libraries are cool

Library Parking Garage, originally uploaded by jonathan_moreau.

what a creative idea for a library parking garage. this found in kansas city , missouri. where everything, apparently, is 'up to date' .

merry christmas, yo.

Church Sign, originally uploaded by flamk.

peace out

picture credit, alicia bock

who doesn't love hot, preppy, college guys singing a capella. thank you becky, for sending this my way.

city pretties, for hip urban chicks

if you haven't yet, buy handmade this holiday season.

there's nothing more original and filled with good karma than a piece of jewelry that's thoughtfully hand tooled. these pieces are created by my friend becky (who was originally, my cool older sister's friend back in high school). still cool, she finds really unique, beautiful, vintage items and creates 'pretties' for your lobes and lapels. here are a few of my favorites..... vintage, black and white on copper, snowflake enamel earrings. $18.00

"a flower blooms on a rock pile" earrings -$15.00

fabulous pink and white guilloche earrings- $18.00

cabochon pin: handpainted ,tahitian maidens 'workin' it' -$10.00

hobo chic

i'm still loving fingerless gloves. and these are so clever. reader, cait, turned me on to this site: knitty.com. for those of you who know how to knit, you can totally make these. and here's the pattern

virtual gifting

when i was in college, my friend gretchen and i would be stuck doing phone duty at the kappa house (roll your eyes here) and so, we'd spend the requisite hours flipping through catalogs, playing the "gifting game".

if you couldn't find one thing on each page for yourself, you had to 'gift' it to someone you knew. well, today, my blogger friend leah hennen (more ways to waste time) posted a very funny, spot-on virtual gift giving.

i couldn't resist so in the spirit of the 'gifiting game', merry christmas my friends:

to one of the most generous and supportive friends, who also happens to be, one of the funniest people i know. karen of bonjourbrookline. she shares my passion for jutta (yoo-ta) bags. this bag, to hold her notebook and pen so that she can make witty notes on her observations around the world and back home in brookline, mass. the 'adana bag', by jutta neuman (noyman)

for miss habitually chic. please fill this book out and make copies for all of us immediately. found where ever the stylishly, well connected shop.

the 'other' black book, pre-written for the rest of us. for mrs. blandings. i just know she'd share my love for this vintage read.

for stylecourt. because her love of suzani, can't just stop at her home. she needs to dress herself in its love. the persian moon dress from anthro

for my 'god mother' of blogging. she who has mentored and inspired me to blog...sfgirlbybay. a free day of shopping with the voracity of a supermarket showdown--at our, shared, favorite shop in s.f. 'nest'

to one of the most entertaining bloggers on my crush radar, decorno. because, like the sub title states, she's fearlessly inappropriate and fabulously eccentric

for my late night, im-ing friend, cote de texas....because, dammit i love that she gets so much traffic and commenting over her 'love' of decorating with dead animals.

my old friend robyn (gardenrooms) probably already has a pair of these. but i can totally see her tromping around those big old gardens of pacific heights, in the fog, wearing these.

and to inside the loop, one of everything from san francisco's bell'occhio. because it's just so her.

and finally, anon, did you think i'd forget about you? no way! you who drives so much traffic my way? you, who brings my friends and big-sister protectors out of the blog-work? no my friend, to you i say, cheer-up, don't take life so seriously and mostly....don't be a playa hater.

for everyone else, (and i'm sure i'll keep adding as i 'shop' over the next few days) a little art from my old illustrating days. happy holidays, happy new year and thank you for being such a fun, creative, designery, hip, smart, bitingly witty group.

oh, and if you don't like your gift, feel free to re-gift it to another blogger!

pike's place

when, martha stewart, our lord and savior's recent debacle called 'blueprint' went south last week, some blamed creative director, 'eric pike' for its demise.

while, he may make some bad choices. she clearly pays him more than the pittance she paid other staff members (see: sarah humphrey's, sad little pad) i love this shot of his, albiet sterile and uncomfortable looking, apartment.

incredible. do you think he actually lives here? it's beautiful. but who lives like this?

white wedding

i'm thinking this might be my answer:

made entirely of charmin toilet paper. cost: $200.00.

and then my bridesmaids could wear this:

and i would insist on the hair do.

bad mommy

as a new mom, we all made and will make little mistakes. my personal favorite was the hiring of our first babysitter to take care of our then 6 month old baby (up until this point i was so paranoid of leaving her with anyone, i basically did nothing but sit and coo at her from the confines of my home)

so i walked into a new mother's resource service in noe valley.

they had a binder filled with pre-screened applicants. i began my search. i lined up the interviews, lots and lots of piercings, lots of tats, lots of names like, 'sage' and 'river'...hey it was sf. lots of free spirits. i had no problem with any of it. then one day, a girl named 'sophie' came to my home. she was really interesting. french. i liked that. i could hone my french skills and we could all speak french to my daughter. sophie, looked like a punk version of audrey tautou.

