A small piece of paradise...

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! After a "by-the-skin-of-our-teeth" departure from San Francisco thanks to the weather, we made it to New Zealand and had a fab Christmas with our families. We've spent the past ten days catching up with extended family and our friends - which has been wonderful. And now we are quietly ensconced in the tiny piece of paradise that is Takou River. Tucked away from everything, surrounded by lush native gardens and bush, with an abundance of bird life - it is truly sublime. I hope you all have a wonderful New Year, and I will be back in the coming week.

A Christmas plea...

We're off to New Zealand this evening for four (yes four!!) weeks - so posting will be a bit sporadic. But in the midst of all the pre-Christmas Christmas + packing chaos several things have given me reason to pause. One is hearing about dear Jane and what she is going through. My heart goes out to her and her family at this uncertain and scary time. So my Christmas plea this year is to take time to pause amidst the chaos and tinsel, to reflect on what really matters, and to cherish every moment with those you love. Have a wonderful Christmas!
Image from Alexandria's wonderful pinterest board.

What:nots...

Hello. How was your week? I've survived the past two weeks, and managed to squeeze in a trip to the ballet (lovely) + an evening out with R in the midst of yesterday's pre-Christmas Christmas and packing chaos. So before I leap into the final throes of packing - here's what:nots - enjoy the rest of your weekend. And thanks to Denise for the snow!

Red lips and dark hair found here.

A very pretty paper garland.

Tiny berries, pinecones and felted acorns.

Simple and lovely little match bottle.

Loving this pleated clutch.

Perfectly simple gift tags. 

White + red linen tea towels.

A beautiful wooden bowl found here.

And my favourite Christmas card this year.

Images from jak + jill, Toast, Supermarket, Magpie + Rye, Heather Heron, Set Editions, Pale and Interesting, Le Souk, and Rifle Paper Co.

Loving...

...the pastel-y pinks in this installation by Anya Spielman. You can see more of Anya's work here.

Image from Anya Spielman.

In the past fortnight...

... in addition to usual to-ing and fro-ing, I have:

- purchased + wrapped gifts for 18 people (19 if I include myself)

- reduced a long list of middle schools to three

- written (+ more importantly remembered to post) 20 or so Christmas cards

- gained first hand experience of Fifth's Disease (it sounds worse than it is)

- made quite a few (OK, quite a lot) of notes-to-self about getting a 2011 calendar

- visited two of the three middle schools + organised shadow + testing days

- unblocked the shower

- provided ongoing UN type negotiations over a disputed drawing idea

- came home from the dentist with what I guess is his idea of a Christmas present (a toothbrush, some floss + a filling)

- looked the other way when R came home from a Christmas party in a dress....?!

- been blinded by science at the school Science Fair

- made two batches of brownies to gift (one better than the other)

- searched for and failed to find the source of sand that keeps mysteriously appearing at the front door

- started to read the first chapter of a new book (twice)

- and wrote yet another note reminding myself to get a 2011 calendar.

Perhaps this is why it's called a holiday? Personally, I'm not entirely convinced....

Image from Pinterest.

Good King Wenceslas...

I couldn't resist posting this festive wee clip by Julia Pott (found over on Oh Hello There).
Clip from You Tube.

Something...

...pretty, blossom strewn, and festive for a chilly Thursday morning.
Image from Carolina Herrera.

Speechless...

After a mad-crazy few days I was quietly catching up on all your blogs, and I came across Mrs French's post on Whitepod, and was rendered speechless. Hop over here and have a look - those pods are the coolest thing ever!
Image from Bliss.

What:nots...

I hope you had a good week. Ours whizzed by in a blur of wintery pre-Christmas activity, and now it's late Sunday afternoon on a very grey rainy Portland day. It's dark out, the fire is blazing, and everyone is quietly reading - a perfectly nice way to end the weekend. I hope your weekend was just as nice!

A voluminous ponytail from asos.

Tokketok's lovely + simple letter-press cards.

Made from paper yarn this necklace can also be worn as a bracelet.

Loving the soft grey of Le Souk's embroidered pouffe.

A new discovery for me, I'm very taken by Claude Maus unstructured pieces.

Beatriz Furest's fine wool scarfs.

The Medea Bag by Tadai, of which I've developed an unhealthy obsession.

And because it's almost Christmas, a Charles Dickens inspired card to end with (found via Black & Eiffel).

Images from asos, Tokketok, PaperPhine, Le Souk, Claude Maus, beatriz furest, Tadai, and Tag Team Tompkins.

Hallelujah...

One of my all time favourite songs, especially love this slightly raw acoustic version by Jeff Buckley.
Clip from You Tube.

Magazyn...

I can't quite decide which of these three items from Magazyn I like the most....
Images from Magazyn.

Yu Kawakita...

I've just discovered Yu Kawakita's spellbinding abstract oil paintings - utterly graceful, and almost photographic. You can see more of Yu's work here.
Image from Yu Kawakita, found via Pinterest.

The urban wilderness...

Joseph O. Holmes beautifully wintery photographs could easily be mistaken for rural scenes, but they are in fact taken in Brooklyn's Prospect Park. You can see more of Joseph's work here, and here. I hope your Monday is off to a good start!

Images from Jen Bekman.

Species identification flowchart...

Quirky and fun poster from The Museum of Unnatural History. If you are after sabertooth dental floss, or field journals this is the store for you. Who knew science could be so much fun!
Image from 826DC.

What:nots...

How was your week? Mine was super busy and full - hence the lack of posts. This time of year things seem to speed up and book up faster than you can say Saint Nick. The boys and I are in the throes of Christmas shopping, and we are getting ourselves organised before heading to New Zealand in just over two weeks! What are your weekend plans? Ours involve wrapping presents, writing Christmas cards, and staying warm. Thanks ever so much for stopping by, I hope all is well in your neck of the woods - here's what:nots for the week.

Love this image, and pink eyes, from Bon Magazine.

Elegant silk rosebud pin from 3.1 Phillip Lim.

Love Loans + Linen's teakin (either use as a tea towel or a napkin).

Beautiful stoneware milk and sugar pieces from Paige Russell.

With a blend of patchouli leaf, clover honey, and amber, this eau de parfum sounds intoxicating.

Fun little book by Supereditions - each page has a few words, leaving kids free to illustrate however they see fit. You can see more examples of their books here.

More perfect-ness (is that a word?) from Stella McCartney Fall 2010.

Velvet lined slippers from Toast - yes please!

And my current favourite dessert - Straus vanilla bean ice cream + these yummy ginger cookies = seriously good.

Images from Bon Magazine, La Garconne, Love Loans + Linen, Paige Russell, Supereditions, Style.com, Toast, Straus Family Creamery, and Amazon.

Winter...

This little 'story' is from the box of a candle I picked up from Ink & Peat last week. I chose the candle as much for it's wonderful scent, as for the story. And walking through the trees this morning, on my way to get Apple from her paddock, reminded me of it, as all was still and quiet in that 'strangely comforting' wintery way...