Yumi and Laurie Blog

 I’ve been a long-time fan of Melissa Morris’ blog, May December, and wanted to share it with you since I find it absolutely delightful.  From her site:  “Melissa C. Morris is a 20-something American whose blog “May December” was recently voted one of the 20 must-read blogs for girls by the UK’s Sunday Telegraph. Melissa has an upbeat, positive attitude that shines through in her blog posts highlighting her home life, her charity involvements, and her international travels.“May December” is a combination of the ordinary (what she cooked for dinner last night) and the extraordinary (what she did on her luxurious bicycle trip through coastal Spain). She asks readers in a playful way to weigh in on decisions she’s making… everything from what color she should paint her country house to which Bloody Mary mix is best for an afternoon cocktail.”I love reading about Melissa’s adventures…from her travels around the world to her everyday life in New York and Connecticut.  She seems fabulous and down-to-earth at the same.  My very favorite day of the week is “Monty Monday” when Melissa chronicles the exploits of her adorable Italian Greyhound in photos complete with charming captions.  Every few days when I need a little escape I click on May December…it’s a guilty pleasure that I thoroughly enjoy.  Now you can too!

One of the members of our team here at Yumi & Laurie finds the following video very, very funny.  I, on the other hand, was attempting to keep this blog a little bit more “high-brow,” but…hey…it’s a Friday.  She urged me to share this with you, dear readers.  

Have a watch and judge for yourself.  Funny?:   

Just stunning… 

We came across an amazingly addicting website called Yanko Design just recently, and we haven’t been able to stop browsing it since. 

From their site: “Yanko Design is a web magazine dedicated to introducing the best modern international design, covering from industrial design, concepts, technology, interior design, architecture, exhibition and fashion. It’s about the cutting edge and the classic, the new and the rediscovered. It’s all about the best.”

Here is a collection of our favorite links thus far…from the useful, to the bizarre, to the astoundingly creative.  Take a look and please let us know what you think!:

http://www.yankodesign.com/2007/08/24/eating-can-be-a-tug-of-war/

http://www.yankodesign.com/2007/04/11/fallen-angel-cocktail-glass-by-adam-pockette/

http://www.yankodesign.com/2009/06/23/lighted-artwork-on-my-walls/

http://www.yankodesign.com/2009/05/29/bluelounge-cabledrop/ 

http://www.yankodesign.com/2009/05/05/spicy-hot-book/ 

http://www.yankodesign.com/2009/04/29/virus-alert-start-the-drip/

http://www.yankodesign.com/2009/03/18/stinking-lazy-slobs-dont-sweat/

http://www.yankodesign.com/2009/03/04/take-me-with-you-this-weekend/ 

http://www.yankodesign.com/2009/02/26/bar-is-on-the-wall-dude/

http://www.yankodesign.com/2009/01/30/best-of-january-2009/ 

http://www.yankodesign.com/2009/01/27/zaha-hadid-created-this-hot-mess/

One of the more resourceful members of the Y&L team uncovered a new fashion line today that none of us had stumbled upon before called Dace.  We were a little perturbed that we didn’t find it first, but everything doesn’t have to be a competition (at least that’s what I keep trying to convince myself of).   

The line’s designer, Dace Moore was born and raised in British Columbia, Canada and operates and manufactures her line out of a showroom there today.  She is a local girl who stayed local, which is a rare, yet pleasant anecdote.  Our very favorite piece from the Spring ’09 line are the “Mendes Shorts.”  So sweet and stylish, we need to get a pair of our own.  The Olive Green are great for everyday, however, we can see the Black dressed up with a cute top or blazer for a night on the town.  Va-va-va-voom!

Look what we found courtesy of Eat Me Daily…it’s the Jell-O Mold Competition, which took place in Brooklyn this past weekend.  Who even knew there was such a thing?  Not us. 

These photos are downright fascinating.  There is everything here from Jell-O jewelry to a Carmen Miranda hat made out of the giggly food product.  The turkey is downright disturbing, as is the Jell-O breast (NOT a turkey breast). Check out the creativity here.

We want this jumper!  Featured on one of our favorite shopping sites, Rare Chic, this one-piece by Society for Rational Dress is TO.DIE.FOR.    

One of our favorite blogs, Design*Sponge, recently featured a great “before and after” from a reader who created an idyllic outdoor hideaway out of some old windows they ended up with after having new ones installed in their home.  The minute we laid eyes on this little retreat, we thought: ‘what a perfect place for a blanQuette!’  Can you imagine sitting out there, reading a book, snuggled up under your soft comfy blanQuette?  All this photo is missing is a Fuchsia Laguna draped over one of those chairs.  

The other day we stumbled upon a gorgeous line of jewelry called Daphna Simon.  Simon is an artisan who was born in Israel, raised in New Jersey and trained under one of the most respected and highly regarded goldsmiths in Israel to learn her craft.  Originally Daphna thought she’d go into fashion design, but her fascination with using precious metals and gemstones as a medium led her to create her eponymous line of jewelry.  My favorite piece is this ring pictured above, which is made out of 18 Karat gold and called the Leopard Signature Ring.  See more of Simon’s collection here. 

  Can you believe it?  It would be a shame to cut into this.  I can’t even imagine the amount of work and skill that went into creating it.  

Come to think of it, I also can’t imagine how much time the recipient of this cake spends on his or her Blackberry.  I thought I was addicted to my beloved mobile email device, but not so much that a friend would have my birthday cake made to resemble one!  This guy must be one hard-worker.  

See more examples here.