Still Sick

I am ill and my mother made me chicken broth from scratch with pastina just like when I was little and stayed home from school sick. She always says sarcastically that it's made with love but it really is the most wonderful broth in the world and I swear it makes me feel better. Moms are the best. Thank you mommy.

Soup bowl, Royal Doulton

Gladiator

As object de arte I really like gladiator sandals. I would like them as book ends, or on an end table. I'm never really keen on them once they are on feet. They look a bit grim and I think make the most svelte ankles hideous, (see Gisele for example) but I saw these and thought they were fun and maybe with pants... perhaps skinny jeans hmmmm.... I'm not going to say where I found them because it's demoralizing.

Ecosphere

In Anthro today on the counter there were three of these, one by each register. They are like little glass globes of sea monkeys you don't have to feed. I pine a little bit.

Sick

I am now sick and hopefully not with the swine virus. The doctor told me I couldn't come in if I had visited Mexico or Queens lately. Since I haven't done either, I assume I just have a killer ear infection. Oh joy. I'm off to the doctor and I apologize for the scarce postings from me the last few days. Peace out.

Tables On Which to Put Coffee, Or Books

A, B, C, or D? Hmmm. Coffee tables are so difficult

Furniture

This morning two of these lovely couches arrived (only in grey) and one of these lovely chairs appeared (only red) and they are lovely. Now we just need a gorgeous coffee table but we can't find one we like. Project Make-Mississippi-Un-Fug is progressing nicely

Dido

I was listening to my ipod on the bus this morning on the way to work and "Here With Me" came on and it made me start to think. What happened to Dido? She was so awesome when I was in middle school and in the very beginning of high school. "Thank You" and "White Flag" totally rocked my teenage world. I also read in a magazine a couple years back that strippers loved Dido's music because it's apparently really good to strip to. I feel a little naff thinking that is secretly cool.

I can't embed any of these videos but they're on youtube. Watch. Be healed.

ILL

My computer is in the mac store having it's screen repaired. Apparently there is a lot wrong with this years macbooks. Apparently. I am also miserable and going to bed. The south and it's million degree heat doesn't particularly agree with me. My boss asked if I had swine flu and sent me home. Perhaps tea and some time asleep with a cat on my feet will help. If Cherry Ames were here I would be healed....

The First

Things I learned this weekend:

1. Paychecks

2. Are

3. Awesome

Checkmate

I suppose today is not the best day to discuss scarves seeing as it's 85 degrees in New York City but I was road-tripping to Boston over the weekend and this beautiful checkerboard scarf from the blog Whit's Knits, written by the very talented Whitney, on PurlBee provided much distraction from the boring trip up I-95.


I bought yarn for this project a few weeks ago. The Fibre Company's Canopy is probably one of the most lovely yarns I've ever worked with. I bought three skeins in "Roseship." It's a perfect summer color but now that I see all the new hues on the website I kind of wish I had waited and bought "Purple Passion" or "Macaw" instead.

Oranges, Spreadable

Did anyone else read Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit? I just this very moment learned it was a BBC mini-series so you might have watched it too. I don't remember if I liked the book but I do know that in terms of spreadability oranges are my only fruit. I know it's spring so we are suppose to be done with the orange but they are my favourites and I mostly just eat avocado during the summer if I can't lay my hands on an orange. We have just reached the bottom of our last jar of marmalade and I thought I might rawther adventurously attempt to make some. So far I am crippled by fear of inadvertently making horrific jelly-like marmalade that you can see through and not the yummy kind so recipes are key. I am debating Alton Brown's, Martha's (both reliable sources) or this random one here (because there is whiskey in it and it's not see through). Martha and Alton both lose some authority because they're Americano. I may have three American grandparents and a shiny American education and childhood but where marmalade is concerned I side with my mother, my granddad, Edinburgh, Scotland, James Keiller and his sons. Marmalade should be chunky and delicious. Has anyone else made marmalade?

