A Conversation with 14-Year-Old Me

Today I am inspired to share something in this space. Yesterday afternoon, while catching up on blogs, I came across this lovely interview with Amanda de Cadenet, who hosts a show called The Conversation, and I was so intrigued by Amanda and the premise of the show that I decided to check it out. Several hours later, I'd watched the entire season and felt so glad that I did. I felt like I'd just had an epic conversation with some of the most amazing women (Gwenyth Paltrow, Jane Fonda, Alicia Keys, the list goes on), women who have gotten through the wilderness, so to speak, and have so much to share about lessons they've learned and how they've come to love themselves and love life. And my favorite part of each episode was when Amanda would ask each subject what she would say to her 14-year-old self if she had the opportunity. What's beautiful about asking this question of an adult woman is that she's most likely at a place where the pain of adolescence seems so pointless and all she wants to do is heal that girl she was and have her know that everything's going to be ok. But what do you say to get her there? How can you help her without altering her path? I woke up this morning with those questions on my mind and decided to go through the exercise, and, woah, by the end of my list I was crying (in a good way). What was surprising to me, what I totally didn't expect was that I really needed to hear all of this as an adult. All of the wisdom I'd accumulated over the years hadn't reached my heart yet. I needed to say it to myself, I needed to write it down.

So, here's my list. I'd love it if you'd share your own in the comments...
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Despite whatever insecurities and weight issues you have right now, you will feel beautiful one day and people who are worthy of your friendship and love will tell you that you’re beautiful.

You are an artist who hasn’t found her medium. Try different things, explore, don’t be stopped by failures, and don’t ever think you’re not worthy.

You will fall in love one day (more than once), you’ll know what that feels like, just not anytime soon. But when it does happen, it won’t be the solution to all of your problems and it shouldn’t be. So don’t waste time waiting to be rescued!! Instead, spend this time figuring out how to rescue yourself.

When you’re older, you’ll discover that the coolest people are those who don’t twist themselves into pretzels trying to be something they’re not. So, be who you are, like what you like, and you will feel cool one day. Trust me on this one.

Take it easy on mom. You are the center of her world, and her absolute unconditional love for you will be the one constant in your life and it will get you through your darkest days. You are lucky to be loved so fiercely.

Anatomy of a Necklace

During a particularly busy time, Stephanie and Mav of 3191 Miles Apart announced the release of Interwoven, an inspiring collaboration with Quince and Co. and I ordered the supplies for the Puffin necklace immediately (actually this is how I react to most things Stephanie and Mav do; if you're not already reading 3191, you should!). The project was beautifully simple and exactly what I needed to give my mind a rest from work. And, bonus, the necklace has been a wonderful addition to my fall wardrobe!

Yarns used: Puffin in Clay and Tern in Driftwood

Photos shot with my Mamiya 645 Super and Kodak Portra 400

New Feist

My love for Feist has been well-documented on this blog. See here and here (and there's a whole best-concert-of-my-life story that I sadly never shared here), so it's no surprise that I'm beyond super-exited that her new album, Metals, which is her first new album in 4 years (!!) comes out on October 4th.

It feels like I've been waiting forever for new Feist music, so the above 4 vignettes from listentofeist.com and the full-length single right below them make me feel blissfully happy and inspired.

Come on October! Hurry up and get here!

Disappearing Acts

Oh dear. It appears I've pulled a bit of a disappearing act. Sorry about that. Life has just been kind of huge lately (yep, that's a good way to describe it), and I try to spend every spare moment cultivating the feeling my kitty friend Bucket (top photo) seems to have down to a science--relaxed, chill, enjoying life. Yep, that's the way to spend a summer. So, I'll pop in when I can, but know that I haven't forgotten or abandoned this space. Just taking a little Summer rest.

Hope you're all well. Talk soon!

Photos taken at my dear friend Cole's

Pia! Pia! Pia!

I just received my pre-ordered copy of Amsterdam: Made by Hand, the latest book by stylist, photographer, and blogger Pia Jane Bijkerk, and I must admit I did a little hop of joy when I pulled it out of the mailbox. And then I proceeded to do some mental joy hops as I flipped through its pages. I have no immediate plans to visit Amsterdam, but I can already tell I will be turning to this lovely little book often for jolts of visual inspiration. There's just no one like Pia, and if you've been reading my blog for a while, or have just spent some time browsing though the links and such that I've featured to the right, you might know that I am a HUGE fan of hers (previous Pia-centric posts here and here). I just can't even begin to tell you how much wonder and delight her work brings into my life. And she just has the most charming spirit and personality that comes through in everything she does. If you're not familiar with her yet, please, do yourself a favor and go visit her blog.

Small, Cool

I must say, I'm a sucker for small spaces. It hasn't always been that way. I used to think small = dorm room style, but I credit Apartment Therapy's annual Small, Cool Contest and their book Apartment Therapy Presents: Real Homes, Real People, Hundreds of Design Solutions (long title!) with convincing me that small can equal cool...real cool in fact. I can honestly say that I might not have moved into my current apartment if I hadn't been exposed to such awesome small spaces. I mean, really, my family members looked at me like I was crazy when they saw my empty apartment before I moved in. I had already signed the lease, so they tried to keep the negativity to a minimum, but I could tell they thought I was nuts, but I knew I could make it work. And make it work I did. I love my little box! : )

That said, living in a tiny room is not easy (especially if you're lazy like me). You really have to stay on top of what you're bringing into the space and where those things will live. I haven't been doing this lately and it shows. If you're wondering why there haven't been any photos lately that go beyond my window, it's because the rest of my apartment looks like a bomb exploded! I'm not even kidding.

