Loving... (On a Thursday)

The Picasso Museum in Paris...Bryan and I spent the afternoon here when we went to the city of light together waaay back when (pre-littles). To this day, it remains one of my favorite spots on earth. Pure magic.

Banquet's neon and craft paper cards...but then again, everything from the ladies at Banquet is genius.

Case in point, the above, by one half of the Banquet duo, Sarah Edmonds... Awesome, yes?

Lucia's (and the rest of The Art Foundation's) genius book. I am so proud (and in complete awe) of you  friend...

Helen Frankenthaler's blue goodness via Michelle. I am obsessed with this painting. It's a bad scene.

Lovely Jane in the "tea garden"...totally dreamy.

My next bracelet (the collection is growing) -- Giles and Brother's "Archer" cuff. Love that chunky knot action...

Another appearance from Soledad, but this time it's her eggplant hued braided fabric necklace...


Friends, I'm off to take the girlies on a surprise trip to celebrate the end of the school year. I'll be back Monday with a full report. Have a splendid weekend!

Operation "Loungify the Patio”

Last week I mentioned a that I've been working on our patio for a fun little project...

Those kind and helpful purveyors of all things home improvement, Home Depot, invited me (along with several other design bloggers) to style our outdoor spaces around one of their seating sets, and the final product is officially up today over on the Home Depot blog.

I chose that hunk of burnt orange loungey goodness above as my jumping off point for transforming our little back patio from "sadly neglected wasteland" to "lounge central". Out went the uncomfortable metal furniture that nobody ever sat on, and in went all sorts of furry/textured bits to up the cozy factor.

As a point of reference (and because before and after photos are fun), here is a snap of our patio from four-years ago in all its uncomfortable (dim, slightly dreary) metal furniture glory...

Re: this photo, it also should be noted that I searched for over an hour through all my past posts (over 1500 holy hell I've had this blog for a long time) to find this particular photo, so determined I was to show you some "before" action. And during that hour (who am I kidding, it was two hours), I teared up more than once (and not just because I couldn't find the damn photo). It was an emotional jaunt down memory lane courtesy of the old blog. Those girlies of mine...they're big. They're not babies anymore. (Case in point, that's Audrey up there looking so little and Millie-esque.) It's freaking me out. Melancholy city friends. 

But back to the patio (and sorry for the massive digression)... Pre-operation loungify, we never sat out there. Now, we're out there all. the. time. We are officially patio dwelling peeps. Morning coffee, evening G&Ts, plowing through a massive stack of magazines on Saturday morning, hanging with the girlies and Bryan, typing this post. I never want to leave the freaking patio. I'd sleep out there if I weren't too chicken to sleep outside.

It's good stuff.

Some Scenes From The Weekend (Just a Few)

There was ample celebratory/official kick-off to summer/Americana foodie goodness this weekend...

We partook in a backyard Mexican feast on Friday at Christine's, complete with some impromptu family band action, our four collective girlies gleefully sprinting throughout the sprinklers, and some (really) stellar margaritas. There was a leisurely adult night (the girlies had a sleepover with the grandparents) that featured our friend Tim's genius pull pork sandwiches on Saturday. We brunched with our friends Tracy and Van on Sunday before embarking on more kiddo splash fun and bar-b-que on Sunday.  And we capped-off the three day food fest last night by digging into that spread above with Janet and fam + lovely cousin Erin and boyfriend Ben.

It was three days-o-lovely, festive moments. And yet, for most of the weekend I was feeling decidedly off-kilter. I was wonky, not quite right, morose even. I'm not sure what to attribute my bluesy state to, so I'm just going to go with the "it is what it is" explanation. I'm just going to lean into the blues.I'm embracing it; I'm not afraid.

Maybe I need another burger?

Blogger's Favorites: Lisa Borgnes Giramonti of A Bloomsbury Life

(Lisa's office shot by Melanie Acevedo for "Undecorate.")

I haven't done a blogger's favorites post in a long time...a really, really long time even. So I'm going to go big with this one friends by featuring a long standing (massive) girl crush, Lisa Borgnes Giramonti of the wildly beautiful blog A Bloomsbury Life.

