Saturday, July 31, 2010

Vacation All I Ever Wanted

I'm off! On our family's annual 2 week vacation to Maine. Lots of family/family friends & beach & s'mores & lobster & other New England-ish things. I hope you're all having lovely summers & I'll return to posting when I return...I'm trying to stay away from a computer as much as possible. So, I'll be leaving you in the capable hands of Miss Britt. Maybe she will regale you with some stories of her many hours spent as a worker-bee @ Disney!

{my photo from summer 2009}

Friday, July 30, 2010

Be Kind

I've been meaning to share these for some time, but I keep forgetting or keep thinking no one cares what I eat. I'm a huge granola/granola bar fan. I have to eat like every 2-3 hours or I feel faint, so they make handy on-the-go snacks. However, I'm quite picky & it's only gotten worse since the whole lactose-intolerance thing. I don't like bars that are too dry, too sticky, too crumbly, have too many ingredients, are too sugary, or are too big -that's the worst...it's a snack not a meal for lord's sake.

My dad discovered these at Whole Foods a few months ago on one of those days when they have the people who make the food products there ...yah, Whole Foods rocks on so many levels. They are perfect - a few ingredients & I swear you can taste each one! Perfect size too - I can finish one & be satisfied. Plus, they come in awesome flavors. I particularly like the ones with dates or apricots or mangos. Additional awesomeness factor - they are all gluten free & almost all lactose free & they say so! Makes my life easier.

Visit Kind here to learn more.

MUSIC: Folk Friday {Sondre Lerche}


This discovery happened through one of those amazing chain of events that makes new books, music, etc that much sweeter. I can't take the credit though.My BFF during undergrad - Zach - was randomly watching Jay Leno or some late night show & Sondre Lerche was the entertainment. I want to say this was 2006 ish. He puts him on my ipod; we become obsessed. We were also obsessed with The Office & eventually saw Dan In Real Life with Steve Carrell & I was quite surprised to hear a familiar voice- Sondre did the whole soundtrack. Anyways I guess that's not too crazy of a chain of events, but I think it's funny - especially when you dig something years before he becomes known in any sense of that word.


Born in Norway in 1982, he has released 6 albums in the US. Also, he did a great duet with Regina Spektor who also rocks!

Enjoy!


Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Carolyn Recently Finished {Alice I Have Been}:

Now, Brittaney did a post on this some time ago & then she sent this book off to me. Honestly, I wasn't too excited to dig into it - it's not really my sort of book - but, this is where our literary pen pal of a blog really works because I actually really was super into this selection.



This is a work of historical fiction that follows that real life inspiration for Alice in Wonderland - Alice Pleasance Hargreaves {née Liddell} - from childhood & her friendship with Lewis Carroll {real name: Dr. Charles Dodgson} & relationship with her siblings & parents to her young adulthood & a first love with royalty to old age, the death of her loved ones, & the, eventual, acceptance of her role as just Alice in the hearts of the world.

Like I said earlier - not usually my type of book - but I was so instantly drawn in & have been thinking about why? Well, for one I must have been living under a rock because I had no idea of all the controversy surrounding Lewis Carroll & his questionable relationship with small girls - namely the Liddell sisters. I have never actually read the real Alice in Wonderland books - I have seen & read the little Disney ones, but I have yet to get around to the classic, so I guess I never spent much time thinking about the author or whether or not there was a real Alice.

I spent some time messing around the internet on the topic of Carroll/Dodgson's pedofilia & there is nothing conclusive, but what is available is pretty suspicious. At some point in time, after the writing of the Alice Under Ground book, the Liddell clan severed their ties with him, which resulted in Alice's mother burning all of his correspondence, up to this point, with her children. Years later, his children also removed & destroyed large sections of his diary from this time period. A letter from Carroll/Dodgson -recently found - mentions his love for little girls -not boys -& he refers to his companions as "child friends." Then there are all those unsettling photographs of little girls - usually naked. It's rather suspicious regardless if nothing of a sexual nature occurred.

{Alice, photographed by Dodgson, 1858}

So, all that was quite interesting to me as it was new. I really appreciated the honesty of the character of Alice - her thoughts & actions really reflect what an actual person would have said/done, as opposed to the clarity that hindsight brings. Her relationship with her sisters was a true reflection of sisterhood - maybe the author has experience!? I also appreciated her honesty as a mother about her love for her children, & that, perhaps, it's not always equal & one might not be able to help that.

