Once we put them on, winter coats my not come off until March (ugh!) so it's important to have a few you love. And ones that are a little interesting too. I love the shape (and the shoulders especially) of the outerwear from Love the Label.
I found these Howth engravings by W.H. Bartlett on eBay (from this excellent seller). Perhaps you'll recognize the images from some of my shots of Ireland?
Though it must be said: Bartlett was a big fat exaggerator. Just check out how he rendered Lambay Island in the background (positively alpine!) Or Ireland's Eye, in the middle, more like some epic Tolkien stronghold, than the wee island it is.
Still, exaggerated or not, walking on the pier in Howth always puts me in mind of that critical scene in Jane Austen's Persuasion (Alice, I know you will relate!) Especially on days when the sea is really lashing and the winds whipping and blowing. Now, where oh where is my very own Captain Wentworth?
It's coming up that time of year when it gets really, really difficult to be vegetarian. Every magazine cover is a constant reminder that vegetarian guests are a nuisance (as these two MSL's show. Seriously is that the same prop turkey two years later?) I'm not a dogmatic vegetarian - I don't think get preachy and try to convert everybody. And, as much as anybody else, I like to sit at a big table and break bread with friends and family over the holidays.
But vegetarian lasagna just doesn't quite feel festive. Anybody with a restrictive diet will understand the awkwardness of standing out at a table. It's no fun to have to defend your food while you try to enjoy it. Or to hear those Tofurkey jokes for the fourth year running (no, we don't think it's very good either).
If you're catering for a vegetarian this year, this Crown Nut Roast my seasonal favourite. It's dead simple. It contains chestnuts and you serve it with cranberry sauce. What could be more festive? Believe me, everybody will want some, so the fact this serves twelve won't go to waste. And, if you can manage to keep some of your side dishes vegetarian too, your veggie guest will feel very welcome indeed...
Most of the blogs I've featured on "Where we blog from" are ones I've read for a long time. But this week, I'm featuring a brand new addition to my reader. When Caitlin of Sacramento Street e-mailed me, I immediately checked out her blog and accepted her offer to participate in "Where we blog from". I was curious to see if her space was as elegant and lovely as her blog. It is and she is too! This is where Caitlin blogs from and what she has to say about it.
Welcome to a cozy corner of my apartment that I can keep messy or neat (mostly neat). It’s located in the dining room of our small apartment, but because it’s in the dining room it reminds me of when I was little; I used to do projects and homework near the kitchen so I could talk to my mom while she cooked.
When I saw this desk at West Elm, I knew it had to come home with me. It’s the perfect size for the time being, even though it’s lately been covered with wedding contracts, sample invitations, ripped out pages of magazines and stacks of magazines to inspire me for the wedding.
All of the little items on my desk come from places I’ve traveled to around the world; the vase from Paris, notebook from London, world calendar from Ashland, and the drawing from Portland. Every item on my desk has sentimental value. I find that decorating with things you find when you travel gives you inspiration and creativity.
I’ll tell you the truth; I find it a little hard to blog every day with a full time job, but with this cozy desk at home it seems to work out just fine.
Thanks Caitlin!
Another impossibly lovely weekend here in Toronto. It's crazy that this is November! My weekend was equally perfect. I did a bunch of shopping, both online and instore, for gifts and think I've pretty much nailed all my Christmas presents. Mailing to Ireland on time should be no problem for me this year!
I even got cracking on one of my 2010 resolutions last week and booked a flight to Reykjavik for June 2010. Iceland has been on my want-to-see list for the longest time and I'm so excited to be spending my 34th birthday there next year.
I'm still deciding on hotels, but have been fantasizing mostly about staying here. I think you'll agree the decor is right up my alley (oh, the concrete!)
And I've been busy thinking about other resolutions. 2009 was a hard year for me. So, I'm setting myself up for success in 2010.
Landscape images from Bob O'Connor
Hotel images from Hotel Thingholt
Gosh, the weeks are just tearing by! I painted my bathroom this week. A bit like my mini kitchen reno, this was one of those projects that makes me rue living in a building with "character" (read: 1930's crumbling walls). Two days of prep and 6 coats of paint. My bathroom is probably smaller as a result of the extra paint layers, but it still feels nice and clean.
I made some headway on my other projects too and should be able to share something soon enough. And I had lots of fun writing my guest post for From the Right Bank. I've never been south of NYC, so attempting to tap into Atlanta style was fun and I was chuffed to get the nod from real Atlantans!
Around the blogosphere this week: I found wedding gowns that I actually covet (yay for sleeves!) And Remodelista did it again with another perfect-for-me abode. On those walls, I would definitely hang some of these laser prints, spotted over at For Me, For You. I'd also display this 1876 solar system quilt. And on the table, I would place these pieces from the new Alessi collection - isn't the photography reminiscent of William Bailey's artwork?
I don't have much planned for the weekend. I might try out a recipe from Babycakes (inspired, as always, by Anabela). But, enough about me! What are you up to? Regale me with your plans for epic adventure and conquest!
Image credits: 1. peaches, 2. oh baby spoons, i love you., 3. fresh bed, 4. Untitled
I ask you: What's not to like about Filippa K? I expect you'll find there isn't one thing. Not an iota. These are clothes we want to wear!
William Boyd's Any Human Heart is one of my all time favourite books. I laughed and cried over this book and shoved it into the hands of many book-loving friends and watched them do the same. So, when I was in Ireland and saw that Ordinary Thunderstorms was already out in paperback (the book isn't released in Canada until February 2010), I picked it up. (And about 9 other books too.) I hate to say a book disappointed. But it did.
Maybe I'm not fully appreciative as the thriller as a genre, but this book seems to continue down the same path as Restless. It makes me wonder where Any Human Heart came from. Was it a fluke? What a beautiful fluke it was. I still remember the pain I suffered when Logan Mountstuart suffered. I felt none of that empathy for Adam Kindred, the hero of Ordinary Thunderstorms. I think that was my problem. I really didn't care what happened to Kindred. I only read on to sate my curiosity. But once I knew, I promptly forgot about him. And, surely, in any genre, that is a problem.
But, what about you? Is it important to you as a reader that you are able to get behind the hero of a book (even when he behaves idiotically?) Can a story survive for you without characters who reel you in? Is plot alone enough?
I was going through my list of favourites on Etsy last night, looking for some Christmas shopping inspiration. Alas, I saw only things I want. I'll have to take off my selfish hat when I really start shopping. Because, unfortunately, my budget does not extend to two of everything... Maybe I'll just buy that cushion first though?
Product info: Hold It / Customizable Destination Bus Roll / Wire Bread Basket / Lines & Arrows cushion
You may remember Ally's lovely blogging space, which was recently featured in my Where we blog from series. Or perhaps you spotted her amazing house tour over on Design*Sponge. Well, the latest exciting new is that our Seattle-based, former Parisian is on the move again! Ally is, as I type, preparing to move to Atlanta.
I'm so excited to see how she incorporates Southern charm into her already impeccable design repertoire So, when she asked me to guest post, I couldn't resist a little fantasy shopping on her behalf. Hop on over to From the Right Bank to see my suggestions for Ally's new Atlanta abode.
Image from Atlanta Homes Magazine
