Go Fish.

Spent a day last week at the Biltmore House wandering the grounds, and photographed some fish in the Italian Garden. The gardens alone are worth the $50.

(click to enlarge)
www.biltmore.com

Lake House Wish List

Summer means lots of time at the lake, so I made a little list of my favorite summery lake things including glowing lanterns and lights, vintage artwork, and chalkboard paint for games and messages. (click to enlarge)

1. Phantom Table Lamp $99.95, cb2.com
2. 36 inch White Beach Ball $5.95, pooltoy.com
3. Crochet Table $49.95, cb2.com
4. Sun Jar $55.00, conranusa.com
5.Vintage Fishing Maps $8.00, ebay.com
6. Mini Punch Lantern $12.00, urbanoutfitters.com
7. Tangiers Rugs $199.00, westelm.com
8. Karlso Umbrella $69.00, ikea.com
9. Owl Lamp $180.00, jaysonhomeandgarden.com
10.Vintage Paint By Number $19.99, ebay.com
11. Chalkboard Magnetic Paint $35.00, yoyashop.com

Barack And Roll

Mark your calendars, today Barack Obama made history.
www.barackobama.com

Vogue Photographs

What's better than Vogue photographs? Owning Vogue photographs.
Photographs from some of the world's best photographers and most famous publications can be yours starting at $180.00 for a 12"x 15" print at www.condenaststore.com. Another resource, www.vogue.artgroup.com, based in Europe, offers additional gorgeous Vogue photography prints, and the option to print them on canvas.
I picked my a few of my favorites below, click to make them bigger.
From left to right: Paillette Mini, At Dinner, Lace-Shadowed Eye, Faye Dunaway. All Condenaststore.com.

May's Magazine Highlights

I adore magazines. Each month I pour through as many as I get my hands on. From the New York Times Magazine to Teen Vogue and everything in between. So here it is: A sample of some visually delicious highlights. Click a row below to make it bigger.

1. Scarlett Jo talks music with Spin Magazine.
2. Elle Decor let us inside Beth Rudin Dewoody's home. (This was one of the most interesting art collections I have ever seen.)
3. Vogue went superhero crazy! And it was awesome.
4. Elle Magazine printed some amazing photographs of Madonna by photographer Tom Munro. Incredibly impressive.

5. There was some inventive summer prop styling at Teen Vogue with fun sea creatures and shoes.
6. Glamour Magazine showed off the new silhouettes in fashion in a retro inspired shoot.
7. W Magazine photographed Cameron Diaz in lots of shimmery silvers, and blacks.
8. And British Glamor went geek chic circa the seventies.

Open Toes

Better paint your toenails, it's time for sandals.
1. Palladium Key Largo Sandals
urbanoutfitters.com, $85.00
2. Angelina Sandal
bananarepublic.com, $88.00
3. Chainlink Thong Jelly Sandal
oldnavy.com, $10.00
4. Embellished Leather Sandal
oldnavy.com, $19.50
5. Boomer Sandal
forever21.com, $18.80
6. Pacifica Gladiator
anthropologie.com, $88.00
7. Triangle Sandal
urbanoutfitters.com, $34.00
8. Charels David Hottie Sandal
nordstrom.com, $64.95
9. Snake Print T Strap Sandal
fredflare.com, $22.00

Prints

Original art is expensive. Thank goodness for prints. Here are just a few of my non-bank-busting favorites.

1. Green Rain Print by. Treasure Frey
charmingwall.com, $20.00
2. Snake Claws Print by. Hannah Stouffer
littlepaperplanes.com, $30.00
3. Corn Bird Print by. Randell Morgan
littlepaperplanes.com, $28.00
4. C'est La Vie Print
etsy.com, Seller: dazeychic, $45.00
5. City Love Print
etsy.com, Seller: accesori, $20.00
6. Octopus Print
etsy.com, Seller: OrangeWillow, $15.00
7. Exploded Piano Screenprint Band Poster
etsy.com, Seller: phippsart, $16.00

Flower Power

Since summer has officially arrived I rounded up my favorite images of flower arrangements, (torn from the pages of magazines over the years). Click to make them bigger.

Photos: Domino, O Magazine, Jane, Traditional Home, House and Garden

Cheeky Pillows

They're like art for your couch.

