Check These Out!

I feel compelled to tell you all about a few sites I have been frequenting lately- so if you have recently wondered how you can waste more time online, or want some new favorite haunts, I urge you to check these out now.

Like, now.

I heard of this blog following site Blog Lovin', from A Beautiful Mess. I love it! I am totally hooked. I tried using Google reader before, but I just didn't like it. I didn't like the interface, it wasn't easy to use, it seemed overwhelming, and I hated that I had to read it in Google reader. I wanted to go to the actual site. Blogs offer so much more than just the post itself, and blog authors spend a lot of time on their design, their personality. So I didn't use any kind of reader, bookmarked everything, and didn't stay on top of things like I would like. Enter: Blog Lovin'. Easy, and best of all, it takes you to the site itself so you can see it. I seriously love it, and I mean it when I say it has changed the way I surf the web. I strongly urge you to try it out, and follow me while you're there. Or you can just click on the button on my sidebar.

Pinterest- Oh. My. Gosh. I have Miranda to thank for my Pinterest obsession. I know it is the darling of the design world, and it is obvious why. Imagine it like a virtual bulletin board of every photo, article, or item you've ever saved or earmarked. You categorize them any way you want- I have various boards for home decor, crafts to make, party inspiration and others. Gone are the hundreds of bookmarks I filed away, difficult to discern based only on their brief titles.. Now I can see them all at a glance, in a photo snippet. I can't say enough how much I love this site. It has changed the way I view, categorize, and appreciate all things visual.

Check it out, and while you're there, follow me too.

And while we're on the subject, my friend Miranda. Her blog is delightful. Equal parts wit, inspiration, likability, good food and pretty photography, her blog is one you should definitely add to your reader. I'm proud to call her a friend, and only wished we lived closer and that I had met her more than once, preferably other than my dear grandmother's funeral. 

Every one knows about FabricWorm. (Oh, you don't? Well, you totally should. Every self-respecting fabric monger shops at FabricWorm. Which actually brings me to my point.) I have found another fabric shop I love online. They usually have all the same great fabrics as the larger sites, but they are actually in stock. That is the problem I frequently have with sites like FabricWorm- because they are so popular and carry all the latest and greatest prints, they are often sold out. I love Hawthorne Threads  because they are almost always in stock, plus their prices are just ever so slightly less, and their shipping is less as well. Also, they have a search function by color that is very handy. Win-win-win! (That's option number 5 in Conflict Resolution, in case you were wondering.)

How have I never seen this before?? This is the result of my search for colors as I redesign my girls' rooms. This site offers endless inspiration and photos of any color combination you choose. Genius! I have been using it to play with different color schemes and just for eye candy. It's a bit addictive I think, especially if you appreciate color and photography-both of which I do.

Lastly, I started a new blog called Letters to My Daughters. I am not writing it for any other purpose than to write letters to my daughters for the future. In it I write advice, apologies and memories to share with them and record for posterity. Sometimes they are things that I cannot really communicate to them right now, things that they will better understand as adults. Sometimes they are things I don't want to forget, sometimes they are things I wish I could say to Lola, but in all I hope they will be a collection for my girls to keep- a collection that will embody my best intentions and purest love for them.

Oh, the endless possibilities that abound on the interweb. Go spend some time there, and if you have a site you love, please tell me and share the love.