Months ago I looked everywhere online for an artist that photographed the Gapstow Bridge in NYC but had little luck. The first traditional wedding  anniversary gift is paper and I wanted to give Ryan a gift that was sentimental to our relationship. Ryan proposed to me on this bridge, and later surprised me with a room at The Plaza (seen in the background of this photo). I eventually came across this print on pinterest by accident a few weeks ago and couldn’t believe how perfect it was! I also bought a frame but haven’t decided where to put it yet. Maybe it is a gift for me too, but it’s a sweet reminder of how our story started.

(Oh, and Ryan got me tickets to see Wicked. Something I’ve wanted to do for years.) :)

I have become obsessed with gardening. And that might be an understatement. Since living on my own after college, I’ve slowly taught myself how to cook by following recipes and watching the Food Network. This newish obsession somehow seems natural to me that I would now grow the ingredients to use in my recipes.

I absolutely love my new book “Grow Cook Eat” that I recently picked up. It gives you tips on how to grow each veggie (including when to plant the seeds and how much to water them), how to store it, and how to cook it by using the books fresh recipes. I started dogearing the recipes that looked interesting, but now the entire book is dogeared! This is definitely helpful for beginner gardeners, or people who are just learning how to cook!

This past weekend Ryan and I celebrated our first wedding anniversary in a sweet little B&B in New Hope, PA. I can’t believe it’s been a year since we got hitched! Everyone says how quickly time goes by and it’s true  – I seriously still can’t believe that I’ve known Ryan for 13 years, that we’ve been together for 12, and that we’ve been married for one. In all the years we’ve been together, and all the little getaways we’ve been on, this weekend was one of my favorite trips. Ryan describes the teeny city of New Hope an “idyllic” place and I couldn’t think of a better word. The main street runs parallel to the Delaware River and is lined with art galleries, antique stores, and quaint restaurants. Not even threats of a Nor’easter, flooding or torrential downpours could ruin this.

We spent our first day doing a wine tour and visiting local vineyards. We learned the process of making champagne, which wines pair best with chocolate or cheese, and how to properly drink a glass. That night we window shopped in the rain, and had a romantic candlelit dinner chatting about how quickly the past year has gone and what we hope to do this upcoming year.
Each day we woke up super early excited to eat breakfast and start the day. We spent hours antique shopping, visiting a local museum, eating and drinking. Most of the trip was based around what we were going to eat at our next meal. :) We both just love the area and can’t wait to go back!

Last night I was laying in bed flipping through design magazines and came across the work of Mariette Himes Gomez. You may know her from appearing on my guilty pleasure “Betheny Ever After” in recent episodes. One of my first projects in design school years ago was to render a space we found inspiring. I had no idea this was her space, and got so excited when I finally found the source after all these years! (Don’t mind how dark it is – it’s a picture of a picture.)

My tiny 6′ x 13′ home office is easily one of my favorite spaces in the house. It is surrounded by natural light and is so amazing to work in when the windows are wide open and I can hear my wind chimes in the yard. When we first moved here last July, no one could really understand why I was so excited about this room. It was neon green, needed refinished floors, and the ceiling was falling down.

(Before Before )

(Before – With my old broken desk)

With the beautiful weather this weekend, I became inspired to reorganize my office. I found myself working way too often at the dining room table because my office didn’t feel welcoming or complete. I bought this white lacquer desk  to make the space feel lighter and a bit more feminine.

I bought these carved wooden cups in Mexico on our honeymoon and I love the warmth they add to my desk. I keep all black pencils in one, and all black pens in the other to keep my workspace looking neat. I have so many pencils leftover from our save the dates!

The drawers in this desk are very shallow making it difficult to find containers to organize my junk. I like everything in my drawers to have their own spot, and this jewelry organizer makes everything visible and easy to reach. The trays are a pretty metallic faux leather with an ivory velvet interior and make the desk feel very luxe!

The other side of the office has storage for files, samples, and vendor catalogs. This space is directly adjacent to our family room, so I love having everything hidden. It makes is so easy to clean up at the end of the day or when we entertain.

