{ A Tribute to Quilts }

I think quilts are quite beautiful. They carry a nostalgic charm that, unlike most things, looks better with age. And the amount of tedious work they represent really gives me a respect for all those people who undergo the task of making one.

Last Christmas my mom gave me a prized, hand-stitched quilt that she had finally finished after, honestly, at least 10 years of being in the making. Not that she worked on it slowly for the entire ten years (a lot of the time it sat half-made in our attic in Huntington), but I remember it always being this ongoing project on my mom's list of things to do. When she finally completed it last December, she gave it to me as a Christmas present and I was seriously overwhelmed with excitement, gratitude and heart-felt sincerity. It was one of the most beautiful and touching gifts I think I will ever receive. Now, it sits on the love sac in my loft, and it proves to be one of my favorite ownings (especially on cold saturday ornings when I curl up with a book). Thanks, mom.

Here are some photos I scouted out on the internet of quilts I enjoy. I will add a photo of the quilt I got from my mom when I get home, seeing as, surprisingly, I don't have a photo of it with me at work :)


A Hawaiian pattern -- so beautiful.


How can you not love how classy and cozy this looks?


Mini pinwheel pattern


The flying geese pattern is one of my favorites

{ A Cozy Home }

Cozy would be how I would describe these cute little homes (made by Tumbleweed) that my newest friend, Scott, told me about last night. We were looking at home decorating magazines, and he told me I should check out the "tiny houses" this guy is making in California. As small as 70 square feet, these portable homes stick to the bare essentials, offering the most green approach to housing the inventor could think of. His philosophy? Little homes make a smaller impact on the environment. I think it's a fun idea. And, as fond as I am of tight spaces and as little junk as possible, I think I could get rather used to the idea of a miniscule living space. There are 8 different models, 6 of which are 120 square feet or less.

My favorite on the site is the Weebee, at a mere 120 square feet. The EPU comes in at a close second (100 square feet). And the Lusby wins the award for the best bathroom (it looks the most spacious and friendly). Here are some photos (if you're too lazy/unable for some reason to visit the site itself)


an entrance way


living space


short hall to kitchen


Most models have the loft as the main sleeping space "sleeps two comfortably."


Best bathroom by far -- found in the Lusby

{ I love porcupines }

So. Not only did I get a couple sick, tree-powder runs in when I went snowboarding with my friend Tim last Saturday, but I also was introduced to one of my new favorite little furry/spiky friends. I was taking a little break half way down one of our runs through the trees, and when I looked up, I spotted a cute, little porcupine in the evergreen right in front of me. He was in the process of climbing a shorter pine tree, and I watched as he finished his ascent of the first tree then crossed over to a neighboring tree to continue his climb. Who knew porcupines climbed trees? And on top of that, who knew they had the CUTEST LITTLE DEXTEROUS HANDS AND FEET EVER!? For the good three minutes Tim and I watched the porcupine climb, I couldn't help but think over and over "He is just so cute! How did I not know porcupines were so cute?!" I would compare a porcupine to a prickly wallaby, although slightly slimmer and a bit less lazy. Our porcupine moved rather lethargically, and he didn't seemed bothered by our onviewing at all.

He looked a little like this guy...


only he was in a tree like this one...


Look at him clinging the little branch! Oh my gosh, so cute.

{ Out With the Old, In With the New }

My cute, quaint house has a lack of cute quaint chairs. Consequently, I have been using one of our three kitchen chairs as a desk chair for the last two months. But, after finding a thoroughly trashed, yet fairly salvageable chair on our back patio the other day, I decided to undertake my first re-upholstery job ever and return the kitchen chair to it's rightful place. The project went as shown below. I think it was a good starter piece of furniture. Not very complicated. No hidden screws or edges. It even gave me a chance to work with replacing seat cushion foam (seeing as the original foam proved very dirty and even possibly moldy -- ew.)


The original.


The breakdown. Notice the ground-in dirt on the seat back.


The finished product. I chose a pinky-maroony, fuzzy paisley pattern. It goes good withe the gray walls in the loft.

{ Bedhead is in }

So...I received an e-mail from Jcrew the other day, and lo and behold, the model featured in the photo e-mail totally had bedhead! Now, you may not know this about me, but I have on more than one occasion taken a photo of myself when I wake up if I think I have exceptionally good-looking bedhead. So, when I saw this photo, naturally, I was extatic! I was glad to see that such a classy brand shares my affinity for perfectly messy hair.


The lovely Jcrew model sporting bedhead


My bedhead from a few months ago (don't mind the severe bed face). Totally Jcrew worthy hair. And, PS, me and the Jcrew model are totally wearing the same color! Woaw coincidence.