Happy New Year! Accomplishments and Resolutions

Happy New Year to you! Thank you so much for stopping by here this year - I've loved reading your comments and clicking over to visit you too. I think it was a good year for most of you - true? Are you excited for 2012? Do you make resolutions? I usually do not, but this year have a few in mind. I am looking back on what I accomplished in 2011, using it to inspire the resolutions for the new year to come. So, here we go...
I will spend even more time in 2012 reveling in our outdoors with my husband and son... I will continue to care for and improve on our home...
I will continue to take care of myself - even better care! In addition to traveling and seeing family, I had a lot of fun training for the half-marathon, so I will set another goal for another race in the fall...and lastly, though this is a BIG one, I will embrace the budget! I'm typically fighting it, upset that there has to be one, but I hope to approach it as an inspiring challenge this year. I have found, since I started the blog, that posting the things I love here helps me "have" them in some way, and helps curb the desire to go overspend on whatever they are.
Now for some truly, truly random images, mostly from the blogs I read, that inspire my resolutions for 2012.
First let me say I will put this photo on my bathroom mirror...She is Amanda Ross-- I love this photo of her. Everything about her in this photo, and article, will inspire me.
Next, I'm laughing. I guess I'm planning to do a lot about the bedroom, because I grabbed these four from the inspiration file without hesitation or thought... Also, I will pay attention to life's good details. I'll focus on the richness of them, the patterns, the textures, add to them, enhance them, take the clutter away from them, really notice them...And finally, back to nature. It does me wonders to spend much time outside soaking it in. I plan to be in nature a lot this year and hope to share more of it with you...Again, Happy New Year, thank you, and I'll see you back here next week!

sources: Amanda Ross from The Coveteur.
Bedrooms: for 1 I need help, 2, 3, 4.
Details 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 I need help, 6, 7 is a line vautrin box sold at auction, 8.
Nature 1 by Rebecca Haas, 2 by Punkin's Patch, and 3 my own.

Before We Move On

Happy Friday to you! I'm so excited to be moving into the new year and I'll be back to wish you a good one later. Before we move on, I never did show you a full photo of our tree. Here it is on Christmas morning... It's definitely the best one we've found in the forest over the three times we've ventured out to fell one ourselves. While we had such fun searching for it, it really is emotionally difficult to cut a tree. We cut it from a cluster, though, which the Forest Service encourages. It helps the others to grow stronger. Thank you, tree. You've been a marvelous addition to our celebration.

Helen Frankenthaler

I hope you're having a lovely, lovely, quiet, restful week. Helen Frankenthaler died this morning. I love her art, which I've posted about both here and here. Her death makes me sad and nostalgic for a time even before mine... Read more about her in today's NY Times.

All works by Helen Frankenthaler: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6.

Peace and Joy

Peace and joy to you! It's family time around here, so I am off. I hope your holiday weekend is full of love and wonder.As always, thank you for visiting me here. And thank you for your beautiful places too; I love to visit you and find friendship and inspiration from all over the world.

Cookies

Happy Monday! My sister is here and I'm so glad. I found such a beautiful recipe for Orange Almond Stars, which happen to be gluten free (since we both are), from Janis on Pinecone Camp so I made them for us!
My photos are quite amateur... please go see Janis's lovely pictures and you will see why I was so tempted to make these sweet treats.
I even made the candied orange peel that garnishes them (because the stuff from the store looked truly revolting). This is so much better I think, and was a lot of fun to make.
I hope you are having a beautiful day.
Find the easy cookie recipe at Pinecone Camp.

Happy Weekend

I hope there is peace, happiness and beauty in your weekend!
We will go into the woods to cut our Christmas tree tomorrow. I am so looking forward to it. I found this sublime image on Megan's equally lovely pink o'clock. Photo by Anna Ådén. Thank you for visiting me this week. I'm so happy you did.

Auction Beauty

This is a huge auction week for good 20th century design. Besides Phillips de Pury, which was Monday's post, I browsed the catalogs for Sotheby's, Christie's and Wright, and for Christie's Tiffany auction. The Elizabeth Taylor auctions are also this week, and her fine jewelry collection blew the doors off any previous private collection auction. I love the pieces below from Wright...these from Sotheby's...these from Christie's...these Tiffany Studios Favrile glass chain mail panels ca. 1910 from Christie's Tiffany...And one more from Christie's Liz Taylor...
Wright 1,2,3,4,5. Sotheby's 1,2,3,4. Christie's 1,2,3,4.