Duskin

Another dress. I entered A Cup of Jo's Wednesday giveaway for a chance to win it. Me! Me! Please! Por favor!

Diem Chau

Meant to commission portraits of my kids sculpted out of crayons from Diem. "Her work touches on the value of storytelling, myths and their ability to connect us to each other through cultural and humanistic similarities". I try to find common ground with my kids every day.

Busho Ikebana

From the catalogue of Rain or Shine books, this zine arrived in the mail a while ago. It's as quiet and gentle as a certain kind of poem.

Harumi Kurihara

I cook a lot of rice.

And get so much inspiration from Harumi Kurihara and her book Harumi's Japanese Cooking.

About rice, she says: "I think rice should be treated with respect and should be freshly prepared for each meal."

She also remembers her mother beautifully in the book's introduction: "My mother inspired me to see that although there are many things in life that may seem routine, or even boring, like cooking every day for your family, if you approach it with the right attitude you can achieve great satisfaction. By taking care of detail you can find happiness in small everyday things, which make all the difference to a family who are living in the same house and sharing meals together. When I look at my mother I feel such tenderness and pride. I am so impressed by her ability to carry on calmly through good times and bad".

I covet this rice cooker from Tortoise, a favorite shop.



I'll be making Harumi's Salmon Burgers for tonight's dinner, with a smile on my face and gratitude in my heart. Seriously.

Hill House

A classic, perfect Georgian house with sweeping lawn and gardens--for sale in Norfolk.

Via A Bloomsbury Life.

Flora Grubb

In San Francisco, Flora Grubb designs gardens. I want, want, want a version of this vertical one, fashioned out of Woolly Pockets. I'd like the interior of our house to be filled with plants and palms and orchids and succulents...some hanging, in the spirit of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.



Via What the Skies Were Like.

Audrey Kawasaki

A new print, Saying Goodbye, available August 22nd.

Debbie Harry

An obvious and much-cited influence to so many. Her style is incomparable. I love her hair, her make-up, her clothes, her heart-shaped face and lips and her band.

Almond Roca and Barcelona Bar

Thinking of my grandmother Alicia again and her favorite treat. She always had a pink tin of the retro Brown & Haley butter crunch stashed nearby-- on her nightstand, by the tub, in her dressing room and, once, discreetly packed in a suitcase for a trip to Cancun circa December 1977. I, on the other hand, seem to need a Barcelona Bar every Saturday. Women and chocolate, a classic combo.

Family Portrait

Decidedly not my great-aunt's Lladro.

Tamra Davis Cooking Show

I cook from this book and visit her website almost on a daily basis. Everything turns out really well and is so healthy. I've made Lucy's Reuben for two days in a row now and love it love it love it. Plus, her tag line "Cooking.Kids.Music.Fun" speaks to me. On the best of days, it sums up my summer.

Mountain Spirit Botanicals

"To wash one's hair, make one's toilet and put on scented robes, even if not a soul sees one, these preparations still produce an inner pleasure". --The Pillow Book

So happy to have found you!

I used to purchase Elise Muller's products at the Lincoln Road Farmer's Market in Miami Beach years ago. I still have her pamphlets and brochures from that time, having been enchanted by her ability to write wise woman/goddess-like copy. She seemed to live at a different pace than most and was always so gracious. Her botanicals worked wonders on me. Then she moved away, relocating to the woods of Upstate New York. Now she has a beautiful website to showcase her magical potions. Nothing could make me happier.

Why This World?

The new Clarice Lispector bio is riveting. She is my greatest influence. Along with Marguerite Duras, Jean Rhys, Natalia Ginzburg, Katherine Mansfield, Anais Nin.....

Joan Mitchell

There is a Joan Mitchell exhibit at Giverny, through October 2009, that I'd like to see. Although her paintings seem to be total abstractions, she said that they were, in fact, "about a feeling that comes to me from the outside, the landscape."

Looking Glass

Whimsical caterers. Their menus are so imaginative (Fireside Dinner, Alice in Wonderland Tea, Fall Foliage). Am planning a party for February 2010 with star-shaped balloons on the ceiling and strewn across the floor. Haven't decided on the color scheme yet.

Pink

I may have to order this print again, can't seem to find the one that had already arrived in the mail! James Jean is a revered illustrator. Also, I'd love to hang a copy of his album cover illustration for The Donnas and put it in my daughters' room.

At North Farm

Someone will have to read this aloud, beneath an old tree, should we ever settle on a farm up north...

Oh John!

Print by Sally Frank.

Other Books

Looking forward to this newest of collaborations between Lena Corwin and MAV. Other Books is an offshoot of Lines & Shapes, their initial joint venture to which I faithfully subscribe.