color chalkboard paint.

Have you ever heard of colored chalkboard paint? I hadn't until a friend recently sent me the link to Hudson Paint. Hudson Paint is a supplier of colored chalkboard paint sold in 1 quart sizes. With 24 pretty shades of color, your sure to find the right shade to fit in any decor.

Is your brain spinning with the possibilities? Mine too.

celebration garland.

This celebration garland kit is so great. Your kit comes complete with 72 letter discs that allow you to spell out a special message for every occasion. Find it here.

{via ohdeedoh}

whoMi?

I love calendars.

I love to be organized.

I love even more when you combine the two!

My absolute new favorite wall calendar is from whoMi. It is my brain, my control center, my constant reminder of what is going on at any moment. The whoMi family wall calendar is an extra wide monthly planner that is color coded to help you keep track of everyones schedule.

Meet Nina. She thought out-of-the-box. She dreamed big.

Meet Gail. Detail oriented + a business woman.

They teamed up together and whoMi was born.

Nina so graciously answered a few of my questions. Read on to discover a little more about who Nina is and sneak a peek at a few of her favorites.

Q&A

Are you naturally organized or is it something you actually have to work at?

On the contrary. In fact, I consider Whomi a brand for the organizationally-challenged. The whole idea behind the simplicity and the color-coding is that you don’t have to work at being organized-you just write things down in the right place and you become organized.

Why the name WhoMi?

It started with the idea of “Who goes where when with whom”? The color-coded agenda-which was the original and only Whomi product-is all about who is doing what at a given time. So then I started riffing on WHO and the idea of Who me? Popped into my mind. I liked it for so many reasons:
-it makes you smile=it’s fun and playful
-you can use it in so many ways-Who, me organized?, etc.
-it almost has a Japanese sound to it which I though was so ironic as one thinks of Japanese things as techy and Whomi is the anti-techy brand.

What’s your favorite product in the WhoMi collection?
That’s like asking me which of my children I love the most. For me personally, I find the color-coded agenda indispensible. I created it because I needed to see my family’s week laid out this way and it didn’t exist on the marketplace. Now I can’t live without it.

What’s your favorite downtime activity?

Reading, Dancing, Knitting, tickling my children-not necessarily in that order.

What’s your proudest partenting moment?

Whenever I see my children do something that demonstrates their ability for empathy and kindness towards others.

What is something you wish you could be better at?

Cooking

A few of Nina's favorite things.

My children

Ice Cream

Laughter

Broadway Musicals-especially the old ones
My husband
Snuggling up with a good book and a cup of tea on a cold winter night
Italy
A room with a view of the ocean
Ballet
Maine

Thanks Nina!

state fair of texas, i love you.

[state fair of texas fall 2008]
As far as I can remember, I have enjoyed the State Fair of Texas almost every Fall. I have fond memories as a girl and am loving creating new ones with my own little family. I am crossing my fingers that we can make it out to the fair this year.

Do you have a state or county fair where you live?

trick or treat? treat please.

I always buy these around Halloween. I don't know why but I really like them.

Do you?

friday favorites : by Suzanne.

[image via here]

A few of Suzanne's favorite things

weekends

books organized by color

black cats

cool breezes

the "hug of the day" from my husband

origami cranes

pumpkin spice lattes

happy mail [anything that is not a bill, flyer, or donation request]

taking my socks off at the end of the day

clear umbrellas

thanks Suzanne and happy friday!

click here to be our next friday favorites.

i need some TOMS.

I have been on a shopping hiatus for like, well FOREVER it seems. I have a million and one things bookmarked that are a MUST for this fall and this is one of them. I am itching to get my hands on a pair. I just might take the jump and snatch 'em up soon!

fall is in the air.

I can hardly believe it.

The last two days have started out so nice and crisp and the days have been mild. Highly unusual for Texas but I am la la loving it.

It goes without saying that I adore fall and am in love with Halloween. Here is a peek of the little bits and pieces of fall and halloween that dot my home.

Now tell me, do you like to decorate for all hallows eve?

colored tights.

So today I've been thinking about colored tights. I was on the fence with this trend until I saw these images over at Unruly Things. Aren't they smashing? I need to go purchase some before all of my favorite colors are gone.