Lisa is an artist and a self-described, "domestic explorer" (which might be the loveliest notion ever...I might have to "borrow" it) who has managed to create a a magical, rambling, rose-strewn life focused on food, art, comfort, literature, nature (the truer things)... right slap in the middle of bustling Los Angeles.

She's romantic, wickedly smart, a bit grand, and wildly chic... so, needless to say, I'm thrilled to have her sharing her favorites with us here to kick-off the long (for some of us) weekend. Without further ado, herewith Lisa's list. Enjoy and have a fantastic weekend friends!

Johnson Brothers “Old Britain Castles” China: It has a classic blue and white pattern that never fails to perk up my spirits. Plus, it's sturdy, charming and insanely well-priced...so there's no panic attack if my husband misjudges the kitchen counter.

Kinfolk Magazine: Okay, it's not cheap ($18/issue), but it only comes out 4 times a year, so you have time to save your pennies. This magazine is curated by "a growing community of artist with a shared interest in small gatherings." Every image, every essay, every inch of its pure and simple aesthetic leads back to one idea: the importance of sharing a table with friends.

Fortnum and Mason Jubilee Tea: This very special blend was created especially for the Queen's 60th Jubilee. It's fragrant and steeped in tradition with a no-nonsense appeal that allows you to keep calm and carry on -- just like Her Majesty.

Antique Candle Holders from eBay: I like to live modern life through an Old World lens and this is one of the ways I do it. It may be 2012 outside, but when I walk through my house with one of these in my hand, the worlds of Anthony Trollope, Charles Dickens and George Eliot come rushing back in the most romantic way.

Vivienne Westwood “Boudoir” Perfume: Vivienne Westwood makes a bunch of perfumes, so when I stopped by her LA shop, I cut straight to the chase. "Women spray these in front of you all day. Which one do YOU like the best?" Every single sales person pointed to this one. It's soft, sexy and floral with a moody undertone and since I started wearing it, I have never uttered the word "boudoir" to more strangers in my life.

Rose Petal Ice Cream from Sophie Dahl’s New Cookbook, "From Season to Season": Bring a little bit of Downton Abbey into your home. This ice cream is rich and creamy and velvety smooth and is a perfect foil for the tingly thrill of the rose petal jam (made from flowers picked in my garden). Best of all -- and sshhh, don't let your dinner guests know this -- it's super easy to make. And talk about glamorous -- have you ever made an ice cream that called for two cups of sparkling rosé before?

My Sarah Frances Kuhn Camera Chain: It was given to me by my cool-hunter friend Jeanne Tripplehorn Yes, it's inspired by a Chanel chain. Yes, it makes your camera sexy (and you along with it). Yes, it's built to last. And yes, you really will feel like you work for Italian Vogue.

The Penguin “Great Food” Series: They're some of the most beautiful books I've ever seen (all designed by genius Coralie Bickford-Smith). They're filled with 400 years of the best food writing, full of fascinating recipes and advice on entertaining from experts like Isabella Beeton and Samuel Pepys to Alice Waters and M. F. K. Fisher. And they're perfect for dipping into -- every page offers up a treat.

Connected...

One of the most fun occurrences in this little online world is when I encounter a blog written by a person that I've long admired in the print world. (That was a mouthful, sorry.)

For instance, one of my favorite articles was a piece in Cookie written by Jenny Rosenstrach. She chronicled her attempt at breaking out of a dinner rut by cooking something different for her family each night for a month. I ripped that bad boy out and read it five times. I liked it that much. Then I found her online at her genius blog, Dinner A Love Story, and we began a little correspondence. It was an online highlight for sure. And to this day, I am a massive Jenny fan.

My latest print-to-web crush is interior designer Laura Clayton Baker. Her house, featured in MSL several years ago (above, images by Victoria Pearson), is one of my all-time faves. Again, I ripped that bad boy out, and I go back to it all the time for a dose of design goodness... So I was psyched to stumble across her hugely inspiring blog Painting Box.

(Brice Marden drawing with stick)

(Alexander Calder "Blériot", 1949, painted metal and wire.)

