Tag Archives: books

Hello, Gorgeous!

Just a little random link guaranteed to totally brighten your day! Enjoy!

I cannot get enough of writer-illustrator Joanna Avillez’s interpretation of one of my favorite literary stars: Eloise, for New York Magazine’s Childhood in New York series. (The series is totally worth digging into when you get a chance with stories from legends like Mel Brooks, Joan Rivers, & Barbara Walters just to name a few.)

So what would happen if Eloise was currently growing up in Brooklyn’s famed Wythe Hotel?  She’d tip with Adderall and run a killer instagram account… Naturally.

Click here to check out Joanna’s site or follow her on Twitter.

What Are You Reading?

The Duke of Devonshire Taking a Nap in the Library at Chatsworth, Shot by Christopher Sykes

The Duke of Devonshire Taking a Nap in the Library at Chatsworth, Shot by Christopher Sykes

This afternoon, over on English Muse, I shared some beautiful little reading rooms and posed the question “Where do you read?” I got several responses on the blog and on Twitter, which eventually (& I suppose inevitably) turned into a “What are you reading?” conversation. So I thought I’d share a few of the lovely books I’ve been delving into for the past few days.

currently reading

 

1.) Oddfellow’s Orphanage by the lovely Miss Emily Winfield Martin

I prefer children’s books to just about anything else, and this one in particular is right up my alley. It’s the most magical book I’ve ever read, and when I finish it (right after I post this), I will probably just start at chapter 1 again. An added bonus? Delicate, beautiful illustrations by the author.

Visit the Oddfellow’s Orphanage site.

2.) Farm Anatomy: The Curious Parts & Pieces of Country Life by Julia Rothman

When I heard Julia Rothman on Grace Bonney’s podcast “After the Jump” last month, I knew I had to get this book. It’s a beautiful illustrated guide to the farm–from the combs of the roosters to the layers of the soil–created by a Brooklyn artist who happened to marry a Nebraska farm boy. How sweet is that?

Visit Julia’s site.

*Please Note: If you are a lover of illustrations, you should add both of these books to your collection as soon as you can. You can thank me later! 

3.) You Can’t Drink All Day If You Don’t Start in the Morning by Celia Rivenbark

This book is next on my list, but I haven’t started yet. It’s been recommended by multiple people so I’m very anxious to get started. From what I understand it is funny, has short enough chapters to keep me engaged, and has numerous tasty recipes throughout. I’ll let you know how it goes!

Visit Celia’s site.

So what about you? What are you reading?

Hello, Gorgeous!

Hello and happy Monday! Today your random links are really just one link. Might I suggest you click on over to The New York Times and read The Author Himself Was a Cat in the Hat.Dr. Seuss & the Mrs. wearing one of his many hats.

This fantabulous photo is from the New York Times.

In retrospect, it is really no surprise at all that Dr. Seuss was a hat man. A hat is, after all, the most whimsical of all accessory choices. I especially loved this quote from his wife….

 “Believe me, when you get a dozen people seated at a fairly formal dinner party,” his widow, Audrey, said in an interview… “and they’ve all got on perfectly ridiculous chapeaus, the evening takes care of itself.”

Doesn’t that just make you want to change your dress code for all house guests now? Looking for a fab new hat for yourself? I found a few that I particularly love over at Anthropologie. They have just the right amount of quirky, don’t you think?

hats from Anthropologie

Looking for a little more Dr. Seuss inspiration to bright up this February Monday?

To learn more about the man: Watch this.

To find out where Seuss got his inspiration: Read this.

Want to hear a really great story? Listen to this.

Hello, Gorgeous! #inaug2013

Inauguration Day is like the Oscars for political junkies. We all sit around wondering who Michelle will wear, what Chuck will say in his toast, how the musicians will perform in the cold, and, perhaps most important, what political touch points will the president hit in his speech? Obviously this morning did not disappoint, so I thought it only appropriate to carry the inaugural theme through in today’s ‘links to start your week’ post. So here goes…

Watch

Feeling less than patriotic? Well, in the words of my mother, “If this doesn’t give you goosebumps, check your pulse.”

Read

I thought the inaugural address was a powerful, new declaration to America’s citizens, and this was the quote that touched my heart the most.

