this friday, i’m excited to share one of my new sponsors, famille summerbelle with you. i think you’re going to find the original paper cut artwork of famille summerbelle ever so charming! i’ve even got this amazing short film for you to watch of the artist in action. fascinating! and so patient. i think i’d be flinging exacto-blades about, but this process is a work of art in itself. thank you for sharing famille summerbelle. be inspired this weekend, y’all!

it’s week two of the view from here, and i’m really enjoying rounding up some randomness for you to peruse leisurely over the weekend. sometimes, things i’d like to share don’t necessarily fall into a neat little package appropriate for a whole post, or maybe might seem a bit off topic. but inspiration comes in many forms and i like looking at it ALL. i hope you do too. enjoy the view…

the view from here:

1. this is a really fun round-up of vintage toy cameras, like classic diana’s from how to be a retronaut. if you’re not checking out how to be a retronaut regularly, you should. it’s super cool.

2. have you ever seen the photography of nathan michael? you should. nathan lives in chicago and works as a designer and a photographer. he’s gonna be working with me, right here on sfgirlbybay. i’m super excited about that. oh, yes i am.

3. haven’t got a date for valentine’s day? well, just wallop somebody with a pillow!! nah, not like that — it’s san francisco’s annual pillow fight this february 14th. feathers start flying when the Ferry Building clock tower strikes 6 p.m. in the Justin Herman Plaza. thanks for the head’s up on that from the bold italic! photo via juicyrai.

4. miss moss. sigh. do you read her blog? it’s so rad it hurts me sometimes. i shouldn’t even tell you, cuz you’ll leave me for miss moss. (please don’t). she posted this work from Mikko Kuorinki. my chest bumps hard for this, too.

5. m.a.c. cosmetics has teamed up with one of my idols, fashion icon iris apfel. yeah for wrinkles, yeah for aging gracefully and full of style. good on you m.a.c.! never heard of iris? go check her out.

6. and last, but not at all least — there’s a super cool art workshop coming up at teahouse studio in berkeley the weekend of feb 18 + 19 with illustrators sarajo frieden and susy pilgrim waters. go learn something fun. you deserve it!

i’ve been falling in love with modern art lately, and bright pops of color. and polkadots, too! must be the onset of spring coming our way. this fab friday i’m rounding up some springy looks i love.

1. i’ve been craving new artwork, and wouldn’t i love a piece like caroline wright’s night life? yes, i would. 2. i doubt i couldn’t pull this look off, but ever ounce of me (maybe too many ounces) wants to, via my style pill; 3. french bull has a new travel coffee mug out and it’s got polkadots to start your day off right; 4. cute little notecards from tokketok; 5. and i love everything about this jonathan adler pillow in heather chontos’ montana home. for the whole fabulous home tour, visit design*sponge.

well, you probably knew it was coming sooner or later. i mean, just about everyone wants to live in paris at least once in their life, n’est–ce pas? some people with real gumption, like jordan ferney of oh happy day and her sister gabrielle blair of design mom, actually did it — they packed up their families’ belongings and moved to france for a year! so today, in my dreams, i live in paris! i think of this as Amélie’s paris. bright, happy, and oh so carefree.

i imagine my living room will be like erin fetherston’s apartment and will have high ceilings and a weathered old fireplace mantel, and it will be quite eclectic, displaying many treasures from my world travels. because you know, when you’re living in paris, you just hop on a train to just about anywhere, and you’re very cosmopolitan, much like the swan house, as photographed by petra bindel.

i’ll no doubt have a tres jolie little bedroom like this one from lonny, with lots of beside reading, like the seven faces of love to inspire my romantic adventures, from paris hotel boutique and this sweet idea for a book by artist jacqui lee, les quatre cents coups. i like the idea of stacking them on a bentwood chair, like this one in family living magazine, via emma’s design blogg; and, oh ouí, i plan on eating lots of pretty macarons in bed completely guilt free, via tina danut.

naturally, like a good parisian, i will ride my bicycle everywhere around the city, especially to pick up my morning crossiant and fresh fruit. this vintage turquoise one will do nicely, from pony_tail; i’ll bring back my breakfast goodies to enjoy in my little breakfast nook before i begin my day, perhaps leisurely perusing an old issue of holiday magazine, via kate spade. vive la france!

• top photo via artistlanas.

i saw this photograph of magazine editor magazine Darcy Miller Nussbaum’s dining room nook in architectural digest, and was quite taken with this gallery arrangement of family photographs — not to mention that is one stunning light fixture! what i think i really like, is the juxtiposition of the very fancy chandelier with that of the simple box frames. it creates such an interesting and unexpected contrast. i like that. i even covet it.

• bottom images: frames via country living; chandelier via this is glamorous.

i uploaded this pretty cath kidston fabric swatch, and the My Image Inspiration tool gave me the complimentary pale pink shades i was hoping to find, and then some suggested paint colors. it’s fun, and kind of addicting! so next, i tried the My Image Inspiration tool on the palette of this bedroom corner, and it worked really well again. give the tool a try — it’s fun, and pretty darn useful, too.

