Bed & Breakfast

Posted on 01/23/2011 by Slim Paley

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I found this vintage toaster at an antique show and I thought it was so pretty that I decided to collect them.

That was about 10 years ago. So far, this is the extent of my collection, but I’m working on it.

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A very inviting “Come back to bed” in the English country side

Are you a morning person? Pas moi. Do you love breakfast? Not me. I find breakfast to be the most boriiinng meal of the day; so few choices and usually accompanied by bad hair & make-up. That being said, one of my semi-resolutions for the New Year (and I say “semi” very loosely, as I just made this resolution last week, is that I’m going to try and eat healthier breakfasts and drink freshly squeezed fruit & vegetable juices.

Don’t get me wrong…I love a good fry-up just as much as the next guy, but some effort will be made to Go Greener this ~~month~~ year.

Behold The Old Me;

Slim Paley Photo of an old Simpson’s menu

Be still my cholesterol challenged heart (well, truth be told, I could have lived without the lamb bits) Simpson’s In-The-Strand on Piccadilly St. in London used to be my favourite place to go for a good old fashioned English Fry-up, with lashings of good strong tea on the side. Sadly, this breakfast is no longer with us (I’m probably the last remaining survivor)

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This morning’s breakfast included bacon and eggs with white truffle salt, fried toast and fresh squeezed apple & carrot juice

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Technically, this should have been garnished with a slice of green apple but I thought if I used cucumber I could recycle the photo as a Bloody Mary, so if you see it tagged as such in a later post, just play along

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Gorgeous mushrooms

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Tomatoes roasting over my kitchen fire in Sun Valley.

My iron monger made the iron ‘roaster’ for me. It swings in and out on a hinged arm.

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My small & cozy Sun Valley bedroom

After a Sunday breakfast like the one above, climbing back into bed is pretty much mandatory.

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A well rounded breakfast is always served at our friend’s glorious home in Greece

Via Flickr

Do you prefer a healthy herbal tea in the morning?

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Chamomile and stone bench in my Santa Barbara garden

A regular cuppa tea?

(PG Tips or Marks & Spencers are my personal favourites, as are these Tea Cup pigs, as long time readers know. Check out her little pinky held up!!)

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A big fat capp?

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A delicious fresh berry smoothie?

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Or something a wee bit naughtier?!

And Now, Behold; The New Me;

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The breakfast table will always be set like this

Photo via Simply Breakfast

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Have you tried the “Granola Snack” mix from Costco? It’s delicious!! Although it says snack on the box, I pour milk over it and eat as cereal. It has tons of nuts and dried fruit.

This photo is also via Simply Breakfast

Another very inviting bedroom (credit unknown)

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Yum- that Greek yoghurt is soooo delicious with fresh honey, berries & figs picked off the trees

Morten Holtum

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Breakfast in Bangkok

Bring on the Mangosteens!

I love these little egg shapers from Williams & Sonoma

via Food & Wine

Sure, once and a while there will be the occasional slip up, when the boys all want to go to IHOP and I can’t resist the cheese blintzes smothered in sour cream and strawberry jam. I’m no angel.

Speaking of jams…

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This is only a partial selection of the jams available at Fortnum & Mason in London

Vons- Hang your head in shame

This will be the next toaster I buy - For the Collection!

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Now Don’t Forget; Breakfast is the Most Important Meal of the Day!

And…

photo J. Schlabotnik

If I make it into the Final 6 in “The Homie” awards…

Tangerine Mimosas For Everybody!!

Lastly,

It would really make my day if you would listen to this. I just hate to cry alone.

“Atticus”

Click here

How can anything this short, and without any visuals have so much of an emotional impact? I’m a complete puddle on the floor now.

Hope you are too – In the best possible way, of course

Rich Rusts

Posted on 01/09/2011 by Slim Paley

My front entry hall

I don’t know…something about this weather…it’s just not enticing me to come out and play. It’s not so much cold, as just pale, insipid, uninspired. I’d much rather sit by the fire reading “An Object of Beauty”, Steve Martin’s latest book, the not so distant din of football on in ~~the background~~ every room. Oh…my…Gawd. Is there a gas station between me and the rest of this football season??! I have a sneaking suspicion that Hockey Season is just around the corner too. I’m hearing “Syd The Kid” being bantered about waaay too much for comfort. Were you aware there is a God amongst us named Syd (or is it Sid??)

Achh- sometimes it’s kinda tough being the only girl

I started off my day beautifully with some lovely, stretchy yoga followed by a big English fry-up complete with white bread fried in bacon fat and lashings of white truffle salt on my eggs. Courtesy of football watching husband.