1. Rise and Fall Peacock Pillow
urbanoutfitters.com, $19.99
2. Jaakarhu Pillow Sham by Marimekko
yoyashop.com, $29.00
3. Swoon Pillow
eleventwentyfive.com, $76.00
4. Abraham Lincoln Pillow
etsy.com, Seller: bigstonehead, $20.00
5. Lime Jersey Pomegranate Pillow
etsy.com, Seller: thefullspectrum, $18.00
6. Owl Fauna Pillow
designpublic.com, $84.00
7. Dutch Treat Pillow
etsy.com, Seller: dutchdolls, $43.00
8. Graffiti Pillow
cb2.com, $24.95

Jackie O And A Leopard Throw

I was going through my "archives" (a.k.a. my massive collection of ephemera and magazine clippings) and found this photograph from an old Architectural Digest. It's of Jackie Kennedy's sitting room in the White House. I love this picture. The perfect soothing shade of lady-like blue covers the walls, curtains, and upholstery, but it's the informal quality of the room that I love to imagine First Lady Jackie relaxing in: the black and white photos tucked into the vanity, the blue goblet of pencils, and the daisies. And there is something so fantastic about the leopard print in combination with the powder blue. It's where sass meets demure. It's very Jackie.

Ooh La La Amelie

Style inspired by the film Amelie. I couldn't find the perfect gnome, but I did track down the the artwork from Amelie's bedroom by German painter Michael Sowa. Art.com has the "Film Hog" painting (the dog with the cone), as well as the "Fowl With Pearls" painting and the "Bear" painting which were all featured in the film. And he has a book, An Enchanted Bestiary, which can be purchased on amazon.com.
And don't forget to brush up on your French, do some good deeds, skip some stones, and play cat and mouse with your soulmate. I also posted some films stills (click to enlarge). Au revoir.


1. Par Avion Zippered Pouch
Etsy Seller: Saint 9, www.etsy.com, $12.00
2. Zorro Mask
fantasycostume.com, $3.49
3. Cropped Cardigan
forever21.com, $19.90
4. Ruffled Chiffon Blouse
forever21.com, $22.80
5. Golden Sketch Wallpaper
creativewallcovering.com, $28.29 a roll
6. Twinings English Breakfast Tea
shop.twiningsusa.com, $2.99
7. Lykta Table Lamp
ikea.com, $12.99
8. Film Hound Fine Art Print by Michael Sowa
art.com, $14.99
9. Elizabeth Flats
londonsole.com, $250.00
10. Momeni Area Rug
boldrugs.com, $79.00 to $1,699.00
11. Le Creuset French Oven in Cherry Red
amazon.com, $118.75
12. Red Chuck Taylor
converse.com, $41.99
13. A Chair
conranusa.com, $250.00
14. Amelie Blyth Doll Photograph
Etsy Seller: futurowoman, www.etsy.com, $12.00
15. Koi Pillow (An homage to Amelie's childhood fish and friend, Blubber.)
zgallerie.com, $79.95
16. Vintage Photobooth Photographs
ebay.com
17. Kodak Instamatic Camera
ebay.com
18. Behr Paint in Flame
behr.com
19. Yves Saint Laurent Babydoll Magic Fragrance
sephora.com, $52.00

Shades Of Color

Summerlicious sunglasses picked fresh in every color of the rainbow. (click to see these pretty peepers up close.)

1. Green Cat Eye Glasses
girlprops.com, $9.99
2. Zebra Glasses
delias.com, $9.50
3 Yellow Plastic Aviators
urbanoutfitters.com, $16.00
4. Faux Bois Ella Glasses
delias.com, $9.50
5. Orange Shutter Glasses
girlprops.com, $9.99
6. Red Ray Ban Sunglasses
sunglasshut.com, $139.95
7. Pink Heart Glasses
fredflare.com, $10.00
8. Blue and Purple Sunglasses
forever21.com, $5.80
9. Electric Blue Bright Lights Glasses
urbanoutfitters.com, $14.00
10. Seafoam Flat Top Aviator Glasses
urbanoutfitters.com, $16.00

Tour of Homes

Today I Went on the Athens-Clarke Heritage Foundation's Spring Tour of Homes which focused on 7 homes built by Athens architect Frederick J. Orr between 1910 and 1930.
There was something so awkward and voyeuristic about wandering around someone's home taking pictures of their stuff, even if it was a tour. Anyway, the homes were beautiful, and I took some photos for inspiration. Click to enlarge them.

ULINE labels

Remember my love of booklabels? How I said that I loved my books so much I wanted to write my name all over them? Well now I can write my name all over everything. Everything.
I just ordered these silver foil one inch ULINE sticker labels. ULINE is one of those great catalogs that sells shipping and office supplies, as well as these personalized inventory labels in lots of colors. Everything is in bulk meaning I get one thousand of these puppies to seal letters, brand books, dvds, and art supplies, and they are shiny which always a huge plus.
My first order of business will be to label my chapstick.

ULINE silver foil personalized labels.
Around $55.00 for 1000. www.uline.com

Jewelry With Imagination

Add a bit of much needed whimsy to your life with animals, vegetables, and handcuffs. Each for under a hundred dollars. Go get em tiger.

