OOps

So, uhm, I forgot I had a blog. Will be back shortly.

I got a man to stick it out

And make a home from a rented house.

This oh-so-lovely tune currently defines my life so specifically that I could cry.
"How many years until the day, my dreams will match up with my pay?"

fit for a queen.

Can you even imagine being able to picnic with Buckingham Palace as your backdrop?

image via larkabout

wowza

Let's all take a moment to appreciate the sublimely gorgeous Christina Hendricks.

I need a cigarette after just looking at her body!

You will be mine...

oui oui!

so, I'm a teensy bit obsessed with Francoise Hardy.

But, like seriously, look at her! and that voice!

For the Record

I abhor chocolate and raspberries together. In fact, let's just keep all fruit and chocolate separate, shall we?

I Love Your Style

"[I Love Your Style] will both empower and inspire women to dive into the challenge of defining, or refining, their personal style".

I've been seeing this book everywhere these days and I really love the concept behind it. So often I see women flailing, trying to keep up with trends instead of dressing for their bodies and their minds and their comfort.

My personal style is sort of difficult to pinpoint but knowing myself pretty well I'd say it's a mix between a fisherman (breton stripes and blues), a spy (trench coats, lots of black, big sunglasses), and a victorian (modest frocks, high collars, and lace). Kind of funny, huh? But I buy what I love and try not to be too influenced by fashion editorials.

Ava

just drinkin coffee. lookin amazing.

Hanging Rock

I will almost always vote for a book over a movie, but in the case of Picnic at Hanging Rock's 1975 film adaptation, my heart is glad it didn't miss out on the gothic dreaminess that accompanied each scene. The high starched collars and white eyelet, the giggling college girls, the eerie quietness, and the rural Australian landscape.

Please

let this be my life.

image via larkabout

little darling, start again

Did you know that when explorers first came to the East coast of America, they believed they had discovered the Garden of Eden?

Speaking of which, you can read an interesting narration on the exile of Adam and Eve in David Maine's Fallen.

Ooh la la

I think it takes immense confidence to waltz around town in something see-through but, wow, the results are divine. This photo of Anna Dello Russo nearly knocked me to the ground.

photo via http://www.garancedore.fr/en/

Also, the see-through, Birkin dress is now available through Nightcap Clothing.

Would you be daring enough to wear this trend? It's hard to resist when these ladies make it look so so good.

i'm on fire

Is there a time of year during which you just feel...uncomfortable? Winter can sometimes make me blue but summer just doesn't suit me. I love berries and the many hours of daylight, but I'm too pale, my hair is too dark, and the heat is too suffocating. I guess I just don't like extreme weather of any sort, as I always feel my best in Spring and Fall. However, I know people who can't leave the house without a jacket if it's under 80 degrees and whose allergies make spring unbearable.

As with all things, though, we just have to make the best of our time. I'll be making the season more enjoyable with lots of ice cream, many bike rides, high hemlines, and spf 30.

Oh the things that summer brings

It's a love you'd kill for, when all the world is green.

happy summer.

photo via

Atticus

I've talked about identifying with a character, but sometimes I find myself falling a little bit in love with the heroes of movies and books. Most recently it was Prince Albert and last year it was Burt Farlander (John Krasinski) from Away We Go. But my all time on-screen crush is Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch. I thought the To Kill a Mockingbird character was such a great dad when I read the book but Peck filled the role so well in the 1962 film adaptation. I'm positive I'm not the only woman who swooned over him.

Secret Service

I have found my dream bicycle. It's about 10 times more expensive than my current one-speed Huffy but I think some things are worth splurging on. Naturally it'll take me several months to save up for but I'm just so in love with this bike. It fits my style well and I'd like, eventually, to live in a town where I can ride just about everywhere.

My Dutch Bike says it's "A tough and stealthily modern Dutch city bike that blends into the crowd. Compared to our extraordinarily robust traditional models the Secret Service is tighter and lighter. It's ideal both for those who cover some distance and also for smaller riders."

So tell me, what is just too important to you to put a price on?

I hate sports

except when they look like this.

Coco

I just love looking at pictures of an older Gabriel "Coco" Chanel. No one ages gracefully these days so it's really inspiring to see a matured woman with such a distinct style and palpable character.




"Simplicity" she says, "is the keynote of all true elegance."

Photos via via

The Young Victoria

Last night I watched The Young Victoria, a period film about the early years of Queen Victoria's reign. It was really touching and inspiring as she was only 18 years-old when her uncle died, passing the crown to her. Emily Blunt's performance as a young woman coming of age and falling in love is so convincing and relatable while the beautiful Rupert Friend is painfully charming in his 1800's garb.


Victoria ruled longer than any other British Monarch- over 63 years, 20 with Albert alongside her. After he died she still laid his clothes out every day to honor his memory. Is that the most romantic thing you've ever heard?

