ELEVEN THEN TWELVE

ten eleven from © eva truffaut on Vimeo.

hugs, kisses and stardust wishes -- peace ~ love ~ light ~ possibility -- happy new year to friends old and new, my family, my partner and lover in life and of course to all those whose support and encouragement made all things possible and lifted us to new heights in 2011. look for more fabulous flowering adventures in CocoRosie land when the morning comes.

cheers my lovelies // xx

song by karen elson

HAUL OUT THE HOLLY

i've written a dozen posts in the past few weeks, all with the best of intentions. all of which are on the cyber cutting room floor. on more than one occasion i attempted to revive one or two but the moment past, so needless to say they never made it to final print. i've fallen behind on my own personal checklist and even fell off the flower wagon as the winter solstice took hold. too many of life's more immediate obligations took precedent. so bummed that these lost drafts never made it out into the world but sometimes you just need to 'let shit go' -- a recurring theme i struggle with in many areas of my life.

so let's see...we celebrated chanukah and christmas. there was gift giving and receiving. salty savory meats and super sugary sweets. couch time. family time. pickled turnips and puppy love. books, babies and bourbon and the high and low cocktail that is the holidays.

time marches on and now we focus on the tick tock of the clock, the inevitable countdown to the year 2012. I have a candy cane swirl of emotions about the year that was and is, well aware of the balance of the moment and ever so curious as to what the next year holds in its palm. the folding and unfolding of each day as we awake to begin anew. there's a lot i could wax poetic about but sometimes less is more and words just aren't enough. but to be honest, i just realized, i'm tired. it's been a long, amazing year and there is so much to be grateful for, to reflect on and build upon but for now i'm just going to close shop and ride out these last remaining days in the spirit of mindfulness meditation.

wishing you love, light and a rocking new years eve ~xx

pic 1. 2.

ART ALONE

somewhere in between our respective professional gigs, the BF and I have not found much time for a fancy date night let alone a low-key one -- one, that say, falls on a weekend. so one friday afternoon a few weeks back we threw caution to the wind and renewed a vow to make an afternoon of it, like we used to when our saturday's were once free and easy. our two favorite artists were showing in town and we walked hand in hand on a blustery day, ate diner food and had {me} a brief interlude with debra winger over a pair of missing sunglasses {mine}. for one afternoon we got lost in the insanity that is the art world, remembered why we both so enjoy each other's company and why finding time for each other is so essential to the fabric of our lives.

jenny saville

lisa yuskavage




currently listening to this rock~star legend and getting the goosebumps while i tend to the mundane task of preparing quarterly returns. {bah humbug}

/ / xx

THE RIVER CAFE

in the madness that was october i did a wedding along the east river with a grand view of new york city as the backdrop. it was unseasonably warm that day and an abundance of sunshine filtered through the floor to ceiling windows. this midday glow was still edging it's way toward the center of the room, so for the time being it felt like we worked in the shadow of a magical forest. sunday brunch was in full swing and lots of people milling about on the pier in shorts and tees eating ice cream and from the river's edge snapping gotham city frame by frame. with a small window to do our thing, we gingerly but stealthly placed arrangements about the room, accepted a complimentary glass of bubbly, gathered every last bit of fluffe ? for recycling and were on our merry way in one hour flat.

looking back, it was a beautiful day and the flowers, well, have a looksy.

the colors looks so much brighter in their raw format. someday i'll figure out how
to get it right on the blog. you'd think a veteran designer would have the retouching bit down by now.

anyway, i digress.

/ / xx

on another note // the view out my window is all doom and gloom today so i'm singing along to something a bit more merry {yes i do like xmas tunes} and holiday window shopping online {well torturing myself really} at SA and EB. i've hidden my wallet in case i get any crazy ideas.

FOR YOUR LOVE

Love is a temporary madness. It erupts like an earthquake and then subsides. And when it subsides

you have to make a decision. You have to work out whether your roots have become so entwined together 

that it is inconceivable that you should ever part. Because that is what love is. Love is not breathlessness, 

it is not excitement, it is not the promulgation of promises of eternal passion. That is just being "in love" 

which any of us can convince ourselves we are. 

Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away, and this is both an art and

a fortunate accident. Your mother and I had it, we had roots that grew towards each other underground,

and when all the pretty blossom had fallen from our branches we found that we were one tree and not two. 

~Louis De Bernieres

HEAVEN ON EARTH

Me and my brother, it just used to be me and my brother, we used to do things together. 
We used to have fun. We used to roam the streets. 
There was people suffering of pain and hunger. 
Some people their tongues were hangin' out of their mouth.


