Wednesday, September 30, 2009

An interesting discovery...

"Scientists have discovered that the small brave act
of cooperating with another person,
of choosing trust over cynicism,
generosity over selfishness,
makes the brain light up with quiet joy."
Natalie Angier

On my reading list for Fall (Autumn) is Natalie Angier's new book The Canon: A Whirligig Tour of the Beautiful Basics of Science. An articulate, non threatening guide that asks us to really look at our surroundings and the world we inhabit. You can get a copy here.

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Truly humbled...


I'm humbled beyond belief to find that the lovely Jo over on The Design Alphabet has posted Elsa May under E! What a wonderful surprise! I highly recommend you check out The Design Alphabet as it's full of all sorts of interesting and inspiring, and creative and clever bits and bobs.

Image from Inside Out.

Now this made me smile...

via ...etc.

Feeling a tad lonely....

I have to admit I'm struggling a tad with the loneliness of not knowing anyone here. As much as I like time on my own, and am quite independent some days I have to admit it is a bit of a struggle. So I plan to hatch a plan to improve my situation, starting with a mug of tea and a gooey piece of cake! I will let you know how I get on. I came across this poem by Robert Creeley last week and fell in love with it.

Love comes quietly

Love comes quietly,

finally, drops

about me, on me,

in the old ways.


What did I know

thinking myself

able to go alone

all the way.

Sunday, September 27, 2009

Ugh!

How was your weekend? Ours was good and bad. To be honest yesterday was just one of those days where everything went wrong and no-one seemed to be able to see the funny side of things. You know those days where you're just pleased it's over when you crawl into bed at night....? We did manage to wander through the Rose Gardens and meandered on through Washington Park which was really nice - a wee bit of calm in between the snarkiness.

Saturday, September 26, 2009

Weekly what:nots...

I hope you're all have a lovely weekend. On to what:nots for the week...

The perfect little black dress from Jil Sander.

Beautiful photographs by Christian Chaize.

Adore the muted tones in this Alberta Ferretti dress.

Peach as the new pink by Once Wed on Design Sponge.

Cute coloured scarves for Autumn (Fall).

Mysterious Letters - I know it's a bit old news but it's such a touching and heart-warming idea.

A covetable vases from Mudpuppy.

A perfect look from Phoebe Philo for Celine. Hooray she's back!

Sublime photographs by Jose Villa.

And to end with - I love this image of Giovanna.

Portland love...

It's official - I've fallen in love with Portland! There are so many interesting, beautiful and inspiring things. Do you ever have that sense of belonging somewhere? I'm in awe of the small businesses and endeavours people undertake here. And as for the scenery - jaw dropping. Some recent discoveries include...

Ink & Peat - A wonderful collection of homewares, furniture, flowers, and objets d'art.

The Japanese Garden - Beautifully tranquil and proclaimed as one of the most authentic Japanese gardens outside of Japan it is one of my new favourite places.

Lark Press Printing - Tucked away over on N Williams is a lovely letterpress printing studio and retail space.

Laughing Planet - Scrum-diddly-umptious, wholesome, quick-service cafe. And there's one just a few blocks from our wee home. In fact there are so many great dining options here - our new family plan is to try a new one every Friday night - yum!

The Oregon Coast - One word - sublime! Oregon has such a diverse range of scenery and ecosystems. Put simply - jaw-dropping

J Crew - OK so not officially a Portland exclusive but I love it all the same.

Turtle & Mu's new school - Such a wonderful place - we feel grateful that they get to experience such a warm and inspirating place.

There are so many more things, places, and people I could go on for ever...
I hope you're having a lovely weekend - what:nots will be posted later this evening, and I'm aiming to update the 'our house' set on Flickr with some pics from our home away from home.

My new favourite thing...

Lookee here - there's an iPhone app that lets you turn your photos into polaroids! Love it big time!

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

I wonder what happened?

Do you ever see an abandoned house and wonder what happened? Why did they leave - what stories must lie within the ruins? Ruin by Brian Vanden Brink captures these abandoned structures and provides a permanence before they disappear forever.

Images from Brian Vanden Brink.

Perceptions...



I was listening to a podcast on perceptions the other day and it reminded me of this social experiment run by the Washington Post. And it also made me think of this quote:

Don't let the imaginary person in your head, keep you from loving the real one right in front of you.

Some food for thought on a Tuesday.

Friday, September 18, 2009

Weddings...

A very good friend of mine is getting married today and sadly we can't be there. I absolutely love weddings and thought I'd share my favourite images of wedding inspiration.

i.


Weekly what:nots...

Things are back on track - and I'm back to weekly what:nots (I don't think I should mention I've been planning to post these since Wednesday....). Enjoy!

With the late Portland summer - new sandals are on the agenda and these would be perfect!

A sweet bud vase by Mitsuru Koga for late summer blooms.


I just love the colours in these images by Maison de Vacances.

And while we're on bright colours - this painting from Ines de la Fressange's home is fab.

Garance Dore's illustrations are now on tee-shirts!
The stunning Grace Kelly via Tumblr.

Hanging in the window of Bowen Galleries a beautiful oil painting by Gary Collins.

Elle Russia - love the cool blues and greys - via This is Glamorous.

A very pretty vignette from Christine Lane Interiors.

And to end with - a simple, and rather lovely desktop wallpaper by Lena Corwin for Design Sponge.

Monday, September 14, 2009

Inspiring interiors...

With setting up our new home my focus is very much on interiors. I'm loving the looks in these images...

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