are you ready for le tour de france???!!!

Ok...Who isn't excited for the start of the Tour de France???!!!  Cannot wait to see my fave, Andy Schleck!!! 

ooh...So excited for this new book!

I think it's safe to say everyone at Oh La La is/was a huge fan of Domino magazine...Well, get ready for Deborah Needleman's new book coming this fall...

'Chapel Hill Beauties from the Class of 1930'

Whenever I do a post on another incredible print by Vivienne Strauss, I know one thing...I don't have to come up with a title. Why would I use anything but her's...which are just as brilliant as her work. Oh how I wish I knew you, 'Chapel Hill Beauties' !

America's Birthday -Getting ready for the 4th!

OK kids...are you getting ready for the long and lovely holiday weekend? What are your plans? Big or small, definitely get out there and enjoy one of my favorite holidays of the year. Just by virtue of being a summer holiday, the 4th is a fave. Plus it's a chance to enjoy some (hopefully) gorgeous weather and say HBD to the USA!! I'm already flying old glory at my house...how about you?

These red, white and blue lanterns from Target are such a festive way to celebrate!

The great grill debate continues at my house (charcoal or propane) so in the meantime, I bought this fabulous little Weber Smokey Joe. It gets the job done and is adorable to boot!

You already know that I love potato salad. Check out this recipe that uses 'red', 'white' and 'blue' potatoes. Mmmmm...

And to round out your 4th celebration, Everybody Loves Sandwiches has a super post on summer salads. Each one looks more delicious than the next!   Hooray for the 4th!!!!

The perfect pair...

...from I Love Doodle. Adorable.

@70

As someone with an amazing mom who just turned 70, I don't really need to be reminded how fantastic women at this age can be. If you aren't convinced however, you simply MUST check out this post on Refinery 29 on fashion's new 'it' girls. Fab-u-lous!

*Photo above of Joyce...from Refinery 29.

Lap It Up

If you were to ask me, "JP, why do you love the internet?" I would respond: "Because if you have a really cool idea and if you happen to need $25,000 to make that idea a reality, utilizing the internet to get your word out is the fastest way of making it happen." Case in point: Three guys, Archie Lee Coates IV, Jeffrey Franklin and Dong-Ping Wong, had an idea for putting a pool in the East River of Manhattan. To make it happen, they needed $25,000. They posted their idea on Kickstarter and, voila! A pool in a river is born. I'm pretty sure it doesn't get cooler than that. I'm counting the months until the summer of 2012 when I'll be able to enjoy the fruits of their labor!

~JP Pullos

i heart paris

Don't you love it when a ho hum kinda day turns into a great day??!!! Well, I take that back...any day with Jack is a fun day (!), but what I didn't expect was that I'd see a fantastically nostalgic film about Paris....

Have you seen Midnight in Paris? 

If you love love love Paris as much as I do and you haven't seen this film.....well, I'd suggest you stroll down to your nearest theatre and check it out..pronto!

The opening montage is so yummy that it leaves you panting for more gorgeous footage of Paris as the main character.  Those several minutes were the absolute best....Woody Allen seems to have a serious love for the City of Light and it definitely shows throughout this film...and I even found Owen Wilson endearing. 

Don't you love it when a movie takes you to your favorite spots...and it leaves you longing to be right there...right now???  I love that feeling. 

Tonight was also the first night B & I went out to a movie (or practically anything at night!) since Jack's come home....it was nice.  But what I thought throughout was how much Jack would enjoy Paris (OK...let's face it...how much I'd enjoy Paris with Jack!) and how I cannot wait to introduce him to my absolute favorite city in the world! 

Oh Gemma...

My best laugh of the day...courtesy of Gemma Correll. Such a wise-guy pooch :)

Stalking Chanel

Do you stalk the latest nail shades from Chanel? I know I do. The latest colors from the Fall '11 collection are in...Ooh La La!!

