Pardon my French

A room inspired by a dynamite movie... Jean-Luc Godard's 1965 drama Pierrot Le Fou
Gray Couch by Country Living



Vintage Blue Enamel Floor Lamp - $575 from Nickey Kehoe


I found these Vintage Handmade Goldenrod pillows at VindeeLyndee on etsy
Mustard swirls pillow- $53 from Myakka Pillows


Kidney shaped Lucite coffee table-$1,200 from Uber Modern

Shag carpet made by Klaussner Home furnishings- Houseput.com

Red small vintage chair- $110 from William-Wayne & Co.


This scene from the film reminded me of Lichtenstein's work

Opaque linen panels in Platinum- $44 a panel at West Elm

1960's Panasonic clock- image from A mid-century, Modern Interiors Flickr group


Silkscreen "Je Participe"- SOLD piece from May1968.com

My first attempt at Pierrot Le Fou by joisyphene on Polyvore.com

Items in this set: Classic Red Phone, 68 GBPLIATORP, $180Super 2000-gram Greek Flokati Wool Shag Rug (2' x 4') Overstock.com, $6010 Glorious Gray Tufted Sofas Roundup Apartment Therapy San...
Helix Linen Pillow in Mustard Modern Chic Home

This room wouldn't be complete without a Marianne Renoir...

Get her look... Anna Karina inspired fashion ideas below:

French cigarettes, stripes and a handgun of course

All sorts of tips from Statues & Attitudes

Anna Karina by KajalNoir featuring Bottega Veneta tops

Items in this set: Bottega Veneta Silk knit tank top, $270Black Stripe Beach Short, 60 AUDRepetto Infante Crackle Platform Pumps - Zoe, $345The Monique Sunglasses, $12Allan's Forum - View topic - Your favorite HAT

A whole fashion show based on Karina's films at A Slowboat to Mediocrity

More:IMDB
Pierrot Le Fou
"compensatory decorative exhilaration"

Gypsy Honeymoon

Thanks to my friend and P.I.C. (partner in crime) Vanessa, I spent this last weekend in San Francisco! What better way to celebrate a birthday than with a spur of the moment trip to the Golden City. Although this was my sixth trip or so, this time I stayed entirely in the Mission, my new favorite place. Some highlights include:

* Amazing food at Herbivore : a completely vegetarian/ vegan restaurant with huge proportions and variety

* Drinks at Dirty Thieves: big booths, with the best jukebox I've ever danced to

* Lounging at Dolores Park: bring your bubbles and sparkling bubbles too

and of course, thrifting!

We hit up Mission Thrift for their $1 mustaches and ended up with eighties prom dresses (no joke, we're going to prom this Friday at the Pearl).

We were on the bound for some good coffee when I found *Gypsy Honeymoon*

In one word, I would call it delightful. In two words- delightfully enchanting!

Inside I found a wonderfully spun nest of bohemian treasures, everything from vintage teaspoons to this framed 1940's Beetle collection (most likely from a University or museum)

It felt like the genius child of Architectural Salvage and the vintage clothing boutiques in Greenwich Village... with little nooks of goodness everywhere.

Look at this hardware! At $12 a piece, original Bakelite in all my favorites colors. I don't know how I managed to leave without a whole set. These would be great to jazz up an old dresser or kitchen drawers even. Did I say they came in all my colors?

This vignette especially thrilled me. Victorian dolls and a floral shawl from the 70's...

I think tea should always be served with a lesson in Phrenology and purple orchids

This antique medical cabinet is straight out of Mark Ryden's studio... especially because the fellow inside is a wax mannequin made in Paris, sometime in the teens. At $3,200 he is the real deal, with genuine human hair, glass eyes and porcelain teeth. That's hot.

Unfortunately I didn't get a closer shot to share, but this early Nippon tea set made me want to re-do my entire kitchen in espresso and mustard. It's a joke to get a set of 4 cups with saucers, 6 bowls, a teapot, sugar bowl and creamer for only $150. Had I any room in my carry-on, this would have been mine.

This is just a tiny bit of it, you certainly have to just see Gypsy Honeymoon in person to really experience it. It's the perfect place to find something a bit magical and aged, without having to dig through piles and piles of crap first. The best part is you don't have to wear gloves to get to it; the way it's set up lures you into exploring a bin of photographs and/or brooches as if it belongs to your favorite Grandparent (or "antique friend" as I like to call them).

