A Little Vanity

I like to display accessories and here I've done it with my jewelry and beanies.

I love this dresser found at Ikea, but I replaced the knobs with the Violette Knob from Anthropologie. I like the contrast of the lucite pink with with the charcoal dresser.

I found this bulletin board from Marshall's. It came framed with this plastic casing with my favorite color at that time. I didn't know what I would use it for until I decided to pin my earrings in the cork board. I painted the board white to brighten it up a bit. 

I've had this jewelry stand for years and I love it with my necklaces dressing it.

I've found charming, little, bowls all around town at various thrift stores.   They hold buttons, soaps, rings, bangles, change and hats scattered throughout my home. The provide an elegant element to the space while being eclectic.

My Workspace

I love how many people get creative converting their closet into a workspace. I like having my desk next to my closet available to look at my clothes and get the creative ideas flowing. 

The best part is having a magnetic board above where I can hang all the design, fashion, and other magazine clippings that catch my eye. 

Underneath, I remain to be organized with some boxes from Ikea punch up all the dreadful paperwork with an orange hue. I also am a fan of the geometric file holders from Target.  The white, cubby organizer also comes from Target helping to keep order in this space.

Kartell: Part II

I pass by Kartell on Robertson everyday on my cruiser. While only it's a three-second time lapse, this store never seems to disappoint my fix of visual stimulation for the day. Every time, something catches my eye. I am in awe of how crisply new and novel everything looks with a modern edge, yet has some very traditional elements that were inspired by Louis period styles.

Right now, I am obsessed  with the Madamoiselle Chair Missoni. I think they would be so fun placed in an open kitchen with a sleek, white table. 

Kartell really knows how to target impulse buyers who are drawn to color offering a variety for everyone's tastes much like an ice cream parlor.

So remember the Louis Ghost Chair from yesterday? It turns out that Kartell even has a target niche of people who impulse buy on account of  the item being in miniature form.  I, too, am one of those people who erases any memory of being a marketing major and obnoxiously jolts "look, baby size" and tosses it in the shopping cart.

Well, guess what?!?!? The Louis Chair comes in a little Louis version!!! When I heard of this news, I impulsively, of course, made my greatest purchase in history. 

You see, soon there is going to be a lil' Louis in our family. My sister is expecting her first baby in February. With a generous sale at YLIGHTING (love) in September, I couldn't resist the urge to purchase this chair for the little one. The sex of the baby remains to be a surprise, but after reading this post, my sis will have one less mystery to solve.  

So, SURPRISE to my bestie and one follower on here. The chair will arrive in the last, dreadful couple of weeks awaiting for the great bambino to be delivered as a "keep your eye on the prize" motivational, sort-of gift. I know that this gift is totally impractical, except for tea parties...so hopefully it's a girl! I can't wait to be an auntie and go along the ride with you picking out baby-sized things. I hope you this gift as much as I loved posting about it!  

Marie Antoinette in Modern Times

Once upon a time, plastic furnishings were meant to stay in pre-K classrooms with primary-colored finger paint spattered all over them. Then, a very merci beaucoup to Kartell, and plastic, contemporary furniture became the go-to for gracing homes with luxe and sophistication. 

Now, Kartell keeps on giving. The classic Louis Ghost Chair (pictured above) that Philippe Starck designed comes in a variety of colors. If I were so lucky to own these chairs, I would keep it traditional with the crystal clear color adding this seating to a dark, domineering, rustic wood dining table. 

Posed with candle light, colorful food and drinks, and a very-well dressed guest list  a dinner party could look much like a lavish one at Marie Antoinette's minus the roller, white wigs..ugh.

Come back tomorrow for more on Kartell and a little surprise!

All Aboard

I told you I have lots of baggage, but so did Holly Golightly... so I believe it's a good thing. No but seriously, I love old vintage luggage, especially as display.  The bottom case was found at a senior center in Maine for $1.50...quite the steal, I know. The best part is that it still has an international customs stamp on it from the 60's. The trunk was found at UCLA Thrift  in Santa Monica for $20. The train travel case matches the bottom Samsonite case identically.  It was bought at a vintage store in the Little Ethiopia district of L.A. for $10. I also managed to find the larger case of this tan Samsonite series in Texas for $25, but American Airlines would have made it total $50 to check it on out here.

In Breakfast at Tiffany's, Holly Golighlty leaves her cream luggage by the door.  I, too, opted for this placement in my bungalow, but moved it to the bedroom as I was in desperate need for an additional nightstand.

With the suitcases set as an additional nightstand, there is this his/her side of the bed theme going on. I like the masculine and feminine tension played in home design because it makes the space feel more like someone actually lives here.  I also used a navy, Jonathan Adler duvet cover with a geometric print to add a more masculine touch with a preppy, frat boy feel. Although, I think the femme side is winning in these domestic quarters.

