terrain love

I've had these two items up in my browser window since Friday morning...I'm sure leaving an internet session up for that long is all kinds of against the rules of computer-love, but I can't bring myself to exit from the page without purchasing them. But I can't quite bring myself to do that either. Hi, indecisiveness, nice to see you again. Aren't they both lovely though?

one | two

happy cyber monday from laurel denise

Welp, since laurel denise does have a little website and you fine folks continue to love on it everyday, I thought I'd jump on the cyber-monday wagon and send out a little discount code email today. The code is "merry" for a fabulous 15% off of all goodies at laureldenise.com. (minimum order $28.00). Order by the end of this week and receive a FREE laurel denise journal with each order. Because, you know, I love ya and all.

*NOTE: this discount code does not apply to the 2011 Calendar, friends.

photo credit marcy may

2011 laurel denise calendar is happening!

Well, friends, the announcement is here. I've finally - after months and months of pricing and back and forth and back again and getting more pricing and calling and talking to about a million printers - found a way to produce the 2011 Laurel Denise Calendar (click here to purchase) Yes, really. I'm thrilled and also a little terrified (called the binding company just yesterday and the binding machine - because, yes, I will be binding these myself on our dining room table with wonderful sweet friends who have offered to help me - that's a shout out for you, amanda), but this is exciting news. I'm just sorry it had to happen so last minute! These will be delivered in time for Christmas (a Christmas miracle anyone?) and there will be a few changes, such as:

1. The cover will be a kraft color (no more baby blue even though I loved that color, too) and the cover will be a little thinner and without pockets on the insides. I loved those pockets, too, friends, but getting something like that produced in the U.S. and still selling it at an affordable rate is, well, impossible. (EDITED 1/3/11: the pockets remain. Tweaked, but there.)

2. It will be a bit smaller! That was the number one comment with the 2010 Laurel Denise calendar (yup, I read all of those Amazon.com comments), so I've designed it a tad smaller this year than last. It will be 7-inches high by 8.5-inches wide (last year's version was 8.5-inches high by 11-inches wide).

3. No more brown and blue text inside. We're going with pretty grays this time around (because, well, it's more affordable and also we all know how I feel about the color gray mixed with creams and whites).

All of the good stuff - the tabs and the monthly and weekly at-a-glance to-do lists and calendars will all still be there in the same view-at-the-same-time format.

Please feel free to pass the word along to pretty much every single person you can think of and feel free to enjoy free shipping until Monday, November 29th with code "heartcalendar".

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE 2011 CALENDAR

ps - Photo credits to Nole at Oh So Beautiful Paper. Thank you again and again, Nole.

And, in other laurel denise news:

stores shipped this week...
Sticks & Steel: Sioux Falls, SD
Trend: Verona, NJ
Trump Spa: Chicago, IL
Remixx: Roswell, GA
Dearborn Market: Holmdel, NJ
The Gypsy Wagon: Dallas, TX

weekend no. 112010

Weekend highs...
Umm...everything? No, really. It was a great one. But, if I had to pick a few, I'd give you: the apple cinnamon donuts at the Java Hut on the Downtown Mall (seriously - wow - that crust = heaven); the Fall view on Humpback Rock (and the fact that I still didn't make it to the edge of the rock, not even close); sharing my favorite town with two of my favorite people who loved and appreciated every single second of it; raspberry pear lavender jam on biscuits (believe it); O'Suzannah shopping (2 for 1 deals still happening); delicious family dinner on Friday (Momma, no one tops your eggplant parm); a Redskins win on Sunday (!!).

what to wear no. 111910

It's a big weekend, friends! Tonight, I have a dinner party for my Grandma's 90th birthday. Nine + zero, you guys. That's a big number and deserves a celebration filled with delicious Italian foods and family togetherness. Then Cute Husband and I are playing host and hostess to two of our favorite New York friends - there will be hiking, plenty of good old Charlottesville-restaurant eating (thinking Enoteca, Continental Divide, Bodos - duh - and who knows where else), some football-watching, downtown mall walking, and general catching up. We've had this weekend on the calendar for months and I can't wait! Now it's time to go clean this room up as it kind of looks like a hurricane left little bits and pieces of absolute mess, well, everywhere. How does that always happen so quickly with just two people? I guess I'll never know.

The outfit above is definitely what I'm going to wear hiking. Obviously.

Also? I actually wore this outfit (ish) last weekend. I feel the need to put that out there because, really and truly, I wore those blue tights. I know, I know...no one here can believe it because, well, blue actually involves a color and the fact that I own something that bright is, not only to you all, a huge shocker. I was kind of proud of myself and feel this needs to be documented in some way. Baby steps, friends, baby steps.

blue tights | striped shirt | gray sweater | black skirt | boots | laurel denise joy ctag necklace | laurel denise laugh rtag necklace

do good bag

So, I might have done a bad-for-the-wallet thing and put myself back on Lucky Magazine's mailing list. It was $7 dollars for a year's subscription, y'all...I couldn't resist. Plus I miss holding an actual magazine! But, I mean, when they write about cute bags like this one that, when purchased, gives money to companies that connect local craftspeople in developing economies with consumers overseas, well then, I don't feel quite as consumer-y and shop-y and material-coveting-thing-y (author's original words). Right?

laurel denise makeover

Happiness upon happiness, friends. The newly updated hot off the press laurel denise website is alive and well and up for viewing. This has been quite an effort involving many lovely hard-working people - including Cute Husband who used nfl.com as the inspiration for the navigation within the homepage images. We're sporty here at laurel denise, friends, very sporty. New items have been added to the texture collection and the simply stated collection. So, you know, in your daily doings today stop on over to the new website and feel free to add yourself to the mailing list so that you can receive pretty emails that announce these things.

