It was filmed by the amazing crew from Still Motion. So really, that says it all.

Frances + James TTD – Times Square + Coney Island from stillmotion on Vimeo.

Right this instant I tried to say Mamma and Bubba. They sound exactly the same. So I just refuse to think about how I’m going to breathe through the night… Two seconds ago I tried to breathe in through my overly congested nose right about when D was coming towards me to give me a kiss (like that would make it all better!). The sound that came out of my nasal cavity was so unappealing that he just changed his mind and walked away. “No, wait, it’s my mating call!” – a mix between a dying bagpipe and a tomato falling on concrete.

So yeah, basically I want to unscrew my feels-like-a-watermelon-stuffed-with-molten-lava head from my shoulders, drop it on the floor and kick it.

Posting will be a bit scarce until I can breathe without scaring anyone.

Also, and I’ve always wanted to know this, do you really think that bad, bad Leroy Brown was like the baddest man in the entire Chicago Metropolitan Area, ‘cause that’s a huge statement to make…

You know what puzzles me… If you’re going to shoot the sheriff, why not take out the deputy, you know… ‘cause the deputy saw the whole thing, so you get them both…

And finally, I understand that the big wheel keeps on turning, but why – and this is the tricky part – why would the proud Mary keep on burning?

Mad About You, Season 6 Ep. 14

Although Montreal is not at its best in March, with melted snow and garbage resurfacing on the sidewalks, the walk we took with Caro made me see the city with new eyes.

I guess camera not only captures beautiful moments but also creates friendships and gives you a new pair of eyes to see the world.

Thank you Caro for meeting us and spending this lovely afternoon together!

[Man, typing this already makes me feel better! You have no idea how much that mutt irritates me…]

Call me pretentious, but I only like big dogs, the ones that can pin you to the ground when they happily give you a hug, the ones that can scare away burglars with a snarl, or save people from earthquake ruins. I like dogs that policemen or firemen would not be ashamed to be seen alongside of. I don’t like canines that fit in a purse hanging loosely from Paris Hilton’s spa pampered arm.

Like all creatures who want to compensate their small stature by grandiose gestures, the diva mutt directs its high-pitched bark at everything that moves. It happened many a time that I came home only to find the concierge in her office and the mutt perched on her desk, his ears pricked at the sound of my footsteps. He instantly begins to growl when he sees me and with the agility of a cheetah he jumps from the desk, and dashes toward me, aiming for my ankles. The repulsion is mutual it seems. Luckily so far he is content with snarling and jumping violently like a defective Jack-in-the-box 4 inches away from my feet. We were on hostile but tolerable grounds so far.

This weekend, though, the mutt brought me to the edge of patience. The concierge and her husband were away for the entire day on Saturday and left the dog alone at home. The ordeal started at around 2pm and lasted for 7 hours. The mutt began barking in his usual strangled soprano mode and didn’t stop until 9pm.  There’s another apartment between ours and the concierge’s, and we could still hear it. It could exorcise demons, that bark, it was that irritating! We were approaching the edge of insanity and we began devising ways to end the growl of the demon from hell. D thought it might be hungry and proposed to slide some salami under the door like in Seinfeld. But why waste perfectly good salami on such a vile creature? Later on when we were preparing to go grocery shopping D brought forth a very alluring idea “Don’t forget to bring the poison with you!”. Hmmm…

Don’t worry, the mutt still lives. Although very enticing D’s plan couldn’t be put into action mainly because we don’t have any poison in our house. I’ve just added it to my grocery list.

Here’s a closer look. 

I did a search on Etsy and found some really cute similar necklaces, and not expensive at all! [Click on the images to go to the listings]

From StripeyMonkey, $40

From TheRoyalBead, $42

From ShopNimo, $30

From WickedlyGood, $38

From DoughLadyDesigns, $32

From DvoraSchleffer, $28

And finally, a cloud, a rain drop and an umbrella, from Lanyapi, $26

Happy Monday!

Paris Map Print designed by Famille Summerbelle and available through Bodie and Fou. Via PoppyTalk Handmade.

Manhattan print by Jim Datz, available at Three Potato Four. Via Oh Joy!

