weekend reads: five beautiful blogs

Here's something a little different for this week's weekend reads: I thought I'd shine the spotlight on five of the most beautiful blogs, in design and content, that you may not yet be reading. Take a look...


http://blog.caseybrowndesigns.com/
Casey's Elegant Musings
We have the same name (albeit spelled differently!) and we share a love of all things vintage, so it's rather a wonder that I only just came across the lovely Casey's Elegant Musings just this week. Five minutes spent viewing Casey's blog had me completely enthralled. Her outfit posts and her insights into the world of vintage, sewing, cooking and crafting are a true delight. Her blog is also incredibly pleasing from an aesthetic standpoint as well. Beautiful quality photographs and graphics and a perfectly customized layout make the space so bright, fresh and organized. Just lovely.


http://indiefixx.com/
Indie Fixx
Another blog I found just this week, Indie Fixx is a complete joy. In case you couldn't tell by the title, the girl behind the blog, Jen, is an indie darling. She shares some of the most delightful recipes, DIYs, links, interviews, decor inspiration and all manner of other wonderful things. There's something incredibly substantial about Indie Fixx; each entry is expertly compiled, filled with information and beautiful photos to accompany. Indie Fixx is so cool it even has its own book club!


http://www.ohhellofriendblog.com/
Oh, Hello Friend
I've mentioned Oh, Hello Friend many times before so I'm sure if you weren't reading it before my little blog you're certainly reading it now. Danni is a beautiful and incredibly talented artist and designista, filling her blog with all manner of creativity. She has absolutely the best eye for aesthetics. I mean, just look at that layout! It's even beyond that - somehow her photos and the graphics in her entries always fit so perfectly into the soft color scheme of her blog. The minute you visit Oh, Hello Friend you feel a cozy sense of belonging. Her sweet personality shines through her writing, too, inviting you into each and every lovely post.


http://secretsofabutterfly.typepad.com/
Secrets of a Butterfly
As Kathryn describes it, Secrets of a Butterfly is "the blog of a girl who loves: wildflowers, red squirrels, camomile tea, glistening rivers, listening to the honeytrees, believing in peace, seeing beauty & recieving white feathers." It's also a truly serene and peaceful blog-reading experience. You can almost hear The Honey Trees playing softly as you browse the endless pages of inspiration. This is the happy place to steal away to when life gets too busy, too loud or just too overwhelming. Secrets of a Butterfly is like a little secret garden, perfectly magical.


http://wolfandwillowblog.com/
Wolf and Willow
Wolf and Willow was love at first sight. The design of this blog is completely out of this world! I was so struck by Nancy's pretty header upon my first visit a few months ago, and as soon as I moved down the page I was caught by the lovely icons, graphics and photos used throughout the layout and entries. The content is just as wonderful and organized; Nancy offers plenty of fun themes such as Fashion Fancies, Vintage Icons, Peachy Prints and - my favorite - Yummy Delicious, because what's a pretty blog without pictures of pretty food? I've also found countless Etsy shops through her Etsy Love series. This is one of those blogs you could literally spend hours on.

Some truly stunning blogs, aren't they? I hope I've managed to introduce you to a new discovery with this post. If you have any favorite inspiration blogs that pop into your mind, I'd love for you to share the links! I hope everyone has a fantastic weekend!

mr. suomi, mountain views and weekend reads

I realize I've gotten into the habit lately of sharing a song every Friday along with my weekend reads. My love for music probably matches my love for fashion (and books, and movies...) and I've always enjoyed introducing people to knew, obscure or up-and-coming artists. Usually these songs have been accompanied by an appropriately matching image of some sort, but today I decided to post the original video because it's quite spectacular. This is a lovely fellow named Damion Suomi (pronounced sue-me), who traveled to the breathtaking North Georgia mountains with some friends to perform several live songs from his self-titled album. His music is of the acoustic folk variety (and, as Wikipedia states, it falls under the genre of "Drinking Songs" - ha). This is my favorite song from the album, "Archer Woman", and I think his sound so perfectly suits the scenery of the mountains. It's also refreshing to see a talented musician/vocalist performing so naturally. If you have three minutes and forty-six seconds to spare, I recommend cranking up the volume and checking out this lovely video.

