thursday pearls : mushy stuff

 

Yes, I'm feeling all lovey...if you couldn't tell...with the engagement party coming up and all, I can't help it :) So here are a few mushy quotes for you...

...And this is my own personal take on love:

"Love is all about being absolutely mad about the person who drives you absolutely crazy."

Have a lovely Thursday :) 

WEDnesday : a LOVEly playlist

love, love, love...

Dan and I have the greatest friends ever!!! This Saturday is our Seattle engagement party (yes, there will be another...in California for our families!) and our friends have completely arranged all of the details...even down to a little frenchie theme (as if you hadn't guessed that I have a thing for frenchie ;)

So my maid of honor, Erika, called me needing our top 3 favorite love songs...well, we both love music so much, it made it awfully hard to choose just three...so I created a little playlist of some of our favorites (currently playing!). Some are true love, some  cheeky, some mellow, some upbeat...a well-rounded love song list, if I say so myself :) Enjoy!

**Also, as a bonus, I am attaching a YouTube video that is a series of still shots turned into a movie that goes along to the song that Dan and I will actually be walking down the aisle to...it's not really a love song, but it is a beautiful song that just feels perfect for our occasion :) Before playing this, though, I suggest pausing the streaming music...just scroll to the bottom of the page and you will see the player. The song is Scenic World by Beirut.

p.s. what are some of your favorite love songs??? I'd love to know :)

1. Yann Tiersen : Guilty / 2. Des'ree : Kissing You / 3. Peter, Bjorn & John : Paris 2004 / 4. The Wannadies : You & Me Song / 5. The Smiths : There Is A Light That Never Goes Out / 6. Noah & the Whale : 5 Years Time / 7. Moby : Where You End / 8. Modern English : I Melt With You / 9. The Postal Service : Brand New Colony / 10. The Magnetic Fields : Nothing Matters When You're Dancing / 11. Elbow : Great Expectations / 12. Nellee Hooper : Kissing You (instrumental version) from the Romeo & Juliet Soundtrack

tuesday, huesday : rose dust & oyster gray

Over the next several weeks I will be exploring the Pantone trending colors for autumn/winter 2010. I may choose a solo color or a combination.  The color palette  is so soft and feminine... I love it!!! So, be inspired with me as we delve into pretty & say bye,bye to that tired Fall palette of orange and brown!
This week, we will welcome a lovely, sophisticated neutral story of rose dust and oyster gray...

       hello, gorgeous!...

top of entry: pantone dots, fresh nest / 1.  bag bliss / 2. dedicated follower / 3. jonathan gallery / 4. martin's oysters / 5. bag bliss / 6. oyster mushrooms / 7. chanel blush / 8. carrie via style redux / 9. this is glamorous / 10. etsy

a very random monday : i wish it was a sunday

hello, monday & hello all!

i hope that everyone had a lovely weekend...here we are again, though...monday. i don't know about everyone else, but mine is crazy already! therefore, my entry today is short & sweet. i will make up for it later, though, by doing a special weekend posting this saturday :) 

in the meantime, here is a little classic bangles love (via YouTube) to help you get through your monday...it made me smile :)

foodie fridays : le petit dejeuner

    le petit dejeuner...

   Don't you just love breakfast? It's my absolute favorite meal of the day! Perhaps it is because I rarely have the time to make proper breakfast food (pancakes, omelets, french toast...), perhaps it's the mimosas & bloody marys...whatever it is, I just crave breakfast all the time :) 

    It is a pity, though, that we Americans don't relish in breakfast more. In Europe, or France more specifically, people take their time with it. Here is the difference between the first meal of the day in America vs. France...you see, we call it break - fast, which is why we are constantly shoving muffins and other quickies down, that we pick up with our coffee in the morning. Instead we should think of it as a "little lunch", as it is called in frenchie-speak...which, to me, is a little reminder that we should take the time to enjoy this often forgotton meal a little more...

   This thought inspired me to put together a lovely breakfast tomorrow morning for Dan's birthday :) It is going to be a casual breakfast/brunch filled with frenchie-inspired goodies... baguette, chevre, Autumn fruits, mimosas, etc...You can see my little shopping list below :) Happy Friday & Happy Weekend! And a very happy birthday to Dan!!!

top of entry: rooster, felix doolittle / frenchie brunch pics:veuve cliquot,  veuve / orange wedges, the daily green /  mimosas, rachael ray / french baguette, venere / jam & honey, touch of europe / french chevre, source unknown / poires, patsy seeley / figs, chez pim / adorably packaged french yogurt, frolic

thursday pearls : age is a mindset

 My love is turning 31 on Saturday :) Naturally, age is a constant topic when a birthday comes up... actually age has been a more consistent topic as we (my friends and I) venture...or in some cases, already have ventured...into our 30's. I am a firm believer in "age is a mindset" or "age is just a number". Keep your mind fresh, your body healthy & your heart happy and you will be timeless... you can quote me on that ;) 

In the spirit of the frenchie-themed week, here are some timeless quotes by some of my favorite frenchie lovelies...

