Chanson

Did you know that Belinda Carlisle put out a cd of classic French tunes? I've been listening to it for a few years now and return to it whenever I'm in my French-mood! (A big bonus...she's actually very good w/ her French!)

Mad for Pomme

How divine is this Mod Pomme Pot from Anthropologie?

Pantone my world!

Pantone Hotel Brussels.... I think this hotel has been blogged about before just recently (maybe Oh Joy! & Design Sponge)....but I wanted to mention it because it just looks like the coolest place...Check out I love Belgium, a very cool site for all that's cool about Belgium!

A cardinal for all seasons

You all remember strawberryluna's 'Winter Cardinal' (from a previous post) but did you know, the little cardinal has made it's way into spring and summer versions for her 'Season Series'? Oh my, simply wonderful. And I hardly wait until fall rolls around to see what our favorite birdy is up to!

p.s. By the way, I so share Allison's love for cardinals. The are beautiful, hardy and have the best little song of any bird out there :)

French Kiss

Is it redundant to talk about Tokyomilk? I only say that because, as I far as I can tell, they are kind of the perfect company. Their products are heavenly and they are 100% masters of beautiful packaging. Case in point is the ever perfect scent 'French Kiss'. Frankly, I would have bought it if it smelled bad. I mean just look at this bottle! It give me pleasure to see it every morning on my dresser...so the fact that it is such a lovely scent...well, that's just cake :)

Voila!

my side project...

here's the adoption/baby blog i'm working on...if you ever get bored...it's mostly a list of stuff i'm thinking of buying at some point....but also a way of updating everyone on the status of our adoption!

http://bambinoandmoi.blogspot.com/

Oh to be poolside....

...it's another scorcher up here. If I only had a nickle for every person who's said 'Hot enough for 'ya?!'... but I don't mind. I said it before and I'll say it again...I love it. My neighbors who share my backyard property line have an above ground pool (which they lovingly care for) and when they get the chance, you will always find them relaxing on a raft, drifting about, reading a magazine. They also do something that makes me incredibly nostalgic...I realized it because, with the advent of iPods, no one seems to do it anymore...they listen to the radio. Boy, does that take me back...back to the 80's when Laura and I used to spend the better part of our summer in our backyard pool with Q107 blasting from the boombox, in the background. My (current) neighbors prefer our local classic rock station which makes me even more nostalgic...because 90% of the songs are the same ones we heard 20+ years ago.

Lately, I've been seeing a lot of pretty awesome lists of the best summer songs of all time. Entertainment Weekly has a great and comprehensive one. Even the Kate Spade Facebook page posted the question to fans...with hundreds of great responses. What are your faves? Here are the ones that top my list :)

Cruel Summer - Bananarama
Summer in the City - Lovin' Spoonful
Summer Breeze - Seals & Croft
Soak Up the Sun - Sheryl Corw
Vacation - Go Go's
Wouldn't It Be Nice - Beach Boys
Margaritaville - Jimmy Buffet
Summertime - DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince
California Love - 2Pac/ Dr. Dre
Here Comes the Sun - The Beatles

...oh and Katy Perry...man, anything by that girl makes me want to head to the beach :)

(Mesmerizing print perfectly titled 'Afloat' by Stephanie Fizer)

Just for kids...I don't think so

How much do I love this Flower Making Kit from the Land of Nod. Well, really how much do I love everything they have...in fact they've been my main go to for creative gifts for my goddaughter for years now. I have to admit though...she and I might have to duke it out over this ... I just love paper flowers and with this kit you can make some pretty spectacular ones.

The Road to Paris

Aah...the Tour du France. 2000+ miles of competition (and sometimes torture) for the cyclists...3 weeks of excitement and gorgeous, sweeping views of the French countryside for us. And it all ends in spectacular fashion of the streets of Paris. One day, I hope to be standing on those very streets cheering the cyclists home...until then, these wonderful bicycle themed items (all found on Etsy) will have to fill the void.

Screenprinted glassware by Vital, Buttons by potatopotato, Bicycle wall art by baconssquarefarm and J' Adore le Tour du France by slaps.

Happy Salute to Paris Week!

Out to lunch

I hear ya' KJ on the the comments function of the blog...I've commented (sometimes twice) on your posts (all of which I've loved by the way) but to no avail. No biggie...hopefully all power will be restored and all the comments we wrote will come through.

In the meantime, I think Laura's cat Chaka Malik has the right idea...

Wacky blogger...plus cupcakes

I'm having some issues w. posting comments today... I commented on all of KP's posts this morning, but they are nowhere to be found! UGGHH!!!!

I'll do a short post here, but only because they're about cupcakes. Primrose Bakery---if Jude Law thinks they're the best in London then they're good enough for me!

Decorative House Banners - Corny or Cool ?

Do you have an opinion on those ubiquitous house banners that people proudly display on their homes, that can run the gamut from patriotic to purely decorative? When I moved into my home and discovered I had the contraption necessary to display a flag, I automatically thought of all the lame and silly flags I've seen in the past. I pretty much figured I would never display anything but an American Flag. But then, as I walked around my neighborhood, I noticed some really cute and colorful banner flags out there. Not all of them had teddy-bears and 'Welcome' pineapples (not that I'm opposed to either of those :) After going through the seasons and seeing some adorable seasonal and holiday banners, I started to become inspired but it wasn't until my sister spotted a very beachy flag while she was walking Zeus that I became totally obsessed. So, I caved and got the flag above and I have to tell you...it makes me smile just to think of it :)

book as purse

Book of the month clutch from Kate Spade....Not sure if I'd carry this, but I would definitely keep it as a collectible! I wonder if there are other "books" to come....If it were Portrait of a Lady, I might be tempted.

Fabulous Summer Menus

I absolutely love this list of delicious summer menus from Bon Appetit (it was originally a post for the 4th of July but I think it's good all summer !

So simple and yet....

I read something kind of interesting this weekend (I think it was in the August issue of Lucky mag). Actually, it was just a statement in an article about the 'perfect jeans'...the writer mentioned that while wearing jeans and a white t-shirt is a always stylish and simple classic, it is very easy to get wrong. They also said that sometimes, it's the simplest looks that can really go wrong the most often. Boy, did that idea hit me like the proverbial 'ton of bricks'. I never articulated this thought but I sure agree. Let's face it, doing the jeans and white t-shirt thing is first dependent on getting the perfect pair jeans (which we know don't exist) and a tee that is just so...after that, it's all attitude so while this ensemble seems so simple it might be one of the toughest outfits to pull off. I am certain that I NEVER have, in spite of the fact that I've tried over and over and ... well, you get the idea.

Here are 2 who do it to perfection...the iconic James Dean and Erin Wasson, spotted on Black *Eiffel for Hanneli (of course that gorgeous pooch doesn't hurt :)