I’ve always enjoyed flipbooks. I think one reason I like them so much is that anyone, amateur or artist, can create them–from the simplest stick figures to detailed illustration reminiscent of cartoons to photography–and they’re always entertaining. Here are a couple that I really enjoy. This first one is really well done and quite poignant.
This one is just simply amazing.
Both videos were found on YouTube.
On our weekend road trip, we drove across Mississippi and spent the weekend in Vicksburg and Natchez, two beautiful small towns along the Mississippi River. We had gorgeous cool weather (cool to us—we met some Canadians from Vancouver who were loving how “warm” it was) and clear skys. One of the highlights, aside from the wedding, was our day trip to Natchez to visit a wonderful cousin of mine who took us on a tour of the town, including Longwood, a beautiful partially finished octagonal pre-Civil War home.
The history of the home in a nutshell (no pun intended): Dr. Haller Nutt, a wealthy cotton planter, hired a Philadelphia-based architect and crew to design and build his home; they began work on it in 1860. When the Civil War broke out, the northern workers dropped their tools and headed home, finishing the exterior but leaving before the interior of the home was complete. Nutt hired local workers to finish the first floor (located in the basement) where Nutt, his wife, Julia, and their eight children lived. However, Nutt died in 1864, and the war left the family broke. As a result, only nine of the 32 rooms were ever finished. Despite this, Julia and her children lived on in the unfinished home until her death in 1897.
These unfinished rooms are really what makes Longwood memorable among the many other finished antebellum homes filled with period furniture that you can tour in Natchez. It’s really interesting to see the bones of the home and imagine what it might have been. If you’re ever in that area of the country, I’d definitely recommend a visit. You’ll learn all about hoop skirts and corsets, outhouses, and fainting couches, too!
Image of the exterior courtesy of this site. Image of the unfinished interior courtesy of this site.
These overhead images of tulip fields in the northern Netherlands are just spectacular. According to the article, this first image shows 60 million tulips coming into bloom. Simply stunning.
All images courtesy of London’s Daily Mail.
We’re heading off on a short road trip this weekend for the wedding of one of my best friends. This won’t be the terrain we’ll be covering, but it’s a gorgeous image nonetheless. Hopefully it’s a road trip we’ll take in the future.
(Image from the September/October 2010 issue of Afar magazine.)
I got my copy of the October issue of Condé Nast Traveler in the mail yesterday, and as I was reading it I came upon this spread which blew me away.
The colors, the coolness and warmth, the movement, the mix of fonts, the overall composition and layout—simply everything about these two pages is spot on. It’s the ideal opening for the huge feature about Marrakech, which is definitely on my travel wish list. For more gorgeous images of Marrakech to enjoy from your desk or sofa (or wherever you may be), go here.
I randomly stumbled across Bayan Hippo Handmade after one of her bags was featured as a handpicked item on Etsy. It was love at first site, and I immediately checked out everything in her shop. I love the variety of purses and bags that you can choose from and the variety of colors available–the dark mustard is gorgeous. Here are some of my favorites. I’ve already put two of them on my wish list.
This anniversary issue of Lonny was easily one of their best issues yet, if not the best. Congrats to the entire editorial team on a stellar issue and also on a first year that helped redefine and expand magazine publishing. Here are my favorites:
1. The feature on J.K. Place’s two hotels in Florence and Capri was at the top of the list. I loved that Lonny took us to both locations with the Capri location being my hands-down favorite of the two. And the opening spread of the story—the fonts, layout, images chosen, the colors—is the best in the magazine.
2. Lulu de Kwiatkowski’s Los Angeles home (of the textile company LuluDK) was another favorite. They have some seriously amazing artwork.
3. “French Glamour” was my favorite story of the issue. The collaboration of two talented ladies, Lili Diallo and Lauren Goodman (former Domino staffers), to decorate Lauren’s apartment was the type of behind-the-scenes feature that I go nuts over. I love reading about all the hows and the whys of the evolution of a person’s home. I love her bookshelves and those violet chairs.
After college I was lucky enough to live in San Francisco for a year. I made some amazing friends, had a fantastic time, and learned a lot about both my chosen profession as a dietitian and life in general. I moved back to Alabama when I was offered an internship at the company where I now work—and where I’ve been since I made the move. It was and still is a dream job, and I’m lucky to do what I do to make a living. But, I still think about San Francisco a lot and miss many things about it. Here is a handful of beautiful art that brings back memories of my time there. What a time it was.
I recently bought these two dresses from Shabby Apple:
I love them! Both are gorgeous colors and are comfortable. I’m not quite as long-waisted as the model in the blue dress, so I don’t wear mine with the sash, but I love it both ways. They have so many different styles and colors and always seem to be coming out with new lines. If you’ve never been to the Shabby Apple Web site, you need to check it out. I definitely have a couple more dresses on my wishlist. Plus, the customer service is top-knotch. I had a snafu with one of my orders—my order got lost in a computer system switch—but they contacted me about it, apologized, and also gave me a $10 credit for my next purchase (which I used to buy that sapphire-colored dress!). And, if you call them with a question, an actual friendly and helpful person is on the other end of the line. These days, that’s something truly remarkable.
I was in no way compensated for this review. I generally like the company and the clothing they sell and wanted to share my experience.
Blue Print 