Striped and Spotted

Happy Fourth!

2010-07-02T10:03:00.000-07:00

hello, sunshine!

2010-07-01T10:37:00.000-07:00

Why not enjoy a picnic in the shade of a tree? Perhaps with some freshly picked summer berries?

And the livin's easy

2010-06-29T12:20:00.000-07:00

Ahh, summertime escapes. How can you go wrong with a little r&r and fresh air?

Happy Last Monday in June!

2010-06-28T16:33:00.000-07:00

Days like this make me want to pack up a picnic, take a hike and soak up the sun. And why not? Summer is the best time to take advantage with the long days and warm evenings perfect for star-gazing.

Petanque

2010-06-25T11:01:00.000-07:00

Petanque, bocci. cougette, zucchini. What's in a name? Nada. But I sure love me some petanque in the sunshine! Almost as much as a nice game of croquet. Doesn't this neat area look perfect for either game? I love how there's a small shaded area for those looking to keep their fair skin safe.

Peaches

2010-06-24T17:52:00.000-07:00

Ah, summer fruit. Confession: my hands-down favorite part of summer (other than the beach days, extra sunshine, and relaxed attitude of pretty much everyone) is the fruit. Stone fruit, berries, you name it. Can life really ever get any better than when you have a delicious ripe peach to enjoy?

2010-06-23T17:39:00.000-07:00

I am completely inspired by the ivy growing on this stone building.

Pinwheel Inspiration

2010-06-22T13:47:00.000-07:00

I love how the inside of this rose looks like a pinwheel!

Happy First Day of Summer!

2010-06-21T15:14:00.000-07:00

Texture Inspired By Nature

2010-06-17T11:10:00.000-07:00

Landscape Inspiration

2010-06-16T14:20:00.000-07:00

These linear eight trees have been wrapped with string so that they hold this shape. Isn't it amazing how completely it changes the whole look? While I love wild trees, I enjoy how these are so organized and orderly.

Honeysuckle

2010-06-15T12:25:00.000-07:00

With the warm weather arrives a bevy of accompanying delights. Most yoga poses are easier, making you feel like a total pro, the longer days give way to more free time (as long as your not stuck at the office!), and best of all, flowers are at their most fragrant. My personal faves are honeysuckle and jasmine. Just walking down the street is pure bliss.

Quaint Countryside Cottage

2010-06-14T11:18:00.000-07:00

Aren't colorful fragrant flowers just the best in the summertime? It's amazing how a garden in the yard can transform the space!

Details, details

2010-06-11T10:46:00.000-07:00

I love the fantasticly beautiful detail on these types of old buildings.

Pow Wow

2010-06-10T09:44:00.000-07:00

2010-06-09T13:39:00.000-07:00

Doesn't this look like a photograph Slim Aarons would have taken? I love the symmetry, the fountain, the totally awesome trees - and the unique overhead lighting!

So lovely

2010-06-08T10:17:00.000-07:00

These lovely flowers are sold in the northeast in hanging pots because the climate doesn't allow them to grow larger, but in California you see larger bushes of them in the streets and around homes. Aren't they beautiful?

Pretty Benches

2010-06-07T11:15:00.000-07:00

I love pretty much everything about these lovely benches:

- the straight backs
- the pretty details
- the functional design for a park since you can sit facing either direction (though it's not entirely clear from the picture, there's another bench on the other side, taking advantage of the straight up and down backrest)
- the style is so French! these benches are just like the ones in Paris! Yay!

Peonies

2010-06-04T10:53:00.000-07:00

To celebrate the first Friday in June - and the middle of peony season!

Amusement for Thursday: Actual Size!

2010-06-03T11:16:00.000-07:00

I love this funny sign - When I walked past it, I literally laughed out loud!

Awesomely beautiful

2010-06-02T17:45:00.000-07:00

Aren't these flowers awesomely beautiful? I love the bright pink and white - It's such a beautiful pattern and the leaves are so shiny! Can you imagine a bathroom flower stamped with a pattern resembling these flowers? I think it would be just perfect.

More doodling

2010-06-01T18:16:00.000-07:00

Happy Memorial Day!

2010-05-31T19:29:00.000-07:00

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!)

2010-05-28T10:18:00.000-07:00

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

2010-05-27T14:35:00.000-07:00

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

White Punch Buggy

2010-05-26T14:41:00.000-07:00

Tree blossoms

2010-05-25T11:52:00.000-07:00

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

2010-05-25T11:41:00.000-07:00

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...

2010-05-24T19:25:00.000-07:00

...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

2010-05-24T19:18:00.000-07:00

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

Whimsically wonderful

2010-05-21T11:59:00.000-07:00

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

2010-05-21T11:57:00.000-07:00

Happy Eliza Doolittle Day!

2010-05-20T20:24:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-05-20T14:03:00.000-07:00

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

2010-05-20T13:53:00.000-07:00

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?

2010-05-19T14:08:00.000-07:00

Fifth position

2010-05-18T10:11:00.002-07:00

Fourth position

2010-05-18T10:11:00.000-07:00

Third position

2010-05-18T10:09:00.002-07:00

Second position

2010-05-18T10:09:00.000-07:00

First position

2010-05-18T10:08:00.000-07:00

How lovely is it to wear pink shoes? Very!

Old School

2010-05-17T11:46:00.000-07:00

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

2010-05-14T20:19:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-05-14T20:13:00.000-07:00

How awesome is this brick wall?

Provencal

2010-05-14T20:10:00.000-07:00

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

2010-05-14T20:05:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-05-14T19:55:00.000-07:00

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

2010-05-14T19:52:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-05-14T19:49:00.000-07:00

Wouldn't this make charming wall paper?

Outdoor curtains

2010-05-14T14:45:00.000-07:00

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

2010-05-13T17:21:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-05-13T12:50:00.000-07:00

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.