Baker uses the blog to collect her inspirations but (and this is the really cool part) rather than haphazardly sharing them, she delves into a specific topic by showing connections from one image to the next. By the end of a long post, you are totally immersed in the subject at hand. From unbroken lines to desks to lush green, you're wrapped up in Baker's aesthetic world, almost like your witnessing her creative process firsthand.

I'm officially addicted.

Loving

This entire ensemble, which contains more pattern and color in a single outing than I sport in an entire month and is therefore wholly inspiring. I'm totally digging the purple marled cardigan paired with that rust paisley action. So, so good... (Via Refinery 29.)

The image for the opening of James Lee Byars at LA Gallery Overduin and Kite. Lovely in every way...

Handwoven Turkish Kilim pillow goodness.

A beautiful, classic video still by Carlotta Manaigo via Montmarte and Cheryl.

Gat Rimon's beyond awesome cuff via Banquet...

Sibylle Bauer's photography. I am completely obsessed with the pattern riot happening in her image taken at an abandon hotel in Mexico. I'm thinking it would be the perfect foil to the total absence of pattern happening in my house...

Jane Waggoner's necklaces (and rugs, and design work, and just general loveliness)...

Major kiddo cuteness (and more pattern mash up...I'm clearing having a pattern-centric week here friends) via Skirt as Top. 

Some Scenes From The Weekend

This weekend couldn't have been more different from our last. Seven days ago we were dancing in the rain with art world stars -- all festive and glam and what have you. This weekend we were sweating and eating burgers and watching kids movies. Not so glam or fab or fancy, but really fun nonetheless.

Bryan toiled away in the yard, tending to the strawberries and blackberries and blueberries and tomatoes and some unidentifiable plant we think might be a cabbage (don't ask), while I embarked on "Operation Patio Beautification" for a fun little project I participated in (more on that later). There was also some sprucing-up of the master bedroom and an impromptu Sunday dinner involving a rather impressive play performed by the kiddos, great conversation, and sad, overdone (cooking just wasn't my strong suit this weekend) goat cheese polenta. 

And of course the aforementioned In and Out Burger enjoyed while piled on the couch watching The Muppets with the girlies. We are nothing if not high class.

Hope your weekend was excellent!

On Being Excited

I get excited. A lot. I can't tamp it down (although I've been told on more than one occasion that I should). I am happy, enthusiastic, upbeat...

All of this, in theory, is good, I mean there's an entire genre of books aimed at upping ones happiness quotient, and yet, being perky isn't the most revered of qualities. It's seems more respectable, cooler even, to be harried, cynical, sardonic.

I'm holding firm though. I don't mind being uncool...being cool is overrated. I'm not afraid to walk out of situation that was magical/fun/interesting and be excited about it (really, really excited). I'm good with that.

Over the past two days, I've had the opportunity to sit down and chat with a design icon, have dinner in quite possibly the most stunning, soulful home I've ever encountered (above), and share lunch with a wholly inspiring and talented woman. It was a good two days.

I am (really really) excited.

Loving...

Just a perfect little, quiet moment captured in Jeana's latest Closet Visits. (But then again the perfect little moment is sort of Jeana's speciality..)

More No. 6 lookbook goodness (via Cheryl)...that mustardy yellow smock top is just pure beauty.

Morgan's awesome fiber art...I love this in ways that aren't even natural friends. Sadly, I couldn't pull off something like this, as my house oozes the 1970s without even trying. (I know that seems counterintuitive, but I tend to think when you go too literal you end up with a bad time warp situation.) But still, I love this more than words. So much so that it almost makes me want to buy a totally. different. house.

Almost ;-)

Bettina Prentice's living room in Apt by LSD on Vogue. That pattern mix is pretty heady stuff, but man she pulls it off. Big time...

Soledad's brass and fiber bangles...found after first spotting her (wait for it) fiber art on Michelle's pinterest. What can I say, it's a fiber art week...

A beautiful meal (and equally beautiful photograph by Leo Patrone) from the latest issue of Kinfolk...

Electric Feathers at Anise. The pieces are just stunning in every way...

Leonor Antunes' gorgeous Chain of Triangles (from Vernet to Barcelona) (2011) via I'm Revolting.

Neon spray painted baskets via Abbey. I'm itching to spray paint a basket...some neon, some silver, what have you.