It's the beginning of summer (well almost) and my mind wanders to travels near and far. In reality, we haven't made any travel plans yet; thinking of a spur of the moment getaway later this summer. I'm hoping we'll do a city trip, if for no other reason than having an excuse to buy one of these:

image from palomarweb.com

I found them a few weeks ago when browsing around one of my favorite Amsterdam stores. They are crumpled city maps from palomarweb.com, and they are meant to be crumpled up and thrown into your bag without the hassle of folding and re-folding. Isn't that awesome? They are available for such cool places as Sydney, Tokyo, London, New york and Amsterdam. Also they are super durable, lightweight and 100% water proof!
This is definitely on my wish list, because I'm famously terrible at re-folding paper maps... I just wish they made road maps of these as well. Would you like one of these or do you prefer the classic paper kind?

I just found this Amsterdam based label and I'm in love with their clothes and motto: "Organic apparel for the little minimalist." Too cute! Here's a couple items from their collection that I'm coveting.

Photos from Gray Label

I know I'm a bit late on this, but I'm still looking for a year calendar. I know, we're three months into 2011 already and honestly, I thought I'd skip this year, calendar wise, but I can't do it. I miss having one around just about every day. The last couple of years we made photo calendars in iPhoto, and though they are lovely, I wanted a change this year. Hence, the delay. Because whatever it is has to top all those lovely family pics we've gotten used to looking at.
Here's two ideas I really love. The first is from Gabrielle a.k.a. Design Mom, who managed to find time to DIY a lovely pastel colored monthly calendar. Here's what that looks like (photo courtesy of Design Mom):

Anywhere between three and seven weeks from now, I'll be crossing over from being one very pregnant lady to being a new nursing mom again. I've been making so many lists these past weeks it is driving everyone crazy. It probably is a little crazy to be honest, but luckily very few people dare argue with a pregnant woman.
One thing on my list is nursing wear. I remember not being able to find anything that I really loved last time (I didn't start looking till my last week of pregnancy, somehow I wasn't able to look beyond giving birth), so I've begun my search a little earlier this time.
I must say I am surprised at the many elegant, comfortable nursing wear brands that are online now. Why look only in your own country when there is a world of pretty things out there? (Well alright, shipping costs are a pretty good reason) Today I ordered these items from Mothers en Vogue, based in Singapore:

Now that spring has arrived, so has the wedding season. We've got a couple of weddings coming up in May -don't you love going to weddings?- so I'm in full swing wedding mode at the moment. I've liked weddings even more since my husband and I tied the knot almost two years ago in what has got to be one of my favorite days of all time. We had a backyard wedding in August with about 100 people attending and we have such fond memories of that day. It has left me with a soft spot for outdoor weddings and to this day I love looking at wedding sites and inspiration boards.
Here are some pictures that leave me inspired and wishing I could get married (to the same guy of course...) all over again every year.

We are still working on the nursery, although it is mainly decoration by now, and I think I've found just the thing I want to add the finishing touch. It is Inke's wallpaper tree and birds:

Notice that bird at the bottom of the tree? Here's a close-up:

Tomorrow, after five years of sleeping in our double bed, we are upgrading to a King Size. Turns out the double bed was fine for the early stages of courtship, but as our family expanded, we've been getting a little cramped. Cosy, but cramped. So I am absolutely thrilled about this new arrival and have been thinking about what other pieces in our bedroom could use an upgrade. I already got new night lights, and I can't wait to add a touch of paint to the wall directly behind the bed, which is currently a warm, dark gray. I'll hold off on the painting part until the new bed is in place, though, so I don't mismatch the colors. I also found these wall graphics online that I really like:

I just couldn't keep these images to myself! This is exactly what my perfect spring/summer scene looks like.

You know how you can be drawn to the same things over and over while shopping for your home? Even when looking for something completely unrelated? This is what happens to me with trays (and lanterns. And to be completely honest here, with throws too). I might be looking for new knives or mugs or chairs or even a soap dish for the bathroom, when I spot a good tray, I have to have it.
The thing about trays: they are so versatile! You can use them to get your food things from the kitchen to the dining room, which is probably what their original purpose in life is (though not what I mostly use them for). However, just as easily they convert into decorative little tables (when placed on a stool) and gorgeous gathering places for candles/rocks/picture frames/memorabilia. The really nice ones even do well by themselves. I especially love trays with an ethnic look. Most of the time I find those in smaller stores that import their things from Asia or Africa, but these two I came across at Crate and Barrel:

I wonder what the Mr. would have to say about me bringing home some more trays...

I got them from popje.co.uk and their entire site is filled with adorableness like this. Aside from birth announcements, they also make greeting cards and wedding announcements, and you can even have them make you a unique design. My birth announcements quest is far from over, but I'll be keeping these in mind!