retro style

For the longest time, I've been on the hunt for the perfect livingroom curtains. They had to provide some privacy but still let in light...and above all, they had to look good. And if they blew about in the wind, that would be nice too. I'm always one to fall for something a bit retro and so when Design Sponge posted these curtains from Urban Outfitters, I knew that those curtains would be mine!

Well, thanks to a Portland, OR friend whose US address enabled me to order these curtains directly to her address, enabling me to bypass nasty shipping/border fees, I am now the proud owner of these stylish window coverings! The extra bonus is that while in the store, my friend just happened to find herself the same style of curtains in the discount bin but in pink & green for only $9.99. Total score!

Who knew that UO had such nice little treats in store?

i love peter-pan collars

After seeing this lovely shirt on SouleMama, it made me want to be a much better seamstress! How cute is that shirt? The Simplicity pattern is 4179 and it almost makes me want to run out to Dressew and pick up the pattern, pronto. True, I'll definitely get frustrated, but maybe with some help from a friend, I just might be able to craft myself the most perfect shirt ever. And of course, if I don't end up making the shirt myself, does anyone have any recommendations on where I could buy a cute lil' blouse with a peter pan collar? I love the shirts at The Red Dress Shoppe, but alas, they wouldn't fit over my chesty biggins. Sigh, what's a big-boobed girl to do? It really does seem like sewing is the best option!

the king

I love to see matinees in the middle of the day...it's one of the serious perks of working freelance. Last week I wandered into The King not knowing very much about the movie other than it starred hottie actor Gael Garcia Bernal and had pretty lovely poster art. I was pleasantly surprised! The movie was small and slow and while those two things might bother some people, I fell under the film's spell. I could go on about plot, but that's not what this movie is about. It's about character and every character in this film is given a chance. No one is pure evil or plain good. Instead of playing each character to their perceived type (born-again preacher, souless drifter, dutiful wife), the film treats each one as an individual and lets the drama unfold in it's own personal way. The King's quiet nature really reminded me of Terrence Malik's film Badlands and David Gordon Green's George Washington and All the Real Girls. Even actress Pell James who plays Malorie, Elvis' 16 year old love interest in the film, seemed so reminiscent of Sissy Spacek's character in Badlands.

It's a shocking film filled with questions that don't necessarily get answered. I loved it.

larabar, oh my!

I've never been interested in "energy bars" or any kind of sports-specific food. But I recently went on an 8 day bike tour of Vancouver Island and the Sunshine Coast and having an extra bit of energy to help me climb those hills was more than essential. So in preparation for my trip, I went into my local health food shop and discovered the delicious bounty of the Lara Bar. Raw food bars with no more than 6 ingredients, these babies taste amazing. I've sampled the "Chocolate Coconut", "Chocolate Mole" and the "Chocolate Mint" --- hmmm, can you see there is definite chocolate pattern here? They taste like little bites of brownies without the guilt. Next, I really want to try their "Cherry Pie" bar. Yum.

when you were small

I first saw this book at a children's boutique and instantly fell in love with it's outsides. With it's dolphin smooth robin egg blue cover and chocolate brown cloth spine, the pleasure is both tactile and visual. The hand drawn illustrations, hand lettered drop caps and muted colours harken back to an earlier time. It's almost like a treasure that I could find hidden on a thrift store shelf and I'm almost amazed I could purchase it brand new.

The story is quite simple. Henry asks his dad every night, "Tell me about when I was small".

"When you were small you couldn't hold a spoon so you used to sit on the edge of my porridge bowl and dip your head in like a baby bird."

When You Were Small, by Sara O'Leary with illustrations by Julie Morstad. Published by Simply Read Books.