A slight change of plan...

Our plans may-be-a-changin' we shall just have to wait and see. Yes we are still Portland bound but perhaps in a more temporary way. When things are clearer I'll let you know. In the meantime I've been wanting post about the Spanish designer Helena Rohner for a while. Helena designs and makes the most elegant jewellry and home-wares using fine wood, semi-precious stones, porcelain and Murano glass. You can read more about Helena and her lovely work here.

Images from Helena Rohner.

Blog lovin'...

I was catching up on my blog reading, and over on Joslyn's beautiful blog Simple Lovely discovered (via Joslyn's guest post) Bliss by the lovely Mrs French. I pretty much fell in love right then and there. I adore Joslyn's girl crush post - especially the pic of Sofia Copolla. That clutch!

Another fab find was Emerson Made - a catalog of beautiful one of a kind hand made pieces. I tell you I had real trouble whittling the pics down to just three. There are so many gorgeous images over there!

Images from Emerson Made, and Bliss.

A rainy day poem...

A quick post today. I've been in Auckland sorting out visas, and meeting up with R who is back home after three weeks - hooray!

It was raining (!) when we got back to our little city - so I think it's appropriate to post this poem by Hone Tuwhare - enjoy!

Rain

I can hear you

Making small holes

In the silence

Rain

If I were deaf

the pores of my skin

would open to you

and shut

And I

should know you

by the lick of you

if I were blind

the something

special smell of you

when the sun cakes

the ground

the steady

drum-roll sound

you make

when the wind drops

But if I

should not hear

smell or feel or see

you

you would still

define me

disperse me

wash over me

rain

Lovely interiors...

I'm just loving this image from Anna Spiro's home! Anna is the author of the gorgeous Absolutely Beautiful Things, you can read more about Anna here. While we're on interiors I thought I'd share some images from Elle Decor March 2009.

Haute bohemia meets 1920's in interior designer Kristen Buckingham's LA home.

Artist Anne Becker's office in her New York apartment featuring a framed antique ikat textile.

A simple and welcoming kitchen in Bret Ratner's LA house.

And to end with a painting by the incredibly talented (and Portland, OR based) artist Flora S. Bowley.

Images from Decor 8, Elle Decor, and Flora S. Bowley.

A bit of fine tuning....

A bit of fine tuning and musing on blog direction has been going on. I've decided to make Elsa May purely about things I love, and musings on life, and keep Turtle & Mu for all our family adventures and whathaveyou. I know it may have been wise to establish this at first but often things need time to germinate and evolve. Lots of lovely posts on the way soon. Have a fab weekend!

Image by Ngoc Minh Ngo.

Things have been busy...

Things are speeding up as we head towards the big move. I'm still buzzing about Coco avant Chanel and can't wait for it to be released so I can see it again. I just love these images of Audrey Tautou from the May '09 Spanish Vogue.

Coco avant Chanel does a wonderful job of showing Chanel's distaste of the fashion and conventions of the time, and how she revolutionised the fashion industry by going "back to basics", incorporating elegance, class, and originality. So on that note here are some pics from my favourites folder. As Coco Chanel said to Harper's Bazaar in 1923 "Simplicity is the keynote of all true elegance."

Images clockwise from top left: C Z Guest in 1950, photographed by Clifford Coffin; Grace Kelly, Life 1954 ; styling by Giovanna Battaglia; French street style via A Cup of Jo; Miu Miu Fall/Winter 09/10 campaign; C Z Guest at a picnic in 1949, photographed by Contantin Joff.

Coco avant Chanel...

If you only see one film this year - this must be it! I was lucky enough to get tickets to Coco avant Chanel today and I loved it. Audrey Tautou and Alessandro Nivola were amazing - both so stunningly beautiful and incredible in their respective roles. A heart-wrenching story and the most beautiful filmography. An absolute must see!

It's been a very long week - I am off to bed more on the film and whathaveyou in the coming days....

A beautiful book...

OK so I am meant to be packing things and/or gardening.... but I got caught up looking through some of our books. One of my favourites is Amazing Rare Things by David Attenborough. It has the most beautiful illustrations by 16th and 17th century European artists, and celebrates the unique and fascinating natural world. More books over at Turtle & Mu later today...

Beautiful words & beautiful music...

Just posted a favourite quote on Turtle & Mu which reminded me of this beautiful piece of music played by Pablo Casals. Speaking of beautiful things I've had this list of 'Beautiful Words' on my wall for ages. I've had it so long I can't recall where I got it from but I thought I'd share it with you (you'll need to click on the image to make it bigger - I am at the limit of my IT abilities :).

Two days back...

We're only two days back into term and it feels like a week - hmmm.... Progress on the big move has become a bit two steps forward, one step back. The Portland rental we'd hoped to secure has fallen through - so we are madly trying to find a an alternative. Anyone know of one? On the good news front our house was photographed this morning, and will be advertised for rent this weekend. Fingers crossed. And yay it was sunny when the photos were taken! R is in Germany and the time difference makes it hard for us to connect. Not to mention a serious lack of wifi anywhere.

Today I thought I'd post some work by one of my favourite New Zealand artists Leanne Culy. Leanne paints exquisite illustrations onto oars, and although they look purely decorative, they tell a story, as a totem would. The oars, and limited edition prints, are available for purchase through these galleries. Have a look at Leanne's (and her husband Brian's) work over on their Home Base Collections site.

A pompom discovery...

There I was this morning, reading through my 'lovely blogs' list and over on The Design Alphabet I found these beautiful tissue pom poms! I just knew then I'd have to post some pics. Made by the clever Kirsten Hadey of PomLove they come in a range of colours and styles. Perfect for weddings, parties, or even as a home decor piece. So lovely.

Things I'm loving....

1. Using toast racks as letter holders - how elegant.

2. The gorgeous soft pleated leather on the Beckon Plissé Clutch.

3. Maison Bengal travel bag made from recycled cement sacks via Banjolele.

4. This simple and beautiful J.Crew top.

5. The images of David and Nicole Page's home on Johnny Valiant's site.

6. The elegant Carmen Kass in Spanish Vogue, May '09.

7. Stunning photographs of Caroline Winberg for Amica Italy via fashion copious.

8. Steven Hemmens' oil painting 'XIII Moorgate (not dead just resting)'.

9. This beautiful (and orderly) inspiration wall via The English Muse.

Suddenly, it's Sunday afternoon...

Rolling back in time - I had the best Friday. A fantastic ride on the surprisingly well behaved Johnnie, then the lovely Kate arrived, with scrummy cupcakes in hand, and I went off to the film festival. If you haven't seen The September Issue I can totally recommend it. A great, and at times amusing, insight into the world of magazines. Anna Wintour is incredible - scary yes, but very astute and admirable. The uber-talented Alexandra Owen was at the movies - wearing one of her glorious chocolate leather jackets with scalloped petals down the front. Her clothes are so incredibly wearable. Oh I almost forgot, I popped into Next Stop Earth after riding and came home with a bunch of beautifully scented spring cheer daffodils. So all in all a fab Friday!

The boys and I had fun yesterday. And this morning we wandered down to the City Market, and came home with oodles of goodies including yummy turkish delight, and fruit and nut bread from The French Baker.

Well I really must start sorting out cupboards and start packing a few boxes. August is just around the corner - gulp!