snow in the air

Saving Grace

2012-02-28T21:51:00.000-08:00

Do you like to tear pages out of magazines for inspiration? I know! I do, too!
I started saving pictures when I was a little girl, mostly pictures of kittens. Then I saved pictures of cute boys, then hair style ideas, then future dream houses, then impossible recipes... No, I do not tear pages out of magazines in waiting rooms. That's just rude!
Lately I find myself saving more and more pages from Vogue Magazine that have been styled by the dreamy Fashion Editor GRACE CODDINGTON.

These pages are just too beautiful. I have to share! Inspired by the British Aesthetic Movement exhibit currently showing at the Legion of Honor Museum in San Francisco, this is the lovely Saoirse Ronan photographed by Steven Meisel, styled by Grace.

Housekeeping

2012-02-25T20:49:00.000-08:00

There is a little note on my refrigerator that says, "A CLEAN HOUSE IS THE SIGN OF A WASTED LIFE." Oh Yes! However, a Dirty House is not much fun, either.
As I am the entire housekeeping staff..Mrs. Hughes, Mrs. Patmore, Anna and Daisy all rolled into one...I must get to work!
Let's try to find a little joy in this mundane task:

Sparkly Clean Dishes

My Favorite French Spoons

A Polished Bathtub

A Pile of Freshly Laundered Bed Linens

The Sun On A Dust Free Dining Room

NICELY DONE

Cherubic

2012-02-20T10:28:00.000-08:00

I simply cannot resist a chubby cheeked little baby face. Ahhh.... Even in stone, this little cherub is especially yummy, don't you think?

LIFE with Bob

2012-02-18T13:20:00.000-08:00

LIFE Magazine has put out this special issue devoted to Bob Dylan. It has some fabulous never before seen (at least not to me) photos. When I saw it on the newsstand, I knew I had to buy it. The young girl at the check out took one look at the magazine, made a face, rolled her eyes and said, "I saw him in concert and I couldn't understand a WORD." Oh my. Now I have made a vow to NEVER bore people younger than myself with stories about how things were "when I was your age." So I smiled sweetly, paid my $12.99 and left.
It is true that sometimes Dylan does need sub-titles. But they are sub-titles well worth reading.

This is, of course, from D.A. Pennebaker's 1965 film, "Don't Look Back."
Subterranean Homesick Blues.

And The Oscar Goes To...

2012-02-13T19:18:00.000-08:00

Be forewarned. If you ever go to a movie with me, you will have to stay until the end of the credits. This drives my kids crazy! But I say, "If I pay, we stay." And with them, I usually pay.
The credits are actually VERY interesting. We might find out, for example, the name of the costume designer.
The American Academy Awards are coming up...February 26 to be exact. Costume Design is one of my favorite catagories. I'll sit through an otherwise crummy film just because the costumes are pretty.
So here's a rundown of the nominees for this year:

Lisy Christl ~ ANONYMOUS

I haven't seen this film but it looks gorgeous. And Lisy Christl...what a cute name.

Mark Bridges ~ THE ARTIST

Mark Bridges has a pretty good chance of winning, I think. You have to admit that the costumes looked pretty authentic. And how about that scene on the staircase of Los Angeles' Bradbury Building? Awesome.

Michael O'Connor ~ JANE EYRE

Wasn't this a good movie? Michael O'Connor won an Oscar in 2008 for The Duchess. Now really, how can the amazing Mia Wasikowska NOT have been nominated for her performance in this film?? Go figure.

Sandy Powell ~ HUGO

Sandy Powell is already a star. She has three Academy Awards under her probably very fashionable belt. This is my personal favorite.

Arianne Phillips ~ W.E.

Arianne Phillips is Madonna's personal stylist. You have to admit that Madonna has been looking pretty good these days. I want to wear ALL the clothes in this film.

So there you are. Aren't you glad we stuck around for the credits? We can go home now.

FIN

Sparkle Love

2012-02-11T13:26:00.000-08:00

a little Valentine's Day inspiration

Today

2012-02-09T14:45:00.000-08:00

Two Years.

White Flowers

2012-02-08T16:06:00.000-08:00

February is Birthday Month around here. Five family birthdays all in one month! Oooohhhhh so much cake! For my birthday I plan to eat Brie, drink Champagne and indulge my love of White Flowers.
What do you like to do on YOUR Birthday????

Loosen Up

2012-02-02T14:47:00.000-08:00

For the past year or so I have been squeeeeeezing myself into my skinny jeans. Even though my Loved Ones tell me that I look very nice ~ that is why they are my Loved Ones ~ I have my doubts.
It is clearly time to shop for something a little roomier, a little more elegant, a little more grown-up, s'il vous plait. So this is my inspiration:

Coco Chanel ~ L'Original

Kate Hepburn ~ The Classic

Diane Keaton ~ The Cool Girl

I'm off to go shopping!

