Viva La Fedora!

Photo by personal friends of the editor - not to be copied without express permission

While logging onto my blog today - I noticed a miraculous thing! I have posted over 1000 entries!  Wow. Doesn't seem possible.  To celebrate, I'd like to share this fab picture of a fab lady wearing my favorite hat - the Fedora!  To see more of my Fedora Project, please click here.

Fedora.  Looks good on every one.

Happy Monday

It's my fault it rained Friday.  My hair was perfect.  I thought I'd finally be able to get a glamour shot.  Makeup perfect too.  Kinda retro.  And it rained.  Not a complaint really, I love rain.  And as you can see I made the best of it.  I love to splash in puddles!  I told you I'm really a five-year-old stuck in a 52 year old body.  The luxury of my age - I do not give a shit what people think about me.  Such freedom.  I enjoy being a goofball.  Sometimes it embarrasses sister-in-law, but she tolerates me.  She knows me.  Though she was embarrassed, she took this picture.

I might have to have all ya'll in my bathroom in the morning.  That's the only time my hair looks perfect.  For like 30 seconds, if it's a day I've fixed it.  Most times I pull it back in a scrunchee. Yeah, I said it.  Scrunchee.  If you make fun of them, it's only because you don't get it.  They are a marvelous product.

We are all different shapes and colors.  Sure you can change your physique.  There's no magic recipe though.  To lose weight, you must eat less and exercise.  It's a lot of work.  More power to the people who sculpt their body.  They are working hard.  Not for the average soul.  But even with that, some of us have a genetic predisposition.  Would I love to be tiny?  You betcha.  But God don't make no junk.  We are each fabulous in our own way.

We have an exciting week lined up.  I hope you'll be with me for the ride.  If you haven't already, check out my review of HGTV Star, Episodes 1-3 below.  Unfortunately, I won't be able to watch Episode 4 until late afternoon.  Hope I can avoid spoilers!  Have a great day!  xo

Celebrating Photography

I love photography.  I am especially obsessed with fashion photography.  I'd love to do a large mural of a fashion shot.  Of course, it would have to be in black and white.  Here is some fab black and white eye candy for your Friday afternoon.

Would make a perfect mural!  I'd like to rasterize this image.  Image source unknown.

I love the contemplative romance of this photo.  For some reason, I love faceless art, maybe it's the mystery. (for previous posts featuring faceless art, click here).  Photo by personal friend of the editor.  Not to be copied without express permission.

The perfect glam pose.  One of my favorite photographers, Halim Ina.

Katie Holmes looks so fab in this ad!  I adore her chic yet casual look.  The pearls and sequined pants are feminine.  The denim shirt and slightly messy 'do gives her just the right amount of edge.  The perfect combination of hard and soft.

Speaking of feminine edge, look at this beauty.  A lot gorgeous, a little spooky.  Just the right amount of mystery.  Adds up to a whole lot of romance.  I'd love to know what's behind those soulful eyes.  Image source unknown.

Dreamy.  I'd love to float around in a bubble.  Melvin Sokolsky.

Stunning images from the Alexander McQueen retrospective Savage Beauty at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

I need one of these necklaces.  Again, soft yet edgy.  Reminds me of a dragon fly.  Manca Ahlin via See | Me.

I also adore fashion illustration.  I love me some Junko Mizuno.  The cover of this book is so awesome!  Edgy and cute.  Kinda retro.  Would make a great poster.  For previous posts about Junko Mizuno, click here.

*Note:  I have taken the liberty of making some of these photos black and white for the cohesion of this post.  Also, for photos that are uncredited, please contact me if you know the artist.  Thank you!

Black and White Photography

I love black and white photography.  Black and white photography has remained popular even with the growing popularity of digital photography.  There is something special and arty about it. Black and white makes everything a little bit mysterious.  The mundane becomes art in black and white.  A little edge and grit are part of a black and white photo.  And let's not forget about romance.  Black and white makes even the mundane look romantic.  Whether it's avant garde, fashion photography, nature or interiors, black and white brings a whole new dimension to the work.  Here are a few wonderful black and white photos from around the web, with a few of my own photos mixed in.  Any of these would look great enlarged and hung in an all white loft.  Hope you enjoy!

Anthony Ballatore

 Jet Mous

Lenny Kravitz by @candyTman

Lotta Agaton

 Bodie and Fou

 Image by Peggy

m2matiz

 ladykpow

 Camera Queen Photo

Nicholas Bell

Image by Peggy

To see more of my black and white photography, click here.

Just a little more.....

Yes.  It's an obsession.  Romantic neutrals.  Lots of white, with gray.  Industrial with Moroccan inspired accessories.  Low scale, simple yet beautiful rooms.  I can't get enough.

 

How gorgeous is this modern room?  Cool and sleek, with just the right amount of warmth from the Moroccan-inspired candlesticks and the hanging lanterns.  Also love the low scale of the sofa and table.   Image Cor via sofablog.  Incidentally, I highly recommend sofablog.  It's a wonderful German blog. I love its unique perspective, and I always find it inspirational.  I'm adding sofablog to my link list.  Seems to be a lot of cool art coming out of Germany these days.  I'd like to travel to Berlin.

