“When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you.” - Karen, age 7

photograph by ChelseaVictoria

I'm sure this has already made the internet rounds ten times over, but I really like this list of children's answers to the question, "What is love?". Children can often say such true, poetic, and funny things. I want to ask some of my favorite little ones this question - I know I'm bound to get some great responses.

Actual children’s answers to the question “what is love?”

“When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth.” - Billy, age 4

“Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other.” - Karl, age 5

“Love is what makes you smile when you’re tired.” - Terri, age 4

“Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK.” - Danny, age 7

“Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more. My Mommy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss.” - Emily, age 8

“Love is what’s in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen.” - Bobby, age 7

“Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs.” - Chrissy, age 6

“If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate,” - Nikka, age 6

“Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday.” - Noelle, age 7

“Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well.” - Tommy, age 6

“During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling. He was the only one doing that. I wasn’t scared anymore.” - Cindy, age 8

“My mommy loves me more than anybody. You don’t see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night.” - Clare, age 6

“Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken.” - Elaine, age 5

“Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day.” - Mary Ann, age 4

“I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones.” - Lauren, age 4

“When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn’t bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That’s love.” - Rebecca, age 8

“When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you.” - Karen, age 7

“Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Brad Pitt.” - Chris, age 7

“You really shouldn’t say ‘I love you’ unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget.” - Jessica, age 8

discovered via wonderfuldreams

P.S. I'm fully aware that some, if not all, of these answers may be fake, but I'm a sucker for them all the same...

Kennedys in summer

Mark Shaw photo via svenskamobler.com

Having lived in Massachusetts for a large part of my life, I know how much the Kennedys mean to so many (New England is as obsessed with them as it is with Whitey Bulger and stories of the Irish Mob in Boston). And, with the death of Ted Kennedy, the history of this family is again being passionately discussed (I saw a great documentary about them the other night on PBS).

They were a beautiful and engaging family. And, as the reaction to Ted Kennedy's death exemplifies, their political and altruistic interests greatly shaped modern American life (I liked this brief article on Slate.com about the littlest brother's political legacy). They were, however, also a very troubled family that used their influence and power to win elections and cover-up scandals (see, now, the dark side of Ted Kennedy's legacy).

The Kennedys seemed (and continue to seem) to exist on extreme sides of a spectrum. There is the beautiful myth captured in these photographs of a young family glowing with the haze and light of summer. There are the hard facts of profound and important political, social, and cultural accomplishments. And then there is the dark underbelly revealed in newspaper pictures of a car being dragged out of water and in stories of unfaithful husbands. The Kennedy family has such a contradictory and rich legacy, and we have such a complicated love for them.

(Most, if not all, of these pictures (I can't id the last one) of this young Kennedy family were taken by Mark Shaw in the late 1950s, early 60s.)

photograph via markshawphoto.com

photograph via markshawphoto.com

Mark Shaw photo via ultraswank.net

photograph via markshawphoto.com

photograph via markshawphoto.com

image via ffffound.com

Thursday, a boudoir, and Etsy

It is that time again and my turn to conjure a room using only Etsy and imagination. So I read that the word "boudoir" comes from the French verb, bouder- to sulk. It was considered not only a lady's private room, but quite literally, "a place to sulk in". I do all my sulking right out in the open, but if I had a house with a boudoir space, I would love it to look a little like this.....

A charming vanity and bench...the seat covered in a beautiful fabric never to be marked with toddlers' sticky prints (this is make believe, so toddlers' fingers would never dare be sticky).

Image courtesy of gypsyfishstudio

Image courtesy of allycooke

For the vanity, a classic tray and all the tiny displays of beauty.

Image courtesy of sunshinesketchesImage courtesy of BROOKLYNrehab

Image courtesy of WhiteEarthStudio
Image courtesy of dandyapple

A reading corner- the chair, ottoman, some of those amazing pillows, and the luxurious blanket I always wish I had.

Image courtesy of lunarloungedesign

Image courtesy of FineThangz
Image courtesy of rubystella

Image courtesy of chicthrows2

Add just the right table and lighting....

Image courtesy of Brittlebee

Image courtesy of anniewaites

Image courtesy of drawflowers

On the walls.....an enchanting piece in pastel and a trio of dreamy photographs.

Image courtesy of tushtush

Images courtesy of alicebgardens

A space simply for relaxing ....and the occasional sulk.

Can I live here, please?

Forget about babies -- I want to live in this nursery! I saw this room first on mustard and sage and could not help going back to it to admire the "baby's first taxidermy" elements, the vintage yellow crib and cloud sheets, the birds!, all the beautiful shades of wood, and the room's gorgeous light (and cute light fixtures). Isn't this nursery such a design inspiration?

all images via grayhood.com

Rosie does it

Love the Rosie the Riveter images rounded up on the Flickr blog, especially baby Rosie.

By Kate O'Brien Creative:

By snippets from suburbia:

By Melissa Witcher:
By Shelley Panzarella:

See more Rosies here.

When inanimate objects speak...

image by jeannie86

I love good sloppy hair. Not the kind of hair I have when I wake up with my bangs standing straight up (because I slept on my face) or when my head looks dented (because I went to bed with wet hair), but messy hair that looks like you don't give a damn and still looks great. This is, of course, something I cannot accomplish at all (though I am master of sloppy sloppy hair). You have to have a certain nonchalance, a certain, dare I say, style to look good without caring whether you actually look good.

And so that's why seeing the bobby pins appeals to me so much. Sometimes the prettiness is in how haphazardly they are shoved in to keep the hair out your eyes or to hold down a cowlick. You can argue that they are a bit too utilitarian, but that's the quality that appeals to me. Plain old bobby pins just seem to say: "Look at me. Yeah, I'm ugly, I'm plain. I know it. But I also don't care." That's what makes them the cool girl at school.

image by Meganzii

image via W

image via W

image by ~kaileecripson

image via dreaming of revelry

image via oh bambi

small stump + studio choo

I confess it was again the pictures that drew me into the site of studio choo. I am such a sucker for great photography and this site has so much of it. After scrolling through gorgeous shot after shot, I paused to read what they were all about- I immediately became an even bigger fan.

Studio Choo is the floral department of Small Stump. The designs
are the work of two best friends, Alethea Harampolis and Jill Pilotte, who
share a love for flowers that are just a little bit wild. They have a deep
appreciation for the handmade, and a desire to keep every day simple and
sweet.
Studio Choo uses flowers that are locally grown (whenever
possible) and always fresh and seasonal. The containers include “one of a
kind” vintage pots, hand-crafted vases from independent artists, and vessels
reclaimed sustainably from nature.

Imagine working with your best friend, doing something you love, and having an outlet for your creativity that results in something simply beautiful for others to enjoy. Sounds perfect. I wish I wasn't clear across the country because I'd love to have a studio choo creation to call my own- lucky San Francisco folk! For now, I'll have to settle for the pictures....

All images courtesy of studio choo