Oh Dunkin Donuts...

...why must you tempt me so? Heart-shaped, creme-filled Valentines day donuts...love.

Happy Birthday KJ!

Guess what?!? Today is KJ's birthday...and it's a bit of a milestone one at that :) There are really no words to describe how very dear KJ is to me. KJ is beautiful, fascinating, generous, caring, brilliant and hilarious. I say this pretty much every year but I'll say it again...I don't know how I got so lucky to have a friend like KJ, but I sure am glad I did. It seems only fitting that on a blog (which KJ statrted!!) devoted to our favorite things, we should have a post on some of KJ's most favorite things. Love you KJ...always and always! Above, KJ pictured with her lovely parents.

Ever so precious...Sir Jack.

The source of so much inspiration for KJ...Paris...sigh. Postcard from the Rifle Paper blog

Don't even bother mentioning her name without also mentions the delectable macaron.

When in doubt...look to Sofia.

Westie's...the world's most stylish dog :) Adorable print from the John Golden Shop

...and a bouquet of peonies will always and forever remind me of KJ :)

Ooh La La...in the kitchen

Le Creuset. Enough said. My small 'French' (Dutch) oven was lovely but I needed to upgrade in size. Enter 5 1/2 quart Le Creuset in Casis (you all know how I feel about that 'eggplant' color). I've had it 2 days...I've already used it for 2 meals. You already know they aren't cheap...but did you also know they are worth every single penny? The only problem now is that I want to replace all my kitchen utensils with Le Creuset.

Sigh...super-love :)

Good Mornin', Good Mornin' !

It's a gorgeous, snowy, sunny morning here in upstate (boy...how often do you hear me say that in late January) and even though the weekend was way too short and getting up this morning was an absolute bear, I've had 'Good Morning'...from 'Singin' in the Rain' stuck in my head for hours. So a happy one to you all!

How much do you love this recent post from The Sartorialist?! You'll love the caption that goes with it even more...Scott Schuman writes...

"It’s great to see a young lady from Kansas making the streets of Paris look so chic".

Love.

Soggy No More

Some people like their pancakes soggy. I, for one, do not. And that is why I will be adding these plates to my Wish List. They're slanted with a fabulous little resevoir for your syrup and melted butter. I mean, come on folks, does it get better than that?

~JP Pullos

Victor Cruuuuuuuuuuuuuz

The 2011 football season has been kind of a gigantic disappointment...well, for me at least. The 'Skins were 5-11 (ugh), the Steelers were way better but got bounced from the very first wildcard game and now well, the Superbowl is around the corner and 2 of my least favorite teams are playing. Kind of a bummer...but you know, it's football and I will always find a reason to pick a team to root for...and this time...that reason is Giant's receiver Victor Cruz.  A couple years ago, Cruz was an undrafted, free agent...now he's one of the major reasons the Giants are even in the Superbowl. But spectacular clutch catches aren't the only reason to watch this delightful star...root for him to score 'cause his victory dance of choice? The salsa...and it's one of the most fun things to watch in the game today.

Check out this great article on Cruz teaching some Giants fans tricks of the trade :)

And you know I can't resist the temptation to post other awesome football dances...like Ickey Woods famous 'Ickey Shuffle' (pick it up at 55 seconds...so fantastic). And of course, the infamous Chicago Bears Superbowl Shuffle. Holy heck...I even knew all the words to this one. Only a dominant team that demolished opponents could get away with this ridiculousness...and they did...on both counts :)

Gemma, Caitlin and I love doodle

You know what irks me to no end...that I can't do what I love doodle, Gemma Correll, and Caitlin McGauley do. I don't really want to be a singer, or an actress, or a dancer (though a day as a ballerina might be pretty amazing) but I would love to be able to sketch...to draw...to paint. I am so very jealous of these talented entities. Each so different, but each with the ability to make me smile and make me sigh, every single day. Ooh La La readers are already so familiar with their work. It makes its way to this blog regularly. I ask you...with beautiful watercolors, adorable designs and humor to boot...how on earth can we resist.

...by Caitlin McGauley

As if doughnuts couldn't be any more wonderful...immortalized in watercolor.

Oh Gemma...how do you do it?

What I wore today...making me rethink the whole concept of an outfit and how it comes together. Brilliant.

Whimsical, hilarious...this one is titled, I Want to Travel Someday

 Not to mention this little fellow :) Love...absolute love.

Oh the places you'll go...

...who knew a soulrun jersey pocket wallet would one day travel to the Great Wall in China. 100%, completely and totally amazing.

Friday photo of the day courtesy of soulrun and Jeff :)

Biker Glasses

I don't ride bikes but I do like that when you put a bike on something, it makes it nice to look at since bikes have so many lovely design elements. I'm in love these glasses!