Gabrielle Ekedal, the owner- has an obvious eye for the slightly ghostly and necromantic finds, but with a delicate mix of Victorian charm it feels feminine, not demonic. Like leather and lace (in blush, not black). She took over the store when the owner decided to move overseas, and has been at their current location for 3 years. Before that, Gypsy Honeymoon was just down the street and around the corner, and a little less pulled together.

San Francisco is known for being a great place to shop, and unexpectedly finding shops like this just confirms it. Come to find out, it's actually a local favorite as mentioned in these blogs:

* MissionLocal.org

* Handful of Salt

* Apartment Therapy San Francisco

Next time I'm there, I will definitely be back. And this time, I'm leaving with something!

Birthday Baby Cakes

Good things can come in small packages, and one of my favorites is cupcakes! This year for my birthday I'm dying for one... or a few... hehe

I just love the whole concept of something delicious crammed into a cute cup, smeared with goodness, crowned with a candle or topper then dusted with sprinkles! What could be better?

Having your cake and eating it too!

Oh Seattle, you are only a short flight away. These creations at Trophy are just adorable. I'll take two, thank you...

These canister's from Domino are sweet!
Forget the cherry on top, I want one of these customized toppers from Diana Evans

but I also love the glitter and glitz of the vintage images you'll find at Bug & Boo on Etsy

ohmygoodness I may just have to re-think my Halloween costume.... this is too cute!
(Image All things cupcake)

Well, if I have to do it myself, these Designer baking goods make me want to bake! From the baker's confections and Urban Outfitters

Everything you could ever need at Bake it Pretty

And don't forget the sprinkles!

(image from Amy Sedaris "i like you")

9 by Design

Since Jersey Shore ended, there's hardly any t.v. worth watching anymore (haha) but lately I've stumbled upon Bravo's newest docu-series called 9 by Design. I not only like it, I set-my-Dvr-to-record-love it! It features the crazy life and creative genius of a husband/ wife team of designers based in New York City.

Robert and Cortney Novogratz started renovating run down urban facilities in New York City in the early 90's. With little funds, they renovated a space in the up and coming "Chelsea" neighborhood. When (then) big-time Musician Suzanne Vega offered to rent the space at three times the mortgage, they of course obliged, and the rest is history! Since then they have popped out 7 kids and 8 renovated homes, all of which appear to have turned out pretty nicely (despite being named Five, as their fifth child was... which I think is unique but just sayin')

What I love about what they do, is first off the fact that they're self taught and insanely creative. They've used nontraditional and usually abandoned spaces and turned them into spacious homes, mostly by using recycled or reclaimed materials from the original fixture. Here is a before picture of one of their projects:

And After:
I especially love how instead of a standard rooftop garden, they opted for something their kids would use, a basketball court! But this one mimics the design of an adjacent church dome... I also love the eclectic mix of antique and modern accessories they use inside:
And their use of texture to add warmth to white walls, like these graphic curtains in the twins room: Here they used a garage door in leu of standard windows and/or french doors to open up the kitchen space and enjoy the view of the city:
For more images & info on their book, go to their official website Sixx Design
Or just watch on Bravo Tuesday night's, which I am going to do right now!

Thread Show *Standouts*

In no particular order...

*Pocket gardens and living sculptures by Tend: Enduring Design for Modern Living
* Recycled Wears from Taxi cdc

* The cutest little barrettes and accessories at ohhellofriend * Swimsuits that actually make me want to swim! Fables is coming soon to San Diego...* The only art in the place worth seeing, by far. Artist Zaragoza from Peppermint DayDreams
* Mid Century furniture that is pristine (and actually affordable) at Nest VintageImage from website

and last but certainly not least Sezio! A non-profit artist's organization in San Diego, run by some pretty charming boys. Their next event is happening this Tuesday April 13th at Bar Basic.
Maybe I'll see ya there...

indie design & fashion show

This year's THREAD spread runs Sunday April 11th from 11-5pm at some abandoned building in Horton Plaza. I've never gone before, but this year I am going for the following reasons...
Can't pass the chance to:

* Shop Eco-friendly designers in the THREAD Responsibly section
* Get in the door for $8 (if you donate clothes at the door, $10 without)
* Swap something old for something new! (By bringing a bag of clothes to part with in exchange for a bag of someone else's in the THREAD Swap Lounge).
* Browse The Haiti Poster Project collection and buy art that will benefit Haiti

* See more than 100 independent designers with their Spring trends

Not to mention this year they've added a housewares department... ooh la la!

I'm there, who's coming with?

(P.s.- I want this coat...) All the info here