maya rudolph on fresh air

With John Krasinski in "Away We Go"

Not only did she star in one of the loveliest, sweetest movies of the last few years, but Maya Rudolph gives great interview. I've come to love Terry Gross's interviews on her NPR show, Fresh Air. Yes, Gross can fawn a little bit, especially with, say, handsome actors. But she does her homework, she genuinely likes her subjects (and chooses them well), and she's got a wry, un-show-offy sense of humor herself. And with Maya Rudolph, Gross gets some charming stories about acting with other funny women, taking care of a new baby while working a crazy schedule on "Saturday Night Live," and what she would sound like if sang as herself (as opposed to a spoof of Beyonce or Gwen Stefani). She's humble, thoughtful, a little wistful (talking about her mother, who died when she was young)—and of course extremely funny and entertaining. Also, if you're not watching her on "Up All Night," you should be. The interview aired a few days ago but is online and available as a podcast—which is how I like to get my Fresh Air.

splendid shoes

Morocco flat sandal

I'm not sure about that toe ring. And I don't usually go for red. But I like these new sandals from Splendid. The new shoe line fits right in with Splendid's clean, stripey, sporty aesthetic:

Wishful wedge

Clever wedge

Lustful wedge

casa ninamu

The staircase! The surf poster!

Designtripper just featured this amazing house near Sayulita, on the Pacific coast of Mexico. It's gorgeous, peaceful, minimalist but warm—and filled with shades of blue. The owners, who used to live in Ninamu, built another place a few steps away but rent this out or lend it to friends. Lucky friends.

One of the bedrooms: neutral, bare floors, with a bit of blue.
And that turquoise rocking chair.

Yeah, that looks like my deck here in Bethesda.

Clean, simple row of pots outside

That blue again

The exterior

mooza designs

House numbers

Mooza's acrylic numbers come in a nice clean modern shape and a choice of flowery, stripy patterns. The company—run by two women in Australia—also offers letters, pre-sorted words, and this fun restroom sign–style couple: 

I usually stay away from overly cutesy, overly monogrammed kids' design, but this is a great example of personalization that works:

Names

tammy d getting biz on the crop

I admit that until I looked it up just now, I thought the line (from this song) was "Tammy D getting biz on the clock." Either way, Tamra Davis is most definitely biz: film and TV director (!), mother of two boys, host of an online cooking series, and wife of the mildest Beastie Boy. She hasn't posted much lately, but her site is still worth a look, if only for a glimpse into her fantastic Tribeca apartment; for her simple, appealing recipes; for cameos by the likes of Adam Yauch and Ed Burns—and for her own amazing...normalness. This cute-looking blond woman in yoga pants and a lank ponytail hardly looks like the person who directed this. Or, because you know the girl's got range, this. And yet here she is, sauteing seitan for a vegetarian shepherd's pie.

patkas bow clutch

Oversized clutch

I've had Patkas's etsy page bookmarked for a while now. The clutches and totes and leather cuffs all looked good, but nothing really, really jumped out at me until this little number here. I don't need a new bag—and I need a new suede strap-free clutch even less. But that giant bow sure is pretty.

stella mccartney kids again

Ama dress

I've been a fan of her kids' line for a while. (Too bad it's not still produced by Gap—or priced according to Gap.) And the new collection is just as good as the last one. Check out the recent profile in the Times magazine, too.

Lydia dress

Tazzy top

Pandora top