Winter Is Coming

Well, if you live in the southern hemisphere it is, anyway. I like so many others have been watching Game of Thrones despite the fact that I don't need to see naked breasts every thirty seconds to get wrapped up in a series. I have to say that while the King's Landing outfits are too gauzy and gaudily ornate for my tastes, I really love the utilitarian yet exceptionally detailed vibe the costuming department has developed for the Northerners' outfits and decor. The quilted leathers, the pelts of fur lining coat lapels, the patchwork of skins that make up little crippled Bran's duvet. Now I'm not one who thinks killing a fox exclusively for fashion is acceptable, but I can't say I don't think like the Native Americans in terms of utilizing every part of an animal that's killed for food. Um, so why am I writing a post that may incur 'meat is murder'-like wrath? Because I discovered  Black Sheep White Light, which sells culturally significant animal pelts as a byproduct of their local food industries and can't help but be reminded that there was a period in human history where such now fashionable items were the only things keeping people from freezing to death. Anyone who's walked through a medieval building like the Edinburgh Castle or even wood-build Nijo Castle knows that they do not exactly a cozy home make.

An Icelandic sheepskin in a rare grey shade.

Gigantic winter coated buffalo hides feature a rich pattern of colors and fur patterns.

Hides taken from farms used by the Scandinavian Sami people to raise reindeer meat have some of the most haunting patterns and shapes.

Geometric Dreams

Glass pyramid display I picked up from Uncovet by The Foreign Archives.

White wooden gem necklace from Karolinfelixdream.

Superb chevron suncatcher by Halona Glass.

Pyramid brass necklace from SilkPurseSowsEar.

Another Man's Treasure

My dad is moving down to San Diego for a while and renting out my childhood home so I went up to see him this week and help pack. One of the (only) perks about moving is the culling of crap, of which there has been much, but since he's downsizing this also meant having to part with some of his desirable stuff too. Thankfully for me, this means I was the recipient of many of these sweet items, even if my dad was quick to remind me it was only "temporarily." While I was wary of taking much, knowing how little space I have for additional "stuff" and how little desire I have to collect any more clutter, there were some things I was more than happy to find room for. The take (plus a giant jar of coins that I am happily rolling):

I've wanted a Moroccan tea table ever since I was little and grew up with this one. While this is one item dad claims I have to give back, I'm happy to have it for however long I can! I'm also holding onto this antique Moroccan tea pot and Moroccan shabbat candle holders for him. Gotta rep the old country!

Detail of the folding wooden bottom.

I found a couple boxes full of old records-including some by Rolling Stones, Simon and Garfunkel, David Bowie, and the Beatles-and I had to take some of them for nostalgic purposes, even if I don't own a record player. 

Wind chime my dad picked up in Turkey last year and I get to keep! 

One of three antique Moroccan daggers. I wouldn't be surprised if they were modern "made for tourist" versions, but I think they look cool anyway!

Some pillows that are either from Morocco or Israel, which Chloe seems to be fond of. 

Window Shopping the Reimagined

I still haven't recovered financially from the trip overseas and the holiday season, so buying much beyond my weekly groceries and gasoline is out of question for the moment, but that's no reason not to keep looking at beautiful things. At the top of my current list of fantasy items are all things that have fun with design:

This Mandy Coon bunny bag evokes the Velveteen Bunny of my girlhood memories, acts as a belt (so much smarter than an annoying, easy to lose clutch), and is basically right up my cutesy alley. I would pretend that the velvet, tweed-like fabric makes it sophisticated, but the truth is that I don't care if by carrying it I'd look like an overgrown toddler carrying her stuffed bunny. 

Rachell Sumpter is an artist I've followed for years. I love her paintings, which often feature the Pacific Northwest and its native inhabitants reinterpreted with modern day touches (think gals in knee high socks and fringed hair spear fishing and riding polar bears), and love this just released kaleidoscopic natural spiderweb. At just $25 from Tiny Showcase, it's an easy way to add color and vibrancy to an empty space.

Who says bookends have to be boring or stuffy? These Artori ones are downright hilarious and would make any bookshelf a little more dynamic. 

I'd seen this Dannijo necklace floating around the interwebs for a while and felt sort of indifferent to it, but when I recently saw a woman wearing the collar at Anthropologie, I swear, it looked a-frickin-mazing in person. She wore it with a little plain grey t-shirt and looked like a million bucks. All for the price of about $300...sigh. Oh well. 