Happy birthday, my love! (not that these quotes are really for him, because they mostly pertain to women...but that's besides the point)

WEDnesday : frenchie inspired

from top, left to right: vintage french lace floral brooch, etsy / gorgeous hydrangea, chateau riguard / floral embellished silk gown, ma petite chou / vintage-looking ranunculus, wedding paper divas / lace corset gown, olivier lalin weddings / totally awesome lace egg, eab designs / beaded french lace, macculoch wallis / french lace demi gloves, i do inspiration / black & white classic glamour, stirred straight up / bling-bling glamour, eab designs / minimalist glamour, floras box / eiffel tower - city of lights - personal photo / kirsten dunst as marie antoinette on vogue cover / traditional croquembouche as a wedding cake / layered dress, wedding magazine / macaroons, broke ass stuart / frenchie patterned mix & match keds, high snobiety / top shop pin-up / printed chandelier, zazzle / black & white chanel stripe, france 24

bon jour/bon soir!

I realized that there is a little frenchie thread throughout my blogs so far this week (ye-ye on Monday, chartreuse on Tuesday...) so thought that I would continue with that spirit. For WEDnesday I was inspired to create a frenchie inspiration board for anyone looking to incorporate a little ooo la la into their wedding. There are so many different parts and pieces in French style that I broke this board up into some of my favorites, as you will see :) Whether you are looking for French glamour, retro or decadence...I hope you will see something that will strike your fancy. Though...I strongly encourage that you play on an unexpected combination such as a little decadence with a smidge of retro by mixing luxurious cotton candy colored brocades with retro black and white stripes...just have fun!

au revoir!

tuesday, huesday : chartreuse & coral

Welcome back to tuesday, huesday! I am proud to announce the second edition: chartreuse & coral! My apologies for delays in postings this week...work is a little more than crazy this week!

I naturally have wedding on the brain right now and have been trying to come to a color conclusion...as some of you may have guessed, I really love chartreuse as a color (and of course as the liqueur!)... sooooooooo, I have decided that chartreuse is my #1, with a slate gray for my neutral and mercury glass for a little shine. Needing a pop of something unexpected, I was turning to a dark pink... until Jeff, my brilliant boss, suggested coral! I am in love with this color combination! It feels vintage yet modern... which truly is the blend of Dan's style and mine...I am vintage all the way and he is Mr. Modern. Anyways, I know this is not WEDnesday and that I am supposed to be talking about color, so please... sit back, relax & and enjoy the happy hues of chartreuse & coral :)

Side note... Realizing that not everyone may be familiar with Chartreuse the liqueur, I thought that I would give you a little background...once again via the great, super knowledgeable Wikipedia:

Chartreuse is a French liqueur made by the Carthusian Monks, popular since the 1740s. It is composed of distilled alcohol aged with 130 herbal extracts. The liqueur is named after the Monks' Grande Chartreuse monastery, located in the Chartreuse Mountains in the general region of Grenoble in France. The liqueur is produced in a factory in the nearby town of Voiron (Isère).

Chartreuse gives its name to the colour. It is one of the handful of liquors which continues to age and improve in the bottle.

top left to right bottom: 1. fleur de lis mercury glass votive, a vintage treasure 2.bubbled chartreuse glass, ehow 3. coral floral paper goods, snippet & ink 4. mercury glass votives, vintage weave 5. coral upper lip, temptalia 6. barbie wears coral lipstick too!, amc   7. chartreuse leaf pattern, fabric.com 8. chartreuse shoe, snippet & ink 9. chartreuse candlesticks & coral flowers, she said spectacular 10.mercury glass candlesticks, vintage weave 11. vintage brooch, style hive 12. coral birdie, macaroons & chartreuse gift stack, all snippet & ink 13. coral stones (bracelet), exotic excess 14. bright coral lips, j. crew online 15. mercury glass pendant lights, mothology 16. chartreuse floral print, fabric.com 17. chartreuse dress, weddingbee 18. coral bead strand, source unknown 

a very random monday : yé-yé

Hello friends! I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend...I know I did! Great times with great friends never gets old... and I must admit how in love I was with the crazy, schizophrenic (so typical for Seattle) weather this weekend! A little sun, a lot of rain, a smidge of hail, a moment of thunder... ahhh... all a reminder that Autumn is quickly approaching! It truly is my favorite time of the year...

So, here we are again...Monday (release all sighs and groans here)... 

