Giveaway!

GIVEAWAY ENDS FRIDAY, AUGUST 27 AT 5PM EST!!!
Folks, I really can't tell you how excited we are to offer this giveaway. We've teamed up with Brooke Fitts of Brookelyn Photography to offer one lucky reader a photo session shot by Brooke and styled by us. It can be an engagement session, a love session, a session with your family, your pet, your favorite place in New York, a session with your friends, or just to capture who you are at this moment in your life. To enter, just hop on over to Brooke's website and have a look-see at her photos (you might want to set aside some quality time with a cup of coffee to do this since her photos are insanely beautiful and inspiring!), then come on back over here and leave a comment on this post telling us which of Brooke's photos is your favorite and why. We'll pick a winner next Friday!
Fine print: We're sorry, but because of our busy schedules, the winner must be able to shoot in New York City between the 4th and the 9th of October. If you win, you'll also have to provide your own lodging and all of that if you're coming in from out of town (though we'll be happy to have you over for dinner!).

YOU + ME*

If only this were meant for our business. We would blush and say aw shucks to Nick Schmitz. Maybe we'll hang it on our office wall and just pretend. 

You + Me, by Nick Schmitz
via Swiss Miss

Lonny Love

Hello. It's always good to see you. Did you know the September issue of Lonny came out yesterday? We suggest you hop over there for a little visit.

Is anyone else swooning over Vicente Wolf's Montauk home? Just putting it out to the universe that we would make fantastic housesitters.

Happy Friday!

this was too pretty to save for another time. we hope everyone enjoys their weekend!
{via design for mankind}

D.I.Y. Garland + Little Giveaway

When we wanted to add some visual interest to a family portrait, we thought immediately of something hanging in the background. But what? Buntings are a little..ahem, overdone. Not that we don't still love them. But. Mobiles require trees or ceilings from which to hang, which this family's location didn't have. We came up with this garland that still has the fun festive feel of a bunting, but is a little different. They're going to make their own in various sizes in their color scheme, and hang them along vintage oars stuck in the sand behind them. Even if you're short on oars, make one today and hang it from your light fixture above your dining room table to make your weeknight dinner feel like a party, in your backyard (or on your fire escape) for a little added color (but take them down if it looks like rain!), or in your baby's room as a summery mobile. You, like the folks aforementioned, can even make them in varying sizes and hang them in multiples to add interest!

Materials:
string of some sort
tissue paper in various colors
something round to trace, like a glass or a mixing bowl
a pencil
a glue stick
scissors

Make it!
Step 1: Trace your round object, and cut out circles in various colors. We like to keep the paper folded over on itself, and cut out multiple circles at once.

Step 2: Fold your circles in half around your string, and glue in place. Use a ruler if that helps you keep even spacing between your circles. Hang and enjoy!

Can't/Don't want to D.I.Y.? Win it! Just leave a comment here by 12:00PM (noon) EST on Friday, August 6 telling us where you would hang this, and we'll pick one of you to win 10 yards of this garland in the colors shown.

Show me some stripes, and I'll follow you anywhere

The other day I caught myself buying a striped sweater and a striped beach blanket (darn you Steve Alan and your outlet a mere block from my apartment) while wearing a striped tank top and holding my daughter who was wearing a striped dress. I want to say that I addressed this stripe overload by putting everything back and building a relationship with some rustic plaids or stalwart solids, but alas, I don't have that kind of self control.

So you can only imagine my glee when I stumbled upon this:

Chance, created by Julia Leach, former creative director of Kate Spade, is as much a concept as a clothing company. Even if you're not in the market for classic, chic, and effortless pieces that will blend seamlessly into your wardrobe, the web site is worth a gander. 

The timeline of stripes alone is inspired.

[via Wit + Delight]

Max & Margaux

Yesterday, we promised you some Max Wenger-related goodness, and here it is, and we are telling you (TELLING YOU!) that it will not disappoint. If you need confirmation that true love exists in this world, just look at Max and his new wife, Margaux. Holy schmoly. Congrats, you crazy kids!

{via our labor of love}

And there's this one too:

{via 100 layer cake}

We are super duper into the events that The Flashdance puts together--they are absolutely worth checking out!

Online Magazines

If you're like us, you mourned the passing of Blueprint and Domino maybe a little more than others in your household deemed reasonable. Luckily, a few online magazines have popped up for us to peruse. While they don't offer the tactile experience of their paper predecessors, they do have some neat features (like being able to click on items that you like for more information about them). We thought we'd give you a roundup of some online magazines that we're loving to get you through the rest of the week (click on the magazine names to visit their sites).  You'll be excited to know that a whole slew of them will be releasing new issues soon, so now is the time to get them bookmarked.

Shelter:
Lonny
Nesting Newbies
Domino archives (not an online magazine, but useful and pretty nonetheless)

Lifestyle:
Maeve (new issue due August 3)
Sweet Paul (expect a new issue in late August)
Pure Green Living(brand spanking new! via poppytalk)

Kids:
lmnop
Small Magazine
Papier Mache