wine!

i might not have ever mentioned to you that i have had a HUGE crush on jason schwartzman ever since rushmore. there is just something so funny about him,
just watching him is funny, even if he's not doing anything. the faces he makes and his comedic timing is just too much.

have you been watching the new season of "bored to death"? oh i just love little ray!

also, any man that can consume as much white wine as i do and justify it the way his character can is truly a kindred spirit of mine.

what is your favorite jason schwartzman film? have you seen the short film he did with natalie portman as a trailer to the darjeeling limited. i think it's called "hotel cavalier". you should check it out if you've never seen it.

got spots?

so tomorrow is the first day of fall and while i'm not quite ready for the rain to begin full-force, i am looking forward to some new fall clothes. this year it is going to be all about black, camel and turquoise for my fall wardrobe (but yes, i will forever love you red, white and black).

and this little leopard baby is setting the tone! isn't it gorgeous? the fabric is the softest cotton velveteen. it's made by my amazing friend tasha polizzi, who spent many years honing her craft for a guy named ralph and is now making these beautiful creations on her own.

oh i can't wait to wrap up in this beauty. happy autumn everyone!

september issue

last week my coworker and i were talking and she said she was so excited because all of her september issues had begun coming in the mail and it was like christmas at her house.

i must admit, i do have a carrie bradshaw day when my issues start coming in where i sit at home and take them all in without ever leaving. i just love to see all of the new fall lines and ad campaigns.

then i started thinking that i need to rent the september issue again because i really enjoyed seeing the behind the scenes making of vogue's september issue. i highly recommend it if you haven't seen it yet.


so i just about died yesterday when i was on rdujour and saw the anna wintour and grace coddington dolls! these are so funny. it really does mean that you've made it when a doll is made in your honor.


of course my favorite is the grace doll. i love her simple style and crazy red hair. she really does make vogue what it is.

the cutest thing EVER!

today over at one of my favorite blogs, erin ever after, she posted one of the cutest things i have ever seen.

it's about the adventures of a little girl and her doll in paris called kiki and coco. the photos are just so sweet as you travel around paris with kiki and coco.

oh what it would be like to do this as a little girl. i must admit i'm a little jealous my doll dorothy and i never got to do this when we were little.

oh well, at least there is kiki and coco to do it for us!

go here for a slide show of stephanie rausser's beautiful photos.

maybe lulu and i can do this one day.

design your life

at my desk, i have written a quote that i must have found somewhere on a design blog. it goes like this, "your life is your biggest design project. get off the couch and start designing your life exactly how you want it."

sometimes i sit here and ponder this quote. most of the time, i have a pretty clear idea as to how i want my life to be but from time to time, my mind wanders and i think what if it could be so completely different than it is now?

today i'm thinking about things like this.


lorenzo and i would somewhat resemble margot and richie tanenbaum and coordinate our outfits accordingly.


except that i would look more french like diane birch here. not to mention looking fab in a big floppy hat like this one, i just can't carry off a hat like this!


we'd live in a beautiful falling down old brownstone, a la holly golightly.


and drive a great big black vintage mercedes station wagon.


we'd have wonderful friends like harold and maude.


i'd spend my afternoons watching french films like the 400 blows with the crushy jean pierre leaud.


in the evenings i'd sit with coffee and cigarettes and ponder.


and late into the evening i'd write dark novels like the bell jar, making a terrific salary in which i could support this lifestyle.

what would your life be like if you could do whatever you want? let's start designing it that way.

the selby

have you guys heard about the amazing website called the selby? i had heard about it quite sometime ago and just filed it away but then this week, my coworker reminded me of it and i was like, that's right! it's such a cool site.


todd selby, a portrait, interiors and fashion photographer began posting his photoshoots on his own website and he has garnered a huge cult following. the photographs are generally of famous and not so famous creative types taken in their own environment whether it be their home or their studios, whichever best represents how they work and how they are inspired for their work.

hmmm... what would my living space say about me? a family who has a hard time getting rid of things, some pretty cool artwork i might say, and a few misbehaving animals thrown in to stir it all up a little. my own private grey gardens (only without the huge hampton house.)


there is also a book called the selby out right now that i really want to get. they are currently selling it at anthropologie. the book has photoshoots that he has not featured on his website, one being of my girl lou doillon's home so now you know i really must have it!

gazpacho libre

all day today i was craving some gazpacho, probably because it was so hot outside.

when i lived in albuquerque, there was this great bbq place across the street from my house that made the best chunky gazpacho, i think the restaurant was called geezamboni's. they served it in a big bowl topped with home made tortilla chips, yum!

well of course, i can't even think about gazpacho without paying homage to pedro almodovar and those crazy women on the verge for introducing me to the traditional spanish sope to begin with. mmm gazpacho...

