Toast in San Miguel

via Toast

With its sunset colored city walls and telltale green and white taxis, I knew the moment I opened the Spring 2010 Toast Catalog that San Miguel was one of the featured cities in the photo-shoot. A place I have visited often. Here are some of my favorite pages mixed in with pictures of my own.

via Toast

via Toast

via Toast

via Toast

via Toast

San Miguel de Allende is a Colonial town in Mexico's Central plains. I have been a few times now and each visit is more transforming than the next. You can read more about the San Miguel photo shoot for Toast here.

Doors a la Florida

Walking around in old Florida last week I took a few photos of doors inspired by my friend Chelsea at All Roads Lead to Pecetto. If you haven't visited her blog and seen her door series from Torino Italy, they are fabulous!

In St.Augustine you can quite literally get lost on the small cobblestone streets and it is perfect!
At first it may seem like you are in a Medieval town with Large Spanish doors, the turrets from the Fort in the background and a street curb made from cannons or cannon balls. (Seriously there are a ton of canons in this town. The Army Core of Engineers bring them up out of the bay all of the time from long lost fleets of the Spanish Armada.)

Then as you follow the bougainvillea and Hurricane lilies down the street suddenly you feel as though you are walking in Havana or touring the gingerbread houses of Key West .

The best outfit for the day

New finds for No Carnations on our shopping trip today! A complete outfit, vintage plaid ruffle collar blouse, vintage gray leather suspender skirt, a classic wool oatmeal colored french beret and short black booties with woven details. Coming soon!

Scouting Inspiration

I am going crazy and not letting myself list new Fall items in the shop until at least September 1, but here are some of my inspirational photos along with wonderful items that I have found for No Carnations Vintage! A few of these items are already in the shop, don't forget about the $10 Sale through August!

I am a serial confessor

Confession #1- I love going to the movies by myself, I prefer it to going with friends.
With friends I want to have dinner and some wine, sit in the backyard, at the movies, you are just two people in the same place at the same time...what's the point?

Confession #2- I went to see Julie and Julia tonight, just now, and well I am a Chef and I blog, perfect book and movie for me no surprise there, but I have to tell someone that I sneaked in a Chef's Salad with peppercorn dressing and a small split of champagne that I popped in the parking lot and put in my water bottle (most of the bubbles were still there)! I had to, I mean ...it's Julia Child for crying out loud! (it is not lost on me that if I had invited a friend I would not have to confess)

Confession #3- I stopped by a crafts store on the way home and bought one of those circle punching things and it was on sale, so I bought it, mostly just to see if they really work and WOW! I cant stop punching paper circles...It is SOOOO satisfying!

Not for nothing but the movie was great. It's pretty hard for Meryl Streep not to steal the show though. I kept wanting only to see the parts with her in it, I mean it was France, it was vintage clothes, it was vintage housewares and it was cooking so what's not to love?