Christian Louboutin Releases 'Piece of Shoe' at Little Girl, Big World
Sweet Nothings at The Chirpy Bird
Friend Friday: Copying isn't a form of flattery, it's stealing at Beautifully Invisible
(Also check out B's Tom Ford-related posts, one and two.)
Photography: Raceytay on Etsy at Pink Tuesdays
Cinderbellas Giveaway at SHE (remember my previous Etsy love post about Cinderbella's?)
Girls and Holiday Guide: Cards at A Spot of Whimsy
Christmas Holiday Centerpiece You Can Make in 15 Minutes at Between Naps on the Porch
17 bookmark-worthy worthy Tumblrs I (only) discovered this week at Table Tonic
Inspired by: Pretty, Pretty, Pink at Here's Looking At Me, Kid
Gift package inspiration at the Unicorn/dream Magazine blog
My Favorite Used Bookstore at The English Muse
Studio tour / valdirose at Oh, Hello Friend

I hope you enjoy those posts as much as I did! Have a lovely weekend, everyone. I'll be attempting to tackle my to-do list and my big project for the weekend: finishing NaNoWriMo! Wish me luck!

hitchcock, pink martini and weekend reads

Pink Martini is a twelve-piece band from Portland that rather defies classification. Wikipedia says, "They draw inspiration from music from all over the world – crossing genres of classical, jazz and old-fashioned pop." That's the most accurate description I can imagine. They're incredibly fun and delightful and perfect for when you're spending a cozy Friday night in, like I am tonight. I'm crazy about the vocals of leading lady China Forbes, and this particular song - "Hey, Eugene" - is inspired by a true and not-so-romantic story that happened to her. It's a rather odd little song, but I adore it. I think you can't help but instantly start dancing along to it, just a little bit.

The image - which strikes me as being particularly worthy of Dorothy Parker - is from the 1928 Alfred Hitchcock silent film, Champagne. Visit Hitchcock Wiki for the full set! And now, on to the weekly list of marvelous links that you should all check out as soon as possible...

Monday Adventures: Scotland on Pink Tuesdays
9 Things Christina Hendricks Taught Me About Body Love on Dramatis Personae (thanks to Beautifully Invisible for bringing this to my attention!)
First Look: Resort 2011 on ELLE.com
Kate Spade: "Things We Love" Book on The English Muse
Infatuation: Jean Michel Basquiat on ArtFashion
RL Store Love on A Spot of Whimsy
APT with LSD: Coco Rocha on Vogue.com
Photographer: Marianne Taylor on Art-Pixie
Lizzy and Darcy on The English Muse
So You Want To Leave Blogger for Wordpress on Beautifully Invisible (I haven't done this yet, obviously, but check do it out - B clearly put a lot of time and effort into it!)

Have a snappy weekend!

songs we sing

(image credit)
I think we all have certain songs that stay with us, some for sentimental reasons and others simply because the melodies made sense to us or we liked the way it made us feel when we heard it. For me, this is one of those songs. It's called "Astair" by Californian singer-songwriter Matt Costa. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did when I first heard it and even now, years later. (He also happens to be a rather terribly good-looking fellow so I recommend watching this live version, ha!)

Here are a few links worth checking out this week, as well. What with NaNo and writing posts I haven't had as much time as I'd like to read and comment on my blogroll, but rest assured that when things quiet down a bit I'll be back to visiting you all as often as possible!

- Unicorn/Dream: Issue #3 (fresh out, and including an interview with Anna of Much Love!)
- Spotted and Swooned at The Chirpy Bird.
- Sounds Lounge - Jamie Cullum at ArtFashion.
- The Look by Sara Teasdale, a cute poem.
- Featued Belle: Audrey Hepburn at Pink Tuesdays.
- Holiday Hair How-To: Side Chignon at This Is Glamorous.
- Infatuation: In the bones - Mexican traditions honoring Death & Posada's calaveras at ArtFashion.
- I Write Like Vladimir Nabokov and J.D. Salinger. Who do you write like?
- Weekend Inspiration at A Fairy Tale World.
- I Like When You Are Quiet by Pablo Neruda, more lovely poetry.
- MegaLove 11-2-2010 at ArtFashion. (Did I mention Bere was really on with her posts this week?)

Enjoy your weekend, everyone. Oh, also - I reached 10,000 words for NaNoWriMo last night! So happy!

kathy flats and weekend reads

My new Kathy Van Zeeland flats! I'm a huge Kathy fan, I have at least five of her handbags, so of course I was thrilled when she launched a line of shoes. I was surprised (delighted, ecstatic, etc.) to find these darling little things at Marshalls on Wednesday - and equally delighted, ecstatic, etc. when my lovely mom bought them for me! I wore them today for our Barnes-and-Noble-and-Pumpkin-Spice-Lattes outing which we weren't able to fit into our Wednesday plan. We spent at least two hours there looking at books - it was quite divine.