i've never made gazpacho myself but today i found an easy recipe on epicurious that i tweaked a little to my own taste and it turned out to be a fast and easy recipe for dinner but i know it will taste even better for lunch tomorrow after marinating over night. lorenzo made some home made crunchy garlic bread that was a perfect complement to the soup as well as having a nice glass of white wine to go with it. i thought the haagen daz dulce de leche ice cream would make the perfect easy dessert.

here's my simple recipe:
1/2 white onion diced
2 large garlic cloves
3 tablespoons of olive oil
1/4 cup of red wine vinegar
2 pounds of cored, peeled and diced tomatoes
1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced
1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
1/3 cup chopped, fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons of tomato paste
3 big dashes of hot sauce (i used frontera)

puree first four ingredients in a food processor, then combine the tomatoes, cucumber, green pepper, cilantro and tomato paste and blend leaving it somewhat chunky. season to taste with salt and pepper and hot sauce. transfer to large bowl and refrigerate at least one hour before serving.

as a garnish, i topped it off with a little more olive oil and fresh cracked pepper. it was delicious!

ooh lou lou

yesterday over at rdujour, they featured another great post about my girl lou.



aside from this great article, they listed almost every other article i have seen written about her. if you go here, you can see it all.

lou rocks!

happy birthday hem

since i've been MIA from bloglandia the past few weeks, i've missed out on some very important events...like hemingway's birthday on july 21st.

hemingway is my all time favorite author. i could read a moveable feast over and over and i usually find myself reading it in the summer. but there are so many others like his notorious book the sun also rises which upset all of his friends because he discussed their bad behavior while in spain for the bullfights.

i really hope to go visit his homes in key west, ketchum and cuba one day. i hear his house in key west is over run by feral kitties that he insisted be allowed to remain at the house. how cool and grey gardens of him.

happy belated birthday hem!

checking in

hi everyone, i just wanted to check in and let you all know i'm still alive and well. i'm still recovering from the big move and now i'm traveling for work. i hope to check in periodically when i can and then i'll be back at the end of next week with more regular posts. thanks for hanging in there!

feliz cumpleano

i absolutely cannot believe that i was too distracted yesterday to wish frida kahlo a happy 103rd birthday. she is one of my favorite style icons and has influenced me so much as a person. so frida, salut to you, this one's on me!

live forever

i don't think i've ever mentioned to you that if i could go back and do it all over again, i would study art history and travel the world, buying and selling fabulous artwork and amazing antiques. all the while, documenting my adventures a la indiana jones. however, i don't necessarily have an eye or penchant for fine art.

i do however, like what i see.

several months ago, i wanted to mention one of my favorite artists, elizabeth peyton. i tried to put together a post on her but it just wasn't coming together and i just wasn't finding the best images of hers to show. i just filed it away for a later post.

well, yesterday, i was doing my usual quick walk-through of anthropologie and found a book about her and her artwork called live forever. it was a really cool book. i didn't purchase it yet because, to be honest, it was pretty pricy and i'm trying to behave myself right now but i cannot wait to get it. her illustrations are just so rich and amazing. i really feel that she paints my colors, whatever that means.


i just love this one from the book called "elizabeth and liam"


and this is the first piece of hers that i ever saw and fell in love with. i just love poppies.

so while it may not be fine art, it just fine by me!

go rafa!

can't wait for tomorrow's match. good luck rafael!

pin it forward

today is my day to participate in sf girl by bay's pin it forward event. i'm so excited to have some new people over to my blog, rouge blanc noir, which is basically a place for me to share some of the things that inspire me most (which happen to be somewhat frenchie). a big thank you to victoria of sf girl and pinster for inviting me to participate.

this is a perfect post to work on today as yesterday i moved out of my city girl apartment of 8 years and in with my guy and his daughter. let me tell you, merging two households is a pretty daunting task and i'm just trying to figure out what home means to me in my new country place.

well here are a few things to begin with, then i'll just have to figure them out as i go along!


now home means to me family and seeing that we all are taken care of and happy. i'm so lucky to have found such amazing people who share their lives with me.


home means coming home to my little girl lucie, who has brought me much happiness and entertainment.


home means to me cooking big sunday night dinners for my friends and family and preferably dining al fresco if weather permits here in the northwest.


and a happy sunny kitchen to prepare these meals in.


after a long day of work, nothing makes me happier at home than settling in with a glass of wine to watch a french film.


home means being surrounded with books, which remind me of my childhood and make for lazy afternoons of reading and relaxing.

there are so many things that mean home to me, these are just a few that i wanted to share with you today. thank you for joining me here at rouge blanc noir. be sure to check out yesterdays's post over at the hidden list and tomorrow's over at hey lucy.