~JP Pullos

A New Endeavor - The Blue Whitetail

You've heard the name, but pretty soon you'll be able to get up close and personal (well, sort of) to the man...the myth...the legend :) Yes, Chris is entering the wonderful world of blogging. On February 1, 2012, we are launching The Blue Whitetail, a site that will be devoted to Chris' past and current fine art photographs. Chris graduated from the Rochester Institute of Technology in Fine Art Photography in 1983. After a series of events (called 'life') which forced him to stop and start his photography career, he is back in full swing. 'The Blue Whitetail' will be a chance for many of us who have been waiting patiently, to finally see work that has not been viewed in 20 years. In addition to tackling his massive back log, Chris is also going digital...stepping away from the dark room and toward scanners et al. I am, in a word...thrilled.

Chris...giving a pep talk to the cast and crew of  '3.14...the movie'

Those talented Greeks :)

It seems the whole world is on Greece these days. Well, how can you blame them, right? Government and politics aside, I have always felt that if you give Greeks the incentive, they will always come through. Case in point...Eleava. The Dieline has a fabulous post about the gorgeous packing this little Greek company designed for the running of the 29th Athens Classic Marathon (truthfully, the ancient roots of this marathon course go back 2500 years and is where we get the standard marathon distance athletes have been running since...but I digress). 

Updating the ubiquitous and beautiful classic runners we've all seen on those ancient urns and vases, this 'logo', according to the Dieline, was designed to highlight a 'pattern-like continuity' is nothing short of brilliant. Whether standing alone, or amongst other bottles, the design is completely fluid. A gorgeous and modern tribute to perhaps one of the most recognizable designs in history.

Make your heart melt

Such a lovely idea ... hearts of ice, flecked with assorted greens and flowers. Beautiful, delicate, fleeting...a little like love. Sigh.

Find out how to make them via the always lovely Poppytalk.

Reason #212 to love Gemma Correll

 

Who doesn't love a girl who loves a strippey shirt :) The genius of Gemma.

A glimspe of spring

 

I just spotted this pic. from the Elie Saab spring haute coture 2012 collection in The Cut. I'm not usually such a fan of pastels...or gowns for that matter but this took my breath away. 

Dads Can Be Stylish Too

Let's put this into the category of "Why Didn't I Thnk of That?" This is a diaper bag made for a stylish man. How genius is that? I've got a handful of male friends who had babies recently and the accessories aren't usually on the masculine side so I'm totally digging this bag. Julie Rath, men's style guru, turned me onto Diaper Dude's website, where I found it. Becoming a Dad shouldn't mean giving up on style!

~JP Pullos

Bean bootmobile

By now, all you Bean boot fans probably know about the Bean bootmobile designed to commemorate the 100the anniversary of the uniquely wonderful and American company. But did you ever think you get a chance to see it in action? I have to say, this photo kind of just made my day :)

Via the Racked. Source...The Bangor Daily News

Font Happy

People who love fonts are nerds. People who create fonts are cool. That makes me a nerd and Aesthetic Apparatus, a 3-person design team, cool. They designed this font inspired by the OPEN sign you see in store windows. LOVE IT!! See their Kickstarter campaign here. No surprise they're already fully funded!

~JP Pullos

Ooh La La...look what holiday is around the corner!

I can't believe we are less than a month away from Valentine's Day and there has yet to be a post on Ohh La La about it! What?!?! We love Valentines Day! The pink, the red, the hearts, the sweets and of course, the all important sentiment...well, it might as well be the official holiday of this blog. Here are just a few of my favorite fare, so far. Above, the 'Frenchman Valentine' from R. Nichols. I ask you, who wouldn't love to be serenaded by a Frenchman whose cigarette smoke comes out heart-shaped?

From  Kate's Paperie...'Love birds' :)

...or from the Paper Source a kit to make perpetual daisies for your sweetie....

...not to mention, fabulous garland to add to the festivity.

Always remember, Valentines Day is a day to say 'I love you'. Romantic or not...make sure you say it to all who mean something to you :)

Gooood Morning Ooh La La!

It's cold and gray and snowy here in upstate ... it may not be any such thing where you are but no matter where your location, you know you'd love to begin the day like this :)

Via All Things Stylish

Who is JP?

My amazingly wonderful business coach, Renita, is constantly reminding me that I don't do enough self-promotion so here goes: In addition to writing about design and fashion for this wonderfully fabulous blog, I also teach photography. I offer group classes here in NYC and I also sell photography instructional videos online. If any ooh la la readers are photography enthusiasts, you should definitely check out my website with all my group and online photography classes, like my Facebook page, and follow my Twitter feed.

