A soggy Monday...

My oh my! Portland has bit hit by a deluge. Surely the clouds have run out of rain by now? Anyhoo how was your weekend? Ours was...well to be honest it was a little scratchy. Turtle, Mu and me were all feeling a little bit this side of cantankery. Dear R was really rather patient. Thank goodness we seem to have shaken off our scratchiness just in time for this week's super-duper exciting expedition to NYC. Whoohoo!! 


Image from Jennifer Squires.

Operation nice...

What a great idea! Melissa Morris started Operation Nice back in 2008 after an elevator 'encounter'. According to Melissa what we all need is "a little nice". I couldn't agree more! Hop on over to Operation Nice to read more.

Image from Operation Nice. Thanks to A few Things from my Life for the link.

The Harvest...

This is sublimely gorgeous & beautifully shot.

Lover's short film previewing their AW collection.

Weekly what:nots...

Happy friday! How was your week? With the boys off for spring break ours was very laid back which was really nice. We pottered about, made sour candies (yuerk!), explored, read books (I loved The Help), did puzzles, and generally did not very much at all. I'm now starting to think I need to get organised for next week and our trip to NYC. Yikes! Here's this week's colourful-ish what:nots... the image above is an old Kate Spade ad that I included 'cos I love it so much.

Pretty pinks and red lips from Tuleh.

Crocheted garlands from Wood & Wool Stool.

Preppy little ballet flats from Maloles.

A perfect white tee by American Vintage. The sunglasses are great too!

A great use for portable clay pots.

Love these retro cowboys and indians from Saison.

I hope you have a fab weekend!

ps: Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution premieres tonight on ABC.

Images from Partners & Spade, Tuleh, Wood & Wool Stool, Maloles, Glamour, Wisteria, Saison, and Jamie Oliver.

Take back the tap...

The story of bottled water - it's time to take back the tap! You can read more here.

One, two & three...

Loving these pieces from J Crew's spring collection.

Images from J Crew.

Hmmm....

The boys are off school for spring break so things might be a little bit random this week. Hope you have a lovely week - we're off to enjoy the stunning spring weather!

Can I move in...

I've been in love with Emerson Made for what seems like for ever. And if their wonderful flowers weren't gorgeous enough - one look at Emerson and Ryan from Emerson Made's house is enough to make you want to move right on in!

Images from Design*Sponge.

Weekly what:nots...

How was your week? Ours flew by. I am very much looking forward to the weekend, and next week off for spring break. We were due to mind Coco over the hols, but alas she escaped (again) last night. Better at school than at our place I say! Anyhoo here's what:nots for the week - a bit of a mixed bag...

Simple black and white photography from Yu Tsai.

Great colours and combinations in Warwick Freeman's 'Colour Slide' jewellery exhibition.

Pretty porcelain bowls from ArtMind.

Love this look from Vera Wang resort 2010. And love the shoes!

An oh-so-lovely 'orchid pochette' from Maloles.

And what has to be the sweetest clip - Kiki and Coco in Paris (via Simple Lovely). Click here to watch it.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Images from Yu Tsai, Bowen Galleries, Artmind, Vera Wang, Maloles, and Stephanie Rausser.

A few good books...

Finding the time to read often feels like such a luxury. One of my 2010 resolutions was to "make time to read more", and happily I'm slowly working my way through the pile by my bed. Some recent favourites include:

A Lucky Child by Thomas Buergenthal. Simply and beautifully told this is Buergenthal's account of the childhood years he endured in concentration camps. At times heart-breaking, it is an uplifting tale of survival against the odds. And it has an insightful and thought-provoking epilogue.

Bombay Smiles by Jaume Sanllorente

An inspiring tale of how the author came to travel to India on holiday (not his first choice of destination), and went on to rescue an orphanage in the Dhavari slum.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett.

Set in 1960's Mississippi, this is the story of three women who come together determined to start a movement to change a town. I've just started it and it's looking promising.

e Squared: a novel by Matt Beaumont. Like it's sequel e (published in 2000), e Squared is an increasingly outrageous series of emails and texts that follows the lives of a rambunctious London ad agency. It is hilarious!

I still have a few more in the pile, including these two. Has anyone read either of them?

The History of Love by Nicole Krauss, and The Boy who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba.

I'd love to know what you are reading? Are you a one genre reader, or do you like to mix it up? I confess I like to mix it up and enjoy a good chick-lit novel as much as a more serious tome.

Images from Amazon.

Frilly pins....

Loving Anthro's frilly spring pins.

Image from Anthropologie.

Chic & elegant...

Lovely contrasts from Stella McCartney Fall 2010. Super chic and simple daywear, coupled with utterly elegant organza and embroidery evening wear.

Images from Style.com.

A few tees...

I'm loving Aubin & Wills perfectly casual, loose tees.

Images from Aubin & Wills.

Time is...

Time is

too slow for those who wait,

too swift for those who fear,

too long for those who grieve,

too short for those who rejoice.

But for those who love,

time is an eternity.

A little poem by Henry Van Dyke for a Tuesday evening.

Tuesday already...

How'd that happen?! How was your weekend? Ours was loads of fun. This week is feeling a tad frantic, why exactly I'm not sure. R arrives home this evening - yippee. The boys have the class recital of The Sound of Music tomorrow, and then it's full speed towards Friday and spring break. I hope you're having a lovely week so far. Just rushing off to go riding, but promise I'll be back later with a few tid-bits.

Photo by me (what I plan to do with hundreds of dried hydrangea flowers I am not sure).

Weekly what:nots...

Hello, and a belated Happy Friday. Thank you for all your kind comments, and for the New York tips! I feel humbled (and quite delighted) that you take the time to visit Elsa May and I love reading your comments. Did you have a good week? Ours went by in a bit of a blur. Two highlights were horse riding here, and seeing the boy's class rehearse their production of The Sound of Music. Oooh and we had a teeny tiny bit of snow earlier in the week! Do you have weekend plans? We're planning to do nothing-much-at-all, a perfect weekend. Here's what:nots for this week - I hope you like them.

Soft blues from Marie Claire Italia.

Pretty paper hearts from the pages and pages of loveliness that is It's Mary Ruffle (via Contented Me).

How many hand-drawn giraffes would you like? One, two or 102? Jason Polan let's you choose. Hop on over to Jason's website, he has several nifty projects including the covetable MoMA Book. (Thanks to Lisa who featured Jason's work).

Speaking of covetable books, Jennifer Causey's book Simply Paris is simply wonderful.

Timeless ballerina flats from Mi Piaci.

Toast's hammam towels - so versatile and such a great blue.

A pretty little vintage tin by Hindsvik. I'm trying very hard to leave it where it is.

And my new food obsession - Sahale snacks - scrumptious-ness in a pack.

Have a fun weekend!

Images from Marie Claire Italia, It's Mary Ruffle, Jason Polan, Jennifer Causey, Mi Piaci, Toast, Hindsvik, and Sahale Snacks.