and be sure to check out my dear friend, brooke's post over at pretty and yummy. we have been figuring out this blogging thing together which has been a lot of fun and a great way to stay in touch with one another. thank's brooke for telling me about the pin it forward event.

and a great big shout out to my friend alissa for setting me up with a brand new banner for the event today.

i hope to see you all again soon!

movin on up!

i'm knee deep in boxes and newspaper and making my move out to the country to be with my guy, so posts may be a little iffy here in the next few days. here are some inspirational photos from marie claire maison to tide you over.

and be sure to check back next wednesday the 30th for my turn in sf girl by bay's pin it forward event. i can't wait to share with you what home means to me and my new rouge blanc noir makeover!


i'm loving this chalkboard backsplash from apartment therapy.


what a great turquoise bed and the red side tables are a perfect accent. decor8


this dining room reminds me of the countless hours studying at big long tables in the library. love the mismatched chairs. marie claire maison


isn't a pallet as a coffee table a great idea? easy diy! marie claire maison


here's a little retreat in the woods perfect for dining al fresco. marie claire maison


couldn't we all use a dressing room like this one? so spacious! design fling


and i would definitely love a soak in this great big tub. style files

so if i don't see you sooner, i'll see you next wednesday for sure. happy summer!

noooo reservations

a few years back, when i was still single and no longer working my crazy multiple job restaurant/retail schedule that i had done for so many years, i was at a bit of a loss as to how to occupy my time on the weekends. most of my friends either lived out of town, still worked nights so weren't up for early morning brunches, or were spending their weekends shuffling the family around.

during this time, i developed the habit of getting up early sunday mornings, making a pot of coffee and settling in to watch rick steves travel the world. i guess if i wasn't going anywhere exotic, at least he could transport me there.

this little routine served me well until i found a box set of no reservations at the video store and holed myself up in my apartment for one solid weekend watching every episode. sadly, rick steves was elementary school compared to the college aged debauchery of anthony bourdain.


oh watching the adventures of rick gallivant through austria yodeling up a storm was a far cry from the adventures anthony would take us on--drinking absinthe in paris and having hallucinations of oscar wilde--this was more my kind of trip.


i mean look at the way he opens a bottle. that is exactly the same way i do. kindred spirits? i think so!


and i'm so excited to be going to see him read from his latest book medium raw, tonight at the bagdad theater here in portland. beer and bourdain, you can't beat it.

p.s. i do still love rick, just in a different way.

i'm distracted today and all i can think about is...

oh la la

even though i can't be in paris right now, i can at least dress like paris thanks to naomi over at the rock star diaries who pointed out the fabulous on line shop shabby apple. shabby apples features only dresses (love it)and particularly dresses that require nothing else. no cardigan, no tank top, just a good old fashioned dress.

i have this secret personal goal of acquiring 365 dresses and i'm well on my way. that way i have a new dress to wear everyday of the year and i would only have to do minimal loads of laundry which i detest doing (thank you lorenzo for always helping me with mine). here are three that i would absolutely love to add to my collection.


the oh la la is my favorite.


but the tour eiffel is pretty darn cute too.


and i might as well take the artiste to complete the collection.

go check out the shabby apple sight and pick out your favorites from the paris collection and then go to naomi's blog and let her know which one you want and you might just win the give away. oh darn, now i just decreased my chances!

oh to be french

i'm not sure how or when this happened, but i have always been so fascinated by the french designer agnes b. i have never been in one of her shops and i don't think anyone here in portland carries her designs but i just love her simple yet funky take on the classic french style. today i was looking for an image of one of her simple striped tees but instead found these great fall looks. it must be that fact that it hasn't been above 60 degrees this week in portland that i am seriously looking at fall clothing in the middle of june!


i work for a company that makes a lot of plaids and tartans and i don't usually wear them because, well, i've seen about enough of it. however, i love the cut of this skirt and the thought to pair it with a tiny baby blue cardigan really shakes this look up a bit. i would never think to put baby blue with red and black but it looks great.


and this purse is so amazing! oh yes, as you can tell, i have a thing for red, white and black.


and this chocolate and red combo is sooo cute. this would make such a sweet holiday look wouldn't it?

and while i really hope the sun makes an appearance up here soon, the arrival of fall won't be so bad is i can find some of these looks.

summer reads

so i've been compiling my summer reading list and thanks to tina over at the english muse, i have two great books to look forward to. she suggested reading a time in rome by bloomsbury writer elizabeth bowen. when i got on line to order the book, i found the house in paris which sounds just perfect as well.


it's now been five years since my trip to italy and france so it's fitting that i should celebrate my time there by re-immersing myself in the way i felt when i returned home from that trip. it was such a wonderful accomplishment for me to take a trip like that on my own, one that i will never forget.


most of this summer i will be at home in still rainy portland getting situated in my new home but i can't wait for lazy weekends outside with a cool drink and one of these reads.