[introducing guest blogger...]

I'm so excited to introduce you all to my very first guest blogger, Cally Cruze of calico. She's a dear friend, a mother of five, crafter extraordinaire, has a great, quirky sense of humor and an adorable vintage-country style that I love. This week she will be sharing with all of us some of her favorite finds such as gifts both kids and moms will love, beautiful finds for the laundry room and more - so stayed tuned!
Cally creates the most darling quiet books such as the one above. So cute! Check out more of Cally's crafty goodness here.

[good enough to eat]

I saw these over on decor8 and couldn't help but mention them here as well. I LOVE the design of these custom invites. How perfect is that darling little envelope?

[loving this Thanksgiving inspired...]

via this is glamorous on d* sponge.

[the perfect]

found at mina perhonen.

[more Thanksgiving]

for more about how to make them, visit here.

[I'm thinking Christmas gift]

How lovely are these necklaces from Blue Moss? Would make the perfect extra special gift this year, don't you think?

[chair perfection]

at rapture and wright.

[oooh, ahhh]

find more of her pretties here.

[all I have to say is...]

OK, but these painting solutions by Aoneko are fab. I would use that dresser as a changing table. How great would that be?

[I want to be a French gypsy]

and wear the darling clothing by manoush.

[try this at home]

find instructions for it here.

[likey, likey]

I need an invite to a Cali holiday bash so I can have an excuse to purchase and sport these babies.

[these make me happy]

images found here and here.

[a Christmas...]

Rats. This year I was actually going to try and use traditional Christmas colors; red, green, white, you know, the tried and true. No pinks and golds, no blues and silvers, no sugar plum fairy land...this was going to be my design challenge and my gift to Jon who has put up with my pink trees for all these years. And then I come across Amy Butler's house, in Home Companion, all decked out in blues and greens for the season. What's a girl to do? I mean these are the exact colors of my current living room (and I'm a sucker for matching holiday decor with preexisting room design).
And check out her wrapping paper. So great. Dilemma here people...

[for your Christmas table]

I'm OH so very fond of the dishes over at Rosanna. The 12 days of Christmas plates are especially darling and would look great up on the wall.

[perhaps when there are...]

and my husband has a masculine office of his own, I can have a bedroom like this.

[martha's]

loving Martha's holiday photo card projects.

[blues and greens]

It is somewhat of a happy accident that my living room colors ended up in the blue and green family (with added touches of neutrals). We had only so much room on the moving truck when moving out here to California and even though I tried to plan things out in my head before hand, we ended up with a modge podge of home items (I have lamp bases that don't have tops...it's craziness). I've managed to put things together in a way that I'm starting to be pleased with and this recent post from cafe mom (found via sfgirlbybay) about her home has really excited me. I really love the modern white Eams chair with weathered turquoise table. I also really like how she has achieved a well designed, livable space for children (something I struggle with daily, albeit happily). I was also perusing Design Dust today and saw this post on Joel Dewberry's fabric. Love them. I recently purchased a swing for baby O. (a must for a colicky baby) and am not thrilled with the design (I've looked up and down for well designed swings and haven't found anything I'm head over heels with) so I was toying with the idea of sewing a new cover for it. Now, looking at Joel's fabric, I think I'll have to give it a go.

[Thanksgiving]

I love these simple basket weave place cards from Martha Stewart. Perfect for your Thanksgiving table.
And speaking of tables...aren't these settings jut lovely? I love the blossom branches as the center pieces.

[I'll take one...]

Shannon of Auntie Cookie made this fabulous quilt for her cousin who just had a baby girl. Swoon. Lucky cuz.

[art fix]

love this.

[tribeca loft by...]

Oh how I would love to move into this Tribeca loft designed by Steven Gambrel. He's managed to design a home that is both elegant and modern, feminine and masculine. This is a look that I think even my husband would go for.

[pasadena dream..]

How great are these colors on the exterior of this Pasadena home? If we owned our little place I just might have to copy them.

[what a California fall looks like]

I love these looks by Best Behavior. Here in Cali it's painfully warm. I'm sad I can't wear all the bundled fall looks I adore so much but these outfits are a great alternative (although you might have to ditch the scarf after taking two steps outside).

[more love for...]

I have a confession to make. Every now and then when I'm in a Dr.'s office and I find a really great picture in a magazine...I just have to tear it out (I know, I feel guilty about this). The above pics (from Southern Accents magazine) are from such a time, when I just couldn't walk away. Of course I'm smitten with coral pinks but I also I really love the eclectic yet unified-by-color design of this room and that fabulous green table! What a great accent color.
Friend and blogger Brooke, of inchmark, also shows just how well these two colors go together. I love it.

[must have this calendar from...]

I'm a new fan of the blog kris's color stripes and am smitten with the 2009 calendar she illustrated and designed. I LOVE color and am constantly on the look out for new and unique color combinations. Kris does such a fabulous job of breaking down color schemes found in objects, nature, design, you name it. So inspiring.

[fun ideas for...]

I no longer have a staircase in my home and I miss having one. They are so elegant and present so many creative possibilities.

[a fresh new take on...]

Reader and blogger Jackie, of Sweetie Pie Pumpkin, came up with the most darling color scheme for her daughter Kara's nursery (which was an entry in the Odeedoh Kids' Color Contest). Of course I'm partial to the coral pink and gray colors used alongside the soft lavender. So serene and a great alternative to all the bubble gum pink out there.