tricks

my hair likes to play tricks on me. some days it behaves and looks ok. its like it knows i want to cut it. i think it looked ok today and yesterday...



so what should i do? help!

i finally got to wear my cropped jeans i got in tokyo today because its the warmest its been since we got back. btw, the slippers the hotel has provided are so comfortable.


james perse tee
bird skull necklace
y's yamamoto blazer
lowrys farm jeans (from oioi young)
vintage belt
repetto flats

1.29.09

for somebody who asked, yes, i am at sia. last day, thank goodness. goodbye vegas. the show is moving next year. so goodbye vegas probably forever, unless i start going to magic or something. hopefully not. i don't particularly like going to trade shows because what i do at them is a lot of work, but the $ payoff is sort of good, and i kind of see it as easy money.

i saw this really cool paper/fabric camouflage stuff in this one random booth. i asked them what it was and it is indeed some sort of laser-cut camouflage. it's made from a strong, papery type material (du-pont tyvek- thanks kenta). i'm going to look for some when i get home. i'm not sure what i would do with it yet, but its pretty cool.



maybe a room divider or curtain?

edit: also, the only brand that i was personally interested in, isaora, is a new line of outerwear out of new york. i particularly liked their booth aesthetics. i may need to incorporate some cinder blocks into our house, much to jon's probable chagrin.



i've been looking for one of those short french industrial stools for a while. i want one for our entry for putting on shoes and stuff.

hmm. i see.

ugh. well, there are now no dometic magazines i buy (i consider us mags domestic, even though i'm canadian, fyi). after what seems like months of speculation and rumor, domino just folded. frankly i'd rather see condé nast fold american vogue. hah! now i wonder what happens to my 3-year subscription i paid for... i hope they don't give me a subscription so some other crappy 'nast magazine. actually i could probably put a cooking magazine to good use, but whatever.

actually i think i am going to subscribe to national geographic. i always relish reading them in doctors/dentist/derm offices, and i recently bought the newest issue to read on the plane. i like them because the articles are actually extremely fascinating and the images are always stunning.

rip domino. anyone know where i can find skona hem in vancouver? i've looked everywhere i can think of but to no avail.

1.27.09

i cannot believe what fucking luck i have sometimes. sorry for the profanity, but i was, and am, very very giddy about this find. i have loved this alexander mcqueen x samsonite black label roller bag since it arrived on earth, and today while strolling through the fashion show mall in vegas, i happened upon one at.... 70... %.... off. oh yes. it is mine. and i was just telling you how things i covet for a long time somehow end up in my wardrobe. here is the most recent example. i am a firm believer that if you wait long enough, love it enough, it will find its way to you.



i felt such glee as i wheeled it out of the store. i was literally grinning like a big dork. i originally wanted black, but the brown is pretty nice too. a good change from my all black tendency.

do you want to know the other fucking crazy thing? i was talking to jon when i got back to my hotel and showed him what i got (we were video chatting on ichat) and he had ordered the exact same frigging bag for me today. tell me- what are the odds for that to happen?? what?? he is trying to see if he can cancel the order.

i also got a really rad waistcoat from zara, along with a skirt. pictures may come soon.



my bright-ass hotel room. there is far too much peach in this room for my liking.

i don't know why i'm so sweary right now. apologies.

1.26.09

i am writing to you from vegas. here for a trade show. my flight was delayed so i got into vegas quite late. i'm going to check out barneys tomorrow night after working the trade show. hoping for some sale merchandise. i am getting that shopping spree feeling- i have some big holes in my wardrobe that need filling. black trousers, silk or crinkly linen mini skirt (i may make this), suede ankle booties (i saw some amazing ones on this girl in the airport), a collarless jacket, a short circle skirt (i should just make this) and more tops... not to mention a new handbag... maybe i will do some gambling while i'm here... it couldn't hurt, right?

puppy update: little santos is not so timid anymore. in fact, she is being quite bratty. stealing things, peeing in her crate, biting. she is close to the teething age, so maybe she is trying to work out some pain/frustration.