{Images via Anthro}

darling dexter.

Whitney Deal, the girl behind Darling Dexter, indeed has a darling little esty shop. You simply must check it out.

two new favorites for halloween reading.

Since Halloween is a favorite around here, it goes without saying that we just love to read our collection of spooky, creepy books.

At night, I light the candles, and the boys and I cuddle up and get lost in the stories. My boys are currently loving this and this. The illustrations are fantastic and the stories capture both my four and 2 1/2 year old. Any favorites at your house?

sewn natural.

I came across Sewn Natural's shop just last night while doing some etsy browsing. This sweet shop creates modern eco baby and toddler blankets, quilts, toys, dresses and more! The gnome baby dolls are super darling, and these hand screen printed birch tree blankets are just divine. Check out more of the lovelies offered up here.

DIY friday: felt pillow.

Ruffles are so hot. Thanks to Etsy and Anne Kyrrö Quinn's book, Felt Furnishings you can add a little pretty ruffle action to your decor too. Follow the tutorial here.

freya art + design.

I swear it has been raining and thundering non stop for almost two weeks. Although I like it, I could use a little bit of sun. This print made me smile. Freya's talent definitely shines through her work. Check her out here.

friday favorites : by Ada-Marie

[image via here]

A few of Ada-Marie's favorite things

cozy pick-stitch quilts

savannah, georgia

york peppermint patties

frank stella

summer thunderstorms

pinot noir

white bedrooms

mobiles

delicious chick lit

my kind husband and sweet daughter

Go here to find out how to be our next friday favorites!

2010 Linda & Harriett calendar.

Is it really ever to early to start narrowing down your calendar picks & choices?

No. never. ever.

I happen to have a special place in my hear for calendars. I really do love them. Dearly, I do. Right now I have four calendars gracing our walls, and only one is functional. The rest are pretty and I consider them art. Right now, Linda & Harriett's 2010 calendar tops the list of favorites for the new year. What makes it even more special besides the fantastic designs adorning each month, is the brilliant fact that you can snip off the bottom portion and send a post card to a dear friend or loved one. Pass on the paper goodness, if you will.

closet purge.

[photo via here]

When my life gets a bit crazy and stress in running high, I like to turn to things that I can control. It seems to bring a pit of peace, which is surely what I need. I have been busy organizing nooks and crannies here and there. The other day I did a closet purge [my side only]. I will have to tackle the husbands side another day.

Here is what I figured out.

I like simple.

I like whites/gray/dark gray/navy [boring I know].

I do NOT like to layer [as in I should stop purchasing clothes with too low a neckline].

I LOVE ruffles.

I la la love cardigans + sweaters.

I absolutely adore jeans.

I purged quite a bit. Most items were under a year old. Everything was in good shape, lovely but there was just one thing....

I never wore them because I didn't feel comfortable.

I pledge from this day forward to only buy pieces that I love and make me look fabulous. Now I just need to plant a money tree to foot the bill.

the handpicked collection.

I pretty much love anything and everything that keeps me organized. I am a wee bit OCD when it comes to organization. It is a passion of mine. Another love of mine, giving spot on fabulous gifts. That doesn't necessarily translate to expensive. To me, it means giving a meaningful, thought out gift.

A new to me company, based out of the London, helps you keep track of birthdays while offering up thoughtful gift ideas. The Handpicked Collection is a lovely website that is completely easy to navigate. All you have to do is enter in all the birthdays you wish to keep track of and each time a birthday is drawing near, in pops a reminder into your email inbox. Ta da! Piece of cake!

You simply must check them out!

You'll thank me!

orange poppy.

Orange Poppy's shop is full of super sweet necklaces. An easy peasy way to jazz up a basic tee.

stella jade.

Remember this lovely gal from friday favorites?

Well, she just so happens to have a lovely little jewelry shop filled with baubles and jewels and all things lovely. I received this little rose in the post and absolutely adore it. My middle name just happens to be Rose, so it was an extra special surprise.

Stella Jade offers up beautiful pieces that are a little bit vintage, a dash of whimsy and just the right touch of feminine. The quality is top notch. My "just a rose necklace" has found the perfect home dangling around my neck.