To start the week off on a HAPPY note, I am going to introduce you all to a very cheery genre of music called Yé-Yé. This is a dedication to my dear friend Lucia in Madrid who introduced me to this style of music. Lucia even took my friend Roni and me to a couple of yé-yé bars in Madrid...they are these dark smoky bars where all of the coolest kids hang out and it feels as if you have been transported back to the mod 60's! Lucia is this adorable little Spanish mod girl with THE greatest style...she is truly a girl from another time :) 

To give you a proper hello to yé-yé, my playlist for the week features many of the popular yé-yé girls who defined this fabulous music style in the 60's. Yé-yé really goes hand-in-hand with mod fashion, so I pieced together a little collage of the icons of mod style as well as important yé-yé figures. Agh! I just go gaga (and I DON'T mean Lady) over the style of this time!!! I adore it!  So, enjoy a little slice of retro Europe & get your yé-yé on! Oh! And of course...have a HAPPY Monday!         

And...for those of you who need a little history fix...here it is, via Wikipedia...

Yé-yé (French pronunciation: [jeje]) was a style of pop music that emerged from France, Québec and Spain in the early 1960s. The term "yé-yé" derived from "yeah! yeah!" yell. The style has expanded out worldwide, due to the success of figures such as the French singer-songwriter Serge Gainsbourg...
Yé-yé music was unique in a number of ways: first, it was the only musical movement so far to be spearheaded by females; second, it was a mostly European phenomenon (although it grew very popular in Japan and yé-yé music is in the origins of Shibuya-kei and Japanese idol music; there is even a Japanese version of the 1965 Eurovision-winning song "Poupée de cire, poupée de son" composed by Serge Gainsbourg and performed by France Gall)...
In Spain, yé-yé music was at first considered to be against Catholicism. However this didn't stop the yé-yé culture from spreading, although a bit later than in the rest of Europe, and in 1968 Spanish yé-yé girl Massiel won the Eurovision song contest with "La, la, la"...  click here to read more...

foodie fridays : apple fennel slaw

Yay for Friday!!! I don't know about the rest of you, but I never thought it would come this week...but here we are...and I hope it is a happy one for all  :)

I have decided to make every Friday "foodie friday". I always feel more inspired to cook on the weekends...and I just so happen to have a bbq to attend on Sunday which required a little inspiration gathering on what to bring. Lately, fennel is really striking my fancy. A few weeks ago I made a gorgeous salad of heirloom tomatoes (fresh from Pike Place Market), mozzarella di bufala & roasted fennel - all drizzled with a little olive oil & balsamic & sprinkled with sea salt...oh my word! I am craving it as I type it!...

Okay...tangent, sorry! So, I am wanting to bring an autumn-inspired slaw to the bbq and thought that a nice apple fennel slaw would hit the spot. I researched many different recipes and put together my own ingredient list, that you will see below, based on the variety of ideas I came across (I have never been very good at following the rules, so I can never follow just one recipe! I see different parts and pieces that I like and put them together in my own way). My ingredient addition is the crushed red chili pepper,  for a little extra kick! I can't wait to throw it all together and taste the outcome! I will let you all know how it goes :)

Since I am not really any good at following recipes, I'm also not very good at writing them, but if anyone wants a recipe let me know and I will do my best!...I never use exact measurements and it's all done based on taste...If you enjoy cooking and this sounds as delicious to you as it does to me, use your creativity & give it a whirl!

p.s. i am dreaming of eating this slaw on a pulled pork sandwich...mmmmmmmm...

Have a happy weekend!!!

 

UPDATE: It's Sunday morning at 10:02AM and I just finished making the slaw! The honey and the Belgian endive didn't make the cut...my grocery store didn't have Belgian endives yet (the season for them starts now, but the peak is really November-April) & I decided that the honey was unnecessary because the orange juice and the balsamic were sweet enough. The slaw was so easy to make, just time-consuming, though, with all of the cutting involved. The dressing consisted of the olive oil, white (or golden) balsamic vinegar, orange juice & zest, sea salt, black pepper & red chili pepper flakes. Oh my goodness, is it soooooooooooo delicious!!! I poured it over the fennel, apples & shallots, tossed it to coat and garnished it with the fennel stems and apple slices...I can't wait to eat it now :) ...and, it even inspired one of the other guests to make the pulled pork!!!

 

thursday pearls : being an artist

here are a few to get you through the rest of the week...two more days!!!

WEDnesday : playing with patterns

It is official! I am dedicating Wednesday blogs to all of you lovelies out there who are looking for inspirations in all wedding things considered. I am in constant search myself while planning my own event! So come along, let's fall in love...with a centerpiece, an invitation or a photograph...