Via Refinery 29

Decisions, decisions

Ray-Ban 4140

Vagabond

For my birthday, Laura gave me a way-too generous gift card to the all-time greatest site in the world, Zappos. I don't know what it is about gift cards but I labor over using them in the worst way. Way more than if I was spending my own money. I love them so much and I desperately don't want to make a mistake with someone's hard earned money...plus they are such a rare and wonderful treat (well, maybe not that rare...but they are wonderful). 

Anyway, after days now of trying to decide how to spend this treasure, I've at least narrowed the choice down to awesome, classic Ray-Ban's. But which ones? I've had my eye the 4141 style for a year now...but then along came the 'Vagabond'. What to do :)

Awwww.....

One of my favorite parts of the weekend is the little bit of light shopping I do right after I leave the gym on Saturday mornings. It's pretty much always the same...first, a stop at Starbucks and then, on to Target. Of course, since it's Target, I always find something I have to have but really don't need. This time...well, how could I not buy this little pillow I found in the dollar section. The beach, the smiling crab...come on...so little money for so much joy :)

JCrew's daily take

JCrew has a rather smashing tumblr that I just stumbled across. Check it out! It does not disappoint :)

Macaroons Colors

After scouring the ooh la la archives, I am well aware of KJ's love of macaroons. So, dear readers, if you are hoping to send KJ a gift, you could do worse than to send her some delectable treats from Laduree in Paris. Some day in the not-so-distant future, when I have a country home in the South of France, I will paint each room a different color to match the colors of these macaroons. I'll invite KJ and KATIEP over for tea and sandwiches. I'm sure you can guess what we'll have for dessert.


~JP Pullos

Hello Friday...where have you been all my life :)

Whoa...3:30 and I am just getting a chance to post. Tells you a little bit about how all over that map this day has been. Well, for one thing, my department is now down to one...me! Well, me and my 2 student workers if you want me to be totally accurate. The dept. head is at ALA in New Orleans and my other colleague is taking a much deserved vacation so I am holding down the fort. I have to tell you...it's kind of lovely :) As this day has been. Why you ask? Well, any day that begins with me getting a ticket to Key Largo is pretty much the best day ever!! I can hardly wait to get down to that gorgeousness. 

Speaking of gorgeousness...I think this print from the Etsy shop Studio Eighty, pretty much says it all.

Have the loveliest of lovely weekends kids. Back at it on Monday :)

Blankets Save Lives

I can already predict that one theme of my posts for Ooh La La will have to do with design and how it impacts making the world a better place. This blanket could not be a better example. The infant-mortality rate in Uganda is staggeringly high and yet so many of the deaths are completely avoidable. How to spread the word? By handing out this very informative blanket to new Ugandan mothers; that's how. Shanti Uganda, a non-profit, started distributing them about a month ago. How phenomenal is it when design is used not just for beauty but also to save lives? If that doesn't deserve an ooh la la, I don't know what does!

~JP Pullos

have a great weekend!

Happy Friday everyone!  It's supposed to be a gorgeous weekend here in the DC area and I hope wherever you are the sun is shining bright...I'm working from home today and Jack is keeping me preoccupied, as usual....Here he is in his new Zara tank...



speak french to me....

I have this strange fascination with Bradley Cooper---I was kinda sceptical of him for a long while because he seemed too polished....but I couldn't get over how good looking he was...Well, now I'm a full convert to Camp-Bradley cause he....speaks French---fluently!

When I should be working...

...I am actually playing with the Instagram app on my iPhone. Good heavens...so fun. My first attempt...immortalizing my mom's birthday balloons :)

Beautiful barcodes

Interesting article on WSJ.com about the latest trend in beautiful packaging...artistic barcodes. You knew it was just a matter of time, especially given how are far we've come in the US in terms of thinking about packaging. European countries have been doing it for years but now, the all-form-and-function, no design days, are over (my theory is that Apple, not Europe, had a lot to do with the way American business and consumers view design today ...but it's just a theory and I am NO expert :)

Anyway, check some other fantastic, whimsical and indeed wildly artistic takes on those boring old numbers and lines :)

The other Birthday girl

This picture just makes me smile, ear to ear. Some additions to Laura's soulrun 'sweatshop' for birthday week; a ridiculously cute Banao plushie (a gift from strawberryluna) and gorgeous lilies :)

fiesta in a shoe!

