Thursday, December 24, 2009

merry christmas!


Happiness & cheer, lovelies!

taggy tag tag


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!

Saturday, December 19, 2009

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.

Thursday, December 17, 2009

'tis the season


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

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Sunday, December 13, 2009

surprise package

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


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

Saturday, December 12, 2009

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).

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

ccb

Cold November - Autumn Rain Set

Her entire photo collection is a dream.

Monday, December 7, 2009

signs of winter


Winter Solitude
by Matsuo Basho

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

Saturday, December 5, 2009

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

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!

Sunday, November 29, 2009

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

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!

Thursday, November 19, 2009

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!

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Sunday, November 15, 2009

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

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

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.

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

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."