Inspiration: Harper Lee's Letter

50th Anniversary Edition, To Kill a Mockingbird
illustrated by Sarah Coleman of Inkymole
I love the silhouette look of this cover art- it is gorgeous. 

The internet is full of depressing stories and horrible happenings from all over the world, but every once in awhile, things of note are shared that are inspiring and heartwarming.  I love stumbling across the latter.  The other day, a piece was done on letters that authors have written to their child fans.
The following letter is from Harper Lee, author of To Kill a Mockingbird, to a young fan who wrote and asked for a signed picture of the author.

image via Letters of Notes
06/07/06
Dear Jeremy
I don’t have a picture of myself, so please accept these few lines:
As you grow up, always tell the truth, do no harm to others, and don’t think you are the most important being on earth. Rich or poor, you then can look anyone in the eye and say, “I’m probably no better than you, but I’m certainly your equal.”
(Signed, ‘Harper Lee’)

After reading that, it is easy to see how the infamous character of Atticus Finch came from the imagination of Harper Lee.  

Mockingbird Brooch, made from pages of the book.
Available from House of Ismay

To Kill a Mockingbird, first edition
Available at The Sage Scottie

Vintage style tee - buy it here

Atticus and Scout
(Can I just say- Gregory Peck.  Yum.)

Here is the artwork from a copy of the book, framed.  Beautiful work from Sarah Coleman.

If you have never read To Kill a Mockingbird, or seen the movie, please do- it's summer!  You have no excuse!  Curl up in this nationwide heat wave, turn on some air, sit back, and enjoy a true classic.  (The great thing is, when I say "classic," I can be referring to the book or the film.  They are both fantastic.)

~Lori

DIY: Fun Front Door

I love a bold front door.  I always have.  I painted my front doors royal blue.  I love it and it never fails to solicit a compliment.  It is a great backdrop for photos and holiday wreaths.  In Europe it is more common to  have a boldly painted front door, and we Americans are just figuring it all out.  Take a cue from these  photos and grab a quart of paint!

My blue doors

I was inspired by...

This European inspired Christmas spread many years ago and the blue doors stuck in my head. via country living

Emerald green...Ozma!  Sorry, I couldn't resist! via sweet life in the valley

How about fuschia like these gorgeous bougainvillea? via pinterest

Maybe mint with beige? via pinterest

Or take it all the way with this hot pink apartment door that says "you will not forget that I am unique"         via pinterest

image via Between Your Ears

Cape Cod blue and yellow?  How happy!

Top 10 door colors via pinterest
What a perfect shade of orange!

My friend, Min, is very trusting and when I said that she should paint her front door yellow her response was, "Approved. When do we start."  I love that!

Looks pretty great, no?  She did a great job!

Favorite Thing: Vintage Pendant

Here is my new pendant in my foyer!  I had wanted an orb fixture here for awhile, but the one I thought I wanted was $120.  Not a bad price at all, but it just wasn't a priority.  I was shopping at The Barn (again) and I came across this vintage light fixture: I loved the light colored glass and brass detail.  It was only $45!  I thought I might have to get it re-wired but I was in luck, it worked perfectly.

 I think the round shape of the pendant perfectly mimics my round entry mirror and demi-lune table.  It is like a beautiful piece of pearl jewelry.  When the light is on, it has a lovely glow.  I love it and it wasn't a compromise; it ended up better than what I had first thought I wanted.

Inspiration: ALT

Over on the blog A Newfound Treasure, I read about some online classes that are being offered by ALT.  There are quite a few classes aimed at helping bloggers become better at blogging.  There are a couple that I am pretty interested in, namely "Graphic Design for Bloggers."

image via 

image via A Newfound Treasure

If you're interested in taking an online class (for free!), you can get all the information here.  The classes are being offered for free by BING as part of their Summer of Doing if you help spread the word.  Thanks, Bing!

How Sweet This Is

Crockpot French Onion Soup
from How Sweet It Is
During the winter, I make this ALL. THE. TIME.

Not too long ago, I did a post on some of my favorite tried and true pinterest recipes.  This time, I thought I would share one of my favorite food blogs with you.  This is a blog that I try to keep up with on a regular basis because I know that I am going to consistently find good recipes and/or great writing. 
How Sweet It Is, run by the beautiful Jessica, is up front about having no "formal culinary training, just many mess-ups in the kitchen."  I actually have this blog saved to favorites on my phone, so whenever I am somewhere (Sonic drive thru line, doctor's office, etc.) and find myself with some time to spare, I catch up on all of the craziness going on over there.  When school is in session, the Cat and I tend to find ourselves in the Sonic drive thru line quite a bit during their happy hour.  Can't beat a half price slush!  Anyway.
Over on How Sweet, Jessica comes up with some pretty tasty recipes, and she is very consistent with her posts.  And, as an added bonus, she's funny.  She's a funny gal, that one, talking about her various obsessions and odd habits.

Grilled fontina and blackberry basil sandwiches

Chicken Romano with Lemon Butter sauce
Okay, I'll admit, I haven't tried this one yet,
 but I sure am going to soon!

Mmmm, I made these Sweet Potato and Honey Dinner Rolls for
Thanksgiving, and they were SOOOOOOOO good.  Damn,  Now I'm hungry.

 Okay, so this post could get realllllly long with me putting up picture after picture.  There are just too many.  She does it all, too: drinks, desserts, main dishes, side dishes.  Man, my stomach is growling, but I am going to ignore it and move on.

~Lori

Vintage Strawberry Shortcake Dolls

You must know by now that I love all things vintage "Strawberry Shortcake."  Yes, it is nostalgic and reminds me of my girlhood, but they are also incredibly sweet and the dolls are well made.  Gwenna received a lot of the vintage Strawberry Shortcake dolls for her 3rd birthday (see full "Strawberry Shortcake" party post here) but I came across 3 that she didn't have yet today at "The Barn."  They were only $8 each and they were in box complete!  I couldn't believe it.  I think my mom spent at least $15 a piece for the dolls on ebay and they weren't in the boxes.

Each doll came with a little book, thank you post cards, combs and stickers!  

The detail on the dolls clothes is amazing.  They also smell like I remember.  They are at least 30 years old and they hold their charm.  There is really nothing cuter than this on the market now.

Inspiration, Continued: Sarah Richardson's Crest

I posted the other day about a crest that I found at the antique store that Rebecca refinished for me.  Here is another great thing about Rebecca's work ethic: it wasn't enough that she actually did the project (admittedly, had I been in charge, that crest would still be in my garage.  Actually, it would probably still be in the trunk of my car!);  she and her fantastic husband came over and put it up for me too!  Start to finish, she does the whole thing!  I am one lucky gal to have her as a friend.

I love it!  Thank you again, Rebecca and Ty!

~Lori