bindings, baubles & confection fixations

The holiday season is well underway, and I must confess an air of excitement & exultation. I feel sense of accomplishment in being married, unlike anything I've hoped to know. My days are spent working and dreaming; my evenings lazed and content. My husband is driven and tender; overflowing with aspirations and vision which is at once inspirational and a bit daunting. I'm so looking forward to see what this upcoming year brings! - hopefully some great travel & possibly a move, I'm overflowing with spatial conceptions...and of course, a bit of that newlywed nesting bug seems to have afflicted me.

Kurban Bayram, or "Festival of Sacrifice", as I've come to know it, is one my husband's most revered. He's painted it a colorful festival, filled with music, dancing, some of the most incredible foods (yum!!), friends and family all steeped in rich religious history...his eyes lost, blank with quiet longing; excited with the telling...it's overwhelming. His inherent lust for his home the way he solemnly honors his traditions is admirable and so very endearing. It can be infectious and leave you perplexed with envious wonder...it can break your heart. I've so embraced the prospect of conjoining our ideals and visions - the many paths laid before us as a partnership...the many projects and hardships to undertake and rise above; the melding of our histories and twining of our future fused like static in folded hands...


speaking of hands...

I'm exhaustively enamored with these Mosaic Carved Rings by sevan.

"Born and raised in Turkey, one of a kind jewelry designer Sevan has been a bench jeweler for the last twenty years—and at the age of 36, Sevan’s creations are profound and unique. Each one is handcrafted from 24K, 18K yellow and rose gold, sterling silver with uniquely cut gemstones and antique cut diamonds that are inspired by the Blue Mosque from 17th century, the 6th century Hagia Sophia Church, the Topkapi Palace from 15th century and many childhood memories."

Bicakci says his work is a reflection of the enigma that is Turkey today. Each ring takes up to one year to produce and all jewelry is handcrafted with only the finest found materials. His modern mosaic works called to mind the exquisitely formed mosaics of the Byzantine era, which ironically, were originally created as simple, inexpensive decoration and powerful ways to spread religious symbolism on a very large scale. Modern hand-crafted pieces like Bicakci's retail from around $25,000, whereas an original panel fragment from the 5th century can auction out at anywhere from $5000 to just under $30,000. These domed jewels house intricately carved and sculpted people, palaces, birds, animals, flowers, mosques & even cities...


but not Paris, Zurich, Monaco, Dublin or Tokyo...where there's

I've been mildly obsessed with Ladurée’s macarons for quite awhile...well, enough to comment on them. Chocolate - Bitter Chocolate - Vanilla - Coffee - Rose - Pistachio - Raspberry - Blackcurrant Violet - Caramel with salted butter - Red Fruits - Orange Blossom - Liquorice - Lemon...I don't care. Just gimme (the packaging is too dreamy). They singularly supplied all the magnificent confections featured in Sofia Coppola's phantasmagorical 'Marie Antoinette', which coupled with mother of pearl gambling chips & pink champagne have served as both pure iconic moments in my mind...and bitter-sweet teases when I'm craving something spectacular...and to top it all off - they've opened a bar at their Champs-Elysee locale, which is stiff aesthetic competition to their existing spaces.

How I would love to recreate moments stilled with lavishly decadent pastries coalesced with my favored coffee, served in cups bearing frozen gold fortunes....


alma fortune cups by toby wong

It doesn't take too too much.