there are no words

My god, refinery29 has just led me to a website that may be the death of me, Ming Makes Cupcakes. It is a website with, yep, a wild variety of cupcake recipes. 31 to be exact. Good thing I lack the time, the baking skill and a cupcake tin ... otherwise, things could get very messy. A few of the ones I would bake if I could...






Oh, and there's also the beginnings of a cookie list. My oh my, this is a dangerous site.

Eye Candy

A stack of fairisle is all that's needed to make my heart skip a beat. Or two.

That is all. Have a lovely (rest of the) weekend!

ps. Those pretty babies are stacked high at the Vintage Showroom in Covent Garden. Discovered via for me, for you

It's Wednesday: Here's a tune by Twin Sister

Currently, I am sitting in a well-lit, rather overheated library, supposedly typing about legal and ethical intricacies of a morbid nature. And I am doing that... sort of...I swear. But as I sit, and I type, I also listen. I get distracted by the tiniest sounds in libraries: of a chair shifting, paper crinkling, someone's interminable cough. So headphones are a must, because for some reason, music never distracts. Anyway, currently on repeat is Twin Sister, another New York band with some dreaminess and shimmery-ness to them. I'm quite enjoying this song in particular and thought I'd share it... Course, I've never posted audio to blogger before, so if it doesn't work, there is also a link below.

Just press play!


Or if all else fails, click click click:
Ginger by Twin Sister

ps. The band also is a fan of sharing, and has their whole EP from last year available to download for free (!)And another EP is in the works for 'official' release very soon, so yay for that too.

don't let it go

Okay, so I know I'm about a week or two behind in the news here, but I totally understand the whole Balloon Boy hoax thing. Well, I don't understand it in the sense that why would you enlist your child in a rather ridiculous scheme to get a science-reality show... but I do understand the appeal of the balloon, as do many a fashion editor. Balloons are a bit magical; they defy gravity after all. And they can add a bit of whimsy and child-play to any photograph, hence seem to be quite a popular fashion editorial accessory. So, here's to Balloon Boy and his balloon. I get it kid, sometimes you just want to tie one to your wrist and float away...




(sources: tfs, we heart it)

Book Worm

Ok, so this post originally started as me wanting to point out Camille Bidault-Waddington's brilliantly put together outfit. It was gonna be a quickie simply stating that I am smitten with her dress, especially the longer length, long sleeves and generally demure cut. And her hat makes me smile. But then I noticed what she was holding...seemingly Melville's Moby Dick, but...





...Apparently, Camille and other fashionable Paris folk were at a 'book launch' for Olympia Le-Tan's new collection of box clutches. They are hand knit copies of original classics. It kind of reminds me of the magazine clutches of the 70s (they looked like rolled up magazines to thwart purse-snatchers). I have one that I used to tote around obsessively but kind of stopped when I stopped using clutches. I think I'd give up the glory of a purse strap for one of these puppies though.

This may sound stupid, but personally, I love to read and not only that I love to read books. Kindle and other such technology kind of freaks me out...I want the tactile, olfactory and visual delight that accompanies reading a book, especially a secondhand one that is kind of yellow and musty. It frightens me to think that books may one day be relics ("when I was a kid, there was a thing called a book, no screen in sight") and so her collection makes me happy in its celebration of the book.

(Camille Bidault-Waddington photo via style.com, all others via purple diary)

Julia Frakes: a little note

Dear Julia,

This is just to say... I am oh-so very jealous of your Pendleton for Opening Ceremony coat, but it's okay because you styled it to perfection, and that makes me happy (which subsequently cancels out the jealousy. Maybe? At least a little bit).

Love, dw.(via stylesightings)

Ideal vs Reality

This would be my ideal outfit for a lazy day, lounging around with a cup of tea and a good book. But instead, I am putting on an ugly purple uniform and off to work. Byeeee!

(photo a la mr selby)

goodbye home

I found this shirt the day before I left London, and bought it on a whim solely because of the colour - it's kind of like that Rachel Comey tank that I was coveting (though mine photographs less yellow and more green than it actually is) plus it's slightly oversized so drapes wonderfully. The perfect comfy tee for a 7 hour flight.As for this hat...I bought it when I lived on Chappaquiddick (Martha's Vineyard) the summer after my senior year of college (2007). It was quite pricey, a real Panama hat made in Panama, but worth it because once I bought it, I didn't take it off the rest of the summer. When I got back from the island, I was moving to London, so left it home in my closet, where it has been sadly waiting, losing its shape, to be worn again. I think I'll be taking it back with me though my suitcase is already stuffed to the brim.
Today is one of those days where you wish time would stand still. The weather is perfect, and being home amongst the woods and the quiet, everything feels so serene. I can walk around outside barefoot and fancy-free. So while I should be packing, I prefer to sit on our porch swing and just listen to the quiet surroundings that I will soon be leaving. Goodbye home, I shall miss you.

