May Day! May Day!

Oh I do like to be beside the seaside, 
I do like to be beside the sea,

I do like to stroll along the prom, prom, prom,

Where the brassbands play

Tiddley-om-pom-pom!

So just let me be beside the seaside,

I'll be beside myself with glee;

And there's lots of girls beside,

I should like to be beside,

Beside the seaside, beside the sea.

1909, Music Hall Florrie Forde

This ditty always reminds me of my grandparents! And how true! Growing up beside the seaside 
in beautiful Dorset, England I'm spoilt with such childhood memories. 
So happy that my son has the chance to enjoy the seaside too. Although just a short ride to the 
metropolis of NYC, the luxury of having this on our doorstep is wonderful. 

Have a lovely weekend.

Not too many weekend plans this weekend. We are thinking about possibly checking out the NY Photo Festival either Saturday or Sunday. Perhaps lunch or crepes at our local French cafe, who sell the most amazing selection of cheeses and the most delectable sandwich made with the softest french ham, brie, dijon mustard and cornichons (mini gherkins).
Work and other less fun stuff might consume the remaining time of the weekend as I have a deadline for a collection I'm working on for a client.

I might take a stab at creating these handmade snickers bars I found linked from Joanna Goddard's fantastic blog, Cup of Jo. Here is the original link and recipe. Enjoy!

A Hammock Made For Two.

One of my most favorite memories of February this year. Me and my boy, in the sun, sleeping on a hammock tied between two palm trees by crystal clear water with iguanas running underfoot.

Rogue Space Juried Photography Show

I was proud to be a winner of the 2010 Juried Photography Show with John Benton judging, over at Rogue Space Chelsea. It's a great gallery, run by nice people who've been so supportive!

This is a clip of the opening reception. I won Best in Show along with 4 others so we are lucky enough to have another opening soon. Details to come.

Brimfield Antique Market - May 2010

Yo Gabba Gabba at Coachella.

The official Yo Gabba Gabba at Coachella trailer! I'm so excited to see what they are doing with all the footage they filmed. They filmed a little bit of my son and I dancing, it was very cute.
Funny to see Dave Grohl there. I can't go anywhere (even Amsterdam) without Dave Grohl being there it seems. He even copied me and bought the same leopard broom at the hardware store. Bloody Dave Grohl.

"Daniel". Bat for Lashes

Two Suns was one of my favorite albums of last year. This song in particular is pretty special, maybe it's the name? ;-)


Bat For Lashes - Daniel (HD) from Peter Pan on Vimeo.

Mother's Day Swag.

I feel very spoiled this mothers day! I must say, my son's got some really cute taste! I received super sweet cards, one he made himself with jeweled stickers, and the other has a cute balloon watercolor (he loves balloons and painting is his favorite thing!).

Not only was I spoiled with lovely cards but some cute presents too! I love this cross body Madewell Canyon Mini Bag, which I received in the gorgeous Cognac color and a very pretty Madewell scarf in browns, pale pink, navy, yellow and white accented with hot coral tassels. This adorable little dress (which I may wear as a tunic over slim white jeans as it is ultra short or perhaps as a swim cover up in the Canary Islands next month) is from Zara and has a darling little print of cats with bow ties!

Happy Mother's Day!

This goes out to all the Mums and Grandmothers out there who work so hard in this sometimes thankless position. This is our day. Let's milk it! ;-)

Tuck Shop, East Village - Great Australian Pies...yep, pies, boy!

I've been going to this place for a few years but during the last 6 months or so, I've not stopped by. On Friday night we ended up here for a late bite to eat. I haven't stopped thinking about those damn pies ever since. I had the special, a beef and cheddar cheese pie which consisted of this incredibly tasty and slightly spicy beef topped with just the right amount of tangy cheddar. My man had the steak and guinness, which has a peppercorn and horseradish gravy. They were both so good we were swapping bites of each.

I definitely think another pie is in my near future. Great thing about them, they are very moderately sized. Just enough to feel full but not enough to push you over the edge. They are the perfect after drinking snack.
Tuck Shop stays open until 5am most nights. The other great thing about Tuck Shop is that you can pre-order frozen pies to take home and cook. All you have to do is add an eggwash and cook 'em up and they will come up just as good as in the shop.

Check out their menu and locations.

The xx: 'Islands' Video

I've been listening to this album quite a lot recently on my musical listening device. The video is kind of hypnotic and who doesn't like kissing?

She and Him - 'In The Sun' video

She is Zooey Deschanel and Him is M Ward. I had the pleasure of meeting M Ward in California last month when I was there for the Coachella music festival (and he was performing with Zooey later that day). To be honest, I didn't know who he was, until he told me. Whoops. Super nice guy who gives very good directions if anyone ever gets lost and meets M Ward - you'll be fine. He made me laugh when he asked if I was performing at Coachella that day. Moi? Yes, I was doing a puppet show in the Gobi tent for my 2 year old son. That's about the most I can perform I'm afraid. Singing was never my forte.

