happy 2012

I hope your 2012 is filled with magic & beauty. xoxoxo

Instax Mini shots of peonies; me and Katie outside The Common, where I had a little birthday party this week (we're holding sparklers, but they're not visible, and YES I wear that skirt constantly)

Some good times via Summerland; a fresh bouquet to welcome in the new year from Coriander Girl.

ghost peonies

A few weeks ago I brought home a tiny fortune's worth of peonies in beautiful peachy pinks and creams. I was mostly interested in getting some photos of their texture, with a view to incorporating them into the wedding invitations Geoff & I hope to design eventually. Peonies all the time always, obviously.

I used up nearly a whole roll of film only to realize afterwards that the film I had put in the camera weeks before and forgotten about was Fuji Neopan, black and white, and not colour (I can't tell what type of film is in the camera once it's shut). Ghost peonies.

let it be beautiful

When I was 13 years old I took some Beatles cassettes from my brother's room and made copies of them for myself. I would listen to "Strawberry Fields Forever" on headphones as I was falling asleep, sometimes rewinding to hear that part where you can hear George Martin counting again, and I fell in love/became obsessed with The Beatles. The White Album is still one of my favourite records, "Strawberry Fields Forever" still one of my favourite songs. There's something kind of magical about the music you love when you're a teenager. It never leaves you.

My friends Laura Jane and Liz have started re-writing all of The Beatles songs as short stories or essays, a very ambitious project that will span nine volumes called Let it Be Beautiful — if anyone can do it, they can. They have printed the first six stories as zines as a preview.

I read them in the order of Beatles songs I liked least to the ones I liked best, so: Another Girl, Like Dreamers Do, Penny Lane, Because, A Hard Day's Night, The Inner Light. The stories are about Laura Jane and Liz's lives — sort of, but not really at all — just as they are sort of, but not really at all about the Beatles and their songs.

Laura Jane has "Lennon" and "McCartney" tattooed on each of her arms in cursive script, and they're my favourite tattoos on anyone ever.

When I started reading one I wanted to stay up until I had read them all. When I saw Laura Jane in person afterwards I almost started to cry when I told her how much I loved them. I carried them in my purse for a few weeks afterwards, so I could re-read passages whenever I had the chance.

You can get them & read excerpts here. I really recommend them.

See also The White Album.

all i want for christmas is you

Banner from Nice! Love the inspiration, love the Constable kitty cameo.

I wasn't going to post any sort of gift guide this year, but I want to post these things to get them out of my system. It's basically a visual list of things I would love to own, although I know that if I don't own a single thing, I will be okay. Thank you for indulging me.

Left to right, row 1: Luxe faux fur hot water bottle, Restoration Hardware; go big or go home with a Louis Vuitton gold collar necklace (image via T magazine); fancy candles, perhaps from Diptyque, although this Byredo one sounds lovely (image via Up the Wooden Hills; who knew Ben Gorham went to Ryerson?)

Left to right, row 2: I have a set of Anja's cat coasters on its way to me but the peach and gold ones look amazing; gold Dieppa Restrepo oxfords; lately Bambi Northwood-Blyth has been my #1 brow inspiration, so lush! I've been trying to grow mine out a bit so I think in 2012 I'd love to visit, say, Gee Beauty for their Beauty Brow service to get them reshaped.

Left to right, row 3: silk scarf by Leah Goren; gold metallic shopper from Zara; silk colourblock socks from Hansel from Basel

Left to right, row 4: Ballet Beautiful DVDs. I have tried dozens of workout videos over the years and I am so picky about them. They are sometimes too boring, too annoying (how does the instructor know that I'm doing great? Hush!), too short, or involve too many high-impact moves that I can't perform in my second floor apartment. These look amazing, and based on the preview, they also look really tough. I don't imagine that I'll look remotely like a ballerina but at least I can look at one; shearling trapper hat from J. Crew which is sold out, which is for the best; XO tote from Need Supply

Left to right, row 5: coral/khaki tie from Alder & Co. (I would get this for Geoff but steal it); Moth origami lampshade by nellianna (via Miss Moss' peachy flamingo gift guide); dress from CALLA's spring/summer 2012 line (styling by Leith Clark; photo via CALLA's Facebook page)

Left to right, row 6: I feel like I keep seeing references to Rodin's Olio Lusso, and I'm very interested! It's so fancy; pretty handmade ballet flats by The White Ribbon (I love the styling in these photos); I love the vignettes that accompany the RUSSH astrology 2012 guide by Susan Miller (Virgo's is my favourite) -- it would be cool if all I got for real was the 2012 year she describes for Capricorn, please and thank you!