{Alice with her sisters, photographed by Dodgson, 1859}

The author must have spent quite a bit of time researching because from what I can gather all the dates & names are correct. There are so many holes in the true story, that the best we can make of it is to probably guess anyways. But, like the Alice in the story mentions at the end - let the public think what they want & keep you own memories for yourself. It was a quick read & kept me quite enthralled - so I would recommend it!

Monday, July 26, 2010

DIY Table top

Oh my lawd, how did I not know this existed. I guess we are on a DIY art track today. Coffee table with a canvas top is such a great idea for doodlers & fancy artist-types alike. I wish it came with tear off sheets - so you didn't have to commit to one project. Although it does say that you can just repaint the top when it starts look a little funky.


Jeff Nishinaka

Paper artistry probably isn't an elaborate enough term to describe the work that goes into these babies.






Melancholy Afternoon

Nature, chunky necklaces, natural colors, knits, big & loose braids - this photo shoot incorporates so many of my old {& new} favorites.







In: The National Magazine
Model: Gloria Loitz
Photographer: Tina Chang
Stylist: Malorie Urbanovitch
Stylist’s Assistant: Zoe Kreider
Make-up/Hair: Nickol Walkemeye
Photographer’s Assistant: Eric Duffy

They're Creepy & They're Kooky

I'm having a "do I like it or am I creeped out" conundrum of a relationship with these paintings by Mark Ryden. They remind me of Tim Burton or the Smurfs {I think it's the big heads} or some cute cartoon -very ethereal, but they are also terrifying -like the stuff of nightmares. What do you think? Love or Hate?

{A Dog Named Jesus, 1997}

{Girl Eaten By A Tree, 2006}

{Allegory of the Four Elements, 2006}

{Goodbye Bear, 2006}

{Ghost Girl, 2006}

{Girl in A Fur Skirt, 2008}

{Grotto of the Old Mass, 2008}


Color Me Badd

This could be genius. A little structure; a lot of room to create/imagine/explore. Genius.

I'm an Open Book

If this picture doesn't make me want to curl up on a cozy couch & read to my heart's desire I don't know what does. However, that outfit might be just a little too fancy for alone-time reading. Just a bit?

Missoni Pre-Fall 2010

Loving the warm knits & the patterned tights & the low boots & the cuddley vibe in this collection. But did I mention the knits?







Otto Fan

I spent the week in Washington D.C. mostly doing some backpacking in the Shenandoahs - which would be my two reasons for the serious lack of posting. {sorry!} It's been hot as heck & I'll be glad to get back to New England where it's a little cooler & a lot less humid. I saw these fans out & about in the city this week & I love their cool, easy, breezy style {ha get it?!}. Made by Swizz style, it will set you back about $200, so maybe I'll keep my eyes open for something similar & cheaper.

Celia Birtwell

I'm a big fan of fabrics/textiles. I was quite pleased when I came across Celia Birtwell & her designs. I was surprised to discover that she ran in the same crowd as Ossie Clark -actually, they were more than business collaborators, they were married! {as fans of Child of the Moon read about here. There is also an actual post on Celia Birtwell here}. She designs fabric & wallpaper, in addition to fashion & accessories. She is quite an interesting lady & one of the most influential figures in textile design. Here are a few of my personal favorite fabric designs from her new collections:

{Posh Dot}

{Little Animals Blotch}

{Animal Solo}

{Beasties}

Friday, July 16, 2010

Farmers Market

Summer means farmers market time for me & farmers markets mean - besides fresh, local produce - trying new veggies/fruits for the first time. In this case, I didn't only try something new, but I found a whole new veggie I wasn't even aware of before - weird how that happens sometimes. Last Friday, I discovered Kohlrabi & unfortunately I forgot to take any photos of my creation, but you'll have to use your imagination.

Anyways, I saw this alien looking thing at my town's farmers market, asked what it was & for cooking suggestions, went home, did some googling, & ended up with a fabulous new non-mayo cole slaw that is so perfect for summer BBQ's.


Kohlrabi is a kind of cabbage/turnip thing & you can basically do anything with it eat it raw, boil it, bake it...think carrots. I found this recipe for a kohlrabi apple cole slaw with mint {you know how I feel about mint}. It was easy {all it requires is some cutting, which got a little tedious, but nothing too skillful} & super delicious. You have to eat it fast, since the apples don't last too long. Recipe here.


I'm headed back to the farmers market later today! I'll keep you posted on any new finds.
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