Construction Paper, Glittter, Birthdays

Sisters 2 and 3 are turning 20 this Thursday (I guess that makes me Sister 1) and Sister 2 is in Dallas so her birthday pressies were shipped early this morning, all wrapped in lovely paper from everyone here. In the(very unlikely) event that she reads this blog I will hold off on posting pictures of my wrapping insanity as directed toward her, or of her pressies in general. I realized though that I never posted the pictures of Mary's wrapped craziness or her card. So here they are. Relive the glory, Mary-Berry.

Also: I have a sick love for brown paper, I can't help it. It's an addiction.

Golden Girl

For the golden goddess that is Dorothy Zbornak:

I hope Bea Arthur is lounging on the lanai in the sky with cheesecake in hand. 

Look What's Growing

There is this cracked out store near here that sells boutiquey things like James jeans and Swarovski Hello Kitty Necklaces, it also sells insanely odd little shoes for $5 and occasionally clothing for five dolla. I like things that cost five dolla, I'm cheap okay whatever. I bought these there. They are very shiny, very cracked out, awesome.

New Life Goal

Go to Bhutan and come home with suitcases full of these. I'll wear them draped around me and never wear real clothes, ever. I'm not kidding.

Peace, Love, and Girl Scouts

The Girl Scouts are selling cookies in my building today. It's been a long time since my cookie-selling days but seeing the uniformed girls chirping at the entrance to the elevators made me all nostalgic for troop meetings, camping trips and friendship bracelets. The boxes aren't pretty and neither are the cookies but I couldn't help thinking how much they mean to so many people. Troops use the money to fund trips and activities that mean the world to young girls, especially those who might not get to participate in such extra-curricular activities otherwise due to economic circumstances. I don't know how many of you were also Girl Scouts but if you were you know what I'm talking about. If you weren't, support them anyway because the organization is one of the few that aims to instill good leadership qualities in young girls.

*Image from Erin Zuriek

Hello Weekend!

Dent May says Happy Weekend! He's pretty much my favourite thing right now, especially College Town Boy and he's from Mississippi and the Da Vincis are opening for him later this month. Their front man looks mighty familiar....

Safe

About a million years ago Ann-the-bestie-from-highschool and I came across the above GYMSPacific laptop sleeve which was at the time the most gorgeo thing either of us had seen (still, pretty much, is). The boutique we saw it at had marked it up about a million dollars and at the time I had a super titchy tiny iBook and was a college student and a $1,000,035 was a bit much for a laptop sleeve. Now I have a new laptop and a job, and the above still looks very cute. As does the below. Decisions decisions....

Miniatures

This should be Hannah's post really, because she sent me pictures of the lovely things on CuteAbility's etsy shop, which she originally saw on the wonderful Luphia loves...

I couldn't pull this off because I am not nearly cool enough, but isn't it beautiful? It's just so pretty! It looks like all the miniature cakes and desserts in my doll house that I used to play with. 

Miniature cakes from Boston Miniatures.

Blue Belle

Hello Gorgeous, 

I want you, I need you, oh baby, oh baby.

Tulle La La

Remember the flowered headbands this fall from J. Crew? I really wanted it and flaked and never bought it. I was playing around with tulle and made this flower which in theory I could pop on a headband. This one I glued on a clip and stuck in my littlest sister's hair. Will post instructables if I can remember how I made it.

I'm Gonna Stamp My Face on EVERYTHING

Today the stamp of my brother's face I bought him for his birthday arrived, slightly post birthday since I ordered it a bit late. I got it from Lilimandrill who will make you a custom stamp of your face. I want one of me so I can stamp all my books, and possibly walls, light fabrics, antiques and my brother's hand, like I'm a club. It's not an exact likeness but it's pretty damn good. She drew a preliminary sketch and then I asked her to make some changes and she made them and then carved the stamp. Below is my brother's luminous face in photo, above in ink.

Specifically Old Lady-ish Craft

I made a cat bed, for my cat who likes to sleep on the counter. He's almost sixteen years old and I thought it might be a bit more comfy than the phone book. I understand that this makes me a ninety year old woman who will die alone. I do.