Then, for some inexplicable reason, I felt the need to go back to bed.

Now, I’m back up, and guess what? Football is still on. I know. It’s shocking.

So. I said to myself; Slim, it’s the perfect day to post your “Cayenne/Rusty/Rich” theme.

I’ll let you figure that math out

I grow these ‘Hot Cocoa’ roses in my garden.

Bob Art

Zac Posen

Asprey

Etro

Jeeves… Please pass me my robe

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Parrot tulips through a shop window

Mark Jacobs suit, Tom Ford silk top, Prada platforms

Michael Smith

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Christmas wrapping with vintage silk velvet trim

Paul Smith Spring 11

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One of my favourite Hermes scarves. Note the garden shears in the bottom right hand corner

. via A Gift Wrapped Life

A hotel

Dior

Piaget

Diana Vreeland’s pad

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While not technically “Rust”, somehow this snuck in

Then this. OK, I know I’m veering off track …

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Couldn’t resist this last one.

Back to rustiness now.

Louis Vuitton

via A gift wrapped life

Patricia Van der Viliet

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Sun Valley

Wishing you a wonderful week!

Footnote

I inspired myself to go buy some deep rust coloured nail polish today;

Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in “Haute Chocolate”

Fire & Ice On New Year’s Eve

Posted on 12/31/2010 by Slim Paley

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Nature hangs in the balance outside a bedroom window, Sun Valley .

Alert the press- I finally saw Black Swan yesterday. I’m still thinking. The juxtaposition of beautiful and shocking images had such a strong visceral effect that this disturbing film stayed with me long after I’d left the theatre…and much later, when I walked past the bathtub… and the mirror (well, it wasn’t that long til I looked in a mirror) In the end, if you’re anything like me, you’ll still be wondering the next day what was real and what wasn’t? Or if that even matters. Maybe it’s just as well I never got around to seeing “Inception”

Towards the latter part of the movie, we started to smell something burning in the theatre. It appeared the small audience was too engaged in what was happening on the big screen to notice but not so my husband, who alerted the management. The fire trucks were just arriving as we exited into the fuhreeeezing night. Driving home along the snow banked highway, a massive elk or moose (not sure which- huge, brown, real antlers) darted out of the darkness and sprang in front of our car; a jarring reminder of just how quickly a single moment can change your life. Later in the evening, the temperature dropped to -9 in our neck of the woods and it’s predicted to go below -20 tonight. Having to go outside, even for a few minutes, feels almost absurd. Perhaps it was the combination of the unsettling film, the smoke in the theatre and the surreal moment in which the massive wild animal had crossed our path so silently and powerfully in the night, but the crazy cold made me feel slightly giddy. Once again I confirmed to myself that, without any doubt, the answer to the age old question; “If you had to choose, too hot or too cold?” NO contest. Bring that deserted tropical island on! How about you?!

The Ice Palace in Dr. Zhivago

Julie Christie and Omar Shariff in Dr. Zhivago

Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet in Titanic

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Our home in Sun Valley

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The sun breaking over the mountains this morning…brrrrrr

Creed’s Silver Mountain Water

A nice clean winter scent for men or women

Helena Normark

Sweden- So beautiful!

…and for when you get home from your New Year’s Day Walk….

Martha Stewart’s Original Eggnog recipe

(serves 26- Hello- it is Martha’s recipe)

12 eggs separated

1 1/2 cups superfine sugar

1 quart whole milk

1 1/2 quarts heavy cream (you heard me)

3 cups bourbon (ya)

1/2 cup dark rum (that’s it??)

2 cups cognac (God, this is sounding good)

Freshly grated nutmeg (grate nutmeg before sampling too much eggnog)

In a very large bowl, beat egg yolks until thick and pale yellow. Gradually add sugar to yolks. With a wire whisk, beat in milk and 1 quart cream. Add bourbon, rum and cognac, stirring constantly. Just before serving, beat egg whites until stiff. Fold into mixture. Whip remaining heavy cream until stiff, and fold in. Sprinkle with nutmeg.

Fat Bottoms Up!

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You know what? I can’t go into the New Year with such a cold last photo- just can’t do it

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What to do when you accidentally leave your ipod in your ski pants and it goes through the washing machine? Submerge completely in a jar of dry rice and place it in a warm place overnight. WHO’S your Martha?! (Really, a genius tip from Son of Slim )

HAVE FUN TONIGHT!

AND WISHING EVERYBODY SUCH A HAPPY 2011!!!!

