heart these dresses

Lena Corwin posted the first one by Mocuin who I love for their prints and the second is a jacket/dress Jon saw made of 100% recycled polyester by Nau. 

Sculpture Today

Just got book called Sculpture Today giving us a great overview of sculptural art of the last 30 years. Saw it at Hennessy+Ingalls (don't see it on their website, but they do sell it in store) and remembered Carlee telling me last year that she would be in it. It's huge. The paper cut out cover art showing 2-d to 3-d is clever and its simplicity is pretty stunning. Have to love white on white. Some of my favorites... Carlee's #7100-Goat, Wim Delvoye' s Cloaca poop machine, and Olafur Eliasson's Weather Project which we got to experience in person at the Tate Modern.

chopsticks & the forest

"Environmentalists in China have a message to Olympic-goers in Beijing: Bring your own chopsticks!" This is how All Things Considered started this segment yesterday afternoon. I love it, what's it all about!? Apparently, disposable wooden chopsticks are dramatically contributing to China's deforestation. According the Greenpeace, the nation uses 160,000 pairs of chopsticks a day. This is equal to about 100 acres of forest being deforested each day! To enforce reusable chopsticks, the government is now taxing disposable chopsticks in an effort to discourage people from using them, most significantly the big chain restaurants. 

Last weekend, a friend had a post-Chinese New Year pot luck. Signed up to bring a good salad in order to balance out the greasy chinese food and at the last minute remembered my bright red set plastic chopsticks.

Also forgot to post last month that China has also banned plastic bags because it's depleting their petroleum reserve. I have to say, China is pretty rockin' in this arena.

Tara Donovan

Anthropologie used vertical straws stuck together in their jewelry display. Saw it today, but I think they've had it there for a while. Reason why I am posting is because a few weeks ago I bumped into these old photos from '05 I snuck at the Tara Donovan exhibit at Ace Gallery in LA. Interesting when you know where inspiration could've come from. 

This is a wall of horizontally stacked straws.

All those white circles - styrofoam cups! Notice the scale. Two years later, I still remember how amazed we were.

tropical leaf platter

Happy Mundane's post on blue platters reminded me of of this brand new vintage blue tropical leaf platter I purchased from Refab Clinic. I love it, it's fabulous. It was one of the things saved as we sorted through our storage this weekend promising to learn to make an appetizer with a dip for the next time friends come over.

Deepak Chopra and a perfect colorway

I've been reading The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success by physician and philosopher Deepak Chopra. I had heard of Deepak Chopra before, but only got to understand him better after seeing an Iconoclasts episode he did with comedian Mike Myers. He has such a simple and concise, but lush way of talking about our existence, science, and spirituality. One of his practices is to "take time each day to commune with nature and witness the intelligence within every living thing." After all nature is perfect, all around us and there to teach us. I bought these flowers at farmers market this weekend. With that little bit of yellow in the middle, it's a perfect colorway.

Domino Magazine, March '08

Got my newest issue of Domimo last week with 150 ways to go green. I love every issue, but this one was especially timely because of my latest farmer's market obsession and an article by Cynthia Kling who writes about eating locally for two weeks. Some tips for the market: walk the the whole market before spending because yes, it is pricey and you want to buy the right things, get there early for the best selection, just because it's local does not mean it's always good, and even beef and poultry are seasonal. Other interesting notes, "locavore" according to the Oxford American Dictionary means eating only local grown ingredients and was 2007's word of the year (btw, italian olive oil and columbian coffee are not local, but there is a "Marco Polo Exemption" that states "if an item has been traded for centuries, you can buy it at a locally owned vendor to support your community") and finally, eating locally (and probably more veggies) for her made her poop better - agreed!  

new logo type

I've been working on a new logo type for supercozy. I love deco fonts so I took one with nice happy curves and bonded them together like BFF's. Now, I have to figure out how to switch out the top banner, ?.

orange table lamp

A 1958 orange crackle table lamp I purchased last weekend in Palm Springs to brighten up the corner of my desk. I was once very obsessed with the color orange. During the few years I lived in Echo Park, I lived in an amazing studio apartment above a eccentric lady named Maxine and painted the widest wall of the space this same orange.

heart cake

What looks like chocolate cake, but seemed to be a chocolate cake madeline combo because of the nutty texture. Amazing and from Europane Bakery.

Andreas Canyon Trail

There are some beautiful trails in the Palm Springs desert. We did this really easy one mile loop called the Andreas Canyon Trail. We took our time walking and found ourselves in awe of the rock formations, the random group of palm trees growing next to the rocks and the river running through it. There was snow in the mountains, probably melting, while we were there which explains the the water oasis in middle of the desert.Huge rocks and huge palms.

I love it when branches form these little arches, very Hansel and Gretel. This is very nerdy, but I can see an illustration of the left image for a cover of a book. The second half of the hike higher in elevation so you had a pretty grand view of the mountains around you.