Just got to get fixed up first. Things aren't always gonna be this way. 
You know that, don't you?

In fact, all three of us been goin' places, lookin' for things, searchin' for things, 
goin' on adventures. They told everybody they were brother and sister. 
My brother didn't want nobody to know. You know how people are. 
You tell 'em somethin' - they start talkin'.

I met this guy named Ding-Dong. He told me the whole Earth is goin' up in flame. 
Flames will come out of here and there and they'll just rise up. 
The mountains are gonna go up in big flames, the water's gonna rise in flames. 
There's gonna be creatures runnin' every which way, some of them burnt, 
half of their wings burnin'. People are gonna be screamin' and hollerin' for help. 
See, the people that have been good - they're gonna go to heaven and escape all that fire. 
But if you've been bad, God don't even hear you. He don't even hear ya talkin'. 
Days of Heaven ~1978


{ Happy Birthday } T. M. ~ and M. T. ~


Sing like no one's listening, love like you've never been hurt, dance like nobody's 
watching and live like its heaven on earth.


/ / xx


{pics via}

BACK HOME

hope you all had a happy thanksgiving. ours was pretty mellow. we went with pork this year instead of turkey, which turned out to be a dynamite decision along with a host of delicious vegan dishes added to the mix. needless to say we were all well fed and my brother kept the libations flowing. by the time darkness fell we were all feeling groovy, albeit a bit weary.

in the past few weeks i've been quite lucky to be as busy as i have, especially so as i can see directly into the eye of the dark winter months. won't be long now. the thread that will ultimately pull me through is all the planning for next spring and summer which is now in full throttle. lots of exciting stuff to share some new, some belated and yes, flowers too.

so stay tuned...more musings to be cultivated ~ thank you to those who have happened by chance, to my faithful followers, and to those of you near and dear who continue to support my efforts. without you i would be lost.

/ / xx

{stunning pics via}

PEACE

I want to have fun. I want to shine like the sun. 
I want to be the one that you want to see. 
I want to knit you a sweater. 
I want to write you a love letter. 
I want to make you feel better. 
I want to make you feel free. 

~joni mitchell

/ / xx

DREAM ON

Every moment in your life is a turning and every one a choosing. Somewhere you made a choice. All followed to this. The accounting is scrupulous. The shape is drawn. No line can be erased. I had no belief in your ability to move a coin to your bidding. How could you? A person's path through the world seldom changes and even more seldom will it change abruptly. And the shape of your path was visible from the beginning. ~cormac mccarthy


a new one {for the stocking perhaps} and have a listen. 

// xx

p i c: s o u r c e u n k n o w n

ALL HALLOWS

my pops and i spent saturday evening bewitched by the young and the restless, 

in this cult fav and my personal favorite. {just love the little dance routine}

juicing my candy coma today. have a lovely...

/ / xx

p i c : j o e s  n y c : :  

I'D RATHER BE A FOREST THAN A STREET*

october has been a hustling bustling month. a month of hard lessons learned amid joyful and rewarding experiences and some kind generous folks who had my back every step of the way. not to mention the beautiful brides and the handsome grooms that will make a believer out of me yet. to you all, it was a pleasure.

many a chilly morning i've been sleepwalking to the nearest corner to hail a taxi. on the other side as the sun begins to rise i am surrounded by a wellspring of beauty in every direction. it is here that i begin my work and my heart is full at the prospect of so much earthly goodness. on my days off i take long walks, explore the farmers market, cook delicious meals, catch up on my reading and meet up with a friend or two. the boy and i are finally settled comfortably in our new abode. this weekend will mark six months. already i've caught the whiff of the neighbor's fireplace kindling on a recent cool evening. i will sorely miss ours this year but what i really miss is the outdoors. the mountains. the sea. that long stretch of road that leads to nowhere. far away from the yellow cabs, trash cans and street lamps where i can see my breath rise in the early light of dawn. the boy promises we'll be there before you know it.

/ / xx

I felt my lungs inflate with the onrush of scenery—air, mountains, trees... I thought, "This is what it is to be happy. ~sylvia plath



*simon and garfunkel

WHY SO FORLORN MY LOVE

IAIN MCKELL // the new gypsies

Truly, we live with mysteries too marvelous

to be understood.

How grass can be nourishing in the

mouths of the lambs.

How rivers and stones are forever

in allegiance with gravity

while we ourselves dream of rising.

How two hands touch and the bonds

will never be broken.

How people come, from delight or the

scars of damage,

to the comfort of a poem.

Let me keep my distance, always, from those

who think they have the answers.

