small town living

Hosing off the town hall for the big fall festival.

Ashfield fall festival—10,000 people suddenly infiltrated our small town.

Bare feet and fiddlers.

Face paint.

Picket fences and barns.

Poetry in the trees.

Fiddler getting down on the town green.

foliage remix

I've obviously got fall on the mind this week! Yesterday I posted some beautiful fall prints from Etsy and today, while I anxiously wait for all the leaves to change color so I can get out there and snap some new pics, I'll share some of my seasonal photos from falls past….

Old film cameras photos:

autumn is upon us

It's definitely fall here in the Berkshires and has been for weeks. It's crisp outside, the leaves are changing and falling all around, and the air is filled with that unmistakeable yet indescribable scent—like cold dirt, decaying leaves and apple cider somewhere in the distance (that might not be a beautiful/accurate description, but it really is a wonderful smell). There is just something so invigorating, hopeful and cozy about the autumn season and I look forward to it every year! It's a bit colder up here in Northern Mass than I am used to having grown up in Connecticut, but I've been assured by the natives that this is nothing compared to what's in store for me this winter. Yikes!

In the spirit of the season, some autumn favorites from Etsy…..

Indian Corn by Shannon Leigh Studios

Harvest Photograph by Bucks County Frames

Autumn Leaves by Bomobob

Under an Autumn Sky by Simply Lodge

Fall Photography by Maximonster TJE Photography

It Was a Gorgeous Autumn Day by Oh Joy! Photography

Autumn Trees by Sunshine Fine Art Photography

Pumpkin Photo by S.S.C. Photography

rachel zoe and my love for neutrals

While my husband was away in Colorado last week I used the man-free time to gorge myself on reality TV—something I only get to indulge when he's not around because he acts like he's in physical pain and claims the estrogen levels will cause his brain to internally combust so….change. the. channel. NOW. It's quite dramatic. At any rate, I watched a few back-to-back episodes of The Rachel Zoe Project and completely fell in love with her new house. I just can't stand it. 

I have had a deep love affair with neutrals, most specifically white and cream, for as long as I can remember. It's really interesting because I love to see bright color in other people's homes, in other people's wardrobes and in my own art, but more often than not I choose white for myself—couches, clothes, throw blankets and pillows, cookware, dishes, walls….everything. And I sometimes feel a little self-conscious about the fact that my world in "colored" in white/cream/tan/brown/khaki/stone, but Rachel Zoe changed my mind. She is gaga about the color white, I mean crazy. And her new house speaks to that like no other. 

Looking at this space inspires me to embrace my love for neutrals (with pops of great color here and there) rather than try to force myself to go nuts with color in my house (something I've been trying to do). Of course, in a perfect world I would just move into this house tomorrow because it's absolute perfection….

I have a serious love for white furniture—so impractical, so amazing. I was able to keep my white couch immaculate….until I married my husband.

I could just live in this bedroom. Perrrrrfection.

Where can I get those yellow lamps?? Amazing!

two things i love: anthropologie and fall

I have mentioned my love for Anthropologie numerous times (here, for instance), but this time it's less about the clothes/housewares and more about their fabulous window displays. Since I am currently in a phase of life where I can no longer afford their clothing, I flip through the catalogue when it comes in the mail for a whole new reason—inspiration. The way they style their stores, displays and catalogue shoots drives me bananas. It's magical.

At any rate, I'm loving their fall window displays—styling a common fall display item, the gourd, in a whole new way. Loving it!

the new art store

Sennelier by Jason D Moore Photography

Before I moved out of my Southern Connecticut apartment (and into my first home), I took weekly trips to the art store. I so loved walking down the paint aisle, contemplating each hue, watching the ideas begin to form in my brain…..paintings being birthed from one look at a tantalizing tube of cadmium orange or phthalocyanine blue. And the walls of stretched canvas calling to me in different shapes and sizes, full of possibility. Oh, and the unending shelves of decorative paper! How the beautiful prints neatly laid out on 12x12 sheets fill me with joy! I could go on like this all day given there's something exciting in every aisle at the art store. 


I used to live in what was basically a luxury hotel, where we called the maintenance man anytime something was broken, where we enjoyed freshly shoveled sidewalks after it snowed without lifting a finger, where everything was brand new and modern, where we dropped our garbage into a shoot and it was taken to the dumpster for us, where we never needed heat because we were nestled in between so many other apartments that kept us warm, where our gated park out back was always mowed, where our concierge was always on call. Man we were SPOILED. Now we are home owners. 


As glorious as it is to have a place that is mine (and my husband's, of course), it does change things. I used to have oodles of time to paint and create, what with everything being taken care of for us, but times have changed (at least for now). Painting has been replaced with unpacking, new paintbrushes have been replaced with power tools, photogging adventures have been replaced with trips to the dump, yoga has been replaced with the zen of hand washing dishes (until we get a dishwasher, oh please let it be soon!) and my weekly art store runs have been replaced with……

I never thought I'd see the day when I'd visit Home Depot 5 times in one month, and spend hours contemplating tools and plywood, but the day has arrived. Last week I spent 2 hours in Home Depot with my dad as we excitedly filled two carts with miscellaneous home owner essentials and he gave me, standing in my flowered hippie dress, a full wall patching demo in the spackle aisle as 3 Home Depot employees looked on. Don't get me wrong, home repair is rewarding and I have done my fair share of it given I grew up with a father who taught me to be handy. But……I look forward to the time when the never-ending list of home projects begins to dwindle down a bit and all the boxes are unpacked so I can get back to…..