Favorite Fashion Inspiration

I was so excited today when I read this article in the New York Times.  It appears that big name designers are looking back to one of my favorite fashion eras, the 50s, and to one of my very, very favorite fashion icons, Grace Kelly, for inspiration.  I can see why:

We had a book when I was a kid, Life Goes to The Movies.  It had all the pictures that Life magazine published about movies & movie stars.   I pretty much wore out that book staring at the pictures of the beautiful stars in their gorgeous clothes.  I obsessed over this picture:

I still love this photo.  That color! That draping!  That immaculately styled hair!  Swoon.  This dress would be a star on any red carpet today.  That’s the thing about ladies like Grace Kelly & Audrey Hepburn.  You could plop them onto the red carpet today & they would still stop everyone in their tracks.  Much like they did here backstage at the 1954 Academy Awards:

(My favorite source for Grace inspiration is after the jump!)

Lorena Barrezueta on Etsy?

Where have I been?  I can’t believe I didn’t know that Lorena Barrezueta has an Etsy shop!  I have been in love with her unique ceramic products since I saw a clip about them on TV.  (When & on which channel, I have no clue.)  Her etsy shop is full of pieces that have slight imperfections, or products testing a new glaze, or are just lovely surprises.  I love them all:

I love the pretty greens & blues.  I am also in deep smit with this idea of taking something mundane & ordinary to a new, beautiful & sustainable place.  Very, very cool!

Wishing For A Nature Walk

One of my very favorite artists, Lisa Congdon, has a new show opening Thursday night at Swallowtail (2217 Polk St.) in San Francisco from 7 – 9 pm.  Look at some of the incredible pieces she created for the show:

You can learn more about the materials she used & see more of these pieces here.  I really love this work & admire her willingness to use old materials in new, inventive ways.  I have a deep, abiding fear of using old books, papers, etc. in collage work.  It’s too bad because I have a growing collection of old books I’ve picked up expressly for the purpose of making collages.  I think Lisa’s wonderful work will inspire me to conquer my fear & start the page ripping!  Have a lovely day.

Shades of Grey…or Gray

When the bone-chilling deep freeze of January settles over Chicago, I usually find myself in a funk.  Because of this, the past week has been a rough one for me.  I’m trying not to let it spill over into the blog too much, but sometimes, it just can’t be helped.  Today at least I think I’m emerging out of the deep blues & beginning to dive into the hazy greys.  Or grays.  Here are some gorgeous grey goodies I found at the incomparable Jayson Home & Garden.

There’s more after the jump, including one of the sexiest & most masculine sideboards I’ve ever seen.

Still Tangled Up In Blue…

Since I’m still feeling these blues, I thought I’d embrace them.  Today I stumbled upon this painting while reading Bloesem:

This painting, perfectly titled “Tangled Up In Blues” is by Sarajo Frieden.  You can find it for sale at Thumbtack Press, which has an incredible supply of affordable art.  I was really impressed with Frieden’s pieces:

Reading Is Cool – Sarajo Frieden

Keep Talking America – Sarajo Frieden

I was also drawn to the imaginative work of Heiko Windisch, listed in Thumbtack Press as Heiko:

Mama Nature – Heiko

Fatal Roller – Heiko

Blissful Sunday – Heiko

I’ve always loved touches of color amidst a black & white drawing.  I am completely grooving on these pieces.  Somehow, those little splashes of pink, yellow & blue cheered me up a little!  So a special thanks goes out to Bloesem for introducing me to Thumbtack Press & these wonderful artists.  I have a feeling my walls will be getting a facelift with new artwork in the future…

Heath Ledger, 1979 – 2008

I was very sad to see that Heath Ledger was found dead in a New York City apartment of an accidental overdose or a possible suicide.  I was blown away by his performance in Brokeback Mountain & was looking forward to watching his career progress.  After a horrible week of being sick with a severe sinus infection, I’ve been in a January-induced funk & hearing sad news like this always makes me feel worse.  Hopefully, tomorrow I’ll shake off these blues & get back to my regularly scheduled posting. 

Got Wood?

Yesterday, I received an email from my Dad with the most amazing pictures attached.  Here’s one that blew me away:Here’s the inside view of the same car:This is the work of Livio De Marchi, a master woodcarver from Italy.  You can find out more about him here, and you can find more pictures of his work at sambarcroft.com. Or, you can continue after the jump to see some of my favorite pieces!

notNeutral

I fell in love at first click today with notNeutral, an incredibly inventive design company.  I found them while exploring around on 2modern, one of my new favorite on-line design shops.  It was this plate that sold me:

This Washington D.C. plate had me at hello, but the entire city series is pretty wonderful:

(Even more notNeutral gems after the jump!)

Dream Chairs

I have always had very vivid, wild, and extravagant dreams.  If I’m lucky enough to remember some hazy details, I’m usually floored with the weird objects I somehow come up with.  I wish I could tap into the creativity that lies in my subconscious.  I think I might be a successful designer of furniture, kitchenware, lamps & other items.  Unfortunately, I never have access to that during my waking life.  In the meantime, I just look to Philippe Starck’s otherworldly chairs.  This guy must have the most INCREDIBLE dreams:

All of these fantastic beauties are available for purchase at Design Within Reach.  Now if only somebody will buy me one!

In Desperate Need Of A Dog….

Sorry about the tumbleweeds blowing through the Big Daddy Seashell lately.  I guess it took me a little longer to shake the wild west dust off my boots than I originally thought.  We had a wonderful time in Wyoming & even got to go up to Deadwood, SD for a night.  But, the majority of our trip was spent cooking, drinking, relaxing & playing with dogs.  My Dad has three Beagles: Sarabellum, Homer & Smokey.  They are super sweet and so funny.  Brother Bob brought his boisterous Beagle/Jack Russell terrier mix named Dignan (or Diggs), and brother Jon’s lovely girlfriend Shannon brought her Border Collie, Cora.  Ever since we returned, I have been homesick for a dog of my own.  Unfortunately, I don’t think our cat Pooh would enjoy the puppy as much as I would.  Not to mention our landlord, who doesn’t allow dogs in the building.  Until I can get my own, I will have to make do with John W. Golden’s wonderful Fido series:

(Of course, there are more pups after the jump!)