November Is Adopt a Senior Pet Month

Just a quick note to encourage you to consider adopting an older pet this month, so it will have a home for the holidays!

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, and I promise I'll share some snaps of Paris soon.

I'm Mad About ...

Good morning. Let's get right to it:

• There's so much great music out right now. I discovered San Francisco-based Nicki Bluhm the other day. Her voice is perfect for her country rock style. Have a listen and let me know what you think.
• June is Adopt a Cat Month. Come on, you know you want to!
• Looking for affordable art in LA? Check out the Tappan Collective pop-up Saturday at the Jeffries Building, 117 Winston St., at Werdin Place.
• I love this sneak peek at the upcoming Cupcakes and Cashmere book. Emily's blog is so inspiring and beautiful. I can't wait for the book to come out.

Have a great weekend!

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• Thanks for this, Donna.
• These folks do good work.
• If I had a little girl, I would definitely make this for her (and for me!).

One Year Ago Today...

This special guy came into our lives:

He wasn't always the happy, loving dog you see here. When we first met Mr. Chow (jokingly named for a chain of fast-food restaurants in the Bay Area and the fact he is likely part chow chow), he had a broken leg. Here's how he looked when I met him at the emergency vet:

So sad and scared. He's come a long way in a year (you can read more about him here). He's now a bona fide member of the family. Smooch tolerates him most of the time, and Giles the cat not only comes in the house, he often walks right by Chow to do it. (Really, that's huge!) Chow is taking obedience lessons (he has sit down!) and he's getting more and more socialized.

He's taught me so much about courage, overcoming obstacles and persistence (he'll get Smooch to play with him one of these days). He's just a big, goofy, clumsy, happy boy. Every dog deserves a second chance.

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Last Sunday I rode my bike to the farmers market and picked up some early-season peaches and nectarines. It was such a pleasant ride (and a good way to burn off some of those Cinco de Mayo indulgences), I'm looking forward to doing it again this weekend.

• Speaking of bike riding, did you know May is National Bike Month? Get out and ride!
• These fabulous animal prints start at just $35, and 10 percent of the proceeds go to organizations that help pets with special needs.

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there. Have a lovely weekend!

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The weather this weekend is supposed to be gorgeous. I hope you all have plans for something fun. I have a date with my hubby!

Here are some things that caught my eye this week:

By mavb.us

• Lovers of California design should check out this Cliff May exhibit.
• I seriously can't believe I'm going to miss the Grilled Cheese Invitational.
• This is a great idea: Spared.org puts donors in touch with animal shelters in need.
• Is this for real?
• Here's something I could use: apps to track your pet's medical records.

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Happy Passover and Easter! I hope you all have wonderful plans for the weekend.

Here are a few things that caught my eye this week:

April the greyhound is in Michigan, looking for a home

• April is National Greyhound Adoption Month. How can you resist? 
• The Shelter Pet Project is on Pinterest. I love the way they use wit and humor (and not guilt) to bring attention to animals that need homes.  
• Have you seen the new Anthropologie magazine? I've only flipped through it briefly (still have to catch up on back issues of Marie Claire and the new Matchbook), but there's a story on Palm Springs. (I think it's a sign.) If you've read it, what do you think? 
• And some sad news: Renowned designer Albert Hadley passed away last week at the age of 91.

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If you haven't seen this video yet, it's a real heart-breaker—but don't worry, it has a happy ending:



Have a wonderful weekend!

I'm Mad About...

Hi, all. I hope you have some wonderful plans for this weekend. I intend to get some much-needed rest and hit the brew pub for some St. Paddy's Day merry-making.

I'll leave you with a few things that caught my eye recently:

                                                                Source: Uploaded by user via Jennifer on Pinterest

• Knowing that the "Keep Calm and Carry On" poster began as British World War II propaganda almost makes me like it.
• These awesome paper dolls have me feeling like a kid again. 
• I'd love to be welcomed to a hotel by any of these cute critters.

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We're headed to LA this weekend to see a George Harrison exhibit at the Grammy Museum (I didn't even know there was a Grammy Museum!)—and maybe get in a little shopping.

Here are some things that caught my eye this week:

Garrapata State Park

• This is a wonderful idea: In an effort to raise awareness, a Northern California woman (joined by friends and her foster dog) is visiting 70 state parks set to be closed because of budget cuts and blogging about them. So far she's hit nearly 30 parks. I've been to several of the sites on the closure list and am sad to hear that they might not be accessible to future travelers.
• It's time for another Pinterest challenge. Will you be participating?
• I love the idea of bed linens for dogs (but I doubt it will keep the little ones off of our bed).
• Orla Kiely bedding for Bed, Bath and Beyond? Yes!

Inspired by: Animals

You may have noticed that I like animals. And I live with lots of them—some real and many others representations.

