{quotable thursdays}

Hello from jolly ol' England! I'm afraid I must dash, but wanted to post a hello from the UK & be ever faithful to my quotable thursdays!
Flat hunting is a bit of a nightmare here in London. I've had a wonderful welcome from my cousins (more on that)...but as soon as flats become available they are gone. It's all a bit frustrating! I must run to see some, so will post a very short quotable thursdays today, which I must keep in mind as this life in London all begins:

{so true!}

{let the adventure commence}

{home?}

{a lot of phone calls to letting agents....}

{& a lot of tube rides}

I hope I find my dream home! Wish me luck!

xo, 

L

{quotable thursdays/change...}

{CHANGE}

{packing...}

change is a funny thing. We spend days, months, years sometimes preparing for something, but then one day we wake up and things have changed. I've been planning to move to London for months. I've been hoping to move for years. Even so, when I get on that plane on Saturday, I'll wake up on Sunday in England to start a completely new life. Yes, I'll get to my cousins' and be in my familiar room, but all the people here in Vermont, my lovely Florida Ave. neighbours, my colleagues, my students will belong to another life. I'm happy and excited, don't get me wrong. But we can't help feel a bit of nostalgia when we say goodbye to a chapter in our lives. but change is important for everybody, & I'm excited to see what the next step holds for me.

{suitcases}

{packing...}

{2 more sleeps}

{cheerio!}

{flying away}

{destination: London. All aboard!}

London: I'm ready!
see you all on the other side of the pond! I'll be sure to post on the flat-finding conundrum & the joys of living in the big city: the shops, food, drinks, etc...
xo
L

{3 more sleeps}

{3}

3 more sleeps until I move to London!

{tea}

{stylish telephones}

{love london}

xo, 

L

{4 sleeps...& a trip to LA}

{4}

4 more sleeps until I fly to London!

Last weekend I delivered my 20.5-year old cat to my parents in LA, since she won't be moving to the UK with me. It was a sad goodbye:( such a well-behaved cat, though. Slept most of the way & everyone who saw her fell in love with her!

{arrival at LA airport with my little cat in the carrier}

But we had a lovely weekend together in LA...

{walks along the marina in San Pedro}

{drinks at the marina}

{walks on the beach}

{night out in San Pedro (including live piano at the Whale & Ale)}

{visit to the gardens at the Huntington}

{more walks--chillier day}

{& finally the Wayfarers chapel built by Frank Lloyd Wright's son}

I'm back in Vermont now, just for a few days for the final wrap up!
xo,
L

{quotable thursdays}

Today is a day of travel, so with that:

{destination}

{somehow this seems apt as I'm travelling with my cat today}

{hopefully I get some sun in LA}

{audrey on the plane}

& we're off...
Ciao,

L

{off to LA}

{california}

I'm off to LA for a very short jaunt tomorrow. I need to bring my 20.5 year-old cat to my parents and the safest way was to take her as a carry on. I will miss her attention and her sweet hellos and goodbyes....It's probably the last time I'll see her. But a girl couldn't have asked for a more friendly & faithful furry friend. I remember bringing her home from the breeders when I was 10, about a month before my 11th birthday. My family had sailed around the world for a year and we were back 'home' and it was time to get another cat. She helped me get through an awful 6th grade--a time when girls were terribly mean to one another & I suffered a year without friends. She has always been a stalwart friend, who always offers a nudge & a purr when I need it the most. For more on Simundar check out posts here, here & here.
so off we go on an adventure. This cat has lived on a boat; in Victoria BC in numerous homes; in Montreal; in Ottawa; in Winooski, Vermont, and now she's off to LA!

{love this vintage poster}

{the cat in 2005, with me & my nephew}

{Audrey, always travelling in style, even with a pooch}

{my boxes are packed, and this is certainly what it looks like around here!}

{oh cat!}

{ready for flight!}

ciao & miaow, 

L & S

{musings from the little red book-pillows & paint accents}

This post will be the last on the little red book for a while, as the book is now packed. But today, we're looking at pillows & paint accents. Many of these things are DIY:

#1: funky pillow additions:

These little additions can be done in a variety of materials. The simplest would be done in felt, but you can also get this great stuff to iron on to material so that it sticks, doesn't fray and doesn't require a huge amount of sewing/finishing the ends.

Some inspirations: 

{bold mix of colours & patterns with appliqué pillows}

{LOVE addition}

{bright paint colours with bright patterns & anchor & turtle pillows}

{absolutely LOVE the silhouettes}

{more LOVE}

{why not add some pompoms?}

{mix}

{here are some already made}

#2 Paint accents: 

I think that some of these embellishments or decal-type things can look over done. But I do think that if done properly, they can still look really cool. 

some inspiration:

{this is wallpaper but with such a big design, you could easily use cut outs}

{some birdies}

{peacocks}

{antler cut out}

{just a square of wallpaper}

{one wall with a punch of colour}

{neat palette}

{colour inspiration}

{some unusual colours}

{pretty pastels}

{pretty colours}

now back to packing, 

xo

L