rebel T1i is my last big purchase before travels!
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you've seen this one before- a gold pen necklace is ideal for postcard-writing on the go (*)


...so what are your travel must-haves?

travel bug, dec.09

at about this time every year i start to daydream of the faraway places i'm dying to get to know. at the moment, iceland, denmark, cuba, vietnam and croatia are tops, but the rankings change with the weather. i'm lucky enough to have trips to greensboro, north carolina and seattle scheduled in the next month, so for now i'll just drool over these old travel prints...and start planning for reykjavik new years eve 2010!









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December 14th: snowy escape

take a break from the holiday craze with a woodsy weekend getaway...dunton hot springs will do just fine.

DO: la vie PARISIENNE, nov.09

wine, cheese, parfum, macaroons- it's hard not to be seduced by the parisian way of life. on days when jetting to the city of light proves difficult, this might be the next best thing. in an effort to promote its new fragrance, PARISIENNE, Yves Saint Laurent chose five lucky ladies to travel our great country, seeking out the chic in our own backyard...this is one of my fave posts so far. (YSL: i'm available if you need a 6th)

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