london!

i get to go to the uk
mid-september
for 2 weeks
on business.

though it means i am going to
be swamped with work
as we take on a new project
i am so excited to go...

topshop!

(if only i can use the corporate
credit card for shopping...)

love: cozy autumn days...

are something to look forward to
as summer's end draws near.

i noticed this morning that the maple trees
in my neighborhood are starting to
have tinges of red and orange.

don't these images from toast.uk's catalogue
make you feel... well... toasty?

see: white champagne

around here, mornings seem too early
cherries have become scarce
sleep comes reluctantly
old age is more palpable
souls are going up to somewhere i hope is 'heaven'
(and i can only wish to be more clairvoyant)...

i also finished reading
the time traveler's wife.
(what a beautiful book).

don't ask me why,
but all of these things make me think
of the palest champagne and muted white.








---
images from etsy & this is glamorous

see: the appeal of teal

i still have to tell you about my birthday weekend.
but for now... how about some teal?








---
images via ffffound, apartment therapy,
plum pretty sugar, & snippet&ink

hear: james taylor

his songs remind me of my parents
because as far as i can remember
my father always sang and played them on the guitar
for my mother who only swoons in secret.

& before there was iron and wine
or schuyler fisk and joshua radin,
there was james taylor and carly simon:


i always sing along when my dad plays this song:


lastly, a personal favourite
and a song my brother has patiently
learned to play on his guitar so i can sing
my own little rendition:

taste: a summery weekend (finally!)

it finally feels like summer here!
weekend weather was superbly hot
and on friday we had a lovely soiree
at a friend-slash-colleague's
quaint 2nd floor balcony
in the heart of kensington market.
and can i please tell you about the food:
pesto & spinach sausages, veal burgers with goat cheese
and sundried tomatoes, washed down with lots
and lots of beer, and sweet yellow mangoes for dessert.

saturday came and the summer heat
decided to stay a little while more.
so my parents threw an impromptu family bbq.
i made grilled vegetable antipasti:
zucchini, yellow, green and red peppers,
and onions all primly blackened and
caramelized, sliced and tossed in garlic
flavoured olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt
& pepper.i also made a fresh summer salad:
cucumbers, red onion, avocado, lots of dill,
chunks of brie, and a touch of lime juice and coarse salt.
the humid night wore on as we ate
ice cream and watermelon.

then, i had the most wonderful sunday evening.
the boy's parents and grandparents threw me
a little surprise birthday dinner.
we had: shrimp har gow, spring rolls, and
chicken corn soup to start. then, ginger and garlic lobster
with traditional chinese sweet dough bread, and
chicken in szechuan peanut sauce.
his parents know how much i love his
maternal grandparents and truly consider
them as my own. they are among the most
wonderful and extraordinary people i know,
and i could not have asked for a better
early birthday and end to the summery weekend.

---
images from martha stewart

see: she sells seashells...

calypso st. barth seems to have
captured the light hidden
in the coils of a seashell
in their most delicate pieces...

just because: mermaid matches

designed by packaging & logo extraordinaire louise fili

see: pale blue

over the weekend
i bought this pretty blue dress
from bcbg
(and i also had a lot of greek food and beer
at the taste of the danforth festival here in toronto):



... and something about wearing it
makes me imagine that
i own a summer home in the maldives
with an interior as crisp and beautiful as this:



... but really and truly,
i am more than happy that in reality:



---
images via bcbg, le love image
& this is glamorous

taste: simple salads

for those of us who eat our greens religiously
and are always looking for new salads to make
(because plain mixed greens or caesar
just doesn't cut it some days;
not to mention how expensive it can get
when you buy it ready-made)
here are some awesome salad recipes
that are not only incredibly simple to make
but also won't piss off your tastebuds.

---
image & recipes via nytimes

love: le coup de soup packaging

by danish artist peter urban

how cool is it that each label looks hand-written
and the little pastel floral print looks like pretty doodle-ry!?







---
found via lovely package

touch: silk, velvet, damask

it is almost fall again.
the season so fortunately laced
by the deepest amethyst, sapphire, turquoise, and amber
woven in silk, velvet, and damask -
warming the eyes and
perpetually distracting us from
the impending cold of winter.

(and look at ms. grainger all grown up!)









---
images via perfect bound
and teen vogue

love: maps

my little traveller heart desires...

framed quirky paper cut-outs of
paris and london city maps
from famille summerbelle.



and here are some inspiring spaces
featuring maps as wallpaper.