Dreaming of Paris

Some favourite pictures from my trip to Paris last May:

Not Your Typical Movie Poster

(or at least by today's standards)


La Boca International posters for Black Swan

Images from debut art

Woodland Creatures

Image via anthropologie

Four years ago I thought I was being stalked by owls when they starting popping up everywhere I went. I first noticed this in the East Village on a t-shirt that some hipster was wearing that caught my eye and then later that day I fell for a pair of owl mugs in a boutique (one of which now sits in a bookcase in my room). Little did I know it was the beginning of a huge trend in owl merchandise and paraphernalia.

The little figurine of the owl of Minerva I bought in London and the owl sitting next to it was a gift.

Now I'm seeing stags everywhere, in the traditional design sense (mounted on walls) and elsewhere... are woodland creatures just having their moment again, a reprisal from the 1960s and 1970s? There is definitely a hipster element to their resurgence.

Who needs white noise when you can get PINK noise!

I wish I'd known about this last year when I was writing my thesis. Ear plugs were my constant companion, but this would have been a nice alternative to plug in to.

There are 3 options for noises: white, pink and brown. Brown is my favourite, it sounds almost like the ocean but with a more constant drone, and is even better when you set it on oscillating mode. Auditory zen, indeed.

www.simplynoise.com/

Daniel Craig Has the Best Travel Luggage

Daniel Craig's fine taste in luggage:

Arriving in LA, 2008

Arriving in NYC, February 2011

UPDATE: here he is leaving NYC, February 2011 with a different weekender bag

Algorithm for a Birthday

It goes a little something like this:

pre-birthday bubbly and sushi the night before + birthday facial + birthday baking + 3 g&ts and two rounds of whiskey shots and two scotches and Club House pizza + company of fellow fan club members = the way to ring in year 29

added bonus: mini pie tins and handmade vintage-print apron from fellow FC members

double added bonus: Priscilla bag bought with birthday money is to arrive next week

On the Street: the documentary

Bill Cunningham is a fashion photographer for the New York Times, he started working for them in the late 1970s. Every week he offers his take on the latest trends he's spotted around NYC in his column "On the Street" (or if you read it online like I do, it's presented in slide show and narrated by Cunningham).

He's in his 80s now, but is still found out and about riding his bicycle with his camera. Everyone who is anyone in the fashion world knows and respects him, but he remains elusive, little is known about the man himself.

This new documentary coming out next month sheds some light on the man behind the camera and (it seems) his influence on the street fashion scene, having been the forerunner of such fashion street bloggers as Scott Schuman (the Sartorialist) and Yvan Rodic (the Facehunter), etc.

What's most interesting, I think, is that he's been around for so long and seen not just the fashion industry in so many incarnations, but the arts scene and in particular the New York City arts scene, beginning in the 1950s. Oh to have been privy to what he has seen and heard...

Homer Winslow as interpreted by J. Crew

The watercolours of Maine's famous artist resident are the latest muse for J Crew's spring collection for men. The ruddy New England look together with a frothy ocean palette are made perfect for city dwellers and weekenders alike. 

Images captured from collection presentation video.

See the behind the scenes look at the collection in this video. 

Read about the restoration project that the Portland Museum of Art is currently undergoing to preserve Homer Winslow's studio and grounds in Prouts Neck, Maine.

I'm Hazelnuts About You

I am by no means a fan of Valentine's Day, but I do like how cheery all the red and pink is at this bleak time of year, so neither can I say that I go out of my way to hate the day.

That said, these are a really cute alternative to a traditional Valentine card. In fact, these would be kind of cute all year round.

The Twig and Thistle has created these printable labels with instructions for making your fruit bowl into a sweet (and edible) Valentine. 

Priscilla

How great is this bag? Her name is Priscilla, and I must get my hands on her. A visit to my neighbourhood Club Monaco ended in disappointment. Or, somewhat so, since I did find a few other things to take home, including a dress that was marked way down and a wear-with-everything cashmere scarf that was also marked down (!).  

Svpply

This new discovery takes internet shopping and fantasy wish-list making to a whole new (brilliant) level. There's also a strange/fun element of voyeurism to this, as you get to see what items others have on their pages. It's like standing in line at the checkout to see what other shoppers have put in their shopping carts. Only way better.  

Check it out here or here for my page.

Ode to The Minimalist: Mexican Chocolate Tofu Pudding

Mark Bittman has left his post as The Minimalist at the NY Times where for over a decade he deconstructed and simplified cooking and baking for the Everycook. My two favourite recipes that he introduced to my repertoire are Jim Lahey's No-Knead bread and his cheese and herb scone recipe from How to Cook Everything (I made this one at least three times a week throughout the fall until Christmas took over and my backyard rosemary plant succumbed to the frost).

He recently re-posted a video from 2 years ago featuring his recipe for mexican chocolate tofu pudding. I was intrigued, so I made it for my sister's birthday this weekend in lieu of cake. This one's a keeper. It was spicy and chocolaty and smooth like pudding - except the texture came from the soft tofu and not heavy cream. I doubled the recipe and kept the leftovers in the fridge overnight, which meant that by the morning it had set and was rather like a mousse. I may prefer it that way, actually.

Birthday Tofu Pudding

Mark Bittman makes pudding

Jim Lahey's no-knead bread

Snow Prints

We got about 30 cm of snow last week. For the first time this winter it didn't even turn to rain so it's still here. This is what happened on the back deck when the snow landed on the patio furniture. So pretty!