THOUGHT PATTERNS

Glorious Pattern

I just stumbled onto this book called "Examples of Chinese ornament", by Owen Jones, London, 1867. It is full of, well, examples of Chinese ornament..., of course :), selected from the objects in South Kensington museum and other collections (100 plates, to be exact). It is absolutely incredible. If you click here you can flip through every single page and gorge yourselves on amazing colors and patterns. I'm particularly partial to blue and white so that's what I'm mostly sharing here. But there are so many more amazing colors and incredible patterns, I urge you to look.

This makes me want to make dozens of pattern inspired papercuts. So far I've done Batik and Faux Bois and a limited edition collection for a design company (see here) but I'm eager now to do more.

So, enjoy...

 

Gorgeous!

xoxoxo

Ladies in Waiting

One of my customers who purchased my Marie Antoinette Brooch told me about these Ladies in Waiting plates from Anthropologie. Dear me, I almost fainted with delight after seeing them...

Aren't they just the greatest?!

Perfect for macaroons. (This image source: tete-a-tete)

And here is my Marie Antoinette...

(clockwise: as a papercut, locket necklace  brooch and a pendant necklace)

  

 

Oh, Marie...

For more papercut and jewelry designs do visit my shop!

xoxoxo
 

Looks like lace and it makes you want to do things

So tired. Had a long, lovely day galavanting around San Francisco neighborhoods with my husband, Terry. Just saw Mad Man and now I'm winding down, browsing through Etsy, waiting for the sleep to come in on little cat's feet. Wanted to share with you some loveliness by One Clay Bead, just discovered...

Black and White Bird Dessert Plates handmade hand built pottery

I want!

I want to eat chocolate cake off of one of these plates. (Any time soon will be fine. Breakfast?)

Raven Watch- rustic hand built stoneware sculpture pottery bowl

I'm just smitten by this one. Ravens, crows, throw them my way in any form... I'll take them. Throw them my way with some handmade stoneware pottery action going on and I'm dying to take them!

OWL - Orange glaze Rustic candle holder sculpture stoneware pottery

Wonderfully orange and... dare I say wise?

The bottom side of the owl - isn't it beautiful? Looks like a turtle!

Textured Lace Bowl in River Journey hand built stoneware pottery

This bowl would make me want to eat cereal in the morning. (And I am NOT a cereal person. Let me repeat...)

Such lovely colors. Would look great mixed with some rice checks. I think.

Rustic stoneware dinnerware handmade Beach Cottage 3 piece set

Gosh, this dinnerware makes me want to entertain! (To show-off. As I'm NOT an entertaining kind of girl-person.)

Love the back. It looks like a delicate lace. Love lace. Love this shop.

Off to bed.

Good night.

xoxoxo

Cobblestone Streets

Yet another cold and foggy day in San Francisco. I'm not complaining too much, as I don't like the heat and I don't envy those who are suffering right now in 100-or-so degrees. I would appreciate a little sunshine, though. As, I'm sure, would our lemon tree and our little succulents. My complexion seems to be reflecting the gray of the skies, and my gaze could do with a little sun ray sparkle. The best I can do is to fantasize a bit tonight about strolling lazily through sunny, warm, narrow and bright Mediterranean cobblestone streets...

It's hot, but you're protected by the coolness of the aging stone and the shade cast by the tall narrow buildings. It's quiet, but you can hear some voices in the distance. It's cozy and solitary.

The ringing of the bicycle bell stirs you from your thoughts and you move away for the unsteady cyclist to pass you by.

The little courtyard you enter seems inviting and forbidding at the same time. You sneak in and sit on the bench enjoying the moment and your thoughts. Inhaling deeply the aromas of flowers and the sea. It's truly invigorating.

You walk further, in search of adventure. The smooth cobblestone feels so soothing under your feet.

Oh, those cobblestone streets. You weren't fast enough or he wasn't steady enough. You help him pick up the fruit. He rewards you with the juiciest mandarin you've ever tasted.

 

You see chairs and what seems like a small cafe in the distance. You let out a content sigh. A glass of wine would be perfect just about now.

xoxoxo

{photos 1, 2, 3, 4, 5}

She wore flowers...

..in her hair...

 

Can you guess?

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Lovely Frieda Kahlo. Every time I see a color photograph of her I get so pleasantly overwhelmed by her appearance.

And that's also how I felt a couple of years ago seeing her paintings at SFMOMA. It's always somehow so surreal to me when I see these famous paintings in person. Paintings I'm so used to seeing in art books. Surreal and wonderful.

There are two exhibits in San Francisco this year which I am so eager to see, and hopefully will see. They are at the de young museum. The first one is "Birth of Impressionism: Masterpieces from the Musée d’Orsay" (featuring works by Manet, Monet, Degas, Renoir...) and immediately after it "Van Gogh, Gauguin, Cézanne and Beyond: Post-Impressionist Masterpieces from the Musée d’Orsay." I'm very excited about it.

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What are you doing this weekend? I always make great plans, like, repot all the plants, decoupage the refrigerator (see note on the bottom of this post), do a big cleaning, work a lot, read a book, tidy my closet, visit the antique mall and have a brunch at Amber India (great Indian restaurant).

Unfortunately, or luckily, most of the time I end up having long leisurely coffee at a cafe, and maybe I work a little. 

