leave my wings behind me

I am delighting over art projects on Arounna Khounnoraj's blog. These would be so fun to work through if you had a kid and some are really cool for adult art as well:

first thoughts at daybreak

Ever since Kristina obliged me with more info about Lush, I've been meaning to take the plunge into its little word and cult-like following ;) An impromptu walk on the 3rd St. Promenade last night (to walk off fajitas from El Cholo) led me to just that.

I instantly gravitated to the Coal Face soap. Hello: jet black chunks of soap?!?! So unusual, graphic and punk-rock-ish. Alas, I did not need soap. So I gravitated to the Sunny Side Bath Bar. Duuuude, its gold and glittery. Gold. Glitter. So glamorous, fashionista-esque. However, the salesperson told me that bath bars just make bubbles urged me that a bath bomb is better for moisturizing.
So I landed on the Butterball Bath Bomb which was perfect. I could feel the oils in the bath and I came out super smooth and soft. The scent was sweet, light and enjoyable. I even got Scott to get in with me... ;) Highly recommended! :)

eyes in the back of my head

In a petri dish under a microscope, looking down on land from an airplane window or the inside of a geode... that is what this necklace reminds me of.

And at under $20, I think I can give it a home.

stories of my bullshit youth

Garbled thoughts:

-is it possible to get allergies at age 24 when you've never had them before in your life? I can't tell if I'm fighting off a regular cold or if my red, dry eyes, sinus pressure, running nose and sneezes is something else...

-worked 2 Christian Audigier fashion shows for LA Fashion Week on Tues & Wed. this week. His clothes are tacky, barf-tastic, but the crazy, equally barf-tastic crowd made my people watching enjoyable and the nights flew by. I mean, seriously people:

Leggings (camel toe or not) are not pants nor are they in fashion. Ever. And I'm not even starting on that hoodie...

-this:
now hangs behind the TV in my living room. Picture sleek, low credenza with plasma screen on top and a big white wall behind and above it. Now picture said canvas on wall. I'm still getting used to it. If it doesn't mesh, it'll go by the dining table all alone.

-love this interior design firm: fuse-id, especially shots in Hollywood Hills Mediterranean and Eco Chic Townhouse.

-my boyfriend is on the cover of Vogue:

:)

city of angels, but all i see is dead wings

Another style / home glimpse:

Lacquer boxes: I had been craving a set of lacquer boxes for months. For remote controls on the coffee table, jewelry on my nightstand, misc. papers on my desk... I really, really loved (and still love!) a black-trimmed orange set that reminded me of Hermes boxes.

Mine are currently stacked on my bedroom dresser, holding jewelry. The big off-white (with a slight tinge of pistachio) colored one was a gift from my mom's friend and is from West Elm. The small one was a lucky find at Marshall's for $10. I like how the black and white stripes make it feel part African safari and part punk rock.

to my expected surprise

my style picks of the week:

vases far more glamorous than their $7 price tag [IKEA Salong]

hello gorgeous. bold shoes, bold necklaces, dramatic yet understated dress. i love how it all works [mariacarla boscono]

the perfect formula and color- mostly matte, red with a hint of orange, daytime appropriate, easy, non-fussy red [Chanel Hydrabase Creme in Fire (not pictured)]

sleek tank, an appropriate and do-able take on the wide leg / high waisted trend, glam accessories, fun pop of color [lo bosworth from the hills]

fun, summery sandal that fits the gladiator style I love. plus they have a vibe similar to these alaias [steve madden byankas]

the midas touch

"1,500 homes burned. Nine lives lost. Half a million acres scorched.
Purchase one of these amazing posters, and help those who lost so much."

That's the idea behind the So-Cal Fire Poster Project. Artists and designers around the world donated their art in order to raise funds for victims of the wildfires that devastated Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Diego counties. It's a beautiful idea, based after a similar project for Hurricane Katrina, The Hurricane Poster Project.

There are some awesome prints that I'd buy even if they weren't for charity, so I encourage you to take a look:

Criswell Lappin, Lanny Sommese, Rule 29

no longer for sale, but still inspiring: Jessie Denherder, Justin Fuller, Laurie Demartino

these are the things that i say when we're alone

Another style / home glimpse:

Bookshelves & vase: I adore books and bookshelves. I remember on MTV's Cribs when Moby was giving a tour of his house, he stopped at a bookshelf and noted that he never saw anyone on Cribs before point out a bookshelf and how unfortunate he found that. I was in love with him at that moment.

Scott & I really enjoy books and giving each other big, artsy coffee-table type ones especially. I sort them by height as I really feel that sorting by color lacks a certain sophistication. I love the look of frames, artwork and other knick-knacks interspersed in blank areas or on top of horizontal stacks. I spiffed up that vase from a 99 cent store find and think it has found a good home here.

it's like this and like that and like this and uh

a reminder from my local trader joes.

please think about buying reusable bags for your groceries if you haven't already. i think it is a little ignorant to not be doing this by now. a $5 bag will last you for years and they are sold at most all grocery stores now...

if you have gone reusable- awesome. awesome, awesome, awesome. i love it. now: take a look at your produce bags. can you cut out the small plastic ones there as well? either reuse them every time (just put them back into your shopping bags as you unload groceries) or purchase reusable mesh ones. next, take a look at your ziploc / sandwich bags. how many of those can you rinse and use again? not for meat and other strong flavored items, but if it just holds carrots or nuts or whatever, try rinsing them out, letting them dry and re-using them. i admit- it weirded me out at first, but you get used to it and you see bit by bit how you can makeover your whole life.

corazón de oro

Dooce's Daily Style is my favorite part of her blog. I'm especially smitten with her gorgeous vintage decanter set. In a similar fashion, I wanted to share a few pieces of my home now and then too...

Modern Piggy Bank: Scott had a habit of tossing his change on the top of our bedroom dresser everyday. For some reason it drove me crazy. Seeing it there every day just made my skin crawl. Would you believe me if I said cohabitation was the happiest, easiest thing of our relationship? Seriously, it is, but that damn change was just killing me! So- I got creative. Gave him a piggy bank as a random, just-wanted-to-get-you-a-little-something gift. ;)

Sleek, pretty and nobody knows it's a piggy bank until I say so. [by Umbra]

we're going down swinging

Picture of the Day rolls on...

2.10.08 - i've shared similar shots before and yet i never get tired of them. trees, feet, clouds, table settings, vinyl records- some stuff i just take a lot of shots of! this is in amoeba records of course.

2.14.08 - this is a necklace i often wear. i took it while it was hanging on my chest, so the focus is really tight, but i ended up liking it that way.

2.22.08 - thai food take-out. this past weekend weekend i was headed down to san diego, leaving scott behind, so we did thai food dinner together on friday night before i left. it was perfect- making us take time to sit, talk and be together before i started the flurry of packing and rushing out the door.

2.23.08 - home. beach. best friend. can't beat it.

2.24.08 - i didn't plan well. i had to stop for gas on my way back up.

2.29.08 - this is painted on a dumpster near my work. i never have time to slow down and actually *see* it all (there is a lot of posters and paintings on it) so i snap shots as i drive by and try to piece 'em together later.

3.1.08 - oh Doughboys. favorite breakfast spot. scott is slowly working his way through the menu [pigs in a blanket, waffle stack, s.o.s, red flannel hash] while i'm happily stuck on scramble #2 (though the blueberry flaxseed griddle cakes aren't bad either)

an audience to ignore

Right now I'm all about 1) fabulous, statement mirrors, especially metallics and starburst designs, 2) gray walls and 3) black and white textured and patterned items (pillows, rugs, upholstery, etc):