but not scary. she was sweet and had a nursing background. what could be better? sure she was a bit funky but i like that in a person.

so every other day, sophie would come to my house, in her vintage fur stole and torn fishnets and take my baby on walks or play with her on the floor all the while softly speaking en francais. but more often than not she seemed, not well. she was pale to begin with and the dyed black hair, didn't help. and one time, i swear she jumped up and ran to the bathroom, index finger to mouth paler than her normal palor.

and she was super skinny. SUPER skinny. i asked her about her 'home' life, she had a fiance or an ex-husband or something, who was in a band and she lived with someone who had bondage stuff in their room. but she didn't really know the person. she had to move there when her ex kicked her out. they were just roomates. weird. drama.

ok, around now, the red light started to flicker for me. i had a lot of talks with people the ones that end with 'is that weird? or am i just being paranoid?'. and then one day, sophie didn't show. just a no show. i called her. no answer. never saw her again. i changed my locks.

fast forward 8 years. i'm watching this incredible documentary, 'DIG!' (see the trailer stop it at 1:38 ) and there's a scene with the lead singer of the brian jonestown massacre (a great band btw) shooting heroin with his wife sophie. i sat up and hit stop on the dvd. there she was, all strung out. my babysitter. MY sophie. lying on a dirty mattress crying with a rubber band around her arm. and it was the same year she was working for me!!!

so in short, i the original 'smother' who was so freaked out about leaving my one and only, precious child with anyone, left her with a freaking HEROIN ADDICT!!!!! i hear sophie got married to someone else and is living happily ever after in tahiti (which is where her parents live)

and that's the story of my first of many mistakes made parenting.

dollar bill to room

a dollar bill as a room, originally uploaded by bungalow8.

find something simple and mundane around your house, and create a room. this from a dollar bill. come on....it's totally fun and great 'hooky' material. up next: i'll create a room around a piece of lint.

cole & son, 'orchid' wallpaper

this stuff is so hot. i first saw it in sf, interior designer, caitlin moran's showhouse room. she totally killed it (in a good way mind you)

she paired it with navy blues and olivey citron greens.

when i went to track it down, i found that it comes in all of these color ways (or as they call it 'colour' ways) so pretty. i want this last one. i mean, if you're going to do wallpaper. DO the pattern and do it big.

waxing for martha

this picture bears no relevance to this post.

it's merely to grab your attention. as of today, moving forward, whenever i mention 'martha stewart's name, i here by commit to referring to her as 'our lord and saviour' . why you might ask? well, for one, i feel that i owe it to my many, many anonymous readers (who shall remain anonymous, it seems) those readers who really do feel that the words, lord and saviour, are synonymous with the grande dame of design herself.

also, i've noticed quite an up swing in traffic and controversy whenever i mention her name. which is good for this little blog. and so i will now treat her with some well deserved reverence. i also like it because this opens me up to a whole other group of people that will be offended and will, most likely leave some bb8 bashing comments (which also brings in the traffic)

now, the best will be the bible thumping, martha stewart zealots out there. who will be sitting at their computers, fingers hovering, making false starts to write, something, but then scratching their heads, getting so confused by what they're exactly offended or not offended by.

now let's see. how shall i pull in politics to this theater?

the bb8 irreverant gift guide

for that pirate in your life... the swash buckle. $65.00 at veer

for that new mother in your life...the womb shaped (their words) baby blender (my words) i know you want this, click here for that person who stands at the fridge and eats. wouldn't this make it so much easier? eat with your fingers, found here

busts are in. right? and hey if kelly wearstler made those hideous ceramic dogs cool, why not make a bust of stalin, smoking a ciggy while wearing a baseball shirt cool. grab one here comrades (oh wait you can't because they're actually SOLD OUT)

for your frat boy little brother. hit this

holy toast! this will freak out the catholic in your life. who needs fatima?

for the stoner in your life. uh, wait, no i didn't just endorse that. this would make a great gift for anyone living in a city who doesn't have direct access to an herb garden of turkey hill proportions. click 'ere

i've always been a little miffed that I didn't think of the postit note first. now i'm thinking, snap! i should have thought of this! click here

for that person who hates to be in pictures....the black bar. punch this

and finally, off with those dorky wine 'charms' as another blogger once said, my wine 'charm' is the smudge of lip gloss i leave around the rim. but if you must.... oops! one more....always the bridesmaid? or groomsman? this is for all of your hella single friends. those who wear their singledom proudly. for a small bit of money you can join this international singles club and sport, proudly, the ring that shows it. made in sweden, the singelringen (no that's not me)

peace out

reflections (A), originally uploaded by camil tulcan.

oh....and btw, I told you so

picture illustration borrowed from blogger creaturecomforts

martha stewart's boring, sometimes pretty and mostly stale attempt to snag some of that 20-30 something female cash, has finally admitted to their ineptitude. and to this i give them credit. check here for more info 'blueprint folds, very few mind particularly' i'm just so happy to not have to look at that insane font usage anymore.