the more and more i look at myself in the mirror or in photos the more i want a drastic haircut. i want to be done fighting with this long curly hair. it always just ends up looking sloppy, messy and unkept. i just never know what will look good with my face shape. i just wish a stylist would say: i know exactly what haircut would make you look best. but i haven't had that happen before.

i am thinking something like this maybe. since it will be shorter it will be much much much faster to make straight (i have a nice hot ceramic flat iron already)



and then i can also wear it curly (would not be as short as hers, but you get the picture)


i wish my hair was red sometimes. isn't it funny we always want something we do not have. so many people say 'oh i wish i had curly hair like you- mine is just thick and straight.' to that i say 'HAH! no you don't!' and i wish i had thick straight hair. maybe i can slowly start implanting jon's nice asian hair follicles into my scalp. there must be an expert village video for that diy...

1.24.09

little santos is adjusting well to her new home. a few mishaps, as to be expected, but all in all she is doing exceptionally well. currently napping on her corner of the sofa.

1.22.09

i have been amazing myself lately with the amount of restraint i've been having regards to the sales that are on now. i'm probably not helping the economy, but i am helping my credit card debt.

i am starting to think a bit about things i may need come spring. its hard not to when all the new spring stuff is showing up online. but i am also thinking of things that are season-less. as in weather and not 'fashion seasons'. or maybe both. but in the back of my mind, i know that every single time summer rolls around i am clueless about what to wear. at least there is plenty of time to figure that out between now and june.

for the now, i still need a nice waistcoat, which can be worn easily fall through winter and spring. black. slightly long- definitely not cropped or 'fitted' in any regard. i really really wish i bought this viridi-anne one i saw at komakino on sale, but it was before our trip to japan, so i thought i might find it there. nope. that always happens to me, but things that i covet for a long period of time often wind up in my wardrobe eventually. i will wait it out to see if i can find it again, or find another equally perfect waistcoat.

i really like this complex geometries dress from oak. i think its basically the same shape as the top i got from them in the summer, but dress length and wool jersey instead of cotton jersey. i realized i need more dresses in my wardrobe, and to figure out what shoes i can wear with dresses. it's often too easy to just throw on a pair of jeans.


i wouldn't mind having one of these as well. i won't lie- i would round off the point on the hood though.


i also need one or two 'fancy' tops. i am considering this one from k karl lagerfeld but i'm not sure if the ruffles are too ruffly or just ruffly enough. opinions?


also really trying not to buy these, and also trying to resist justifying pre-ordering the spring lace-up sandals


i am also in desperate need of a hair cut. i think i want a big change. i just wish my hair wasn't so curly.

anyway, we bring home our new family member tonight, so be prepared for a lot of puppy talk.

1.18.09

this weekend we went to see some breeders. the puppies are all so cute its hard to decide! i just had to share this picture of two of our three candidates. how could you resist that face?



edit: jon thinks that she looks like dobby in this picture. hehe.

runner project

the other night when i was trying to get to sleep, my mind wandered, as it usually does. i wanted to buy a felt runner for our table, but then i got this idea to use some grey wool scraps i had squirreled away and piece them together in a linear fashion to make a runner. i got out of bed in the dark, found my sketchbook and sketched the idea. in the dark. so i wouldn't forget.

yesterday i cut up all the pieces and laid them out like a puzzle.


today i sewed them together and here is the result.


detail



i am becoming more comfortable with the mustard tinted concrete floors. if i think of mustard in terms of a colour palette (say, mustard, grey, white) it sounds a lot better in my head. so i will just keep thinking that and try to keep with that palette for anything else we bring into the house.

here are some instructions if you want to make a scrap wool runner too.

1. find some scrap wool. you could buy some new, but it's not as fun.

2. determine the width at the center of the runner. it may be determined by the widest scrap you have available.

3. start cutting out horizontal scraps that more or less match up to each other. some of mine were triangular shaped, but i made sure there was a 'match' so that the runner was kept straight.

4. i slowly made my runner narrower at each end. mostly due to smaller and smaller scraps. you could cut them to all be the same width, but i kinda like the organic wonky shape i made.

