Canon SD1000 Powershot, I will master thee

by julielion

I've always wanted to learn how to take better pictures, but lots of things come in the way - mostly my problem with being a perfectionist. My biggest hang up has always been the fact that I have just a regular point and click camera, but that looks to no longer be a decent excuse as all of these images were taken by the same basic camera and are really fantastic (they were found and collected in this flickr pool).

The answer to all of my other photographing anxiety (I don't have a good eye, I don't know what all the options on my camera mean) is, of course -- practice, practice, practice. So one of my summer goals is to just get out there and take some darn pictures and stop stressing about how bad they might be. All I have to do now is just get off my lazy butt and find my camera...

by Lucee.

by erin MC hammer

by eastlincolnstreet

by Lucee.

by Christer Ådahl

by julielion

Sarah's House

I have a love/hate relationship with HGTV. I watch it because I love to see the transformation of spaces and the creative process unfolding, but many times I come away frustrated that a dream room can't unfold before your eyes in 30 minutes in real life. Alas, the shows can be entertaining and informative, if not always applicable to our real lives.

My favorite program on the network as of late is Sarah's House featuring Canadian designer Sarah Richardson as she renovates and designs a property. She tackles the project room by room, with a very talented team, an amazing eye for design, and a great sense of humor. The tips about decorating and budgeting she shares are helpful, but honestly it is her end product that makes the show so interesting to me.

This is some of her fantastic portfolio....

All images courtesy of sarahrichardsondesign

Plate wall

lisa congdon plate wall via ooh_food on flickr

Earlier this week on the haystack needle there was a post on melamine plates that mentioned Lisa Congdon's much loved plate wall. It reminded me that 1) I really wish my kitchen was not such a "before" picture and 2) that I would love to try a plate wall in said kitchen at some point.

Every now and then I will look around for the perfect plate, the one that would make a great jumping off point for a collection, but so far I have not found it. I was not even 100% sure I had the right space for a plate wall, but seeing these images made me realize it seems to work in all sorts of layouts....so the search continues!

Image via google

Image via Cote De Texas

Image via remodelista

handmade doll house

"Petit Flaneur" makes the sweetest hand-crafted children's toys, cards, and art. But I am just wild about their doll houses made out of hand-painted pressed wood -- I love how the houses and all their furnishings look like vintage paper (yes, I do indeed love a flammable home).

City Walks

City Walks Paris Deck

I am a strong believer in taking a walk- whether it be in the city, on the beach, with a stroller or with a pooch, holding hands or flying solo- walking is the best way to take a place in and, as a bonus, the fresh air never hurts. 

Chronicle Books puts out a series called City Walks that would please both the inexperienced and seasoned traveler. For each of the sixteen cities featured in the series, there is a deck of 50 cards and every card contains a self-guided walking tour of an area of that city. The front of the card is a detailed map and the back is filled with bits of information about where the walk takes you. 

The decks would be a great gift for folks planning trips to these destinations, but I also think picking up the deck of a city where you happen to live could be great too- there is always more out there to see and do!

Greenwich Village:The West Village Card

mantra while I work this weekend...

via somerset

supporting the indy bookstore

via booktumbling

If you use blogger then you probably also got the email about the Blogger and Amazon.com integration. The bait is that if you use this feature (which claims to not only simplify how you hyperlink to Amazon, but allows you to directly search the website from Blogger editor) then you will earn "commissions" from the Amazon-linked items you've recommended and your readers have bought.

All this is well and good and I've got nothing against earning a couple of extra bucks or Amazon (trust me, I've bought plenty from them!). However, I hate the manipulation of this "integration," how the recommendation of a book and the use of a hyperlink to that book becomes a marketing ploy to trusting readers. Aside from that - it also seems like another way for a huge business/website to not only take more business away from other, smaller, bookstores, but also attention from authors' pages, book reviews, etc.

Anyway, before I step off my soap box - I'd like to make a commitment to hyperlinking any books Hiving Out recommends to IndieBound, an online place that helps locate local independent and small bookstores (hope that's okay with you, L. and Mae!). And, yes, with this website you can also earn commissions too (something we have not signed up to do), but at least it's in support of the independent bookstores and who doesn't want to support them, right? Okay, I'm off my soap box now - have a great weekend everyone!!

one stop clock shop

I know everyone has blogged about Forever is Today's color-coded arrangements (and deservedly so. Those images are fantastic she's now selling them as postcards in her shop!), but I can't get past her collection of clocks. She's got so many fun little vintage ones that I want to steal all of them for my mantle. But maybe instead I'll just go shopping at clockwork universe for my own collection. Plus, hello?, vintage AND Russian? I think that means I win....

{all clocks found on clockwork universe, of course}

peonies

Peonies via houseobsession.wordpress.com

Weddings are on the brain- between my sister, Mae's sister, and of course, Ms. Vivi, we have been thinking about weddings quite a bit. After cruising the wedding sites and flipping through the beautifully styled magazine spreads about tying the knot, I figured I should do a post all about peonies.  

Peonies are a long time favorite of mine. I think they are perhaps the most girly of flowers, with their puffs of pillowy blossoms they look soft and delicate and fancy- just lovely all around. They are unique and interesting enough to simply stand alone or stand out in an arrangement with other florals. 

Yesterday I saw some peony clusters in the florist section of my grocery store and purchasing them was like bringing home stems of layered happiness. Flowers can do that, change your mood or your day, and peonies do it best. 

Image courtesy of Alluminaire

Image via harmoniouspalette

Image via a bloom in time

Image via Design*Sponge

Image via homeshoppingspy.wordpress.com

Image via madamebonbon

Image via Tippin' The Scales

Inappropriate Golden Books

A Pixar artist, Josh Cooley, has been doing illustrated versions of scenes from some classic guy movies and is now publishing his work in a book titled "Movies R Fun." Don't you think these are so cool? I think these would make such great gifts for the movie buff in your life. (discovered via GeekoSystem)