In the event that you too are contemplating being found a week after death half eaten by alsatians and donating your estate to the Save the Animals fund, you too can make a cat bed. Directions are here

Grandmama's Jewelry Box

I have commandeered these from my grandmother's jewelry. I don't normally wear broaches/pins... any thoughts

Summer Reading

I'm threatening (myself not my work) with my two weeks notice and am leaving Mississippi for the summer within a month (HURRAH!) so I'm thinking summery thoughts and from thence has come the summer reading list. My favourite thing in the universe is to go to Wonder Book in Hagerstown and buying bags full of books for five dollars (somehow when a book only costs ten cents you will buy a much more varied selection) so I'm sure there will much more read this summer but this is somewhere to start.

A) Happens Every Day by Isabel Gillies is apparently wonderful, there was an excerpt in Vogue and everyone from my favourite NPR reviewers to Elle Magazine loved it. The fact that Gillies isn't a writer is suppose to be a benefit but we shall see (this coming from someone who read Tori Spelling's book so take it for what its worth).

B) Jill and the Perfect Pony and other Jill Crew books by Ruby Ferguson. My mum read these as a child and I picked up the torch pretty early, Mum bought me the whole set for my graduation last year. Superficially they are about horses but really they are about being keen and enthusiastic and the importance of white-wash and bucking up and making do. All of which seems rather pertinent right about now.

C) The Ambassadors by Henry James seems like something one ought to read and every summer I attempt an 'ought to' especially since avoiding complete brain atrophy seems essential post college. I heard one of my favourite authors Ann Patchett speak this past weekend at the Southern Literature Festival in Jackson and she said Henry James is "life ruiningly wonderful" which I thought was pretty groovy, listen to her talk about it on NPR here.

D) The Thin Place By Katheryn Davis was called a "brilliant, peculiar book" by the New Yorker which is enough for me. Read the wee reviews here.

E) The Drunk Driver Has the Right of Way by Ethan Coen of film fame. While Coen's poems will not be taught at my alma mater any time soon, I think they are kind of fun and who doesn't want to read a limerick involving "a well-endowed rhinoceros making love to a Sherman tank"

F) Bangkok 8 by John Burndett because no summer reading list would be complete without a book about a dead marine in Bangkok and some exciting police espionage. Yes. Thank you.

E) Serve the People By Jen Lin-Liu. There are only so many times you can read Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto and I have an obsessive need to read about noodles and dumplings.


As I write this I am working in the back garden and it's finally cooled down, it was 98 at lunch. Maybe Mississippi isn't so bad...

Want, Need, Pine

In theory I have a lot of tote bags of the canvas variety.  Since January I have made this and this and bought this which are all in addition to the totebags I had pre-blog, pre-Mississippi, during college, highschool etc. So I really don't need this bag from Makoon Loves You but it's sooo lovely. In theory my tote bags (photos will follow) will soon be in Madeline's and possibly etsy-ified but really I want this one.... sigh.

(For the purposes of full disclosure Katy Elliot found it first. Dear Katy Elliot, you are super cool. Just thought you should know. Thanks, Me)

Birds

This is pretty much the cutest thing ever. I saw it over at Design is Mine and I wish this birdcage was hanging around my neck.

Means of Keeping Notes

Random lovely things: soft cover Moleskin Volant notebooks. Each package comes with two notebooks in different hues. I bought a package of them from Barnes and Noble last week and they make me tres happy. 

Shine and Shimmer

I generally enter Sephora enticed by all the gorgeous colors and usually leave intimidated and feeling like a failure because I'm not exactly well-versed in the world of make-up. I feel like these lovely things though are simple enough--blush and luminizer--so that they could even make someone like me look less busted. Plus they're just so damn pretty. 

I adore Shu Uemura. If you don't have their eyelash curler, you should probably get it. It changed my life. You think I'm kidding. I'm not. I love how simple and pretty this blush is.

Clinique Fresh Bloom All Over Colour. It looks too pretty to use. 

Guerlain Meteorities Powder For The Face. So beautiful I can't cope. Also inspired by Marie Antoinette's jewelry box. I know, I might be obsessed. Leave me alone.

Lets Go Back to Bed

My car is being fixed (ick ick ick, cars are such a money pit) today and I have spent most of the day in bed with a head ache. Will hopefully be back tomorrow.

Magnolia

My parents insist that our magnolias don't smell. I was outside taking pictures this past weekend and I swear, they do.

