2006 - Page 4 of 25 - mirror mirror

Sunset

November 20, 2006 By Paola 4 Comments

Oh I know this is getting ridiculous, and I probably won’t have any readers left soon, but this evening we were treated to the most awesome sunset (after a day of torrential rain) so I had to climb out onto the roof and take a couple of shots.

This is turning into a real dilemma. One of the reasons for moving out here was so that the Minx could live in a proper house with a garden and neighbours, instead of a central London flat.

But I love this view out over the Sound so much that it’s really tempting to stay here in a high-rise downtown apartment instead. Where else am I going to be able to work with a view like this?

A couple of things

November 19, 2006 By Paola Leave a Comment

We’ve just launched two more new products on the site, both of which will cheer up your kitchen.

First up some gorgeous new heavy cotton teatowels from Atelier LZC . It looks like they’re trying to reinvent the simple naturalistic aesthetic for which they’re famous

Famous Atelier LZC teatowels

into something more ornate and stylised.

New teatowels from Atelier LZC

I love the new look but it will be interesting to see how they sell in comparison with the other designs (which we’re still carrying) which have always done very well for us.

Of course, you could always treat yourselves to all four designs.

We’ve also got some new fridge magnets which are decorated with old vintage scarves and have a great early-70s retro vibe about them.

They’re only £6 for two, but you will of course need to buy yourself an orange Smeg fridge to hang them on.

I know you’re all bored with the view

November 19, 2006 By Paola 5 Comments

But yesterday evening I decided to experiment with some long exposure night time shots from our balcony, using a tripod and everything.

I’ve never tried my hand at nighttime photography before, so I’m quite pleased with how they turned out.

Christmas gets Closer

November 18, 2006 By Paola Leave a Comment

More good coverage in Closer magazine this week and all hell is breaking loose (comparatively speaking) in mirrormirror–land.

Lots of yummy orders and Helen is doing a fabulous job in the dispatch department but the problem is that we’re already running out of stuff and it’s only the middle of November.

All the shenanigans with my appendix and moving to Seattle has meant that I’ve been rather behind in my ordering, so new stock is still coming in and we just haven’t been able to launch as many new products as I would have liked.

What with one thing and the other I’ve never felt able to focus properly on the company in the two years since mirrormirror has been up-and-running, mostly because I’ve pretty much been a fulltime mum to a baby over that period. In some ways it amazes me that it’s done as well as it has with so little attention, which has been frustrating as well, as I’m sure it could be really fab if I wasn’t always firefighting and could actually execute some of my big ideas.

But now I’m so looking forward to next year. I’ve finally got a GREAT team in place which should free me up to be a bit more strategic in my thinking over the next few months. Funnily enough I’m finding the time difference is working to my advantage. I can answer urgent emails and make phone calls first thing in the morning when the UK is awake and then do more thoughtful work in the evenings when the UK is asleep and I know I won’t get interrupted every five minutes.

In the meantime though I just hope we can get through Christmas without someone having a nervous breakdown.

It’s official

November 17, 2006 By Paola 3 Comments

Well I hate to bang on about it – but the weather here has been dreadful.

As of November 15th it is officially the wettest Seattle November since records began and we’re only half way through the month!

Today, though, we had a brief respite and for the first time I could see the point of living here. The sun glistened on the sea, the air was crisp, one could see mountains in every direction and the autumn leaves and berries were spectacular.

Unaccustomed as I am to such splendour, I had of course left my camera at home and so was unable to record all the loveliness.

Which is a pity, as another ferocious storm is forecast for the weekend.

Dancing with the Stars

November 16, 2006 By Paola Leave a Comment

So we settled down tonight to watch the Dancing with the Stars results show (so weird to have the results show on a different day, instead of a couple of hours after the main event).

There were only two celebs in the final – Emmitt Smith, apparently an ‘NFL legend’ of whom I have never heard, and Mario Lopez, a freshfaced and very pretty latino actor of whom I have also never heard.

It warmed the cockles of my heart to see both Len Goodman and Bruno Tonioli on the judging panel, though I really missed the cynical objectivity (except when it comes to Emma Bunton) of Craig Revel Horwood, as both Len and Bruno seemed to have gone native in their over-the-top exuberance and uncritical praise.

Anyway, Emmitt (clearly the American Darren Gough – built like a brick outhouse and oozing cheek, charm and charisma) beat Mario (the American Colin Jackson -the better dancer with a sweet nature).