Mandarina by Camper

I received my Camper sandals a few days ago....and what a way to celebrate the beginning of Summer!!!  I love the color combo and the small details are just fabby!  I've been a fan of Camper since the mid 90's and I'll just say they are one of the best shoe companies around...The workmanship, the cheeky/funky styles, and their Spanish origins just makes me love them that much more!
Check them out if you haven't already..!

The perfect scene

I just love this photo from the Kate Spade tumblr (via thestorminateacup). The caption...also perfect...'This is what you will find when you take the long way to work'. Brilliant.

Scenes from 'birthday week'

These pics are a little late in coming but I finally got a chance to get them off my phone and on to this blog. So birthday week started Sunday with the big 'Birthday BBQ'. Tons of food, great friends and perfect weather (not to mention an adorable dog...do you see him in there ... he's a big one) made for an absolutely lovely day.

Lots of birthday flowers and cards from dear friends.

On my actual birthday (I had to work) my wonderful, amazing mom, sent a surprise gift of cake and balloons for me and my colleagues to enjoy. Such a great treat! (By the way, the Wegmans cake...insanely delicious).

Finally, Chris taking a nap on the deck...after all the grilling (and eating) it was well deserved :)

Casual chic

...from All Things Stylish. Yes, my obsession continues...I check this tumblr about 800 times per day...photos like this are why. Ooh La La! 

(One more for total inspiration...McQueen...the king of cool)

Tips (and laughs) from A Cup of Jo

Joanna Goddard's blog A Cup of Jo is always a joy but she's had a few posts in the last couple days that have knocked it out of the park (something to aspire to if you have a blog, I say). One is her tip for these facial towelettes. I simply must must must wash my face before bed and after workouts or...well, lets just say, it's not pretty. But man, the older I get, the more crushingly tired I get and sometimes I (horror) go to bed without washing my face. Or worse, I workout and then run errands all afternoon with my face all nasty sweaty. Aside from putting innocent bystanders through the grossness of looking at me in this state, it's pretty bad for my skin. Well, on her suggestion, I just picked up this product and I am already in love. Absolutely great tip!!

Also, you simply must see her post titled Pilsner Cravings and featuring her baby son. I admit to skipping over a lot of her baby post but this one is...inspired and hilariously adorable :)

Me too ...

From the Hello Kitty facebook page...love.

A look back...Ad campaigns of the 90's

Blogspot is super wonky today. I can't seem to post any pictures...but I also just can't let this go. Fashionista has an absolutely awesome post today on their favorite fashion ad campaigns of the 90's. Check out their post and be prepared to wax nostaligic for this era in fashion. Genius.

(I'll post a pic as soon as I can...this post looks positively naked without one :)

Update: back in business with this Versace ad. Wow.

lovin this look in the summer

Hi everyone...I think I can say I am "officially" back!  What a great day to start, right? It's Katie's fabby birthday and it's the first day of summer....I am also back at work today (but not for too long...just a month or so longer...and then maybe part time..but that's for later)... 

What better way to celebrate summer than to have some cool looks to swoon over..What I  love about this woman above (beautifully shot by The Sartorialist) is that her outfit could be for so many seasons...spring, summer or early fall....and the small details are impeccable (the neon belt, her watch, the hat, the way her hair falls).  The look is effortless and timeless.

 Love.love.love

TasteHunter

The word that comes to mind when I think of the Tastehunter blog is the word "classic." Tastehunter is a mens' fashion blog written by my friend Julie Rath, who is a fashion guru. Take this picture, for example. This man would look good in any decade past, present or future. This is the kind of wardrobe I aspire to. If you're a man or you're someone who shops for a man, check out Julie's blog, stat!


