in the mail this week...trick or treat!

I wanted to send some Halloween wishes to my favorite little trick or treaters. I know Halloween isn't exactly a card mailing holiday but wasn't it fun to get something unexpected in the mail when you were a kid? Well it's still fun!

Cards bought at Enjoy, an urban general store 
All letters hand-addressed & decorated by yours truly
Ready to mail out & waiting for the mail carrier
Fun & whimsical Halloween cards created by Design Design

happy halloween

I thought this was creepily beautiful and oh so Halloween! Enjoy a sweet-filled day today.

I stumbled across this on Design Crush. This amazing sculpture created
by Joshua Harker and you can check out his etsy shop Shhark.

color love today

 Yes, I am on a fall focused kick. I am lovin' the changing colors of my neighbor's tree. 

Each week this Japanese maple is a new beautiful shade.

sandwich smackdown

Chicago has so much great food and my friends and I have an on-going foodie argument- which is better the Hopleaf Ham Sandwich or Lady Gregory's Grill Cheese? Now both of these sandwiches are amazing, flavorful, delicious foodie works of art and we all agree on that. However, we needed to try these side by side and determine which one we thought proved to be the best. It was a close one!

I hope you're drooling over the thought of these delicious eats (I am). I know you're dieing to know who the winner was. By half a point the Hopleaf's ham sandwich was determined the winner by our group of four judges. And we can't wait to do more side by side tasty tastings.

in the mail today

Perfect card to let someone know that they're just "out of sight"! And pretty funny too...memorable card from Egg Press.

love this calendar

This is a great calendar to hang up and enjoy. This southern themed gem created by sideshow press comes in a burlap bag, includes a wood veneer wall plaque and uses this lovely mint | gold | charcoal color palette throughout.  You can buy it exclusively at the garden & gun on-line shop.

all photos kindly used from sideshow press blog.

floor art

I stumbled across this photo on ship & shape. The color palette is so fresh, the pattern looks great and I just love this floor art work. Such a brilliant idea!

photos care of ship & shape blog | painted floor created by Tynan Kerr

color love today

I thought this cool tone color palette with a touch of goldenrod was just perfect today. 
this image was found via fab.com sale for BDellium Tools

xoxo (h(om)e)

I have seen this beautiful purse/bag line from (h(om)e) in a couple local Chicago shops. This Milwaukee based line is distinct, beautifully made and so very cool. The line is filled some lovely colored leathers, chic wristlet's and plenty of handbags in between that you will see no where else.

Right now i have my eye on this convergent rustic evergreen forest leather. Chicago shops Traipse & Virtue are where you can find this line.

in the mail today

I always gravitate to the work of Angela Adams. I find myself picking up her stuff in stores, inadvertently finding things on-line & complimenting others on what always turns out to be something from Angela Adams. Well I am definitely a fan of Egg Press and love that they got together and worked out some lovely stationery, letter-pressed goodness. I love this as a "just because" note.

words to relish

I love to collect favorite quotes that I find here & there. Here are a handful of great quotes:

Steve Jobs quote from TR Prints | Conan O'Brien quote from I Screen You Screen

Music heals t-shirt from Status Serigraph | Hand stamped quote pillow from Casa & Co

Courage hand stamped quote pillow from Casa & Co. | Beautiful typographic wood cut print from Print Royale

 Julia Child illustrated quote from Unraveled Design | Paulo Coelho illustrated quote from Unraveled Design

fall favorites

baked potato soup: Fall makes me want soup especially a hearty, delicious potato soup. This photo makes me want to eat this! recipe from Everyday Food Challange via Foodgawker.com.
majorca villa boots: It's cool enough out to show off your cute boots, I love these charcoal gray Clark's.
aztec fire tea: In my humble opinion, this is the best tea. It is chocolaty, a tad fruity with a slight spicy chili finish. It is delicious on a cool night and the perfect hint of sweet before bed. Check out Teavana indulgent teas.
teal pashmina: Once it gets cool, I have a hard time not wearing a scarf at all times. I love light but added warmth of a pashmina plus I love this teal pop of color.

color love today

I love this simple and somewhat unexpected color pallet. This is a baby quilt created by Barbara Perrino of B Perrino Quilts and I stumbled on it via the Grass Roots Modern blog. I think this would be a great textural piece of art to hang on the wall.

you had me at bacon jam...