World map. Aqua and orange, yum! Designed by J+O from These are things, on sale here. Via No Quedan Blogs.

New poster for the MTA by Julia Rothman. I think next time we’re in NY we’ll pay a visit to the transit museum store. Via Oh Joy!

Beautiful prints by Brooklyn graphic designer Jessica Hische. Via A cup of Jo.

New York City Railway Calendar by ZeroPerZero. I am so obsessed with subway maps, there’s something so artistic about them…

And speaking of maps, I know these Ork neighborhood posters have been around for a while, but… look how preeeety!

Have a great weekend!

So… Phil doesn’t like wedding magazines. It came as no surprise to me whatsoever to hear him qualify these publications as “gunk” and “drivel” mainly because he’s a guy and also because he’s 90% right.

The other 10% aka the Phil-is-wrong part is about the fact that weddings need to be organized. Heck, any gathering where both sets of parents are present requires organization. It’s one of the most important days of your life, and you just can’t leave things happening bad comedy style, especially when there’s alcohol around.

Women want their wedding to be picture-perfect and most of them spend tens of thousands of dollars on the dress, shoes and tiaras, heaps of petals strewn on the aisle, sparkling wedding rings and fancy-schmancy restaurant menus. The wedding business is a lucrative one, a little monster that preys on women’s love for color coordination, sparkly stuff and designer labels. But let me say this: is it really that wrong? Try to set aside the reason why women love lavish & sparkly stuff, if that’s what makes them happy, why not grant them the pleasure of having a lavish & sparkly dream day? As a woman the last thing you want to associate your wedding with is the thought that the restaurant sucked, that the dress was not the one you really wanted but at least you saved $1000 , or that you’ll be embarrassed to show the pictures to your relatives because the photographer had no idea what he was doing.

Yes, every woman wants a picture-perfect wedding. That’s a fact. Now, that picture-perfect wedding can cost $5000 or it can cost $50,000, and here is where the bride-to-be can choose between being brain-washed by the glossy-paged wedding porn or putting together something fun, exciting, dreamy and probably 10x less expensive. The useful 10% of wedding magazines is the part that gives future bridezillas ideas about organizing on a budget, original centerpieces and invitations, yummy buffets instead of the traditional menus, bouquets of wild flowers and vintage dresses.

Unfortunately that 10% is shrinking to maybe less than 1% of the hundred-page thick magazines lining the shelves at newsstands. They abound in ads for anything, from dresses to mostly ugly shoes, to wedding rings, and diets for losing 10 pounds in the month before the wedding.

Honestly I don’t know who reads the traditional paper magazines, I bought two before my wedding, hoping to find some bridesmaids’ dresses boutiques. Sadly none were to my taste but fortunately J Crew saved the day and my ass.

Online magazines and wedding blogs are a completely different thing. I love scrolling and virtually flipping through their pages. And I love the pictures taken by talented photographers, a daily inspiration and food for thought, the stories couples share about how they handled things, their creative tips and genuine honest advice. That’s why there are still dozens of such blogs in my Feed Reader and although I’m done with wedding organization I just can’t push the delete button.

This would have made a long reply indeed.

Dark grey T strap flats from ALL BLACK.

Cream Tibi Delsy Flats

Coral Nine West Newsy Flats

Aqua Seychelles Bette Flats

1. My Valentines Day post from last week was featured on Ella Inspired today. Her blog is so cute, filled with colorful pictures, funny lists and uplifting words of encouragement. A feel good blog is what it is, really. Go check it out!

2. My wedding story has been featured on the French magazine Mariage Attitude. If you want to take a peek, here it is (pages 24-25).

Now for the tea stuff. I am so amazed at how many wonderfully original ideas people can come up with related to such as simple thing as tea. Doesn’t it blow your mind?

[Images linked to their source].

Tea sub for the perfect infusion

Sharky tea infuser – for a bloody good infusion

Tea origami – beautiful packaging

Royal-tea or Democra-tea bags (cute names, right?)

Hanger tea

Minimalist tea cup

The Y cup – comes with a seeds pack and can be used as a plant pot

Glass kettle – so classy

“Stain” cups  – the more the cups are used, the more the pattern reveals

Tea light – so awesome!