1. Tiger Enamel Bracelet
$28.00, www.urbanoutfitters.com
2. Sand Shark Tooth Fossil
$32.00, www.earthrelics.com
3. Handcuff Bracelet
$5.99, www.girlprops.com
4. Peapod Necklace
$9.99, www.girlprops.com
5. Forget Me Not Ring in Sterling Silver, by Kiel Mead
$50.00, www.areaware.com
6. Snake Ring, Kenneth Jay Lane
$88.00, www.platinumtrunk.com
7. Zebra Pendant
$7.80, www.forever21.com
8. Bee Necklace
$36.00, www.fredflare.com
9. Diamond Stud Earrings in Sterling Silver, By Carrie Weston
$50.00, www.carrieweston.com
10. Gold Pyrite Stud Earrings, Pada Vavra
$95.00, www.maxandchloe.com

Bookplates

I have lots of art books. Nice art books. Art books that I have the urge to write my name all over because I love them so much. Enter the bookplates. I began a quest for the perfect label for my growing library and have posted the best below (click the picture to enlarge).
For further perusing I suggest the site Etsy.com which had soooo many beautiful options including handmade bookplates, vintage bookplates, and personalized stamps. Also don't forget to Google images, and browse public domain sites (like nypl.com) to see what you might just be able to print at your desk at home. And, if you end up finding bookplates as infinitely charming and beautiful as I do, and can't get enough, this blog is the bookplate mothership: bookplatejunkie.blogspot.com

1. Owl Bookplates
$60 for 50, www.bookplateink.com
2. Milo the Owl Stamp (Handcarved with your own initials)
$17.00, www.etsy.com, Seller: sulasundries
3. Peanut Butter Bookplate
$28 for 24, www.pinklovesbrown.com
4. Sailboat Bookplate
$50 for 50, www.bookplateink.com
5. Floral Bookplate
$28 for 25, www.thestationarystudio.com
6. Screen Printed Bookplates
$12 for 11 (one of each color), www.etsy.com, Seller: uglykitty
7. Bookplate with scrolls
$90 for 250, www.bookplates.com
8. Flying Raven Bookplate by Edouard Manet
free. (Manet for free!) at digitalgallery.nypl.org
9. Butterfly Bookplate
free. digitalgallery.nypl.org
10. Don't Be A Blowhole Bookplates
$10 for 18, www.etsy.com, Seller: onegoodbumblebee
11. Bookplate With Lady
$90 for 250, www.bookplates.com

Heroine Chic

The May issue of Vogue (with Gweneth Paltrow on the cover), features a few super hero themed fashion shoots. These include the woman version of Clarke Kent, newspaper office and all, in tortoise shell glasses and pencil skirts, and also couture wearing comic heroes like Catwoman, and Marvel Comic's Little Mermaid in a Jean Paul Gautier rubber body suit (see photos below). I always get so excited when Vogue does these fantasy inspired themes with incredibly beautiful photography. Whether it's Alice in Wonderland or The Wizard of Oz the clothes always become moving art when incorporated into a narrative. And what is great fashion if not fantasy?

(click to enlarge) Photographed by Craig McDean for Vogue.

i heart earth

Happy Earth Day everybody.

Sparkly Summer Juiciness

Summer's here sooner when your nails are painted in shades of coral, you smell like an island, and everything is gold and sparkly.
Here are my favorite beauty picks for summer...

1. Strawberry Lipbalm, Rosebud Perfume Co.
sephora.com, $7
2. Essie Nail Polish in California Coral, and Canyon Coral, and Capri.
store.hello-gorgeous.net, $7
3. Face Factor Sunscreen SPF 30, Kiss My face
drugstore.com, $7.42
4. Sparkle Sauce, Pop Beauty
sephora.com, $10.00
5. Shimmer Veil glittering eye gloss, Too Faced
sephora.com, $18.50
6. Blush Bronzer Duo in Orgasm and Laguna, NARS
sephora.com, 36.00
7. Ribbon Gloss, Pop beauty
sephora.com, $15.00
8. Laquer Bobby Pins, Forever 21
forever21.com, $1.80
9. L Fragrance, L.A.M.B. by Gwen Stefani
sephora.com, $40.00

R.E.M. ETC

For more R.E.M. artistic sensation, try these websites:
www.futurepicenter.com
Michael Stipe's online visual journal which has a mix of everyday observations, and an on-going series of friends wearing his glasses. There is a lot to see when your Michael Stipe.
and...
www.ninetynights.com
This is a website project done by R.E.M. and Vincent Moon that has a mix of stills, film, and sound pieces. Super, super beautiful and interesting.


film still from www.ninetynights.com