Scandinavia (& Friday Links)

We’re going to Scandinavia this summer! After much fare-watching, we scored some round-trip tickets to Stockholm in June. Now comes the fun part: where to go? We have two weeks and we’re thinking that, beyond Stockholm, we’d like to see Copenhagen and the fjords of Norway. How should we divide our time? I’ve been asking around for itinerary tips and would love any advice anyone can share. All suggestions are welcome!

Any fun plans this weekend? Downton Abbey ends on Sunday and I’ll be watching with hopes that Edith gets a happy send-off, whatever that means for her.

Here are some other items of note… 

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Pillowfort: A big-kid bed for a still little boy

Hudson went from sleeping in a crib to a toddler bed, and just recently to sleeping in a twin. For the first time in a long while, I had to buy new sheets and found myself on a massive twin-bedding search. At first it was exciting: there are so many more options! But the sweetest ones were also very expensive (especially considering we wanted multiple sets, as we’re still frequently changing them in the middle of the night).

Just in time, Target released its Pillowfort collection, a huge new kids decor line. The sheet selection is awesome—fun, stylish, affordable… pretty much like everything else in the new line.

Here are some highlights from the whole collection and some photos of Hudson’s new big-kid bed (you can see his entire room, here). I love that we can lie down in the bigger bed together to read bedtime stories…

On his bed are the Forest Friends sheets from the Camp Kiddo Room, the Channel Stitch quilt and sham, and the Forest Plush blanket—which he said (seriously, I can’t make this stuff up) “will make me feel like I’m sleeping in the woods.”

A few other sets are on their way (like these dinosaur bones)—a lot of the collection is just getting to stores so ordered most of it online. Some of my other favorite patterns are the: Bow & Arrow Bandits; Flamingos; Floral Festival; Fetching Florals; Rustler’s Ranch; and Woodland Whimsy.

We also put up their new circular wire shelf, a shark head (festooned with paper-rings Hudson and I made together after watching the Mr. Rogers episode where he goes to see how construction paper is made), and let him pick up two new stuffed animals—a knit alligator and a fluffy bear. I of course ordered much more than what’s shown here.

The entire collection is so good. What’s that hashtag? “Target does it again,” indeed.

The new shelves and these industrial chairs are definite highlights for me. Shown in Marvelous Manor.

And how cute are those safari animals and that octopus? This whale might be my personal favorite. Shown in Discovery Den.

Here are some more of my favorite things:

From left to right, top to bottom: Scoop Activity Chairs / Fetching Florals Sham / House Cubby Wall Shelf (thinking of using this as a dollhouse) / Stackable Wood Bin / Industrial Kids Chair / Nighlight / Column Table Lamp / Boone Kids Activity Table / Cactus Throw Pillow

Check out the entire Pillowfort collection—all available at Target.

This post is brought to you by TargetStyle. Shop the new Home collection in stores and online.

Streng Atriums

We bought our home a few years ago now. I was hoping we might find a home that really felt quintessentially Californian, and really mark a change from our life in New York. The house we found (and immediately loved) is a mid-century modern home that was designed by Carter-Sparks and built by the Streng brothers—who still have an office in town!—back in 1964. It turns out that these homes’ design is optimal for the hot Sacramento Valley: you get a lot of light, but extended eaves keep the direct sun off of the windows.

As you can imagine I’d done as much research about these as possible at the time.  But my favorite bit of the research process was getting taken on a tour of a largely untouched Streng by a neighbor. I just came across these photos and regret not taking more. Between the plant-filled atrium and the crimson shag, it’s really fantastic.
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