This week, I am feeling inspired by pattern. I am so drawn to the idea of incorporating pattern into my wedding and really love the findings below. 

...How freaking cute are those patterned bridesmaids dresses at top left?!

...I just adore the retro-chic black and white polka dot bridesmaids cutting the matching cake ...Patterned china makes me say mmm, mmm, mmm! 

...Mixing patterns is even MORE fun!

...Umm, little patterned fabric slip covers for invites? Yes, please :)

...The images of the love letters & the shades of pink stamps struck a cord... how cool 

    would each of those ideas be as a pattern? A table cloth patterned with love letter   

    script  (actually a sheet set from Anthropolgie) or place cards, programs, etc.   

    patterned  with stamps...just a couple thoughts that crossed my mind... 

from top, left to right: 1.pattern bridesmaids, found on 100 layer cake 2. love letters Anthropologie sheet set, courtesy of lanalou style & little blue deer 3.shades of pink stamps, courtesy of snippet & ink  4.polka dots, joseph hein photo courtesy of wedpix 5.patterned china (i'm in trouble...i can't remember the origin of this photo, can anyone help me with this one?) 6.mixing it up/floral with gingham, thanks to frolic 7.love these patterns, source unknown (i've had this pic for a while and forget where i found it...if anyone knows, please let me know!) 8.patterned fabric tied across rope, thank you 100 layer cake 9.invitation slip covers in patterned fabrics...love! (okay, i don't have the origin of this one either...???) *My apologies for any missing links...these are photos collected before I ever imagined having my own blog and I never even though about having to remember the origin!

tuesday, huesday : rouge

I have just decided to make tuesdays huesdays...I am dedicating my tuesday blog to color... because, well, who doesn't find inspiration in color?... at least every once in a while... inspired by photos that I took of the Moulin Rouge while in Paris, I am welcoming a little rouge into my life today...won't you join me?

 

from top: 1.painting & "rouge" portion of sign from the moulin rouge, paris - personal photos used to piece together this image  2.white house w/ red doors, bruges/belgium - personal photo 3.vintage red bicycle, courtesy of ebb & flow    4. red bed, courtesy of lanalou style 5. the most gorgeous red velvet cupcake i have ever seen, thanks to pugly pixel 6. nautical stripes, via wit + delight 7.alice's, a shop on portobello road/notting hill/london - personal photo 8.paris party dresses, shopfront in paris - personal photo 9.adorable red bicycle tote, found on etsy/the bold banana 10. red rocking chairs, thanks again lanalou style! 11.mmm cherries (it's a shame i am allergic), i love lanalou style, can you tell? 12. a double decker & big ben, courtesy of popartuk 13.lips in rouge, via death by glamour 14.charming red camera pendant, found on etsy/lizzybleu 15.girl with a red cello case, courtesy of ted szukalski 16. sweet strawberry necklaces, found on etsy/the lovely teaspoon 17.rouge room with very cool red owl art, owl piece found on etsy/black baroque

a very random monday : UP & down

  My first entry has arrived! It took me all day to decide on the topic, but after searching through my photos it was so clear! I realized that I have really taken a liking to objects photographed from their seldom seen side...their underside that is! 

  One of my first notable experiences with object undersides was with the cherry blossom photo in the second row, middle...I was on an inspiration gathering date with myself and came across this gorgeous tree in full bloom. I didn't want  a photo of just a tree (though I do love trees),  I wanted to get those gorgeous cotton candy blooms under the powder blue sky...so started my  affection for back-bending photography :) I do believe in equal opportunity, though, so if I am going to look up then I must also look down...and as a matter of fact, the photo of my logo is taken from above a glass of chartreuse! 

  I am pretty sure that I am not alone in saying that I often do forget to look up, or down for this matter, because I am so caught up in my hectic daily life and focused completely on what is straight ahead of me. These photos are my little reminders that there are many, many beautiful designs and inspirations that come from simply adjusting your point of view. 

  So, next time your find your self stuck on what is in front of you, take a moment to look UP & down (so long as you are not driving)...you may just love what you see... 

photos from top, left to right: 1.Underneath a chandelier, Palace de Versailles 2.Exterior tiles, Palace de Versailles 3.Under a lovely tree, Hyde Park / London 4.A random finding at a local beach, Seattle 5.Under a cherry blossom tree, Seattle 6.Underneath the center of the Tour Eiffel 7.A very inspiring photo, courtesy of wit + delight, a favorite blog of mine 8.My shadow & foot 9.One of the ugliest but coolest trees I've ever seen, Paris 10.Look up while in the Madrid International Airport, baggage claim  11.Under   snowy branches, Seattle 12.Light Fixture, Los Angeles Union Station   *All photos taken by me, with the exception of the umbrellas found on wit + delight (as noted)