Hello Kitty Never Looked So Good

Simone Lengno, the brains behind Tokidoki, keeps on doing it. He is amazingly prolific and his illustrations are just plain cool. We all know and love Sandy. Hello Kitty - being the stunning fashionista that she is - has borrowed Sandy's outfit. And she looks smashing in it. I'd order this if it weren't for its ridiculous price. Oh well. I love me some Tokidoki. (See previous post here.)

The Beauty of Ordinary Objects, Vol. II

Remember my previous post about iconographic images being rendered into permanent form? (See previous post here). The fact that their function is recognizable is a testament to the skill of designers.

I just find them plain old funky and I dig 'em. Here's one more to add to the collection.

The ceramic soda bottle by Seletti. Available at Urban Outfitters. I want it!

Seletti also makes glass bottles based on plastic water bottles. Totally cool.

Available at Lekker Home.

Thinkin' 'Bout Lilac ... and Purple

There are many shades of purple.  My favorite is lilac.  Jamie Drake got me thinking about these colors. He designed a home for a couple of art collectors that was featured in Elle Decor, and I just can't get it out of my mind. I've never seen a better use of lilac. It's simply stunning. See previous post here. When I win the lottery, I will hire Jamie to fashion an apartment with lake views for my painting and pottery collection. Ahhh. In the meantime, I've been considering whether I should use lilac, or maybe even purple in my spring decor. Here is some lovely inspiration. Hope you enjoy!

Happy Mundane. I adore the block of lavender framing the painting.


Per Magnus Persson via Desire to Inspire. Love those walls. Love those floors.

Simon Watson. This is one of my favorite living rooms of all time. Love the vases, love the painting.

Hotel Ammos via The Style Files.


Domino.




Purple looks great with turquoise. Images Zara Home.

Here's an example of saturated purple.  The purple of these walls give a modern twist to the Chesterfield sofa. Image Dan Duchars via Desire to Inspire.

My new painting, dedicated to Jamie Drake. I adore purple with orange and pink.  24" x 24", acrylic and marker on canvas.

Here is the new painting in my living room. Not sure if I'll keep it there, just playing around. But it does sorta make me want to paint the walls lavender. Think I need a turquoise pillow.

The Prettiest Hat in the World

A hat fit for a queen, designed by Luke Song.

My Apartment - For Today

My apartment. It's humble, but I love it. It is my lab, where I experiment with color. Here is what it looks like, for today. I am gaining deep appreciation for professional photographers. My apartment is so small, it is difficult to photograph.




A vignette in surprising colors on a shelf. I adore the pop of yellow.



Buddha postcard from Thailand above crystal collection.




Dining area. The bed is now behind the bookcase, for added privacy. I need Splat Girl to come to my place and hang curtains from the ceilings.






Beads on a shelf. A new obsession for me.





What I'm reading. Very profound. Good reading for soaking in the tub.



















Here's a secret I've never shown. This is where I blog. It's humble, but it works. I wish I had a laptop. I don't really like those paintings there, but they are part of a series I'm working on.





It is a marvel of organization. I keep loose papers in the orange tote bag. I dream of going paperless.



A couple of toys made by my sweet nephew, GG. I keep these on my desk. They make me happy and make me feel close to him.




Bauhaus bowls from CB2 corral clutter in my kitchen.

Flirting with minimalism in my living room. The yellow piece looks great with a tea light candle in it.

I don't really like the color of these sofas, which is why I usually cover them. But today I felt they needed to be free. I must be a leg person. I really enjoy seeing the legs of the furniture.

I've received emails criticizing me because my place always looks too clean (I have to laugh at that - you should see what it normally looks like). It's true my place is a marvel of organization, but it takes work to keep it that way. I don't like clutter and work hard to keep it at bay. I struggle with balancing a love of things with a love of minimalism. And I have a confession to make, I only photograph it after I have cleaned. But, don't look too closely at this picture. I didn't feel like mopping this weekend. I won't show you the bed - it's not made. You'll just have to take my word for it.

I love the way I can direct the light with my new lamp from Target. Three settings, and poseable arms. It's great for highlighting a piece of art or for when I curl up to read on my sofa.

I'm glad I can't sew...

...because if I did, I'd have another obsession. And I already have too many of those. If I could sew, my place would be full of pillows, because I am constantly drawn to vintage fabrics. And I would love to change my curtains as often as I change my sheets.

I'm glad I can't sew. And I'm not going to learn.

My Apartment - The Influences

I'd like to take a break from obsessing about politics to obsess about one of my other favorite muses. My apartment, ahhh. I love my apartment, humble though it is. My apartment is my lab, where I experiment with colors. Lately, I've been taken with a strange color scheme.

Lots of white, of course. And lots of pink, of course. The surprising part is the burst of yellow and shot of gray. I bought some new pottery from the Salvation Army. Spent about $12.00. The gray vase is rather a departure for me.

I still really want the Hella Jongerius vase from Ikea, which I've written about many times. Ikea won't be carrying this vase much longer, so I need to get off my lazy butt and make the trip to Pittsburg. (I wish Ikea would sell online!) Image from flickr user Noorieke. By the way, Noorieke has a fabulous home, you must check it out.

Look at this beautiful image I found on Ikea's site! I adore yellow with white and hot pink.


I discovered a blog called Happy Mundane. His Christmas decor is so fab, I'd be tempted to leave it up all year. Happy Mundane is a delightful blog, I'll be adding it to my blog roll.

I've been wanting to spray paint branches for a while. Jon put detailed instructions on how to spray paint branches, as well as other craft projects. He also wraps yarn around them for texture. I love the effect.

The sales have been good, and I've bought too many cute things lately.

I bought these beautiful pieces of art glass from my favorite vintage store. They were on sale! I am loving glass, and starting to mix it with my ceramics.

I got this cute ceramic pot at Target. It says Germany on the bottom. A spot of sunshine on a gray day.

A corner of my living room. I adore yellow, turquoise and hot pink with huge amounts of white. But I'm getting tired of the covers on the sofa.

Kim at Desire to Inspire did an interesting post on the Chesterfield. (Image House to Home via Desire to Inspire.) I'm not enamored of the Chesterfield, I don't care about things such as tufting. I like things simple and unadorned. I adore this version, unadorned and in lilac. Oh dear, I'm trying not to think about lilac. It sure does look great with that turquoise vase. And speaking of lilac, Jamie Drake uses it in a way that makes me swoon. (See previous post here). It was the beautiful rooms designed by Jamie that influenced my purchase of art glass.

I enjoy seeing the legs of furniture, so I'm thinking about removing my sofa covers. I have to accept that I am not getting my sofas reupolstered! Together, they cost less than $300. There's no way I'd spend a couple of thousand for a $300 purchase, although I wish they were both pale pink.

I dearly love turquoise and have been contemplating it with cobalt blue. Watching the sun play with this bottle is a meditational experience.

My curtains were influenced by curtains I saw in Elle Decor (see previous post here). And this color combination was influenced by a post at Apartment Therapy.

I adore this color scheme! Hot pink, dark blue and tons of white. (See previous post here).

So how does a girl mix two color schemes, a love of things and still flirt with minimalism? Stay tuned.

Everywhere I Look

I see hope!

All images above by Peggy.

Congratulations to Shepard Fairey for being recognized by the Smithsonian! This is a must-read article about the power of art. I've featured Shepard's work on this blog several times.

Afterall art is politics. And politics is art.

Go "Bama!

Reflections on a Dream

Image by Peggy.