Alice by Annie

My cousin is throwing her sweet Grace an Alice in Wonderland themed birthday party (and her son [whose birthday is right after Christmas] an Unbirthday Party) tomorrow. I've seen a lot of Alice themed everything, especially since the movie came out a little while ago. But I'd never seen these fashion shots by the one and only Annie Leibovitz for Vogue, so I thought there might be a good chance you'd never seen them as well.


Hope you're lucky enough to be going to a tea party this weekend!

Sign Painters

I have always been attracted to hand painted signs. Even the not-so-well-done ones. There's something about handmade that is so endearing and important. Luckily, I'm not the only one that believes this (I think there are lots of us and only growing). Sam Macon and Faythe Levine have recently begun traveling the country documenting men and women still involved in the art of hand lettering signs. They haven't been in production for very long so I'm afraid we'll have to wait quite a while before this is actually available to watch. But, they're doing an excellent job of blogging about their travels and they have a lovely Flickr photostream. I'm very excited to keep up with their progress!


I hope you can see all of the intrigue on this page! The artists and their space and their work is just so inspiring. I'm particularly interested in the interview with Ray Giese. He's been painting signs since he was 20 (70! years ago) and still does it. It's amazing how even in a photograph you can just tell that he's got some stories to tell and some wisdom to teach. Be sure to check out the blog and photostream for even more great images and information.

The last strip in the above collection is New Bohemia Signs based in San Francisco. They are a busy little group and do excellent work. I decided to showcase them specifically because they have a gorgeous online portfolio and website and because they reminded me that sign painting doesn't have to be retro in style. They do a beautiful job with modern typography and simple layouts as well as the more traditional painting.

Now, go into your community and appreciate your sign artists.

A (Lovely) Education

Have you seen An Education yet? It was really quite lovely to watch— the costumes, colors and set design was quite nice. The story was difficult to watch at times but I was always comforted by the beauty of the visuals. See what I mean? Her dress is like a painting and his tie clip and camera are just so darn dapper.

I love this shot of Carey Mulligan and that cutie Dominic Cooper doing a little dance - her cream dress with that pop of red on the shoulder is stunning. I love the ladies with the car too: Rosamund Pike's leopard coat and Ms. Mulligan's leopard hat is such a good idea!

The top left image (below) was used in the movie poster and you can definitely see why— it's breathtaking. Everything is so delicate: their expressions, the touching, the sweet red handkerchief on the stones. I love that so many of the fabric patterns from this era could've been made into a dress or upholstery or curtains— wouldn't her blue and green hydrangea dress make a gorgeous chair? Oh! And that shot of Carey in front of the pantry is so beautiful. The muted wallpaper and her school uniform to the right of that perfectly organized pantry is so charming.

(all images copyright Sony Pictures Classic via ace showbiz)
To wrap things up I thought I'd share some of the album covers from the soundtrack, just to give another glimpse of the time period. I love a good mix and this one doesn't disappoint. Be sure to listen to Mademoiselle Grecco while wearing your fake eyelashes and drinking a glass of wine.

(All albums and images from Amazon—the soundtrack can be found there too.)

Patisserie

I've been reading a charming book by Debra Ollivier called Entre Nous (which means "between us" in French). The book chronicles her decade spent in France after she (a Californian) married a Frenchman and made the enviable trek to Paris. She writes casually but with authority and has managed to explain some of the things that have always intrigued me about French women: their style, their relationships, their ability to enjoy dessert without guilt...
When I think of French pastries I envision Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette with Kirsten Dunst lounging among tiered confections and fresh berries. She looks like a lovely dessert herself.

I've seen a lot of french macaroons lately—I take them to be the new cupcakes as far as trendy baked goods are concerned. There's one French patisserie in particular that serves lovely macaroons (and is responsible for that glorious mint green cake above). Laduree offers a wide variety of flavors (like orange bloom, chocolate with lime and mango with jasmine) pictured in this darling illustration.

These desserts are so elegant and understated from blogger Sooishi. Wouldn't you love to pour yourself a cup of coffee and bite into that crispy meringue? Or slice into that rhubarb pavlova? I was unfamiliar with pavlova but apparently the base is a meringue which is then topped with whipped cream and rhubarb resulting in a crisp outer shell and an interior similar to marshmallow. Sounds heavenly!

Of course it's not all whipped sugar and decadent cakes. The French often eat an elaborate cheese plate as the finale to a three-hour long evening meal or will end with a flaky tart topped with fruit fresh from the local market or maybe a puff pastry with creme and raspberries.

Whatever you're indulging in, be sure to compliment with a glass of le vin. Bon appetit!