The loop takes you around this canyon and group of palms. There are more hikes in this area called Indian Canyon which is only 10 minutes from downtown. We hope to check them out next time.

Horizon Hotel

This weekend's perfect weather equaled two perfect days in Palm Springs. Part 1, our hotel, the Horizon Hotel. 

The first time we saw this hotel, was during an architectural tour we took in 2003. It had not yet been remodeled, so you could still get a glimpse of an old school glamour when the Rat Pack and crew would get away.

Bungalows center around a large lap pool. There are only 22 rooms so it's quiet and you quickly begin to recognize your neighbors.

We had a king room... black and white minimalist, relaxing, private, calm and sophisticated. AC was a little noisy because it was right next you. Solid blinds open to  sheer blinds, you had privacy, but with light and a view of the pool. Super cozy bed.

Sitting area with the pool in view and bathroom with hotel's signature dual indoor and outdoor shower. This was a first!

This was the view from our room and the sparkling pool. I get why people want pools and jacuzzis. I get it now. Everything outdoors was also black and white.

Loved the circular patios. I noticed this was the only room with a chimney. Three long bungalows all connected at one end with doors inside if you chose to share all three with family or friends. You can see two here.

Our front door and steps from our patio to the pool.

We upgraded to a room with a small kitchen so we could snack and lunch at our leisure. Brought with us fresh lettuce, tomatoes, and bread from Thursday's farmer's market. Then bought deli meat and potato salad from Sherman's in downtown Palm Springs. The wine was delicious and called "L". 

I quite liked this nighttime shot.

Composting Bin Sale

I will be checking out the Composting Bin Sale at Griffith Park Composting Education Facility tomorrow. They sell bins every 2nd Friday of the month. Up till now, I've been throwing all my green scraps in a small container by my sink and then to the green bin. But with all the veggies I've been getting from the farmers market, I really should be composting. I'm a little bit nervous to have "worm pets" because I've never been a pet person, but this book is helping.

lovely font

having fun with this font today strangely called riot squad. sweet font for this upcoming valentines day.

brass and plants

Loving my new brass focal point above the fireplace. It's a huge platter I found in my parents' garage. Room feels so much better now. There is hierarchy, whew. Also recently inspired by seeing a friend's beautiful fig tree and added some baby succulents on the mantel. Plants really make a space feel more cozy. New (chinese) year, new space...

winter flowers

Flowers from Trader Joes. I love how the daisies(?) petals curl into little flutes. The freesia just have such a sweet refreshing fragrance.

zero waste dinner

Had friends over for some good grub last night. I dug out all my plates, napkins and utensils for a zero waste night. Asking everyone to stack their dirty plates and place their dirty utensils in a small bowl full of soapy water made clean up super easy.

feather headdress

I am always so fascinated by the African feather headdresses. They are so stunning. I already know two different places I would hang one if I had one. I googled it the other day and found it at an online art gallery for an art price. The second photo shows the headdress closed. You can see that it hinges onto the cap part. How do I make one of these?

February jumpstart?

I missed the January Jumpstart deadline on Apartment Therapy this month, but I did intend to try re-painting an old cabinet in my officeat some point. I was kinda inspired by these photos I took in Japan a few years back - one of the pine branch and then the cherry blossoms below. Was also just thinking of getting the pine tree decal from Ferm Living, but they are sold out.

La Miniatura House by Frank Lloyd Wright

Today, we had the great privilege of touring Frank Lloyd Wright's La Miniatura house with the Friends of the Gamble House in Pasadena, CA. Thanks AT:LA for the reminder.

After seeing and hearing about his life and work, he is big time in my book. According to Frank Henry's lecture, held the evening before, Frank Lloyd Wright built 700 building throughout his lifetime, 135 of them in after turning 80 years old. He was extremely in tune with nature always responding to the it rather than just building on top of it. Architecture didn't inspire him, music did. When asked about his favorite architect, he would say Beethoven. He was also inspired by poetry. He believed that the principles were the same, it was just the medium that differed.

It was in phase of his career that he was called "the Weaver" because he experimented with concrete blocks which he "knitted together" using mesh and rebar to create a series of textile block homes. Textiles in architecture? Love it.

Here are some photos of the outside. No photos allowed inside. The house is privately owned and has just finished a year of renovations with more to come. I would call it a miracle that it was an almost perfect day here in LA for the tour today. It's been raining harder this past week than it had in last year. According to a lady on the bus, 1,000 tickets were sold for today's event.

Front gate that opens up to the home and two more parcels of open grass area. You can see some of the tarp in the top right corner.

Front entrance to the house. Imagine walking into this for a dinner party! The blocks are just as gorgeous in real life. All that concrete in a pattern has so much volume, but never feels cold like you might think concrete would feel.

Pathway connecting the studio with the main house, supporting a patio above. The house was built in a ravine, which happen to be the unwanted piece of land that cost 1/5 of the price of the other plots in the area. The trees and the greenery are so romantic in this place. One of the docents told a story about how a fellow architect, whose parents happen to live in the next housing complex when this house was being built (ok, that's crazy), actually laughing at Lloyd Wright because he wanted to build in what essentially was the storm drain of the neighborhood. 

