Weekly what:nots...

How's your week been? I hope you've had a good one! Ours has been filled school runs, craft classes, swimming, piano lessons, an absent husband, dinner with girlfriends, children with colds, horse riding, lunches out, Spanish lessons, overdue DVDs, the list seems to go on! Fortunately the weekend is looking very quiet. Although I do plan to head over here and have a good poke about. Before I launch into what:nots I want thank you all for your lovely comments. I love reading them, and am very humbled that you take the time to visit Elsa May. I hope you have a really lovely weekend - here's this week's what:nots...

Soft blue layered tank found here.

Lovely palette on this inspiration wall from Skona Hem (via Haus Maus - I think...from memory...please let me know if I'm wrong).

Uber-modern white Chloe one-piece. Don't you think it looks kind of comfy to wear?

Love this top from Aubin & Wills. Perfect with jeans, shorts, pants, swimwear....

A lovely collection of treasures from Frank Features.

Pratten's Autumn Stripe Clutch.

A graceful illustration by Cecilia Carlstedt.

Images from Garnet Hill, Skona Hem, NY Times, Aubin & Wills, Frank Features, Pratten, and Agent Bauer.

Clever and true! 

Found over on Hope Chella.

Giveaway for Liam...

The uber-talented Lynn from Satsuma Press has set up a blog to help fundraise for her five-year old son Liam who has a neuromuscular disorder called Spinal Muscular Atrophy. We Love Liam celebrates Lynn's son, and includes a wonderful letter that Lynn wrote to the parents of Liam's classmates. Hop on over to We Love Liam where you can make a donation, and gain entry to a mind-boggling incredible giveaway. One hundred percent of proceeds go towards renovating Lynn's bathroom to make it more accessible for Liam.

Image from We Love Liam.

Lovely Tuesday blues...

Lovely blues for a Tuesday. Especially love the pant-suit....
Images from From Me to You and Vogue Espana.

Estuary...

There is peace here,

where the river widens to meet the sea.

The rapids are past;

the boulders and the rocky places at last give way

to a broad and sweeping current,

flowing slowly into vastness.

The river moves silently,

tastes the salty tide that marks its demise, and slips

without a backward glance,

into the ocean's infinite embrace.

- Danna Faulds

Image by me (Waikanae River estuary, New Zealand).

A purveyor of fine goods...

One of my favourite stores in Seattle is Watson Kennedy. As a 'purveyor of fine goods' their three stores are full of the most lovely things both new and vintage, along with one off treasures collected by Ted Kennedy Watson on his travels. Hop on over to their website to see more - you can even buy online....

Images from Watson Kennedy.

Monday morning...

Hello there! How was your weekend? I hope you had fun and your Monday is coming along nicely. The Cirque show was incredible (unruly parking fiasco aside)! My heart was in my mouth pretty much the whole time. For example, two men on bikes, on a tightrope way up high, with a third man balancing on a pole, and then a chair, on top of the first two men. Crazy! Speaking of crazy, inspired by spring bursting forth all around, I went a bit mad at the plant nursery yesterday, and spent the evening in a potting frenzy. I think I'm trying to make up for the lack of a garden, although R thinks I'm attempting to turn the apartment into a glasshouse... I also discovered this little gem of a book full of beautiful ornithological art from London's Natural History Museum. You almost feel like cutting the pages out and framing them...
Image from Rizzoli New York.

In Flanders fields...

In Flanders fields the poppies grow
Between the crosses, row on row,
   That mark our place; and in the sky
   The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
   Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
         In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
   The torch; be yours to hold it high.
   If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
         In Flanders fields.

- John McCrae

For Anzac Day.

Image from here.

Weekly what:nots...

Happy Friday! I hope you've had a great week. I've shaken off my bug - yay - and am very much looking forward to the weekend. Hopefully we get some sunshine, Portland is feeling rather grey and drab with all this cloud. This evening we're taking the boys to Cirque de Soleil which we're all really looking forward to. Right-o better get on with what:nots, and then I better get on with "getting things done" as I seem to be doing a rather good job of procrastinating....

I love this Stephanie Rausser image...

Could this be the perfect cup for tea? In fact I'm quite taken by everything in Amanda Gentry's shop.

Highly desirable bangs and dark hair seen here.

This is perfectly true - chocolate solves many a problem, don't you agree?

Impossibly soft lilac and beige silk at Alberta Ferretti.

Great colours on these tie-dyed leather shorts.

And a favourite book of children's poetry.

I hope you have a fun-filled weekend!

Images from Stephanie Rausser, Amanda Gentry Wares, Toast, Therese Sennerholt, Alberta Ferretti, Tory Burch, and National Galleries of Scotland. 

Happy earth day...

Go, little book, and wish to all,

Flowers in the garden, meat in the hall.

A bin of wine, a spice of wit,

A house with lawns enclosing it,

A living river by the door,

A nightingale in the sycamore!

- Robert Louis Stevenson

Not exactly an earth day type poem but a very pretty one all the same.

Images by Laura Stoddart.

Cute cups...

Aren't these the cutest paper cups! Love how you could use them for cut flowers or ice cream or....
Oooh and thank you for your kind comments and notes (blogland is so nice) - I think I've kicked this blurgy bug!
Image from Papermash.

Not feeling...

....the best. Tucked up in bed with hot chocolate and cookies (an old remedy) plus a good book. Back tomorrow with this'n that, and hopefully felling better (I don't like being ill)..... 
Image by Janne Peters.

Chuckle...

This made me laugh - given my attack of the grumps yesterday no doubt the boys and R can relate to this quote. Anyhoo I hope you had a lovely weekend. We sure did (even with the grumps) - we dined out with friends, pootled about, explored the wine country, strolled through Washington Park, and basked in the gorgeously warm weather. I hope you have a great week lined up - we've lots on and today's is the usual 'round of madness following the weekend - enjoy your Monday!
Image from Squid (via PostSecret).

Weekly what:nots...

It's Friday - whoopee! And it is super sunny and warm - double whoopee!! How was your week? I hope you had fun. Ours flew by, and we have a fun filled weekend planned. Starting with some riding this afternoon (I know it's not officially the weekend - but still...). So let's get on with this week's what:nots - enjoy!

Love Zimmermann's summer 2010 swimwear collection.

Scrumptious cookies from Whimsy & Spice.

Simple and lovely hand woven Kenyan baskets from Baileys Home & Garden. 

These would be perfect for lounging about.

Seedling paper pot press from Cox & Cox. They have the sweetest cookie cutters too.

Love this Beverly Hills condo by Nathan Turner.

Seriously hankering after these (found via Design*Sponge).

And just because it's a horse riding day - a horse riding image....

Have a wonderful weekend!

Images from Zimmermann, Whimsy & Spice, Baileys Home & Garden, DKNY, Cox & Cox, Nathan Turner, Velocity Art & Design, and e bo pho to.

Girls...

I love that we have two boys. I recall being super delighted when I found out we were having boys and couldn't really understand when people asked "but don't you want a little girl...?". But as much as I love my two loud-crazy-mad boys I have had girls on the brain of late - wonder why!? Perhaps it's finding lovely things like these...

Images from flora and henri, and Caramel Bay & Child.