Thinking of summer...

Even though Fall (Autumn) has abrupty arrived in Portland and we're piling on the layers I'm still think of summer and summery things. All my seasons and times of year are still muddled, and given we'll have two weeks of summer in New Zealand mid-way through winter no doubt I'll become even more muddled. I think I'm definitely a warm weather person - how about you - warm or cold weather?

Speaking of summery - well spring-y things I adore the soft organic shapes of Farncisco Costa's Spring 2010 collection for Calvin Klein. You can see a video of the show here.

Images from here.

The fun theory...

What a fun idea!

Thanks to Amanda over at Small Acorns who posted this yesterday.

Little & lovely ...

Pottering about in Thea's Interiors a week or so back I came across these delicate vintage earrings from Max & Lucie. Well I just had to take them home, and have worn them every day since. Hop on over to Max & Lucie's etsy shop - there's lots of lovely delicate pieces - don't say I didn't warn you.

Weekly what:nots...

Goodness it's hard to believe another week has rolled by! I hope you've had a lovely one. We've been busy with camp organising and so forth. I must admit I will miss Turtle & Mu when they head off next week. To help life the spirits, here's this weeks what:nots - I hope you enjoy them!

Is this a turkey? It appears in the feature on Carolina Irving's home in Lonny. I'm not exactly sure what it is but it's rather nifty all the same!

The perfect new bag for Fall.

Seeing this dress from Requiem Spring 2010, reminded me of

this beautiful green dress from Atonement.

I adore this sweet posey of flowers from here.

Have you visited Terrain? They have a fab collection of all things house and garden-y, including this great clam basket, and lovely carrot hand cream.

The perfect industrial bookshelf - found here.

A non-profit that distributes community-grown produce to low income people free of charge. A brilliant idea well worth sharing and supporting!

Images from Lonny, Piperlime, Style.com, Design Sponge, Terrain, European Antiques, and Produce to the People.

Encyclopedia of Life...

"Imagine an electronic page for each species of organism on Earth..."

Have you heard about, or seen EOL? It's a free, online collaborative encyclopedia intended to document all of the 1.8 million living species known to science. I know I'm a bit of a nerd but this is just about the coolest thing concept ever!

Image from EOL.

Autumn (or Fall) reading...

I seem to have a never ending reading list, so I thought I'd share some of my recent finds and favs with you.

This gorgeous book is full of beautiful photographs, and has a fortune for each day.

A lovely little book of letters that inspire everyday peace. Filled with clarity and wisdom, it's a wonderful find.

I've had this on my must-read list for months. A 'cross-country, train-hopping adventure of a twelve-year-old map making prodigy'. The website alone is worth a peek.

Why do some of the best ideas have something missing? This enlightening book delves into the belief that 'less-is-more'.

India is one country I so desperately want to visit - perhaps in a year or so... If so this book would be perfect.

A great coffee-table book - packed full of stunning images and providing a great insight into the evolution of fashion and trends in the US.

A delightful, charming book - perfect for curling up with.

And to end with - a fab book about cooking and dining alone. And it has recipes. Perfect!

Images from Amazon, Atlas Books, and Random House.

Tardy, tardy, tardy...

We've been busy with this'n that and the days just seem to get sucked up and disappear. And this week Turtle & Mu have Friday off, so to all intents and purposes tomorrow is our Friday. The good thing about this though is we get a three-day weekend - hooray! And in other exciting news our new chairs arrived this morning and we are rather pleased. Next on the list is the sofa.... So while we're on interiors and the like here are some inspiring images.

I love this 'Wall of Curiosities' in Kevin O'Shea's NY apartment.

A simple, and pretty way to store things.

The perfect solution for a desk in the lounge. Not too big and not too small.

Fabulous shelves found here.

Simple and elegant seen here.

And how can one mention interiors and not mention Lonny!

Images from Design Sponge, You are my Fav, Cookie Magazine, Desire to Inspire, Ellen Silverman, and Lonny.

Weekly what:nots...

How was your week? I hope it was just dandy and that you have a fun weekend planned. Turtle & Mu's school have their Fall Festival tomorrow, and Sunday we're all off exploring... Here's what:nots for this week - enjoy!

A beautiful black & white image by Patric Shaw.

A sweet way to record the contents of your bookshelf.

Nom*D hair and makeup at New Zealand Fashion Week.

Elegant bowls from an old file - sadly I've no details on where they came from...

A gorgeous collage by Alexis Anne Mackenzie (via Heather Smith Jones).

Celine Resort 2010 Collection - oh so chic.

A great recycled tote found here.

A Sam Haskins exhibition at Milk Gallery in New York to celebrate his new book.

Images from Patric Shaw, Jane Mount, Frockwriter, Style.com, Alexis Anne Mackenzie, Forest Bound, and The Moment.

Secrets on postcards...

You can find out more here and here.

An interesting discovery...

"Scientists have discovered that the small brave act

of cooperating with another person,

of choosing trust over cynicism,

generosity over selfishness,

makes the brain light up with quiet joy."

Natalie Angier

On my reading list for Fall (Autumn) is Natalie Angier's new book The Canon: A Whirligig Tour of the Beautiful Basics of Science. An articulate, non threatening guide that asks us to really look at our surroundings and the world we inhabit. You can get a copy here.

Truly humbled...

I'm humbled beyond belief to find that the lovely Jo over on The Design Alphabet has posted Elsa May under E! What a wonderful surprise! I highly recommend you check out The Design Alphabet as it's full of all sorts of interesting and inspiring, and creative and clever bits and bobs.

Image from Inside Out.

Now this made me smile...

via ...etc.

Feeling a tad lonely....

I have to admit I'm struggling a tad with the loneliness of not knowing anyone here. As much as I like time on my own, and am quite independent some days I have to admit it is a bit of a struggle. So I plan to hatch a plan to improve my situation, starting with a mug of tea and a gooey piece of cake! I will let you know how I get on. I came across this poem by Robert Creeley last week and fell in love with it.

Love comes quietly

Love comes quietly,

finally, drops

about me, on me,

in the old ways.

What did I know

thinking myself

able to go alone

all the way.

Ugh!

How was your weekend? Ours was good and bad. To be honest yesterday was just one of those days where everything went wrong and no-one seemed to be able to see the funny side of things. You know those days where you're just pleased it's over when you crawl into bed at night....? We did manage to wander through the Rose Gardens and meandered on through Washington Park which was really nice - a wee bit of calm in between the snarkiness.