I know this room is highly stylized, but I can't get over the colors.  Love the soft dove gray of the sofa, table and rug.  Does anyone know who designed this fab sofa?  Jaime Hayon maybe?  I adore the table too and would love to know its designer.  Patricia Urquiola maybe?  That brushed aluminum bowl is cool too.  The room is feminine, soft, airy, simple with just the right amount of edge.  A fine accomplishment.  Here's a couple more from the same stylist.

Every room should have a pop of pink.

And a funky lamp.  Above three images photographed by Lo Bjurulf.  Image via  Agent Bauer.

I need that display case for my pottery.  I also need that little silver table.  Image Ikea Sweden (I think, please correct me if I am wrong).

Houndstooth

Have you been following Apartment Therapy's Small Cool Contest?  I think it's great fun.  I love to see how people create a stylish and functional home in a small place.  This year one of my favorite entries featured a sofa covered in houndstooth fabric.

Kathryn's The Couch was the Catalyst.  Man, that sofa is to die for!  I love how she took a motif and ran with it.  Love the shag rug, the acrylic table and the red accents.

And fabulous wallpaper!  Kathryn has a business recovering chairs which can be found here.  You already know of my love of yellow pops.  I was so inspired by this place, I wanted to see how it would look with yellow accents instead of red.  I hope Kathryn doesn't mind.

Fab!  Clearly this home would work with whatever accent color she chooses.  I could see hot pink, turquoise or cobalt blue used as the accent color.  The red is totally hot, but if she tires of it, it would be easy to change.

I'm not much of a pattern person, but I do love houndstooth.   I have some houndstooth fabric I've been saving for a long time.  Maybe I should have a pillow made.  Here's the fabric wrapped around a pillow.  What do you think?  Good luck in the contest Katherine and thanks for being an inspiration!

I want to meet .... Lenny Kravitz

I adore Lenny Kravitz, both his music and his style. I read an essay today about the fact that Lenny is designing wallpaper. I think the wallpaper pictured above is totally fab (and goes well with my current love of gray). This prompted an internet search, and I wasn't surprised to find that he is a designer of beautiful rooms as well. The essay states that it's hard to take a pop star seriously when they turn to design. Hogwash. Lenny is a creative type. And creativity seldom limits itself to one venue. Think of the creative people you know, and how everything they do has flair. Oh well, this is not meant to be a dissertation on creativity, this is meant to be a post about Lenny.

I've never had a job I enjoyed, so I always admire creative people who are able to make their dreams come true. I've had many highly stressful jobs. At one particular job, we had to be on the ready at all times to react to emergencies. These emergencies often happened at five to five the night before a holiday. The team would often start to cry as we called families and friends to cancel plans. We often worked until midnight, weekends, holidays. It was insane. One thing got us through. Lenny. One of the women brought in a Bose. Through our tears we would look at each other and say, "Lenny?" We'd all nod and say, "Lenny." Then we'd play one CD after another. Lenny got us through those horrible nights. We got into a groove and cranked out the work. My friends didn't mind that I sang "when I look in my little girl's eyes" loudly and badly. Nor did they mind my rendition of, "if you can't say no, just think about me..." Lenny provided camaraderie for the team, and made those times bearable. It's a true artist who touches your soul like this. Thanks for that, Lenny.

Oh and BTW - can you deny that he is a fab designer? Dig this room he designed. He also designed that sofa. Love the black walls. I think HGTV should give him a show, its ratings would go through the roof. Images via New York Times.

Slate Gray and Black

This week I have been obsessing about black and gray. I've been seeing a lot of rooms painted in dark colors and they intrigue me. While I'd love to go OTT and totally redo my apartment, that's not realistic. So for the moment, I am considering whether I could incorporate a small touch of black or slate gray in my decor. Here's some inspiration. Hope you enjoy!

I dropped my jaw when I saw this rug on Desire to Inspire! I need it! Love the hot pink. Also love the purple glass bowls.
This is one of my all time favorite rooms. I had this photo in my inspiration folder. I believe it is from Desire to Inspire. Isn't that little love seat too adorable? Love the juxtaposition of vintage detailing with the graphic pop of the fabric.
This is another of my all-time favorite rooms. I must plan a post with all my favorite rooms! I adore white decor with pops of black and yellow. And if I am not mistaken, that is the fat-fat table from Patricia Urquiola. I love it! Looks fab with the black tray. Image via Decor8.

Here's another of Patricia's designs. I just couldn't resist. I know this is just a showroom, but the concept of a black box is interesting to me, like the theatre. And dig that chair! Patricia is one of my favorite designers, I should do a post dedicated to her.
This is a photo I took at the renovated City Hall in Wellington, Ohio. People think I am crazy because I am always photographing ceilings and light fixtures. I thought it was cool that the ceiling was dark, the tin tiles were painted in a slate gray. And I love that light!

I adore large prayer beads and rosaries hung on walls. Maybe this is a way I could incorporate black. This photo is making the rounds, so I'm not sure of its original source. I think I picked it up at The Brick House.

Also in my inspiration folder. I love paintings in a solid color. I often paint a canvas in a solid color and live with it for a while when I am contemplating a color. Image Elle Decor, June 2008.

I painted a canvas in slate gray. After contemplating this canvas for several days, it was one of those canvases where I couldn't stop layering on the paint. Perhaps gray on canvas calls for layers of paint, as cold weather calls for layers of clothes.

Here is what the canvas looks like now, in black and white. I will be describing this canvas in an upcoming post. The two vases were in my closet ($2.00 each from an outlet store). I've been saving them for my sister-in-law.