Flowers

phoebe's Scary 3rd Birthday Party

Phoebe's Scary 3rd Birthday Party

Well this certainly looks live a very fun party. Wish I was there!

Some Scary Party Decorations

And lollybags.

Tourists' Guide to Paris

This is from yesterday's FT. I thought it was a great article on why the French are 'rude' - not that I think they are, but, I've only been once in the past 10 years so don't really have much experience. Anyway, worth a read, it's very insightful and funny.

Article here

Turning Into Aunty Mary

My Aunty Mary never met a thrift shop she didn't love. And I fear I am turning into her! A new two story store has opened up a street away and it's always worth a peek. I was very happy with my market bag - you know that was on the list- and just $10, the tray was $5, and the cute jar just $3. Bargains i say, bargains. I think the jar will make a nice gift, perhaps filled with some delicious homemade truffles and wrapped with a lovely ribbon. Anyone have a birthday coming up?

Bit of a show and tell this week, what with the bedroom throw and all. Another gift from Nick - this time my lovely bike and basket. Not a great shot, but I reckon she's a beauty. Ever so handy, you just lift it off and take it into the shop, so now plastic bags needed. The black bike image gives you a better look at the basket.

So here is a picture of our bedroom. I just wanted to share my beautiful pom pom throw that I got for my birthday. I LOVE it. bit scratchy, but looks nice. Made in Morocco. You might recognize the carpet/matt thing from a post I did a year or so ago. Love that too.

I think this looks pretty amazing. But it is so much about the setting. Would look crazy in our apt yet looks fantastic against the background. Nice to see something different.

Is She or Isn't He

Has anyone been following this?

Caster Semenya won gold in the 800m at last night's World Championships, but she could be stripped of her medal if officials aren't satisfied with the results of gender tests. Her family, meanwhile, swears she's a female.

Semenya ran her race in an impressive 1:55.45, more than two seconds faster than silver medalist Janeth Jepkosgei of Kenya. But suspicions that she is not "entirely female" require her to undergo "extremely complex" gender testing, including examinations by an endocrinologist, a gynecologist, and a "gender expert." Officials of the International Association of Athletics Federations clarify that they don't believe Semenya has cheated by undergoing a sex change or hiding her true gender — rather, they think she has a "medical condition," such as some combination of male and female chromosomes. She will lose her medal if she is found to be "male," but it's not clear exactly what that means in her case, or what will happen if tests determine she is intersex.

Poor thing. What do you reckon?
Do you like my headline? I think it would make a great name for a movie.

This is near Times Square, in midtown. Taken from the double-decker bus when Meg was here. So crazy around there. I never really get up there at all, so it was kind of a fun thing to do.

Feeling Crafty?

Looks simple enough to do. I don't think I could be bothered, but might be fun scissor practice if you have a little one. Found on Design Sponge. Martha Stewart has all kinds of fun crafty, hole-punch things, I guess they used something similar for the confetti decoration on the gifts.

A NYC reminder for the Perry's.

Spider Man

Has quite the fans. I've posted a picture of Phoebe carrying a blow up Spider Man toy. And here is Amelie in Louis's outfit. Cute!

Amazing House

I just love this house so much. Everything is perfect - just the way I would do it. It's owned by the Creative Director of JCrew and was in Domino magazine, one of my favorite home magazines that disappeared because of the recession -boo hoooo.
I was reading an old issue the other night and it. Had to share.

Fun-Employment

Have you heard all these wacky terms that have come from the recession? Funemployment, staycation etc? We can't escape them. And it seems they are in the UK too. A very dear friend, Philly, is in the attached SKY story. Her lovely hubby Jimmie got made redundant, which was on the cards, so they are taking some time to hang out and do a driving trip around the US. They arrive in NY in September and I couldn't be more excited. Anyway, to learn more about 'funemployment', and too see Philly and Jimmy and Willy and baby Toby, check out the story here

Lime Salt

I love limes, and Nick loves salt (and limes too actually). And boy do I love to use my microplane to zest. I am zest mad, and often add a little bit of citrus zest to a meal or salad (little bit of lemon is great on a fruit salad, especially if there are lots of strawberries in it). Anyway, another tip from 'the kitchen' - lime salt. Mix a teaspoon of lime zest with quarter of a cup of salt and mix it up in the pestle and mortar (you could probably use your hands). Nice for fish or whatever. I'll try it and report back.

Throw

I like the look of this, from Sweet Paul. It's a bed throw made from linen fabric and vintage doilies. I'm not too crafty, but I think it would probably be quite easy to do if you had some great doilies.

Barefoot Contessa's Guide to Paris

I think she is just great. I'm keeping her Insider's Guide to Paris here in anticipation of our trip.

Article here. It's from fodors.com

Thimbleberries

I've never heard of them, but they do look pretty. Another thing I picked up at The Kitchen, a blog I like to read. And what a pretty photo. They look too good to eat - but they are edible:

Thimbleberries are said to be tarter than raspberries, with more seeds. The round, globe-shaped "sections" are called drupelets, and the drupelets of a thimbleberry are more pointy-shaped than those of a raspberry, and have more seeds. The bodies of thimbleberries are larger and softer than raspberries. Since these fruits are so fragile, they do not ship well, and have not been successfully harvested commercially. They're best sought out as a wild foraged food, and are excellent in jams, cobblers, and pies.

Lovely!

New York

A shot of summer in NY. Taken from the sublet in the West Village that Ginnie and Al were staying in. Great roof top, and as you can see. Great view.

Market Bags

I love this style of bag. Just perfect for farmer's market shopping, or buying flowers. I really don't need another bag, and i really don't need a bag for the farmer's market or flower buying, but very french and lovely. And not badly priced - $42 bucks on Amazon. I said to Nick that if I did get it however, I am sure I would complain like a crazy person when the strap digs into my arm. Best for light shopping only


* how funny, after I wrote this (a few days back) , I saw a similar story on market bags on the kitchen. with a selection : here for deets

Patonga

When we were back in Oz last November, we had a few days in Patonga at this house. House was just amazing. Not grand, big or fancy, but perfect for a weekender. Anyway, I took a lot of photos, but lost them all when my computer crashed. I came across a picture on a blog, and found more on the photographer's site. Enjoy!

Maru

Have you met Maru? The stunt cat? Nick sent me this youtube clip. Funny. And, I bet the kids will like it too.

Link here