melanie laurent

How friggin' cool is French actress Melanie Laurent?

Such great style and that adorable accent. Are you kidding me?

She was wonderful as Shoshanna in Tarantino's Inglorious Bastards, but after seeing her this weekend in Mike Mills's Beginners-whoa. I have a girl crush!

Beginners is based on Mike Mills real life experiences with his father. It's a touching movie that moves slowly at times, but all in all, is pretty great.

In the movie, Melanie plays Ewan McGregor's love interest Anna and her quirkiness is quite sweet. Christopher Plummer is fab as well.

Check out the trailer below.

P.S. Are you guys over Ewan since his Moulin Rouge days? Yeah, me either. Swoon.

(images courtesy f*ck yeah melanie)

needlepoint pillows

Everyone agrees. Jonathan Adler is the best. Remember these coasters and these fruity pillows?

I've been scouting out his kooky collection of needlepoint pillows for the past few months, and I'm really hoping that Santa brings us one for Christmas.

Top choice? "The Tramp," of course.



(image courtesy jonathan adler)

starry string lights

Happy Cyber Monday! I suppose it's nearly Christmas time, but the bizarro 60 degree weather here in NYC has me wondering what month it is really...

Maybe these dainty, delicate twinkle lights will get me in the holiday spirit. Pretty, no?

(images courtesy restoration hardware)

lbd

Wow. That's one heck of a little black dress.

It's bound to get a lot of wear during this month's holiday festivities.

Need. Want. Love.

(images courtesy anthropologie)

balthazar tart

Perhaps it's my recent diet or the fact that Thanksgiving looms a mere 48 hours away, but I woke up this morning with a desperate craving for Balthazar's warm goat cheese and caramelized onion tart.

Balthazar, Keith McNally's Soho staple, has been a long favorite of ours for special occasions. From second anniversaries to a place to take visiting family, there's little on the menu that doesn't leave your mouth watering.

Of the tasty options, nothing sticks with me quite as much as this very delicious and very decadent tart. Health food? I think not. Rich? Whoa, momma.

Isn't this the time of year for indulging? This tart would make a perfect holiday dish...

Head over to the darling food blog The Red Spoon for the recipe and some charming food porn. See below for a sneak peek.

(images courtesy the tasting menu, the observer and the red spoon)

woody mix

*wit & delight is one of my most favorite blogs. From beautiful jewelry finds to hairstyles, home goods and super nifty animated recipe gifs, Kate has it going on.

Prime example? This rad Woody Allen mix composed of songs from his movie soundtracks.

I wonder if Kate was inspired by the latest episode of "American Masters" on PBS? They debuted a really good documentary on the director Sunday/Monday.*

*NERD...

sweater weather

Despite this fall's wonky weather (remember that random snowstorm promptly followed by 60 degree nights?), it appears that things are at last as they should be...and just in time for Thanksgiving.

It's sweater weather at last and this soft and sweet Chainlink cableknit option is seeing me through.

Cozy-nass.

(image courtesy j. crew)

how to peel a head of garlic...

in less than 10 seconds!

This little shortcut could certainly come in handy during Turkey Day preparations.

Bravo, Saveur!

green mile tunnel

Aren't Oleg Gordienko's photographs of this beautiful train tunnel breathtaking? The shape, the distance...it's like a dream!

This tunnel exists in "an enchanting forest" in the Ukraine. I bet they have unicorns there too.

(images courtesy my modern met; spotted on honestly wtf)

odette pin

Oh, hello lovely hair pin. Aren't you fun, fancy and festive?

P.S. Love this gal's coloring. It really makes the pin pop. L, I'm looking at you!

(image courtesy ban.do)

"live the language" videos

My biggest college regret was never taking advantage of the opportunity to travel abroad. If, like me, you never got around to it, or if, like some of my more clever friends, you did, these "live the language" videos for ef.com (spotted on The Senses Five) bring all the excitement, anticipation and romance you'd expect from such an adventure to life.

Also, how about that typography?

Journey to Paris,



Barcelona



or Sydney.



I'm sure traveling overseas at the age of 19 is as glamorous as these lovely vids make it look, right?

it is the weekend.

Yahoo!

(image courtesy miss moss)

painted armchair

If I had the money and a dash more space, this Painted Bias Armchair would be mine.

Wouldn't this make a bold statement in an understated living room or bedroom? Yum.

(images courtesy anthropologie)

islands in the stream

My Southern roots may be showing, but as a kid I really loved the Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers (Roasters!) tune "Islands in the Stream." Thanks, Grandma!

Check out indie rock band The Constantines breathy version with fellow Canadian Leslie Feist.

Check out the original version here. Dolly rules.

Happy Anniversary to my sweet and handsome husband. Four fabulous years and never a dull moment.

I heart you to the moon, Bobo.


(original top image via romance and revolution)

hound designs

I love Hound Design's online shop. Would happily take one of everything....

Can't get enough the black and gold top above as well as the gold dress in the lower right hand corner. Subtly done metallic gold that Snooki wouldn't be caught dead in? Hip, hip, hooray for Hound.

(images courtesy hound designs; photoshop by yours truly)

movie night

Last night turned into an impromptu movie night. Cozying down on the sofa with a blanket and candles, we decided to order in controversial Danish writer/director Lars von Trier's latest offering Melancholia. Yay for the "in theaters" option OnDemand. $9.99 well spent...so much cheaper than acutally going to the movies.

This film has been receiving an amazing amount of press since it premiered at Cannes this summer (in part due to the director's bizarre and frightening interview comments). S and I had never seen any of von Trier's earlier flicks, but they are supposed to be super disturbing and intense...

Melancholia was indeed intense, but also a visually stunning and captivating flick. It certainly sticks with you.

Check out the trailer here.

P.S.-Lest we sound too cultured, we also watched Crazy, Stupid, Love with Steve Carrell and Ryan "The Goose" Gosling.

You're welcome.

skull bracelet

How cool and unexpected is this delicate gold skull bracelet? I love how feminine it is.

Would ideally pair it with a bolder gold bangle as seen in the photo above.

Do you guys have any idea where one might find such a clever creation?

(image courtesy a well traveled woman)

5 minute candles

Digging these 5 Minute Candles by Poketo (spotted on the divine PeanutJB). Though they look like matchbooks, don't be deceived. Inside every book live 10 little candles that each burn for 5 minutes.


These sleekly designed candles could come in handy during an unexpected power outage or for creating mood lighting on the fly.

Also, I really love that candelabra design.

(images courtesy poketo)

it's Friday...

Sweet!

(image courtesy The New York Times)

cozy capes

Since the first hints of fall came on the scene, I've been daydreaming about getting a cape. Apart of me feels like it's a bold move, but wouldn't any one of these beauties be gorgeous with jeans?

Leaning toward the camel J. Crew option. Not only is it reasonably priced (on sale for $129.99), but it looks killer with black cigarette pants and a white button up.

de Kooning at MoMA

The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is my absolute favorite museum in NYC. I love the mix of classic and sometimes bizarre works that dot the walls of its airy six stories.

Tucked away on a bustling midtown street, MoMA may be smaller than the Met, but I've spent so many more hours there "discovering" things I've seen in books. Makes for a pretty fun way to spend an wintry afternoon...
In addition to MOMA's permanent collection, the museum always has really rad exhibits. Last year, S and I caught the Tim Burton show and this week my Mom and I checked out de Kooning: A Retrospective. If you are in NYC, do yourself a favor and stop by. Take your time wandering through the numerous rooms and be sure to listen to the accompanying audio.

Here are a few of my most fave de Kooning works we viewed.

(images courtesy inquisir and moma)