Back to the Basics

Been very busy.  This time of year is bananas and right about now I am ready to jump on a plane and head to Texas to visit family and friends and eat my dad’s tamales.  It’s cold and rainy here in Los Angeles and I’m loving every minute of it, mostly because I get to stay indoors and get caught up on things that I’ve been neglecting the past couple of weeks, but geez I’m ready for a little vacation.  I went rummaging through some of my inspiration books today and got really excited when I found these pictures of a hairdresser’s shop in rural Goa.  It’s so incredibly authentic with woodwork inset with mirrors and paintings and framed prints of the owner’s favorite gods. It’s not precious in a stuffy, uncomfortable way, but rather in a sweet and endearing way.  You can feel the love in the place just by looking at the objects, especially the old photograph of the owner’s grandfather cutting hair.  As stated on the first page: Prints of Indian gods jostle with European landscapes, a naive frieze and vintage travel posters in this 19th-century hairdresser’s in rural Goa. Collected by three generations of village barbers, the assortment of objects bears witness to the region’s rich diversity of cultural influences.”

Taken from an issue of World of Interiors

Weekend Revelry

My mom came to LA from Houston for a visit and as always, her visit was way too short.  We packed a lot in including two dinner parties, shopping, and a big blowout at my brother’s place.  It was one of those magical weekends where you lose all sense of your responsibilities and just let go and enjoy the present.  Actually, that’s what the next couple of months seem to be all about.  It’s like the holidays begin around Halloween and end at the beginning of January, and during those months there’s a lot of lackadaisical business going on.  For me, these months are really inspiring and I tend to get a lot of creative things done.  Hopefully that remains the same this year…Some scenes from the weekend:

Farmers’ Market at the Grove.  It can be overwhelming because there are way too many food decisions to make.

We went with fish tacos, my favorite food in the world.

Mom was happy with them.

We hit up Anthropologie afterward and my sweet mom bought me this gorgeous oversized ring and two notebooks.  I can never have enough blank notebooks, or any kind of stationary.

My hubs and I took my mom to Mustard Seed for breakfast.  I never tire of this spot.Darryl had the breakfast sandwich recommended by our friend James.  It was mind blowing.

I had the chilaquiles verdes.  This is by far my favorite thing to eat for breakfast, but it’s hard to find good ones.  These were pretty decent, especially for a restaurant that doesn’t specialize in Mexican food.  I ate so much food this day that my back started to hurt.

We went to my brother’s apartment and I was totally impressed with his landscaping skills. My brother is a Merchant Marine and he soars the high seas to Alaska quite often.  He found this whale skull and walrus jaw and had them sent home.  Amazing, no?  Every time I see the whale skull I can’t stop staring.

Went to our “Aunt Jan’s” house for dinner one night.  She has a pretty awesome collection of quilts that I admire every time I visit along with antique objects that she finds in random places.  I love the horse head hanging on the wall.  She stuck an apple in its mouth and it looks even better.

I stopped by Whole Foods today and totally freaked out when I saw these Halloween cupcakes.  I wanted the Cookie Monster.

Love is Strange

I came across these insane treehouses the other day and was so excited to find out that someone dedicated a whole flickr set to them.  I feel like life would be very different living in one of these.  Some things just wouldn’t matter anymore.  These treehouses also got me thinking about Badlands and a very naive and young Sissy Spacek playing the part of Holly alongside the handsome Kit, also known as Martin Sheen.  Their getaway treehouse in the middle of the woods, that charming little dance they did, and Holly’s southern drawl are enough to make me love the movie. The best scene and the best treehouses:

Perfect Imperfections

Sunday afternoon was spent reading magazines while listening to the new Hope Sandoval & The Warm Inventions album, Through the Devil Softly. How perfect is that title? Just as perfect as the album, if I may say so myself.  Clouds were looming and I waited for the rain, only to be let down by the bright sun.  I love the sunshine, but I am really ready for some rain and Los Angeles could use it.  But the clouds and the music set the mood as did this lovely editorial from Vogue Living Australia. It’s a peek inside the home of designer and stylist, Carolyn Quartermaine, and the use of color is what made me take a creative pause. Mixng fluorescent yellows and oranges with pastels is not something I would ever think of, and Quartermaine does it brilliantly. The walls were painted to look unfinished, and splashes of neon paint on 19th century Belgian chairs go along with the theme of imperfection.  Painted fabric draped on a couch covered in silk flowers is insanely romantic, and a hand-dyed and sunbleached flag lying over an Italian gilded chair makes me want to dye every inch of fabric I own.  Salvaged cut-offs of Carolyn Quartermaine’s fabrics hang over a ladder, turning it into a inspiring object that sits under a blue floral chandelier.  I’m really loving the imperfections that make such a grand statement.

Artistic Endeavors

J. Morgan Puett is one of the most insanely talented artists who sits at the top of my Creative Genius list.  As a fashion designer and artist, she has built a world that is entirely her own filled with objects from bygone eras, torn and tattered clothing, and a home known to be an artist colony that looks as if its the perfect place to dream.  There is no separation between her work and lifestyle; both exist as one.  A true Creative Genius, indeed.

A collaboration of All Departments of The School of the Art Institute of Chicago with J. Morgan Puett

Random refrigerator contents

The interior of what used to be a chicken coop.

More of the interior

Outdoor living

A room in her home on Mildred’s Lane (Pennsylvania)

J. Morgan Puett dyed designs

California Dreamin’

Sundays are my favorite day of the week.  I always feel refreshed and completely ready to take on the world when I wake up early on a perfect L.A. Sunday and start my day.  That sounds so Mr. Rogers, I know, but I’m a total morning person and I LOVE it.  I woke up last Sunday and hit the Rose Bowl with my friend Nina and spent close to four hours shopping and wishing I had unlimited amounts of cash to burn.  If you’re a flea market shopper, you know that sometimes the best flea markets can be an absolute hit or an absolute miss.  This one was a hit.  After leaving Pasadena, we headed back to the hood and had coffee and tea at Casbah Cafe’, the most charming cafe’ in Los Angeles.  Inside, it feels as if you were dropped off at a bohemian paradise that’s part Morocco, part Paris, and part Turkey.  The design aesthetic is both romantic and exotic, with huge chalkboard menus covered in boulangerie style type. Delectable pastries and snacks are carefully arranged next to striped tote bags, since the cafe’ also doubles as a boutique filled with a well-edited selection of clothing, accessories, and home furnishings from far-flung corners of the world.  Just looking at how perfectly merchandised everything is from the food to the furnishings makes me happy.  It’s a neighborhood gem that I cherish.

At the Rose Bowl: This vendor always has the best selection of random furnishings.  It’s like he raided an abandoned department store, movie theater, farm, and hotel 40 years ago. Nearly everything is awesome.

Like these old hotel key rings, for example.

This guy was serious biz with his Navajo-ness.  So good.

Hand beaded moccasins.  I’ve come across these a few times, but never in these cool colors.

I really wish I would have bought this insane collage.

Heart.

The lovely Nina

And then on the way out I saw this:

A 1974, 4.5 Mercedes Benz.  The extended version.  My dream ride.

I think I was made for this car.  The owner offered to take my picture while sitting in the driver’s seat.  I was afraid that I might steal it, so I declined.