if i had it to do over again

(and didn't have a wedding budget so small that few people could even make a car payment with) i would give my bridesmaids' virginia johnson scarves. hell, i might just one day give them each one anyway. one day when i don't have an overall life budget so small that i can barely make my own car payment! act surprised, girls - you've got time to forget!

post by arre

(she's) leaving on a jet plane

high flying - by aflow on Polyvore.com

thinking of and saying a prayer for Courtney and JJ as they venture off to a foreign land. xx


post by arre

i need to know...

if i am (accidentally, of course) stealing bandwidth or doing any other blog-specific offensive things PLEASE tell me. (this end of) blogging is still so new to me and i really have no idea what i am doing anyway. this is a request for information - either that or a disclaimer ;)

post by arre (but for us both)

taking a cue?

looks like Kate Moss may be as avid a follower of Joanna as the rest of us ;)

image People.com

post by arre

true love

is it so wrong that (i'm pretty sure) my favorite thing on dash & albert's web site is this bench?!

post by arre

what no one is saying

so, this a.dor.able mama has been all OVER the place lately and while i am not taking away from the obvious point i just gotta put it out there - i totally love her hair!

post by arre

how cute is

Annabelle?!

Who doesn't love a little girl's nursery?! A very good friend of ours put these in her cute little girl's nursery and we love that the dots and stripes add to this already adorable area!

posted by Kristen

doesn't get any better than this

i am so supposed to be asleep right now. well, either asleep or writing (for a paying job. that has a deadline. that is far from finished). but somehow i just stumbled upon something so exciting that it required immediate posting.


rubie green just launched a line of bedding!!!!!


be still, my beating heart. i am (very seriously) considering ordering the shams. in every. available. option. surely between the our master and one guest bedroom we need all of those, right?!

okay, seriously, i am off to bed now.

xo

post by arre

breakfast of champions

This was literally the most breakfast-like thing in our refrigerator this morning. Not that I wouldn't have eaten them anyway! (and no, Kristen, I did not go to the trouble of loading pics to my computer just to have this post - I was already doing the ones from last night!)

post by arre

bunnies, breakfast, & braxton hicks?!

This past weekend, i took my girls to see the Easter bunny - as this next baby is due on Easter, i have a feeling that the girls will be a little confused by the thrown together baskets they have. So, not to feel slighted, i took them to a "Bunny Brunch" hosted by the Jr. League of Albany to meet the Easter bunny. The event was so cute and the girls loved it! They sat with the bunny, MJ colored until her perfectionism started to cause some anxiety, while molly was her usual rambunctious self, causing us to have to cut out a bit early (after some disapproving stares from other brunch goers).



But all in all it was a success!! way to go jr. leaguers!! As I returned home, the contractions began - although, a few weeks early, i really thought maybe it's "time". But as the day progressed, I realized it's still going to be a little while. Although I did try some eggplant paremsan last night (with no labor results). We will see, maybe I will actually make it to Easter (that will only be after i have exhausted every single wives tale in the book to get labor going early!)

Happy early Easter!


post by Kristen

Spring is upon us

i woke up yesterday morning and the image above was the view from my bedroom. and i could not be more excited! i always claim to be a lover of Fall - and i am - but this year, more than ever before, i have been anxiously awaiting the arrival of Spring. i am so ready to have to peruse my (needlessly extensive) collection of barely there footwear on a daily basis. i can't wait to dine outdoors, watch my yard come into full bloom, devour books while basking in the sun rather than by the fire - though it should be noted that in a few months i will be turning down the thermostat just to justify fire building season ahead of its time. i love the time of year when getting ready merely means slipping into a sun dress and a pair of sandals, when makeup is really not necessary, when it doesn't look that ridiculous to let your hair dry naturally and when you can realize at 5:00 p.m. that you really want to sit by the pool for a couple of hours and it's not too late (i actually just returned from this exact adventure!)! enjoy this lovely weekend - i am!

post by arre

decisions, decisions

Risky Business

or

Mod About You

or

both?!

post by arre

are we noticing a pattern here?

last week i had to make an emergency trip to ... the beach - yes, seriously - and not the point - and in my hurried packing i threw a couple of pair of shoes into my bag - and yes, some clothes but again, not the point. upon my arrival i unpacked and as i lined the (only) three pair of shoes up on the closet floor i noticed, with a smile, i know what i like.

posted by arre

how cute is...

