Gary Heller Photographs always inspiring!

Okay so I had to check out Gary Heller's Etsy shop because according to his blog he has been traveling and taking some extraordinary photos- obviously!! I love this one Broken Fence!! Please enjoy this piece and his other pieces by visiting his shop here!

My Sparrow - stylish responsibility

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The New Eighteenth Century Style - Rediscovering a French Decor

So I have loved this book for a long time now,  I am just rediscovering it again and I thought it might be nice to share a few of my favorite pages with you!  The New Eighteenth Century Style - Rediscovering a French Decor is a great book by Michele Lalande with photos by Gilles Trillard.  Just amazing the mixing of beautiful pieces together.  I just daydream of living among things with such rich history.  Alas it is not meant to be- I have kids!  But a girl can dream!

From the Attics of Stockholm

Exercises in Style

I just cannot tell you how much I like it!!  I added it to the site too just in case you like it you can get your very own here!!

My Sparrow - stylish responsibility

Anthropologie takes the cup every time!

I know this will come as no surprise to many...  I am an Anthropologie lover!!!  They have the best stuff!  And their stores never cease to amaze me..  So in a little tribute to them I am posting about a fun idea that I stole from a friend of a friend... Liz Jonas (she designs some really great jewelry and is an all around creative person - love her house!)  Anyway one day when I went to a little Jewelry trunk show at her house she was serving goodies and coffee and tea... Well I spied the coolest thing- she was using one of my favorite Anthropologie Mugs the Monogram Mug but she had multiples with her initial on it.  I don't know why I never thought of it but alas I loved it and ran out to get my own set of Monogram mugs just for me and my morning cup of tea.

Just so fun and much better than a throw away cup for sure!

My Sparrow - stylish responsibility

Laduree and me..

I have visited Paris 4 times now I think and have been in love each and every time. The beautiful architecture, the people, the parks, the museums, the "tower" (as my daughter calls it) and then there are the sweets.... oh the sweets! My heart truly loves the sweets!! When I am there I cannot get enough of the croissants de chocolat and tea. But most of all I love Laduree! It is my dream....

Their little bits of heaven are just what I need and I cannot wait to get to one of their shops each and every time! I usually will visit more than one shop during my stay. I always plan on bringing these fantastic macaroons home in their beautiful little boxes to my loved ones, but sometimes they disappear and I have to run back just one more time before we leave for the airport. My favorites are the caramel, chocolate, raspberry and the lemon..Yumm!

If you have not heard of Laduree it is amazing (did I already say that?). They have multiple shops around Paris and each is outfitted in beautiful shades of pale pink, lavender and mint green. There are stripes and gold accents all over. On my last visit I had the pleasure of having Tea with my cousin in the Laduree Bonaparte in the Saint-Germain-des-Prés - we had tea and an assortment of macaroons. Just lovely- next time I will come hungry though their food looked wonderful!

This is the story of the Macaroon according to Laduree....

These small, round cakes, crisp on the outside, smooth and soft in the middle, are the most famous creation of Ladurée.

The story of the Ladurée macaroon starts with Pierre Desfontaines, second cousin of Louis Ernest Ladurée, who at the beginning of the 20th century first thought of taking two macaroon shells and joining them with a delicious ganache filling.
The way of making them has never changed since that time.
These small, round cakes, crisp on the outside, smooth and soft in the middle,
are made every morning in Ladurée’s “laboratory”. The pastry chefs measure out very precisely the required amounts of almonds, eggs and sugar, before adding one final ingredient, a pinch of unique “know-how”, essential to the making of such a delicacy. Once cooked and filled, the macaroons are put to one side for 2 days before going on sale, the time it takes to achieve a perfect balance between texture and flavour.

With each new season, Ladurée pays tribute to its most famous creation by creating a new flavour.
The existing range of macaroons is always the starting point when a new one is created, as the variety of colours is as important as the range of flavours and a vital part of their appeal.

Unfortunately my love affair with them will only have to be on when I travel to Paris or London as they have not graced us with a store in the states! You can find out more about them on their website here.

I suppose I always have See's here in California to help fill the void until I visit Paris again!

My Sparrow

all photos from Laduree as well as the story of the Macaroon

Houzz love...

Okay so it is a busy Friday here!! I have fallen hard for a site I found through twitter.. Houzz perfect for us design addicts!

This is a great site featuring over 15,000 pictures of homes and design ideas on the web! I love it so far and cannot wait to use some of these fantastic ideas in upcoming projects and in my home. Houzz offers you the ability to create idea books for anything that you are interested in even if it is just a color theme, bathroom ideas, accessory ideas - you name it! You can browse photos from top designers and architects to fantastic at home decorators then add them to idea books or email them to friends. You can also upload some of your favorite pics to share with the rest of us.

Another great feature that I am loving is that Houzz is hooked up so you can spread the news of your discoveries- you can post to facebook, twitter, yahoo buzz, del.icio.us, StumbleUpon, and digg all right from the site!


My Sparrow has a great eco friendly idea book that is featured today on Houzz. You can check it out here or with the fun widget on the right there ---> Love it!

So let me know what you think of our little idea book!!

My Sparrow - stylish responsibility

Giveaway on Southern Hospitality

I am so excited to share with you that Rhoda at Southern Hospitality is doing a fantastic giveaway for me right now! Please check out her site for your chance at a set of our beautiful hand blown glasses.

Thank you Rhoda!!!

My Sparrow- stylish responsibility

Lovin the bird

So I thought it might be nice to give a little love to the birds...

I never realized before how many ways I am attracted to things that feature birds... Here are just a few of the great pieces that I have seen lately (and some I added to my site).

My Sparrow - stylish responsibility