merry christmas!

via knitalatte11

Happiness & cheer, lovelies!

taggy tag tag

via zero discipline

I've been tagged by Ambika from one of my most favorite blogs, (Into) The Fray! Her tag was a combo of 7 random things & 10 happy-making things. I've decided to wait to post my list since I have a hopeful feeling that I'll be able to add an experience from Paris to my 10 happy-making things list. So, look for the list after the new year.
Thanks for the tag Ambika!

happy first day of winter

via Mikon T

yummy

Roasted Carrots
Epicurious recipe here.

last minute lucy

Gift picks from Bloomies (on sale).

House of Harlow 1960 Aztec Skinny Bangle

Lauren by Ralph Lauren Gloves with Bit Hardware

Aqua Disco Mesh and Chain Necklace

eco-cozy

Alternative 'The Champ' Sweatshirt

Alternative 'The Rocky' Fleece Hoody

Loving the eco-conscious coziness from Alternative for girls and boys.
Made of recycled polyester & organic cotton.

snow in paris

2003 Snow in Paris by Paul Flagmann

It's snowing in Paris!
With only 9 days until we leave, I hope the city is still covered in white when we get there.
But, save the flight delays for someone else.

Immoveable Feast - A Paris Christmas
by John Baxter

I loved this book!
A must-read for anyone who loves Paris and shares in the Parisian appreciation of food and tradition.

Chapter 22
A Sense of Place

The places that we have known belong now only to the little world of space on which we map them for our own convenience. None of them was ever more than a thin slice, held between the contiguous impressions that composed our life at that time; remembrance of a particular form is but regret for a particular moment; and houses, roads, avenues are as fugitive, alas, as the years. - Marcel Proust

surprise!

A pretty, pretty package arrived in the mailbox from my good friend Jeannie!

Exquisite wrapping...

..which held a lovely tin of vintage Paris postcards...

..of beautiful images & lots of glitter!

And a new ornament for our tree!

Merci, Jeannie. Merci.

'tis the season

via christian montone

In this climate of fear and apprehension,
Christmas enters,
Streaming lights of joy, ringing bells of hope
And singing carols of forgiveness high up in the
bright air.
The world is encouraged to come away from
rancor,
Come the way of friendship.

by Maya Angelou
Amazing Peace - A Celebration

mmmm...

via cafe mode

surprise package

I received my favorite type of package this weekend, a book package from Mamaw!

Merci, merci!

1. Amazing Peace - A Celebration by Maya Angelou
2. Out Stealing Horses by Per Petterson
3. Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout
4. Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford
5. Girl With a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier

Where to begin?

Betty tries to help me decide which one to read first...

..while Missy Foo watches the rain.

fat pockets

Dear Santa,

In case you have cash burning a hole in your trousers, I would like to ask for the following prizes, which I promise to treasure always...

Thakoon Reversible Feathered (Faux) Coat

WGACA Vintage Chanel '94 Pendant Necklace

Gryphon Glam Rock Sequined Faux Fur Vest

Rag & Bone M-15 Field Coat

could you be the one?

The search for the perfect Paris coat (PPC) has been long & arduous.
But, I think (fingers crossed) I may have actually found The One.

I've admired Soia & Kyo coats for quite some time, but never had the pleasure of trying one on in person. That is, until Thursday night when I found a Katrina-C at Nordstrom & fell deeper in love with everything S & K.

While the Katrina was lovely, she wasn't long enough for the cold December air.
But, the Cali....she just may be everything coat dreams are made of.

Soia & Kyo Cali Coat - Tobi

I should receive her next week & really, really hope she is perfectly perfect.

If not, I'm running out of time & may be forced to take an unperfect coat from my closet (gasp).

ccb

Cold November - Autumn Rain Set

via Calico Courtney Brooke

Her entire photo collection is a dream.

signs of winter

via ana santos

Winter Solitude
by Matsuo Basho

Winter solitude --
in a world of one color
the sound of wind.

more jpk love

Loving the latest JPK Paris bag, the Buckled Nylon Satchel.

