Favorite Tree.

I woke up this morning and they were cutting down our favorite tree from the empty field behind us.  It must have taken decades for the tree to reach this height and breadth and beauty and in a few short hours it was a stump. It was the home of jungle birds of extraordinary colors and sounds. One time, our neighbor hung a tire swing from it and the children came to play there. In the evenings, we angled our chairs to face this picturesque sight. Now, it's all gone.
So, in honor of the fallen tree, I'd like to share with you two lovely thoughts.
*** 

The tree which moves some to tears of joy is in the eyes of others only a
green thing that stands in the way. Some see Nature all ridicule and
deformity, and some scarce see Nature at all. But to the eyes of the
man of imagination, Nature is Imagination itself.

- William Blake, 1799, The Letters

***
Advice from a Tree
By Ilan Shamir

Dear Friend,

Stand Tall and Proud
Sink your roots deeply into the Earth
Reflect the light of a greater source
Think long term
Go out on a limb
Remember your place among all living beings
Embrace with joy the changing seasons
For each yields its own abundance
The Energy and Birth of Spring
The Growth and Contentment of Summer
The Wisdom to let go of leaves in the Fall
The Rest and Quiet Renewal of Winter

Feel the wind and the sun
And delight in their presence
Look up at the moon that shines down upon you
And the mystery of the stars at night.
Seek nourishment from the good things in life
Simple pleasures
Earth, fresh air, light

Be content with your natural beauty
Drink plenty of water
Let your limbs sway and dance in the breezes
Be flexible
Remember your roots

Enjoy the view!
****

goodbye tree...
XOXO,
sassy

(image:flickr)

Strong Boalt Trunks and Havaianas

 

These trunks are RAD! How cute would these be with the new Havaianas Surf available in Ion now?! 

XOXO,

sassy

(image: strongboalt)

Oh my lord! Do you wanna smell like Anna?

Oh my lord Anna d.R is FIERCE. The red underpinnings with the Dolce and Gabbana black lace dress and leopard peep-toes ..... brilliant!
I, for one , am waiting with bated breath until her new scent, Beyond, gets to Singapore!
xoxo,
sassy

( image: alltheprettybirds)

Dream sofa

Deep, gray, linen..... Perfect for naps, chats and blogging!

xoxo,
sassy

(image: frank features)

Location:From my current sofa

Happy Cottage.

What a happy cottage! Oh those exuberant pinks and prints!

XOXO,

sassy

(image:housebeautiful)

Happy, Happy Friday!

XOXO,

sassy

(image:vialittlegreybook)

Happy thoughts..... and a beautiful secret...

Your secret from Jean-Sebastien Monzani on Vimeo.

XOXO,
sassy

Light Lust...

XOXO,

sassy

(image: viamaryruffle,delightbydesign)

J'adore Isabel Marant.

I'm digging the Cool French Chick vibe and styling of Isabel Marant's fall 2010 collection (especially now that I am semi-French... by virtue of my new bob).

Oh I just love, love, love those little blazers!

XOXO,

sassy

(image:isabelmarant)

Would you......

Decorate with a disco ball?

XOXO,

sassy

(image:elledecor)

Now that I have short hair....

I feel like swanning about in a black evening gown and singing ( in a shaky voice) about make-believe love affairs that went the way of autumn leaves  ....

Some hair cuts can make you feel so French (even if you are not) , oui or non?

Excuse moi, I must go now and put some leeps-stick so I can make a petit dee-ner! I leave you in the hands of  the lovely Madame Patachou.....
(4 hours since hair-cut and still loving my short do!)

XOXO,

sassy

Today, on a whim, I chopped my hair off

       ....and it feels great!

 XOXO,

sassy

(image: parisvogue)

I'm off to see what's new...

...in Ikea. I have to start brainstorming on how to entertain 23 people in style for the holidays!

Have a great Monday!

XOXO,

sassy

(image:viachristianpf)

Sky Blue

XOXO,

sassy

(image:via delightbydesign)

Cupcake Love

I want to have a little cupcakery exactly like this. Don't you?

Cupcake Heaven!

Imagine how happy you would be walking into a place like this in the mornings! You turn on the radio, slip on your retro apron, pull out the mixing bowls and bake some delicious goodness!

XOXO,

sassy

(image: via delightbydesign)

What I'm reading now

After the Shape Magazine 5 K run, I am going to put my feet up and tuck into this book.
Have you read this? Did you like it?