Enter Apartment Therapy's latest offering Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces, which, as the name suggests, focuses on the small and cool. This book is exactly what I needed to remind me why I love tiny living so much. It's all about the coziness and the ingenuity required to make it work. I'm inspired to tackle the disaster area. Now, if only I could peel my bum off the couch...

Spring Layering

No matter the season, no one does layering like online boutique Totokaelo. I mean, really, who would think to layer dresses like this? This sort of creative mixing adds so much more mileage to your favorite pieces. Love it.

I have long featured Totokaelo in the Happy Shopping section in the right-hand nav on this here blog. It's one of my favorite online shops, and I recommend having a peek. The clothes can be a bit pricey, but they have great sales and the "how to wear" photos in the blog are always so inspiring!

P.S. Thanks so much to everyone who commented on my last post. You guys are awesome. It is so nice to have readers who react to what I post. I read every single one of your comments and e-mails. Keep 'em coming. I love to hear from you!

Really Good Mail Day

Yesterday I received my copy of Around Fog Linen, a collaboration between one of my favorite textile companies, Fog Linen Work, and some of my favorite creative types. It just doesn't get much better than that.

Coco

Coco Before Chanel transports me to my happy place. I'm very particular about the movies I buy, but I happily added this one to my permanent collection.

Dumbo Feather, Issue 22

I just received a lovely bit of mail all the way from Australia. It's Issue 22 of the magazine/book (or "mook") Dumbo Feather, which I ordered as soon as I heard that Pia Jane Bijkerk, one of my favorite creative types in the world, was featured in it. I have to admit that I usually have a very short attention span when it comes to magazine interviews--I usually zone out about half-way through--but I was riveted by the interviews in Dumbo Feather. They are these long, rambly type interviews, and it just feels like you're having a lovely conversations with a creative friend. So great! I, of course, loved the interview with Pia, but I also really enjoyed reading the interviews with chef and author Holly Davis (next to last photo above) and sunglasses designer Catherine Federice (bottom photo above), two talented ladies I'd never heard of before. To me, that's the test of a good magazine--can you make me care about a topic I know nothing about? This mag passes that test for sure! It's a bit too pricey to subscribe to, but I'll definitely be keeping my eye out for future issues that intrigue me.

Etcetera

Received Etcetera by Sibella Court of The Society Inc. for Christmas, and I adore it. It's no longer available online in the U.S., but your local Anthropologie might have a copy or two.

Apartamento Issue 4

Can't wait for the latest issue of Apartamento magazine to arrive in the mail. Subscriptions are now available at Bruil.

Reminded about this great mag by Bird & Banner

Garance on Film!

Garance Dore has posted a lovely video that her assistant shot during a recent photo shoot. It's so wonderful. It makes me want to revisit my film studies roots. I think I have to have a flippin' Flip camera!!

Lost Thing Found

Found a flower in a library copy of The Book of Lost Things. Quite a lovely surprise, non?

At Ease, Ladies

I have never owned anything remotely combat boot-ish, but I am completely in love with these army boots by Marais USA. I love them in white, but I am notoriously rough on shoes, so I bought the black ones. Can't wait 'til they arrive!

Oh, and can I just say that the Marais USA fall collection photos are AMAZING? I keep going back and looking through them. Even if you're not in the market for shoes, you should go check out the photos. They're seriously inspiring.

Bright Star

I saw Bright Star last night, and it was lovely. One of the loveliest films I've seen in a while.

Above images and many more lovely bits and bobs collected by Jane Campion during production can be found here.

Via all the mountains

Pay attention to the books in the background...

....or not if, like me, you have a compulsive book-buying problem...

If you love books, though, you should get in the habit of peeking around the images of your favorite bloggers to see what books they own. I've found many a great book this way. Allow me to demonstrate...

Example 1:

I spotted a lovely copy of Jane Austen's Persuasion on perfectbound. I've read Persuasion before. In fact, it's my favorite Jane Austen book. But I'd never seen such a beautiful edition of it. So, I peeked at the top corner of the image to see who made this edition...Dover Thrift...typed it into Google, et voila. I knew one day it would be mine, but I couldn't justify shipping a $2 book all by its lonesome, so I added it to my Amazon wish list.

(If you're in the market for a full set of Austen loveliness, Dover Thrift also makes a cute little boxed set.)

Example 2:

This morning I was looking at pictures of Whitney's new studio, and I saw a sliver of an intriguing book in the second image from the top..."Inside Out"..."Tim Gunn"...I'm guessing the missing word in the title is "Fashion." Typed "Fashion Inside Out Tim Gunn" into Google et voila. It turns out Daniel Vosovic has written the fashion book of my dreams and no one told me. I quickly added it to my shopping cart and tossed in the Dover Thrift Persuasion.

See what I would have missed if I hadn't been paying attention?

Journal of Plants and Some Old Peonies

I've been buying way too many books lately (though I often wonder if one can ever have too many books...), but when I saw that Maria Vettese and Lena Corwin had a new collaboration out, Journal of Plants, I didn't even try to resist. There are no words to say how much these two artists inspire me, and you just can't put a price tag on that. As long as they make books, I will buy them. It's just a given.

The bottom photo here, although appropriate for today's plant theme, is not from the book. It's a months' old photo I took of some peonies that lasted only a day (that's what I get for buying peonies on super sale at Whole Foods), but at least I can still enjoy this photo. And that's one of the things I love about photography. You can capture something fleeting and perishable, like food or flowers, and enjoy them forever.