:: what i see ::

i love the free people blog. it inspires me to search more, look more, post more.

blog.freepeople.com

“it’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.” - henry david thoreau

:: a new addition ::

i've had this vespa (color) in my "likes & inspiration" file for a while.

and now i'm adding this guy to it. [wink, wink]

thesartorialist.blogspot.com

:: oh, the pictures take me over ::

2 years. the time i've lived in my "new" home. the time i've had to brainstorm ideas for the big wall to the right when you walk in the front door. i've thought of racks, shelves, paintings, collages, art wall combinations.

and the other day i thought about building a decorative bouldering wall. i needed to know if it was even possible (from a safety standpoint) and wanted to get some inspiration. so i started searching - but stopped pretty quickly when i came across these incredible images.

i really don't even have the words to describe how much i love this wall. the colors are perfect for my house. the idea is clever, fun, creative, stylish, whimsical...and functional! (and oh, how i love functional decor. LOVE.)

illoiha.com

via dezeen.com

i am just infatuated. i have already started coming up with things i want to incorporate - including a birdcage (oh, the birdcage!) - amid some lovely white & gray (beginner) holds.

[post title from "simon in the land of chalk drawings" theme song]

:: my awards show has a first name ::

metallics and structure and ruffles, oh my!


while demi moore's dress is a little darker than blush it's close. it's flesh-toned and she really wears it very well. unlike anna kendrick, who i thought was wearing long, sheer sleeves because the dress completely matched her skin. i would love to see her in a deep blue or even purple. she should take cues from the ever-pale anne hathaway. (update: i do think anna looks pretty in the dress, i just think she could be stunning in something richer.)

sarah jessica parker looked amazing in couture chanel. my only complaint is the odd layer of cotton candy-esque wispy hair (not quite messy, not quite neat) above the otherwise super sleek updo (which seemed to be a slightly toned down nod to the runway look - and i like that she went there, despite not really liking the 'do.) her jewelry was perfect! (update: while she looked incredible in action on the carpet, no pictures i find do it justice. the lower portion was pretty bad.)

nicole richie probably won't get much love, but i thought she looked great - totally fitting with her winter kate style of late. this was the first time i have seen her and thought she looked pretty. she's really growing on me. unlike her husband's wayfarers.

zoe saldana will be on many lists - best, worst, dressed, actress - and from the waist up she looks incredible. as strange as the pom poms are at the bottom of the dress, they moved nicely. at times it looked like she was traveling with her own little puddle of dark water.

the worst part, other than the poms, is the seam that runs just right of center (facing her) like a poorly placed lavender, satin scar. (as opposed to a well placed satin scar.)

i don't usually care for penelope cruz, but i did love her dress (the color!) tonight.

i wasn't sure if sandra bullock would continue her good fashion fortune of 2010 or not - but she did. (this picture isn't very flattering.)

charlize theron's swirly boobies were terrible.

diane kruger. only thing to say about this is that i did choose the worst of two pictures i had. but really, when you wear a dress like this, they're all going to be pretty bad.

really, kathy ireland? i thought she was one of the 'real housewives' until i saw a caption.

jake gyllenhaal (who handsomely stopped my fall when courtney love knocked me down the stairs at the greek in la - we go way back) (don't hurt yourself, picking up those names i just dropped) was one of the best dressed men. he and tom ford are just hot.



photos: getty images

:: bananaramalamadingdong ::

last night as i was falling asleep i thought about banana pudding ice cream that a friend had recently discovered. and i thought about turning that into an ice cream sandwich. with nilla wafers. and then i started thinking about making a whole ice cream sandwich dessert based on the traditional components of banana pudding. and i came up with this. i'm fine tuning the ingredient/method thoughts and will attempt making these sometime over the next week or so. once i've gone through the trial & error of actually making them, i'll update with what works (and what doesn't) since ingredients, methods and temperatures are all just rough ideas at this point.

barely bite sized banana pudding foster sandwich baked alaska.

("barely" because these might be huge.) we'll work on the name down the road.

soften banana ice cream. sandwich between nilla wafers. place on lined (parchment paper) baking sheet. place back in freezer.

prepare meringue (beat egg whites, slowly add sugar until stiff peaks form).

remove sandwiches from freezer. cover each sandwich with meringue, to the sheet/paper to create a complete seal. return to freezer for a couple of hours to set.

preheat oven to 425. remove sandwiches from freezer and place in oven (lowest shelf) until meringue is lightly browned.

top with caramel or bananas foster sauce (butter, cinnamon, brown sugar. rum/banana liquer if desired).

[random baked alaska photo]

* could also incorporate marshmallows. (maybe stuff sandwiches into marshmallows and roast them instead of using meringue?)

* could also add banana slices to the banana ice cream sandwich. or use vanilla ice cream with banana slices.

if you give this a shot, be sure to post comments with your successes and messes!