Anyhow, after M Ward recommended I check out their set, I did, and it was totally cute. Zooey as always is charming, adorable and classy. Their songs are cute little retro feeling ditties which are always upbeat and happy. Enjoy this song from their new album.

Karl Lagerfeld Limited Edition Coca-Cola Light

Karl Lagerfeld's latest quirky collaboration is with Coca-Cola to produce a limited edition box set of your favorite beverage. The sleek light aluminum bottle is accented with an image of the genuis himself. The box set folds out and has a hidden drawer with a bottle opener.
Of course, it goes without saying, it's a light version of Coca-Cola (diet to us in USA).
You can purchase the box set from Collette, Paris for just 60 Euros. A single bottle (without casing) goes for just 3.50 Euros.

Beau Ideal: Limited edition, handmade greetings to spread the love.

I had the pleasure of working with Jill Lee a few years back, she is an exceptional designer with truly exquisite taste. When I discovered she'd launched a line of silk screened note cards and prints, I had to investigate. Beau Ideal, brought to you by the Brooklyn based Lee, specializes in limited edition handmade cards and prints with a wink to the past. The designs have a vintage feel to them and Lee uses unusual color combinations making them very unique and quirky.

I talked to Lee and asked her what inspires her. 'My work is very much inspired by textiles', says Lee, 'Anything decorative from various cultures and time periods such as Art Deco. I also love typography, particularly hand drawn type. Really anything that catches my eye. My work consists of simple repeats, patterns, shapes but with interesting compositions and flare.'

Jill Lee attended New World School of the Arts in Miami, FL before moving to New York and studying at The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art where she received her BFA. Lee worked in fashion design for many years, before coming back to her love of printmaking.

Beau Ideal can be found at the Saturday Brooklyn Flea Market. You can also purchase her designs through Etsy.

Beau Ideal tables at Brooklyn Flea Market

♫ `♪ by Velco

♫ `♪, originally uploaded by velco.

Just Say No: UK set to make a decision for 2010 election.

With the Conservative party in a slight lead over Labour currently, the UK goes to the polls tomorrow. I know that like the USA, the UK is suffering through a recession still, but would they really vote back in the Conservative party? I guess tomorrow night we shall find out.

Illustration by Rob Reed. Please take a look at his fantastic work here and blog here.

Mew - "Beach" Video

Beach from Evil Office on Vimeo.

Another of my favorite bands, Mew, recently released the long awaited video to the song "Beach". Although the music doesn't start for a minute or so, it's a very creative piece. I was sorry they had to pull out of Coachella this year, I was looking forward to seeing Mew live again, but in the desert.

Haunted: Contemporary Photography/Video/Performance

March 26-September 6, 2010

via Guggenheim.org:

Much of contemporary photography and video seems haunted by the past, by ghostly apparitions that are reanimated in reproductive media, as well as in live performance and the virtual world. By using dated, passé, or quasi-extinct stylistic devices, subject matter, and technologies, this art embodies a melancholic longing for an otherwise irrecuperable past.Haunted: Contemporary Photography/Video/Performance examines myriad ways photographic imagery is incorporated into recent practice and in the process underscores the unique power of reproductive media while documenting a widespread contemporary obsession, both collective and individual, with accessing the past. The works included in the exhibition range from individual photographs and photographic series, to sculptures and paintings that incorporate photographic elements, and to videos, both on monitors and projected, as well as film, performance, and site-specific installations.

Avi Buffalo - What's In It For (Sub Pop)

I've been listening to these kids for a year now. This song actually defined our summer of 2009, being the soundtrack to throwing the towels and kid in the car and heading to the beach. Well, now, they are signed. Now, they have a video. And it's cute. I think they are ones to watch. Enjoy!

The Decisive Moment. Henri Cartier-Bresson retrospective at the MoMA.

“It is through living that we discover ourselves, at the same time as we discover the world around us.”

—Henri Cartier-Bresson

The exhibition runs from April 11 - June 28, 2010 at the MoMA, NYC. Cartier-Bresson, born August 22nd 1908, was a French photographer who was the master of candid and street photography. He was someone who has inspired myself, and countless other photographers . I highly recommend checking out this exhibit.

http://moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/2010/henricartierbresson/#/

Coney Island Line

Uhuru is a Brooklyn based design company dedicated to local craftsmanship and sustainability. Check out these amazing furniture pieces made with reclaimed wood from the Coney Island, NY boardwalk. This new line will be part of New York Design Week, May 7-18. http://www.uhurudesign.com/nydesignweek10.html