peace out

to sail you home, originally uploaded by mario leko.

lushbella

you have a bunch of cool tchotchkes that you've found here and there over the years. maybe a an errant bead from a necklace you loved, a button, a vintage wooden spool of thread.

you don't want to throw them away because something seems sort of magical about them. the possibilities. the uniqueness. their own little micro-world. a small bouquet of paper faded, fabric flowers, perfect for a fairy-bride. vintage cut outs, too quirky to get rid of. so they sit in a drawer. waiting to be called on.

kerry pitt-hart aka lushbella has taken her 'little' collection of treasures and created beautiful still life photographs.

'i began pulling a bunch of trinkets together and arranged them on our too tiny coffee table, and the left them there for days because i didn't want to put them away'

running out of space, she decided to photograph them, so that she wouldn't forget what they looked like together. the result are these beautiful, quiet compositions. i love how they feel gentle and thoughtful at once.

available on etsy, each is printed on archival paper and are accompanied by a signed and dated, hand-typed (type writer, 'typed') label on the back. she makes pretty amazing jewelry as well, but that's a whole other post. you can check it *here*

roxie roker would be proud

did you know that lenny kravitz is god an interior designer? i had no idea. i'm a bit late on the celeb news. last i heard he was divorcing denise huxtable and then one day i was pushing my mclaren stroller down haight street when i practically run into the man coming out of buffalo freaking exchange.

i'd love to say, that he stopped in his tracks, did a 3/4 pivot, all went dark save for the spotlight, and he broke into 'lady'. but, that song hadn't come out yet and what really happened, was i shuffled after him all desperado like, pushing my baby, recklessly, stalking him in my burberry barn jacket and prada slip-ons (middle aged at 30-i was dealing with a teensy identity issue), the wheels of the carriage getting stuck every few feet, causing me to jerk awkwardly forward. i did this for about 3 blocks. i never spoke to him. i just walked, block after block. following his big furry coat and leather billy jack hat. i'm guessing it probably ended with me wiping down a pay phone with hand sanitizer and calling anyone who might be equally as star struck.

non sequitor moment.

so yes, it seems that god lenny has a, nyc based, 9 person design team called 'kravitz design' (who also need to get their i.t. guy to add photos, SOMETHING, to the website) i couldn't find a lot of examples of the work of kravitz design, but here are a few that i did find: these, shot of his own condo in nyc show the million dollar redesign with the intention to sell at 19 mil and some change (if one of you buys this place, i get commission)

his 'theme' (he does theme rooms. oy.) 'african fantasy penthouse meets las vegas high roller suite with acres of shag carpeting, fur couches, zebra skin chairs and all sorts of phallic and faux elephant tusks' that's just brilliant lenny. all god's creatures being put to good use.

here's the thing. i don't really like lenny's music that much (and oh how i've tried). nor do i care if he has an interior design firm (actually i did care when i found out- but was a bit underwhelmed by the photos). truth be told, i just like to look at him. look at him and soak in all of his undefeatable coolness factor. and i love his lineage. (who didn't love helen willis on the jefferson? and i don't mean you al roker, you can sit down.)

here's lenny doing his best little edie impression. i don't know who looks cooler. but it takes a certain something to get away with towel-as-hair in your daily repertoire.

do you see what i mean? few 46 year old men (that i've seen here in manhattan beach) can pull this look off. tat yourself up men, pierce your every nether region. you will not get away with it like lenny does. here he is contemplating "the zebra fur or the gnu fur?" conundrum. "puddled or to the floor? morrocan poofs, suzanis? no, too last tuesday. maybe, just a nice elephant hoof refashioned into a foot stool, with a red velvet cushion on top to give it that highroller vegas 'pop!''

who cares if the guy has talent or not. i'm not even sure that i am 'feeling' his asthetic exactly. he's probably a very nice person with a lot of profound thoughts to share. but really, if i had an extra million, was single and hadn't found the love of my life, kravitz design would be starting the prelim. plans for making my beach bungalow into a hot steamy groto of crazy phallic, african, las vegas love, on monday.

scarving it down

VIP seating: vintage scarves swathing low profile, slipper chairs. a little peek of lucite, keeping it modern and light.

bespoke chairs at suzan fellman. how much are you digging those lucite legs?

wow, come to think of it, wouldn't this look great in 'ron's 300 sq foot apartment' ?

