Whiling away time...

Oh to be whiling away time on a swinging porch chair, gazing at the sky, looking out across a large untamed garden, watching squirrels and bees, just generally pondering this and that...
Image from flickr.

Fall, are you there?

On one hand I'm loving this late (if somewhat humid) summer blast, but on the other I'm kinda hankering after some cooler days and being able to wear jerseys and jackets...
Image from Elle.

Maira Kalman...

Enjoying reading back through Maira Kalman's blog And the Pursuit of Happiness on The New York Times opinion pages. Hilarious, informative, and at time poignant. Her book of the same name is due for release on October 14th.

Images from The New York Times.

Original version...

Loving the original Song to the Siren by Tim Buckley. And digging his incredible cheekbones and skinny jeans!
Clip from You Tube.

2011 calendar...

The uber-talented Romina Bacci has recently added some new goodies to her shop, including this lovely handwritten calendar.

Images from Romina Bacci.

Sparkling sunlight...

Oh my goodness summer has returned and with it clear blue skies, soaring temperatures, and sparkling sunlight. What a treat! 
Images 1. Pretty Light 2. Romina Bacci

Weekly what:nots...

Hello Friday! How was your week? I hope it went well, and you have a fun weekend planned. Our week flew by full of the usual, and with Saturday just around the corner I'm looking forward to a bit of weekendy-down-time, and catching up on a whole lot of letters and emails. In the meantime, here's what:nots...

The extraordinarily beautiful Katherine Hepburn.

New York artist Peter Pryor's colourful artwork.

 Graham & Spencer's Fall 2010 collection, which includes this perfect top.

Terrain's almost too-sweet-to-use tea towel.

Fab white capri's from Jazmin Chebar (found via aubrey road).

Hope's highly covetable bottle-green leather tote.

Pretty autumn colours captured by Irene Suchocki.

The lovely Hear Black Market's water-colour feather heart cards.

The Meadow, Portland. What could be better than a store that sells local flowers, artisan chocolate, and gourmet salt?

And Things We Forget's poignant Post-it notes left to their fate in public. 

I hope you have a grand weekend!

ps: thank you Blogger - I am loving your new add multiple-images thingy!

Images from Lisa Fremont Pages, Peter Pryor, Graham & Spencer, Terrain, aubrey road, Hope, Irene Suchocki, Hear Black, The Meadow, and Things we Forget.

Drive...

There I was waiting on hold to our NZ insurance co and on came the haunting Drive by the utterly gorgeous Bic Runga. Not only did it make me want to stay on hold, but it made me miss little old NZ. If you're not familiar with Bic's music hop over here and have a listen - she has the most wonderful voice.
Image from here.

Pig #05049...

What exactly are things made of? To get a better idea Dutch artist Christien Meindertsma spent three years documenting where every.single.part of pig #05049 went. The end result is a fascinating book illustrating the astonishing range of products this little fellow ended up in. You'll be surprised - hop over here to read more, or here to hear Christien talk about what she found. Note: it's not as gross as it sounds! You can also see more of Christien's art here.

Image from Inspired.

Hope...

Loving Hope's autumn-winter 2010 collection. Especially coveting this outfit and this jacket.
Discovered via the wonderful wiksten-made.

Tuesday already...

Goodness. I hope you had a lovely weekend and that your week is off to a good start. Fall is slowly arriving in Portland, and with it cooler temperatures and leaf covered streets. I so love the distinct seasons of the northern hemisphere. I'm a firm believer in 'doing' a season properly. If it's going to be cold - it should be really, really cold and snow. And as much as I love summer, I always enjoy the start of the cooler seasons. How about you? Do you have a favourite season....?
Image from Smith & Co.

Pencil shavings...

Sam Winston's Pencil Drawing is so beautifully simple. You can see more of Sam's wonderful artwork here.
Image from Sam Winston. Found here.

I think it will rain...

...will it be this pretty.

Image by Elena of Pretty Light. If you get a chance hop over and have a peek at Elena's beautifully lit photos - they're sublime.

Weekly what:nots...

