just a little peek.

today i thought i'd show you guys a few of my favorite things in my apartment -- some old, some new, some just really special to me. i'm also hoping you'll tell me about your favorite thing in your house. i did a version of this awhile back, but i feel like this is the kind of thing that's fun to repeat because things -- and people -- are always evolving. (please note that i didn't make any effort to clean up before i took these pictures, so i'm sorry if things look a wee bit dusty. please also note that i am probably the world's worst photographer -- i need a new camera! any recommendations, my loves?) anyway, without further ado, here we go!

my desk is an antique that my mom gave me when i moved -- i'd been using it in my bedroom at my parents' house. the little "m" paperweight was a gift from my friend jenn; i love it not only because it's the first letter of my name, so it's tied to my identity, but also because it makes me think of her when i look at it. the glass vase was $.79 from ikea -- i'm going to get some silk flowers to put in it. the blue ceramic piece that's holding my pens and pencils is actually a gravy boat that i thrifted for something like $1, and my computer is an ibook g4 that's on its last legs and is probably going to be replaced pretty soon. it's been really good to me, though.

here's the busig tray from ikea that i was obsessed with -- yes, i finally got my hands on it! i love elephants (the animals, not the political party), and these colors are just wonderful. the coffee table is also from ikea.

my mom thrifted me this lamp and i love it -- it casts a great light and i love the detailing on the base; i've never seen another one like it. the little sugar bowl was $1 at a local thrift shop; it's not holding anything right now, but it's still cute. it's sitting on a stack of about five books, but the ones you can see -- nathaniel hawthorne's tales and thoreau's walden and other writings -- belonged to one of my favorite college professors. he passed away last year, but his family let his students pick a few books from his office and these are the ones i got. i love them; not only are they filled with his notes, but i also wrote my undergrad thesis on nathaniel hawthorne's the artist of the beautiful, so that book in particular is doubly special to me.

i've mentioned this little owl before; he's from anthropologie and he's sitting on a $1 plate from target in my favorite color (as evidenced by this post). behind him are a couple of pens, and to the right is a little metal pebble that has the word "dream" inscribed on it. my aunt linn sent that to me in a birthday card a couple of years ago, and i really love it.

i couldn't write about my favorite things without posting a picture of my stand mixer. need i say more? this thing is glorious. it's changed my life.

this little blue urn thing sits in the bathroom and was also a thrift-store find -- i love the color and i love the little lady on top of it; she makes me laugh. i keep q-tips and cotton swabs in it.


finally, this photograph may be my most favorite thing in my apartment. it's of my grandfather, who passed away in april, and my grandmother, who lives in pennsylvania, circa the late 1940s. i adore it; they are so young and beautiful and happy. not a day goes by that i don't think of my grandfather, so i'm really glad i have this picture. it makes me smile when i look at it.

so there you have it -- a few of my favorites. one day i'll give you guys some broader shots of my apartment; it's definitely a work in progress right now. but please, tell me: what are your most prized possessions? leave a comment or link me!

xo