Thursday, 31 December 2009

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!


i am the biggest jerk. i keep promising posts and delivering pin-ups :/  what can i say, life has taken over these past few days.  monday morning i'll be good as new and back to blogging. i love the feeling of staring down a fresh new year of unmarked paths and sparkling opportunity. i wish you all a wonderful evening filled with champagne and kisses! and may the coming of the new year bring you clarity and bounty.  bon chance my friends! 

Tuesday, 29 December 2009

cleaning house


my sincere apologies.  i know i said i'd be up and running again yesterday, and i've all sorts of things planned for the next few days (like new years dresses and best of 2009 lists), but at the moment i'm busy doing a bit of preparatory house cleaning to usher in the new year [clad in far more than this young lady].  i've so many stories to tell you of marvelous christmas gifts and heartfelt resolutions, but i haven't the time today.  please do come back tomorrow, as i promise to have something interesting for you.  hope you are enjoying your holiday as much as i am [no work 'til the 11th!!!] xo

Saturday, 26 December 2009

happy holidays! i'll be right back


so sorry i haven't posted in a few days, i've been so busy with the holidays, as i'm sure you all are too.  i hope you're having a splendid holiday season and i'll be back on monday with regular posts.  best wishes to you and yours from me and mine!

Monday, 21 December 2009

wee gingerbread house tutorial

learn how to make these adorable tea cup gingerbread houses at not martha.

upside down face portraits


neat, huh? check out more of these awesome upside down portraits from Bruton Stroube Studios here.


Friday, 18 December 2009

baby, it's cold outside



Baby It's Cold Outside was written by Frank Loesser in 1944. Loesser and his wife debuted the song in front of friends and associates at their Navarro Hotel housewarming party. in 1948, after years of performing the song at various parties, Loesser sold the rights to MGM, and it was premiered in the 1949 motion picture Neptune's Daughter. two performances of the song appear in the film: one by Esther Williams and Ricardo Montalbán (above) and the other by Betty Garrett and Red Skelton (below). these performances would earn Loesser an Oscar for best original song.

saturday night portraits


ever wonder who's responsible for those awesome photos that come before and after the commercials on Saturday Night Live (the ones that always make the celebrities look even more beautiful than you ever thought they were)? wonder no more. top entertainment portrait photographer Mary Ellen Mathews has been creating these stunning images since 1999. see more of her work here.



Wednesday, 16 December 2009

ima marry a troll


i wish to wed this "troll chair" by Danish design team Lund & Paarmann. i feel warm n cozy just thinkin 'bout sittin in it.


Monday, 14 December 2009

yesterday's muse # 16 - maxime de la falaise



once refered to as "the only truly chic englishwoman" by photographer Cecil Beaton, Maxime de la Falaise (born Maxime Berley), was a fashion model, actress, food maven, clothing designer and matriarch of a three-generation clan of international couture models. Maxime was born to an aristocratic and artistic family, and grew up in an 11th century manor in West Sussex, England. her father was a portrait painter to the Queen, and her mother, an eccentric Irish beauty who often made fancy lobster dishes, and then fed them to her roses.


Maxime would model for the top designers and photographers of her time, the trendsetter was a close friend of Yves St. Laurent and Andy Warhol, the latter of whom cast her in Andy Warhol's Dracula in 1974. in the course of her career, de la Falaise designed couture, sportswear, ready-to-wear and boutique clothes for various houses, as well as furniture and rugs, and was a food editor at Vogue magazine.



Maxime's first marriage, in the 1940s, was to a French count, Alain de la Falaise. she and the Count had two children: a daughter, Louise, a well-known fashion model and muse to Mr. Saint Laurent, known proffesionally as Loulou; and a son, Alexis, a furniture designer, who died several years ago. when this marriage ended in divorce, Maxime married MOMA currator John McKendry, who died in 1975.



in May of this year, at the age of 86, Maxime de la Falaise died of natural causes. besides her daughter, Ms. de la Falaise is survived by several grandchildren and great-grandchildren. one of her grandchildren, Lucie de la Falaise, was a prominent fashion model in the 1990s.

Thursday, 10 December 2009

loose leaf tigers gift guide, part 1: she

pussy willow earrings

i tend to make as many of my christmas presents as i have time for, but when i'm looking to buy a few gifts, what better place than etsy? here are some of the fabulous gifts i discovered in my most recent hunt.


earmuffs (made of bunnies, and therefore not for everyone, but still gorgeous)

neverending scarf

hand knit ipod case

cross stitch monogram badge

nocturne ring

antique skeleton key clutch

exquisite de la renta


i don't normally do runway posts, as i know very little about high fashion, but i was so completely awstruck by the beauty of Oscar de la Renta's pre-fall 2010 collection. the textures and sparkles and colours are all so luxurious and inviting, i just want to role around in a big pile of these clothes :) stunning, no? more here.




Wednesday, 9 December 2009

elisabeth toll


check out these beautiful, painterly images by photographer Elisabeth Toll. see more of her work here.