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Today we'd like to jump on this gorgeous sailboat and sail away to Ireland where this whimsical castle on the beach awaits us. We'll kick up our feet, grab a bottle of wine, and bask in our lovely fantasy of a relaxing getaway!

Images via Pinterest & imgfave

Looks like we've got a case of the Mondays... today we'll be dreaming we were on vacation at Babylonstoren, a Cape Dutch farm complete with vineyards and an enormous vegetable garden in Cape Winelands, South Africa. Swoon.

And to top it off, they've got a nice website. We love being greeted by chickens.

All images via Babylonstoren via The Travel Files

Photographer Anne-Laure House sees illuminated windows at night as living pictures. Her Pictures of Intimacy series includes windows in New York City, Paris, Amesterdam, Ile De Re (France), and our favorite, Prague (below). Anne writes: 

"At nightfall, the windows of the flats that are lit up attract more attention than the façade of the buildings that frame them. Lit interiors become real tableaux vivants. The interior takes precedence over the exterior, and we can glimpse moments of people’s intimate lives. I am not actually interested in their intimacy as such, but rather by the space itself – the warmth of a particular light, the twinkling of a Christmas garland or the shimmering glow of a television, the corner of a painting. All these details stir my imagination and inspire my work. When I gaze at these windows, I like to tell myself a story. I capture these intimate moments and build my own structures.” - Anne-Laure House

Image via Wall 30 and Kateoplis

What a difference 100 years makes! Wishing everyone a safe and non-embarassing Labor Day Weekend!



Ladies on the Jersey Shore - 1910



Ladies on the Jersey Shore - 2010

Images via
1.  ozfan22 (flickr)  2. FeeWorldOrder.com

September is just around the corner, and we're feeling nostalgic for our favorite fairs! 

The Tunbridge World's Fair has been in existence since 1857, and has remained largely unchanged since its debut over 150 years ago. This year, it runs from September 15-18 in the tiny town of Tunbridge, VT, and features mainly old-world attractions like pony pulling, sheepdog trials, and harness racing.





The Martha's Vineyard Agricultural Society Fair celebrated its 150th anniversary this year. A little more old-world meets new-world, the fair is an attraction that can please all with its farm animals, fried foods, traditional crafts, and plenty of rides. Our friend from RISD owns the local smoke pig roast stand, below.





Images via

1.  Benedetta Falugi (flickr)   2. ozfan22 (flickr)   3&4. SixBurnerSue  5. mvol.com  6. MV Best Read Guide

When I was visiting Stockholm, I saw a dollhouse exhibit at the Nordic Museum that I absolutely loved. A few days ago, I was flipping through the pages of Elle, and voila! There was an awesome, modern, and totally inspiring dollhouse in the decor section - The Emerson House by Brinca Dada.

Traditionally, dollhouses functioned as cabinet display cases and were used primarily by the women in the home - children were not allowed to touch them, for fear that the delicate, expensive trophies would be broken. In the early 19th century, dollhouses evolved into toys for little girls to play with. Today, dollhouses exist as toys, but also as collector's items and design inspiration. I'm especially loving modern dollhouses, including The Emerson House and The Kaleidoscope House (below).



Images via
1. Elle Magazine  2. Bump to Bean

While in  Zambia, I was lucky enough to stumble upon this amazing pile of wild mushrooms in Pantone 1595.
Photo © JW

After returning from Stockholm, I am totally in love with the unofficial national uniform of the classic striped boat shirt. With an eye on the stripe, I have been coming across them in other places!



* Image sources:
anthologymag / Anthropologie / Heidi Merrick

Shots from a fifteenth century pharmacy in Tallinn Estonia that still operates as a pharmacy today. Tallinn is one of the only existing medieval cities in Northern Europe. A defense tactic before modern fire arms existed was to burn a town down before the infiltrators arrived. This would ensure that there would be nothing of interest to anyone but the people who identified the place as a home. Helsinki, St. Petersburg, and Moscow all proved to be relatively new cities because of this fact. Only Tallinn remained as it originally was in the medieval times.

Photo © JW

Finally I've had a few weeks to sort through images from a recent trip to Russia, Estonia, Finland and Sweden. Pictured below are images from Russia and Estonia. The people in these lovely countries have endured not only the brutal weather of the north, but tremendous hardship throughout their tumultuous history. It was clear, however, that they are resilient, resourceful and know how to survive.



Photos © JW