{hazy summer days & giveaway winner}

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gabrielle kai fan

On these hazy summer days, we take pleasure in the little things. Is there anything better than sipping ice cold water with a slice of lemon when you’ve just been out in the feverish heat? Summer seems the perfect time to steal a quiet afternoon soaking in a tub until the water cools with a good book and then settling into a plush white towel or into crisp cool sheets.

It’s all about little {and sometimes, big} escapes, isn’t it?

{p.s.} Also, would like to take a quick moment to announce the winner of the Perricone Summer Survival Kit. Congratulations to my dear Linda of Simply Seductive!

images 1 & 3 by gabrielle kai, 2 {via} dress design decor

Posted in art

{honeysuckle sorbet}

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Found this gorgeous recipe and had to share it!

Bill Smith’s Honeysuckle Sorbet

Makes about 2 quarts

4 cups (tightly packed but not smashed) honeysuckle flowers, leaves and stems discarded
5 1/3 cups cool water
1 1/3 cups water
2 cups sugar
Few drops of freshly squeezed lemon juice
Speck of cinnamon

Place the flowers in a nonreactive container (glass or stainless steel) and cover with the cool water. Weight down with a plate. Let stand on the counter overnight.

In a small saucepan, make a syrup out of the sugar and the water by boiling it until all the sugar is dissolved and it begins to look lustrous and slightly thick, 3-5 minutes. Add a few drops of lemon juice to prevent the sugar from recrystallizing. Cool the syrup completely. Strain the honeysuckle infusion, gently pressing the blossoms so as not to waste any of your previous efforts. Combine the two liquids and add the merest dusting of cinnamon. You don’t want to taste it, but you can tell if it’s not there. I use the tip of a sharp boning knife to measure it. Churn in an ice-cream maker. This does not keep for more than a week or two.

Enjoy!

{an exotic escape}

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There is something so right about shelters that act as soothing sanctuaries. Couldn’t you imagine relaxing in this perfect plein air escape? I could spend hours reading and writing here, afraid to disturb the sacred peace with any noise beyond the rustling of paper and scratching of my pen. I’ve taken a liking to decor mimicking or blending with nature, using stone and wood, to create a simple space that makes you want to breathe deeply.

{photo} Resort Spa Treehouse, Bali. Panchoran Retreat.


{giveaway: summer survival kit}

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There’s a wicked heat wave sweeping through the Northeast and crazy humidity here in the South. It is not skin friendly weather. {Seriously, I’m breaking out right now.}

Lucky for you, the folks at Dr Perricone skin care like to give goodies away. One lucky reader will win the Summer Survival Kit, which includes the Citrus Facial Wash, High Potency Amine Complex Face Lift and No Foundation Foundation. {Value of approximately $125!}

Now, I’ve told you before how my sister and I were on the Perricone Promise Diet, which really isn’t a diet at all. It’s just a very healthy {and tasty} way of eating. Our skin never looked so good. {I need to stick to that healthy eating, but that’s a whole other post. Damn cookie habit…} So, I can vouch that his skin care solutions are great.

So, back to the part about you winning stuff. Here’s what you gotta do:

To enter just leave a comment telling me why you want or need the Summer Survival Kit.

This contest is open to anyone in the US or Canada. Contest ends on Thursday July 22nd at midnight EST. Winner will be announced on July 23rd.

Good luck!

{miraculous body}

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There are over 600 muscles in the human body.
A microliter of blood contains over 5 million red blood cells.
There is an average of 100,000 hairs on your head, which actually may vary depending on your hair color.

You are miraculous. You are intricate down to the drop of blood from a finger prick. You are delicate and still resilient. All those flaws you think you have aren’t flaws; they are the equivalent to the variations that emerge with every brush stroke of a masterpiece. Which is what you are: a masterpiece.

photography by christian weber

Posted in art