Things I have starred this week in the blog Reader:

Herve Pierre's crazy, mishmash home in NY: mainly for the creepy black-gloved hand holding back those amazing pink curtains in his living room.

Kate Spade's wall of coloured envelopes: an idea which we are now using on a new card line coming out next year (thereby justifying my blog-reading as "work," yes)

A recipe for Summer Sangria: YUM. Peaches. White wine! I love summer again.

Anna Bond's cocktail invitations: she is ridiculously talented.

Starry Girl from Creature Comforts: which oddly reminds me of Mary Poppins.

Road Trip Propaganda: I wanna road trip.

And some preppy collegiates for good measure.

image

here.

(Paul's on the left, Joe on the right)

Oh fall, I love you.

Please hurry.

images from the fall/winter collection of jackson, johnston and roe.

via.

more: Chloe from Glamorous

LOVE the shades of greys and greens mixed with camels. So warm--perfect for the cooler temps. Luckily I have the green pumps and can sew myself the little camel pencil skirt. DONE.

Just saw this and got a twinge of excitement for fall!

The season of camel-colored everything and leather and wool and crispy-cool mornings and lattes and leaves!

image: aline webber by greg kadel for harper's bazaar us, august 2010, via TIG

Yeah, he's been on this bandwagon for a while, but I have to give a nod to this editorial from T.Friedman.

“O.K., you Republicans don’t believe in global warming? Fine. Forget about global warming. That’s between you and your beach house. How about this? Do you believe in population growth? Do you believe in the American dream? Because, according to the U.N., the world’s population is going to grow from roughly 6.7 billion people today to about 9.2 billion by 2050. And in today’s integrated world, more and more of those 9.2 billion will aspire to, and be able to, live like Americans — with American-size cars, homes and Big Macs. In that world, demand for fossil fuels is going to go through the roof — and all the bad things that go with it.

“If we take that threat seriously now and pass an energy bill that begins to end our oil addiction, we can shrink the piles of money we send to the worst regimes in the world, strengthen our dollar by keeping more at home, clean up our air, take away money from the people who finance the mosques and madrassas that keep many Muslim youths backward, angry and anti-American and stimulate a whole new industry — one China is already leapfrogging us on — clean-tech. Nothing would improve our economic and national security more, yet Republicans won’t lift one finger to make it happen.

“They would rather we send more Americans to fight terrorism in the Middle East, let petro-states hostile to our interests get richer and let China take the lead in the next great global industry than ask Americans to pay a little more for the gas they use or the carbon pollution they put into the air. If OPEC, China and Russia could vote, they would be 100 percent supportive of the Republicans.

“How about we stop honoring our soldiers and our military families and start helping them? Nope. The Republican view of fighting the war on terrorism is that rather than ask all of us to make a small sacrifice to weaken our foes and buttress our troops, we should ask only a few of us to make the ultimate sacrifice. And that’s called being tough?”

And yes, I do realize that I just copied and pasted roughly the entire article. Oh well. I like what he says, although I'm not sure that I would limit the blame to Republicans--and he's only doing so because he is directing his thoughts toward the Senate and those casting votes per their party. I do like his appeal to logic and to what is best for the country rather than to dumbly sticking with typical party loyalties.

Not that I really know what I'm talking about, and all this might be a bit idealistic--I can see a few problems and possible hang-ups--but it seems like a step in a better direction.

Turns out tie dye isn't so bad.

Here are a few selections from the Christopher Kane Resort collection and the Shabd autumn/winter sneak preview. More tie dye inspiration at Wikstenmade, and a true-to-life tie dye sunset photo right here (which you really must see because it is inspirational).

the sweeterie

I think this counts as a green thumb, no? I raised these little basils from seed. That's right.
well, okay just the short ones. that tall one was a seedling.

I've been driving Greg's truck all week to facilitate some furniture-moving.

People seem to consider all vehicles and machinery to be female by default. I disagree. This truck is a tall lanky boy in dark wash jeans and squeaky-clean white sneakers. Yep.

This Is Summer

LOVE this photo.

drenched with summer sophistication and charm.

shot by The Sartorialist

(i'm on this funny summer kick right now. you're all probably pros at enjoying the hot weather, but it's a relatively new thing for me. my findings? little tolerances matter. embrace your location. creek water isn't so bad. the right bathing suit makes a difference. it's okay to sweat. and always drink plenty of beer--i mean water)

This Is Summer

Roadtrip, anyone?

image from the Tourist ezine

This Is Summer

morning.

noon.

night.

fascinated by lights hitting the water. the essence of summer.

photography by Alicia Bock

"Nothing could be more lonely or more beautiful than the view at nightfall across the prairies to these huge hill masses, when the lengthening shadows have at last merged into one and the faint after-glow of the red sunset has filled the west." -President Theodore Roosevelt

sand art by Jim Denevan