Rupert doesn’t get much face time on the blog but he is a huge help around here and basically in all aspects of my life in general. Rupe is my best friend, my husband, seriously constant entertainment, the perfect travel companion, and my rock. I’m not sure how I snagged this guy, but count me as the fortunate one.

Happy Birthday Rupe.

Oh February… short but sweet. I had a few nice long working lunches, great clients and great food makes me a happy girl (top row left at Gjelina and second row right at Eat.Drink.Americano). I also had a birthday and we drove, hiked, swam, and ate our way around New Zealand.

Photos by me via instagram (I’m @sarahshermansamuel)

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I have to admit that it took me a long time to get into Pinterest. I struggled (and still do) with how so many things get posted without a link back to the rightful owner of the image or a credit to the artists that were involved. I’ve had some of my images that I’ve styled and photographed be pinned and re-pinned with other designers names as credit which is a little frustrating. (I know I am guilty of not always crediting correctly when in a pinning frenzy but I’m hoping that just saying it out loud will hold me more accountable to always give credit where credit is due.)

Anywayyyy, I started using Pinterest when we began our work on the cabin and that’s when I got addicted. It really has been a great place to organize products and inspiration for a project. I didn’t notice how much it had become a part of my day until I got back from being unplugged in New Zealand to realize I missed all the pinning goodness in my life!

What I especially love is when I look back over all of my pins, I see my aesthetic through commonalities in completely unrelated subjects and without even trying, I see groupings like these that reflect different aspects of my style (maybe based on the moods I’m in?).

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Whether its common materials, patterns, or a central color palette, it’s fun to see the different moods that subconsciously surface. Do you guys notice these things with your pins?

For those of you that have been following me on Instagram, you know I have been driving around New Zealand in this amazing Volkswagen camper van. This weekend we said our goodbyes to it (and to New Zealand) after staying in the most thoughtfully designed campground. The photo on the right was how the dishes, cutlery, and coffee were laid out inside our tent! More details to come.

Photos by me via Instagram. (I’m @sarahshermansamuel)

I may have gasped the first time I saw that skirt. An art deco inspired pattern spy was sure to follow.

1: Sass & Bide Skirt from ShopBop // 2: Art Deco Switch Plate from House of Antiques // 3: Chrystler Pillow by Shop Ten 25

You may recognize this pretty lady… it’s one Ruca Bean of “a house in the hills“. She is all decked out not only because it’s my birthday today (I mean, of course she is stoked about that), but mostly to announce an exciting project that I am teaming up with Sarah Yates and all the photography lovlies of “Birds of a Feather” for.

It’s a project that is very near and dear to my heart and it is to raise money for pups in need by offering you a chance to get a professional portrait session (with some very special styling of course) of your beloved pet.

All of the money we raise will be given to NKLA, a coalition of animal welfare organizations dedicated to ending the killing of healthy and treatable pets in LA shelters. My two fur kids were rescued from a shelter by one of the supporting organizations, which is how I came to adopt them and while I wish I could adopt all of the homeless dogs and live on a farm and be known as the crazy dog lady, I think my husband would leave me. Soo, instead I am going to raise as much money as I can for them to be properly cared for and in the hopes that more animals will find their forever homes.

If you’ve ever wished you had a pretty picture of your dog like Sarah is known for taking of Bean (I know I have)… now is your chance! And while your pooch is getting their pretty pretty close-up you’ll be feeding and saving other less fortunate dogs at the same time!

Here are the details:

WHO: your beloved canine

WHAT: a 15 minute styled photo session of your pup (taken by “birds of a feather” and styled by Sarah of “A House in the Hills” & Sarah of “Smitten Studio“),
5 high resolution digital files from the shoot available for download,
$125 donation

WHERE: The Forge studio, 2636 Huron St. Los Angeles, 90065 (who so graciously donated their space to us for the cause)

WHEN: Sunday, March 10, 2013, 9 am- 5pm first come, first serve!

WHY: to raise money for NKLA, a coalition of animal welfare organizations dedicated to ending the killing of healthy and treatable pets in LA shelters.

We hope to see you all there!

Photo by Sarah Yates

We’re having the best time in New Zealand and thoroughly losing track of our days. Here’s a shot of one of our favorite stops so far … cathedral cove. See more of our trip by following along on Instagram. I’m @sarahshermansamuel

Over winter the work has definitely slowed down over at the cabin, so the status of our fireplace area is still much the same as our last update. It is nice to look back at how far we’ve come and I am going to head over there soon to get back on track with my growing to-do list.

Now that we have the fireplace cleaned up, the hearth tile changed out, and started the process of styling the area I am on the hunt for a new fireplace screen. At least I can always do the shopping while I’m staying warm in L.A. (or New Zealand for that matter)

I never knew how many variations of fireplace screens there are out there, or how expensive they are either… jeesh! I kind of love the “lexington” screen but I could also see myself going with something super simple and basic like the “olde world” too.

Shopping guide:
1: Mirrored Screen from Neiman Marcus // 2: Diamond Screen by Minuteman Intl. // 3: Peacock Fan Screen by Uniflame  // 4: Golden Branch Screen by Horchow  // 5: Olde World Screen by Uniflame // 6: Lexington Screen from Horchow

To see more items that I have my eye on follow my Pinterest board “products for the cabin”.

To see all of the cabin progress check here.

As if the gold motorcycle jacket wasn’t enough… how about blue? oh yes, please.

Shop the look:
Biker Jacket by Veda from Madewell find similar here and by rag & bone // Chambray Shirt from Anthropologie // White Jeans from J.crew find similar from AG // Green Turquoise Ring (unknown) find similar at Max & Chloe // Necklace (unknown) find similar style at Bergdorf Goodman, Urban Outfitters, and Piperlime // Ankle boots by Seychelles, find similar by sole society and I’m kind of loving these by Steven // Bag by Milly