[Sidenote: Within the next few days I'll be flying back to London, then taking the train to Marseilles and won't be back until June 9th, so the blog will be lying dormant until then. À bientôt!]

State of Maine

My weekend in Maine was a tad chilly and cloudy with a little bit of rain but still a jolly ol' time. While whale watching, kayaking and sailing were all on the 'to-do' list, my ever disorganized family didn't get around to any of it and spent most of the time exploring the Acadia National Park, eating tons of blueberry-filled foods and enjoying the sea air. The salty smell of the ocean is perhaps one of my favorite smells in the whole wide world. Although the water was too cold to go in to, and the sun refused to shine, it was still a lovely family getaway, with only a little bit of bickering, lots of seafood and gorgeous surroundings.

10 favorites...ok, 11 favorites

After finishing my exam yesterday, all I wanted to do was lie down and watch some of my favorite movies. But, unfortunately, I had to get straight back to work, preppin' for the next one, but at least I got to sit in Regent's Park and study in the SUN! Anyway, back to my favorite films...I am absolutely god-awful dreadful at picking favorites. I don't know if it is because I like too many movies, there are so many that resonant with me or what, but my list is never-ending so it feels a bit odd to call them all my favorites. But they are, and who ever said you couldn't have a multitude of loves? Movies and me, are a match made in heaven.

So, like bloggers here and there, I present to you clips of 11 of my favorite films, from childhood and now. This is but a mere sampling:


Withnail and I (1986)


Dazed and Confused (1993)


Hocus Pocus (1993)


The Long Goodbye (1973)


Empire Records (1995)


Gosford Park (2001)


Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)


The Royal Tennenbaums (2001)


Before Sunrise (1995)


La Strada (1954)


The Virgin Suicides (1999)

Runaway

So, I have an exam tomorrow. My first exam of the exam season. On property law. Woo. My eyes are sore from staring and my brain aches from trying to memorize/understand convoluted legal principles and case law. All I want to do is run away, preferably to this redesigned chicken coop where I could nap, read what I like, disappear from all responsibilities and be completely fancy-free...






(Designed by J. Morgan Puett)

Cote d'Azur

Yay yay yay! It's been decided, and this June I am taking the train from London, through the French countryside and down to the Riveria for a week of sun, sand and general Mediterranean goodness. I am SUPER excited!!! Exclamation points cannot express it. Whenever I think of the Riveria, I think of To Catch a Thief, and the great outfits Cary Grant wears (is it weird that I looked at his clothing more than Grace Kelly, probably, but she is too prim for me). Not that I will be buying a holiday wardrobe, but what I do need is a swimsuit. I haven't bought a new swimsuit in years. And I mean years. The whole experience is entirely dreadful, what with bad dressing room lighting and pale winter skin in the mix = disaster! While I know that that inevitable shopping trip looms near, I can bide my time by staring at the bathing suits from Lover's Sacred Hearts collection. Of course, they will only remain in my dreams as it's a bit silly to pay as much for a bathing suit as it costs to get to the Blue Coast, don't'cha think?

Stick Boy + Match Girl

Today, I thought I would share a snippet of one of my favorite books to glance at. I picked up The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy last year mostly because it is by Tim Burton, one of my favorite directors from childhood (Batman, Beetlejuice and Edward Scissorhands were on constant rotation in our VCR). He started out his career as an animator for Disney but apparently his vision proved to be a bit too macabre for the Disney crew...anyway, then he started making movies, became known for his twisted dark style and came out with this little tome in 1997. It is filled with the poems and illustrations about misunderstood outcast children accompanied with that perfect Burton mix of dark humor and sweetness. Here's one of my favorites, the very short love story about Stick Boy and Match Girl:

shoe candy

Alright Ms Comey, you win, I officially want everything you make, but these shoes may be the death of me, especially those clogs...


(Available at Opening Ceremony store)

New Old Gadgets

I've been having a streak of good luck on eBay recently. I finally found an old toy camera, bought some 120 film but now I am afraid to even try to load it. What if I break it?! So for now, it is sitting pretty on my mantle.

The other gadget...my glorious Imperial typewriter from the 60s is getting plenty of use. I love the clickty-clackty sound it makes. And for only £2, it was a steal. I am a bit terrible at typing and going to have to invest in some whiteout...but still, prreettty.