for around home--

a few fun things for sprucing up otherwise dull household products, courtesy of my daily email from dailycandy. let's start with the cuteness of the bunny dish-drying rack and alarm clocks. adorable and amusing. fab carries the deer umbrella stand and, as luck would have it, they have a rhino magazine rack. christmas wishlist! doormats can be so boring or totally absurd; i like the cloud. it's whimsical and practical.

images courtesy of dailycandy and sprouthome

seriously, the dish rack gets me with every glance. i just love it. 

random room collection.

i was catching up on my apartment therapy posts in my google reader over the long weekend and came across some fun rooms. some i loved for their colour scheme. others i loved for the furniture. others may just have a cool piece hanging on the wall, like the goat picture, which i love. and i'm always a fan of exposed beams/ceiling as pictured in the kitchen and guest room.

images courtesy of apartmenttherapy.com

pretty round mirrors.

i'm loving this round mirror series. it's a fun way to soften up the hard edges that often make up home decor. and they're a great way to add some texture if you can find one with a good border on it, like this first one--it's somewhat gilded.

images courtesy of apartmenttherapy.com

hermione's big comeback!

hermione, the hand-stitched rhinoceros head, is back--in a big way. (isn't she pretty?) and my love for her couldn't be stronger. when i saw the latest post on planet fur's blog, my heart started skipping in happy skips and excited ideas of where i could land her in my apartment bounced through my head. oh, i love hermione and the fun and joy she represents.

note: all of planet fur's hand-stitched pieces are fantastic. hermione happens to be my favourite because she's a rhinoceros. check out the planet fur etsy shop.

images courtesy of planetfur.nl

the bottom two images are those of planet fur's home. the colours are so bright and cheery. it looks like a happy place and full of joy and love and fun. no surprise it's where hermione hails from!

chalkboard state maps.

i love these chalkboard state maps by shopdirtsa. of the ones below, michigan is my fave--love that place. i'd sure love to see ohio up on the board.

what do you think? worthy of hanging on your wall? they'd be fun in a library.

image courtesy of etsy.com

animal boxes.

sure, they might not be able to hold much, but all i require is that they sit pretty on a shelf or table for me. i'd love one of each but, and to no surprise, especially the rhino.

i'm attracted to the simplicity of their design and the new growth birch wood is lovely.

 images courtesy of areaware.com

animal boxes designed by karl zahn; made of new growth beechwood.

pretty things by neëst.

pretty things for the simple life by neëst. based out of paris, the designs of neëst are japanese-inspired and fed with a scandinavian influence. read hello neëst here.

 images courtesy of neest.fr

baby basket  /  fog linen tea towels  /  brush duck  /  enamel colander  /  large plate tuula  /  brush table

aren't they lovely pieces? i love how the wire basket looks filled with brown eggs. very rustic. the handle would make it a convenient partner for collecting eggs in the barn.

have you ever seen such a pretty hand broom and dustpan set? it's almost too pretty to use. the same goes for the duck brush. such a cute little duck nestled atop pristine horsehair bristles. maybe it's intended as a help-mate for parents that want to get their kids trained early on with household chores.

i would use the plates for my everyday tableware. they'd add brightness and cheer to any meal. i'm specifically picturing them with flooded with homemade bread, toasted and slathered in freshly whipped butter, and fried farm eggs with runny yolks. yum.

hooked on animal portrait pillows.

these adorable hooked wool pillow covers would be perfect in my parents' farmhouse. i'd even like them for own [someday] countryside house.

images courtesy of garnethill.com

i pretty much love that entire bedding set, please, particularly the throw. lovely.

inspired ceramics.

i love these outdoor planters by bull & stein, inspired by the orca.

image courtesy of design-milk.com

their over-sized ceramic apple is pretty cool, too. check it out here and here. 

mannequins.

when i was searching for decor for my new apartment last year, i knew i wanted a vintage body form/mannequin. they make fabulous conversation starters. (beware: some guests may find them odd or awkward.) they're also fantastic for holding or modeling accessories--hats, necklaces, bags.

images courtesy of apartmenttherapy.com

my body form rests on a two-step bench with a necklace and red/white bakers twine loosely hanging from her neck. she's french and bona fide vintage, circa 1942.

decorating for the season.

my love for anthropologie is no secret. they are the masters of every season, every holiday, and christmas is no different. i love their ornaments (especially since they have a rhinoceros almost every year) and their other holiday decor is lovely.

