Reading.....Lulu in Marrakech

A shade darker than my favorite Diane Johnson books (the European novels: Le Divorce, Le Mariage, L'Affaire), this is still an excellent, engaging, and exotic read. Often described as a modern day cross between Jane Austen and Henry James, Johnson has veered outside the expatriate community of Paris, for a similar, but more sinister, circle in Morocco. A perfect beach book for those who shun fluffy chic lit.

Weekly Links!

Liz Taylor via Ms. Muse Tumblr

Wishing everyone a most lovely weekend! I'm looking forward to a nice relaxing summer weekend full of twilight music jams, grilling out, and hopefully talking my husband into making some homemade coconut ice cream, my favorite. I'll leave you with a few things that caught my fancy this week....


Beautiful pictures from an old South Carolina mansion.

Interview with Pia Jane Bijkerk about her new book. What an exquisite cover!

Solid Perfume: This looks wonderful, except for the fact that I'd probably always be mistaking it for lip balm.

Good collection of online magazines.

Fascinating post about Marilyn Monroe memorabilia, recently sold at auction.

Goodbye Farrah

Farrah Fawcett

February 2, 1947 - June 25, 2009

Listening To.....Kasey Chambers and Shane Nicolson

This is my favorite album right now. It came highly recommended from some friends in Nashville, and definitely did not disappoint. I love husband/wife musical partnerships, and this is one of the best I've ever heard. The two Australian singer/songwriters were born to sing together. Is it odd that the best Americana album out there is coming from Australia?

Check out this video of the title track. Kind of creepy, but when the title of the song is "Rattlin' Bones" what do you expect?

Jelly Bath!

I read about this stuff in a regional magazine a while back. One of my favorite Asheville boutiques, Porter & Prince, carries it, and although I have yet to purchase it, the temptation grows. It looks like what I've always imagined taking a bath in warm jello must feel like. And yes, I have thought about that. The folks at the website have described it with a tad more sophistication as "a virtual bath blanket with aroma therapeutic benefits." Either way, I'm game for a soak.

Dietrich letters

"A man would prefer to come home to an unmade bed and a happy woman than to a neatly made bed and an angry woman." Marlene Dietrich

Something to keep in mind when you're feeling guilty about not cleaning house.

I started browsing Dietrich quotes after reading this article about a collection of the actress's letters selling at auction. I'd love to get a peek at those! She's so tough and completely unsentimental, but brilliant.

Watching.....To Catch a Thief

I love Hitchcock films, but for some reason, I usually only watch them in the cooler fall and winter months. I have a weird, obsessive tendency to do everything seasonally, and not just food or fashion. There are certain books, movies, even music that I can only enjoy during the season I have determined they belong to. Sometimes it might make sense, and sometimes it probably doesn't, but I can't help it. In my world, the majority of Alfred Hitchcock films are best enjoyed cozied up under a blanket, in front of a roaring fire with a howling wind blowing outside. The exception to this rule: To Catch a Thief.

I have watched this movie about a hundred times and it remains one of my all time favorites, and perfect to watch in the hot summer months. Not only are Cary Grant and Grace Kelly absolutely perfect together in this movie, but the scenery is exquisite and I love being transported to the Riviera, if only for a few hours.

Lazy Days of Summer.....Charles Cushman Photography Collection

Aren't these just dreamy? I stumbled across this collection of Charles Cushman photographs on Flickr and thought I would share them. So perfect for hot summer days when all you want to do is stroll by the waterfront, daydream, or have a picnic lunch with your best friend. Beautiful!

Learn more about Cushman here.

Curiouser and Curiouser.....Burton's Alice in Wonderland

It is extremely rare that I actually go to a movie theatre these days, but I just don't know if I can stand waiting until next March to see Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland. I grew up mesmerized by the Disney version of the Lewis Carroll classic, and this much more grown-up version looks equally amazing, although much darker.

Helena Bonham Carter

Anne Hathaway

Johnny Depp

These images released this week are absolutely brilliant. Clearly, this story is perfect for a Burton retelling. Johnny Depp is the only man I can think of who retains his sex appeal dressed up in creepy face paint and a tophat.

