It is no big secret that I love blogs :) And while much of my blog-stalking in the past couple years has been devoted to wedding blogs, the super-close runner up has always been design blogs. I swear it happens everyday – that I stick my laptop violently in Scott’s face and proclaim that THIS! is my new favorite living room, or how we HAVE TO HAVE that solid ash vintagey mid-century rocker, and how that coffee table is the one thing that has been missing in my life all these years and I FINALLY FOUND IT.

I have a little secret fantasy (or not so secret, since I just professed it to the entire interwebs) that our humble abode can one day be featured on Design*Sponge, the mother of all design blogs. And though the bits and pieces are coming along very (very) slowly, it’s a sweet feeling to be building up a space that you love. Our most recent purchase was a teak-colored sideboard (which we’ve since cleverly{?} named “Cyborg the Sideboard”), that I promptly adorned with lots of random tidbits. So basically, I figured since I love peeking into everyone else’s homes oh so very much, I might as well share this tiny peek into mine :)

And yes, those are the same chinese lanterns from here – they’ve faded quite a bit but it’s almost fall which means I’ll be able to get a new batch any day now!

And yes, the wall is ridiculously stark. The plan is for the New York prints to soon (supposedly) spawn an entire wall full of awesome framed stuff.

On any given day, I come across at least one or two new things that I fall in love with – an intriguing blog, a friendly cafe, a spectacular brand of frozen pizza. And rather than just gush incessantly to anyone else within a 5 mile radius, I thought I’d share some of my finds on here in between the weddings, portrait sessions, and random tidbits of my life. So here goes the first installment of such a series – stay tuned for more to come!

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When we first moved into our new place last summer, I found myself becoming massively obsessed with anything design-related – an affliction that now, 6 months later, I can safely say is here to stay. Although I do my best to stay away from the black hole known as Target (seriously, how is it that you walk in to pick up some toothpaste and end up spending $100 EVERY.SINGLE.TIME??), there is one design-haven that I just can’t shy away from.

And that, my friends, is Etsy. For those of you who are avid Etsy-goers you know what a horrid addiction it can be. And moving into a new place definitely did nothing to help this. Because we needed pillows. And fruit bowls. And things to hang on the wall. And things to frame those things. That handblown glass silver-encrusted frog-shaped paperweight? NEED THAT TOO. When you start to dive in to Etsy you realize Etsy has EVERYTHING YOU COULD EVER NEED, short of groceries, an oil change for your car, and maybe your first born child. And the thing is it’s all so beautiful and it’s all handmade, which means you’re supporting someone and the art that they do. It’s a win-win situation for all, except for my wallet, which is definitely a loser with a capital L in the whole ordeal.

So today I’ve decided to feature a few of my favorite Etsy finds because I just can’t keep this good stuff to myself any longer! (All images are from the Etsy seller’s page.)

This gorgeous letterpress print from Hijirik Studio is my most recent purchase. Since I’m working diligently at living out my dream, I bought it as an encouraging reminder we can look at every day :)

Love the fresh greens of these mats from Kalla. They add a splash of color in all different areas of our living room!

I fell in love with this vase by Jill Rosenwald the first moment I saw it. I spent some time trying to convince myself I didn’t need it but could NOT stop thinking about it, so bought it in the end. It sits on my coffee table and I have not regretted it one bit!

This is an amazing 12×18 print from Paper Moth Illustration. He creates the most beautiful whimsical designs.

This cherry almond soap from SpaTherapy has the most nostalgic & yummy scent. The Etsy shop is just full of amazing bath goodies!

And since this IS after all a blog about weddings, be sure to look for wedding items on Etsy as well! From invitations to jewelry to fantastic hair pieces, Etsy is chock-full of beautiful items that you can incorporate into your wedding day.

For any other fanatics, what are your favorite Etsy shops?