merci beaucoup!

as if all of your wonderful comments and emails don't bring enough happiness to my life, the lovely beatriz at that girl in pearls gave me (and nine other amazing bloggers!) the happy 101 award the week before last (sorry for the delay!). in keeping with tradition, i am to list ten things that make me happy and choose ten more bloggers to award! here goes, in no particular order...

1. flowers

{{this is glamorous}}

i'm not much for gardening (too dirty!) but flowers definitely make me happy. maybe my mother's love of gardening will rub off on me one day...

2. raspberries

{via bleubird vintage}

i did take up a more-than-typical interest in gardening the summer that we attempted to grow raspberries in our backyard vegetable garden. there's something so refreshing about this pretty fruit. i'll never understand why some people don't care for them!

3. summertime

{via bleubird vintage}

i don't know whether it's the anticipation of nantucket summers, the fourth of july, sudden thunderstorms, pretending to know how to swim, or my august birthday, but i look forward to summer all year long.

4. lemonade, preferably pink

{cupcakes and cashmere}

speaking of summer, is there anything so refreshing on a hot day as pink lemonade? sure, i'll drink the real thing too, but i love the artificially sugary and pretty in pink version best. it's like happy in a cup!

5. paper goods

{thank you letterpress card by ice cream social, $4}

{letterpress card in magenta by letterpress, $4}

{always and forever card by modern printed matter, $3.50}

i believe in personalized stationery, love letters, thank you cards, postcards... i hand wrote more than twenty thank you notes after my internship with ralph lauren last summer! it's the right thing to do and, judging my the collection of my notes on my grandmother's refrigerator, a handwritten note rarely goes unappreciated. writing and receiving handwritten letters and notes always makes me happy.

6. manicures and pedicures

{essie's mademoiselle}

{essie's fiesta}

i am the worst at painting my own nails and love the chance to slip away from home with my mom and sister and treat ourselves to the occasional manicure and pedicure. i like pale pink for my fingers and hot pink or red for my toes. but the best part is reading the names of all the polishes! do you think you could name nail polishes or crayon colors for a living? i would love that!

7. travel

{kate spade via oh happy day!}

despite my horrible sense of direction, traveling is one of my ultimate sources of happiness. spending the semester in europe has been wonderful for so many reasons, but travel is way up there. there's nothing quite like exploring a new place for the first time — and even getting lost can turn into unexpected fun!

8. being a redhead

i've been on the receiving end of my fair share of ginger jokes, but being a redhead makes me feel special and different. my favorite is when people ask me if it's real. my go-to response is of course that color like mine doesn't come in a bottle. ;)

9. books

{via aubrey road}

i'd be lying if i denied that my parents used to pay my siblings and i a penny a page of every book we read. maybe it was the financial motivation, but i've been hooked for as long as i can remember. i could spend hours in any bookstore or library.

10. love

{ffffound via {this is glamorous}}

love in all its forms is an unending source of happiness. naturally i love my family, my friends, and my boyfriend... but seeing an old couple smiling and holding hands is enough to turn even my worst day around. isn't love the best?

now it's my turn to award ten other bloggers who bring happiness to my day! while there are so many blogs i read (currently 62 on my blogroll and adding new ones all the time!) i'm holding myself to ten for the sake of following the rules. and the winners are...

carlee and tiffany of deliciously organized

elizabeth of e tells tales

emily of emily a. clark

christina of full house

mara of m loves m

bailey of peppermint bliss

crystal of plush palate

jen of slumber designs

paula of two ellie

a heartfelt thank you goes out to frances at beautiful interiors and 18th century style as well for giving me a little shoutout on her blog too! it makes me endlessly happy to know that people are reading my blog and that what i write resonates with you in some way. blogging is the best!

as if all of your wonderful comments and emails don't bring enough happiness to my life, the lovely beatriz at that girl in pearls gave me (and nine other amazing bloggers!) the happy 101 award the week before last (sorry for the delay!). in keeping with tradition, i am to list ten things that make me happy and choose ten more bloggers to award! here goes, in no particular order...

1. flowers

{{this is glamorous}}

i'm not much for gardening (too dirty!) but flowers definitely make me happy. maybe my mother's love of gardening will rub off on me one day...

2. raspberries

{via bleubird vintage}

i did take up a more-than-typical interest in gardening the summer that we attempted to grow raspberries in our backyard vegetable garden. there's something so refreshing about this pretty fruit. i'll never understand why some people don't care for them!

3. summertime

{via bleubird vintage}

i don't know whether it's the anticipation of nantucket summers, the fourth of july, sudden thunderstorms, pretending to know how to swim, or my august birthday, but i look forward to summer all year long.

4. lemonade, preferably pink

{cupcakes and cashmere}

speaking of summer, is there anything so refreshing on a hot day as pink lemonade? sure, i'll drink the real thing too, but i love the artificially sugary and pretty in pink version best. it's like happy in a cup!

5. paper goods

{thank you letterpress card by ice cream social, $4}

{letterpress card in magenta by letterpress, $4}

{always and forever card by modern printed matter, $3.50}

i believe in personalized stationery, love letters, thank you cards, postcards... i hand wrote more than twenty thank you notes after my internship with ralph lauren last summer! it's the right thing to do and, judging my the collection of my notes on my grandmother's refrigerator, a handwritten note rarely goes unappreciated. writing and receiving handwritten letters and notes always makes me happy.

6. manicures and pedicures

{essie's mademoiselle}

{essie's fiesta}

i am the worst at painting my own nails and love the chance to slip away from home with my mom and sister and treat ourselves to the occasional manicure and pedicure. i like pale pink for my fingers and hot pink or red for my toes. but the best part is reading the names of all the polishes! do you think you could name nail polishes or crayon colors for a living? i would love that!

7. travel

{kate spade via oh happy day!}

despite my horrible sense of direction, traveling is one of my ultimate sources of happiness. spending the semester in europe has been wonderful for so many reasons, but travel is way up there. there's nothing quite like exploring a new place for the first time — and even getting lost can turn into unexpected fun!

8. being a redhead

i've been on the receiving end of my fair share of ginger jokes, but being a redhead makes me feel special and different. my favorite is when people ask me if it's real. my go-to response is of course that color like mine doesn't come in a bottle. ;)

9. books

{via aubrey road}

i'd be lying if i denied that my parents used to pay my siblings and i a penny a page of every book we read. maybe it was the financial motivation, but i've been hooked for as long as i can remember. i could spend hours in any bookstore or library.

10. love

{ffffound via {this is glamorous}}

love in all its forms is an unending source of happiness. naturally i love my family, my friends, and my boyfriend... but seeing an old couple smiling and holding hands is enough to turn even my worst day around. isn't love the best?

now it's my turn to award ten other bloggers who bring happiness to my day! while there are so many blogs i read (currently 62 on my blogroll and adding new ones all the time!) i'm holding myself to ten for the sake of following the rules. and the winners are...

carlee and tiffany of deliciously organized

elizabeth of e tells tales

emily of emily a. clark

christina of full house

mara of m loves m

bailey of peppermint bliss

crystal of plush palate

jen of slumber designs

paula of two ellie

a heartfelt thank you goes out to frances at beautiful interiors and 18th century style as well for giving me a little shoutout on her blog too! it makes me endlessly happy to know that people are reading my blog and that what i write resonates with you in some way. blogging is the best!