Lovely (collaged) ladies

Fabric scraps, plastic bags, feathers. Who would have thought these the materials of such lovely pieces of art? And yet Australian illustrator and graphic designer Kat Macleod creates these fabulous collages using just such materials. If you look closely at the works above, you can see how each uses watercolor paint, freehand drawing and an additional element (such as fabric or feathers) to give it a quirky 3D facet. Her work is fresh and fun, with such a feminine feel to it.

Kat is represented by The Jacky Winter Group (check out their site for more images of her work) and has prints for purchase through Lamington Drive.

She was also the illustrator of a book entitled The Cocktail, which, once I started looking at her work, I now remember having seen at Anthropologie last year or so.

With its flirty pink cover, fun illustrations by Kat and 200 drink recipes, how great would this be as a hostess gift (perhaps paired with a bottle of champ or some cute glasses)? I think I might just order one from Amazon right now to have on hand for the upcoming holiday season (it will be here sooner than we think!!).

House of Turquoise

I just found House of Turquoise via Mary Ruffle (who else?) and went gaga over all the gorgeous blue and beachy rooms (which, as you know by now, are my faves). I saved about half of the images for my inspiration folder before realizing I should share this site and some of the pics. Here are some other great ones. I love that the photos above and below are a mix of bright and cheery as well as more subdued and sophisticated. Maybe if I ever have a big girl house I'll incorporate a mix of all of these:









I've saved all of the photos with credit information (so if you click on the photo you'll get some more info on the designer or source), but you can get the full info and links on the House of Turquoise site. I'm adding this new (to me) website to my blogroll right now; hope you enjoy too.

Video wedding invitation

How sweet is this wedding invitation? I'm not sure if the couple also sent out a more traditional printed invitation, but I am loving the fun video they put together regardless. It's a great way to let friends and family know about your big news (perhaps better as a save-the-date than the invite itself, but so cute either way). Fabulous choice on music, too. It's a song called "The Next Time Around" by Little Joy (a band that includes Fabrizio Moretti, drummer from The Strokes and Drew Barrymore's ex) and it has such a great breezy feel to it that works perfectly with the beach footage of the couple.

Update: I just found out the bride is a Parisian woman named Amandine. How "French holiday" is the video (including the hipster soundtrack and the Euro styling)? It all makes sense now.



Love it. So creative and such a good, happy feel to it. (Originally seen on A Cup of Jo.)

Pillow overload

When I saw this photo by Angus Fergusson on Desire to Inspire, my first thought was "love those striped walls and the color palette." My second thought was "wow, that's a lot of pillows." With that many pillows on the sofa, where would you even sit? Jeesh, B gets annoyed because I have two extra pillows on our bed; I can only imagine how he would feel about a couch setup like this. And while gorgeous, this is clearly not a kid-friendly room. I'll leave this one to the magazine pages...

And be sure to check out Angus Fergusson's site for more home, kids, food and assorted photos - his work is incredible.

Dinosaur Designs

Hellooo, beads.

This image screams summer, fun, and my favorite colors (the colors of the sea). I mean, its also ridiculously over the top (and sexy and completely unwearable), but it's still a beautiful shot.

It's a picture from Dinosaur Designs, an Australian company selling sustainable jewelry and home goods. Their slogan, "Hand Made With Love In Australia," is very sweet and they do seem to be doing their best to be green. Here are some of their other wares:









I love the unique designs, the earthy materials and the wide array of design sensibilities. A fabulous find (if not for potential gifts, then at least for the eye candy); first photo courtesy of Mary Ruffle.

Underwater sculptures (alternately titled "I admit it: I love JT")

(Warning: I might still be a bit drowsy from our late-night return. My apologies in advance.) Okay, here we go. So, not sure if I should be embarrassed about this or not, but I found this very cool post from...Justin Timberlake's blog. (It was my first time there, I promise. I found his site through someone's retweet about sarcasm and then, bam, I saw a post on his site that was awesome.) Aw, hell, I admit it - I love JT. Especially his stints on SNL ("All the Single Ladies" anyone? He was pretty good in a leotard and heels. And "D*ck in a Box" and "J*zz in My Pants" were hilarious too.) Anyhoo, before I get worked up into a lather over JT, let's get on to the actual post about this underwater sculpture park.