I have been to a few food shows in my day and tried countless delicious new products but this is the one I always remember- Skillet bacon spread from Skillet Street Food! It is salty, lil' sweet, bacon goodness. It is absolutely delicious and I have yet to taste anything else like it. This is the perfect gift for the bacon lover, foodie or just someone who likes to try something new.

Skillet original flavor bacon spread 3 pak gift set | You had me at bacon jam T-shirt

in the mail today

Oh, this card reminded me of spending time with my friend in a Paris cafe and it made me laugh. I thought this was a great way to drop her a hello via snail mail. Love this lil' cafe monkey from Night Owl Paper Goods.

This is my 100th post, yeah! Hope you're enjoying it.

map grid goodness

I stumbled on this line on fab.com (an awesome site that always has amazing stuff) a few weeks ago and honestly I can't stop thinking about this pendant necklaces. I love map inspired art like this. Aminimal Studio is a Brooklyn based line with some amazing style. I think these necklaces are great pieces for your favorite city or favorite place you've visited. I love how delicate these look but have so much detail. Check them out & if you buy one for yourself I'd love to your city!

something for yourself

I am a fan of a good planner, and love it even more if it lasts an entire year! These pop block silicone planners from omoionline.com are fantastic. The measure 5.7" x 3.9"-Not too big, not too small and I bet they feel pretty cool. They are filled with practical information, pockets and lots of calendar space. If you're a write-it-down kinda person, like me, I think this is a great little find.

color love today

Don't these colorful books make great artwork? This is actually a wall paper panel from Houzz. I found this great art piece via The Swell Life blog. Now I think I need a collection of colorful books.

one of my favorites

Capri Blue Candles $28 each: Aloha Orchid, Mandarin Mango & Volcano

Now that the weather is a little crisper outside, I've been burning my favorite candle (in fact I'm burning it as I type). In my opinion these Capri Blue candles are the best. They last forever, they look great, and oh the smell is like nothing else. Every scent is distinct, beautiful and makes your entire house smell great for hours even after the candle is put out. I found these little gems at Anthropologie years ago, they last longer than any other candle I've owned and they are worth the the price. One more thing I love about this line; these hand-poured, eco-friendly candles are made in Starkville, Mississippi (yep, the good ol' USA!).

Capri Blue Candle-in-a-jar $25 each: Mandarin Mango, Currant, Volcano & Peeled Naval Orange in mercury glass.

in the mail today

I bought this adorable little card from my favorite local Chicago store, Hazel. This card is from South Korean company: Millimeter Millagram inc. I thought this would put a smile on my friend's face when she opened it but even the outside is adorable!

miz mooz incredible shoes

I am a lover of shoes, I think many of us are. I always have a strong desire for comfort, cool & something a little different. Miz Mooz is an amazingly colorful line with a vintage twist. I am so in love with this shoe line and their unique designs. One thing I love about this line is that they come in a heavy duty, super bright orange, box you can't miss. I can vouch for them too, I own a pair of red boots and they are the most comfortable boots I own. Check out the line and I also suggest take a look at the bright spring collection, so cool!

Feet up if you love Miz Mooz photo! | Wallis flat in a lovely shade of teal | Petal maryjane in red | Barbara boot in green | Adrien bootie in yellow | Silas bootie in red | Charlotte maryjane in navy|

All photos care of the miz-mooz.com

lovin' present & correct

Present & Correct has great stationery, vintage finds and a distinct style all their own. The founders are graphic designers and you can see it from beginning to end with their product line; the photos are bright, thought out and make for a very dynamic site. Everything on the site has a theme that will take you back to your school days and make you want graph paper, a protractor & a chunky eraser...

photo from site of present & correct, one lovely little diagram photographed by them | Security pattern paper bags | Letterpress ruler labels | Tag Notebooks | Cut out number calendar | Old gummed labels | 70's elephant bank | Pick n' Mix Stamps |

color love today

I love this fall color pallet: gray, marigold & pops of green. This feels so fresh, beautiful and gives a taste of fall. This photo and many more lovely fall photographs care of Sweet Paul Magazine.

what? scratch off map, i love this!

Ok, this scratch-off map has been around for a little while and every time I talk about it I say "I love this!". So I thought I'd share this brilliant idea for travelers, map junkies & lotto ticket lovers out there. Isn't this a great idea to track your travels? Or gift to the travel lover in your life.

Check it out.You can find them at I want one of those (photos kindly used from this site), perpetual kid & amazon.