Let me keep company always with those who say

"Look!" and laugh in astonishment,

and bow their heads.

mysteries, yes ~ m. oliver 

a double decker weekend is approaching. there will be a white wedding / a gaggle of caffeine fueled ladies / jammy jams on the ipizzle and plenty of flowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwas in the house. 

wish us luck y'all~

/ / xx

HERE'S TO THE CRAZY ONES

c l i c k > > > the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers > > >  h e r e

v i a i l o v e f a k e

Waiting is a dry desert between where we are and 
where we want to be ~Henri J.M. Nouwen

/ / xx

SO MUCH PRETTY

with the last fade of summer i experimented with a richer more layered color palette. the bride's primary thread detail was a mango orange. it was a labor day weekend affair set against the vast new york skyline on a warm starlit night.

i managed to click some frames before i left the scene and celebrated with a bottle of veuve. better to have the headache after rather than before.

you can view more of the pretty here.

good day to you~

/ / xx

FALL, NOT SO MUCH

i love the change in seasons, especially summer to fall. i certainly don't like to see summer go, but of all the footsteps to follow, fall can certainly hold the candle. so what happened to fall ? it seems it's taking its sweet ol' time. i am doing my best to woo it along. i've had just about enough of the humidity. give me some cool breezy nights already. and besides it's giving fall weddings a bad name.

j e s s e s c a t u r r o . c o m / / f o o t f a n c y d a h l i a s




my music monday fave -- the video is definitely trippy.


/ / xx

IF SHAKESPEARE HAD A SISTER

v i a r o o m s


Life for both sexes — and I looked at them, shouldering their way along the pavement — is arduous, difficult, a perpetual struggle. It calls for gigantic courage and strength. More than anything, perhaps, creatures of illusion as we are, it calls for confidence in oneself. Without self-confidence we are as babes in the cradle. ~ virginia woolf {A Room of One's Own}




today i'm visiting the magical site of this maison and wishing i could instantly plant myself in the city where it resides. instead i listen to the hum of the ceiling fan, summoning inspiration for a most recent moodboard execution and stubbornly ignore the pile of papers and numbers resting at my feet. 


procrastination {sigh}


but then there is the sun {and it's shining}


i must go for a walk.


have a lovely...


// xx

FROM THIS DAY FORWARD

this past weekend i looked on as my parents renewed their wedding vows. they celebrated their 45th anniversary on september 10th. how blessed i am to have them and to have witnessed such an intimate moment. what an authentic and loving example they have set for my brother and i. they will be a tough act to follow.

 / / xx

A MORNING AFTER

i tramp a perpetual journey -- 

-- not i, not any one else can travel that road for you,

you must travel it for yourself.

it is not far, it is within reach ~ walt whitman

/ / xx

and just another music monday {listen here}

WILD MY HEART

He was alone. He was unheeded, happy and near to the wild heart of life. He was alone and young and willful and wildhearted, alone amid a waste of wild air and brackish waters and the sea-harvest of shells and tangle and veiled grey sunlight and gayclad lightclad figures of children and girls and voices childish and girlish in the air.

{cont'd}



A girl stood before him in midstream, alone and still, gazing out to sea. She seemed like one whom magic had changed into the likeness of a strange and beautiful seabird. Her long slender bare legs were delicate as a crane's and pure save where an emerald trail of seaweed had fashioned itself as a sign upon the flesh. Her thighs, fuller and soft-hued as ivory, were bared almost to the hips, where the white fringes of her drawers were like feathering of soft white down. Her slate-blue skirts were kilted boldly about her waist and dovetailed behind her. Her bosom was as a bird's, soft and slight, slight and soft as the breast of some dark-plumaged dove. But her long fair hair was girlish: and girlish, and touched with the wonder of mortal beauty, her face.

She was alone and still, gazing out to sea; and when she felt his presence and the worship of his eyes her eyes turned to him in quiet sufferance of his gaze, without shame or wantonness. Long, long she suffered his gaze and then quietly withdrew her eyes from his and bent them towards the stream, gently stirring the water with her foot hither and thither. The first faint noise of gently moving water broke the silence, low and faint and whispering, faint as the bells of sleep; hither and thither, hither and thither; and a faint flame trembled on her cheek.

-- Heavenly God! cried Stephen's soul, in an outburst of profane joy.

He turned away from her suddenly and set off across the strand. His cheeks were aflame; his body was aglow; his limbs were trembling. On and on and on and on he strode, far out over the sands, singing wildly to the sea, crying to greet the advent of the life that had cried to him.

~ james joyce