One thing I can’t help but love about Miami are the beaches. Back in landlocked Minnesota we say we have beaches but we’re really deluding ourselves. If it’s not the ocean, it’s really not a beach.

Last week I went to a beautiful beach on Key Biscayne. There are a lot of beaches on the island but if you keep driving to the very end there’s a state park and in addition to a mile of pretty sand and blue blue water, there’s also a lighthouse to explore.

The lighthouse was built in 1855 and refinished sometime in the last 10 years (although I forget the exact date). If you go inside you can climb up a scary spiral staircase that sways gently (and sometimes not so gently) as you walk up. The view from the top is worth it, although the ledge is rather narrow making it impossible to squeeze by anyone if you’re trying to get by.

Above the top ledge there is a small flight of impossibly steep steps that allow you to go up to where the light is. The day I was there the windows were all fogged up because of humidity but I can imagine on a less humid day the view from the very top would be spectacular. Unfortunately the light itself was less of a thrill, but it still did look cool enough to photograph. It reminds me of a bug zapper.

If you happen to be in the Miami area, I highly recommend checking it out. Quite lovely.

Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park
1200 S. Crandon Boulevard
Key Biscayne, Florida 33149
(305) 361-5811

First, how cute is this little fox coat from etsy seller littlegoodall? If i had a kid and some extra cash, he or she would be wearing this all the time.

Then there’s this cute little foxy by Katty Maurey. I love how simple it is. He seems a little sad but he’s still oh so cute.

And last but not least here’s an awesome little DIY papercraft fox which you can make without glue. Pretty awesome. (My little fox papercraft I shared back in february pales in comparison!) I wish they let you download the patterns but it doesn’t look like they do. Boo.

I hope you liked this little foxy interlude, if you’re on pinterest and you want to follow me, you can find my boards here.

If I was back in Minneapolis today I would have baked this sweet cake (or something that looks like a horrible copy of it since I am not the world’s best cake decorator) and given it to Miss Jessica since today is her birthday. Since I can’t do that I am instead putting this delicious looking cake up on our blog with a big Happy Birthday!

I wish I could decorate cakes so pretty. This one was done by sidewaysglances. Doesn’t it look fab?

Happy Birthday Jess! Hope it is a good one! (and maybe comes with an extra-special baby birthday present?!)

while we’re playing the waiting game with our little guy (hopefully we’ll meet him soon!), i’ve been keeping busy with quick little baby knits like hats and booties to help pass some of the time.

the booties above are a wonderfully quick and satisfying knit (i actually knit three pair over the weekend — this pair is for a friend who is also expecting) that’s easy to work up in a lot of different yarn weights (i knit pairs in sport weight, worsted and even a lighter aran).

the pattern is, like many lately, from natural knits for babies and moms and may just become my new go-to baby gift.

last fall, zara and i got the idea in our heads that it would be fun to combine the images and patterns of two cultures that have heavily inspired our lovely midwestern homeland: the native americans and the scandinavians.

the result? a pair of prints contrasting traditional textile motifs and animals. you’ll notice that the buffalo is decked out in a traditional fair isle print, while the dala horse wears a pattern based on native blankets. and since i printed these in a gorgeous brick red, they were a perfect addition for my baby’s nursery.

if you’re interested in a set, the prints will be available for purchase this summer. we’ll keep you posted.

This year, since I’ve been in Miami I was unable to print my own poster so I was lucky enough to have the Andy McInnis, printer extraordinare, print my poster for me. From the pictures I’ve seen of it (thank you husband for being my gofer) it turned out fantastic. Here’s a little preview of my poster. If you want to see more you’ll have to go to the show!

You can get more info on the pre-party events as well as other cities ArtCrank will be in this year on their website.

Here are the details for the Minneapolis opening party:
Saturday, April 2
5:00pm
Shelter Studios
2112 Broadway St NE #150 • Minneapolis

Luckily, it looks like the hectic pace will slow down a little bit so I am hoping to pop in and post a bit more regularly now. Hopefully with some fun Miami stuff that I see.

Since all posts are better with pictures, here’s a glimpse at some of the things I’ve seen in my last three weeks in Miami…

a little bit of south beach

A little bit of heaven (aka the pool at the house)

my desk. (ie. where I’m writing this post right now)

As a gal coming from the snowy cold in Minnesota, being in Florida, even if I am working hard, is like an awesome free vacation!

as in, from old schools.

i’ve seen a lot of vintage school maps used as wall decor on a lot of blogs in the past couple of years. but what about all the other odd charts (especially the science-y ones!) that schools used to use?

i’m especially in love with the german jellyfish chart above. don’t you think the white linework on the the worn black is so elegant and refined? i think it’s just beautiful and totally worthy of prime living room wall space. and the adaptations chart — what fun!

(both are from kabinett & kammer. be sure to check out the other quirky and wonderful items on their site too!)

one of the most adorable gifts we’ve received for the baby has to be this pedal car that bill’s fabulous co-workers gave to us. the box said it was from pedalcars.com and it has to be the cutest (and sturdiest, best built!) thing ever.

i am pretty sure that bill and i both wish we were small enough to take it for a spin!

even though the twin cities have been hit with more (and hopefully our last bit of) snow today, everyone i know around here has spring on their mind.

for me, one sure sign that spring is around the corner (finally!) is the day i see bouquets of daffodils for sale, at which point i snatch up as many as i can and put them all over the house. nothing makes me happier and more certain that warmer days are just around the corner than those bright yellow flowers smiling at me, especially the minute i walk in the house.