All because it Carnival Time...

For me the perfect Mardi Gras day starts with an early morning bike ride, Hail Bike-us, and a Bloody Mary from Pal's. Sadly we are not able to be in New Orleans for Fat Tuesday every year so I caught up with my friend Esther K. to give her my synopsis on Mardi Gras away from home. Check out her blog for some of my favorite New Orleans specialties {tunes, king cake and my favorite local tees}. Music is the most important aspect for me so be sure to check out my Mardi Gras playlist.

Tshirts: "Our Trees have Bling" from Dirty Coast and my so vintage 2004 "Tchoupitoulas" from Pooch.

Humid Dreams

If I've asked once, I've asked a million times....When do I get to go to Brazil? Loving these images from The Sartorialist.

Make it Rain

All this precipitation has me wanting to snatch up just a few more pairs of wellies {love my Hunter's}...check out these from Dav....and the great umbrellas!

Shimmering Tapestries of El Anatsui

Photo: Jean-Pierre Gabriel

I really have to thank Axel Vervoordt for turning me onto El Anatsui by commissioning him to drape the the Museo Fortuny in metallic cloth during the 2007 Biennale di Venezia. I immediately loved everything about the above image shown in Interior Design August 2007: the tonal depth, the texture, the architectural detail. I can hardly contain my excitement for the luxuriousness of the cloth made from copper wire and aluminum! Anatsui's work will be installed at Rice Gallery from January 24-March 14, unfortunately we will not be transformed to medieval alleyways during the show but even draping these beauties on white gyp. board will be awe inspiring.

Images via October Gallery

"A Collection a Day"

I always thought I was opposed to collections {insert images of porcelain dolls, Christmas villages, or anything forced upon little girls of an impressionable age}. I am finding myself completely entertained by the new blog of Lisa Congdon, A Collection A Day 2010, her mission is to post each day either a photo or sketch on one of her myriad collections. I haven't been this jealous of art supplies since amassing my drafting supplies in college {more accurately my most recent trip to Texas Art}.

Photos via: A Collection a Day, 2010

"da-da-DAAAA-da"

As today is the first day of the Carnival Season, I would like to pass on a quote from David Rutledge in the Preface to Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans? {a beautiful little book published right after the storm featuring short stories of raw emotion}

Now please pass the king cake....

Saint Cecilia

New Years day we drove over to Austin, to claim our much anticipated Christmas present, a night's stay at the hotel St. Cecilia. After checking-in, selecting our vinyl, and touring our two rooms, we decided to meet back on the patio. I knew that it was the beginning of a great friendship when the bartender, Garret, surprised me with a purple and gold potion {well the potion was purple and the glass was gold}. My adult beverage was Garret's version of an Aviation, my favorite, which features violet liquor, which contributes the color, with a splash of champagne, perfect for celebrating the new year! We spent the entire evening on the grounds of the beautiful hotel imbibing on the patio with the unofficial dog park under the live oaks and as the temperature dropped moved indoors to sip by the fire. The next morning we were good to go with a bloody mary bar and a stroll down South Congress.

It truly was a weekend of inspiration, and renewal. What a wonderful start to the new year and a new tradition!

Knocked my socks off...

Look at what came in the mail! After much discussion about how great knee socks are for galoshes, my friend Anna scooped up a really cute pair in San Fran and mailed them with some curious packaging. If my knee socks in grammar school would have been this cute, I would have rocked the uniform with pride. Thanks Anna, I love them!

A love affair: Beatrice and Woodsley

What's not to love about imbibing in the woods? Beatrice and Woodsley in Denver's Sobo neighborhood was the perfect nightcap for our last night in Denver {although I wish we would have stumbled across it earlier}. The ethereal interior is a fancy woodsy-land created by owners Kevin Delk and John Skogstad, featuring bar shelves of felled logs supported by chainsaws; exposed studs and ship-lap; illumination by hanging lanterns; rain chains as faucets {there certainly is a trick to washing your hands}; and rolls of tp as installation art.

[photo credits: menu: Nina B. via Yelp; restroom and woods: talkof sobo.com; bar: Tiffany C. via Yelp; RR sketch: yours truly]

Just a stone's throw from my parents house, I know to be suspicious of any "walks in the woods" Will takes.

A snowy sight...

What a wonderful holiday we had in Denver. We had flurries everyday followed by festive lights in the evening. I didn't realize until now how tonal and beautiful the days were in comparison to the jewel-toned saturated nights.