Ugh...

Ugh! I haven't been sleeping, I keep staying up late pottering. Then I get to bed and start worrying - should I do this, or that, or maybe this, or...and so it goes. During the day I find myself procrastinating and not getting things done, I start doing something then move onto something else, never quite finishing each thing. Ugh! It doesn't make for a good mindset. So frustrating. And now the boys and I have colds, & tomorrow is our wedding anniversary and R is over seven thousand miles away. Ugh! Things will improve I am sure - they always do. Sometimes you've just gotta go with it I suppose. What:nots will go up this evening (I hope).

Image of Phoebe Philo from Vogue Paris March 2010.

Love, love, love...

Burberry Prorsum Fall 2010 - love it all. The jackets and those thigh-high boots! The show was streamed live and, here's the nifty thing, the clothes were available for pre-sale simultaneously - but only for three days. Clever! You can see the full show here.

Images from Style.com.

A food revolution...

Hop on over here and take 30 seconds to sign Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution petition to build "support for better food at school and better health prospects for America’s children". A very worthy cause! You can also read about Jamie's TED Prize here, see the plan, and find out what's needed to make it happen.

Image from Jamie Oliver.

Two TED talks...

Temple Grandin's TED talk, where she talks about autism and her ability to "think in pictures", has just gone live. And in case you haven't seen it, here's Jamie Oliver making his case for an "all-out assault" on ignorance of food. Enjoy!

Love...

This photograph of Kim Noorda as Strawberry Shortcake for Lula Magazine.

Found via Fashion Copious.

Line's artwork...

I'm quite taken by the artwork of Line Juhl Hansen, who I discovered via Holly at Decor 8. Line has a sweet blog, plus a delightful, teeny-tiny apartment, and a brilliant studio space, both of which you can see here. And you can see more of Line's work here.

Image from Line Juhl Hansen and Decor 8.

What font are you?

Head on over to the Pentagram 'psychiatrist', answer four simple questions and discover what font you are. Me? Emotional + understated + progressive + disciplined = Archer Hairline!

Found via Spagat Design Studio.

Spring has sprung...

...and with it the promise of long languid summer days. How was your weekend, and your Monday? Ours was a perfect balance of relaxing and adventures, made even better by the fact it was four days long! I watched the lovely Like Stars on Earth - a brilliant movie. The trailer does not do it justice, and yes it has a few Bollywood dance numbers, but it tells a very touching tale. And parent or not, you may well shed a tear or two before the (thankfully) happy end.

Images by me.

Lovely greys...

A modernly elegant ensemble from Marc Jacobs Fall 2010 show. Love the longer hem lines and ankle socks! Have a peep at Garance's video of the show. The fluttering snowflakes look so lovely. I think I have snow-envy.

Image from style.com.

Weekly what:nots...

Thank you for all your lovely comments and emails! I'm so humbled that you all take the time to visit Elsa May...Do you have plans for the weekend? I'm finally relaxing after playing 'catch-up' all week. The boys have today and Monday off school (hooray lots of sleep-ins), we've planned lots of fun - ice skating, OMSI, hiking in the arboretum, seeing friends, and potential hamster shopping! So without further ado here's this week's what:nots.

A fab photo of Audrey Hepburn from the Mark Shaw Photographic Archive. Hop on over it's full of wonderful images from the 50s and 60s.

A lovely 'autumn book' postcard from Cori Kindred.

Zimmerman's swim collection for summer 2010. Perfect!

A delightful Thereza Rowe wallet from Poketo.

Balenciaga Paris. An elegant violet, pepper and moss-based scent.

Herb & Dorothy. Proof that you don't have to be a Rockefeller to collect art! (via Heather Smith Jones)

Images from Mark Shaw, Cori Kindred, Zimmerman, Poketo, Balenciaga, and Herb & Dorothy.

The ultimate....

...chocolate bar. Have you tried this? I swear I have just about devoured an entire block - it is the best thing ever!

Image from Vosges Haute Chocolate.

What the world needs now...

Portland is basking in the most gorgeous spring day today - bliss! As promised here's a quick-ish run down of (my) highlights from TED 2010. A few are available to view already, and many more will be released in the coming weeks:

- Esther Duflo on poverty and how we can do better.

- New York chef Dan Barber on sustainable fishing. Hilarious, informative and wise.

- Jamie Oliver's wish is granted.

- Jake Shimabukuro and his ukelele. Speechless.

- Bing maps, the coolest new mapping technology - beats google maps hands down!

- Sam Harris on morality.

- Wolfram Alpha incredible online knowledge engine - try it out. Stephen Wolfram's talk on how he developed the idea was fascinating.

- Mark Roth and his work on reversible metabolic hibernation. In other words suspended animation for humans!