Now, if only I could get Fred Baby (George Peppard) to come write on this typewriter.

Style Icon: Alison Mosshart

Some people idolize Marilyn Monroe, others admire Jackie O (I do too, obvi), Audrey Hepburn (another fav) is on a poster in every sorority girl's room and then there are those who like Paris Hilton (eww,ugh,wtf and everything in between). But Alison Mosshart, the front woman of The Kills and now with The Dead Weather, makes her usual rocker t-shirt and jeans with buccaneer boots so biker-chic,not-butch is another style icon that I would love to portray just as well. 

Her style offers comfort as she moves with a smooth, seductive grace that would look like a seizure on anyone else. Her rocker style screams as an eff-you-unapproachable look, but one that you can't help take your eyes off.  

Perhaps, it's the way she carries herself in the clothes that I have managed to love as she continues to live as if they weren't any rules ever to exist to even be broken--do you know what I mean?

She's a total badass that can work anything with such talent, but wouldn't even care what you thought anyways. 

And her voice and sound as half of The Kills is amazing, too!

Oh, Coco

I just adore her.

I have a few reproduced prints of Coco Chanel's sketches. The sketches are of the 1920's, 30's, and 40's which I just love! 

I am reading a biography are on her right now...it currently fills the void of not living/ being in France (sometimes). 

DIY: Tea Light Lanterns

Save your soup cans, please. There are so many things one can do with metal cannisters, rather than fill than up in a landfill, or waste another round of energy being thrown in the recycler, so get creative!

Here I made lanterns to line up my steps at night that still look pretty during the day.

This is a great idea for New Years party coming up. You can use light to make a party more sparkling than all those sequined mini dresses and blazers of your guests come New Years Eve.

Here, I used left over decorative/scrapbooking paper that I wrapped around the can with a hot glue gun for adhesion.  I drilled holes around the can with various sized drill bits. After, I covered the can with Mod Podge to protect the paper from the outdoor elements. Light up a tea light inside and you're good to go!  

For New Years Eve, I would look for a glittered paper in bright or silver monochromatic to use for a more festive setting. You could also use glitter paint with all sorts of printed paper that would be super cute. Also, cut both top and bottom sides of the can with an open and glue one can on another for height with a hot glue gun. This will add drama with different heights and candles!

I don't know how fire retardent it is, so it's best not to treat it like your outdoor runway lights and leave the house, k?!!

xoxo.

Like I said, minimalism is not my thing

So this bookshelf isn't something you would find in the home of a Puritan, minimalist, transcendentalist, bibliophile, etc.. but it does offer lots of spaces for the wandering eye.

I used a a bookshelf from Ikea to display a few of my favorite possessions beyond the books...it's playful and adds pops of color to the room. It reminds me of a kindergartner stashing their show-and-tell item in their designated cubby hole---without the whole baby-wipe-smell going on.

In between I did a merch display. I love clutches and can't bring myself to stuff them in a closet... they are much more beautiful here and admired afar.

I love trains, the idea of traveling in a time when it was considered glamorous, and of course the vintage luggage that comes along with it. I found a train travel case in the Little Ethiopia District of L.A. for $5. I store all my tights, scarves, and gloves in here for it to spill out. 

I love these sneakers that I found  in NYC. The poppy orange and lilac make me burst into a color-happy-coma.

I used cookie jars from Ikea to store my belts. They play on the whole candy jar thing and are organized and visible for me to remember to wear, too.

Tickle Me Turquoise!

I was in search for a decent tall-boy dresser that had a little something more than pressed-wood, could make a statement while being practical, and possessed a feminine presence with a French Provincial twist. For $85, Cayman blue acrylic paint, white flat spray paint, and polyurethane I was pleased with the result.

Found this in my fave district of Little Ethiopia...a set designer's frequent stop and most reliant ally. It was beautiful and in good condition before, but lacked the excitement for someone who still wants to live in Barbie's Dream House.

Ah,much better, don't you think?

Here it  makes the corner pop in my bedroom with a white surrounding.

I tried to pose my bedroom furniture as if it were a set.  I had used the same Cayman blue on this night stand that I originally altered two years ago.  But this year it was revamped when I exchanged the knob for a professionally-bedazzled one from Anthropologie for $13 to glam it up. I know it was a lot for one knob, but it's just one of those little things that brightens my day. Besides, it properly accessorizes this flaunty character of a nightstand with these gorgeous-whistle provoking-Cabriole legs.

Enjoy the weekend!

xoxo.

Trés Chic

Just watched the second half of the sixth season of SATC... again. Carrie Bradshaw makes Paris that much more fabulous and takes you to being weak-in-the-knees-in-L-O-V-E with the French way of life.