World's Most Romantic Hotels

Shangri-La Hotel, Paris

Back in February, the folks at Travel & Leisure put together a round-up of what they deemed the world's most romantic hotels. It is definitely serious travel eye candy clicking through the list.

I appreciate that they expanded their definition of romantic beyond sandy beaches or Paris (although they are present, of course) and sometimes thought a little outside the box (hello awesome igloos!). Here are a few of the spots included....

Anantara Kihavah villas, Baah Atoll, Maldeves InterContinental, Hong Kong
Hotel Kakslauttanen & Igloo Village, Finland
Ranch at Rock Creek, Philipsburg, Montana
Palais Amani, Fez, Morocco
Aldeia da Cuada, Azores, Portugal
Biras Creek Resort, British Virgin Islands

All photographs courtesy of Travel&Leisure

Inspiration Boards

Image courtesy of weheartit.com

My first job out of college I worked as the librarian at an interior design firm. There were a hundred things I loved about that job and one of them was watching the designers put together their boards. They would gather fabric swatches, paint chips, photographs, and any textural elements that fit their concept to pull together a presentation/inspiration board for the client.

Some of those boards looked like pieces of art when they finished- after all, they were created to show the clients the beauty of the designer's vision.

I know the idea of the inspiration board goes beyond interior designers and can be found in all aspects of the arts. I still think they are pretty amazing little planks of creativity.....

Image courtesy of weheartit.com

Image courtesy of weheartit.com

Image courtesy of google
Image courtesy of google
Image courtesy of google

Image courtesy of weheartit.com

Image courtesy of weheartit.com

City Walks

City Walks Paris Deck

I am a strong believer in taking a walk- whether it be in the city, on the beach, with a stroller or with a pooch, holding hands or flying solo- walking is the best way to take a place in and, as a bonus, the fresh air never hurts. 

Chronicle Books puts out a series called City Walks that would please both the inexperienced and seasoned traveler. For each of the sixteen cities featured in the series, there is a deck of 50 cards and every card contains a self-guided walking tour of an area of that city. The front of the card is a detailed map and the back is filled with bits of information about where the walk takes you. 

The decks would be a great gift for folks planning trips to these destinations, but I also think picking up the deck of a city where you happen to live could be great too- there is always more out there to see and do!

Greenwich Village:The West Village Card

Thursday, a living room tent, and Etsy

"Shady Lake" is a mixed media painting on a map by rachelaustin

It's getting too cold for outdoor camping, but the weather is perfect for setting up a tent in the living room. So gather your blankets and sheets and use this and this to inspire your construction, but leave it to Etsy for all the indoor camping extras the whole family is going to need...

Yes, even indoor campers need fire and food (but know that not all of it needs to be real):

"basic campfire package" by mysticwill

"portable smores" by katystinykitchen

"The Campout" handpainted glass plates by nunostudio

And don't forget that every camper needs his or her own personal light to keep the night time creatures and shadows away...

"foreveReady flash" (a child's all wood flashlight) by ForeverandAfters

"The Mason Firefly" (a mason jar light) by themasonry

...unless, of course, the campers are the ones making the scary shadows and cuddling with the night time creatures....

orangemoontoys has an array of shadow puppets and even kits to make your own.

"Little grey-eyed owl" by squishyfish

"Brown Owl with Rainbow Feet" also by squishyfish (her owls have such great faces and feet!)

And let's not forget the importance of classic camping games...

"1951 Go Fish Card Game" via tippleandsnack2

vintage and wee pocket game for chess or checkers via violin1

"Animal Track ID Memory Game Set" by thewhimsytree

And with the dying embers of the fire, there is always so much to record and so much to write "home" about...

"camping cards" by laurabrownart

"Teeny Tiny Camping Trip Stamps Set" by Tresijas

"Bird Watcher Letterpress Journal" by OldSchoolStationers

And once the little ones are sound asleep and dreaming under a night sky of their own making - the following items are just the things grown-up indoor campers need...

"Toasted Smores Soy Candle" by Buzzabee

"Vintage Thermos" via JennyHopscotch (filled with hot chocolate... or a hot toddy)

3 vintage ghost stories (2 for the kids, but Poe for the adults) via coriandervintage

"Bright Plaid Wool Blanket" by AllieRuth

"Log, Soft Sculpture" by sallyenglanddesign

With indoor plumbing and only imaginary mosquitoes - this is, without a doubt, my kind of roughing it...