• I have partnered with Glidden/Akzo Nobel Paints to write this sponsored post but the thoughts and opinions expressed are my very own.

the idea of pops of pink and white with a dab of black inspired this round up of rooms — all with lovely light and happy colorful hues. all very cheerful spots to hang out that exude a kind of eclectic charm, each in its own unique way. p.s. i’d like to get my hands on one of these amazing paintings!

lucite looks so great with pops of color in this fun workspace, via lonny; lovely pastel twist on a mid-century modern room, via elle decoration uk; love this dramatic dining room with all that pink and white in strong contrast to the black background.

pop of pink walls via home life; stylist pippa holt’s home on living inside, via automatism; raya carlisle photographs jaime morrison curtis’ patio makeover for babble; and i love this little bar cart from hannah’s room.

pretty, pretty office designed by Betsy Burnham, via lonny magazine.

• top photograph beautiful home from interior magasinet; via damask & dentelle.

i’ve been trying to figure out what the heck to do with my dining room for a while now. i hung the patrick townsend white orbit chandelier, but since i painted over the black walls, it’s been just looking terribly drab in there – lacking drama! so last night, i got this idea — what if i went pale, pale pink and added some kind of statement piece, as those in the know like to call it (clench your teeth and say it all fancy-like: staaatemeent peeece). so here’s what i’m doing. wish me luck!

i’ve painted the walls benjamin moore’s ‘wispy pink’ – it’s real pretty and adds a light glow to the room. then, i ordered anthropologie’s etched arcadia mural, which i’m going to hang on the wall loosely – like a tapestry. at least in theory, that’s what i want to do — i like the idea of it feeling a bit 3-dimensional. then, i ordered west elm’s grommeted iron velvet drapery panels for the window, and their Industrial Pipe curtain Rod in rubbed iron — it’s got a loft-curtain feeling that i really like, and kind of tones down the idea of velvet, if that makes any sense — perhaps more edgy.

i’m also adding west elm’s souk rug. i’ve been hankering for it since they brought it for the catalog shoot, and had to have one. this will all live with my dining room set, and then, i think i’ll hang rico suave above the buffet — that will be on the alternate wall, across from the mural wall. and the faux white fireplace mantel will live at the end wall. voilá! i hope this works as well as it does in my head!

i’m in a real skirt and dress mood these days. maybe it was all the cute fashion inspiration at alt summit, but i’m trying to step up my game (ummm, hello, girl still in her pajamas blogging!) and get a bit more girlie — you know, embrace the vintage-loving, cute-shoe-wearing girl inside. i save pages that i love from catalogs and keep them in a fashion journal to inspire me, like this page of bobby soxers below. here’s some more looks i love!

adorable outfit via glass of fashion; and a vintage dress paired with leggings display lady; love this rachel comey boatneck dress, and i’m gonna try socks with my rachel comey booties come spring; marimekko can do no wrong with this cute polkadotted Annika Rimala tunic; and i think it’d look adorable with these high-shine flats from anthropologie; love the cammie cardigan over a vintage print dress, from kate spade; i love this kind of jackie-o ensemble from peter som – very mix and match!

• top image david slijpers photography, via trendland.

i get lots and lots of requests from readers about where to go in san francisco — cool spots to hang out, best places to shop and especially where to find vintage bargains, so when the folks at know what asked me to join their team and provide a guide for their new know what app, i was in! Sfgirlbybay’s Bohemian Modern San Francisco is now live in the itunes app store and you can download it instantly! Woohoo! 

know what shares multiple guides to the cities’ best secret spots. right now, the app covers the greater San Francisco and Los Angeles areas with over 1,000 top recommendations from the country’s coolest and most creative people with some of the best websites. people like Vegansaurus, one of the most popular vegan lifestyle blogs; Mark Frauenfelder, editor-in-chief of MAKE magazine; and Carolyn Jung, a James Beard award-winning food and wine writer based in Silicon Valley, California.

here’s How it works:

• The price of the know what app is $2.99 which is pretty much less than your morning coffee — and comes with 400 built-in recommendations of the thousands available: The Know What Essentials.

• thousands more places can be added to the map through in-app purchases. Purchases range from $.99 to $3.99 depending on the size and subject.

• Sfgirlbybay’s Bohemian Modern San Francisco app is $3.99.

• i’ve loaded up my Sfgirlbybay’s Bohemian Modern San Francisco with 75 of the hidden gems i’ve had stashed away in my brain, and will continue to update the list as new cool spots open up around the city, or when i discover something new i wanna share. so, if you’re seeking some tips on where to go and what to see in san francisco, and where the best shopping hoods are, you’ll find it all here in the sweet little know what app — and they’re all mapped out for you with directions on how to get there.

so, heading to san francisco or los angeles, and want to visit the city’s most culturally cool spots? check the guides for the one that sounds right for you. and know what? yeah, it’s going national — New York, Chicago, Boston, Seattle and Portland are coming soon!