The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge

Sweet Home Alabama

Y'all, I'm a Southern gal, born and raised.  Mississippi is my home, but Alabama was my home-away-from-home for four years while attending the University of Alabama.  The city of Tuscaloosa will always have a piece of my heart; within its city limits I made friends and lost friends, met the first boy that I loved and first had my heart broken, failed my first class, saw my first "ghost," drank more margaritas than anyone has a right to, cheered for the Crimson Tide even though we were terrible at the time, and most importantly, spent some of the most memorable times of my life.

If you haven't heard, an F5 tornado ripped through the city yesterday leaving much of the campus unharmed, but literally leveling much of the surrounding city.  I am still shocked and saddened by the pictures and videos that keep coming from Tuscaloosa and nearby cities and communities; not only were cars and homes destroyed, but livelihoods and lives were lost as well. 

taken from University Downs parking lot, located on 15th Street in Tuscaloosa

my CVS at the corner of McFarland and 15th Street

15th Street, Tuscaloosa

a friend's [former] house

this is why you don't wait out a tornado inside your car

15th Street, Tuscaloosa

the front page of today's Tuscaloosa News

Videos of the tornado can be found here.

Please keep the victims of these deadly storms, and their loved ones, in your thoughts and prayers.  If you're in the DC area and happen to be reading this, some friends and I have organized a fundraiser for this Saturday evening at Gin & Tonic in the Glover Park neighborhood.  You can also donate online via the West Alabama Red Cross.

Lilly Pulitzer Home

I hope everyone had a happy and fun Easter weekend!  (Since you asked, mine was lovely--church, brunch, and Jesus Christ Superstar. It was on TCM, I was on the couch; it just made sense at the time.)

I might be behind the times, but apparently Lilly Pulitzer is coming out with a line of home furnishings.  I have mixed feelings about Lilly Putlizer, the brand, but I liked several of the Lilly Putlizer Home pieces (here and here).  In particular, I love the ottoman below (also featured in this month's Real Simple); however, it seems like someone crafty (I'm looking at you, Mary Grace and Design*Sponge-rs) could probably pull this off on her own, without paying $599+.

A Stitch in Time

Late this year (October, to be exact), Penguin will reissue a selection of its classics with playful, stitched covers by Jillian Tamaki.  The Hardcover Classics Deluxe editions sold very well, and hopefully introduced new readers to classic works of literature.  Penguin's website says of the Coralie Bickford-Smith collection, "Featuring gorgeous patterns stamped on linen cases, colored endpapers, and ribbon markers, these are rich and sumptuous volumes that continue what will be one of the most coveted sets of books ever produced."  I'm curious to see if the demand is similar for these whimsical editions.

Peeps Show 2011

Each year in the weeks leading up to Easter, The Washington Post hosts its Peeps Show, a diorama contest where the entrants are... well, dioramas made of Peeps (for those of you in the DC area, there's an actual Peeps store at National Harbor).  I have never been a fan of actually eating the marshmallow-fluff-and-sugar candy, but each year the Easter Bunny placed Peeps in my basket, along with Robin Eggs, Cadbury Creme Eggs, plastic eggs, and lots of plastic grass that my dog, Duffy, loved to eat.  Below are just a few of this year's finalists; you can view a slideshow of the contestants by following the link above.  Hoppy (almost) Easter!

Winner: Chilean CoPeepapo Mine Rescue

Winner: Chilean CoPeepapo Mine Rescue

The Peep Behind the Curtain

Peep Hoarders

TSA Agents Get a Peep Show

The King's Peep

Inpeeption

Angry Peeps

Peeparazzi

Want

As High Point Market recently concluded, lots of bloggers have been posting their favorite showrooms and design trends featuring at the annual marketplace.  While I'm not currently decorating my home (or anyone else's), and since I haven't yet figured out how to cultivate a money tree (mine keeps dying from over-watering), I still have fun looking at the pictures and pretending.  And then I saw this table (bar?) and realized that I must have it (in my pretend house).  I love the rustic lines and texture of the table with the simple addition of a metal basin, perfect for planting or chilling.

This piece is from Century, and overall I really enjoyed the rest of their showroom(s).  Pictures above and below from Coco + Kelly.