Secret Single Behavior

I've lived with my boyfriend for the past three years, and love spending time with him very much, but I'd be lying if I said I don't occasionally enjoy the fact that he works evenings so that I can be alone and partake in what I learned from Sex and the City is my "secret single behavior." Those things that aren't exactly embarrassingly unusual or bad, but which are for whatever reason so much more pleasurable when done alone: marathoning tv shows all night long while eating peppermint Joe Joes, putting on crazy outfits or makeup, listening to bad music, fingering through old photo albums or letters, etc. I'm even so weird as to have a large collection of movies that I only ever want to watch alone, for those cathartic crying sessions. Haha.

As an undeniable loner, it can be a challenge losing your independence at home and these moments are important for maintaining some shred of sense of self, at least for me. Doing things that make you happy purely for yourself and without having to "worry" about anyone else's wants or needs is so liberating when it's become a rarity. So break out the cans of Sofia wine, put on your largest and ugliest pjs, and OnDemand a whole two seasons of Game of Thrones in a row before you realize it's 4a.m. and you actually have shit to do tomorrow.

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. 

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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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!

Perk Up Even the Blandest of Meals

I found this awesome cutlery DIY here, but like this funkier version even better:

It's the perfect way to display some beautiful antique flatware if you no longer have a complete set or punch up that cheap IKEA stuff-I'd spray a fork and spoon in different colors that pop off each other, like aqua and mustard or turquoise and tomato red, set them in a simple white shadowbox and hang them in the kitchen. Or if you want to get all Kelly Wearstler on the project, spray different full sets different shades, glue them onto fabric, find some ornate frames that will fit them, and use them to fill a wall in the dining room. You could go crazy with all the color combos, experiment with color gradients, who knows? They'd be great for a garden party if you were willing to go to the trouble of getting food safe spray or sealer, too.

Reading Room

With Mark starting to think about buying home, it has me thinking about what it would be like to have complete control over a space-wallpapering the laundry room to make the task less nightmarishly boring,  bathing the bathroom in the candy colors of Heath Ceramics tiles, filling a little backyard garden with plants resilient enough to withstand my black thumb-things that as renters are just not going to happen. One of the dream elements I envision is a built in library, or even better, an entire nook in a house devoted to use as a reading room. Mark and I are both voracious readers and like to hold on to copies of those texts that have moved or entertained us, meaning our collection of books is extensive and well-cherished. There's something about having an entire wall carpeted in books up to the ceiling that I can't get over. Maybe it can seem sort of pretentious-'hey, look at me, I'm not simply literate, I'm positively erudite!' but I think the sheer number of books devoted to zombie apocalypses in our collection balances out the Bell Jar-serious and English Lit. tomes I've held onto since college.

Love the idea of arranging a children's library according to color. 

Sadly, I'm pretty sure this will likely be about the extent of my home library, house or not, so long as we live in the city.

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Everything In Its Right Place

The trade off for living in a great 'hood, in an apartment with a balcony, view of the Hollywood sign, pool, mini gym, and two parking spots is that our apartment is tiny. About 675 square feet for two people who like to collect things and who aren't exactly known for their orderly ways is a challenge to say the least. Actually, to be honest, it's cray-cray in here. So, while during summer I'm out of school and only working part-time, I've decided to start reorganizing and cleaning for real to get this little love den under control. As I go I've been purging goods, but the reality is that storage is forever an issue and our apartment will never appear in an issue of Town and Country, looking clutter-free, organized, and cohesively designed. Which is okay...I guess...so long as the cluttered, imperfect look has some personality as opposed to being straight up full of junk carelessly strewn about.

Mark and I got this shelving unit from West Elm to hold all my accessories. I don't think I own very much jewelry, but I guess when it's enough to necessitate its own furniture, it's not exactly very little either...This isn't the most visually appealing thing to have in the entryway when people are over but I've tried to make some of the more fun, standout pieces focal points, and added some art and my collection of Japanese kokeshi dolls to keep eyes off of my mascara, hand lotion (yeah, the bathroom is tiny too) and other less attractive items to have laying about.

The gal in the back with her giant dress is actually a butter dish I use to hold brooches, the little plates are from a shop in New York that sold Japanese housewares, the scholarly owl print is from Ryan Berkley, and in the front is my most prized bit of jewelry, an Alexander McQueen knuckleduster. 

Vivienne Westwood devil horns, my current favorite hair accessory of the very many collected since first watching Brick and becoming obsessed. Thanks, my beloved eBay!

Kokeshi dolls. Yeah, they're sort of goofy, but so am I. Collected from eBay, Etsy, and while in Japan.

How do normal girls keep all of this stuff organized? Next up I'm going to deal with our kitchen, which has sort of ended up being the catch-all space for things we don't know where else to put. I can't even begin to think about Mark's computer desk though-truly terrifying!