What would you choose?

**UPDATE**

Silly me... I forgot to tell you. Sarah is offering up a fabulous discount to My Favorite Things readers. How does 15% off your order sound? Just enter Myfavoritethings in "notes to seller" when you check out. Thanks Sarah!

become a Friday Favorite!

[photo via here]
My lovely readers, we want you to become the next Friday Favorite. It is fun to find out what you love and what makes you happy. Click here to learn how!

purple trail GIVEAWAY!

I still love receiving invitations in the mail.

Although I will admit, that sometimes sending an invite electronically can save time and money. And sometimes, you may need just that.

I'm sorry, but I can not hop on board with all those who use Evite. They lack design and are just not pleasing to the eye. If I want to send something through cyber space, I still want it to stand out.

Enter Purple Trail. An ingenious new to me company that takes party planning online to a new level. Not only can you create, design and send your invitation or announcement online, you can also plan it, organize it and keep track of all the details. You can even communicate with your guests via a message board!

Purple Trail does offer a FREE plan which includes the basics of your party planning needs, but if you really want to go all out, they offer three additional plans that are extremely budget friendly. Basic, Pro & Premium are your three additional choices and each step up offers more fantastic features including....

.more invitations per month

.faster customer service

.print @ home designs

.chat in real time with event guests

No more stressing over party planning. Purple Trail makes it easy peasy!

And today, a lucky reader has the chance to win a Basic Membership package. All you have to do is this....

*comment

*leave me your email [for contact purposes]

*tell me what your favorite feature is

*become a fan of Purple Trail on facebook

Good luck! The giveaway closes on Friday [9/18] morning at 7!

kate quinn organics.

A friend recently tipped me off to the lovely organic line Kate Quinn. I'm having a hard time picking a favorite, all of the designs are so delicious. I think I'd like one of each, please.

tin can lids.

How do people come up with genius solutions like this? Read more about these biodegradable lids here.

DIY friday: shoe bag.

I think having sweet shoe bags seem really luxurious. Wouldn't your shoes be so happy the next time you traveled?

Learn to make them here by the talented and lovely Betz White.

friday favorites: by Lisa.

{photo via here}

A few of Lisa's favorite things

Cozy Rainy Days
Fresh, Clean Laundry
Being Inspired by incredible people, Bill Phillips for example
My boys when they laugh
A soft pair of Uggs
my vintage Gone With the Wind book and most all books actually ;)
Charming vacation spots, like HERE
Learning new things!
European home decor
Love notes from my husband

chiffon neck.

Now that labor Day has passed, I am officially letting myself discover all of the lovely new cardigans out there. You know, because I have a thing for cardigans.

Love the detail around the neck of this one. Hate the models expression.

Do you have any new cardigan favorites I should know about?

birthday invites.

Did you see these party invitations Suann of Simplesong created for her son's birthday? I adore everything about them. Right down to the vintage stamps.

photo wallpaper.

This idea has my creative wheels spinning.

calling cards.

Suzy Jack created these pretty calling cards that you can print off for free over at Creature Comforts. Free stuff is the best. Especially when it's pretty.

wood camera.

Someone, quick. Buy this for baby Oliver.

[via armelle]

DIY friday: pennant stamp.

Wouldn't you just love to receive a package all gussied up with pretty pennants? Me too. That's why I'm dying to make one of these darling stamps.

[via say yes to hoboken]

christmas mini session.

It's September, I know.

But I am a planner and plan I do.

Get a head start why don't you?

Auburn Soul Photography is offering up Christmas mini sessions.

Go here for all the deets!

owl really want it.

I really really want, ahem, I mean need this owl purse.

Honestly I do.

friday favorites : by Erin

[image via here]

A few of Erin's favorite things

a really good book, like Harry Potter

fresh cut flowers on my kitchen table

sending a receiving mail on pretty stationery [especially from this girl]

watching movies and eating popcorn

lovely London [such great shopping!]

my gorgeous boys

tea parties

christmas eve

watching Lost with my husband

children's books

as long as i have you.

I bought this lovely print a while ago.

And I still love it.

It makes me smile.