British sculptor Jason de Caires Taylor has created several sculpture installations for an "underwater park" in the waters off Grenada (an island in the West Indies). Snorklers and divers can check it out up close, but you can watch a video about it here:

I think it's slightly creepy - the people are so realistic looking that they seem to be slumbering in watery graves - but I do think it's absolutely beautiful and breathtaking as well. Another cool thing about these installations is that the sculptures act as artificial reefs to attract various marine life and promote coral growth, which is a good thing for the underwater ecosystem there.

To find out more about his underwater sculptures, go to the artist's website or to his YouTube channel. And thanks, JT.

H2O de parfum

I'm not a huge perfumer wearer. I've only ever used two perfumes: Bobbi Brown Beach, which everyone said smelled like suntan lotion, and Aquolina Pink Sugar, but people kept saying they smelled cupcakes when I walked by. I don't know how Tous H2O smells, but its packaging is gorgeous. Can you imagine this sitting on a vanity, reflecting light through the blue facets? So pretty.

Being billed as an "eco-chic" perfume, the bottle is made from 25% recycled glass and is 100% recyclable. Also, the cardboard packaging is made from materials certified by the Forest Stewardship Council and a portion of the proceeds will be donated to Intermón Oxfam, a program which helps provide drinking water to communities in need.

The fragrance itself is "an aquatic fragrance...and features organic alcohol with notes of organic lemon, organic lavender, rose, jasmine, mandarin, cedar, white amber and Australian sandalwood from sustainable development." Lovely design and intention. If it smells as good as it looks and aims to do, I'd be happy to replace my previous beachy/sweet scents for one that does good.

Home again

I'm back!

We got back very, very late last night. It's good to be home though. I missed you all. Once I've had a moment to wake up and get my bearings, there will be more posts to come soon....

Photo found on Mary Ruffle.

Have a great weekend!

Photo from Flickr via Mary Ruffle

B and I are heading out of town this evening and won't be back until late Tuesday night. I'll try to send some pics via my iPhone sometime along the way, but if we don't get service (or even better: if we're just having too much fun), I might not be able to post until bright and early Wednesday. But, here's hoping you have a wonderful weekend and see you next week!

Polaroid's possible demise

Image from Flickr via Fanny Foodbeam

I keep forgetting that Polaroids are supposedly going the way of the dinosaurs, but then I see a blog post with a Polaroid pic and it makes me sad. They were so iconic in my generation (a child of the 80s): I remember being a kid and anxiously waiting as the photo would develop. It was almost like getting a present - seeing what the picture looked like when it fully developed (keep in mind this was eons before digital).

They were just making such a great comeback too, as the camera choice of hipsters and bloggers alike. I love their oversaturated, overexposed quality and the rad white border. Well, rest in peace, Polaroid instant film. You will be missed. (And thank goodness for PhotoShop and being able to fake it from here on out.)

Update: evidently I am completely in the dark ages, as it seems there is a possibility that Polaroid might be saved. Check out the article about the Austrian artist and businessman who is trying to produce a replacement for Polaroid film, here. His website, called "The Impossible Project," can be found here. Also check out "Save Polaroid" here.

Shaw looks good to me

The Shaw House in Vancouver is a very modern-looking house but completely genius:

How incredible is this front door area?

Here's the view from pool level (which is obviously above the front entrance area):


Since the lap pool is above most of the house, there is this very cool entry area where you can see up into the pool. (Jeesh, you'd really have to be on point with your self-maintenance - I'm sure things could look really scary from that angle!) It's also located on the west side of the house, meaning that tons of light floods through the pool and into the central area of the home. I love how it bounces off all the surfaces, creating these amazing textured reflections on the walls:


Oh, and the inside is kinda okay too:


Here's the view:


You can check out more pictures of the interior and read about the floorplan on the Patkau Architects website (the firm who designed the Shaw house).

Let's go forth hand in hand

I'm not sure who made it, but I loooove this print. I *believe* the quote is from writer Fréya Stark, but I have no clue who did the art. It was posted on yes, please but didn't have a credit, so if you know who did this or where it came from, let me know! (Don't you love the colors, the sea background and the interesting typeface? Not too mention how romantique the quote is!)

Jellomelons

No, the title "Jellomelons" does not allude to something anatomical. Keep your mind out of the gutter, people! (And here's hoping I don't get a lot of porn spam from this!)



I think these mini watermelons - made from lime peels and watermelon jello - are a little bit odd and a lot adorable. This person even went so far as to insert chocolate chips to resemble seeds. How funny. I'm not sure what I would do with these, but I'm sure kids would love these. Perhaps for a summer BBQ? A kids birthday party? Any thoughts? Either way, they are amusing. Spotted on you are my fave.