Baby Feet

2012-01-30T11:30:00.000-08:00

I have a thing for Mary Jane shoes. Always have. Can't explain it.

Spotted these little beauties on one of my frequent flea market jaunts.
I imagine some little person really loved these shoes. So sweet.

Los Colores

2012-01-27T16:10:00.000-08:00

When things start to seem a little drab in my neighborhood,

I head just south of San Diego to the National City Swap Meet in National City, California.

It's like a colorful trip to Mexico without the long wait at the border.

Pan Am

2012-01-25T15:00:00.000-08:00

Do you watch this tv show? I do. And I LOVE it because.....True Confessions: I was a Pan Am Stewardess! I was not a spy but I certainly had a lot of adventures.
Sadly, almost all photographic evidence of my career was lost during one of my many moves...the result of the peripatetic flight attendant life-style. Oh well...I have my memories...sigh...

However, an old friend recently sent this picture of ME on a layover in Montevideo some time in the 1980's. Love the famous Adolfo uniform. (I was PRETEND smoking.)
Anyway, I had wanted to become a Stewardess since I took my first airplane flight ~ at age eight. And when I grew up, I did it. And I loved it.

So of course I am in ecstasy over this ADORABLE safety video for Thomson Airlines. Enjoy!

Vignettes

2012-01-19T11:53:00.000-08:00

How can I, a confirmed francophile, have lived in San Diego this long without having visited Vignettes???? Incroyable!

So here it is in the Ocean Beach neighborhood.

Chandeliers.

French music playing. A tribute to Chanel.

Some crazy cool stuff.

This chalk poem totally got me.

http://www.vignettesantiques.comTres francais. Tres amusant. Merci, Vignettes!

Rosy Cheeks

2012-01-12T12:04:00.000-08:00

Antacids, pain relievers, antibiotics, chemotherapy, radiation...yikes..the list goes on and on. Sometimes in life you might find yourself having to take advantage of the miracles of modern medicine. And a big cheer of gratitude to all the super smart scientists who work hard to develop all sorts of things to keep us alive and well. Merci MILLE fois!
But after all this, why? WHY???? put more chemicals on your skin if you don't have to? Why?

I am so happy that I discovered Weleda. Such a super cool company. Check them out here:http://www.weleda.com

My favorite Weleda product is the Wild Rose Smoothing Night Cream. I feel so virtuous when I slap it on my face at night. It smells wonderful. I feel like I'm sleeping in a bed of roses. Hmm...maybe I am. This rose popped up in my garden today...in JANUARY! Oh So Cal...

Elegance and Grace

2012-01-09T12:58:00.001-08:00

We live in a wonderful era. So many interesting things going on. But sometimes I long for the sartorial elegance of times past. I'm currently watching DOWNTON ABBEY Part II. Do you LOVE IT?!! And... I'm re-reading THE HOUSE OF MIRTH by Edith Wharton, one of my favorite novels of all time. Poor Lily Bart.

So of course I'm swooning over this Patrick Demarchelier photo shoot styled by the BRILLIANT Grace Coddington in the November 2011 issue of Vogue.

The next time I go to the beach I'm going to dress like this.

The Nature Conservancy

2012-01-05T17:19:00.000-08:00

I have had the great good fortune in life to have grown up in the oh so BEAUTIFUL state of MONTANA. Even though I have spent most of my adult life living by oceans, both Atlantic and Pacific, I still consider myself un vrai fleur de montagne.

This is Morell Falls near Seeley Lake, Montana. We used to hike here when I was a kid. This past year I finally took my own two California kids on the same hike! So Fun. So Gorgeous. Then we stopped for huckleberry milkshakes on the way back to town... just like we used to back in the day.
So this year for Christmas I gave my mom and my siblings a unique gift: I adopted several acres of land in the NORTHERN ROCKIES in their names. I did the adoption through The Nature Conservancy. This organization does amazing cool things to protect our EARTH. Check it out at http://www.nature.org/
Where is your favorite nature spot?

A Day At The Races

2012-01-02T13:36:00.000-08:00

On Saturday mornings I wake up to watch the Food Network while I make breakfast. But this weekend, while I was channel surfing, I noticed an old film, a ballerina spinning around and around. Well of course, I HAD TO WATCH. It was The Marx Brothers' "A Day At The Races." Hmmmm... Normally I don't have a lot of patience for Marx Brothers movies...a little too silly. But this one! So glad I stuck around (sorry Laura Calder) because it just kept getting better and better. In addition to the spinning ballerina it had Chico doing his cool piano thing and Harpo turning a piano into a harp - genius - and Groucho dancing a happy little jig and some astoundingly adorable children and THIS: Whitey's Lindy Hoppers performing one of the MOST JOYOUS DANCE NUMBERS I'VE EVER SEEN!!! And, yes, I dig the clothes. What a great way to start the New Year.