I'll tell you the one thing I love about my work: That moment when someone realizes their camera can do something they never realized it could. The look in their eyes is like I just changed their whole world. I'm so very lucky to have the opportunity to teach people to create beautiful images every day.

~JP Pullos

Comparison Shopping By Post-It Note

I've written on ooh la la before about Candy Chang who is as a community activist with some very creative ways about how to get people communicating. I'm absolutely loving this project she did in Carroll Gardens in Brooklyn, NY. The idea was to make public how much people are paying for their apartments to illustrate a little-known fact: What the market value of your shoebox really is. I wish she would do this in my neighborhood! I'd love to know what the people around me are paying!! See more about the project here and see Candy's other, amazing projects here.

~JP Pullos

Karl's kitty

Apparently, Karl Lagerfeld has a new little pet kitten...named Choupette. OK, everyone...you can now fall over from cuteness.

Via The Cut

January is...National Soup Month

As if you needed a reason to eat more delicious and hearty soups during this dead of winter month, here's one more...January is (among other things) National Soup Month. Whole Foods has some great recipe suggestions on their site. Bon Appetit!

Golden Globes et al

Hi kids! If you are working out there...and I  know you are...'cause I'm in there too, I hope your week is getting off to a smooth and wonderful start. I may have picked the perfect weekend to be battling a cold, because it was one of those occasions where everything I was interested in was going on in other places. Football and Golden Globes ruled the weekend and with frigid temps up here, I used the time to hibernate, try to kick this incredibly stubborn cold, work around the house and catch all that was going on in the NFL...not to mention Hollywood. 

So speaking of which....did you watch the spectacle? Honestly, it always amazes me how a roomful of some of the richest, most celebrated and allegedly talented people in their field, can sound like such complete and utter morons in the, more than ample time, they are give to say 'thank you'. Hmm...let's run them down, shall we? Meryl Streep...shut up...just shut up. Apparently you desperately need a script not to sound like an idiot. George Clooney...if you are the heir apparent to the role of leading man in Hollywood, then how about taking a cue from great leading men of the past. You know elegant men like Clark Gable, Cary Grant, Humphrey Bogart, to name a few. Just a hint but they probably never gave a  thank-you speech that involved a reference to another actors private parts. Truly unbelievable. Thank goodness for the cast and crew of the The Artist, who gave one gracious and adorable speech after another. Proving that you can do no wrong with a French accent, even the little dog was more impressive and well-behaved than these other so-called stars.

Then, of course, there was the incredibly darling, absolutely lovely and beautifully humble Michelle Williams. She saved the night for me...from her gorgeous Jason Wu gown...to that fabulous hair...to the thank you speech to her daughter. She tugged at my heart strings in every way.

An Equal Playing Field

Readers of ooh la la will know that I'm fascinated with design of all kinds, including design that serves a bigger purpose than just looking pretty. Gordon and Maggie Hartman created a playground in San Antonio, Texas that can be enjoyed by all kids, even those with special needs. Among many accommodating design features, the swings and the carousel are made to fit wheelchairs. It's absolutely genius and I hope the idea catches on in more places. My hats off to the Hartmans!

~JP Pullos

NFL Playoffs, MMA, Gilbert & Sullivan ... and Friday the 13th

Well, this weekend is off to an auspicious beginning (after all, Friday really is pre-weekend., don't you think?) First of all, it is Friday the 13th, which I didn't notice until I pulled my phone out, while sitting in a massive, snow-related backup on my way to work. Hmmm...well, if you judged Friday the 13th by the weather, then every day in Rochester from November to April is the dreaded day. But I arrived safely at the library and I suppose that's all that matters :)

Such oddness on tap this weekend...including taking down my Christmas tree (which I told Chris, back in Novemberr that I would cry when I had to do...it's just too beautiful!), MMA pay per view event, 4 potentially AWESOME football games and a Gilbert and Sullivan play a friend from work is performing in :) Well, I don't get  the randomness, but bring it on!

Since we are talking weekend, you know I love a great article of blog post on what to wear. Refinery 29 has some fantastic ideas. I have been in such a rut of Old Navy yoga pants (which really are fabulous, by the way) and monkey fur jackets that these outfits have me rather inspired to be a little more Ooh La La!

Whatever you're up to on this wintery weekend, make sure you fit in a little relaxation!

Aces High

The four suits are perennial design favorites. If you read this blog with any regularity, I don't need to tell you which designer often uses spades in her clothing and jewelry lines. This bottle opener by Kikkerland is so much fun and a great gift for the poker player in your life who invites all of his or her friends over for cards and beer.

~JP Pullos

Rockin' out with Jack

Uh  Jack...you kick some style booty.