beautiful jewelry

My friend Khobe has her Etsy site up and running now. If you like pretty jewelry this is your gal. She has designed for Sandra Bullock and Toni Braxton as well as being a featured designer for the Sundance Catalog. This is your chance to get her work at nearly wholesale so I wouldn't pass it up if I were you. The first two photos are from her store and the last is a photo I took while at her studio recently. I have so many of her pieces I can't count!

Time Magazine's Design 100

I wanted to toot my own horn for a brief moment and write about the recent accolades that my other writing job has received [not me personally but the group] Over at Apartment Therapy where I am a Co-Editor and daily contributor. I'm proud to announce that Time Magazine included us in their Style & Design 100 issue this year.

It's always been a little dream of mine to be involved in magazines. When I was in highschool my dream was to go to NYC and work for Art Forum, Interview or one of the other noteable magazines. I couldn't articulate why except I liked at the end of the day there was a physical representation of creative work. I don't think I would have ever said I would be a writer at that time as it was more about page layout and design. As a creative and quiet person, finding my voice with writing as been as much of a surprise to me as anyone especially since my spelling is horrendous and as any of my English Comp teachers can vouch to, the girl has no idea of what punctuation is and how to use it.

I began writing for AT:LA nearly a year ago and wanted to because I believed in what they were doing [trust me it's not the cash], I never thought about the translation for myself to my magazine dreams but essentially that's what it has become [an on line magazine that is] as you can see with the current cover of Dwell Magazine featuring our last year's Coolest Smallest Contest Winner. We are shaping the future of print right before my [and everyone elses] eyes.

The fact that they let me hang out with the cool kids makes me giggle. Never in a million years would I have guessed that I could say I was working for a group that was featured in Time Magazine.

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also a toot out for Scott Schuman's blog who also was included in the 100 The Satoralist. If you have never had the thought that great things come from seemingly bad you should read Scott's story on how his little website started and how doing what he loved has blossomed into a brand new career...and might I say very difficult field to even think of getting into. He has been on my daily read list for some time now.

Last of NYC promise

This last batch of photos may seem random but these are just a couple of my favorite things about NYC:
1. Taxi's especially after you've walked for 5 hours straight in bad shoes, your feet are swollen and you still have a 5th floor walk up to conquer when you get to your destination. [I was not in good walking shape this trip! must train for next visit.]

2. Magnolia cupcakes which are like crack they are so good. I bought two and ate half of each before throwing them out. Sadly, they weren't as tasty this time around a little dry? stale? the weather switched that weekend I was there so they may have needed to alter baking times ect for the weather change. I was a little bit sad they weren't as good as I remembered [still tasty though!] buy their cookbook and try the recipes out for yourself...ignore the quantity of butter & sugar that it takes...it's calorie-free...swear!.

3. I finally got to go to the Clarins Day Spa the only one in the country while I was there on this trip [being trying to get there for years now!]. I started using this product while I was in school in Europe almost 20 years ago. I have tried to leave it like a bad drug habit and switch, each time I go back for more. Recently my boyfriend while in the bathroom brushing his teeth looked up and said " Just how many Clarins products DO you HAVE?" ....a lot I muttered! I've done crazy things for it including skipping groceries and a few too many charges on my Macy's account [I also usually hide them so he really doesn't know how many I have!]

All I have to say is I'm turning 38 in a few weeks and I got carded while there [which still happens regularly] I attribute it to this product, a lot of sunscreen, and good genes. I highly recommend the spa and their product. If anyone from Clarins is reading... if you hire me as a spokesperson I would gladly sing your praises for free goods.

NYC

views of NYC

Views of NYC

When I recover from my trip I'll be posting more. Uggh... NYC kicked my ass this time.

"The straight woman's sports page"

As noted philosopher Carrie Bradshaw once put it, the New York Times wedding announcements are "the straight woman's sports pages".

I'm not joking on this folks and neither is the New York Times...the folks that end up on the wedding page have PAPERS..usually from some Ivy League school. It's no wonder I'm not movin' and shakin' I'm not having cocktails with the right people - obviously.