I'm behind in my blog reading this week, for which I'm terribly sorry - I love reading my blogroll! - but here are a few (okay, quite a few) posts I enjoyed over the week...

• A Spot of Whimsy did a marvelous post about Neil Gaiman's books, all of which I want to read.
• Following Kendra's adventures in London has been terrific escapist fun for my Anglophile self.
• Britta of Forelsket is reading Pride and Prejudice and sharing her thoughts, love it.
• Everyone loves Florence + the Machine; iloveyouvalentine muses on the meaning of Cosmic Love.
• Great bold make-up at designer Yves Camingue's SCUAVE, thanks to Sweet of Pens and Lens!
• Kendra also wrote a fabulous piece about Michael Redgrave at her Vivien & Larry Blog.
• She's also doing a 30 Days of Vivien Leigh meme, so be sure to follow that.
• A trip to Italy via Fairy Tales are True and the lovely Letters to Juliet.
• Do blondes have more fun? Cafe Bellini ponders the idea, and shares a rather interesting map.
• The Layered Pancake's beautiful post on masquerades left me singing Phantom of the Opera, ha!
• Given the above picture, obviously I loved Jen's fabulous post about flats on Her Waise Choice!
• City Girl Diaries (EC1) talks about one of my favorite Frenchmen, the remarkable Guillaume Canet.
• Absolutely adore thee Halloween-themed Tablescape Thursday at Between Naps on the Porch.
• Polaroid Coasters at Daydream Lily, what's not to love about that idea?
• Smitten Kitchen's Roasted Eggplant Soup looks utterly divine and perfect for the season.
• The English Muse posted about The Secret Writings of Marilyn Monroe. I definitely want that book!
• My dear friend and SHE co-writer Jen posted about You've Got Mail on her personal blog. Favorite!
• Lots of spectacular Mexican art and culture in ArtFashion's weekly MegaLove.

And here are a few quick links outside of the blogosphere that I wanted to share as well...
• My awesome friend Cindy made a lovely October mix, which you can listen to right here on 8tracks.
• The new issue of Lonny Magazine is out and absolutely gorgeous-looking.
• Shameless self-appreciation: Independent Fashion Bloggers included my guest post for Beautifully Invisible in their weekly link round-up!

late night weekend reads

"Joe, we can't go running around town with a hot princess!" - Roman Holiday
This post is happening in the wee small hours because Blogger decided that this whole blogging thing was just a little too easy for me - so why not delete the post that took me a half-hour to compose? But I didn't fret! On went the headphones, up went the volume and together Sia and I made it work. (Really, try to be angry while you're listening to that song - it's impossible!)

A few things for you to enjoy this weekend...

WATCH The Whole Truth, the new courtroom drama starring Maura Tierney and Rob Morrow. I love it.
READ Michael Kimmelman's review of the Monet show at the Grand Palais. (via The English Muse)
VISIT Sweden through Libertad's poetic reasons for loving Sweden at Not Here To Please You.
DISCOVER the beautiful new blog A Cupid Painted Blind, dedicated to love and all things romantic.
GET INSPIRED by Anika's empowering posts at Sweetfaced Style. Such a lovely lady!
LISTEN to Damion Suomi's beautiful tune Archer Woman and Oh Land's angelic Heavy Eyes, two of my favorite plays this week.
DEVOUR some rather beautiful-looking cakes at The Chirpy Bird. The zero calorie way!
EXPERIENCE the haunting photography of Agata Stoinska at Abundance.
LEARN about Audrey Hepburn, Jerry Hall, Kirsten Dunst, Princess Grace and the artists they inspired in the spectacular Fashion Muses and the Artists who loved them, part two at ArtFashion.
DECORATE for Halloween with A Spot of Whimsy's halloween decorating round one post. Also check out Gabbie's Room Full of Mirrors at Pink Tuesdays for lots of romantic and dreamy decor inspiration.
CREATE the loveliest crocheted pumpkins ever in Pumpkin Patch Crochet-Along on Oh My Word. Additionally, if you're feeling springy and creative why not take part in the creative collective spring craft challenge via Much Love!
SMILE at the plethora of happy-making images LissyLou posted on Thursday. So much to love!
BAKE single-crust plum and apple pie at Smitten Kitchen! Or just do what I did and spend some quality time staring at those amazing pictures.
DONATE to Cellardoor Magazine if you want to see it in print! Wouldn't that be lovely?
ADORE Kirstin's effortlessly adorable rainy day outfit on Crimson Rosella. This girl is too cute.
DELIGHT in Lilly Piri's artwork in breakfast with artsy hipsters at The Layered Pancake.
DANCE with Blaine Hogan in his virtual Happy Friday Dance Party! I cannot dance, but I think this is an adorable idea and just what the world needs. Are you brave enough to record yourself dancing? (via sfgirlbybay)