Hugo ~ J'Adore

2011-12-27T16:28:00.000-08:00

My family has a few Christmas Day traditions. We eat home-made cinnamon rolls for breakfast, we open gifts, we hang around in our pj's for most of the day, we eat MORE cinnamon rolls and then we go to a movie. It is pretty difficult to find a movie that everyone wants to see. There have been some years where we spent a lot of time apologizing for our choice of film to those family members who did not like it. Or being bummed out about someone else's choice. This year's family Christmas Day Movie ~ HUGO!!!! HUGO!!! My first 3D movie ever and I LOVED IT. EVERYBODY LOVED IT! Yay! What a nice gift from Martin Scorcese.
If you are like me, a Francophile and a cinephile and a 1930's fashionophile then this is the film for you. The Sandy Powell costumes are genius..all those cool shoes and socks...sigh...
The film is so yummy. It's the film version of a big French pastry.
Have you seen it? Did you like it?

(See if you can spot a few little cameos by Martin Scorcese as a photographer and Johnny Depp as a street artist.)

Merry Christmas Cakes to All!

2011-12-23T22:25:00.000-08:00

T'was the day before Christmas and all through the store,
Not much was happening. A plain shopping bore.
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear but...
Some AWESOME Polka Dot Christmas Cakes!!!!
At Vons! That dorky, uncool, regular old grocery store.
I love how sometimes the most amazing things pop up in the least likely places....

Big Hug to the anonymous grocery store baker!

Winter Solstice

2011-12-21T14:05:00.000-08:00

The shortest day of the year. It feels so elemental.
~ J'adore ce petit jour ~

Twinkle Light Season

2011-12-17T20:50:00.000-08:00

I am Ca-razy about twinkle lights. In fact, I keep them in my house all year round! But this time of year is especially wonderful for twinkle light lovers like myself.

Whenever things get a little too stressful, I take some time to bliss out on twinkle lights....

Looking for Snow In San Diego

2011-12-09T15:21:00.000-08:00

The sun in shining. The birds are singing. The grass is green. Ahhhh....Winter in San Diego. But, I miss the Snow. So I went on a Snowflake search around town and this is what I found.

Chrismakkah Cookies

2011-12-07T12:17:00.000-08:00

In our house we celebrate both Hanukkah and Christmas. Heck, we'll celebrate anything that involves gifts, food and good will!
That is why I like to make CHRISMAKKAH COOKIES:
Classic Shortbread Christmas Cookies cut into shape of a Star of David decorated with Blue Sugar Sprinkles.

note: Martha Stewart makes the most beautiful subtly colored Sanding Sugar. Go Martha!

Dance of the Snowflakes

2011-12-05T14:05:00.000-08:00

I have decided to call this blog: "snow in the air" because...well...my name is SNOW and...because One Thing that I LOVE and that I miss most now that I live in Southern California is the Feeling that I get right before it starts to snow. ~ I can sense it. The light changes to bright and dark at the same time. The temperature changes. I can smell that clean, cold, metallic smell. I can almost taste it. Sounds become muffled. I get that tingly sensation that something Magical is about to happen. Then it does. I look up and here they*** come**Snowflakes**in the air*dancing***down from**the sky*********http://youtu.be/qcxixZjeulE

Love Love Love Mistral

2011-12-01T13:01:00.000-08:00

I am seriously addicted to Mistral soap. The packaging is gorgeous and there are so many different scents. They are ALL NATURAL and subtle and so FRENCH. Mais oui! So, of course, I am a member of the Soap Club. They even have a "soap of the day." And the shop in Solana Beach, California is adorable. A wonderful respite from all of the bath chain stores everywhere else around town.

Things that make me smile

2011-11-26T11:31:00.001-08:00

One way to get those healthy endorphins flowing is to seek out the things in your life that guarantee a smile.

Down By Law - Buzz Off

2011-10-19T18:13:00.000-07:00

A Sad & Beautiful World

2011-10-19T17:46:00.001-07:00

The past couple of years have been kinda crummy. I won't go into details but...I spent a lot of my free time looking for ways to cheer myself up. And I discovered some lovely blogs that really lifted my spirits. Now, I can barely send an email. I am a complete technology-phobe. It's amazing that I can even turn on a computer. But, hey, I like a challenge. And since my son is going off to college next year, I had better figure this stuff out for myself. like NOW. So here goes:

In spite of all the recent crumminess, I actually have a really wonderful life.

It is truly a sad and beautiful world.

walking the dog

2011-08-01T15:28:00.000-07:00

One way to stay fit is to own a very energetic dog that needs to be walked every day. EVERY DAY! Several times a day. Of course, you don't need to own a dog to take a walk but there is nothing like those sad doggy eyes to get you off the couch and out the door.
As you probably guessed, I own an energetic dog.

Here are some of the things my dog, Pancake, and I see on our walks EVERY DAY.

A cool ceramic bird house.

Watch out for bees!

Back home again. The bougainvillea at our front gate.
What a nice walk.