Happy Memorial Day!

Hope you have a beautiful and relaxing long weekend! Or, perhaps, even an adventure! Sometimes, that's just what the doctor ordered to welcome the summer "officially" - and the start of wearing your summertime whites, if you follow The Rules, that is. (Which, personally, I do not!)

I'm going to be honest: I love vegetables. Pretty much all vegetables. I used to love to make steamed broccoli as an afternoon snack when I was a kid and was not a fan of anything cheesy that would take away the from the taste of whatever vegetable I was eating. As an adult, I've developed more bitter favorites, like dandelion greens, arugula, kale, and brussel spouts (and I have to name chard, peppers - especially red, orange, and yellow! - and asparagus as favorites here as well since I love them so much, Shout out!). One of my (and my boyfriend's) favorite green vegetables of late are brussel spouts. Now, I know what you're thinking. Brussel sprouts?? What a sucky post. I hate brussel sprouts. But stay with me: They have a bad rep, sure. Heck, they're The Posterchild of Vegetables Kids Hate. You might even go so far as to say they're propaganda for Anti-Vegetable Eaters. But that's only when they're cooked for too long in cruel [read: boil] ways. The key is to either broil or saute them cut-half down on medium-low (emphasis on the low, though) for about 15-17 minutes. Before you put them face down though, heat up the pan (preferably cast iron) on high for a couple (2 - 3) minutes with a high quality olive oil (the kind where you can really taste the olives), salt and pepper. Then, in they go. All of them should be cut-side down. They are A-M-A-Z-I-N-G about 15-17 minutes later. Et Voila!

In a parallel universe

In the spirit of Where's Waldo, spot the russell terrier shaped boxwood? How cute/ quirky is that!

White Punch Buggy

Tree blossoms

Aren't blooming trees just the prettiest? Tiny blossoms like these make great patterns for anything from stamped {glass}shower door, to pretty placemats to a small room's (perhaps one wall of a bathroom?) wallpaper.

Neighborhood murals

I love pretty neighborhood murals, especially when they're around a few plants or a nice garden. I've always found this one pretty amusing.

Why don't you...

...Spruce up a blazer with a pretty scarf! Totally French-ified, sophisticated and unique! If Audrey Hepburn were a business women, I like to think she'd rock something like this.

Two if by sea

What a perfect day to escape to the beach - preferably sandy, but even rocky will do!

Whimsically wonderful

I started doodling the other day, wanting something pretty and simple - black and white - but also with an element of nature and came up with these. My biologist boyfriend likes to joke that these are "so whimsical" since you'd never, of course, in nature see more than one type of flower growing from the same plant.

And another

Happy Eliza Doolittle Day!

 That's right! Today is the twentieth of May. And if you haven't seen My Fair Lady, well, you. are. missing. out!

So in honor of Audrey herself, I give you.... The Classic Ballet Flat. Although she may have worn them with white socks in a certain (Sabrina I think) era (hey, it was the zeitgeist!), I prefer them with socks cut specifically for  these kind of shoes. These, too, make me want to jump on a vespa and cruise around pretty tree-lined streets with the wind flying around my hair...

Spotted!

Chuck Bass cozying up to a canoodling couple of .... okay, just kidding, this isn't gossip girl, but stay with me: Spots, especially small ones, are chic and flattering, and oh-so-chanel in black and white as above. But let's be honest, while black and white is that instantly-sophisticated go-to combo (think Tonne Goodman!), it may not be your go-to summer look. Enter The Little Scarf. They used to be restricted in popularity to the Old World, but these days they are so ubiquitous, you can find them at your local Gap. Great way to put a final touch on a look, like jewelry. Doesn't it make you want to zip away in a vespa along little cobble stone streets?

Daisies

Is there any flower cheerier than daisies? I mean honestly, they're so happy it can be maddening or sickening depending on your mood. Personally though, I have to say just seeing these pretty sunlit blooms are enough to make me smile at a stranger. And then there's daisy chains! Who doesn't love daisy chains? Sitting in a field in the middle of summer with your friends, making crowns and feeling like royalty.

Why not make your own Welcome Home/ See Ya Later sign?

Fifth position

Fourth position

Third position

Second position

First position

How lovely is it to wear pink shoes? Very!

Old School

In honor of Monday, I like to get my organization on, old school style. I do so with two handy notebooks. One - The Planner, and Two - The Notebook. The Planner is nice and...organized. Like Mrs. Potato Head, I can open up this puppy and put in my focused eyes (not my angry eyes, and please forgive this whole Mrs. Potato Head thing if you've never seen or don't remember the reference to Toy Story 2) and whamo I'm on schedule and getting stuff done! The Notebook (per the picture) is spontaneous displays of inspiration. A quote by Phoebe Philo from my Vogue that I just loved, a picture of a pretty dress, a bicycle, french stuff, you name it. Meditation phrases I picked up from Eat, Pray, Love or GOOP's piece a while ago, a list of places I'd like to travel (and list of places I'm proud of traveling to on my own dime), jobs I've held, jobs I'd like to hold, recipes, my thoughts on recent covergirls from Vogue (SJP has incredibly skinny arms; why do they have to airbrush so extensively?) and Harpers Bazaar (why Miley Cyrus? She's way too young for the HB demographic, in my opinion). It's a completely disorganized but marvelous collection of thoughts, lists, ideas, theories, and the like. It's the perfect place to express! So many people use only the electronic planners, but to me there's something satisfying about holding the thing and writing with a pen or pencil. Do you use a journal and/or planner?

Doing the Polished and Preppy Happy Dance

Uptown, nautical, preppy, and polished. Perfect for a seaside walk or a day out in the sunshine. How could you go wrong with a cute Petit Bateau top and Hermes scarf?

San Franciscan Brick Wall Gone Awry!

How awesome is this brick wall?

Provencal

Doesn't this look like the something out of the perfect Provencal life? Why not led this spread like wildfire through the woods?

Pretty Polkadots

Doesn't this remind you a bit of the LV runway this spring? It's quite low cut and long enough to be ladylike all at the same time! I just love the polkadots.

Little Shop of Horrors. Yipe!

Doesn't this gorgeous flower look like something that just my stick out its tongue and bite you? Yipe! On the other hand, it would also make lovely wallpaper or place mat if the image was somewhat refined.

Imagination running wild

Confession: I'm completed captivated by the idea of a porthole to another universe. My imagination is totally unleashed by movies like Pan's Labyrinth and Being John Malkovich.

Inspired!

Wouldn't this make charming wall paper?

Outdoor curtains

Imagine this: You're on the front porch of a to-die-for-gorgeous Southern colonial (just off of this vineyard) complete with extraordinary hydrangeas atop white linen tablecloths. The chairs are a luxuriously comfortable and I-haven't-a-care teak perfect for a covered outdoor setting. The masterpiece is in the direction the wind is leading your cheek - Look at those white curtains. Where can you even buy curtains that glamorously long and flowing? They extend from the top of the porch, likely between 15 and 20 feet tall and move elegantly as the wind passes through breakfast time. Is there anything more sophisticated?

Peonies

Peonies are my favorite flowers. It's a combination of the smell, the wildness and the beauty as the flower opens up over the week or so they last that makes me love the month of May. When peonies are in the flower market, you know summer's around the corner.

Let's go!

 
Nothing is quite as exciting and fulfilling as planning a trip to somewhere you've never been and just going. The appreciation of simple, small things you might think of as banal at home are fresh and exciting. Coffee, flowers, the sunshine...You see it in tourists everywhere. It's the universal language (music's sister?) - Having appreciation and gratitude for the every day.