Hi all,
Sorry I haven’t updated myprincipality recently. I had a health thing come up. But all is good now! I’ll continue posting fun, inspirational, and pretty things here at myprincipality. In the meantime, check out my new site www.ellieinla.com.
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While I awoke to California sunshine (again), my tres chic grandmother in Connecticut woke up to this…
Ten more inches of snow.
This wonderfully stupid song goes out to her and all of you scraping off your windshields.
“And the day came when the risk it took to remain tightly closed in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to bloom.
-Anais Nin”
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photography: Iris Jan
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Not to brag, but I was once a luxury gift consultant for an A+ List celebrity. I was awesome at picking out cool, expensive nicknacks—an important life skill to have. But then, the stock market crashed and people suddenly got a conscience when it came to spending. Waa. Waa.
But don’t worry. If you are rich, the tack is back. It’s headquarters? Needless Mark Up (Neiman Marcus). Have you seen this fabulous Tory Burch Family Chariot Electric Tricycle ($4,500)? Imagine hiring a chauffeur to cycle you around downtown Detroit whilst you shout to the peasants: Let them eat cake! You could even hand out samples of your homemade organic focaccia—cause you’re generous like that.
It’s easy to pick out gifts for people you LOVE. Here are some ideas for everyone else.
For the boyfriend who hints that you’re ‘smothering’ him and will probably dump you after the holidays:
An 8.5x11” print from The Animal Print Shop by Sharon Montrose ($25)
For the hipster friend that scoffs at anything sold in big box stores:
The Elegant Cockroach, a storybook by Deidre Anne Martin, illustrated by Stefanie Augustine ($25)
“Love, Longing & Six Legs”
Literature, fine wine and a Spanish guitar are elegant pastimes.
But in the big city, passing the time simply isn’t enough.
The Elegant Cockroach longs for more…
Extra credit: Gift wrap it in a Pottery Barn box as a cute little ‘el-F’ you.
For the girlfriend who is so optimistic and supportive you can only hang out with her in small doses:
Flowers in a Can. Fred Flare ($11)
For the frat boy brother and his new frigid wife (who actually had the nerve to have a restaurant cater Thanksgiving *gasp*).
The Goode Company Classic Mesquite Smoked Brisket ($85)
For the ‘friend with benefits’ who likes to hide under the covers with you all afternoon—cause he’s unemployed.
Put a collection of $25 worth of scratch lotto tickets in a Muggle Mug. And then, spice things up by throwing in a fake WINNING tix before wrapping. He’ll appreciate that surge of absolute JOY, no matter how fleeting.
Before you speak, ask yourself: Is it kind, is it true, is it necessary, does it improve upon the silence?
- Sai Baba of Shirdi
[Photograph by Ineke Kamps.]
An excerpt from director Anne Bogart’s November blog post Permanence:
I wondered if this is a typical American attitude – distrust of empty space and unfilled time? And yet how can anything new be engendered if space and time is not allowed in order that the new event might occur. I do know that an artist must be capable of stopping time and allowing for silence. A great landscape painting halts the ephemeral rush of time. A play in production changes the time signature radically and can bring us all to stillness and quiet. But to welcome the moments of stillness and quiet in one’s work, one must welcome and cultivate stillness and quiet in one’s own life. One must find the capacity to be still with nothing happening in order to realize that in fact something is always happening, movement and sound are all around. Always.
Silence does not exist, at least not as long as we are alive and breathing. But the leaning in towards silence, the welcoming of the gaps and dark places in between stillness and action, bring a great restorative reserve to our perceptual mechanisms and our sense of humanity. Much like mulch in gardening, the stinking dead leaves during the silence of winter are transformed into the fecund conditions that produce sweet tender bulbs. For the artistic process, the winter of quiet and invisibility is necessary for a burst of new life and expression to occur.
Pepsi Max: Legend, heartbreaker, friend with real benefits. -
Click the title above to watch the commercial claire coffee and I bullied some awesome friends into shooting with us. We’re submitting it to the “crash the super bowl” contest. fingers crossed.