Baby It’s Cold Outside

Posted on 12/29/2010 by Slim Paley

Stills from ”True Grit”

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I’m back in Sun Valley! Yay! This means, amongst other activities (well, to be honest, not a lot of other activities ) we’ll be catching up on all the new movies. I still haven’t seen Black Swan yet. It opened here today, but at the moment it’s 4 males and me in the house, so there’s a lotta football, ESPN and colourful swearing roaring up from the ping pong room. First on our film agenda today was “True Grit”. I’m not familiar with the original, starring John Wayne, but my husband says the new one has to be one of the most inventive remakes he’s ever seen. Of course all my men love the Coen Brother’s films and the little girl, 13 year old Hallee Steinfield, is really quite astounding. Jeff Bridges chews up the role of Rooster Cogburn in such a way that makes you wonder how in the hell it took so long for him to win that Oscar. Never would I have predicted that a film full of foul, cranky, stinky, amber-toothed drunken cowboys could have held my attention that long.

*and on a fashion note; I wore long johns to the movie and Rooster Cogburn was wearing long johns too.

Jeff Bridges as Rooster Cogburn

I just lerv when my clothes coordinate with my movies

On my way to True Grit

But you know what the movie really put me in the mood for? (besides whiskey, a shave and a long hot bubble bath?!)

Shearling.

What do I just happen to have in my closet here in S.V.? Shearling. Shearling boots, shearling hats…why, I even have a hooded, shearling poncho. Don’t worry- I won’t be wearing them all at the same time.

Nor will I wear a tutu to Black Swan. Though I can’t promise I won’t leave the theatre with an exaggerated outward turn to my step

but I digress.

Let’s bundle up…

Burberry

Photo Marie Claire

Burberry Prorsum Shearling jacket, Just Cavalli bag, Hermes cuffs, styling; fahbulous

Alexander McQueen

Shearling Birkin

Shearling & Stilettos

Marni clogs

Burberry

Burberry Prosurm

Marni bag

Vivienne Westwood

Martin Margiela coat, Marni gauntlets

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Our porch in Sun Valley today

Baby It’s Cold Out There!!!

Coen Brother’s True Grit Trailer (Click here)

TREE HOUSE BEAUTIFUL

Posted on 09/19/2010 by Slim Paley

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Hawaii

“…Then, for the first time, we stood all together in our treehouse. I drew up the ladder and, with a greater sense of security than I enjoyed since we landed on the island, offered up evening prayer and retired for the night…” (Swiss Family Robinson)

Patrick Dougherty

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The most amazing thing happened when we were in Sun Valley a couple of months ago…I didn’t post about it then as I wanted to compile an entire post about houses made of trees, and trees made into houses, and houses housed in trees… did I cover every permutation?! But the point is; there we were nonchalantly driving along, when off to my right…I couldn’t believe my eyes…A Patrick Dougherty twig house – in Downtown Ketchum! I’ve been a fan of Patrick’s for a long time- I’ve had the photo below (from Santa Barbara Magazine) on my cork board for eons and been eagerly anticipating his new book. Needless to say, we stopped and went into the house. I felt a bit like Goldilocks- we had the place all to ourselves. I’m sorry I didn’t get more photos I could use on Slim and oh! it smelled so wonderful…I lament once again that I’m not able to deliver the sense of scent through my blog- Geeees. Whadup with that WordPress? What’s taking so long? Let’s pick up the pace. They can fit 10 billlion songs onto a teensy weensy iPod Shuffle, you’d think you could get my WordPress to deliver up some olfactory magic.

The Stick Man

Patrick Dougherty’s new book available at Amazon

Those of you blessed to be in New York the next couple of months- and I do mean blessed because Autumn is one great time to visit NY, will have the opportunity to see the

Patrick Dougherty installation at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden Click Here

Patrick Dougherty

What I thought of…

Edvard Munch’s The Scream

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Through the ceiling of Patrick’s stick house in Sun Valley

Which made me think of this…

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I see You!

A Birch tree on my property in Sun Valley- isn’t it wild?!

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Mother Nature’s attention to detail never ceases to amaze and entertain me!

But I digress ( for a change)…

Back to the Tree Houses;

and a little music while you stroll; Silent House by Crowded House

Hemp canvas tree house from 02 Sustainability

The UFO Suite at The Tree Hotel

The Mirrorcube suite at

THE TREE HOTEL (Click here for more info)

Check out this hotel in Sweden designed by architects Tham & Videgard.

Located 40 miles south of the Artic Circle the Mirrorcube comes complete with radiant floor heating, an eco-friendly incinerating toilet, and last but not least, a film visible only to birds applied to the mirrored walls.

Wow. I can’t believe they stole all of my ideas