This Photo Makes Me Happy

It is currently my desktop background and I smile every time I see it. Been thinking a lot lately about how much fun our vacation was! Taken at Utah Beach, Normandy - August 2011. Photo by Oh MG.

Indoor Tents & Teepees

Lately there have been some awesome features on cozy set ups and indoor accessories for the winter months. Even though it has been 60+ degrees in NYC lately, I have been loving blog posts on throw blankets, like this one featuring something from the Pendleton collection. Yesterday Honestly WTF did an awesome feature on the Hudson Bay Company blanket and it got me thinking about how fun indoor tents and teepees are.

via Honestly WTF

Wouldn't it be fun to have played in this teepee as a kid? Heck, if I had room I'd install one just like it in my house today. I think Arby would like it too! Though this cat cabin might be more appropriate for his size.

via Creamy Life

And of course, I have always adored Richie Tenenbaum's tent - it even has a record player!

Screenshot from The Royal Tenenbaums, 2001, Touchstone Pictures

Screenshot from The Royal Tenenbaums, 2001, Touchstone Pictures

Stendig 2012

I spent a good part of the weekend admiring these Stendig calendars at the shop.  A little history: designed in 1966 by Massimo Vignelli, the Stendig calendar is the only calendar in MOMA's permanent collection. It's a minimalist modern design classic. Am considering picking one up for my house, but wall space is currently quite limited. Get one here!

And how apt that I should come upon this post on Brick House last night. Lovely!

Via Brick House Tumblr via The Selby

What to Bring to Dinner (via Chow)

Thanksgiving dinner may have come and gone this year, but this chart can surely be used for years to come! Hope you had a good one and are not too terribly full. Via The Daily Dish, created by CHOW.

Happy Thanksgiving

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving! If you are traveling may you not end up with a Del Griffith as your seat mate. For now I'm holing up inside on this rainy day hoping to beat a sinus infection so I can fully enjoy tomorrow. Here are some fun Thanksgiving-themed links:

In case you were worried, the President did pardon a turkey.

What to do with leftover pumpkin pie - this looks fantastic, but is there ever really any leftover pumpkin pie?

In case you want to "go pilgrim" for the holiday.

Last-minute NYC pie buying guide.

Images via Martha Stewart's Thanksgiving Pie & Tart Recipes (hold on to your horses, there are 70 delicious-looking reciplies!)

Amazing Stories

Louis Zamperini hugging his mother upon his return from being held as a POW in Japan,
via Wall Street Journal.

It's no secret I'm a bit of a history nerd and lately I've been especially captivated by World War II stories (evidenced by my Band of Brothers obsession, our trip to Normandy, and my recent re-read of The Zookeeper's Wife). I simply love learning about people and stories that we otherwise wouldn't know about - and people have amazing stories! So you can imagine how excited I was that our current book club pick is Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand. All I can say is: just finished it, loved it, and I would highly recommend to anyone. The book is essentially a biography of US Olympian turned bomber Louis Zamperini who along with his pilot drifted at sea after their plane went down in 1943 only to be captured and held as POWs for the duration of the war. From breaking track records in the 1920s to the 1936 Olympics in Berlin to prepping for war in Oahu, this book has fantastic historical anecdotes. See here for an excerpt. Enjoy!

Week in Review

Still from The Godfather, 1972 Paramount Pictures (been craving a viewing)

 Happy Friday! This weekend I'll be holed up with a paper on the drivers of global population growth (jealous, aren't you) and working a whole bunch. Luckily, just two days of school next week before a nice little break for Thanksgiving - my favorite holiday!!! JM's mom has requested I make spinach balls - fine with me as long as I get seconds of her famous oyster stuffing. Also, I'm still worked up from a run-in I had with fashion blogger royalty earlier today, will post about it next week. XO

Great design idea - here's how to enlarge and frame your own photo.

I heart Diane Keaton and her new book looks intriguing.

A lovely look at a new West Elm location.

This post: 1) got me coveting more Betsy & Iya jewelry; 2) made me want to visit Portland again soon; 3) reminded me how much I need an iPhone so I can use Instagram.

What a concept: cozy glam!

Tips for what to do if you forget someone's name.

A gorgeous light-filled home remodel - amazing!

JM made this for dinner earlier in the week - yum, yum, yum and super easy.

The Great Gatsby

via PopSugar

This just in: shots from the set of The Great Gatsby adaptation currently filming in Australia. I am excited to see how Baz Luhrmann handles this adaptation. Despite adoring the book, I've never seen a film version, so I'm extremely curious. The casting seems superb - Leonardo DiCaprio as Jay Gatsby, Carey Mulligan as Daisy Buchanan, Tobey Maguire as Nick Carraway.  Plus the costumes are sure to be fabulous!

PS. I've never read any other Fitzgerald, Tender is the Night has been on my to-read list for years.
PPS. I loved Midnight in Paris when I saw it recently and it made me want to learn more about Scott and Zelda's turbulent relationship.
PPPS. Kind of interested in this boat tour, but what will it be like now that this house has been demolished?