We thought our very hearts would up and melt away

My gentleman friend and I were recently discussing albums that changed our lives. On the top of my list was Joanna Newsom's Ys. The 5-song cd was released when I was in highschool and I remember checking the clock constantly (which I did anyway) because I was so anxious to go home and listen to it. She had an entire orchestra accompanying her and the language was so rich and the vocals so desperate, I had never experienced anything like it. For a few days I would just sit and listen through with the lyric sheet in front of me until I had memorized every word. The best part is, years later I still melt when I play those songs.
Here, a little taste of Newsom's brilliance:

Say, say, say in the lee of the bay; don't be bothered
Leave your troubles here where the tugboats shear the water from the water
(Flanked by furrows, curling back, like a match held up to a newspaper)
Emily, they'll follow your lead by the letter
And I make this claim, and I'm not ashamed to say I knew you better
What they've seen is just a beam of your sun that banishes winter

Let us go! Though we know it's a hopeless endeavor
The ties that bind, they are barbed and spined and hold us close forever
Though there is nothing would help me come to grips with a sky that is gaping and yawning
There is a song I woke with on my lips as you sailed your great ship towards the morning...

Pure poetry! From the song Emily.

Plus, Joanna is so so pretty and and she rocks the harp.

Macaroons

I love making elaborate desserts but the ones that get the best acclaim are usually the simplest. These macaroons are no execption. Happy Memorial Day everyone.

Coconut Macaroons

Ingredients:

2/3 cup flour

5 1/2 cups flaked coconut (sweetened or not: your preference)

1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk

1 tsp rum extract (or vanilla or almond)

pinch salt


Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat (this is extremely necessary as the macaroons will be very sticky).
Mix the coconut, flour and salt.
Gradually add the condensed milk and extract while stirring with a wooden spoon until everything is incorporated. Use an icecream scoop to drop the batter on your baking dish. Bake 12-14 minutes or until the coconut is toasted.

Because I'm me, I love to dip these in melted chocolate and sprinkle with anything from nuts to a dash of sea salt. Coconut pairs well with any type of chocolate.

i will see you in far off places

Did you catch the Lost series finale? I always feel more sad than I should when a show I love ends. It's as if I'm saying goodbye to old acquaintances. While the two-and-a-half hour episode supersaturated me with emotion, what affected me most was the very lovely portrayal of an afterlife. I'm not very philosophical so I do my best to avoid meditating on any concept of heaven, especially since death really frightens me. But to be reunited with those nearest and dearest to me, after all, is a dream I can easily adopt.

photo via ABC.com

The Loveliest

Would you die to wear Grace Kelly's wedding dress? I'm not a bride-to-be, nor have I ever been drawn to such full-skirted gowns, but my goodness -the high collar and tiny buttons...and all that lace makes my heart race.

Also I think her story is painstakingly romantic. Don't all little girls dream of marrying a prince?

Just Like the Movies

It's fun to wonder who would play you in a movie, but have you ever identified with a character so much that you thought you could play them well? For a while I thought I would make a good Marie Antoinette, until I saw Sophia Coppola's version in which Kirsten Dunst was pretty perfect. Now I feel my pouting and headstrong tendencies would make me a great Scarlett O'Hara or Madame Bovary.

How bout you?

Wine Cellar

Look at this stunning wine cellar. I am extremely jealous of whoever owns this and in awe of whoever designed it.



From S.R. Gambrel's Country Portfolio.

The Pregnancy Pact

Last night I caught the Lifetime original movie The Pregnancy Pact and was completely horrified. The plot follows a group of friends who all agree to become pregnant. Now, almost everything on Lifetime is pretty obscene but I literally laughed out loud when one 15 (FIFTEEN!) year old girl said, "So this is what it's like to be Jamie Lynn Spears". Another thought her mother would actually be proud and almost all of them thought having a baby would make their boyfriends stay. To think this is even remotely based on a true story makes my head ache. Schools and parents need to educate their children on more than just abstinence- several of the kids said they didn't know where to find condoms. I could go on and on but I'll leave you with this:

I Know

little family

When it comes to 60's icons, my heart belongs to Anna, but my knees buckle every time I see a picture of Jane Birkin and Serge Gainsbourg. They seemed so sincerely in love, and even after they split they stayed close.

If I Was Young, I'd Flee This Town

Wouldn't something like this make a great party theme? Guests could choose to dress as a hunter or the prey. I would totally get myself one of those elephant masks.

On another note, have you read Shooting an Elephant by George Orwell, I found it pretty unbearable.

a letter to Tumnus

Saw this and nearly died.

The Chronicles of Narnia was one of my favorite series when I was little. Do you remember being so engrossed in fairy tales that you were sure they were real?

image via weheartit

Hey Dapper Dan

I'm constantly paying homage to all of the ladies I find positively lovely, but posting about Tom Waits yesterday made me realize how few men I feature. So here a few dapper gents of whom I am particularly fond.


Clark Gable (the stache, that cocky smile!)


Paul Newman and his moody stare.


Charmingly adorable James Stewart.


Tom, duh.


David Bowie, equally stylish in a suit as in a silver unitard.


George Clooney, because J recently declared "class dies with George Clooney"

eek, men in suits raise my blood pressure!

the imaginarium

Have you heard of The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus? The film got surprisingly little publicity for being Heath Ledger's last appearance and it only remained in the theaters for a short time. J and I thought it was sub par but totally worth watching, considering Tom Waits plays the devil! The man is just too cool.

long lost

I've been told I look like betty boop or snow white more than once, but while (briefly) living in New York, I was asked twice if I was Daisy Lowe. Now I don't get it, especially considering the lingerie model likely has a few inches on my 5'3 frame, but I'll take it as a compliment.


It's got to be the haircut.

Do you have a long lost twin out there?
images via