Enjoy your weekend, lovelies!

fashion's night in

What do you do when Fashion's Night Out isn't happening in your little country town? Have Fashion's Night In! I spent my evening listening to lazy jazz songs on Juliette Gréco Radio and chatting with Jen about Fashion Week. Plus, we gushed over our favorite Christian Siriano pieces. We've also been working on some additions to SHE so look out for those.



Julie London - Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend
I had this song stuck in my head for most of the week so I thought it was only appropriate to share. As much as it's Marilyn Monroe's iconic song, I do love this version by Julie London. She's one of my favorite jazz singers with her deep, smokey vocals and cool, laid-back style. And isn't she gorgeous, too?

Here's a little bit of reading material for the weekend. Thanks to all of you lovely bloggers who constantly dish out such spectacular content!

...look closer - jen kao
Art-Pixie - Rainbow in your hand
a spot of whimsy - equestrian
amateur couture - center square
ArtFashion: - Stories on Film
Beautifully Invisible - Outtakes: Christina Hendricks for London
Beautifully Invisible - Photoshoot: Liu Wen for Numero China
Becoming Lola - The Breakfast Club
Daily Diva Dish - High Fashion Hounds
Days in Mayfair - Pretty Enough to Make You Weep
Everything Fabulous - Haute Couture goes to the Old West - Carey Mulligan for Vogue US October 2010
minnja - cats and fashion, it's all about meow
November Grey - How to Thrift Shop
Oh, Hello Friend - Collections/Books:
Overlooking Mississippi - Wednesday Flowers (Details Edition Part 2)
Some Kind of Style - Pin-Up Girls Love Elvis
The Blonde Salad - Dolce & Gabbana and Martini party and dinner
The Layered Pancake - Thursday Photography - Black and White
Twitch Vintage - Kindergarten Cool

What did you all do for FNO? I'd love to hear about all your fabulous adventures!

audrey and bill and weekend reads

Audrey Hepburn and William Holden on the set of Sabrina, 1954


Such beautiful people, these too. I just love behind-the-scenes photos from Sabrina. Seeing the cast interacting is so interesting, and it seems like the mood on the set was mellow and serious, but overall rather friendly. I like to think that Audrey brought that friendliness out in people, but maybe I'm rather biased.

Anyway, another week of spectacular blogging has gone by and I'd like to share some lovely posts from my blogroll. There are so many, it was difficult to narrow it down. (Yes, this is what I call narrowing it down. Hey, it's a long weekend here in the States!) Enjoy, darlings!

A Spot of Whimsy - The Ballerina Project
Amateur Couture - Details
ArtFashion - Autumn Camel
Beautifully Invisible - Photoshoot: Mad Men for Rolling Stone Magazine
Beauty Parler - Grace Kelly: Style Icon (V&A Museum, London)
Becoming Lola - Bed and Breakfast Queen Goes Country
Between Naps on the Porch - Where Do You Blog? Party
Converse is the new Prada - Creek
Creature Comforts - Inspiration Daily: 09.02.10
Fairy Tales Are True - Words Worth Sharing
Her Waise Choice - Dreaming of Fall
Porcelain Complexion - Twin Cat Vintage
Fresh Sugar Design - A Dark Beauty Wallpaper
minnja - Fashion and little lambs
Overlook Mississippi - *~A Magic World~*
Some Kind of Style - Très "Jolie Mag" With Jeff Oslon...
Sweetfaced Style - Fall Inspiration: Lanvin Meets H&M
The Beauty File - Oh, Chloe!
Viv and Larry - Now Playing: Vivien Leigh and Laurence Olivier in September
Much Love - Spring Suits, 1957