F Scott would be pleased

Years ago, I sat down and watched Gatsby.  I think I read the book (note:  I'm not a fiction reader, I prefer a textbook any day) but it's the movie I remember.  Robert Redford played Gatsby.


Yeah, him.


And now we have Leonardo:


Slightly believable.  Brad Pitt would have convinced me on looks, but I think Leo will play it best.  Well cast.




Then we had Mia Farrow playing Daisy



And now we have Carey Mulligan

I'm not sure I believe it yet.  But proof will be in her acting.




Then it was Sam Waterston who played Nick Carraway.

Yeah, Sam from Law & Order.



Now we have Tobey Maguire.

Completely seeing this character emerge already.


I'm not a fan of the movie theatre, but I could see myself going to see Gatsby.  How about you?  What's on your list to go see at the movies?

signed, the willow

The word of the day is .... CLOCHE

Cloche hats  (source:  delux hats)





Garden Cloche (source:  the plant directory)



I love the word cloche.


source:  velvet and brown

What is your word of the day?

signed, the willow

Chairs: I admit to my obsession

I have this incredible obsession with dreaming of the new perfect dining chairs that I'll purchase some day.  In all reality, I'll probably have to endure a few more years of slops and crayon curls on the sixten IKEA chairs that grace my home in their outdated beige tone.  I think the price was close to the name, hence the reason we chose them. 

Now we're putting together an eating bar on the pass-through from our kitchen to our living room.  So now I obsess over counter stools, as well.

Tonight I found this:  Emeco.  She's an adorable Italian shop and here is how she describes herself (I call her a she.  Because she's a feminine shop, this gal):

We make chairs. That’s what we do.

Handmade from 80% recycled Aluminum.

It’s not easy. In fact it takes 77 steps to get there.

Designed to last for 150 years.

Now that’s what we call sustainability.

gehry's superlight chair

starck's icon chair

signed, the willow

I just suck

Really. I suck. If I were making money at this I'd probably say "you suck". But I'm not and so it's me that sucks. Let me introduce you to the successful bloggers.


There's Dooce. She makes like thousands of dollars a day.


Then there's Fussy. She's so cool, she's an "org".

Her Bad Mother is sure not "her bad blogger". She's good too. Then again "Bad is the new good". She said it, not me. Did I mention she's Canadian. That's good too.

There's Three Kid Circus, Sweetney, Surrender Dorothy, I am Bossy and then there are the design blogs...


desire to inspire. Again, 1/2 Canadian, 1/2 Australian. That's so good, it's like saying it's 100% Canadian. Even better.


design sponge.


design milk.


poppytalk. Did I hear you say Canadian? Yup!

Let's not forget Dear Ada and the artsy group of globbers. Like a good idea on paper. And of course the eye for all things art deco, art deco. Kiki and Polly rock. Uppercase Gallery dot ca! Yes, again Canadian. We really have a thing going on up here in Canada. Why is not "down here" in Canada? There must be a small nation of Arctic Circle folk reading Canadian blogs. Or are they Canadian too? Gosh, I should brush up on my geography.


signed, the willow

Born at the Wrong Time?

Sometimes people find themselves attached to an era. Maybe they belonged there? Maybe they long to go back? Every morning at *Mila*'s school I meet up with a mother who feels the urge to jump into the '60s. Likely she was born then. I don't know what it is, but I too have this affinity to be a Flapper girl in the Roaring '20s. If I was there, I was having the ultimate youth. My fringed clothes and my cropped hair, my boyish figure and my curiosity for the night life. I feel as though I were there. I really feel it in my knee-knocking rebellious bones. My haircut becomes more like that of a Flapper, and I long for the boyish figure I'll never have. So instead, I covet things like this.

signed, the willow