A NYC gossip site called Gawker has created a rating system based on some points [I've listed below for you] each week they pick a winner based on these points [which surprisingly they all fall into - its generally a close race]

Gawker's Altarcations is all about scoring the game. Each week, we evaluate the latest newlyweds, based on an elaborate rating system, described below.

this weeks top two winners are:
Victoria Potterton, Austin Zalkin: 13 points

Both went to Dartmouth: +3
Victoria graduated magna cum laude: +2
Austin graduated cum laude: +1
Victoria is graduating from Yale with a combined medical and MBA degree: +4
Austin is "ideal" man-age: +1
He's an i-banker: +2

Anne Robinson, Kevin Moriarty: 12 points
Anne is keeping her name: -1
Both of them are high-powered lawyers: +5
Anne received her law degree from Harvard: +3
She was the EIC of the journal Law & Gender: +1
Kevin graduated from Princeton: +2
Kev has a law degree from NYU: +1
He was the EIC of the law school's newspaper: +1

more top finishers here


Gawker's patented rating system:

Investment banker: 2
Both Investment bankers: 5
Job involving the word "banker" OR "investment": +1
Both have jobs involving the word "banker" OR "investment": +3
Management Consultant: 1
Both management consultants: 3
Trader: 2
Both traders: 5
High-powered lawyer: 2
Both high-powered lawyers: 5
Works for Defense Department: +2
Doctor: +2
Both doctors: +5
Teacher at a New York City or Connecticut private school: 2
Parents from New York City or wealthy suburb in Connecticut: 1
New York Times employee: +1
State Department employee: +2
Bride is an elementary school teacher: +1
Works in media: +1
Ivy league graduate: +1 *
Both ivy league graduates: +3
Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Oxford, Cambridge, Sorbonne: +2*
Both Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Oxford, Cambridge, Sorbonne: +5*
For each subsequent degree after a B.A.: +1
Ivy league B.A. with graduate degree at low-ranking local
college/university: -1
If bride or groom attended/teach at any school with "Country Day" in
the name: +2
Coro fellow at NYU Law: +1
Has MFA in creative writing from University of Iowa: +1
Graduated Cum Laude: +1
Graduated Magna Cum Laude: +2
Graduated Summa Cum Laude: +3
Couple met online: -1
Couple met at art opening: 2
Couple met at art opening for husband's/wife's show: +3
Woman is at ideal age for getting married (25): 1
Man is at ideal age for getting married (27): 1
For each member of couple over 35: -1
Couple married by a Cantor: +1
Couple met during or before their freshman year in college: +2
Bride or groom goes by middle name: +1
Mother a nursery school/kindergarten teacher or reading
specialist/father is a wealthy professional= +3
If the groom is Jewish and the bride Asian: +2
If the groom is Asian and the bride is Jewish: -1
The bride/bridegroom's first marriage ended in divorce: -2
Descendant/related to somebody famous: +3
Descendant of a founding father: +4
Groom wearing gingham in picture: +1
Parent is a trustee or board member of a company or organization: +1
per company/org
Parent is a member of the Bermuda parliament: +2
Bride or Groom is a board member of a company or organization: +1 per
company/org
Bride "is keeping her name", "will continue to use her name professionally": -1
If there is a Jr., II, III or IV in a name: +2
If there is a "von" in a last name: +2
Bride or groom's first name is a made-up preppy name: +3
If someone famous comes to the wedding and is mentioned: +2
If wedding ceremony held at Bethesda by the Sea in Palm Beach, and/or
reception under a tent at the bride's grandmother's house in P.B: +2
Bride clearly quits her job after the wedding: +1
Married by an Episcopal priest: +1
Groom is 15-30 years older than bride: +3
Bride and groom both from New Jersey: -2
Partner in corporate law firm: +3
Bridge teaches elementary school, groom in finance: +2
Bride works for auction house, groom in finance: +2

Bubbles

May I recommend this site: Bubbles

speaking of...

Speaking of the big apple...I'll be a bit slient for a while off to the big apple to admire my fair city.

The most amazing singer in the world

I just scored tix to see Lisa Gerrard at the Orpheum Theater at the end of May. I've seen her numerous times over the years solo and with Dead Can Dance and she never dissapoints. I have thought that quiet possibly she could float from stage at some points. There are vocalists that go to another place while performing, she does and manages to take her audience with her.

worth every damn penny- EVEN ticketmaster's horrible service charges!