"... for if we are truly created equal, then surely the love we commit to one another must be equal as well." -President Barack Hussein Obama II, 2013 Inaugural Address | Secrets of a Belle

Want to read the whole thing? There’s a transcript on several sites, including this one on The New York Times.

Read More

November’s election in particular made me think a lot about my own role. I have a tendency to over analyze and be pretty cynical, but over the last little bit, I’ve realized it does no good to complain about taxes/politics/education/agriculture when I’m doing nothing to personally make a difference. So this week I challenge you to READ MORE. Read the paper. Read a history book. (Might I suggest this one? or perhaps this one to tickle your funny bone?) Listen to NPR. Watch the news. And then find ways to have meaningful, informed discussions.

A Little Something to Sip

It should come as no surprise that one of my favorite tasty discoveries this season came in the form of a cocktail. Although, it may surprise you to know that this particular concoction is alcohol-free. (But don’t worry, I came up with a little drunkiepoo version just in case that’s your thing!)

To give credit where credit is due, I actually first had cider with rosemary with one of Dale’s fried pies, which, if you’re a local, is also a must-try!

Rosemary Cider from Secrets of a Belle

Ingredients:

Apple Cider (I’ve found Simply Apple is also quite delish!)
sprig of rosemary
Knob Creek (if desired)

– – – – – – – – – – –

Fill a jar with apple cider.
Add a sprig of rosemary and seal.
Let mixture sit in the fridge for a couple of days.

Drink cold, or heat it up and add a little bourbon! Equally perfect for extra chilly walks in the park or snuggling on the couch with a good book.

Speaking of books…

illustration by Donald Chaffin for the first US edition of Roald Dahl's Fantastic Mr. Fox

illustration by Donald Chaffin for the first US edition of Roald Dahl’s Fantastic Mr. Fox

This illustration may or may not have prompted this post and my recent download of Roald Dahl’s Fantastic Mr. Fox. Have you ever read it?

Hello, Gorgeous!

hello-gorgeous-RED-secretsofabelleToday’s random links are chosen in honor of one of the festive colors of the holiday season. Despite the fact that I may have said in a recent video, “Red is your grandmother’s color,” I really do love wearing red year round. However, it always feels most appropriate during Christmas, don’t you think? So today, I thought we would take a cue from ol’ Gwynnie, dab on a little red lipstick, and heat things up a bit…

Watch

White Christmas, of course! There are 2 particularly fabulous red outfits in this movie. The first being the red gloves worn by the sisters during the minstrel number & “Mandy,” and the second being the red & white Claus-esque garb the cast wears for the finale. Which is your favorite?

Read

Diana Vreeland is known as the queen mother of the color Red. She surrounded herself by it and wore it  religiously. Thus, it is only appropriate that a retrospective of her work would have a deep red cover. I found this book years ago in an antique store and have regretted not buying it ever since. One of my favorite Vreeland quotes:

 “Red is the great clarifier – bright, cleansing, revealing.
It makes all colors beautiful.
I can’t imagine being bored with it – it would be like becoming tired
of the person you love.”

Wear

My first pick would be this red sequin body suit that I am coveting from Patricia Field. However, if that is a bit risqué for your taste, might I suggest a trusty tube of the perfect shade of red? MAC has numerous shades and all of the MAC ladies are trained to help you find the perfect shade. I’m a ‘Russian Red.’

 

 

Hello, Gorgeous!

Alright, so we are “Hello, Gorgeous”-ing a day late, but these random links are still going to put a smile on your face! Promise.

Read

Yesterday, I shared some of my favorite holiday books over on English Muse. The one pictured (Christmas at the New Yorker) is particularly fantastic. My mother-in-law got it for me several years ago, and it’s the perfect collection of essays to read curled up on the couch.  Click here to see the full list.

Listen

I was so excited to find this recording of David Sedaris reading Front Row Center with Thaddeus Bristol, one of my favorite selections from his book “Holidays on Ice.”

By the way, the prologue of this episode is also really great. Host Ira Glass gives a little background on Sedaris and, as it turns out, David has some seriously fab views on gift-giving!

