Do you all know Hugo Guinness? What creative genius! I was first introduced to Mr. Guinness at the John Derian shop in NYC, where I stopped in my tracks when I laid my eyes upon his “beautiful” print. Gosh, I hope this is mine one day! While catching up on some light reading this evening, I came across this little video, which made my day. And hearing this quote, ” “We forgive all of our friends who make us laugh, don’t we?” I couldn’t agree more!
And just like that everything changes. This film by Spanish director Juan Antonio Bayona retells the truly impossible story of a family spending their Christmas holiday in Khao Lak, Thailand, a resort town devastated by the tsunami of 2004 that affected 14 countries and killed nearly a quarter million people. Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor are flawless. The story unimaginable but true. The lesson simple… life sometimes is a beautiful mystery. We don’t know why tragedy occurs but we do know to act with kindness and grace. Always lend a helping hand if you can. See this movie. It is one that will stay with you always, I am quite certain!
Happy April 1st! I couldn’t be more thrilled to say good-bye to March. What a long month, don’t you think? Things on the island are starting to pick up, which makes me so excited for the months ahead. I have been doubting my decision to move home these past few months (the weather certainly hasn’t helped) but this past weekend reaffirmed to me that home is where I need to be. And there is so much to look forward to. One of my absolute favorite weekends here is Daffodil Weekend (more on this to come, I promise) and this morning I saw some little daffodil heads peeking out of the ground. Alleluia!
Of this song. Is your love big enough for what’s to come? It most certainly is!
I am in desperate need of some new shoes. Here are a few I’m eyeing:
– I am a huge fan of Loeffler Randall and these Luella Mignon sandals in electric purple are at the top of my wish list. Would go just perfect with my favorite white shirt/blue jean combo, don’t you think?
– One of my go-to spring/summer shoes has always been a pair of espadrille’s and this pair from Calypso are spot on.
– All winter I was searching for the perfect black booties and lucky for me I finally found them just in-time for spring. These Rag & Bone are on their way to me now and I can’t wait to pair them with my black shorts and Joie lace top. A little edgy for this island girl!
– The ballet flat is a staple in my closet and these little beauties from Aerin Lauder’s new line are a welcome addition indeed. Will pair perfectly with my sundress collection.
– One for one… yes, please! The classic Tom’s slip-on in festive pink… will live in these this spring!
There are oh so many things to love about this film: the delightful cast, which includes just a few of my favorites from Downton Abbey (Maggie Smith and Penelope Wilton); the setting of the Pink City (Jaipur, India); and last but not least the beautiful story of starting over in a foreign and exotic land.
One of my favorite scenes is when Judi Dench’s character Evelyn is consoling Sonny (Deb Patel from Slumdog Millionaire), who is beside himself for having to walk away from his true love because of his mother’s wishes. Evelyn makes it quite simple and reminds him “you can have anything you want… you just need to stop waiting on someone to tell you that you deserve it.” So very true indeed!
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel has one of the most touching endings ever. The characters all come to terms with their own shortcomings and set out to begin anew… the very reason they left Britain in the beginning. “The only real failure is the failure to try. And the measure of success is how we cope with disappointment, as we always must. We came here and we tried. All of us in our different ways. We get up in the morning, we do our best, nothing else matters. But it’s also true that the person who risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing. All we know about the future is that it will be different. But perhaps what we fear is that it will be the same. So we must celebrate the changes. Because as someone once said everything will be alright in the end and if it’s not alright, then trust me, it’s not yet the end.”
I just love this look. The simplicity of a beautiful white blouse with crisp jeans… if I had to pick a uniform, it would surely be this! When I saw this photo of Miranda Brooks in January’s Vogue I thought, perfection. A little classic… a little boho… what I strive to be!
Here are a few of my favorite white blouse finds along with my go-to denim choices.
– Saw this top in April’s InStyle. With turquoise beads… my summer go-to.
– Diane outdid herself again with this little beauty.
– J.Crew has been hitting it out the park with their recent collection… love this lace top.
– My favorite jeans!
– Some of the best skinny jeans I have tried.
Hope you all have a lovely first weekend of Spring!
I love to cook but making meals for one I find to be a bit tricky. In Boston, I was known for my dinner parties but my little winter rental sadly doesn’t have the space for entertaining and thus I have felt a bit of a void. Good news is that I am moving in just a few shorts weeks… into an actual house… with a real kitchen (it’s the little things, really)! In preparation for the move, I thought now would be the perfect time to experiment with some new recipes. Today’s attempt is a simple spring salad, which I fondly call what looked good at Bartlett’s Farm. Here’s what you’ll need:
– arugula (about 1 1/2 cups)
– ripe avocado (1/2 avocado, sliced)
– blueberries (1/3 cup)
– goat cheese (2 Tbs. crumbled.. use a fork to help the process)
– Brianna’s blush wine vinaigrette (2 tsp.)
*Quantities are for a single serving*
Mix it all together and let me tell you, delicious. You could add grilled chicken on top and substitute fresh strawberries for the blueberries too.
One little side note: I tend to make my own salad dressings because I think it is one of the easiest things in the world to do but Brianna’s blush wine vinaigrette is one I haven’t been able to make at home. This stuff is amazing.
During my recent jaunt to L.A., I was able to finally visit one of my favorite letterpress companies, Sugar Paper. I was first introduced to the creative genius of co-founders Chelsea and Jamie in InStyle Home’s April 2004, which had a beautiful feature on Reece Witherspoon’s home and showed her impeccable stationary set by Sugar Paper. The simplicity of their designs and the quality of their paper stock is just perfection. And lucky for us, today they are spoiling us with a 24 hour sale… 20% off their entire site (enter discount code Spring20 at checkout).
My picks include:
– This adorable Easter card is currently on its way to me.
– This luxe bicycle noteset is perfect for an island girl like me.
– These thank you cards accompanied me back to the island.
– This heart print would be the perfect addition to my gallery wall.
– And don’t forget Mother’s Day and Father’s Day are right around the corner!
Do let me know your favorite items. Until next time, happy shopping!
I am still a little turned on by the kiss that Jess and Nick shared a few weeks ago and then tonight’s episode. Did you see? Will Season 3 feature a new romance between my two favorite characters? I only hope so. Jess + Nick forever!
A Day with May 