ps - umm...so major weekend recap fail. I only took, oh, five or so pictures in total because I forgot my camera on Saturday and Sunday (awesome). My weekend image roll is filled with my cool nephew killing it on the football field on Friday night! Go Chargers! (that's for you, sis).

what to wear no. 111210

Another jet-setting, to and fro weekend coming up here, friends! Tonight we're off to catch my nephew rule the defense in his district's first high school football playoff game. I think this might be my Friday Night Lights reality...the only thing missing will be Tim Riggins. I suppose I can survive anyway. Tomorrow morning, I get to attend the bridal shower of my soon-to-be-sister-in-law who I love oh so very much. It's going to be a delight to get to see another bride-to-be moment with this gal (and, seriously, she registered for some mighty cute cookware, so I can't wait to see that in person). And, Sunday, well, I mentioned yesterday what I'd be doing on Sunday - my first holiday season show at the Omni! Here! In Charlottesville! Come see me and the jewelry! And Amanda! And, phew, wow, that's one packed weekend. Sunday night you will probably be able to catch me sitting in front of a large pizza pie watching some football. Bliss.

black skirt | striped shirt | cream cardigan | boots | laurel denise forever tag necklace

studio tour no. 111110

Y'all, wow. I need to apologize for this lame-sauce image I have today. I sort of forgot to take pictures of my studio this week. And by "sort of" what I mean is that I didn't think about it until, well, 6:30am this morning. So, yeah, sorry about that. Alright, that aside, I took some time on this slower wholesale production week to get ready for some upcoming shows I have! Sunday will find me and sweet Amanda at the Omni hotel in Cville, selling some Laurel Denise goods at the Junior League Mistletoe Market. My new stuff - brand new goods that won't be available online until, oh, 2011 sometime - will be shown and sold. It costs $5 to get into the door, but if you mention this post I'd be happy to take $5 off of your shopping total at the Laurel Denise table. It's a fundraiser, so they are charging an entry fee, but I don't want that to take away from anyone enjoying a day of shopping from some great local designers. So, come by, chat, say hello. We'll be the two brunette shorties drinking delicious coffee delights selling the tiny pieces filled with tiny handwriting.

Also? My catalog went to print this week. Can we all send up a sweet little prayer that there are no glaring misspellings in this very expensive item? That would be just peachy as I am, well, quite known for small little slight errors like that...

Also again? Fun new changes are happening slowly to the Laurel Denise website. Can't wait until everything is set and in place and ready to be fabulous. The site has long been in need of a bit of a makeover. Girlfriend has been looking rough.

stores shipped this week...
Finch & Sparrow: Seattle, WA
Across the Way: Cape May, NJ
Peridot: Atlanta, GA
International Orange: San Francisco, CA
Provence: Springfield, MO
Rock Paper Scissors: Charlottesville, VA
Presence: Piermont, NY
Cottage: Emmaus, PA
Holes: Ocean Springs, MS
Teanancious: Livingston, NJ
Expressions: Carmel, IN

weekend no. 110610

What a joy it was to put together this little picture collage after such a delightful weekend! Not sure how many times in life you get to have a weekend that's just exactly as you've pictured it, but this was one of those times! Still smiling from the happy memories. I mean, seriously, any weekend that ends in a little trip to Kline's ice cream while visiting JMU is pretty much the best weekend ever. Can I get an amen?

what to wear no. 110510

This weekend has been blocked off in big capital letters for an oh so very long time, friends. Two of my most favorite people in the whole wide world are coming this weekend! My dear, dear, dearest of dear friends Erin and Luke. There will be many Bodo's trips, a craft project or two, some general football watching, some fall baking, some hanging out and chatting, lots of tea consumption, a visit to JMU's beautiful quad (and Mr. J's and Kline's and...) and much, much fun. Hope you all woke up this Friday morning as excited as I did about the weekend to come!

cardigan | jeans | boots | shirt | laurel denise heart tag necklace

studio tour no. 110410

What a week, friends. What a week. Been designing my new catalog like a mad gal which requires use of a part of my brain that I'm afraid I don't use too often, been updating my website with some new stuff (yay for some new little sweet prints here), been working with my programmer to change the site up a bit (needs a little freshening, I think) and, well, the normal hustle and bustle of production work and order filling. Quite a busy time. And now my hulu que and I will spend the rest of the morning/day at the production table, thank ya very much.

stores shipped this week...
Arabella: Denver, CO
Urban Details: Spring Lake, NJ
Citywoods: Highland Park, IL

felt rug

Another Niki Jones post here. Sorry, I'm obsessed. This here felt rug? I can't decide if it would be awesome or if it would just leave a really pretty design of dust bundles and dirt on my floor. Because, really, does anyone here actually move their rug to sweep and vacuum beneath its surface?? That is something that just happens to be left off of my short cleaning attention span.

hammocks & high tea

Karen, from Hammocks & High Tea, is one of the hardest working people, um, ever. Seriously, y'all, ever. And, looking at her products and her press and her general out and about-ness in the design world, you can see the fruits of all of her hard work! I'm loving on these beautifully designed place mats today. Wish I could see these lining our coffee table right now from our last dinner in front of the Caps game instead of the old stained ones that are actually there. True story.

ps: Sorry for the radio silence. Things have been a tad out of control in laurel denise-land.