New Stone Age

My absolute favorite store in Los Angeles is New Stone Age, on that strip of 3rd St. west of the Grove and Farmer's Market that basically is heaven for both gift shopping and grubbing. The shop has got tons of little curios, unique kitchen and desk accessories, and the most fabulous jewelry section for special everyday wear. I visited it yesterday because with the holidays coming up and a trip to the Glendale Galleria shortly after Thanksgiving confirming that I refuse to enter a mall until 2012, I had some little gifts to buy. So I ended up getting some things for myself as well. After taking a peek at what they carry, can you blame me?

Top three photos from the New Stone Age website

Decor From the Parlor Room Days

Gold tone bamboo detailed casserole dish by Hall.

Crystal table lamps by Leviton that would be perfect on matching nightstands.

Royal blue velvet bench for the end of a bed. 

This mirrored dresser is actually far prettier in person, without the antiqued mirror effect the photo suggests.

Brass pineapple figure that doubles as a bell (for back in the days when it was customary to have help?)

While I've always been a fan, I'm particularly loving the Hollywood Regency style at the moment. Lacquer, lucite, nailhead trim, tufted fabrics, bamboo detailing, brass figurines, and mirrors galore make for a glamorous (if bordering right on the edge of tacky) look that is so deliciously girly and decadent. My apartment is currently looking more like a junkyard than a sophisticated glamazon's parlor, but thanks to resale sites like 1st Dibs, Etsy, and eBay there's hope for the future.

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Toppers That Take the Cake

Since Mark's older brother has recently gotten engaged (squeeee!), I've had weddings on the mind a lot lately. Sure, two other lovely people getting hitched has nothing to do with me getting hitched, but at some point, even those like me who never grew up expecting to find someone to marry start pre-planning out the details; erm, or maybe just women do that. I suppose given my recent penchant for buying baby booties, it's not much of a surprise that my inner clock is tick-tocking mighty loud these days. My Etsy favorites and Pinterest pages are already filled with various head pieces, dresses, and DIY decor ideas that I pretend apply to any party but really only apply to the Mr. and Mrs. kind. And while I may love thinking about the details, there are some things that I will just never be willing to spend the money on, like a cake. Who even ends up eating it, anyway? But the cake topper-that is a totally different story. I ran across Jennifer Murphy's little wonders a few years ago and they immediately made me think about the bride and groom bears that my parents had when they got married. I used to sneak into the bottom drawer of my mom's dresser and peruse the little treasures she had kept; I love the idea of having things for my future munchkins to discover and which convey our personality in no uncertain terms. These toppers are totally perfect for the perma-child I am and Mark is (if he's lucky enough to share a topper with me one day, wink wink).

All images from Jennifer Murphy's website and Etsyhttp://www.etsy.com/shop/jennifermurphy page

Lightening the Mood

 Yes, they are *that* big. The people at the store seemed scared for me trying to get these home and I was actually going to get a pale pink one too until they voiced their doubts.

They seriously just barely squeezed into my back seats. Hallelujah for my surprisingly spacious Jetta (seriously, the backseats and trunk are massive-who knew?)!

The finished products a couple days later.


I turned 27 today. I am usually one of those people who loves birthdays and isn't at all concerned with getting older and what that means for my personality, life, sagging skin, etc. This year though, I kind of knew was going to end up a let down, and I was right. While everyone is a work in progress, I think most people have some aspect of their life in their back pocket, something that they feel wholly confident about; meanwhile, it feels like I'm floundering with everything-relationships, career, confidence-the whole lot. Still, despite getting into an over-emotional blow out with Mark, having all my plans for the day fall apart, and coping by eating too many sweets that I'll surely regret when my pants are like second skin tomorrow, these Geronimo inspired balloons added some much needed levity to my pity party. I bought the balloons online, had them filled at my beloved Vine American Party Store, and collected various bits of frill and frippery in the months leading up to make the monster balloons even more awesomesauce. Funnily enough I happened to win a balloon from Jihan of Geronimo via her Twitter two days ago, so just as mine will start shrinking and looking sad I'll get another dose of giant balloon madness!