Decorating with animals can be tricky. It's easy go too cartoony or childish. That's fine if it's the look you want, but if you're going for a more elegant style, you have lots of higher-end options.

Of course, the first place to start is with the king of kitsch himself, Jonathan Adler:

Fox

Jonathan Adler Interior Design

Elle Decor

Whale pitcher

West Elm is another purveyor of humorous yet stylish animal decor. A pair of these cuties live on my living room console:

Ceramic owls

Using art is another way to inject some animal style into your decor. I've blogged about this picture before, but it's such a striking image:

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Mad Men!

amctv.com

• Can't wait another month for Mad Men? Here's a little something to tide you over.
• Tuesday is World Spay Day. Is your pet neutered?
• Love these pet adoption glamour shots.
• Are you prepared for an emergency?
• Have you checked out The Everygirl yet?

Have a wonderful weekend!

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NextMovie

• Betcha haven't seen these movies.
• I must get one (or two!) of these T-shirts.
• Didn't get your Jason Wu for Target bag? Me either.
• Cute (and free) Valentine's Day e-cards for your Fido-loving friend.

Have a great weekend!

I'm Mad About...

Leif via Brides.com

• Have you taken any color tests? I can't say my results have been accurate, but it's fun to try them out.
• A family photo yearbook is a great idea (if I can ever find the time to go through all those pictures!).
• Show your animal love and help fund spay-neuter programs in California.

P.S.: I meant to replace that last pic of my desk area in this post before I published it, but (as usual) I forgot. So here's a slightly more prettified version:

Have a great weekend!

Warm Up to Winter

The short days and cold nights of January make me want to hunker down and cozy up, so I thought I'd round up some illustrations of my favorite wintertime activities.

Indulging in warm, hearty, comforting foods:

Circle B Kitchen

Spoon Fork Bacon

Girlichef

Layering sweaters and scarves:

What I Wore

No. 6

Reading by a cozy fire:

Design*Sponge

Elle Decor via House of Turquoise

And, of course, snuggling with the critters:

Pinterest

Favim

How do you like to keep warm?

Gift Guide: Animal Lover

You knew I wouldn't forget the pets (or your animal-loving friends). Toys for dogs and cats, a fashionable (and eco-friendly) bed and dog cake—it's all here:

Clockwise from upper left:

• Chilled to the Bone Dog Scarf, Modcloth
• Banana Cake and Frosting Mix, Puppy Cake
• Good Dog ID tag, George
• DenHaus ZenHaus Modern Litter Box Enclosure, All Modern
• French Bulldog chocolates, Fetch Chocolates
• Cotton Rope Toy Mouse, Harry Barker
• Kittypod Couchette Modern Cat Scratcher, All Modern 
• Eco Bones, West Paw Design 
• On the Go food and water bowls, Planet Dog 
• Glory Days dog duvet, Molly Mutt

Coming Wednesday: gifts for the reader.
And check out gift guides for foodies, Francophiles and Anglophiles.
Also be sure to visit the fabulous and comprehensive gift guides by Gifted magazine and Emily Henderson.

I'm Mad About...

I've always been a big James Garner fan, and when I heard he'd written a memoir, I ordered a copy right away. He has quite a story to tell, and I can't wait to read all about it.

Some other things I'm excited about:

• Older animals need (and give) love too. November is Adopt a Senior Pet Month!
• Katherine Heigl is teaming up with Southern California animal shelters to find homes for 5,000 pets.
• A blender that also cooks? I'll take it!

Happy Halloween!

I have some special plans this Halloween (more on that later!), but I hope you all have a spooky-good night.

Martha Stewart

Remember to keep your cats inside.

Via ...etc:

And try to resist the urge to do this:

                             Source: google.com via DiamondsandTulle on Pinterest

(It is pretty freakin' cute, though!)

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                                                      Source: lonnymag.com via Elena on Pinterest

• Hot pink and orange in the latest issue of Lonny!
• Booktrack's soundtrack for books: I'm not sure if this would be awesome or annoying, but it certainly is clever!
• How cute are these items from Christine's new column for Dogster?

I'm Mad About...

I'll be indulging in some delicious treats at the annual Greek food festival this weekend. I look forward to this all year long, although I hear there will be no feta fries this year—tragedy!

Lands' End Canvas draped shawl-collar cardigan

• I got the Lands' End Canvas catalog the other day, and I want everything in it! Seriously. Beautiful and timeless. I'm so ready for fall to arrive now. (And if that didn't do it for me, this certainly did.)
• Zara launched online shopping in the U.S. this week! Yes!
• Another reason to love Anthropologie (as if I needed one): It's holding Sit Stay Love pet adoption and supply drives at stores around the country this month. Check it out!
• In other animal news, Sept. 17-25 is Adopt a Less Adoptable Pet Week. I'm full up, but if you have room in your home and your heart, consider bringing home a critter with special needs.