~JP Pullos

Drainspotting

What is it about Japanese people that makes everything in that country so wonderfully unique and whimsical? Take, for example, the manhole covers: "Japan's manhole covers often include a symbol specific to an area or town as part of the overall design. For example, in Kora Town, Shiga, they feature a turtle (a symbol of wisdom and longevity) for the main motif, in addition to local landmarks, festivals, trees, myths, fireworks, boats, rivers, fish and sea creatures. Fairy tale elements, dinosaurs, anime characters, or icons can all be incorporated." Art is everywhere, even where you least expect it!

~JP Pullos

*One side note...I am thrilled to let you all know that JP will now be posting regularly for Ooh La La Du Jour. I could not be more excited to be working with him again after all these years.  Hooray!!!!!!!!!!!

Guest Post by....Jack!...Happy Birthday to my Auntie Katie!!!

Auntie Katie...Would you like a nectarine?

Imagining what Auntie Katie's cake will taste like!

Ga..Ga...Ga..Ga... (Translation:  This is a guest post by Jack)

Happy happy (early) birthday to my favorite Auntie in the whole world!  I'm not sure what time I'll be getting up tomorrow,which is Auntie Katie's real birthday...or when I'll be taking my naps so I thought I'd be diligent and get this post done today!  I know, I'm brilliant for a 12 month old.  But enough about me....

I hope you have the greatest day ever (just like Spongebob!)....Mommy tells me you are the absolute best when it comes to good conversation, stylish fashion tips, and all around wicked good personality! I agree 110%!!!

I think we all should celebrate (with cake!!!)because life sure would be dull without you in our lives....

So I hope you have a great day and heck!....why not celebrate the whole week as your Birthday Week..just like my mommy likes to do???!!!!  You deserve it! 

We love you SO SO SO much!!!

i love you...
yours truly,
jack

Librarian Wardrobe - LCM (?)

I had to put a question mark after this LCM because, well, I'll let you decide what you think of this tumblr titled Librarian Wardrobe. Or maybe I won't let you decide. Sheesh...dispelling none of the previous notions and stereotypes of librarians...these pics make me long for buns and comfortable shoes. Well, that's not totally fair...about 10% of the pics are pretty cute...including this lovely librarian in a wrap dress and heels :)

*Obviously, I did this post because I truly appreciate the effort these folks are taking to create a new image of librarians. Here's hoping they keep it up :)

To dads...

Post of the day comes from KJ's blog Waiting for Bambino...her thoughts on Jack's first birthday and her father. A beautiful tribute that left me teary-eyed...

Read it...and remember how wonderful dad's really are :)

Almost as cute...

...as the spade earrings at Kate Spade...I am loving these little horse shoes from Anthropologie.

Christmas in June (AKA Birthday/Fathers Day/First Day of Summer Weekend!!!)

You all know how much I love love love Christmas...well, second only to Xmas is 'Birthday Weekend'!!! Yay! I feel like a 10 year old at this time of year...birthday's all over the place and the first day of summer around the corner, not to mention Father's Day, make this an absolutely special time of year. 'Birthday Month' (as Laura likes to call it) was really getting away from me, until my dear friend Kris (who shares her June 19 birthday with Laura and my father) lit a fire under me, mid-week. We decided to have a joint 'Birthday BBQ' at my house, this Sunday. We're combining her awesome grill and my deck and basketball hoop, for an afternoon of fun (I hope!). As with most backyard parties, the guest list keep growing...but the more the merrier I say. I wish you ALL could be there!!! (Laura and Joe, you know I am talking to you :) And never fear...pictures next week!   *Fantastic photo from the Etsy shop Snap Co.

Of course Sunday is Father's Day...it would have been my dad's 76th birthday. Wow. I miss him everyday...but I talk about him so much, he might as well be here, which I think he would like :)  Laura's birthday is Sunday too! Here we are in Tarpon Springs...hmmm...probably 1979 or so....goofing around in the larger than life divers mask :)

Me and my pop...somewhere in Great Falls, Va...who knows when...maybe 1970 :)

OK, you may not have the mother-load of birthdays to celebrate this weekend, but summer is just around the corner (and finally starting to actually feel like it), so celebrate it!! And, needless to say, DO NOT forget dad :)  XOXO to you all!!  *Lovely drawing from the tumblr Hello Hello