This balcony came off the 2nd floor living room. This room was a spectacular space with tall redwood ceilings, a stunning fireplace bound by textile block columns, these french doors that opened out into the balcony above. You could just imagine the evenings spent there. The light was amazing in the space, especially at the time the we were there. I almost snuck in a shot, but I was afraid of bad karma.

No photography was allowed inside the house, but I did sneak a shot of it from the outside. This is the studio where she had an upstairs loft office and then this downstairs where Alice Millard, the owner of the house, showcased her antiques and vintage book colllection. 

They used local material for the concrete, a wood cast, and cheap manual labor to produce the blocks.

The last stop on the tour was the backyard where you got an overall view of the house. Again, totally inspired...

Heal the Bay

It's been raining like crazy here. Last night's rain was heavy and almost scary, keeping us up during the wee hours. This morning, it makes me think of our So-Cal beaches and how polluted they're going to be after the rain.  So, I signed up for Heal the Bay's beach clean up email list. They are a great organization that coordinates beach clean-ups. A friend suggested just going down to the beach and picking up the trash in the water. It really is as easy as that...

bird bread

Japanese treats are the best. This bird bread was too clever and uses the dough removed from the eyes and pinches it back on as the beak of the bird. Love it. And the sweet bean filling was so good inside.

no more plastic bags!

It was bound to happen! Whole Foods will be plastic bag free by Earth Day in April. Via: www.thekitchn.com

Preserve/Recycline

Last night, I impulse bought the Recycline/Preserve food colander. I also just recently got the toothbrush  at the Eco Gift Fair in Santa Monica last December. Both are made out of recycled plastic and, I believe, can be recycled back to the company. 

Apology to Gwen Stefani

I would like to apologize to a true local inspiration Gwen Stefani (I went to CSUF and No Doubt would be the first band to play every Fall Semester back in the day), her husband Gavin Rossdale, and their baby Kingston -- for staring. The story goes like this...

In my efforts to shop locally, we decide to take what might be our second ever trip to the Hollywood Farmers Market this past Sunday morning. We walk the market, buy produce and then decide to have lunch there. After getting some food, we successfully score one empty seat at one of those random communal tables, this one happened to be behind the booths. Of course we have no idea what is about to happen, so we simply sit down and start eating.

I look beside me just to be aware of who we were sitting with and think wow, they are dressed up for the market. In my head, I think, they look like amazing Gwen Stefani Family wanna be's. Here is this petite chick, hair done, with perfect skin, lipstick and nails. This is entirely possible since we are in the middle of Hollywood. The pragmatic side says to me, they can't be real because she'd have on a baseball cap, etc, right? So, minding my own business, I check my phone messages and talk about the fun evening at an art opening the night before. Casually, I catch another glimpse...Huh?

This really can't be... Gwen Stefani sitting next to me!? Her elbow is seriously inches away from my elbow. She is out here in broad daylight? Suddenly, I become beyond myself trying to figure this out. I am not quite convinced because she was so regular, easy going, laughing, playing with her baby, but just dressed up in a glamorous way. I have regulars friends who dress fabulous. I proceed to stare, rationalizing by thinking we are in public, I can be that weird person today. Crazy, right? I blatantly check out her outfit, her husband's outfit, their little lo key stroller. She is eating out of styrofoam for god's sake! Of course the baby is the only brave one to acknowledge the fact that I was starring because he looks right back!!

It was at this point that I wish I would've given the baby a smile, as I normally would have to any other adorable baby, to break the awkwardness that was developing, but I am simply having this out of body experience. I should've figured out it was her after spying the huge jewels on her fingers, but honestly, I was really really confused and, I guess at one point, frozen in time, having no idea that my eyes were invasively inspecting every inch of these people, trying to find some sort of clue!

They speak softly so I can't confirm based on their voices which we know so well. Gavin gets out his camera to take pictures of the baby with his messy mouthful of so-so mexican food (plate of food in photo above). Too cute. They leave gracefully at which time I say, she looked so much like Gwen Stefani, wow. Uh, yeah... because it was!!!

I don't usually get star struck and it would've been fine seeing them maybe ten feet away, but, she was sitting seriously right next to me, we could've been best friends sharing a meal together!! She even left her baby sitting alone with me just for a second. Her husband gave my husband a chin up. Ya. It was confirmed by the girl who sat in their place after they left. She said she saw Gwen at Whole Foods all time time and had even been in one of her videos as an extra. For about fifteen minutes, I totally flipped out. I called a friend who I knew I could gush with.

Four hours later, however, I feel SO guilty that I stared and didn't just treat them like some cool local people we happen to share a table with at farmers market with. So I am SO sorry Stefani-Rossdales!! I promise never to invade anyone's relaxing Sunday morning again, celebrity or not!! It was an honor sitting next to your beautiful family and learning that we not all so far apart!!