tgif: purple

the jacarandas have dropped all their gorgeous purple buds, june is over, and suddenly, it seems like summer is really here.  could have something to do with the fact that i have been on vacation for the past week, traipsing all over LA with visiting family, and eating myself silly.  oh, and i may have had a glass of wine or two...

well, cheers to that!  see you next week.

seventies bells

image courtesy gap

image courtesy bloomindales

image courtesy shopbop

image courtesy LePoisson's etsy shop

i just bought these retro bell-bottoms at the gap and now i am obsessed with finding the perfect seventies-style top and accessories to go with them: tooled leather, platforms, gauzy lace-trimmed cotton tunics...  

perhaps i am having some sort of flashback to my childhood, because the above inspirations are really approaching costume status rather than modern interpretation.  ah, well, i like it.  makes me want to listen to this.  and some of this, too.  at least, for the moment, my hair is more arizona muse than stevie nicks (btw, how cute is she twirling that baton?), so there's that.

anyway, vacation starts tuesday.  let's hear it for the one-day work week.  happy monday! 

seashells & beach glass

i wish i could say i collected these seashells and beach glass.  aren't they pretty?  actually, they're vase filler i rescued recently from the bottom of a candle holder.  after picking off the melted wax, i thought they needed a little wash and now, they're awaiting their next home.  i love the swirly colors of the glass and the patterns on the shells, so they will probably wind up in a bowl on my coffee table where i can continue to admire them all summer long.

june gloom

it's nearly summer.  my calendar tells me so.  here in southern california that means gray skies that usually burn off by mid-afternoon.  you know, if we're lucky.  if not, like this past weekend, it's dreary and chilly all day long and you layer accordingly.  (of course, you could go twenty minutes down the road and find it's raining, or, in the other direction, that it's hot and sunny.  unpredictable, i tell you.)  

yesterday i left the house in a cashmere sweater and a jacket, fully prepared for the morning chill and the unrelenting air conditioning in my office.  later, as i walked to lunch with a couple of friends, i regretted not having my sunglasses.  no biggie...just a little glare.  by the time we returned to the office, however, it was so warm i found myself scrounging through my gym bag in search of a clean t-shirt to change into for the rest of the day.  i found one and, oh, i wore it proudly, because there's nothing i like better than sporting a logo-adorned, standard issue gym shirt in the workplace.  with a pencil skirt, tights, and ankle boots.  yeah, stylish.

so, mother nature, i'm confused.  i'm trying to be patient, but for the sake of my costumes, can we get on with it already?

in the interim, here are some pictures of recent days when things weren't so confusing (though, i am still confused about this):

1. wild mint growing through the boards of my deck

2. sunlight on miniature roses, chez bb

3. flower kiosk, lyon, france

4. flats of geraniums, also lyon

5. blue skies at castle green

the no. 5

i hate my kitchen chairs.  i would like to replace them with a few of these, please.

the shakers really know what they're doing.  their chairs are numbered from zero through seven, according to size.  this one, the no. 5, was originally designed as a dining chair and is suitable (i.e. comfortable) for everyone, short or tall.  so, in addition to being pretty, it's also a perfect combination of simplicity and utility, hallmarks of shaker style.  

don't mind me while pour another glass of wine and linger over dinner! 

image courtesy shaker workshops®

cuppa cuppa

recently, a friend sent me a link to Kate Spade's library books mug:

she said she almost got it for me, but she didn't want to contribute any potential clutter to my soon-to-be pristine kitchen.  and there i was, practically setting the kettle on to boil.

the truth is, if i don't get that mess under control soon, i'll run away from home!  somewhere exotic, i think.  this girl has the right idea:

meanwhile, there's plenty more whimsy for your cupboards (and mine!) here. 

images courtesy kate spade

this is not my beautiful house

most of my weekend was spent in the kitchen.  alas, i was not cooking up a storm.  no, in pursuit of yet another of my harebrained organizing schemes, i spent the better part of two days wrangling Con-Tact paper, washing the contents of the cabinets and drawers, and contemplating said washed items to determine if they adhere to this golden rule.  if the goal had been to make a real mess, then i'd consider my efforts a success!  unfortunately, i think i am currently in the "worse" stage of this project; "better" still lies in the future, which means...next weekend?  i don't know if i can live with the chaos i've created until then, so i am hoping that the images of these gorgeous (and tidy) kitchens aid either my motivation or denial, as necessary.

by the way, i just love how each of these rooms includes pops of color and rustic wood or iron elements against a clean white foundation.

images courtesy: 1, 3, 4. house beautiful 2. southern living

tgif: noir

why do four-day work weeks always pass so slowly?  i'm so glad it's friday!  this weekend i plan to sleep in, spend some time sprucing up my window boxes, give myself a purple pedicure, wander the farmers market, and loaf on the couch with a good book.  oh, and there will be french toast.

bon weekend!

mellow yellow

i just uploaded my photos of our little memorial day backyard barbecue and noticed quite a bit of yellow.  it really was a bright sunny day!