the every girl comes to town

the other day our studio here at 369 was featured on the fabby blog/website that is the every girl!

alaina and danielle visited all of the designers that make 369 congress street their home..that is erin gates, jessica sutton, sarah winchester, and stayci fast..et moi!!(jennifer hill design was out that week)

it is no surprise that in less than a year they have been named one of the top ten blogsites..these ladies are on a mission to share what girl entrepreneurs of all stripes do all day..as well as what inspires them, and makes them tick.

thanks for visiting us gals..we welcome you back anytime!

shooz!

while running around town in london..checking all the historical highlights..we were all stopped dead in our tracks when we spotted the shoestore Irregular Choice!

now this place is the bomb!  they have an online shopping site in addition to having a few shops in  England, they do have a place in Soho..natch!

seriously..the shop is so fun..a girl's shoe wet dream really.  and though they are advertised as super comfortable..i was not so moved.

nevertheless, i had a super time trying different pairs on..marching around the shop like i was SOMEBODY..cuz listen ..these babies do the trick!

can you tell which ones i brought home to papa?

the tower of london

i have always thought that this was the tower of London..but it is not the case. this is the tower bridge built many centuries (19thc vs. 11thc.) after the tower was built..silly me.                                                        the bridge is victorian and quite pretty with some unexpected industrial revolution design     elements..loving this joint..right? now this here is the tower! uh duh. it was built as a fortress by william the conquerer (1066). and all the subsequent kings added onto it. the tower refers to the cluster of buildings behind the fortress walls (built to protect those inside from marauding vikings..them again??) it had many functions..only one of which was lopping off heads (anne boleyn) and torturing people.                                                   the tower is also home to the crown jewels, and all the beefeaters who look an awful lot like the wicked witches' gaurds in the wizard of oz.                                                    we learned tons of history in the tower about the different kings through the ages..but mostly i was intrigued by pattern..surprise! intrigued by pattern..surprise! i could not get enough of all the old stone and wood work of the ancient structures. so..i thought i would share. think there is something here for fall 2012?                                 give me your thoughts.

vacation in London

one of the truly superb things about wandering around a new city while on break, is simply the fact that you can aimlessly wander, and see the things you would normally never have a chance to see. one of those has got to be the amazing V&A museum in London. a place certaily worth revisiting again and again. i adored the mosaic floors almost as much as the design exhibits..and the 3 lunch rooms built in the mid 1800's by a team of william morris' making, that are fitted with tilework beyond all imagining tomorrow if we luck out on the weather we are off to Portobello Road..yay!!

London calling

tonight my daughter and i fly to London for a 10 day whirlwind trip. i am waaay beyond excited. in fact i am jealous of myself if that even makes any sense. BUT!! i promise to bring back pix and new ideas from all of my travels.. so forgive me if i am a bit remiss in posting. see you when i get back!

Banana goes bananas for trina turk

this weekend i got a hot news flash text from dear friend jen..who knowing how much i adore ms turk's finery, advised me to hightail it over to the republic. as per usual these days..the place was abysmal and no trina duds in sight. wah. so, i had look on my dear intra-webs and i learned that the collection was not to be released until TODAY! wow. so..here is my take..without having tried anything on. meh. i really don't want a thing. despite the great color and the amazing turk pattern-o-mania..i am not really digging any of it. i will obvi try to head back into that den of not very good but used to be great store..and try some of it on.. but i am not too excited..just sayin' have any of y'all seen it in persone?

12 Chairs in Boston Magazine

just found this image via jessica sutton on pinterest..and i just love it!! i never saw how our friends miggy and roisin had styled out the rooms for boston mag..but it turned out so wonderfully..and btw who made that overhead lighting?

Destination: London

this week i am doing one of my most favorite/challenging things..designing. i imagine that people believe that a designers life is filled with endless days of sketching and daydreaming, and INSPIRATION. when the truth is that actual design time..(at least for me) is a rare pleasure. so while i scramble and design some new stuff..i daydream about how good a painter jmw turner is. ok..was. but seriously, aren't these so perfect? and i am off to london in precisely a week. perhaps i will be able to sneak a peek at a few.

lovely little votives

lawrence made these wonderful votives recently, and i just love them!

they look spectacular in groupings all lit up on dining table, and at $25 each they are a real deal! sarah winchester is planning a photoshoot with these on her roofdeck..and i just know it's gonna be spectacular.