So, here we are in Red Lodge-tiny little town with cute stores up and down Main Street. This one caught our eye: Magpie Toys. Tall building with tin ceilings, shelves stacked high with wooden sculptures and objects, old toys, books, half of them not even for sale. Wooden guns, sling shots, rocks, horse shoe puzzles and pedal planes-all here is indeed powered by imagination—not batteries. Then there is the steaming hot cast iron fireplace with an old armchair next to it right there in the middle of it all. Magpie is humble and simple and because of that truly magical.

The owners Joel and Gloria Hardy call themselves "Purveyors of timeless toys, games, books & amusements." Both used to be teachers at the Sioux reservation near by, and started Magpie in 1991. The store's motto is: "As Good As You Remember. Better Than You Ever Imagined." Some of the toys are made by Joel right there in the store. Gloria tells me that he had crafted rocking horses and moose as well, but those where sold out when we got there. Check out the Montana flashlights...and that fantastic stick horse! (Gloria said to call or email her, their web site is down right now...406.446.3099)

Opening a package of Belgium chocolate from Tammy at the Cake-Factory made me remember that lovely evening we had with her and British Photographer Martin Wonnacott. Martin is one of the most talented and sought after commercial “shooters” in the world of liquor and liquids. He moved from London to NY two years ago, and is booked so much that he has only been able to leave his studio in Manhattan twice so far:  once to get married in Vegas, and then to come for a visit to Chicago. I understand why, as it is quite beautiful what the man can do with booze besides drinking it....( Look what he created for my client Herradura Tequila.) Anyhow, the night I am talking about here, 12 of us started gathering for cocktails at BINTH studio and ended with a long and lavish dinner at one of my favorite restaurants: Sepia. Great place, rustic yet contemporary.

Cheers! (I tip my hat to you Martin and Tammy, thanks for the chocolate…)

Look, my mother sent us her Christmas Cookie recipes from Germany, as always neatly typed up, since she is convinced that her handwriting will only lead to misunderstandings..."Spritzgebaeck", "Berliner Brot" and my favorite "Vanillekipfel."

In the spirit of sharing and domesticity and because our new kitchen is beautiful and perfect for crowds, we decided to throw a little "BINTH Cookie Bake Off" at the studio and invited some of our favorite girls over: Bonnie, Sarah Stedman from Scrappy Nation, Rachel Webber who came with Celeste, Abby our Information Architect, Adrienne our dear designer friend, Kristen, Julia, Kristine, Gigi from DFCB...a good and classy crowd going after the perfect Almond "Vannille Kipfel." ( Note that anybody wearing black in the images is from DFCB. Of course.)

I tested the recipe the day before. I mean look at me, my mom would be proud.

I even borrowed Brad's KitchenAid, the "workhorse" he inherited from his grandmother...

Today it would have been Bonnie's mother's birthday. I want to remember her by sharing this raw and romantic photograph of her and her husband Clinton, taken many moons ago. I find this image unbelievably haunting and gorgeous.

Sally Ruth Hane Tawse November 6, 1936 - September 29, 2009 ...mother, wife, grandmother, sister, aunt, friend, nurse, artist & rebel spirit.

Nick Wiesner, our talented graphic designer friend and a trustworthy source when it comes to anything cool, classy and relevant suggested I make a trip all the way up to Two River Wisconsin. To visit the Hamilton Wood Type and Printing Museum. So I did.

Operated by volunteers of the Two Rivers Historical Society, this is the only museum dedicated to the preservation, study, production and printing of wood type. According to their website they house 1.5 million pieces of wood type and more than 1,000 styles and sizes of patterns…Housed in the old factory, you don’t expect much when you pull up.Then you enter. And you see. And if you are a sucker for typography, for alphabets, for colors and paper, for big, bright, right on fun or profound signage mixed with the smell of industrial history; you know you have arrived.

Clearly fall is here…Linnea came over today with the most amazingly wrapped pods of the perennial sweet peas that grow in front of BINTH studio on Justine. She wanted me to plant those in my new garden here in Oak Park, or the OP as we call it…I couldn’t. That little package looked too beautiful to part with and is now adorning my bookshelf.

Here is what I will miss next summer…a field full of bright pinks and the freshest greens. And deesn’t Monkey (our studio cat) look pretty damn good as well right there? Not to be overly “sweet” here but these sweet peas came from Linnea’s husband’s grandmother’s garden. Her name was June.

But alright, let’s welcome Fall and then the long Chicago Winter… I admit it makes me feel more bitter than sweet…but then again, we will always have June. Right?