pin it forward

good morning, chickens! the baton has been passed from ashley-nicole and today it is my turn to share 'what home means to me'. been wondering what that 'pin it forward' badge is all about over there? well i am lucky enough to be part of a project conceived by the lovely victoria at sfgirlbybay and the folks at pinterest, the online software that let's you bookmark your favorite images and catalog them--it. is. awesome. so let's get this party started. these are the things i dream about...

lots of light, a big family table and a place of my own to work, make things and dream.

a big oak tree to sit under with family and friends, some great food and drink and beautiful flowers (that i don't have to take care of).

a little kitchen with open shelves, a vintage stove and, of course, lots of green.

a dutch door and possibly a cow (but not sidney greenstreet).

my boys (big and small).

there is of course more. and i am lucky enough to have many of these things already. the truth is home is where i keep my heart. things are just things, but those 3 boys are what home really means to me (sappy, huh?). if you want more, you can check out my pin board here--adding stuff all the time. and get yourself a pin board, you will love it.

now it's time for me to pass the baton to justnoey for tomorrow's installment. don't miss it! and be sure to enjoy your day(:

favorite blogs | design mom

On of my favorite bloggers, Gabrielle Blair (aka Design Mom) is hosting "Ask Design Mom Week"--it is a must check out. To do so, click here.

enjoy(:

fabu blogs

Photo from Pure Blog

I admit it. I'm a blogaholic. And I am convinced that I am going to get fired from my job for over-blogging despite the fact that any url with the word 'blogger' or 'blogspot' (not 'blog' interestingly) is blocked. This has caused me to venture into new territory and find new blogs...ones with the words 'typepad' and 'wordpress' in them. I've added some of these gems to the "blogs i love" section and I thought it would be fun to highlight a few from time to time. "New" only indicates that they are new to me and/or new to the blogroll. Most of these beauties have been around for a good while and have a very faithful following.

First up: Pure Blog

This wonderful online notebook penned by noted British designer and author Jane Cumberhatch is exquisite in its simplicity. The images are so calming. I'm addicted.

feeling a bit snarky

In a effort to keep the less, shall we say, candid posts (see Tuesday's rant) from appearing on SaucyMom, I have collaborated with lovely friend Dame Courtney on a new blog called Vive Helen! The blog isn't all about snark, however. Think of it as a virtual cocktail party with all your best girlfriends.

Dame Courtney (DC) and I have been plotting for ages to get a "girl group" together made up of all of our wonderful lady friends. See, she has tons of cool friends and I have tons of cool friends but none of them really know one another. The idea is that we would all meet on a regular basis at a fun restaurant for happy hour. Then her girls could get with my girls and we could all be chums. We've had a hard time pulling it off, though. I think we needed the proper inspiration.

Enter Vodka Has No Carbs. See DC wasn't really hooked on the blog thing yet. I kept telling her about all of the funny stuff I was reading knowing that since we share the same sense of humor should would get a kick out of them. A lot of the ones I look at have mommy humor and while I love it, she is still a saucy single with cute boyfriend so I hadn't found just the right one to get her in. Then I starting reading VHNC and I was laughing so hard I was crying and co-workers were peeking their heads into my office to make sure I was okay. I sent her the link immediately. Same reaction. She was hooked. That's what I'm talking about.

Okay, so the funny chicks at VHNC have a great post featuring Helen Mirren (okay, go look at it now, I'll wait...)

Can you believe that? Is she amazing or what. Is she something to aspire to? I love her. We love her. That was it. She was our mascot. She was what we needed to get this party started.

So there you have it. Vive Helen! is born. It's a place to hang out with your girls. Chat it up. Rant a little. You can even send us a problem and we'll run it by our virtual Helen and see what she comes up with for you.

And, if you are interested in authoring a post or two, shoot me an email at marcy[at]wackerdesign[dot]com and I'll get you the hook-up.

family modern?

I popped over to mydeco.com after reading about the style finder quiz on How about orange... for giggles and apparently my style is "family modern". I was slightly offended at first, but after I read this, I had to agree:

Your home confidently embraces the many needs of busy, family life. It's adaptable and easy to live with, reflecting your sense of style without having to banish the kids to the attic or basement. You're sensitive to elements of design such as colour, light and architectural detail, mixing items that are relatively disposable with other pieces that in time will become family heirlooms.

What style are you?