Reading.....Girls In Trucks

If you're looking for a great summer read, I highly recommend Girls in Trucks by Katie Crouch. I have to confess that initially, I totally judged this book by it's cover. Thankfully, it didn't disappoint. And it really is such a gorgeous image. The debut novel tells the story of Sarah Walters and her journey from awkward Charleston debutante to jaded New York city girl. Somewhat of a cliche premise, but Crouch rises above stereotypical chic lit with a promising novel of depth, wisdom, and razor sharp humor. Perfect beach read.

Author's website.

What Kind of Flower Are You Quiz!

I am a Sunflower What Flower Are You?

Franck Juery

Images from Franck Juery, Parisian photogrpaher. I love the simplicity of the compositions, the muted, natural colors, and the fact that each image seems to tell a piece of a story, leaving the viewer to wonder, imagine, and dream about the rest. Exquisite.

We're back!

Our weekend trip to Nashville was awesome! We had such a good time, reconnecting with old friends and playing tourists. On Saturday, we spent the day at the Country Music Museum and Hall of Fame, which was amazing. My personal favorites included: Patsy Montana's cowboy boots (pictured left), Kitty Wells' guitar, Mother Maybelle's guitar, Wanda Jackson's fringed rockabilly dress, Gram Parsons' Nudi suit, one of Minnie Pearl's dresses, and Sara Carter's autoharp. The only disappointment was that they had already closed up the Kitty Wells' special exhibit, which I thought was supposed to last throughout June. But the Williams' family special exhibit was pretty neat.

After spending a few hours in the museum, we strolled around downtown a bit, taking in touristy lower Broadway. We browsed Ernest Tubb's record shop, popped our heads into Roberts Western World, the Stage, and Tootsie's (something about being inside a "bar" during the daytime is really depressing), browsed Gruhn's guitars, and ate lunch at the Mojo Grill. Saturday night was the big "Hillbillypalooza" at our friends' house, which was basically a huge pickin' (leave off the "g" unless you are a Yankee) party, with tons of great musicians, singers, and yummy yummy jambalaya, moonshine, and homemade strawberry ice cream.

Great trip, but as always, I'm glad to be home!

Happy Father's Day!

(Mark and Katie Mae at Isle of Palms, SC)

Nashville Weekend!

We're getting an early start on the weekend, heading to Nashville, TN tomorrow to visit friends. I lived in Nashville for about a year after college, but I haven't been back since then, so I'm super excited. I think we're even going to play tourists with a visit to the Country Music Hall of Fame. Can't wait! Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Photo: Loretta Lynn

Browsing.....Bonnaroo Style!

Once perceieved as the antithesis of the fashion consciouw crowd, Bonnaroo revelers have stepped it up a notch for 2009. The iconic festival took place last weekend, in Manchester, TN. Take a peek at Style's Bonnaroo fashion slideshow.


(Drew Barrymore, mud ready in her waders!)

Browsing.....Fallen Princesses

In the "Fallen Princesses" series, photographer Dina Goldstein busts up the myth of happily ever after. "I began to imagine Disney's perfect princesses juxtaposed with real issues that were affecting women around me," she says, "such as illness, addiction and self-image issues." These photographs are heartbreaking, but utterly brilliant.

(Photos by Dina Goldstein via Cup of Jo)

Browsing.....Jill Andrews of the everybodyfields

June Update from Jill Andrews on Vimeo.

This girl is one of my new favorite singers. An east Tennessee native, Jill Andrews is perhaps most noted for her partnership with Sam Quinn, the everybodyfields (which I always thought was such a great band name!) Anyway, as this video explains, she recently had a baby, so is taking some time off and now working on a solo project. In addition to her upcoming album, each month Jill will be posting a cover song performance to her website. This month, she performs Lucinda Williams' "Sharp Cutting Words." She is amazing!

Browsing.....Vintage Mugshots

Fascinating photo stream of vintage mugshots: Least Wanted


(via Sally Jane Vintage)

The photos date from the early 1900s to the 1980s. Some of them include information (age, height, weight, occupation, etc.) and reason for arrest (ranging from vagrancy to public intoxication to being a communist and a myriad of other mugshot inducing offenses). The diverse facial expressions tell so many different stories. Some glower, some look frightened, some are trying to look tough, but you can see the fear in their eyes. And some, inexplicably, are laughing. You can't help but wonder about the backstory to these images: what kind of life experiences drove them to that particular moment captured forever on film? Interesting stuff.