And now for something completely less moody: my present from my very generous and thoughtful bf. Being Moroccan (one set of my grandparents grew up in Fez), I have for years lusted after one of the handmade Moroccan wedding blankets made by the Berbers of the Atlas Mountains for brides to wear on their big day. Randomly perusing From Morocco With Love back in April, a non-profit that sells Moroccan products and then uses the funds to donate supplies like wheelchairs and school supplies to Moroccans, I stumbled upon their stash of vintage blankets, including one with ethnic banding that struck me a lot more than most of the plain sequined varieties. Out of nowhere Mark offered to get me my dream item for my birthday. Seriously, he's always gets my bday prezzie in the bag months before the actual day! It made me happy to get an actual vintage item (rather than the reproductions so rampant now that the blankets have gained notoriety) and support an agency that used the money for a good cause. I have to keep the blanket boxed up until Chloe moves past the kitten behavior that would undoubtedly have her thinking the sequins are chew toys but here's a peek.

My Postwoman Must Hate Me

It's been a busy week for package deliveries. I got my Zara and Shu Uemura purchases (blogged about here and here), as well as a few less selfish things for the home and various edible glitters and baking supplies for birthday and Halloween baking. These gold mixing bowls were an eBay find, made (in America, back when we made things, y'all!) by the Hall company between the '40s and '70s. Unbelievably, they came in the original box, all wrapped up and in perfect condition. I originally looked at the covered casserole dish version, but those were all dinged up and frankly, I'll get way more use out of these. There is nothing like cheery metallic polka dotted prep bowls to make even the most mundane of meals happier!

I also got this Pigeon Toe Ceramics hanging planter for succulents, since I've officially given up buying flowers-Chloe tries to eat them all and virtually any attractive flower is toxic for kitties-or at least until I actually have furniture that keeps them out of the way. It won't get mounted until we're about to move, I'm sure, but I love the geometric shape and matte finish enough to expect it'll get use at some point.

I finally checked out the Rose Bowl Flea Market last Sunday, and while I didn't get anything, I must keep going to see if I can find some treasures. There was a fruit crate with a wicked image of a bear on it that I should have grabbed, and some killer furniture, but of course everything I liked had a "sold" sign taped to it. Motivation to wake up bright and early next time!

Back to School I Go

Academic agenda, ie. the only reason as an online student I know when anything is due.

Notebook for lectures and taking notes for annoying online-only readings. 

Elephant paperclips. Because they're in the shape of elephants! Duh.

 These recycled paper pencils make note-taking a green exercise on two fronts.

Paper, composition book, and pencil socks to get me in the scholastic mood.

Graphic laptop sleeve that's cheap and cute without screaming "steal me."

Today is the first day of what should be the last year I'm in school. As a nerd, I have always loved back to school supply shopping and getting in the mindset to return to a place I considered a haven, even if I hated the idea of getting up before the sun in order to get there on time. Never mind that the new White Out doodles-free backpack I was excited to get would soon be carrying 40 lbs. of books to lug home, that I never used those pearlescent pastel paint pens I just 'had' to get for anything school related, or that I had no clue just how much I cost my mom and dad every September. I was just excited to get back to my school friends, learning about things that never ceased to amaze me (until I got to calculus and chemistry, when I was just confused), field trips, and recess.

Being in grad school, things are a bit different. My backpack has been replaced with a laptop; I don't actually go to class but do work on my own time from home or a coffee shop; and for all the learning I did do back in the day, the main object now isn't to socialize or please my parents with grades but to get a J-O-B that's fulfilling and keeps me in frilly frocks. That doesn't mean I can't find back to school shopping just as fun, though, even if the supplies in question have changed.

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Trowel Applied Makeup Goes Mainstream

I can't say that MAC always makes the smartest decisions (you can read about the 'Juarez' controversy here), but there can't be too many people who won't at least chuckle at the upcoming Cindy Sherman-inspired makeup collection. It's genius-use an artist who is famous for exploring female imagery in our culture by pushing those representations to the extreme through caricatures that call into question just what we expect women to look like to sell us the makeup that perpetuates our idea of women as "perfect" painted ladies. It evokes the same sort of poking fun at one's self that Sherman is all about (especially since the characters don't look all that different from most of the makeup artists you see at MAC counters in malls across America). And it just so happens to allow them to sell us that makeup while being "in on the joke," and therefore not morally culpable for encouraging us to cover up our imperfections.

Even if I can't help feeling like the joke's really on us, I've got to say that I love my makeup and that this collaboration smartly uses the same saturated tones of Sherman's artwork. Plus, they get major points for actually putting out an ad campaign so true to Sherman's work aesthetic, knowing it's going to send so many customers who don't get it running in the opposite direction.

Best Kids Party I've Ever (Virtually) Been To

Happy Friday. I hope you all survive Carmaggedon!

Via Another Day Up