Thank you, July Sponsors

Appreciating my amazing July sponsors - thanks for partnering with me for giveaways and for being interested in Village and its readers. THANK YOU!

1. Upper Metal Class
2. A Lovely Little Shop
3. Efrat Deutsch
4. Dawn & Deepa
5. Shabby Apple
6. Urban Walls

Have a relaxing weekend. We are off to Vienna!!

August Sponsor Spots

{Email if interested}

Admiring..

This necklace (charming) and these chairs (necessary, obviously!)

Have a super Thursday, ya'll...My plan for today is work, lunch with friends, celebrate the release of a friends new single and hopefully drag someone with me to see the hip hop (my not so secret love) documentary "Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest" which is playing at the music festival that is happening in Luzern now. Busy day!

Amazing London Flat alert..

This flat is so my taste that it might physically hurt. And I keep thinking about it. Sigh.
(More here)

Shadow Photos.

Shadow photos by Alexey Bendnij. See more here if you'd like!

I haven't been taking many pictures lately, but this w/e mark and I are heading to Vienna on an overnight train - I'm excited to haul the cam around and soak in vienna through "film", visit the boat pool (because it will be hotter than a mo fo) and hopefully find some knudeln to eat! Do you have any tips on what to do, see, eat in Vienna?

The Best Room Ever.

This is a room I would love to wake up in for all of eternity. Maybe just add in some alps behind the lake?  It's part of a sunset cabin designed by a Toronto based architect. You can see more of the cabin here.

P.S. Congrats to Heidi (and Mimi ;)) from The Polka Dot Petticoat who won the childrens ring giveaway from Dawn and Deepa. Thanks to all who entered - and based on these entries, $48 was donated today to The Fruit Tree Planting Foundation in honor of this giveaway!

Links, homies.

Links You Might Like

/ Interesting blog post about Switzerland's military and ability to self destruct in case of invasion.
/ Web developer/designer? Here's a great job board for you.
/ Um, everything at a lovely, little shop is 50% off already good prices...go!
/ Wisestamp: a great email app to add things like your latest blog post, Facebook button, etc. 
/ Rock-a-bye bed...intriguing..
/ Surprising new plastic surgery trend. for real?
/ Hilarious portrayal of what happens when the Gotye song comes on :)
/ Great home office inspiration. 
/ Classic old-school dog accessories.
/ A good good letter regarding Frank Ocean's coming out. 

This Week/This Blog

+ Donate $2/entry to charity for every entry in the Dawn and Deepa childrens ring giveaway
+ Potted plant idea
+ Mirror decor
+ Baby stuff!

And with that, i hope you are having a great w/e. I've enjoyed the Blue Balls Festival (a music festival in Luzern with an unfortunate name - and yes i can be 12 years old), and shopping in Ikea. I'm happy to report that Mark and I are still talking after spending the day there!
 (And I know the pic below has been over-blogged...but, I still like it. 

Hello, baby

Amazing quilt.

sweet mobile.

teething ring.

I'm definitely keeping my eyes open for things to buy the baby on pinterest, etc. here are some cute things that i've come across. we decided last w/e we should probably consider getting it a bed soon...or other necessary items since like, a baby is coming to live with us in like 8 weeks...holy s^%#.
p.s. it is weird fitting children things on this blog, right? ah, every now and then won't hurt i suppose :)

(You can see more things for kids here on my pinterest.)

Blease Mirrors.

These are cool. Mirrors from Blease. (via a pin)

P.S. Donate to charity just by entering my latest giveaway with Dawn & Deepa (children's ring). Get on it ;) (2$ for every entry) 

House plant

My new favorite house plant. I had some leftover ivy from another pot, saw a mason jar, and threw it in there. like!

P.S. Donate to charity just by entering my latest giveaway with Dawn & Deepa (children's ring). Get on it ;) (2$ for every entry!)

Giveaway: Dawn & Deepa, Children's Jewelry

To Enter:

+ Visit Dawn & Deepa and leave a comment below

Extra Entry?

Like Dawn & Deepa on Facebook!

Thank you so much to Dawn and Deepa for offering this giveaway to Village readers. Dawn & Deepa is a children's line of jewelry featuring pieces for both boys and girls (I happen to LOVE the boys cuffs).  I also admire that they are involved with a charity called "The Fruit Tree Planting Foundation". For every D&D appleseed Necklace sold, 10% of the profits will go to planting trees in international hunger relief sites.
{You can also donate here!}*

*For every entry, $2 will be donated to the Fruit Tree Planting Foundation. Let's go!

P.S. The winner of the UrbanWalls $50 Gift Certificate Giveaway is Tanya!

Links and things.

