Typically I seek out a vacation that has a good mix of culture and relaxation. My husband and I differ on our favorite types of vacations - his preference is an active beach vacation, mine is a mix of big city cultural experiences and relaxing beach time. And, of course, I am always on the look out for artisans making beautiful, traditional wares. We have found destinations like Bali and Vietnam, among others, to be a good compromise because we can both find a bit of what we are looking for.
One location that is high on both our lists is the Maldives. Although it lacks the urban atmosphere that I really enjoy, the exoticism more than compensates. There is something about being out on an island in the middle of the ocean, hundreds of miles from India, that resonates with me. And, then I see images like these below, and I am ready to pack a sunhat, a few pestemals, and a new bathing suit or two and hop on a plane. Want to join?
Summer is upon us. Do you have any vacations planned? Are there any places that are beckoning you? Places you are dying to visit?
Sources: 1/Beach hut over turquoise water 2/(unknown) Hotel in Maldives 3/Swing over tropical waters 4/Soneva Gili by Six Senses Hotel 5/Beach hut
Comments will be approved before showing up.
After spending the last few days in New Orleans I came home with plenty of inspiration. Yesterday as we were walking home from brunch I realized that it would be great fun to plan future Ella Lou collections after cities I have visited and found particularly inspiring. New Orleans home are some of the most beautiful and vibrant homes I have ever come across in the United States. I'm mulling over how to translate the inspiration they provided me into an Ella Lou collection.
Bonjour! I was recently asked by a journalist to provide a few shots of my daughter and I playing with Ella Lou products for an upcoming article (more about that later) and realized I didn't have any. I have hundreds of her playing with my Wanderlust Playmats, wrapped in a pestemal, or hugging pillows. However, because I am typically behind the camera, we didn't have any of us together. We decided to make an afternoon of it and made an appointment at Blink for a quick photo shoot.
On my most recent trip to Paris, I asked my close friend Vanessa, a particularly savvy Parisian, for a list of her favorite Parisian kids stores. Having recently developed our line of Wanderlust Playmats, I am increasingly interested in well-designed children's products and spaces. The Parisian children's stores did not disappoint. Here I share a few of my favorites.
Lindsay Thomasson
Author