Here’s Emmitt’s cha cha cha from the semi-final which I enjoyed more than his dances in the final. Note that the camerawork is ten times better than Auntie Beeb’s awful swirly efforts and that the band is simply superb.

I also offer, by way of comparison, Mark Ramprakash’s hot salsa from last week in Strictly Come Dancing, just because I can really.

It is quite ridiculous and rather sad how in love I am with this programme. The Husband has rigged up a weird and wonderful system whereby UK programmes are recorded onto a computer back home and then downloaded to us over the Internet, so I’m still able to watch all the Saturday night shows, plus a lot of the week night ‘It Takes Two’ shows.

And when we’ve worked out where we’re going to live permanently here in Seattle, I’m going to sign up for ballroom dancing lessons.

Notting Hill

November 15, 2006 By Paola 3 Comments

One of the reasons I’m feeling so homesick is that our last week in Notting Hill was such as lovely one.

The weather was spectacularly good – amazingly warm for the beginning of November, with cloudless crisp blue skies. It seemed impossible that it could ever rain in London.

After we moved out of our flat, we stayed at Guesthouse West on Westbourne Grove, the hotel where we’d held our leaving party a couple of weeks previously (which I just didn’t have time to blog about).

It’s a lovely little hotel, though it must be admitted that our room was rather cramped, what with a baby and a cot and the fact that we were maxing out our inflight baggage allowance and had a ludicrous number of suitcases.

But the staff were friendliness personified – as they had been at our party – the public rooms inordinately comfortable, and the location to die for.

So I spent the last few days lunching at 202, lounging with friends in the hotel bar, popping out to Tavola and playing with the make-up in Space NK.

Some girlfriends and I dined in the labyrinthine gothic cosiness of Julie’s – a Notting Hill institution if ever there was one – renowned for its incredibly sexy ambience (it’s the nooks and crannies that do it) and dreadful food, though even that rose to the occasion by being really quite edible.

I also finally found the time to use the gift voucher for the uber-hip Cowshed in Clarendon Cross which I’d been given for Mother’s Day and treated myself to a ‘Cowgroom’ – two therapists working together to give a facial and a manicure, with all sorts of extra head, shoulder and feet massages thrown in. I think it was utterly blissful, but can’t be quite sure as I fell asleep half way through. My skin and nails sure looked fabulous afterwards though.

All in all, and for a brief few days, I got to experience what Notting Hill must be like if you’ve got unlimited money and unlimited free time, or indeed if you’re the woman in the therapy cubicle next to mine, who could be heard declaiming loudly, ‘yes, darling, I’ve got a premiere tonight and I can’t possibly go with hairy armpits’.

Yes, I was DYING to see who it was, but at the time was half-naked and pinned down by two beauticians, so couldn’t go and peek through the curtains.

Fashion update

November 14, 2006 By Paola 4 Comments

Fresh from her triumph on the cover of French Vogue, Paris Hilton (accompanied by my Canadian friend) is seen here modelling her new wellies with cherries, an essential look for Fall in Seattle.

She is carrying the latest It bag, (which contains stylish pink plastic accessories, such as mobile, carkeys and makeup, as well as a small finger puppet of Tinky Winky), which can be found at your nearest branch of Toys ‘R’ Us.

Can someone please explain why my daughter, who refused point blank to wear sunglasses throughout the summer, now spends most of the day in gloomy Seattle sporting shades? I am also amused to note that when she is not wearing them they are to be found balanced on the top of her head. Can’t think who she has seen doing that.

And look what we saw today!

November 11, 2006 By Paola 3 Comments

Yes, the mountains do exist. The thick layer of cloud is of course lying over Seattle, but at least it’s not raining.

If you’re not utterly bored with the view from my balcony, then the Space Needle has a rather fab webcam. Our apartment is at about -90 degrees west of the Space Needle.

Very excited today as my very good Canadian friend is coming to stay for a couple of days. We met while we were both working as investment bankers in London but had been finding it increasingly difficult to stay in touch after she moved back to Vancouver about 10 years ago. After years spent exchanging sporadic emails and Christmas cards, we met up again in February when we all came to Seattle for the Husband’s interview. And now, since she now lives in Victoria on Vancouver Island, we are only separated by a two-hour ferry ride or 10 minutes in the seaplane. Isn’t it funny how things work out?