Friday - at last! How has your week been? I hope you had fun, and the days were kind to you. Mine involved school runs, a driving test (I passed!), an eye test (I failed), numerous appointments, fresh flowers, clothes shopping for the boys (will they ever stop growing?), and horse riding three times. Sadly, with each ride my meagre ability became progressively worse...very demoralising indeed. Anyhoo the weekend is almost upon us, and when R arrives home in a few hours we'll be back to four. Do you have weekend plans? Aside from an afternoon bottling fruit with friends, I plan to do not-very-much-at-all. I hope you have a grand weekend - here's this week's what:nots...

Loving this shot by Marc Lagrange.

Love this quirky little fellow. He reminds me of a little clock my Granny had.

Superfamily III by Oregon artist Justin L'amie.

Toast's lace-stitch socks. Don't they look snuggly soft?

Looking forward to Antony & the Johnsons' new album - due out next month.

A lovely everyday bag from Graham & Spencer's Fall 2010 collection.

Oliver Theysken's The Other Side of the Picture - a treasure trove of stunning images by Julien Claessens.

L’Iris, Le Néroli, La Rose, Le Santal and L’Ambre - five scents from Roger Vivier. 

Loving Velvet's Daray cashmere sweater.

Divine two-tone suede sandals from See by Chloe.

And Smith's pretty pink Rosebud Salve in production since 1895, and still perfect!

Images by Marc Lagrange, Clockwork Universe, PDX Contemporary Art, Toast, Antony & the Johnsons, Graham & Spencer, Assouline, tmagazine, Velvet, Saks, and Smiths.

Cute...

Found via here.

Short days...

I still find each day too short for all the thoughts I want to think,

all the walks I want to take,

all the books I want to read,

and all the friends I want to see. 

John Burroughs

Right now I'm with Mr Burroughs - the days just aren't long enough! Hope your week is rocking along, I hope to be back to regular (and reliable) posting by next week.
Image by Jen Gotch.

The happy planet index...

Here's an interesting idea - measuring a country's success not by its productivity levels, but by the happiness and well-being of it's people. It reminds me of the Robert Kennedy speech where he noted how GNP measures everything "except that which makes life worthwhile". 


Clip from TED.

Back soon...

This is the first weekend in ages where we've had nothing scheduled, and we've all been home. So I'm making the most of lazy days enjoying the last of the summer sun, hanging out with the boys, and perfecting the art of doing not-very-much-at-all. I hope your weekend is just as sublime - be back soon with what:nots and so on...
Image by Irene Suchocki.

Back from the beach...

We're back from a wonderfully relaxing long weekend at the beach. The house we had was right on the beach, which meant we were lulled to sleep each night by the sound of the sea. Absolute bliss. I'd forgotten just how much I missed being near the sea, the salty air, the beauty and rhythm of the waves, the dull roar, mist clad hills surrounding the bay...

I hope all has been well in you neck of the woods and the week has been kind to you...hooray tomorrow is Friday!

Images by me.

What:nots...

Hello there. I hope the sun is shining (literally or figuratively) in your neck of the woods. We're taking my family out to the coast for the weekend - I can't wait to escape the city and spend time near the sea. And since I've yet to start packing, here's a very brief what:nots - enjoy!

Sweet image by Toast found via Blue Pool Road.

Lovely little toe clips from Linden Lovebirds. Aren't those shoes a gorgeous shade of green...

Tsuyoshi Hirano's simple, modern watercolours. Art Onion Press has published a wonderful little book of his work.

A pretty little bird made by Fern Animals found via the lovely Bliss.

Hana Blomst's elegantly simple maple plates.

Loving Moonstruck's packing design on their Single Origin range.

Joyce Tenneson's wonderful sepia images. Aren't gardenia's the loveliest flowers?

And a clever idea from Up Up Creative. For those times when life just feels hard, and trying to get through the days is a struggle, Julie creates personalised 'to do' lists that help you take things one at a time.

I hope you have a lovely weekend!

Images from Blue Pool Road, Linden Lovebirds, Tsuyoshi Hirano's, Fern Animals, Hana Blomst, Moonstruck Chocolate, Joyce Tenneson, and Up Up Creative.