XOXO,
sassy

Summer Project: Scrabble Tile Pillows

I needed some fun pillows for a window seat in my kitchen.
This is my inspiration:

This is my version:



Not bad, eh?

What a fun Saturday morning project!

Materials: red felt, needle and thread, white pillow covers and iron-on numbers
Time: About 2 hours ( if you are not a perfectionist)
Level: ridiculously easy!

XOXO,
sassy

(image: etsy)

Guitar Lessons

Mini-sassy just started guitar lessons ( aided and abetted by J, of course).
Like all moms, I expected my sweet daughter's first  guitar performance to be... you know...Edelweiss or any of the songs from " Sound of Music" really ... something Julie Andrews would do .....

But NO WAY! Here's the first song her dad made her learn on the guit-tar!




So, what the heck!  I'm thinking we should start a band.
Mini-sassy on GUITAR. J on drums.
Me? I do not play any musical instruments
.... but I do own a pair of high-waisted 80's jeans and a newsboy cap! hahaha!

Have a wild weekend!

XOXO,
sassy

Los Pajaritos...

P bought some cute bird plates in Mandarin Galllery yesterday and I can't wait to see what kind of tablescape she'll come up with for a dinner party. I'm loving this pop color and white  aviary theme in the picture!

XOXO,

sassy

(image: Elle decoration)

Obsessed with the 1920's....

I found myself squatting in my Havaianas by the garbage can in the middle of the night last weekend. I was hysterically sifting through rotten food and used tissues for a pea-sized scarab from my grandmother's 1920's bracelet. I had coerced  bribed enlisted mini-sassy and my cousin Maisha to help me.To distract ourselves from the stench and general yukkiness of our task, we spoke about 1920's fashion. And by WE, I mean ME. Just so you get a sense of the scene, this is how I was yammering without pause :
" I  would be SO happy to just wear clothes like I walked out of  the novels of F. Scott Fitzgerald. So feminine and floaty and alluring....... My grandmother had a closet-full of party dresses from the 20's ( she was quite the flapper)....... As a little girl, I would secretly examine each and every bugle-beaded dress!!! OHMYLORDTHESHOES! Bejewelled, kitten-heeled suede little things! Speaking of the 1920's, have you seen Marguerite Duras' "The Lover" ? The Fedora that launched a thousand obsessions!"
Yes! I was blabbing on and on in this disjointed nervous fashion, full of non-sequitors and histrionic sniffling  ...but  inside I kept thinking: It's only a THING.. it's only a THING....it's only a THING. Maisha and mini-sassy wisely kept their mouths shut- to avoid inhaling the smells and the fruit flies.

St. Anthony or maybe it was John Locke of LOST once said: "When you stop searching, you find what you are looking for".  And so it was with me. Wrapped in the last wet paper towel of the trash heap, the very second  I  accepted that I had lost the scarab forever, there it was...
I would have cried from  gratitude but I was too busy trying to spit out a family of fruit flies!

XOXO,

sassy

(image: thesartorialist)

TGIF!

Happy Friday!

XOXO,

sassy

(image:maryruffle)

Madonna and Lola = Material Girls

What I would have given for clothes like these when I was 13 (and trying to dress like Madonna!). Oh Boy! Mini-sassy is going to drag me straight to Macy's online store to check out the rest of Madonna and Lola's "Material Girl" Collection after she sees these!

(pssst! That vest looks super cute!)

XOXO,
sassy

(image: teenvogue)

How cool is this?

My friend A sent me this picture of  handles in the Havaianas US office. What a great idea!

XOXO,

sassy

(image:worldsbestever)

Havaianas Kids Explorer

What would a kid this cool wear during the summer?

Havaianas Kid's Explorer, of course!

XOXO,
sassy

(image: thesartorialist)

Design Inspiration: Gary Spain

How interesting are these spaces designed by Gary Spain? I wonder what kind of people live in these spaces.  I could spend hours and hours examining every artwork,  fabric and tablescape in these rooms and never be bored.

I adore the stripey French chairs!

What I like most about these rooms is that it doesn't look contrived, not too " decorated" and they are quirky.

XOXO,

sassy

(images: Gary Spain, so haute)

Have you ever wished on a shooting star?

XOXO,
sassy

If I wasn't wearing Havaianas all the time....

I would wear vintage cowboy boots......

 with an outfit like this...

Mini-sassy and I will probably have to Rock-Paper-Scissors over who gets to wear the vintage boots that day!
XOXO,
sassy

(images: Frye, unknown)