5. lay out all your 'puzzle' pieces and start sewing them together wrong sides together, so that the seam is on the top of the runner. you can use a coloured thread and bobbin if you want, but i used white for a neutral look. also, i pinned a few of them together to take them to the sewing machine so they would stay matched up and in order.

6. once you have sewn all the pieces together, clip all your threads, and press the back side so that the runner will lay flat. use more steam and less pressure- you don't want to mangle or crush the seams on the other side.

enjoy!
i think i'm going to keep a little moleskin and pen beside the bed for future midnight ideas.

t-collection

looking forward to mr.wang's diffusion line of t-shirts. this long sleeve looks perfect. i always used to feel uncomfortable in long sleeve t-shirts until i got one from rick owens. now i'm finding them invaluable for layering in the winter- duh.





you can see more pictures at nitrolicious

1.14.09

hello there.

i got these earrings in the mail the other day. a late christmas gift from my mom. i love them. i don't wear earrings very often, but these are just perfect. thorns.

1.12.09

we had a little whippet meet-up over the weekend. through krista we found a couple in our area who have two whippets so jon could assess his allergies, and we could learn more about owning a city whippet. i forgot to bring my camera -ofcourse!- their two were so cute, i would have taken one home if they let me. luckily jon fared well, so it's a go! i'm going to have a pet! we are gong to have a pet i mean...ofcourse, like with all things i am about to acquire, i go into research mode.



apparently crate training might be a good idea- not for disciplinary purposes, but so the dog has his own little cave he can hang out in and sleep in at night- somewhere they feel safe. ofcourse this eicrate is the most aesthetically pleasing on the market. it's pricey, but our place is small and i don't want a big unsightly wire cage in the corner of the room. a big pretty wire cage is better, non? i'm just not sure if a whippet would fit? the company that makes the kennel also has a cover and interior bed you can buy, but i think i would improvise and use a vintage wool camp blanket on top, and sew a custom bed for inside with a nice durable fabric maybe in a cool print or just a simple linen...

in fashion news, i've been trying to resist blowing my entire budget and pre-ordering this ann d. tunic/shirt/vest... sigh.

1.8.09

hello! i haven't felt very bloggy lately. jon and i are trying to find a whippet with help from the lovely krista at whippet snippets (thanks for all the help!)

i haven't been very interested in shopping lately, except for home stuff. there is a sweater on ebay that is paining me because i want it, but i'd rather spend the $300 on wallpaper. ugh-priorities.

i will leave you with some pretty things i've been looking at over the last few weeks.



iittala lanterns



louise campbell vases



salt and pepper cups from horne







also, you should really check out emma's posts on her 'favorites' of 2008. (this lamp keep haunting me!)

the artist's way

(elle decor- my ideal environment)

are you familiar with it? i've had this book for a long time and tried to work through it last year, but it never stuck. as in, i got through the first chapter and wrote like 4 days worth of morning pages before losing interest. i started up again with it about a month ago, trying to get some creative juices flowing and what not. i will try this before i try a therapist.

here are some quotes from week 4 that resonated with me

"shifts in taste and perception frequently accompany shifts in identity. one of the clearest signals that something healthy is afoot is the impulse to weed out, sort through, and discard old clothes, papers, and belongings."

about 'reading deprivation' a week-long self imposed ban on reading books, emails, tv, etc. (would include ye old feed reader for me) i can probably get away with this for one week this month, as a lot of my business can be conducted via skype. talking. yes, i shudder from the inside out.

"for most artists, words are like tiny tranquilizers. we have a daily quota of media chat that we swallow up. like greasy food, it clogs our system. too much and we feel, yes, fried."

so true- it felt so good to be without computer access while in japan for 3 weeks. i came back feeling so good- so light without all the heavy (sometimes) useless information weighing down my brain. some more food for thought- check out this post 'cutting through the design blog smog' by holly becker for real simple.

i need to work on 'artist dates' though. you're supposed to do one per week. it's like a little outing to feed your inner artist. like check out a gallery, buy some fun things at an art store, do something that you love doing but never do (bike-riding, painting,) etc. i've only done one and it's been 5 weeks.

if you work in a creative field, how do you get your creativity flowing if it's been blocked?