Amy Allsopp

Abandoned beauty

Amy — Sat, 30 Mar 2013 23:46:16 +0000

I just saw this post about beautiful abandoned sites around the world. It shows a variety of structures in varying states of ruin, and there is indeed a spooky beauty about them.

I held my breath while looking at the underwater images:

Yacht in Antarctica

Christ of the Abyss, San Fruttuoso, Italy

They reminded me of being at the USS Arizona memorial at Pearl Harbor:

via History.com

Chill inducing.

Bright copper kettles

Amy — Wed, 09 Jan 2013 03:38:06 +0000

And warm woolen mittens… brown paper packages tied up with strings… These are a few of my favorite *winter* things. And right now I am especially liking all the shiny copper I keep seeing.

Top design ~ Void light and Hex champagne bucket by Tom Dixon

Classic ~ Copper cookware via Apartment Therapy

DIY ~ Copper leaf gourds via Martha Stewart /// pendant light via woon blog

Awesome ~ Copper bath hardware by Bisazza via Remodelista

Animal collage

Amy — Sat, 29 Dec 2012 04:58:54 +0000

Here’s some collage work that I’ve been admiring.

John Murphy

Ma + Chr

Scott Parry

Those Peter Pan collars

Amy — Sun, 07 Oct 2012 02:32:31 +0000

via Bangstyle

The Peter Pan collar reappeared in fashion a couple of years ago – and now it’s all over the place.

The origin of what we call the Peter Pan collar was the costume of actress Maude Adams, who played Peter on Broadway in 1905. A similar collar appeared on the character of Claudine in Claudine a l’Ecole – a novel by Collette published in France in 1900. (It’s possible Claudine’s look influenced Adams’ costume designers, but no one seems to be sure.)

Maude Adams’ Peter Pan costume popularized the style in the fashion of the day, and it has reappeared over the decades. The past year has seen a lot of accessory versions of the shape, which can be worn with multiple looks.

via Pinterest

To me they conjure up schoolgirl images and feel a bit twee. As Julia Felsenthal suggests in this Slate article, young women who wear them are likely fans of Zooey Deschanel and adorable kittens.

Recently though, I’ve seen a different take on the shape – dresses with a sort of reverse Peter Pan look, via cutouts at the top of their bodices. This is a bit more edgy and I’m kind of digging it.

Heidi Klum in reverse Peter Pan neckline via tomandlorenzo

Dress from Honor Spring 2012 collection

Meanwhile, Francophiles continue calling it the ‘col claudine’ (Claudine collar) - here’s a site which features multiple accessory options.

Perhaps one in leather, to counter the demure associations.

Naturalistic gardens | Dan Pearson

Amy — Thu, 26 Jul 2012 00:51:16 +0000

May I suggest sitting still for a few minutes and perusing the wonderful photos at Dan Pearson Studios garden designs.

I love the naturalistic plantings of perennials and grasses, creating the most lovely English gardens. These properties are more grand than what most of us have to work with, but there is inspiration to be drawn from Dan Pearson’s designs. Or at least you can daydream about taking tea or gin & tonics with loved ones in a beautiful garden.

All photos via Dan Pearson Studios