Pretty pits

Just came across this new "healthy deodorant" at Sephora. Made by Lavanila, the deodorant is clinical-strength but 100% natural (plus has no parabens, dyes, sulfates, aluminum or even mineral oils) and smells so yummy. Not that I want anyone sniffing my pits close up, but these could be great for a hot day (going to the beach anyone?) when you don't want to overdo it with perfume.

The deodorant comes in four scents: pure vanilla, vanilla coconut, vanilla lavender and vanilla grapefruit. Mmm, almost makes me want to take a bite (ew). I saw them in the store, but you can get them through Sephora online here. Bonus for the pretty packaging!

Casa de Chloe

I know these photos have been around forever (since the January 2007 issue of House & Garden, evidently) but I just now realized that they are of Chloe Sevigny's house! (Duh.) I guess I had seen the first photo, but not the second (which is of CS and her designer, David Cafiero of Cafiero Select). I think I expected her East Village home to be much more quirky, as she seems to be, but the two photos above are nothing but lovely, if not even a bit preppy and proper. (New note: check out the next room. I stand corrected. She's still quirky for sure.)


(Ick. )

Going back to the first photo, I love, love, love the entry to her East Village home. The wallpaper is stunning (in case you're interested it's Imperial Trellis from Kelly Wearstler's line) and doesn't get too granny, thanks to the white trim, earthy wood floors and fun styling. I adore the green bike.

Interesting spread overall (sorry I'm two years late). It's certainly a mix of the edgy grannyness (I definitely just made up that term) that I'd expect from someone like Chloe Sevigny with more traditional (yet still fresh) design. Hm. Great to peek into though.

Photography by Francois Halard for the magazine.

Perfect pesto

Illustration by Marco Ventura

Photo from Bon Appetit

I just made the most delicious pesto using fresh basil from B's plants. I am very proud of us for actually having fresh herbs in our little house (on a ledge in the guest room nonetheless!).

I know there are a ton of recipes out there, but here's my mother's incredible pesto recipe. She never actually measures anything (eyeballing everything and adjusting as you go really does work best), but I forced her to give me some estimates. Here they are - and don't worry, it couldn't be easier.

Ingredients:
2 cups fresh basil leaves (about two of the plastic packages, if you're buying them at the grocery store)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp pine nuts (pignoli)
2 cloves fresh garlic
1 tsp salt
1/2 c parmesan cheese
2 tbsp pecorino romano cheese (or if you don't have this, just toss in some more parmesan)
1-3 tbsp butter, softened to room temperature, to make the pesto creamy and smooth

I used a Cuisinart, but a blender works as well. Put the basil, pine nuts, garlic, salt and half of the olive oil in the Cuisinart and mix at high speed. Add in the rest of the olive oil, plus the cheese and softened butter, to the right consistency. Stop from time to time and scrape the ingredients down toward the bottom of the blender with a spatula. Mix until smooth.

The last step - if you're using this pesto for pasta - is to add a tablespoon or so of the hot water that the pasta was cooked in. The starches and water will make the pesto the perfect thickness to go over pasta. If you're using the pesto for a sandwich, as a spread, etc. you can just use it as is (no need to add water).

Mmm, delicious. So Mediterranean, so summery. I think I might use this batch for a pesto pizza, or maybe just spread it on good crunchy bread and have a picnic. There are so many ways to eat pesto - I love this stuff. Enjoy!

Update: it seems my mom originally got the recipe from Marcella Hazan, the renowed Italian cookbook author, so we wanted to be sure to give her due credit. Way to keep me honest, mom!

Bedecked baubles

How do you store, organize, display your jewelry? I pretty much know what pieces I have from memory so I usually know precisely what I'm looking for, but I still hate to keep them jumbled up in a jewelry box or tucked away in their original boxes/bags. I am thinking about switching to something more in the open - perhaps like this:

Photo by Hector Sanchez from Real Simple

I love the idea of this beautifully lined shadowbox (from Blueprint, RIP), but I have far too many pieces to fit neatly in one small display like this.


We know Sherry from This Young House uses an ice cube tray for her baubles (see below), but I think I might need something more substantial for my many necklaces.


This next idea was seen on Apartment Therapy, and shows a peg hanger that Solaana posted on Flickr.


Last, the fabulous Design Mom featured this trio of displays, which are from PB Teen:


I'm still just not sure. I think some of these are too sparse for my multitude of necklaces, earrings and bracelets, though they are all very pretty. Does anyone have any good ideas for in-the-open but still beautiful and organized jewelry storage? I'd love to hear....