Weekly what:nots...

We woke this morning to snow! So very pretty + the flurries continued on and off all day. Sadly it's all gone now except for the odd patch. The past week hasn't been the best, but things are on the up + tomorrow is the boys' birthday which should be fun. So hard to believe how quickly they've grown. I can still remember when they were so very, very tiny. I hope you've had a grand week, and the week ahead is full of goodness. Here's what:nots...

Love the tee in this image.

Watery Ecstatic by Ellen Gallagher.

m-inspira's edible sugar + gelatine letters.

Musi silk dress from Matta.

Covetable goodies in Sydney's Pure and General.

Love Helena Rohner's range of hair accessories.

Lurk's natural oil fragrances. With notes of cedarwood, tuberose and sweet rose  AS 01 would have to be my pick.

Liking the eclectic mix on this mantle (minus the marionettes).

Images from Rag & Bone, MoMA, m-inspira, Matta, The Design Files, Helena Rohner, Wake Robin, and Tiny Trappings.

Boston + New York...

...with a bit of Vermont + New Hampshire thrown in. Vermont was pretty (even with very little snow). And the historic inn we stayed in was hilarious in a Fawlty Towers kind of way! The one day it did snow the roads were chaos and driving was pretty hairy - our one hour drive took five hours! Boston was wonderful - we stayed in the Back Bay area, and took in galleries, parks and lots of history. A day trip up the coast to Portsmouth proved worthwhile with a wintery quiet and serene views from the coastal road. Here's a few things we discovered along the way...

Tucked away in Middlebury, Vermont, is Clementine, a wonderful little shop selling lovely letterpress, antiques, art and handmade goodies.

We dined here on New Years eve and it was one of the best Italian meals I've had outside of Italy.

Boston's Museum of Fine Arts was really impressive - I could have spent days here. Their exhibition of embroideries of colonial Boston was exquisite. Another highlight was the Mapparium, an extraordinary three-story glass globe constructed in 1935.

I found this portrait in a furniture shop and just love the elegance of it.

Boston Architectural College's beautifully illustrated posters.

If you find yourself in Portsmouth, NH, and in need of coffee and cake call into Cafe Vonsolln. Yummy cakes, delicious soup + great coffee.

And after visiting Cafe Vonsolln, pop along to Gus & Ruby where you'll find all sorts of letterpress and stationery goodies.

From Boston we caught the train to New York - a great way to travel and take in the scenery. The Connecticut coast was lovely. We emerged from the chaos of Penn Station, hopped in a cab and headed off to our hotel. A quick lunch at Lucky Strike then it was off to explore one of my favourite cities. It was jolly cold with a bone-chilling wind, but we toured about taking in museums, the High Line, shopping, and lots of eating. Yummy meals were had here, here and here.

Located in Brooklyn is Greenhouse a beautifully curated shop full of eco-friendly home goods.

The freezing temperatures were a perfect excuse to stock up on chunky woollens from Rag & Bone.

We stopped into the Dinosaur Designs Nolita store. Love their Abstract 2012 collection.

Discovered With & Wessel's silky, fine merino pieces.

Took in the quirky goodies at Babel Fair.

Found these wonderful mugs by Jansen+co at Vitra.

And viewed the Maurizio Cattelan exhibition at the Guggenheim.

Images from Clementine, MFA, me, Greenhouse, Rag & Bone, Dinosaur Designs, With & Wessel, Babel Fair, and Jansen+co.

Back soon...

The past week has been somewhat fraught, I'm still trying to shake this nasty bug + deal with a torn brake cable on the car (frightening!). I will be back tomorrow with a few bits + pieces from our trip, plus what:nots for the week. See you then!
ps: I am thoroughly enjoying the return of Downton Abbey. As my Great Aunt was wont to say  "Do you indulge?"
Image from maybeyouwill.

Weekly what:nots...