*Click “Skip” in upper right hand corner of site to jump straight to our commercial.
[Air Talia Pump ($198) with Nike Air Technology]
There are lots of women who live for shoes. They collect them. They cherish them. It’s a Cinderella fetish I do not share. Shoes annoy me. They never fit right. They nearly always hurt. I spent my childhood barefoot—in the grass, at the dance studio, around the pool. My nickname growing up was Twinkle Toes. I was always happiest without shoes.
My father believes that shoes project an image to the world of what kind of girl you are. And based on my shoe choices in high school, he worried that I’d be mistaken for a homeless hillbilly or a prostitute. Most mornings, I’d stand at the kitchen island, shoveling Life Cereal into my mouth, my backpack strap slung over my shoulder. Dad in his starchy white button down would stare down at my flip flops, clear his throat—sore from acid reflux, and grumble, “You shouldn’t wear shower shoes in public.” He would have paid private school tuition just to keep me in closed toed shoes.
Dad needed an extra tablespoon of Maalox antacid on Friday nights when I’d teeter out in my Payless wedges. “You can’t leave the house in those backless heels,” my father would shout after me as I’d jump in my best friend’s Jeep Wrangler. “We used to call those f*ck me shoes—.”
On Saturday morning, my father would try a more gentle tactic. He’d take me to the mall. “You just need a good pair of kick around shoes,” he’d say wistfully, while leading me towards Brooks Brother’s. If I wore penny loafers, he was certain people would think: That girl’s father must be a real class act. He’s a groovy guy I’d like to meet.
Cole Haan has added Nike Air technology to create more comfortable heels. These are shoes my father would approve of. I tested them out last weekend, and to my surprise, they were comfortable. I stood at a party for four hours and walked two Hollywood blocks without complaining once. I give an extra enthusiastic thumbs up for the anti-slip traction on the bottom.
Only in L.A.: Halloween Edition
![Pop Art and Bubbly: two of my favorite things make a baby! Andy Warhol + Dom Perignon. [Available at Wally’s Wine and Spirits ($149)].](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lakgzsnJDA1qc69zco1_500.jpg)
Pop Art and Bubbly: two of my favorite things make a baby! Andy Warhol + Dom Perignon. [Available at Wally’s Wine and Spirits ($149)].
Brooklyn Dad Makes Child Feel Small & Insignificant -
A Brookyln Dad sends his iphone to space with the record button on. It’s nutballs. Check it out. Backyard science has gotten so much cooler since the days of burning ants with magnifying glass.
On chilly, rainy days like today, I miss my years in the Pioneer Valley. Thanks to a hot chocolate machine and an endless supply of white bagels in the dorm dining room, we were always cozy in our carb induced comas.
Since 1877, the Smith College President has declared Mountain Day, an impromptu, unscheduled holiday that celebrates Fall in New England. At dawn, the college bell in the Quad clock tower rings out the news that class is cancelled. Students hoot and holler out their dorm windows. Some Smithies go back to sleep; others hike, pick apples, or catch up on that psych paper. It’s a day to step out of the library, to shake up your routine, and take inventory of where you are at this moment in life. It’s also a moment to enjoy the warm sun before the snow falls and the sinus infections begin.
Herve Chapelier Tote - $92 The Building Blocks of a Great Scarf - $37.99 Fall Whitman Shirt - Steven Allen - On Sale $129 Brown Pom-Pom Furry Mocassin Boots - Vegan Friendly! - On Sale $29.99 size 6 Kate Spade New York Hi 5 Mittens - $65.00 Old Navy Swing Coat Sweater - $39.50 Fall Ruffle Panty - Steven Allen - $32.00 Chanel Limited Edition Nail Polish - $25 American Eagle Boyfriend Jean - $29.50
Congratulations, hubby. This totally makes up for the insane last name you gave me. Here’s the article on Deadline Hollywood.
Friends ask if I’m Adam’s inspiration. Since he tends to write loony tunes women, I can confidently say: why yes I am. Here’s my post from awhile back that refers to another pilot he wrote: That Should Be in a Sitcom.