Suzan Fellman Showroom 678 S. Cloverdale Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90036 P. 323-936-7759 www.suzanfellman.com

red heat la

i'm crazy for red heat l.a. the new concept store, inspired by vintage heat transfer shops. owner virginia rowlette has created a much hipper version of those from our youth (speaking for those of us born pre 80s) what's cool about this, is the interactive, creative twist.

come in, pull up a bright orange seat in the 70s inspired, mostly white, shop. (hi, cole and son 'woods') then, browse the mostly original art work stored on the 4 macs. once you choose your image, take your pick of super cool blanks that range from hoodies & tanks to book bags and Ts. then, watch as the heat transfer magic happens, right in front of your eyes.

mmmm. i can already smell that heady, synthetic, melty waxy aroma. who knew t-shirt transfers could be so hot. Red Heat LA 7225 Beverly Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90036 (323) 937-1037

what's that smell?

the smelly smencil that's what. smencils are gourmet scented pencils made entirely of recycled newspapers.

• Sheets of 100% recycled newspaper are rolled tightly around a #2 graphite-writing core until pencils of typical thickness are formed.
• Then they are hardened, allowing them to be sharpened just like a wood pencil.
• Next the Gourmet Smencil is soaked with a liquid gourmet scent.
• Once dry, the erasers are attached and flavor sticker is wrapped around the Smencil to identify what Scent was infused into the Smencil.

smencils come in all of these eraser nibbling flavors: grape, cherry, bubble gum, very berry, cotton candy, chocolate, watermelon, root beer, orange, tropical fruit and your own custom flavors too! (my god imagine the possibilities...lamb with a garlic rosemary marinade? fresh baked sour dough bread? jamba juice store? )

forget the nibbling, you'll want to shove a whole handful into your mouth at once. smencils

american analog set-new music monday

great, mellow rock instrumental to lower your blood pressure by while stuck in traffic on the 405 or for simply chilling at home. a nice cross between the red house painters and broken social scene (if you don't know of the fore mentioned bands, worth a check,check symbalance, symbalance)

picture light

i've always been a bit intrigued by those vintage bar, pendant lights with the little scene slowly rolling by. the little canoe, a few geese flying by, pine trees, the happy little canoe at a camp site, a few more geese, the canoe again, the geese, the tent, etc. over an over, to the hum of the motor and the crackingly of the plastic film as it rolls around the light. sort of peek into the nicotine stained micro world of a miniature camper. unfortunately, unless i was creating a set or a kitch, retro-hip bar for a single guy, i can see no reason to buy or own one of these beauties.

that's why when i came across andreaclairelighting i instantly lit up. beautiful, sophisticated and, btw, i want one now.

"In 2005 Andrea Claire launched andreaclaire- lighting with the a lamp she made using photos from a weekend trip up-state. The original idea was to create a modernist inspired, surprising, cool-looking pendant lamp that brings a little taste nature inside. The line has grown since then- now in its third incarnation the lamps have become more like panoramas- they are slimmer, have a slightly wider diameter, have varied exterior materials, and use photos from trips as far afield as Costa Rica, Italy, and Switzerland."

get it? the photos she takes are super imposed onto the inside of the drum shade and hung pendant style (or sometimes on a lamp) creating these lovely ethereal, pieces of art and light. the bonus part? sky's the limit. custom pieces are welcome.

why was 6 afraid of 7?

because 789 etsy find at bluebellbazaar add a little dash of flair to any boring corner (if you tire of the number seven, flip it over and find little 6 hiding on the other side)

$37.00 clams

peace out

Zen ..., originally uploaded by Berta....