- Temple Grandin on embracing the nerdy geeks who have so much to offer the world.

- Wired Magazine demo of the Summer 2010 issue. All online, on a tablet, scrollable, zoomable, and you-name-it-able.

- The hugely talented Marian Bantjes talking about her stunning calligraphy.

- Natalie Merchant's eloquent voice turning poems into songs. Beautiful.

- Sir Ken Robinson, one of the most informed and entertaining speakers ever, referencing Yeats and asking us to "tread softly on the dreams" of our children.

And before I go, I just have to mention Intelligentsia Coffee - yum! The best coffee (they do flat whites!) I've had since landing stateside.

*** thanks for all your comments and emails most of these 'talks' haven't been released yet, but will be in the coming weeks. I'll post a note letting you know when each one is released. Apologies for any confusion ***

Images from Marian Bantjes.

Inspirational, amazing, heartening....

....I could go on and on. TED 2010 was incredible! So many ideas both humble and mind-blowing, and all these people working to make a difference in society and the world. A very profound experience. I will post more on who spoke and about what tomorrow.

Image - my toes toasting in the Palm Springs sunshine.

A weekend & a Monday...

How was your weekend? Ours was busy but fun. We had friends over, caught up on this'n that, ate scrummy pancakes, and spent time at CHAP. And today was a total blur of organising, sorting, and getting ready. R and I leave just after 6am (ugh!) tomorrow for TED. I'm hoping once I'm on the plane I can relax and look forward to what should be an amazing few days. I may be back posting before Saturday, but I can't say for sure. Have a lovely week and I'll see you soon!

Image by me and is of a section of the 'castle' wall at CHAP.

Weekly what:nots...

Hello there! How was your week? Mine felt frantic to say the least. However, I kept reminding myself that it wasn't long ago I was yearning for jammed packed days. Anyhoo here we are at Friday. The boys and I had a successful skating session with their class, and now we are all settled in by the fire for the evening, looking forward to a relaxing weekend. Well kind of relaxing, we have six coming for dinner tomorrow.... Best we get on to what:nots and worry about tomorrow tomorrow.

A silvery black and white of Alexa Yudina.

Lisa Congdon's A Collection a Day. What a fun and lovely idea!

The wonderfully talented Heather Smith Jones is exhibiting here.

How do they always get it so so right? J Crew Spring Collection 2010.

Would you just look at those little legs! The Tea Time Set by Jorine Oosterhoff via The Design Alphabet.

Ngatarawa (pronounced Na-tarh-rah-wa) wines. In particular their Late Harvest 2009 dessert wine, an enticing mix of ripe manderin and Turkish delight with apricots and lychees. Who needs dessert!

The first blossom. It's no longer dark at 4.30pm, and one or two trees in our street have tentatively started to blossom....

Have a wonderful weekend!

Images from Women Management, A Collection a Day, Eyebuzz Gallery, J Crew, The Design Alphabet, Ngatarawa wines, and me.

Twizzles & twists...

Just rushing off to help transport the boy's class to ice skating. Yes that's my new winter challenge - learn to ice skate! And I'm loving it! Back later on this evening with what:nots. Have a great day.

Image from photolibrary.

Busy, busy, busy...

And then I looked, and Wednesday had been and gone! Things have been a bit frantic, but will hopefully slow down by Sunday. Got to rush, I'm off to start my new winter challenge - I'll let you know how it goes. I hope you're having a great Thursday!

Image from Marie Claire. If only I had a moment to sit in the sun like this!

Loving...

...Country Road's AW 2010 collection. You can see more here.

Images from Country Road.

The penguins will be getting sweaty!

...so Turtle said half way through watching HOME. The combination of stunning cinematography and a very humbling commentary make for sobering viewing. If anyone ever needed a reason to 'act now' this film could be it. Take the time to watch it - I promise you will be awestruck by the beauty of our planet!

A weekend away...

How was your Monday? Mine turned out surprisingly well. A dreaded appointment ended with good news indeed, and I had a bounce in my step after several weeks of anxious worry. On the way home I treated myself to some very pretty blossom branches and hyacinths from Sammy's. Anyhoo onto the weekend. How was yours? We 'escaped' the city for the little village of Oceanside and stayed in the wonderful Oceanside Prefab. Fab is the best word for it. Nicole and Ted have created a fantastic home away from home that exudes warmth, elegance and style. We left with a bad dose of house envy and a determination to find a free week to return. Hope over here to see just how great this place is!

Just quickly...

...I'm running behind today, catching up after an amazing weekend here, and without going into detail I have a nerve wracking appointment this afternoon so am having trouble concentrating on everything that I need to get through. I promise I will post back this evening - and include some pics from the weekend. Have a happy Monday!

ps: Here's a great TED talk on sound and how it affects us - very interesting.