Bon Temps Ahead

We are headed to a fabulous wedding at the glorious Latrobe's.  Have a wonderful weekend!

Photo by Julia Bailey

Hayden Avery

This was a really fun photography side project.  Besides shooting little vignettes for this blog, I have no experience in product photography.  In fact all my photography is from no experience {unless one photo credit in college is considered training}.  So when our friend Leah decided to re-vamp the website for her brick and mortar stationary store Hayden Avery, I jumped at the chance.  We wanted to get a few shots of some of the broad product categories that the shop offers services in.  I think we are off to a great start, now I just need to rack up on some props and hopefully this will be an ongoing project for many years to come.

"The One"

I just can't say enough about My Name is John Michael.   These boys are so fun to watch on stage, their energy is contagious, their expressions are priceless, they sound great, and I really can't help but dance.  They were definitely one of the highlights of Jazz Fest this year and we are really looking forward to catching them at Austin City Limits.  That being said this a slower tune but full of great percussions and harmonies. 

Note: this is a spoiler to the end of the MNIJM set so if you are planning on catching them at ACL...viewer beware.


"The One" My Name Is John Michael - Filmed live at Project3090 from Benjamin Reece on Vimeo.

It's all in the eyebrows

I love this Mischievous Mustache Monkey, "he measures 18 inches tall, but is larger than life"!  As a child my only trick was that I could raise one eyebrow at a time and then gradually I was able to raise them each in succession at greater speeds.  To this day I still love eyebrows and all the expression that they convey.  I think this little guy would be a great gift for kiddos as their first lesson in sarcasm, and suspicion.  If you can win over this monkey then you are skilled in the art of conversation.

On another sock monkey note, I still love this commercial...maybe mischievous monkey needs a Mom tattoo too.

Made in America - Remains Lighting

What an inspiring read: Made in America - Remains Lighting from 1st Dibs.  I would love to meet and work with this dynamic duo behind Remains Lighting.  It is so inspiring to see people following their dreams and doing it a very sustainable and extremely hospitable way. They have a garden full of veggies for the staff to enjoy, a green roof, and manufacture right here in the USofA, unreal!  Read the article for all the fabulous details.

all images via 1st Dibs...I know I have been posting a lot of 1st Dibs Introspectives lately but they are some seriously good reads!

We need more parties in the USA

Really digging this vibe right now. .. 60's surf ephemera. .. . ... .. . ..

Vintage Surfing

LeRoy Grannis

$20K of 60's surf ephemera

Surfing on Nantasket

Have a party weekend!  Much gratitude to my friend Susan who turned me on the this great summer tune in a little lagniappe package.  I am wearing my little piece of the beach now.

I'm a Big Fan.

I really didn't believe the rep who was hosting me on a carpet mill tour in 2006 when he told me the brand name of the oversized warehouse fan was Big Ass Fans....seriously, I love it!  The industrial styling and scale are perfect for so many spaces.  Ten blades operating at slow speed, these ceiling fans are quiet, sustainable, and really move air.   And then there is the AirGo mobile fan which really just looks better than any mobile fan I've ever seen [doesn't it incite a little Footloose and Kevin Bacon nostalgia?]

The newest edition to the family is the Pivot 180...check out just how beautiful the oscillation of this industrial pole mount is!  That sucker is 6' in diameter.  During the hot days of summer, I hope this little clip helps to cool you off.

All images via BigAssFans.com

No compensation here, I'm just a huge fan!

Be the One

Sign the petition.

Inspiration Compounded

Frozen in the perfect state of decay...  with ample history left in its dna....

I really appreciate spaces with ample signs of a good life {if you saw my house and how badly we need an exterior paint job; how exquisitely dented and scratched our pine floors are; or how wonderfully worn our doors are you would know this to be true}.  So when I stepped foot onto this New Orleans compound my heart skipped a beat.  The buildings are all perfectly preserved...the word decay from above is more for dramatic effect.  The interior design feels like stepping into an Anthro catalogue with an excellent mix of antiques, modern art, industrial fixtures, and exquisite rugs strewn everywhere.  Just gorgeous...I would love to be an accessory in this space.  

So I am tending to a few side projects this week so my posts most likely will not be daily {one of which was to get the full album from the above parties online............. almost there}.

Rolling into the weekend

From classy cocktails to brassy brawlers we have quite the weekend in store.  We will be hanging out with some new friends, plenty of old friends, and little family in between.  Hope your weekend is an adventure!

Roller Stop

Baggage

I  think that up next on our scooter accessory list will be this leather top case.  Isn't it just extraordinary!  It is equal parts hip and luxury.  Love it!  Sure wouldn't mind that vintage Lambretta either...

You Are My Heart and Soul

Happy Birthday to my husband, soul mate, and best friend!

Randsom Notes via Harbenger Duo

Always, always, always read the fine print.

I know it is not very lady-like to post such nasty grams, but read the fine print my friends.  Do you see it now(?)...That I am just expressing my love!?!

via Pingg

Sidenote: this is another one of my bad habits.

"Pure Beauty" John Baldessari

Quite a character Mr. Baldessari is.  Last year I was lucky to catch the PBS Art 21: Systems episode featuring Baldessari and I was immediately intrigued by his work.  I love the way that his pieces hold my interest and gaze for quite a while as I try to piece the imagery together.  I love his ability to obscure bland regions of a photograph and give them much more meaning.  {This humorously makes me think of all the times I wanted to pull out old photographs and place circle stickers over the heads of ex-boyfriends or randoms who stick their mugs in our pictures.}  
To promote John Baldessari: Pure Beauty the traveling retrospective of his work, 1st Dibs has an Introspective of his work and the curating process with the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and Tate Modern, written by Marlena Donahue it is certainly a must read.

"...Baldessari's deadpan visual juxtapositions equate images with words and illuminate, confound, and challenge meaning. He upends commonly held expectations of how images function, often by drawing the viewer's attention to minor details, absences, or the spaces between things. By placing colorful dots over faces, obscuring portions of scenes, or juxtaposing stock photographs with quixotic phrases, he injects humor and dissonance into vernacular imagery." -Artist Biography excerpt taken from Art:21

Here is a short excerpt of the Art:21 Systems episode, which hopefully you can catch re-broadcast on PBS.  In this clip he describes how he upcycles old photos and imagery into his art:

{All images via 1st Dibs.  Video via Art 21.}

Picnic-a-go-go

Wallpaper Magazine has comissioned a wonderful collection of artisan goods for their Handmade Issue.  I am just drooling over all the outdoor-worthy items and wishing it was time to pull out some rich fall hues, and lie beneath a tree canopy of fall leaves.

all images via Wallpaper

They really have thought of it all: blanket, cutlery, cocktail set, lawn tables, stop watches and horseshoes...the only thing missing is our favorite game Petanque [luckily we already have a set.]