Look

Last year, I ran across these photos of the Queen at Christmas, which I pinned to my “Royalty” pinboard. I thought I’d post a link to them today because I thought of them again when I happened upon this really amazing recording…

Listen

Click here to listen to Queen Elizabeth’s first Christmas Day address. She was 14 and the year was 1940. She already sounds like a young leader as she attempts to reassure the children that have been evacuated to the countryside during the war.

 

Hello, Gorgeous!

Good morning! I hope you had a *lovely* weekend! We certainly did. I hope you won’t mind me bragging just a bit…

Nashville pictures including Grace Coddington, The Southern, The Frist

That’s right! Your eyes aren’t deceiving you. This weekend we traveled to Nashville to visit Bestie, to eat some really incredible food, and to meet the Grace Coddington! The Frist put on a great Q&A with the infamous creative director of American Vogue  hosted by model/musician (& ex-wife of Jack White, who was also in attendance… *swoon*) Karen Elson to promote her new book Grace: A Memoir. It was fantastic! The relatively small room, which made everything a bit more intimate, was full of people trying too hard & wearing shoes they couldn’t walk in. Grace was such a friendly personality and so gracious to stay and sign books. Anyway, enough gushing… I just couldn’t resist.

Here are a few other random links to start your week off on the right foot…

Read

I’ve been a fan of the site Brain Pickings for a while. Structured like a blog, it’s a compendium of readings, facts, and essays that are the perfect thing to get your brain moving in the mornings. So I was really excited to finally see an article on the woman behind the site (& excellent Twitter feed), Maria Popova, in the New York Times this weekend.

Listen

I rarely listen to music when I work, but I often listen to podcasts and old radio shows. Lately, I’ve become addicted to Design*Sponge creator Grace Bonney’s podcast After the Jump where she interviews various creatives. Here are a few that I’ve especially enjoyed lately…

episode 3: Genevieve Gorder
episode 7: Sibella Court
episode 24: Thom Filicia 

Cook

Today, I’m going to try making gingerbread for the first time using the new Band of Outsiders cookie cutters I scored at Target this weekend. I’m using this recipe I found on Smitten Kitchen (adapted from Martha Stewart). Wish me luck!

 

 

 

Classic: Gone with the Wind

Clark Gable reading Gone with the Wind

Do you have a copy of Gone with the Wind in your library? What about the movie? If your answer is ‘no’, take a lesson from Mr. Gable. I stumbled upon this picture the other day, and I just love it. I read Gone with the Wind over Thanksgiving weekend my 7th grade year and totally fell in love. I remember watching the movie when I was really little. I was haunted by the imagery and taking mental notes on how Scarlett O’Hara got every man in the county wrapped around her little finger.

Recently, I watched the movie the film again and was reminded of how poetic it is: the text before each scene, the gorgeous settings and costumes, and the beautiful cinematography that was so far ahead of its time. Anyway, for your Tuesday inspiration, please allow me to share a few new things I picked up during the first 20 minutes or so of this viewing:

1.) Well brought-up girls take naps in the afternoon.

2.) It’s bad form to show your bosom before 3 in the afternoon.

3.) “With enough courage, you can do without a reputation.”

Hello, Gorgeous!

Good morning & *HAPPY* Monday! After last week’s holiday madness, here are a few random links to help you start your week off smiling.

Hello Gorgeous Grace Coddington Breakfast at Tiffany's

Listen

On Sunday, Husband, bestie, and I will be going to see Grace Coddington at the Frist in Nashville. In case you haven’t heard (or have been living under a rock), the Vogue creative genius has just release a memoir with Random House. Needless to say, I was particularly excited when I heard Grace’s lovely British accent speaking with Terry Gross this week on NPR’s Fresh Air. (& thoroughly entertained by how polite she remained despite some rather ill-informed questions) You can click here to hear the entire interview.

Read

Did you know Breakfast at Tiffany’s was 1st published in Esquire’s November, 1958 issue? (After being rejected by Harper’s Bazaar, might I add.) Whether you watch the movie, read the novella, or read this book about the making of the film
(which I found fascinating!), spend a little time with Capote’s geisha this week.

Watch

I’m just an old romantic (and a Cosby Show addict), but I just had to share this video. I had no idea Mama Huxtable had been proposed to on national television on Thanksgiving Day. Isn’t that sweet?