This weekend I'm determined to at least repot a couple of plants and at least decoupage the front of the refrigerator. And I'm looking forward to it plenty.

Hope your weekend will be a pleasant one.

xoxoxo

{I was going to decoupage the refrigerator with my lovely paper last weekend (as announced in this post), but realized that I was not going to have enough paper for the whole fridge. And the art-store had none left! And it's such a nice paper. So, I'm going to have to improvise and use maybe a solid purple and green paper for the sides. I hope it looks good!}

So beautiful, it hurts

There is something about certain fabric, heavy texture, embroidery, murals, decayed walls, cushioned chairs and unusual but perfect color combinations that especially pleases me. When I first saw these photos by Tobias Harvey my heart literally ached from all this beauty. Hopefully you will find it as visually pleasing as I did...

  

A place where Shakespeare could have performed. (It reminds me of the sets and atmosphere created in Tom Stoppard's movie "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead"- one of my all time favorite movies.)

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I love this kind of embroidery. It's so delicate and sturdy at the same time.

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I couldn't think of a better use for this fabric. Blue roses for one's faithful and treasured horse.

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I could stare and stare at this forever.

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I wish I could recreate this kind of walls in our home. The thing is, I don't really want to recreate this, I want my decaying walls to be real. :)

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The light is just perfect in this photo. It feels unreal, like something out of a dream.

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Beautiful old stenciled prints. The difference in color from image to image is so subtle but the overall impact is amazing.

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This looks like a Maharajah's chamber. Oh, those decayed walls!

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Visually challenging. If you look more carefully, a real dress, hair decoration, a bird and mannequin hands were placed over a painted portrait. Giving it dimension. How brilliant.

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This is the spot I could easily stay in forever.

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For more amazing photographs, please visit Tobias Harvey's website.

xoxoxo  

Tonight I'm Coveting....

... these spectacular beauties, ready to be taken out on a dance floor...

Silver and gold leather and oilcloth evening sandals, late 1930s - early 1940s.

Sadly, size 5 (I'm 9.5, but maybe I can squeeze my feet in? Cut the big toes off? Any suggestions?)

Then...

1940s Leather Doctor's Bag

I'm not a doctor, but it would sure accommodate nicely all of my necessities!

I know I'm being ridiculous, but I really want these...

Victorian two tone baby button boots. To keep under my Bell Jar.

It gets even better. :)

I'd like to start my Vintage Sideshow Photo collection with...

Vintage Sideshow Circassian Girl Photo

A fantastic carte de visite photo of a sideshow entertainer known as the Circassian Girl. With her hair teased into an afro-like hairdo, she portrayed a woman from Northern Caucasus, who had been kidnapped and enslaved in a Turkish sultan's harem before escaping. Circa: late 19th c.

Love her!!!

I wouldn't mind feeling special in...

 

Vintage 1900's Lost Horizon Lace Blouse

Which, I would courageously pair with this...

Vintage 1930s style RAH RAH SIS BOOM BAH Collegiate Shag Jacket

With those silver shoes from beginning, we're talking bold here!

I know I should go pick out a skirt or a pair of sailor pants to complete this ensemble, but instead I will calm down, stray a bit and covet this toy...

Vintage Cat Toy - Wind Up Roll Over Cat from 1940s.

So Cute.

I'd like to watch him roll over again and again and again... again and again, until I'm ready to go to bed.

Like right now.

Sweet dreams...

xoxoxo

Color on Color

These incredibly vibrant fresh cut flowers look amazing against an even bolder flower wallpaper and on top of a delightful flower tablecloth. Instead of competing, they complement each other...

I would never dare to or even think of putting together so much color and pattern. My immediate reaction would be to display this incredible flowers against the plain background. Oh, what a mistake that would be.

And what fun and exercise for the eye this cornucopia of shape, color and pattern is.

I would love to have my morning coffee surrounded by such vibrant, warm color and playful beauty.

xoxoxo

{images via}

These rooms I could call my own

A wonderful collection of rooms, that I'd be glad to spend my time in...

 

 

... working and creating...

 

 

... contemplating and remembering...

 

 

... finding out the news, collecting my thoughts...

 

 

... trusting myself to the music...

 

 

... being mesmerized by a portrait... 

 

 

... lovingly observing the plant taking over...

 

 

... being a lady of the manor...

 

 

... being in awe...

 

 

... relaxing with an afternoon glass or two of champagne...

 

 

... reading... reading... reading...

 

 

... looking through the cupboards in search of dark chocolate truffles...

 

 

... eavesdropping behind the door...

 

 

... getting ready for a business meeting bound to save our fading family fortune...

 

 

... gigglingly rethinking putting on this outrageous dress for a night of gallivanting...

 

 

... burying my frozen toes into a shag carpet while sinking into a worn leather chair...

 

 

... starting a doll parts collection.

 

xoxoxo

 

{photos via here, here and here}

Wish, long, crave for...

... these silhouette shoes... they are too good to be true...

Literally, as they are from 2008 Camper "Twins" collection and (I believe) are not available anymore. Very sad. :( 

 

The "Twins" line was about shoes that do not exactly match but compliment one another. "They're twins. Not identical but complimentary. The idea of a pair never made such sense." 

 

Love. Want. Cannot have. Ah, well...

xoxoxo

{via design is mine}