Category Archives: Travel

Adventures of the single life.

Images and Musings from Siena, Italy

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Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about my adventures in Italy. I think it’s probably because I sort of feel like I’m on a new adventure now (though Wisconsin isn’t quite as romantic). For about ten minutes prior to this post being written, I was frantically searching for my first journal from my time in Italy, whichI was sure had gotten lost in my move a couple months ago. Thankfully, the journal was safe, and I can share with you a bit about the first town in Italy I lived, Siena.

This morning, the valley below the hotel was foggy. The view was unbelievable.

Today I realized that so many buildings are adorned with Madonna paintings or sculptures. I tried photographing as many as I saw, but the pictures doesn’t do them justice. (This picture is actually from the neighboring town of Arezzo. Shh!)

Siena reached it prosperity peak right before the Black Plague epidemic in the 1300s (some parts of the connecting building are unfinished, and pillars without walls are testament to the tragedy of the plague).

There used to be 72 towers when the city was a medieval fortress town.

Siena, like Rome, adopted the Romulus and Remus image (to represent Siena’s power as a “second Rome”).  

The city is divided into 17 districts, or contradas.

Ciao per adesso!

Sarah

Mineral Point Art Tour, Flea Markets, & Crocheted Scarves

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Last weekend a couple friends and I took a trip to the Mineral Point Art Tour. On our way into Mineral Point we found a huge flea market, which of course, none of us could resist. As usual, I found a piece of vintage jewelry that I fell in love with. It looks like a 60s costume jewelry necklace, but I can’t be so sure! The necklace reminded me of some of j.crew’s new jeweled statement jewelry pieces and is perfectly in line with this fall’s blingy vintage-inspired style.

I’ve been falling more and more in love with menswear this season (it’s not long before I try pulling off a skinny tie!), so I was delighted to come across a vintage men’s jewelry box. The tie bar holder is even labeled. It will make a unique addition to my vanity.

My friend Jaqui who joined me on the trip actually finished crocheting a beautiful cowl scarf on the car ride there and wore it through the flea market and the art tour.

I had never been on a art tour quite like this. I knew that artists opening up their homes and studios was the norm, but I was stunned by some of the amazing studio spaces and architecture that I saw. My favorite was a sculpture garden at Peter Flanary and Sandra Peterson’s gorgeous rural home. We also enjoyed the small town’s speciality, ceramics, at a downtown gallery after lunch at the local deli. All of this makes me think I ought to set up a studio in my basement and get back into creating!

Inspiration from a Weekend in Venice

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It was over a year ago, but I can’t stop thinking about my experiences in Italy (I lived and studied there for 4 months). Back then, I wasn’t blogging, so you can imagine that I have a lot of catching up to do. Below are some of my favorite images from a weekend I spent in tranquil Venice.

Straight from my Italian journal (because I couldn’t have said it better than when I was there):

We also took a night gondola. It was a pretty amazing experience. There were very few boats on the canals at that hour, the moon was bright and full, and the tide was high. Our gondolier was a middle-aged man who was very nice. He talked to us about his job (you can get your gondola license at 18, it’s a family business, and there are only ever 398 gondoliers in the city at a given time) and living in Venice (60,000 residents in the city and another 60,000 on the islands).

The price was 20% higher for the night ride, but I think it was worth it for the relaxing, beautiful trip. The night in Venice was peaceful and quite. There was no sound of cars or mopeds and the water was so peaceful. I feel very lucky for the amazing weather the opportunity to see such a beautiful place.

Lace shop on the island of Burano

Mosaics in San Marco

Ciao!

Sarah

My Living Room: Before & After

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One Month Ago

I’ve been putting most of my decorating efforts into my living room. I spend much of my time there or in the kitchen, and (given my lack of dining room) I plan on using the space for most of my entertaining. As a result, after only a month and a half, my living room has already gone through a transformation.

I framed a whole lot of art, bought new curtains, add splashes of much needed ivories through cushions and flowers, and finally bought light bulbs for my lamps (you’d be surprised how much that changes the atmosphere of a place!).

Today

My future plans include painting my coffee table neon green (seriously, trust me on this), creating some more art for the space, and adding more bright colors through painted jars (DIY project courtesy of Pinterest, of course).

Any suggestions on the space?

Ciao!

Sarah

My First Place

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I’ve spent the past four years with a desire to decorate and maintain a beautiful space, but living in a dorm and moving in and out every three months doesn’t encourage a beautiful atmosphere. So now, as a recent college graduate and new member of the workforce, I’m committing to creating a comfortable, inspiring first place…on a budget.

I’m going to experiment with DIY projects and take advantage of every thrift and antique store in the area, and I am going to update you every step of the way. So if you want to get great DIY home ideas, keep up with interior design trends, and learn how to decorate your place (first or not!) on a budget, follow me and la mia prima casa.

Ciao,

Sarah

p.s. I might throw in some fashion here and there!