Nordstrom has 4 colors right now, by my guess is there will be more to come.

persephone picks

I Made My Excuses and Left Vintage Pan Collar Cropped Jacket

Modern Guilt Vintage Sequin Bead Trophy Bolero Jacket

Days of Being Wild Vintage Beaded Slouch Vest

Hey Snow White Vintage Patchwork Empire Waist Party Dress

Persephone Vintage

the nina, the pinta, and the santa maria

Another reason to love The Doot Doot.

my oh my

Type Z Leduc

These beauts were on my doorstep when I got home.
Uh-may-zing.
Copycats of the Ruthie Davis Mary Janes, but still fabulous in their own right & easier on the budget.
I'm in love!

anthro warm fuzzies

Yummy yum yum...Toadstool Cardi

Foremost Cords

First Frost Coat

Decimal Point Tights
..and so many more must-have tights.

could you be the one?

Via Spiga Pinot Wool Coat

happy tofurky day!

via epicurious

Happy Thanksgiving dearies!

A few delicious vegetarian ideas for setting this year's menu:
1. Epicurious
2. PETA
3. 101 Cookbooks
4. Food Network
5. Gourmet

And a great Op-Ed from the Times, here.

Have a lovely holiday!

sequin lust

Antik Batik Walice Jacket

ozark plateau

My visit to Arkansas was lovely, and Mamaw was even lovelier...

via yogitiad

Masons was so much fun, as usual. Mamaw patiently waited for me while I browsed every rack looking for treasures. I came home with an Esley ruffle trim top & a gold multi-chain necklace. Fab!

We took the retirement community bus to the Razorbacks basketball game again, and there really is no other way to go. I remembered to bring red this year, so I wasn't an embarrassment to the team & fellow fans. Woo pig sooie!

The bookstore is always a necessary stop & I got to pick-out anything my heart desired.
My picks, which I can't wait to read...



A Time to Talk
by Robert Frost

When a friend calls to me from the road
And slows his horse to a meaning walk,
I don't stand still and look around
On the hills I haven't hoed,
And shout from where I am, What is it?
No, not as there is a time to talk.
I thrust my hoe in the mellow ground,
Blade-end up and five feet tall,
And plod: I go up to the stone wall
For a friendly visit.


Merci, Mamaw! Merci!

elephants

back home

Ordinary riches can be stolen, real riches cannot. In your soul are infinitely precious things that cannot be taken from you.
- Oscar Wilde

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!
More on my visit to Arkansas soon.
xo

the natural state

Arkansas Farm Field via yogitiad

The Rose Family
by Robert Frost

The rose is a rose,
And was always a rose.
But the theory now goes
That the apple's a rose,
And the pear is, and so's
The plum, I suppose.
The dear only know
What will next prove a rose.
You, of course, are a rose --
But were always a rose.

the ultimate style icon...iris

The definition of originality, Iris Apfel is The Top when it comes to personal style. Her bold, passionate and true-to-herself approach to fashion gives us enough inspiration to last a lifetime.

As we chant her mantra while getting dressed everyday, we can only hope that a small fraction of her fabulousness will sink in.

"I'm a hopeless romantic. I buy things because I fall in love with them. I never buy anything just because it's valuable. My husband used to say I look at a piece of fabric and listen to the threads. It tells me a story. It sings me a song. I have to get a physical reaction when I buy something. A coup de foudre - a bolt of lightning. It's fun to get knocked out that way!"

"I think dressing up or down should be a creative experience. Exciting. Fun. Whenever possible, it's really great to start with a marvelously cut designer piece and build on it. For me the key to personal style lies in accessories. My friends tell me that my oversized glasses and my pairs of bracelets have become my unwritten signature. I have amassed an enormous "collection" of bags, belts, bangles, and beads without which I would be lost. One can change the entire look of an outfit by substituting one accessory for another. I love objects from different worlds, different eras, combined my way. Never uptight, achieving - hopefully - a kind of throwaway chic."

"It's not what you do, it's the way that you do it. Of course, if you wear lovely things, it's all the better....My mother worshiped at the alter of the accessory. And I, I got the bug."