Susan?!

Susan thought our rustic frames were just what she needed in her bright poolhouse. They display her family pictures and add a personalized antique touch to a fun room!

Ray LaMontagne

photo from lastfm.com

I vividly remember the first time I heard Ray LaMontagne (last name pronounced LaMontaine - not LaMon-tahge as I so eloquently left out the 'n' and said it the first time i was telling my brother (who of course already knew about him because he knows everything about music. Well, that and I am behind on everything)). I was visiting my sister in Savannah. We were getting ready (for what, I do not recall, but we were getting ready none the less) and taking our sweet time. Getting ready together is a completely different experience than getting ready separately as when we are two our wardrobes quite literally double. The background, which later became the soundtrack, to all of this was one Ray LaMontagne. I hadn't ever even heard of they guy before but it was love. If memory serves the music was so lovely that our plans turned into wine drinking on her stoop. and it was the best thing.

if anyone would like to offer a tutorial on how to get a video in a blog post i will gladly be your first student ;)

posted by arre

i *heart* blogs

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

i had heard of a blog before. i didn't really understand what they were, but i definitely knew they existed. in the Fall of 2007 my friend, erika, announced her plans to launch a blog of her own. "wow," i mused. "your very own blog..." only then realizing how unfamiliar i was with the very essence of what a blog was - much less what a blog was for. upon the creation of 'the blog' i began to orient myself with blogs (largely ones that 'the blog' led me to). eventually my infatuation was so intense it necessitated the need of one google reader account (another entity i had only heard of but had no understanding of much less an understanding for my need of one).

a year and a half later i have realized not only what a blog is but what a blog is to me. as a work from home-r i lack the very poignant element of an office that is co-workers. i miss the interaction. i have realized that bloggers ARE my co-workers. unbeknownst to you, you are my day time colleagues; and, among many things, you are the most polite colleagues one could ask for. you contribute throughout the day, but never interrupt. my lovely assistant, google reader, holds on to each and every one of your messages until i want (or need) a break. and when that time comes i am inundated with the most brilliant exhibit of conversation, inspiraton, beatification and clarification (of any subject from gardening to fashion to current events to interior design to the art world to child rearing). and i love it! and i love you, blogland.
posted by arre

camellias and azaleas and dogwoods, oh my!

my sister currently lives in California and everyday I hear about the luscious landscape that is her habitat and frown at my shady backyard barren with sandy soil. last week as I was driving home from work beneath the literally canopied streets among which i live, i realized - this 'hood ain't too shabby.

post by arre - and p.s. a photographer i am not ;) but each of these were taken from my very own yard!

coming to a place near you?

well, we'd like to anyway! land us an account with a retailer near you and receive a stewart & james picture frame - on the house!

how cute is

photo courtesy of S. Scott

photo courtesy of S. Scott

mj?!

we think the mixed and matched arrangement of our green frames is just what this pink princess room needed to go from baby to big girl!

posted by arre

short story long (i am really good at these)

a few weeks (ok, maybe it was days) before Christmas i was wandering around (the internet) in search of a few (last minute - are there any other kind?) gifts. thanks to joanna i stumbled upon these beauties! whew! i didn't even have to wait for delivery and they were so kind as to even suggest paper. AND it (the paper) happened to come from an office supply store that was mere minutes from my house. needless to say, this was not an experience that will motivate me to get on my Christmas shopping any earlier in '09.

these guys only continue to get cooler. the more i learn about them, the more intrigued i am with them. they live in Paris. and that's just the beginning.

a few days ago i was, once again, led to little brown pen. only this time it was their BLOG!

and in case i didn't already love these guys enough - this was the image on that day's post. *sigh*

you know my friend, Gwen

is it me or does a subscription to goop totally feel like being friends with Gwyneth-freaking-Paltrow? I mean, seriously, each goop newsletter i get is like receiving an email from only my most ridiculously hip, wise, fashion savvy, foodie, child-rearing extroirdinaire, health conscious, chic, girl next door, hot ass friend, Gwyn.

p.s. i wrote this BEFORE the media let into her like she was the only one (of us) narcissistic enough to think the rest of the world might be interested in what they know.

who knows?

i want to think dash and albert rugs are as fantastic as they appear on their website and even in their catalog. does anybody have proof that they really are?!

open for business

after much contemplation, one day-long photo shoot and a boost of confidence, we did it! our etsy shop is officially open for business!

i love these girls

and i don't even know them. but if i did i am sure i would love them even more. until then, i will love their jewels. i think they are more attainable than actual friendship with the lovely ladies who are responsible for their creation.


post by arre

watch out boy she'll chew you up....