Cap Toe Contrast

I wear my Matt Berson Waverley Cap Toe flats all the time, even this week when it's been raining. And I would quite like another pair, but until that can happen, I just loved this DIY on Say Yes to Hoboken. So fun! If only I were more crafty and would actually do this.

Matt Bernson's Waverly Cap Toe

Say Yes to Hoboken's DIY Cap Toe

Le Sigh ... Montreal

Today Claire told me she was going to be in Montreal for New Year's (jealous!) and I happened to log on to The Goodie Life (a blog by a Montrealer!) and saw this awesome video.  Montreal in the summer ... even better. Some of my personal highlights are in the video like Schwartz's, St. Laurent, the view from Mont Royal, and bagels. Some things I would add: L'Academie, The Word bookstore (um, how hysterical is this website?), Tam-Tams, and getting a drink on the terrace of this hotel. Also, love the music in the video!

HUNGER GAMES TRAILER!

Wow, this sure does seem true to the book and makes me very excited to see the movie. I just watched it with Sarah who said, "gee, maybe I should read the books."  Yes she should. Go Katniss!

Buddha Butter Dishes and Other Things I Do Not Need

Now that they've started, the gift guides are going to just keep on coming. In browsing the queen of all gift guides, Real Simple's Ultimate Guide to Finding Creative Gifts for Everyone on Your List, I spotted two things that I want. They're very cool but can definitely be filed under "things I absolutely do not need."

Aphrodite USB Port via Real Simple Gift Guide

Buddha Butter Dish via Real Simple Gift Guide

Week in Review

via Life Magazine

How is it almost mid-November?! Time is just speeding right by and before we know it will be Christmas. Seems like blogs have started their holiday gift guides - in the last few days this and this have cropped up. Whether you're holiday shopping yet or not, have a great weekend. We're hosting a Lonesome Dove viewing party - that's right all 6.5 hours in one sitting along with beer, whisky, and King Ranch Casserole. Woohoo for cowboys. Some fun links from the last two weeks ...

Ohhh, another site featuring real people's homes. (Yes, the actual site is in Russian, but the photos are awesome!)

Love this roundup of pretty fall things.

I just bought some cheap curtains from Ikea, but window films might have looked better. Will file under home improvement projects to do one day.

Seven recipes using my favorite veggie.

I love the idea of Christmas in the summer.

What do you think of this flooring? Too much?

I generally like to cook and not bake, but this bread sounds amazing!

Great wardrobe inspired by a great movie.

Crazy Cookbook Sale

via Cooking Light

As a lover of cookbooks (and cooking I guess) I was extremely excited to see that the Housing Works Bookstore Cafe is having a COOKBOOK SALE for the next ten days.  Until Saturday, November 19th all cookbooks are 30% off.  Woot.  Might be a good time to stock up on some of these.  And no, New York Times, I don't think cookbooks are dead.

How Much is Too Much ...

... to spend on a candle?  They are certainly novelty items, but a really nice one can make your living space so lovely.  I had the pleasure of unpacking these fabulous-smelling things when they arrived the other day, and oh my, I've had candles on the brain ever since. It's also a fine line however since everything from Yankee Candle Co. generally makes me want to throw up.

When I was in Paris this summer the Diptyque boutique in Le Marais really made me covet a Feuille de Lavande candle, but I drew the line and said $60 was waaaay too much.

I am absolutely picking up one of these for the holiday season, they are to die for.  In fact, the one I got last year was so delicious smelling I burned it all year long.

Until I can fill up my whole house with Diptyques, I'll stick with the much more affordable Mrs. Meyers.  Ohhh, and I see they have some holiday scents!

Local Real Estate Crush

Surely every blogger, design magazine reader, and lover of all things pretty fell in love with Jenna Lyons' house as soon as it was featured in Domino in 2008. Ever since the Domino spread I've loved seeing various shots and stylings of the Park Slope home.  Additionally, since moving to the neighborhood I've peeked in various windows to see if I could figure out what house it is. Now, thanks to some not-so-good press I've learned that the house is literally right around the corner from me. Also turns out I could now own the place for $3.75 million.

Via Black Eiffel via Domino (RIP)

via Habitually Chic via Levenson McDavid Architects

via Habitually Chic via Livingetc

Finger on the Pulse

Shows how much I have my finger on the pulse of the New York City culture scene that I found out about the DOC NYC festival on the day before it ends, but at least I managed to see one screening. Tonight I was lucky to be part of last-minute plans to see Page One: Inside The New York Times. It was a fascinating film about old media, new media, and how reporters keep their finger on the pulse of important stories during the digital age. See it if you can, and then go read and appreciate a great piece of investigative journalism. I wish I could have seen all the films on the festival's short list - will have to track them down!

Chevron + Chevron

Like everyone else, I'm loving chevron these days. Oh and something I've had my eye on for a while is on sale. Alas, home decor purchases are on hold due to a little expense called grad school.  

via Decor8 via Apartus

via Honey Kennedy via Swedishness