If you're not familar she has created her own vocal language-often times they are not words but sounds. You might recognize her voice as she has worked on a number of movie soundtracks in the past few years. Surprisingly this song is what I walked down the isle to on my "starter marriage"...funny that the video has a bride as well. I had never seen the video for the song till now. listen to her here and my favorite song off all time [even after the divorce!] "SANVEAN/I AM YOUR SHADOW":

If I had more wall space

Actually I might buy it anyway...the Star Motel image that is [my love of neon again]. I have already purchased the vintage camera poster pictured above it's at the framer's currently.

available at this really cool site called Coudal - the project is called Swap Meat [which for some reason the HTML is not working to link right now] go to Coudal.com > SwapMeat to see it in action or read about it here--very cool project that I'm trying to figure out what I could send them to participate.

Playful Search for Beauty

I have always know the name of Eva Zeisel as a potter but like myself she has her hands in a million pots. Apparently her grandson is manufacturing some of her table designs at the site evazeiseloriginals.com. Very pretty 'mother and child' motifs as she describes.

If you have a couple of moments watch the short clip of her talking about her life and art on the site. She descibes art as "the playful search for beauty and that the present moment is very important". She is now 100 btw.

Giving

Some back story to this tale:
Every year for my birthday [May], I give myself a generally outlandish present. I have designed and built jewelry for myself, traveled to cities I love, bought a vintage restored Vespa... When I was pondering what I would be doing for myself this year nothing has really stuck out that I absolutely had to have.

For as long as I've known my boyfriend he has talked about a particular surfboard that he wanted from Harbour Surfboards. The first year we were dating he turned 40 and I really wanted to surprise him with the board but it just was financially impossible for me to do at the time. Shortly after his 40th birthday he decided to go back to school and we all know how finances work during that period of our lives. Speed up 2+ years later and he is still in school, is still talking about this board and still goes into the shop and talks to the guys about the same questions. I've been scheming on how to buy it for him for some time now. I considered ordering it and paying it off by Christmas of next year...seems such a long time and his birthday has already passed. There wasn't any real reason to buy it for him. This man though works harder than anyone I've ever met: school and work full time in addition to driving to see me every free minute he has left. He gives of himself without complaint or asking anything in return. He also is someone who never wants for anything, routinely talks himself out of whatever frivilous thing he's pondered, except this surfboard. The last time we went to visit the shop he again went through the drill with the guys [I paid close attention this time], they humored him and answered all his same questions AGAIN. My only explanation to his expressions while he's asking and looking, is that he's like a little kid looking at his first bicycle every day through the window.

When I got news that my tax return this year was going to be fairly nice I decided what my birthday present was going to be...it was this darned surfboard for him. Really there is nothing I need or want [ok maybe a trip to Paris] but nothing that I wanted more than he wanted that surfboard. I went down to the store and asked the same questions and came back 2 weeks later with a deposit in hand to get the board started [summer rush is upon us they said] chose the colors for him [he claimed not to care last time we were in when I asked what his dream board was]

I had an elaborate surprise plan to reveal it as well. I was going to wait till the end of his semester in June to give it to him to start his summer off with a bang, I have been scheming to get him to the store with his surf racks ever since. Of course my excitement about this project is now greater than I had thought and 6 weeks into this deal and I'm having a hard time not telling him.

Thursday night he started talking about the board again, half talking about using his tax return to aid in the purchase of the board...I cracked and revealed my surprise. After I told him he stood dumbfounded as if I just told him I was leaving him for an alien and getting a sex change operation, then decided I was completly insane and didn't believe what I was saying... it took him bout 15 more seconds and he was asking what color it is and when it would be arriving. Ever since then there has been a little chirp in his voice and I can literally see him daydreaming about it. Needless to say - he's doing the Snoopy Dance.

It was the best birthday gift I've ever bought myself. I can't wait to take him down to the store when it's ready. The boys at the surf shop know me by name now and said I've now started a gift war. But it's not about that really, I don't want anything from him in return I just want him to have everything he wants, which isn't a whole lot considering we're in Los Angeles the home of more, more, more. Ok... when he gets out of school and is a rich Surgical Asst he could bring me home a diamond...just because...if he wanted to.

The photos above are what it will look like when it arrives...I decided on classic blue with black pinstripes.