a favorite peek into the daily lives of others.

habit is a simple collection of daily photos collected by various women to reflect the habits of their daily life. in their welcome the creators share that-

in some small way, we are hoping to capture the collective life of a community of women who are artists and writers, photographers and bloggers, mothers and sisters and daughters and granddaughters, and thinkers and seers and wonderers.

i definitely believe that they achieve this goal. i enjoy seeing the collection each morning pop up in my google reader. it inspires me to capture a bit more my own daily habits. as this quote suggests, there is certainly something to be celebrated in these moments that make up our life.

Anything one does every day is important and imposing and anywhere one lives is interesting and beautiful.

Gertrude Stein

have an hour? read a story.

apparently harper perennial has declared this the summer of the short story. i'm assuming this has something do with the fact that all year long they have been celebrating the short story on their site- fifty-two stories. the introduction reads:

This year we're celebrating the thriving art of the story by sharing a new one every week: most of them new, a few of them classics, from authors you know and some you don't, each of them treasurable in its language or wit or human insight. And we'd love to have you join us! Watch this space and enjoy.

as is mentioned by pop candy, short stories are perfect for summer reading. i love to take a nice collection to the beach. you feel like you're actually able to accomplish something between chattering with friends and pausing to dip your feet in the lake. i have fond memories of reading through this alice munro set a few summers ago in traverse city.

be sure to check out the stories they've added so far this year. and in case you aren't inspired yet, this quote by neil gaiman is sure to do the trick.

A short story is the ultimate close-up magic trick- a couple of thousand words to take you around the universe or break your heart.

a picture is worth a 1000 words.

on the tenth day of each month, husband and wife team David and Hannah put into practice the idea that a picture is worth a thousand words. Hannah provides the picture and David provides the words. each piece is a lovely morsel of art that i devour and savor until the next month roles along. i am looking forward to checking out their latest creation on friday. until then, be sure to check out their archives.

style on a budget.

great quote found via isuwannee via jill's tumblr

like everyone else during these "difficult economic times," i'm always looking for the latest on how to have great style with a virtually non-existent clothing budget. one of the perks of the recession is the number of style-saavy, spend-thrifty blogs that have emerged. a recent discovery (thanks to jackie of sweetie pie pumpkin noodle) is the blog - the good life for less. jill's style minded blog has many great features, but my favorite is her good LOOK for less posts. like her recent set for jennifer from nashville, jill has a knack for finding clothes to fit your budget. but she takes it one step further by showing you multiple outfits that can be made from the pieces she selects. the real key to having great style on a budget is making use of what you already own. jill's blog is the perfect inspiration for those looking to mix up their wardrobe this summer. be sure to check out her side project - 100 inspirations for even more great fashion advice.

one final plus about the fabulous good life for less... jill's located in west michigan. always fun to find a local who's doing awesome stuff online.

happy fourth of july.

love this photo from randi brookman harris via frolic.

here's hoping you have a lovely holiday.