It was important for me to have a surface to have lay out samples for projects, or to keep inspiration books. This piece further adds some femininity to my office.

I painted this years ago and it’s always been one of my favorite pieces of art. It’s oil on wood and is framed in a frame Ryan and I found on trash day. Yes, I’m pretty fancy like that.

desk / chair / lamp / file storage / bud vase / tray / curtains

The other day I was looking at outdoor furniture “just for fun”. You know how that goes. It started with looking at lounge chairs and ended up with a printer full of tear sheets and colorful pillows that I would eventually try to convince Ryan that we needed. Now that it’s officially Spring, I can’t stop daydreaming about gardening, camping and outdoor living in general.  Ryan and I lived in a studio apartment for four years prior to living in our current house, so we are very appreciative of our outdoor space.

To take full advantage of our yard, I’d love to create a space to lounge and enjoy a glass of wine in the evening. Much like in interiors, outdoor furniture should be a mixture of textures, colors and fabrics to create a space that is visually interesting. Our house is very blue, (much to my dismay) so my budget outdoor living room is neutral fused with subtle color and geometric pattern.

teak planters for my very first herb garden
armless club chairs
glass coffee table
textured sofa
yellow floral pillows
geometric pillows
outdoor area rug

In any industry, it’s important to be inspired by the work of your peers. Since starting my career in interior design, I’ve always been fascinated by the work of Roman and Williams. Each space they create is unique, thoughtful and inspired. I recently came across this wonderful short documentary about their design philosophy and design and just love the way it was shot.

Roman & Williams from The Scout on Vimeo.

I typically don’t send out Valentine’s Day cards, but I saw a card in a magazine recently and got inspired to design my own. I’ve had blank 5×7″ cards leftover from other projects, so it was the perfect excuse to use them!

I sent them to my nephews with 10 things I love most about them. I got a call last night from my nephew thanking me for making him feel special. How cute is that? I hope he’ll always think I’m this cool.

I used a background image found on pinterest, but I can’t remember where. If you know the source, please let me know so I can credit the right person!

If you’re interested in making you’re own, I’d be happy to send you the file.

During our most recently slumber party with our nephews, we snuggled up on the couch to finally watch the movie Tangled. (If you haven’t seen it, you should watch it… no matter how old you are.) Every year on the princesses birthday, the entire kingdom lites wish lanterns to set them free into the sky. During the wish lantern ceremony, my oldest nephew Tyler (10), looked over to me and said, “Aunt Lisa, this movie is really emotional.” I love his honesty and that he was feeling the same things I was as an adult. I told him that I would eventually love to be a part of a wish lantern ceremony, thinking that would probably never happen.

But, then I came across some photos on Pinterest and it hit me. Why can’t we create our own “ceremony”? I bought these lanterns and was thinking we could start a tradition when we go camping as a family. How beautiful would these look floating over the lake?! I am beyond excited for our next trip!

It’s amazing how pets make such an impact on your life and can teach you lessons of unconditional love. Smoodge, our 17.5 year old cat, had a seizure this past Sunday and since then I’ve been feeling nostalgic about the time I’ve spent with her. She is Ryan’s childhood cat that he found when he was only 10 years old when she was a feisty, fluffy ball of love. I didn’t meet her until she was 5, and since then she’s stolen my heart.

The past few years we’ve had some health scares with her, but the doctors always say that her tests come back perfect. That she has the blood-work of a 3 year old cat… She even looks like a kitten. And I’ve been in denial that someday soon there will be a time where she doesn’t come running to me when I get home from work.

The vet at the emergency care said that she had a seizure for a reason, and the most common cause is a brain tumor. We don’t know how much longer she’ll be with us, so I’m appreciating the little things that someday I’ll miss about her. Like the way she purrs when I hold her like a baby, or the way she sits by my feet when I cook dinner, or the way she grunts when she rolls over so I can pet her fluffy white belly.

This is one of her new favorite spots. Between 10am-12:30pm the sun through our living room window creates a “sun dial” and we can tell what time it is by where she’s sitting on the floor. It’s the little things.