Happy Monday! I hope you had a marvellous weekend. Most of mine was spent tucked up in bed battling this dreadful lurgy, but it did allow me to perfect the art of napping which I highly recommend. I also managed to finish Natasha Solomons' heart-wrenching book - such wonderfully descriptive landscapes it made me want to move to the wild English coast immediately. I'm now sorting through all the bits and bobs from our trip - which I will post on in the coming week. In the meantime here's what:nots - have a wonderful week.

Love the light and tones in this Orla Kiely image.

Simple, snowy goodness.

(I think I got this from tumblr - if you know the source please let me know)

Penguin's Great Food series - stunning covers + great reads.

Hankering after this pochette from M0851.

Mikkel Vang's Flowers of the Sea.

Peahen 2010 by Sophie Corydon.

Sublime lambswool + angora blankets from Meg Cohen.

James Pearse's perfect tees.

And this flocked scarf.

Images from Orla Kiely, Penguin, M0851, Mikkel Vang, Dickon Hall Ltd, Meg Cohen, James Pearse, and me.

Ugh...

...after a really great holiday which included a pretty scary drive in a snowstorm, sub-zero temperatures, and a brilliant four days in New York I've promptly come down with an absolutely dreadful cold. Ugh! I shall be spending the next few days tucked up in bed, and hope to be back late Sunday with what:nots. I hope your New Year is off to a stellar start!

Image from Philo.Sofia.

Happy 2012...

...may the new year be filled with love, laughter + happiness for all.

Image from Marie's flickr.

Christmas what:nots...

Well here we are it's Christmas Eve - the presents are scattered under the tree, the children are tucked up in bed...ok...not quite - too much excitement! I hope you have a wonderful Christmas, and holiday with loved ones. We head off late tomorrow for a fortnight in Vermont, Boston and New York (woohoo!). I'm not sure if I'll get a chance to post while I'm away, but I will be back to regular posting on January 5. Thank you so much for all your comments and support over the past year - the kindness and kinship of the blogging community constantly amazes me. Happy Christmas!

This image from Swedish clothing label Nygårds Anna.

A rather nice excerpt from this NY Times article.

Prada's delicate floral bracelets (+ pretty embroidery) from Spring 2012.

Extraordinary illustrations by Daniel Egnéus.

Love this piece.

Black clay plate with white glaze from Anaise.

Carter Radcliff's book on John Singer Sargent.

Utterly wonderful image from Tumblr.

(I can't find the source, if you know please tell me so I can credit)

And a sweet rendition of Silver Bells by She & Him, 

Images from Nygårds Anna, style.com, Daniel Egnéus, Pinterest, Anaise, and Powell's Books. Clip from You Tube.

Weekly what:nots...

Oooh only one week left...the excitement is mounting around these parts with daily checks under the tree. I have to say I've done quite the stellar job of stealth present purchasing, decoy wrapping, and whopping great fibs to keep everyone guessing. How are preparations proceeding in your part of the woods? For all my efficiency on the present front, I'm woefully behind on the Christmas card front. So much so they're destined to become New Year cards (yet again). I hope your weekend has been utterly pleasant and that the coming week is full of goodness. Thanks for stopping by - here's what:nots.

Love the simple beauty of this image.

Wsake's tiny star necklace.

Asteroids by Victoria Haven.

Olo's Erastus fragrance - tobacco, silver needle + oak moss.

Extraordinary plant photographs by Isabel Bannerman.

Derek Wilson's ceramics.

A stunning book of photographs by Jeffrey Conley.

Love the sunglasses, the dress, and especially the moccasins.

Listening to Birdy - such a haunting voice.

Images from Aubrey Road, Wsake, Victoria Haven, Olo, Jonathan Cooper, Derek Wilson Ceramics, Jeffrey Conley, and Pinterest. Clip from You Tube.

Ten years, one view...

I really like this idea... Renate Aller has been photographing the Atlantic ocean from a single point over ten years. Hop over here to see her images, and here to find out about the project + book.
ps: Happy weekend!
Image from Renate Aller.