feather wreath? or how about a matching feather mini-tree for your christmas table?

why yes, that'd be lovely, thank you. 

i love the little collection of carolers and the ornaments that look like they've been covered in ice and glistening in the winter sunshine.

images courtesy of anthropologie.com

the utilitarian franchise.

more cool pillows. this set is from the utilitarian franchise based out of san francisco--just across the bay. they take vintage prints and silk screen them onto canvas pillows.

animals masquerading about as influential human figures. what a spectacle!

images courtesy of etsy.com

there's something in professor lion's eyes similar to sylvia, my st. bernard (back home with my parents in ohio)--a look of boredom or dismissal. maybe elitism. 

octopus & me.

love love love these hook pillows by modern dose. the octopus cracks me up (octopus on a pillow? ok!) and i love the colour scheme and formatting of the ampersand (one of my favourite characters simply because of its shape).

images courtesy of moderndose.com

wanna know a secret? sometimes i have a hard time swallowing the price of pillows. it's a disease, i know.

miss jones and friends.

super fun little friends by have you met miss jones crafted from bone china. if only there was a rhinoceros and a duck.

images courtesy of haveyoumetmissjones.com

cute little creatures. i'd love to have a collection and line them up on a shelf or on the floor in a corner like they were on parade.

latin lama.

giant sale going on at lama, latin america in the modern age. get there fast! (thanks for the clue-in, lg.)

images courtesy of lamadesigns.com

while the style of latin america doesn't usually appeal to me, i was surprisingly taken with the pillows--the lama is too cute! and then i spotted the andalusia pitcher and basin and now i can't stop thinking about them. the pitcher is spectacular and would make a lovely vase.

hermione, the hand-stitched rhinoceros head.

i am all smiles, thanks to twig & thistle. kathleen (the author of twig & thistle) revealed her etsy crush and now i share it: planet fur. i mean, come on, how can one not instantly fall in love with the adorable hand-stitched animal heads? hang them on a doorknob or on the wall--anywhere that needs a little happy.

hermione, my favourite, the rhinoceros, named after the creator's encouraging aunt, likes to throw parties, as you may have guessed from the vibrant red party hat.

images courtesy of twigandthistle.com

marlous, the genius behind planet fur, lives in the netherlands with her husband, two rabbits and cat. each animal head is hand-stitched of woolfelt, a renewable and environmentally-friendly resource.

on a personal note, my rhinoceros (someday pet!) is named violet.

pretty pillows.

i had to borrow this pretty post from say Yes! to hoboken. these watercolour-inspired pillows by bluebellgray are like a beautiful dream!

images courtesy of bluebellgray.co.uk

monday delights.

a few delightful things for a delightful monday from a delightful blog, cafe cartolina--a curious collection of art and inspiration:

botanical pillows from couture deco. i'll take one of each, please.

have you seen this new trend of sweater-knit-inspired wallpaper? fantastic! check it out at couture deco. wouldn't it be cool if you could change your wallpaper like you change your sheets--sweater or flannel wallpaper for the colder months and crisp cotton or bare walls for the warmer months?

perfect for a wedding and just as good for saturday errands--i'd wear these floral clips by honeycomb in my hair. they're so pretty and feminine.

and, saving the best for last, a wonderful sofa (from anthropologie, no surprise) with a screaming print. it belongs in my someday cottage.

all images courtesy of cafecartolina.blogspot.com

shine on.

gorgeous furniture, art, textiles, and accents by susan hornbeak-oritz (s.h.o.) for shine. what dazzling talent for such inspired pieces. captivating.

 images courtesy of shinebysho.com

smitten: decorative owls.

somewhere along the line in my road to being an adult, i developed an affection for decorative owls.

before placing it--mindlessly--on a sun-drenched windowsill, i once had a handsome reddish-brown owl candle. i loved that candle. for my birthday this year, my dear friend, ss, surprised me with a set of silver owl bookends. when i moved into my delightful current apartment a year ago, my charming friend, klr, posted these adorable owl salt and pepper shakers on her blog and i was green with envy. a few days later they came to me in the mail as a sweet housewarming gift. they're perched on my kitchen windowsill and smile at me--every day. today i came upon these wonderfully plump, copper-finished paperweights and i'm smitten.

image courtesy of notonthehighstreet.com

there's something incredibly mysterious and beautiful about the owl. late at night in the woods i can hear them hoo-ing and i stop to listen. their sound is mesmerizing. 

i wonder how an owl would do as a pet. it worked for harry potter.