Image taken by hollie/and baby makes three

Weekend, blah blah. Have a good one :)

Links
/ 21 Pictures that will restore your faith in humanity (and maybe make you all teary eyed?)
/ 9 regular people who became memes. this made me laugh
/ New list of World's Most Liveable cities...interesting! and where is luzern?!
/ I like this 'faves under $30' list

This Blog/This Week
+ You still have until Sunday night to enter the UrbanWalls $50 Giftcard Giveaway
+ Last Weeks Links
+ A map made of each countries currencies
+ Skinny Vinny Convertible Bag
+ Milk Jar Branding Project

Milk.

I saw this mega cool branding project on mat's blog and it's weirding me out how much I would appreciate pretty glass milk containers, but whatever, it is what it is - i like pretty things. (Visit that link for more info on the project). I'm also happy with our farmers market version (below) which I save and make things in like cold brewed coffee and sun tea! {Random uninteresting fact for you: the milk from the farmers market tastes wayyyyy more like milk from home than anything we can get in the store here}.

I realize this is a weird post but just go with it!

Convertible Bag

The Sakkhu bag is handmade in Brooklyn by the brand Skinny Vinny. I recently read an interview through 'Of a Kind' and I love that they are leaving little to no waste in the making of their items (using leftover scraps to make bowties or to tie up their things). AND it's a convertible bag - can be worn 4 ways...I have the hots for convertible bags lately. (Other Skinny Vinny bags here)

+ Did you catch this convertible bag?

erik penser

Each continent is built out of its countries currencies...pretty neat. more here

P.S. Go here for the wall decal giveaway I'm having with UrbanWalls. Maybe you can get the map if you win!

Giveaway: Urban Walls

Yo Happy Monday! I'm happy to be partnering with Urban Walls this week so that one of you lovely homies can win a Giftcard to pick out your choice of decal from their store - I'd choose that map up there for sure. 

Rules of Entry

1. Visit Urban Walls and leave a comment
2nd Entry:

2. Like Urban Walls on Facebook, let me know in a separate comment please!

{Winner Announced in one week}

And congrats to Aimee from Chic n' Cheap Living for winning the A Lovely Little Shop giveaway. (Check your email!)

Weekend things..

Weekend!!! This photo is from a little sail boat trip we took with friends on Lake Geneva last summer...although more swimming than sailing since there wasn't much wind! Hope you enjoy your weekend and these links ;)
__________________________________________________

+  vintage green scarf from EL Vintage

+ I just finished reading Bringing up Bebe. I'm by no means a francophile, but this book made me respect the raising children aspect of their culture a lot!

+ Great DIY idea for a clutch makeover 

+ Might use this site to find some Hip Hideaways

+ A sunrise wedding, neat idea
___________________________________________________
And from Village this week
-Giveaway from a lovely little shop - your choice of item, enter here.
-And then I found a new shop, a summer dress and book that I'm loving.

Swimming Studies

I'm slightly obsessed with this book that I saw on a blog (click there for an interview w/ the author) - Swimming Studies is to be released on the 5th and I'm going to have to put it on my Christmas list. (hey, 6 months goes by fast). It's a memoir of the authors life as a swimmer and involves some of her paintings, musings and bathing suit collection, etc...I was a swimmer in HS and would love to travel down memory lane through her writing. I am sad to say I haven't swam for exercise probably since then but I loved it and everytime I smell chlorine it takes me back to that pool in HS. good times!

Summer Dress

purr. a jersey t-shirt dress. whatever it is, i like. 

(via)

// Then there's this summer look

// Or this grey summer dress (which I have but can't wear!)

P.S. Don't forget to leave a comment on this post to enter the a lovely little shop giveaway - your choice of item!

P.P.S. Happy 4th to all mi americanos!!! I always loved this laid back w/e in the US...missing it!

mmmg.net

I was searching for where I ordered my planner from (poketo) because I want another one because I adore it and so I followed an address from inside and was led to this site (where it is made I guess?). I don't know...but this store is in South Korea and I love a lot of their things. And those were the most pointless sentences all to show you these things!

Giveaway: a lovely little shop

Please leave a comment below to win your choice of item from a lovely little shop =)

(Thank you Chelsea!)

a lovely little shop elsewhere:
+ facebook
+ twitter
+ etsy

P.S. Thanks for entering the Shabby Apple Giftcard giveaway! The winner is Mary Jo from Trust Your Style.
To the rest - use code "Village10off" to receive 10% off of any purchase until the end of July. Thanks Shabby Apple!

Our Courtyard

Ok, I love peeking around our courtyard to see how the neighbors decorate their balconies!

Enjoy your Sunday...I'll be cleaning. that is exciting....

P.S. See you Monday for the Shabby Apple Gift Card Winner (you still have today to enter) AND a new giveaway from THIS shop. lucky girls!