Roger Sterling

I am a Mad Men fan. I am an even bigger Roger Sterling fan and therefore thought the recent blog entry by Ken Tucker at EW ,"A 'Mad Men' character study: Roger Sterling, better living through chemistry" , was pretty darn interesting. Also, completely in agreement this could be the best season of the series yet....

Image courtesy of liadraws.tumblr.com

pretty relief prints

I adore these tree prints by Bryan Nash Gill. I'd love these in my husband's office or one for the baby's room or row over the mantel. So simple. So beautiful.

{images via Bryan Nash Gill

discovered via Black. White. Yellow.)

Penguin English Library

This animated journey from Vimeo is quite the awesome introduction to the Penguin English Library. I love it.

I want this book

Yesterday NPR did an author interview with Martin Salisbury,who is responsible in part for Children's Picturebooks: The art of visual storytelling. I can't tell you how excited I am to see a copy of this book.
I am definitely of the belief that a really good picture book is perfection in 32 pages, a seamless union of the written word and visual art. It seems as though Salisbury is tackling just what makes certain marriages of text and line everlasting and I can't wait to read about it!

Image: NPR.org

pansies

Yesterday was Earth Day and to celebrate we planted pansies everywhere. I have a special appreciation for pansies. They are hardy in our always unpredictable climate, they come in so many beautiful varieties and they are the only flower in my gardens that never has bunny trouble.
So I put them around the trees and in the containers on our porch and I know they will still be there, thriving, for the rest of the growing season.....

Here is a cheat sheet if you are interested in including pansies in your garden.

Images: photographycorner, blog.behnkes.com, containergardening.about.com

noaki

The etsy shop Noaki is home to incredible, one of a kind or very limited edition, pieces that are fashioned from recycled vintage jewelry. The bridal/bridesmaid bouquets she features are beautifully eclectic. They are old meets new - a modern vintage touch to your big day and certainly one that folks will notice.

All images: Noaki

Beet, Goat Cheese and Arugula Pizza

When I worked in Boston there was a spot I loved to go to for their roasted beet, goat cheese and arugula pizza. Strangely enough, I never tried to make that lunch at home.....until now. I came across Julip Made's recipe and now I have beets on my market list for this week. I think I may attempt a citrus dressing to go with the pizza, but otherwise her recipe is perfect!

Image: julipmade

children's caves

I am such a fan of children's homemade (and sheet-made) forts and tents that the series of photographs by photographer Björn Ewers and STUDIO314 of children's "caves" made me quite happy and eager for the time when Sweet Pea can make this kind of imaginative mess out of our living room.

{discovered via a friend and PetaPixel}

Silly Sally Draper

Actress Kiernan Shipka tackles some pretty heavy stuff each season in her role as Sally Draper on AMC's Mad Men. Turns out she has some comedic talents as well....you can check them out in Funny or Die's Child Star Psychologist with Kiernan Shipka.

Video: Funny or Die

The Last Picture Show

I am working my way through, in no particular order, The American Film Institute's 100 years, 100 movies- The Definitive List of Classic American Films. Number 95 on that list is 1971's The Last Picture Show.
The film's 40th anniversary was last year and it was re-released in the UK and Ireland (to rather glowing reviews). It was actually this review in The Independent that piqued my curiosity about this movie....

Set in the early 1950s, it takes on significant themes – frustration and longing, youth and age, memory and mortality – but in a quiet, modest way, and its humility becomes extraordinarily affecting. Timothy Bottoms and Jeff Bridges play the central friends, two undistinguished high-school athletes who loaf about their windblown, one-horse town and wonder about their future: the only fun to be had is in the decrepit pool hall and the old cinema, both run by the benign, mysterious Sam (Ben Johnson) whose haunting presence is the film's beating heart. Cybill Shepherd, as the girl both boys fall for, is at her most beautiful and spoilt – a heartless Texan temptress – though it's the older women who really come through: Ellen Burstyn as Shepherd's mother, Eileen Brennan as the wise waitress, and, heart-breakingly, Cloris Leachman as the older woman desperate for love (she and Johnson both deservedly won Best Supporting Oscars). Bogdanovich directs them all beautifully (in black and white), gives everything its proper weight, and speaks profoundly of loss, leave-taking, last things. - Anthony Quinn, The Independent

Images: Mubi, The Criterion Collection

Dream House, anyone?

Did you know the HGTV Green Home Giveaway is going on right now? A completely "eco-fabulous" house in Georgia will be awarded to a lucky individual - you can enter twice daily
until 5:00pm EST on June 1, 2012.
Check out the Green Home site for a full tour and videos about design and construction. I am posting just some of the amazing photos they have on the site.....

All images courtesy of hgtv

food photography

I have a friend who dabbles in food photography. I always say it is her true calling (her facebook friends would agree, I bet, since her status updates frequently involve dining table pictorials). The whole idea of food styling and photography is very cool to me. I have been a long time fan of food blogs, such as Smitten Kitchen, in great part because of the beauty of the images and the deliciousness each photo conveys.
If you are curious about food photography , there is an interesting blog on nytimes.com called Diner's Journal. It often has tidbits on culinary photography- this one about capturing the holiday table on film has very useful pointers.

Images: smittenkitchen, lisahoma, Jim Scherer Photography, Photography by Linda Lee, Catrine Kelty Food Stylist, foodportfolio.com, Catrine Kelty Food Stylist, Vegan Yum Yum

Have a lovely weekend!

Whether you celebrate Easter or not - we hope your weekend is full of family and food (or maybe just some rest!).

via beauty unspoken

photo find

The Etsy shop magalerie has this cool, oversize photograph of a carousel in the north of France. It is 24"X36" and I wish I had a wall space in my girls' room where it would make sense. The typical wall art out there for girl's rooms can be a bit much ( much = too pink, too many fairies, too many flowers), so I love to find something just a little different.

Image: malagerie

S'MEEEPS

I am the caboose on the S'meeps train, because I'm told they have been around for awhile, but I had never seen them before yesterday. I am on board now though and spreading the word. We have lots of little cousins joining us this week for a holiday visit and I think we will be making these for dessert one night!

S'meeps via serious eats
Ingredients

4 Peeps (1 package)
4 graham crackers, separated into 8 halves
Four 1-ounce squares semisweet or dark chocolate (depending on preference)

Procedure

1. Preheat the oven or toaster oven to 350°F.

2. Place a 1-ounce square of chocolate on 4 of the graham cracker halves. Top each chocolate with a Peep. Say your goodbyes.

3. Put your Peep sacrifice laden graham crackers on an aluminum foil covered tray and pop them in the oven for 2 to 3 minutes. Watch them carefully as toasting Peeps can turn into burn victims beyond repair in the blink of an eye. Vigilance!

4. Once the Peeps are toasted to your liking, take them out of the oven and squish them with a graham cracker half. Feast.

Image: Poppytalk