Browsing.....Kenzo Spring/Summer Line

(via Clever Nettle)

Take a peek at these gorgeous summer dresses from Kenzo. Beautiful, breezy fabric and romantic floral prints, this collection is so lovely. These dresses conjure up images of walking through misty botanical gardens, or strolling through an enchanted summer forest at twilight. And look at those shoes on the girl in the middle. Wow! I don't know what you call them, but I just love them. Glittery, open toed, cowgirl boots? Whatever they are, I want a pair!

Listening To.....Sunny Sweeney

This little gal from Texas is one of my most favorite singers right now. She is just so cute, spunky, and downright sunny! I have to wonder if that's her real name, or a very well contrived stage name. Either way, I think it's awesome, so kudos to either her parents or a brilliant PR rep. I'm not sure we have a honky tonk big enough to hold her around here in western North Carolina, but I would love to see her perform live. Her myspace features new songs in progress as well as a several youtube performances (she also has a hilarious youtube channel...you can definitely tell she was in improv comedy before she turned to music!) I love the fact that in most at most of her gigs, she wears blue jeans and tee shirts featuring classic country icons like Merle Haggard, Loretta Lynn, Waylon Jennings, and others. Not an easy look to pull off unless you are a trucker, but she does it with sass and pizazz. Check her out!

Watching...........Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

Somehow, I never watched this film when I was a child. I can't imagine why not; it's absolutely exquisite. So fun, colorful, and imagninative. I adore Dick Van Dyke. Mark and I were trying to decide if there was a modern day equivalent for Dick Van Dyke. You know, like George Clooney is sort of the reincarnation of Cary Grant? I was stumped, but Mark finally got it: Steve Martin. Which seems an apt comparison: the same smart guy, oddball goofiness that is so endearing. I adore this movie. Katie Mae actually watched a good bit of it, but her attention span is not quite ready for such a long film, no matter how many silly songs there might be. In addition to the fun, zanier songs, one of my favorites from the films was this gem, which must be just about the sweetest, most lovely lullaby I have ever heard.

Reading.......Harriet the Spy

I've been taking a jaunt down memory lane lately, rereading some of my favorite books from childhood, and Harriet the Spy definitely tops the list. I remember reading this book as a child and immediately vowing to carry around a notebook and write down every single thing I did and saw. This usually lasted about a week, thus the huge box of half filled journals and notebooks in my attic. But seriously, this is one of my all time favorite books. Harriet is such an incredible character. Not always likeable, but always original and very real. Rereading this book as an adult was a bit of a different experience, because I just don't recall the book being as dark as it seems now. There are some scenes that are perfectly Lord of the Flies-esque. But that is part of the brilliance of Louise Fitzhugh who is credited with introducing more realistic, less cookie cutter characters to young adult literature.

While reading up on Louise Fitzhugh's biography, I discovered that she also contributed the illustrations to a popular 1961 children's book, Suzuki Beane, which sounds absolutely delightful. A parody of Kay Thompson's Eloise books, Suzuki Beane is the child of beatnik parents, a downtown kid who becomes friends with an Upper East Side boy, thus exposing her to an entirely new world. Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz bought the rights to the book, planning a sitcom around it, but it never happened. The book is now out of print and hard to find and I'm kicking myself because I found a copy on ebay over the weekend, very reasonably priced and no bidders, but I forgot to bid. Exactly the reason I don't really like ebay. Maybe next time.

Browsing..........Uniform Project

Imagine wearing one dress, everyday, for an entire year. Could you do it? This New York City girl is doing just that in the Uniform Project. Although I'm not so sure I could do it myself (I'm way too fickle), I just love the idea. The real fun in the project is that the rules aren't too strict, because she can jazz up the dress with various accessories and layers, mostly hand-me-downs or items from vintage and thrift stores. In fact, you can even donate accessories for the project if you are so inclined. The dress (actually there are seven identical dresses) is designed to be exceptionally durable and versatile. It can be worn both front and back and as an open tunic. To top it all off, the money raised from the project will be donated to the Akanksha Foundation, a grassroots educational movement in India. So far, 43 days into the project, she has raised $2,813. Wow! Fun fashion meets philanthropy! I'm for that.

Browsing.........Treehouses for Grownups

The perfect coffee table book.

How lovely it must be, to live high up in a tree! Especially in a seriously swanky treehouse like this. Wow!

(Photos from Treehugger)