A Boston man is the east wind made flesh...

It's a good day to be a fan of Boston...yes friends I'm referring to sports! Curse of having a birthday that falls during both hockey finals and baseball season- not so for Beantown, apparently my birth brought them some luck yesterday with both the Sox and the Bruins pulling out wins last night- so boys- Congrats!
And while I admit- I do love me some Red Sox and am defiantly pulling for the Bruins over the Canucks (what the heck is a Canuck anyway..) all it does is channel my inner preppy girl...
I adore Boston, The Cape, the Vineyard and Nantucket...the water's a bit cold but when it's 100 with 98% humidity in the south it all makes sense to me. And while I will fully admit there is more to Massachusetts than just the east coast... here is what Massachusetts is to me...

Cedar Shingles...gardens that have been there forever...

A bit of classic Americana...

a fearless embrace of gorgeous old architecture as opposed to plowing it down for a newer model...

new twists on old classic combinations...

It is embracing the classic gentleman style and rocking a rep stripe tie (even if it is on a pillow)

it's not apologizing for embracing your inner nerd...

Lobster Rolls! Where Maryland does a killer crab cake... Massachusetts gives us the lobster roll- YUMMY 

It's copper pots that have been in a family for generations and have gotten better with age...

It's Nantucket Reds!

And before my southern friends totally disown me, let me point out that aside from the accent- they really aren't all that different than us...

Northern girls have some of the same dreams as us....

They too love to slap a monogram on anything that will sit still...

and they always stop to make way for ducklings!

a dose of sensibility...

I was being lazy watching Sense and Sensibility, I haven't watched it in ages and i don't know why- it is a gorgeous movie- plus I love how young Hugh Grant was in it! It reminded me of how elegant and civilized we humans used to be...yet still today the same issues of love, money and priorities still plague us all...just not in such a hushed sensible manner.
There is one scene in particular that caught my attention; Marianne is drawing a silhouette of her sweetheart Willoughby by candle light...  now there is nothing new about silhouettes but I guess I have a new appreciation for them.
To me silhouettes are a wonderfully charming balance of old tradition and clean crisp modern lines. A classic way to capture a moment and turn it into a modern piece of art. And apparently I am not the only one loving silhouettes these days...

photos:Anthropologie, Country Living, Etsy, Occasional Enthusiast, BlackApple, CasaSugar, West Elm

You just don't say no to champagne...

Most people know that it isn't champagne unless the grapes were grown in the Champagne region of France...the rest is just sparkling wine. But did you know Dom Perignon spend the better part of his career trying to get rid of the bubbles in his wine that were considered a fault! Silly old man- there is nothing more wonderful than that first sip when the bubbles tickle the inside of your mouth...those gorgeous little bubbles that have become synonymous with all things chic and stylish- the symbol of accomplishment!

So why not take those delightful bubbles and keep them around for more than just ringing in the New Year or celebrating a promotion or marriage...
Well not everyone can rock a bubble dress quite like Lady Gaga and super models...but here are some bubble baubles I think just about anyone can pull off...

Champagne pearls...how very sweet!

Tiffany does good bubbles- almost as delicious as if they had been poured out of a bottle

the MoMa store's interpretation on bubbles! I love!

And if you want to rock your bubbles all year long... why not bring them into your home to keep that celebratory feeling long after the clock strikes midnight... and there are some inspiring lights out there that capture that bubble feeling

Or maybe you are set on lights... use tile to bubble things up in the kitchen or the bathroom-or as my friend with a tile store will tell you-Everywhere can use tile!

have to toot my own horn on this one...my first and favorite tiling job using stainless steel penny-rounds

And don't let the fun stop once the bottle is empty and the bubbles are gone...don't forget the cork!

Cork has exploded way beyond memo boards and office supplies...

onto the floor...

into fashion...

into furniture...

Even into lighting!

Happy New Year! May 2011 be Inspiring and Beautiful!

photos:Apartment Therapy, Etsy, MoMa, DecorPad, ET2, Tech Lighting, Forecast, House & Home, Tiffany, GrassRoots Modern