Musing -- Nature Does Not Come Naturally To Me

I'm a city person. Some things just are. Rather than finding inspiration and exhileration when my feet hit a sandy beach or the trail of a friendly hike... I'm inspired and exhilerated when my feet hit the pavement. Stick me on the busy streets of a city like Manhattan -- cafes, people, noise -- and I light up like a lightbulb.

Memory Lane -- A Necklace

After digging my pearls back out, I felt inspired to liberate another piece of jewelry with a story. It was never far from my sight -- I kept it on the top of my dresser where I could always see it -- but I'm happy to have it adorning me again.

Musing -- How Old Is Too Old To Shop At Urban Outfitters?

I was chatting with a group of women on the topic of local shopping, and at some point during the conversation one of my friends said that anytime she goes into an Urban Outfitters she worries someone's going to card her -- for being too old to shop there.

Once Upon-a... Nothing

I’m not a big consumer. The list of things I want at any given time is usually pretty small. Very specific -- absolutely. But not grand. And not many. I simply don’t like a lot of stuff.

Out+About Outta Town -- NYC

I got to do a quickie trip to NYC at the beginning of Fall. My hubby had a conference... and I went to play. I was under the weather at the time but couldn't bear to miss the chance to check in with my favorite city after an unbelievably long dry spell.  

New Year's Eve

I like New Year's. As far as holidays go, it might be my favorite. And this is why -- it's not complicated. Or, more precisely, it's as complicated or not complicated as you want it to be.

Once Upon-a... Memo

My mate always seemed entirely befuddled when there would be those few days each month that I suddenly morphed into Godzilla. It all made sense once he figured out what was going on (slap on the forehead!) but most of the time he was just blindsided. 

Controlled Chaos -- Hair

When I moved out of LA almost three years ago, I wasn't under any illusions about making certain conversions easily -- doctors, markets, finding a new car wash... I seem to do pretty well with the big moves (agrees with the gypsy in me) but these other kinds of changes stupefy me. Like finding a new hairdresser.

Once Upon-a... Magazine Tear-Outs

Back in the day, before blogs + Pinterest + Tumblr + Instagram, we relied on torn-out pages from magazines for inspiration. Ransacked pieces of pretty, yanked from their bindings to wreak havoc on desks, nightstands, baskets, everywhere. Some of them have never made it past serving as bookmarks in newer magazines.

In an effort to get organized, I did at one point come up with the brilliant idea to start a binder, and I recently stumbled onto it...

It looks like I made it several pages in before forfeiting the task... but what I did find inside still completely inspired me. And as I was going through the images, I was filled with the same rush I must have had when I hijacked each of them in the first place.

I think these little snapshots we gather, in all their many forms, are such reflections of ourselves that they make us feel understood. Amazing how years and years later, certain ones can still fulfill our visions of dreamy perfection… perfectly.

a timeless dress : 3.1 phillip lim

incredible chandelier by droog design

(sweetest foreshadowing of something to come)

a paris apartment : vanessa bruno's/domino

killer style : vogue

better together - elegance + rugged : vogue

Meanwhile, despite the arrival of all the new image modes and the ability to store bazillions of photos on a computer -- apparently, I still haven't given up my old reckless behavior...

the nightstand

I do a slightly better job with my recipe carnage... 

... but not much.

binder cover tear-out/funny face; tear-out of little girl/source unknown.