I also realized that I can't say magnolia without thinking of Blanche Devereux.

Rain or Shine

On my walk to catch the bus on Fifth Avenue every evening I pass a darling little umbrella shop. It's small and charming and each day I've sworn to go in. Today it was miserable in New York. It was windy, raw and cold and the rain seemed to hit me in every conceivable direction. So today on my walk I stopped. I looked in the window and saw the most adorable pink and orange umbrella with a handle and it's big and perfect and I feel like a big girl when I carry it. 

I'm almost looking forward to the rain tomorrow. 

Oranges and Chocolate

Nigella and I do not always agree. She's obviously fun and makes yummy things but her recipes aren't quite right. At least whenever anyone I know has tried them. I'm sure when she makes them they are delicious but somehow not so much when I do. The exception is this cake, like a jaffa cake but twice as delicious and lasts forever since you have to eat teeeny little slices. You should probably eat it. I am.

2 small thin-skinned oranges, approx. 375g total weight (or 1 large)
6 eggs
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
200 g ground almonds
250 g caster sugar
50 g cocoa
orange peel, for decoration

Directions
Put the whole orange or oranges in a pan with some cold water, bring to the boil and cook for 2 hours or until soft.
Drain, and when cool, cut the oranges in half and remove any big pips.
Then pulp everything - pith, peel and all - in a food processor.
Preheat the oven to gas mark 4/180°C Butter and line a 20cm springform tin (or 350 for us in les etats unis)
Add the eggs, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, almonds, sugar and cocoa to the orange in the food processor. Run the motor until you have a cohesive cake mixture, but slightly knobbly with the flecks of puréed orange.
Pour and scrape into the cake tin and bake for an hour, by which time a cake tester should come out pretty well clean. Check after 45 minutes because you may have to cover with foil to prevent the cake burning before it is cooked through, or indeed it may need a little less than an hour; it all depends on your oven.
Leave the cake to get cool in the tin, on a cooling rack. When the cake is cold you can take it out of the tin. Decorate with strips of orange peel or coarsely grated zest.

Those, like me, with American measuring spoons and stoves and cups should find translations here.

Also: if you are trying to keep cats out of flower beds you can put the water you in which you boiled the oranges over your garden.

Oranges and Dirt

Today I am going to be a productive member of society, society at large not the blogging society so posting will be minimal (maybe Mary will pick up the slack? thanks boo). I bought a few herbs and they must be planted so I am digging. I also found these rando pots in the garage that were abandoned by the previous owner and I have a compulsion to fill them, which would mean splitting and digging up other things, which will mean getting filthy, possibly tan. Rock on.

Also: Does anyone know if there is anything wrong with composting oranges? The internet is full of conflicting facts, apparently they keep cats out of flower beds which is a concern here but someone suggested that they might be too sweet and attract weird bugs and or have toxic oils on their skins... does anyone know? Enjoy sunny day.

Ikat Dress. Want.

I worked for Donna one summer. I think that gives me enough street cred to demand that this dress materialize in my closet right now.

DKNY Ikat dress

Fleet Foxes

If you don't listen to the Fleet Foxes then you probably should. Their music is awesome and their animated videos are just very cool. 

You're welcome.

Dear Viv

I love you a lot because you made this, obviously just for me. You are a champion of excellence. I will save every cent that used to be spent on chocolate macaroons now that I am living the healthy life inflicted by swimsuits (SIGH) and the ever approaching summer. While I will miss the macaroons you, dearest of darlingest of Viviennes, have helped a lot.

Much love and a million kisses,

Hannah
XOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Madeline's

I am officially a shopgirl, minding a shop. There are some lovely things, I kind of think having a little shop would be the neatest thing ever. Beth is living the dream. I think she should set up an etsy, I haven't told her so but I think she'd do really well. Her prices are obscenely low and she has lovely stuff. She already has a brick and mortar for storage... hmmm. She sells herbs and a few flowers, old fashioned candy and sodas and ice cream, vintage linens and jewelry and accessories and some gorgeous furniture. Here are some of the lovely things here.



Aren't these tea towels luminous? I adore them