I'm speaking of my soon to be middle child! I have to post a couple of pictures of her, to not only be fair (see post about MJ below) but because she's just so, well, hilarious and adorable! She is the complete opposite of her flashy sis and i love every bit of it! She makes no bones about how she's feeling, is a tough kid, but so sweet at the same time. She gives you looks that will terrify you one minute (see below) but then melt your heart the next. Molly is agreeable, loving, strong (she can drink 1 gallon of milk in a single day). She calls her milk "money" because, yes, it really is that good! She really doesn't get that her world is about to be turned upside down with the addition of a new sibling, but i have a feeling that she will be able to roll with it...because that's what she does. Here are some pictures below..and watch out, she'll chew you up but give you a big slobbery kiss right after it.










posted by kristen

coathanger confessions

check out another new blog!

what fun!

Last Wednesday we spent the day at Kristen's house with our dear friend Shanna - who also, as it turns out, happens to be one heck of a photographer - preparing our picture frames for something very exciting, stay tuned!

photo by S.Scott

photo by kristen

photo by S.Scott

photo by S.Scott

a star is born

after much practice - the other day wasn't her first rodeo - Kristen's daughter has made her official debut into the fashion world. Check her (and a fave local shop! and newly discovered totally lovable blog) out here. happy weekend! there's a marathon running past my house - i'm headed out to cheer strangers on now. xo

posted by arre

how cute is...

Kristen?!

photo courtesy of S.Scottphoto courtesy of S.Scott

this gallery in the reading nook off of the family room in Kristen's house is ever changing. It has been growing since before she happened to have almost-three adorable youngins to fill up our frames and at the rate she's g(r)o(w)ing it's sure to continue to do so! seeing our frames housing the very essence of what stewart & james is all about - family, good times, love, memories... makes my heart well up with pride!

posted by arre

She was born with glitter shoes on….

Or at least she should have been - then I would have known what I was in for!! I’m speaking of my 3 year old. I was trying to think of ways to make our work space pictures more interesting and mistakingly(?) thought out loud around my 3 yr old… she jumped in with the idea of her being in the pics too!! I thought – why not? Plus, I love a chance to talk about her. First some background about me – I’m not into clothes, makeup, or really anything that’s particularly “girlie”, so I have no idea where this child could even come from. She is so grown up – loves sparkles, glitter, makeup, rainbows, fairies, she IS a princess, prances when she runs, subconsciously crosses her legs when she sits, wants to name my unborn child “sparkle princess rainbow darling” and call her "ballerina" for short. I don’t know where she came from, but she is a ball of sunshine, and brightens my day without fail. She may not be like me in any way, in fact, sometimes I think she’s all the good parts I was missing. Anyway, enough about her (although she would tell me to keep going). Here are some pics of my sparkling 3 year old (oh, and our work space that happens to be in my basement)

And finally, I let her take some pictures of me..granted, I deleted the ones where she made me "dance like a ballerina". We compromised on getting a shot where I was sitting instead.

posted by kristen

Girl Looks Good!

photo credit of * k. fuller

the following was posted in response to my request for a photo of Barbie: *(ok - first stop laughing. now, delete if you think this is the ugliest doll you have ever seen - it was the first one i could find and i'm not even 100% sure that it is a "barbie" i think it is though - it's well loved?!!! at least she isn't naked!)

I remember learning that my mother had Barbie dolls when she was a kid. I thought Barbie must be ANCIENT if my MOM had had one. She was 25. Barbie turns 50 this month. Before Carrie Bradshaw, before subscriptions to Vogue, W AND Elle, hell, before discovering that dress-up was even an option, it was Barbie (even if Courtney did know that Jem was cooler ;) ). Be girlie in celebration!