great Ts for kids

i'm tickled by this line of politically correct yet, not too militantly so- line of tshirts by moniker designs.thoughtful and thought provoking, all in a great graphic format.

front: back:how could your little person not have the most fabulous day with this cheery pink number on. found here

italian honeymoon, part II venice & florence

here's the thing with sharing photos of places like venice, italy: they all look like every other shot you've ever seen of the place. i watched roman holiday after getting home and, honestly, when something was built 600 to 2 thousand years ago, there's just not a lot of change happening in our short life span. roman holiday could have been shot last week (save for the fact that, today, no woman in her right mind would have a 14 inch waist) all that said, and if you're still with me, here are a few more honeymoon shots.

itialians are good little eaters. i have no idea why i didn't see one obese italian. their food is just a celebration of gastronomy.

this is your typical sandwich shop, of which there is one every 10 paces or so. i loved that for a quick meal, one walks right up and stands at the counter ,coat on, nosh away at a pile of pasta while having a quick glass of wine before getting back to work. chinese or italian tonight? how about italian chinese. or let's just call it a night and hit mcdonalds fer crying out loud. how cute is this. 9 o'clock at night, i round the corner to find this gentleman (total mr. hooper from sesame street circa 1974) and his market. doesn't it look like a set from a stage production? pretty much everything looked this way in venice. like the back lot at sony. beautiful, organic produce. this guy loads up his boat and cruises up and down the canals. sort of like von's home delivery but with a better asthetic. check out that italian endive (lower left) . looks like weird hands. another thing venezians are fond of are their masks. lots of masks and lots of pinocchio. i think if you buy a mask in venice, it's akin to having your hair cornrowed in cabo. we got lost a lot. which is easy. the place is one big maze. which is what i loved about it. can we stop for a moment and marvel at my fashion digression? we were walking 8-9 hours a day on cobble stone. at around day 6, and to the great amusement of my new husband, i broke out with the running shoes. the hat was another 'need'. it was bone chillingly wet. and i just know i'll wear this hat often in my little beach world. i look a little annoyed here. not so. just taking it all in. i loved this palette of pigments found in an art store window. and this bowl of beautiful hand made books. gondola gangstas if you go to venice, go off the beaten tourist path and head over to the area where the actual people who live their hang. (speaking of hanging, i took so many shots of clothes hanging between buildings-loved this look. i half expected to see children running down the street to the shouts of 'chef boyardee! mama's making chef boyardee!)

vivaldi's house then it was off to florence for the day where we visited david. of all the sites, this was by far the most surreal and beautiful for me. it's really simply stunning. absolute perfection.

you know what's weird about the italians and their museums. they say no photos. but they don't enforce it. i once got kicked out of the van gogh museum in amsterdam for taking a picture of some interesting tourists. but here, they just sort of look at you with a bored expression when you pull out the camera. the tuscan country side is really, just exactly as you would imagine. so, so stunning. i have a feeling these cookies are prettier than they taste (almond cookies don't do it for me)

i had to get a shot of this corner in florence... made famous in this photo by ruth orkin, 'american girl in italy' i wish this shot had come out a little better. i'm so bad at stealth photography. the guy in the back with his mohawk against these dear little women, was such a great juxtapose. and finally, lest you thought that i was deterred by the lousy american dollar exchange rate, fear not. i searched and found a relative bargain on handmade, leather, florentine boots.

seek and you shall find. this is a little shop on a street called santo di spirito (it's a bit hard to find) 'francesco di firenze'.

from the outside, it's nothing fancy just a little cobbler's shop. even inside, at first you're not entirely wowed. but once you're in, and the fluorescent light settles, beautiful creations start to come into focus.

there were so many simple, strappy sandals. and in the back was francesco himself, just cobbling his little soles away.

if they don't have your size, they'll take your measurement and make a pair, custom, in about 2 days. it's worth it i tell you. i ended up, after much, hemming and hawing on just one pair of boots: and i love them.