blog break.

 via.

I've decided to take a little break from blogging (if you couldn't tell already). Keeping up with this has started to feel more like a chore than a pleasure, which completely goes against my reasons for starting it in the first place. Maybe it's the winter, or maybe it's my over-saturation with all things internet, but it's time to take a step back. I'm sure I'll find blogging inspiration again, but in the meantime I'll be reading more (real books!), doing more personal writing, and working on some fun new Etsy projects. Thanks for reading.

tumbl on.

I finally broke down and started a Tumblr. I was afraid it might be overkill, since I already have this blog and Pinterest, and it very well might be, but I'm liking it so far. Whereas Pinterest caters to my OCD side and Blogger is more personal, I feel like Tumblr allows a more stream-of-consciousness style of saving and sharing. For now, I'm just using it to keep track of images and other Tumblrs that really inspire me. 

What are you juggling in your online lives?

shameless self-promotion.

My sweet husband helped me put together an ad for the next issue of Southern Flourish magazine. Look for it in next month's issue, as well as a little something else I've been working on.

so pinteresting.

Sometimes I get on a roll surfing the interwebs, and I find so much awesome stuff I know I won't be able to remember it all. Enter Pinterest, a virtual, visual pinboard that helps me keep track of everything from recipes to design inspiration to stuff I want to buy. It's a bit like Tumblr, but more organized — perfect for anal people such as myself. I'm a little obsessed.

Besides helping me categorize the things I find online, Pinterest lets me browse finds from a big community of stylish pinners. Say I want to find a summery cocktail recipe, like I did a few weeks ago for a barbecue. All I have to do is search "cocktail" and I'm flooded with tasty recipes. I save my favorites in my "soif" folder and reference it when I'm ready to try something new. I've also used Pinterest to keep track of DIY projects I want to try, places I want to go, and art that I love, not to mention find inspiration for blogging. 

I was recently featured with a few other style bloggers for a spring looks feature. And if you comment on this post with your e-mail address, the Pinterest folks will send you an invite to the site. Let me know if you're ready to start pinning!

mag hag.

I have a weakness for magazines. I think it started with my childhood subscription to Ranger Rick. Or maybe it has something to do with the walk-in closet in the basement where my mom kept dusty old copies of National Geographic and Architectural Digest. As a teenager, I made scrapbooks with clippings of my favorite images and papered my walls with torn-out pages.

matchbook

Over the years I've subscribed to everything from Seventeen and Jane to Travel + Leisure, Coastal Living, and Lucky. My subscriptions reflect my life at any given time, and lately I've been moving toward online magazines.

I'm so impressed with the new generation of publications like Matchbook, High Gloss, and Rue.  Somehow, the women behind all of these magazines — many of whom started out as bloggers — have managed to put together products that I like more than anything I've seen in years. And as much as I enjoy the familiar feel of flipping through glossy pages, I really appreciate the new capabilities of online media, like clickable links, lower overhead costs, and more design flexibility.

 rue

They're inspiring to me because they prove that even though print may be dying a slow death, writing and journalism aren't — they're just evolving in a really exciting way.

   
high gloss

For newbies, From the Right Bank recently had a guest post from Mackenzie of Design Darling breaking down four of the major lady mags out right now. Here it is.

paris.

I am insanely jealous/in awe of Jordan of Oh Happy Day, who just up and moved her family to Paris. Lately I've been feeling like if I don't live abroad at some point in my life (sooner rather than later), I will just die. Jordan is proof that it can be done, even with two babies. Follow her adventures here.

Other great French blogs you may want to check out: Lost in Cheeseland, Pret a Voyager, and HiP Paris.

Also, this.


Le Flâneur (music by The XX) from Luke Shepard on Vimeo.

Bleubird.

 

This is one of the cutest little families ever. Makes me want to start poppin' out babies, even though I just said I'm nowhere near ready. The Bleubird Vintage blog covers food, family, and vintage fashion. It's one of my new favorites.

camera envy.

How can any self-respecting blogger survive without a fancy camera to help them capture their home-cooked meals and picturesque bike rides? It's time for an upgrade.

The picture above is not my usual camera, nor was it taken with my usual camera. It's one we got at a yard sale that I'm hoping to clean up and learn how to use. It was taken with the office camera, which I secretly want to steal.