my first summer back in new york after college involved a seriously long trek from brooklyn up to limestone, maine. i had to drive a giant white econoline van full of merch up to a phish festival and thankfully was able to stop for snacks a few time during the marathon drive. one of the stops i made was a quick bite for lunch in newport, rhode island. ever since i’ve wanted to get back to eat some lobster rolls and watch the ocean from the cliff walk. and today, thanks to andrea mchugh, i’ve finally got a guide of things to do in town if i ever get back. andrea is a freelancer writer who visited newport on whim and nested there a year later. today, she happily resides (and shops!) in the city-by-the-sea and is sharing her detailed local’s guide to shopping, eating, drinking, site-seeing, sailing, over-nighting and celebrating in newport. if you’re cruising up the east coast any time soon i highly suggest a stop in town- the view from the water is simply gorgeous. thanks to andrea for her hard work! [image above via travelpn.com]

CLICK HERE for the full newport guide after the jump!

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today’s biz ladies post is all about networking. i’ll keep it real and say- i’m not a huge fan of networking. i instantly imagine pushy people with business cards drilling you for information and then dropping you the second they’ve gotten what they want. but thankfully digital strategist and writer sara rosso is here today to share her updated tips for successfully networking as a designer. although business cards are still part of the equation (an excuse to order to some cute new cards!) her ideas for successful long-term networking are a great reminder that maintaining a network of creative, talented people is always one of your biggest assets. i hope you’ll enjoy sara’s breakdown of networking and the “types” of networkers in your community.

CLICK HERE for the full post after the jump!

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sometimes simple design finds make me the happiest. i love a great pattern or a decorative piece of furniture, but sometimes a beautiful glass vase is what makes me smile. i’m loving these super simple vases from kajsa at HAPPYsthlm. the shape is so small and pleasing- it’s just right for a carefree last minute arrangement. click here for more information and to contact kajsa about ordering.

calendars are another affordable art buy for me- this year i decided to pick up calendars as casual “just because” gifts for family and friends and caitlin keegan’s new soy-ink calendar is such a cute option. i love the little spaces for notes and wheel shape. click here to buy online ($20).

in other calendar news, i’m also enjoying dutch door press’ 2010 letterpress calendar, $30 at little paper planes.

this weekend i tested out a new productivity technique in hopes that it would help me manage my book and website work without losing my entire mind. and thankfully, it’s been working and last night i actually found myself with a few extra minutes to flip through catalogs. i was leafing through restoration hardware’s catalog and my jaw dropped when i hit these beautiful fishing weights. i remember seeing these in a friend’s house overseas years ago and couldn’t for the life of me figure out what they were. now that i know, i’m on the hunt for more affordable versions online. until then, you can check these out online right here. they would make for such fun door stops…

over at the d*s guest blog, lucy is giving us an insider’s guide to a great melbourne neighborhood (yarraville) via artist jane reiseger. click here to check out the full post!

this is one super-stylish power team! tec and chelsea petaja live in nashville, tennessee where when chelsea’s not teaching visual arts to montessori school students, she frequently styles photography shoots for tec who does both commerical and wedding photography. (she recently put together a beautiful yellow and gray tablescape for oncewed.) oh and somehow she finds time to run an etsy shop! {thanks tec and chelsea!}

[We bought this house, our first home, in April of this year.  It was built in 1905 and is tucked in a historic neighborhood in the city. We've spent the past half-year making it us.]

[The majority of our home is comprised of hand-me-downs, thrift finds, or items we owned separately before we were married.  However, the dining room table and matching bench were one of our first purchase as a married couple (from World Market).  The orange chairs are garage sale finds, and the yellow chairs are repurposed hand-me-downs from my sister.  The large painting in our dining room is by Dr. Tommy Mew, a former professor of mine.]

The caned chair was saved from a “Goodwill pile” and the frames, all from Ikea, display some of our favorite pictures and mementos.  The “We’re better together” wording was done by just painting it on top of a thrift store painting we already owned.

CLICK HERE for the rest of  chelsea’s peek (and all the photos on one page!)

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south american born rosy levy is a self-proclaimed aspiring designer and wanna-be architect “when she grows up.” there is a standing joke in the household that her husband cannot leave town for more than three days because he’ll come back to something that has changed.  still, her husband of 20 years and two teenage kids keep up with rosy and are willing (so far) to move every few years so rosy can have a new clean palette to work with. she describes her home as contemporary eclectic where every room has a function. enjoy reading below and learning about all the creative solutions she’s come up with for her home! {thanks, rosy!} -anne

[above: My children's Work Area was a 4th bedroom we opened up to incorporate it with the loft area. 4 Eames Molded Plastic Side Chairs from DWR, Eames Round Table from Corporate Design Choice, 3 round mirrors from Urban Outfitters, Zettle'Z Pendant light by Ingo Maurer lamp from Ylighting, 2 Magazine Racks from PB Teens, Curtain fabrics from Donghia]

They don’t have desks in their bedrooms, which are meant only for sleeping. The corkboard is covered with a raffia material. Millwork was done locally, leather drawer pulls from York Studio, Eames soft management desk chair from Corporate Design Choice.

Kid’s Loft – The French movie poster  from “Tie Me Up, Tie Me Down” I got from my brother who worked with Pedro Almodovar for over 10 years. The TV swings out so they can watch TV from their desks. Boi Sconces are from Pucci International, king size futon upholstered in espadrille fabric from Donghia. We set up a king upholstered mattress to lounge, play X-box and have kids sleep over.

My daughter wanted a comfortable area to read and talk on her cell phone, so she chose the bubble chair [from InMod]. I fell in love with the penny tile [Bloom 4 from Viva Ceramic] wall after I saw it installed in Casa Cielo, a tile and mosaic showroom in the Miami Design District. I copied the headboard from one pictured in House Beautiful, pillows on bed are from Jonathan Adler, pillows on bubble chair are from Missoni Home & Maison de Vacances from Calypso, Kartell Bourgie Lamp from Hive Modern, nightstands are channing end tables from Johnathan Adler, Warhol’s Campbell’s Soup poster is from allposters.com, Linens are Ralph Lauren & Bloomingdale’s Hudson Hotel line, the area rug is a white Barbie shag from Lilypad Creations Miami and the cashmere throw is from Bloomingdale’s.

CLICK HERE for the rest of Rosy’s peek after the jump!

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