Stay Tuned...

There's a fork in the road ahead and my life is about to take a turn, thankfully not for the worse! Excuse me while I take some time to breathe and prepare, but stay tuned next week for the big reveal.

[photo by Michael Grimm.]

Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy

I couldn't be more thrilled for the weekend! We're heading back to Louisiana, which is quite fitting considering my recent withdrawals of Mardi Gras and crawfish. Happy Friday friends and I hope the weather is nice enough to make you smile a million times over!

[photo by Thayer Allyson Gowdy.]

You Are What You Eat

Yesterday, the charming Bradford posted a video of self-titled "craftsperson" June Taylor sharing old-world techniques used in making her organic jams, marmalades and preserves. June seeks out heirloom and forgotten fruits from small family farms and focuses on exotic, yet natural flavor combinations like White Peach and Rose Geranium or Blood Orange and Provençal Lavender. As my mouth waters, I keep watching this incredibly inspiring clip again and again—oh, to enroll in one of June's hands-on classes!

In the Red

It's crawfish season and I'm chomping at the bit for these hot things! Houston has a few places to get your fix, but there's no comparison to how they're done in Louisiana. Can you tell I'm missing home right about now?!

Danish Darling

Danish designer Malene Birger started her eponymous line in 2003. Taking inspiration from the classic style of the '50s and '60s, her collection is both sexy and sophisticated. I'm fixated on her effortless color combinations.

What Would Jesus Do?

And if you are in New Orleans and find yourself in need of a loo, head straight to this church's fundraiser on St. Charles and Napoleon. Then fork over a $1.00 and read the fine print.

[photo by Chris Roussell.]

Inside scoop: You can opt to pay $10.00 and have unlimited all day access!

Mardi Gras Mambo

Since I'm not in New Orleans, I'll crank my speakers a little louder and make believe. Laissez les bon temps roulez!

Throw Me Something, Mister!

Mardi Gras has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. Krewes, parades, King Cake and New Orleans are a few things everyone should experience at least once in their lifetime!



Mardi Gras arrived in North America as a sedate French Catholic tradition in the late 17th century. The celebration known as Carnival comes from a Latin phrase meaning "removal of meat" and is comprised of the three days preceding Lent—the Sunday, Monday and Tuesday before Ash Wednesday. Because Lent focuses on atonement and fasting, people generally feasted on Tuesday and it came to be known as Fat Tuesday or in French, Mardi Gras.

Footloose

I can't get enough of Madewell's versatile Spring footwear.

Novel Idea

Using vintage botanicals and original designs, Southerner Gillian Dewberry has turned her inspiration of the beachy outdoors into real page-turners. The handmade, environmentally friendly leather and paper journals feature silkscreened covers, acid-free papers bound with natural beeswaxed linen thread, and—a doodler's must—open flat so you can sketch well into the margins!


I can't imagine a more fitting vacation journal or wedding guest book ...but it's actually more difficult to think of a reason not to use one of these novel ideas.

Seventy and Sunny

Today is packed with sunshine and reaching seventy degrees! I can't think of finer weather for my drive to Louisiana where I'll catch up with dear friends over the weekend. I wish my suitcase was already waiting at the back door packed with unique travel-friendly basics.

Tie Up

Just as my hair grows enough for a ponytail, I'm ready to chop it again. If I could only hold out to mimic Michelle Williams' unfussy locks tied up in thin black ribbon at the 2007 Sari Gueron show!

Road Scholar

Although it's my husband's subscription, I'm just as giddy when the newest Intersection hits our mailbox. The Winter issue features an incredible Auto Atlas with the world depicted by car names. I'm fascinated and especially love the inclusion of Extraterrestial cars [Ford Galaxy, Nissan Titan and the Pininfarina Hyperion]. Click to enlarge.

New York Profile: Lost Found Art

Founded by Mark and Joy Indursky, Lost Found Art specializes in sculptural installations and assemblages using antique and vintage finds. Mark thrives on the unexpected by taking things out of context, which is exactly what establishes their work as art. Scale, balance and color merge for the utmost visual impact, but most often it's the quirky elements that take center stage. Working with a network of pickers and dealers across the country, Lost Found Art runs the gamet in style from lunchboxes to African head rests. A little something for everyone, but not for the faint of heart.


What was your first collection?
The first collection I personally owned was beer bottle caps from my Father's bar. He would bring back a bagful each night after work and my brother and I would spread them all over the floor comparing the different brands. There was also a comforting old musty smell of the beer in the old cork liners the caps used to have back then.

How did you make a business from collecting?
I stopped collecting a single type of item many years ago because I found it becoming redundant and boring. Display and storage also became a problem. I stopped obsessing on a single piece or category and started buying only what I liked. When I had what I felt were enough of a specific item and I liked how they look together, I just stopped, displayed them and moved on. When friends would come over and remark on all the vignettes scattered throughout our home they started asking if I could put together something unusual and special for their homes because of my collecting background. They wanted something they wouldn't see any where else. This plays to my strength because many people don't have the time, patience, connections or artistic ability to do what I do.

Do you travel far and wide to source pieces?
This is just a side gig for me; I'm in the fashion business full time. It would be too difficult to make a full time living at this as it takes us from 3 months to 4 years to put together certain collections. We confine our travels to a 500 mile radius from home. Our network of dealers and pickers help us outside that radius.


Who is your client?
We tend to get the more creative types. People who are not afraid to step out. People comfortable living with the the whimsical or edgy. We have a few celebrities and that's always fun, but most of our business is with designers and architects so we rarely know where our pieces end up. That's one of the down sides because I'd love to see how the end user displays them.

Do you have a favorite ritual that inspires your assemblages?
No. It's actually stumbling upon the unexpected that creates the initial inspiration. I will just pick up something at an antique show or flea market and imagine how a group of similar like objects would look together.

Favorite collection?
Tough. I sadly fall in love with so many, especially the ones that are hard or impossible to duplicate or that take a great deal of time to complete. For me it isn't about finding something and just throwing a dozen more of the same type of piece together. There needs to be balance and harmony, and the pieces must all complement each other and not try to outshine the others. Some of my favorites have been: vintage microphones, circular stove grates, vintage ray guns, organ pipe reamers and brass glove mold forms.

Most obscure commission?
A collection of antique hypodermic needles for a physician. A bit spooky.

Is there anything you'd love to put together?
Hard to say. I don't really look for things to build collections out of, they just hit me. Maybe antique barber shop poles, 1950's tin litho robots and cast iron hitching posts.

What are you currently working on?
19th century hand forged iron garden hoes from France, antique wire dog muzzles and carvings of hands.

What other interests do you have?
My passion is collecting. I would like to broaden my horizons collecting wise and travel more to Europe, Asia and Africa. Expand my base and work with more pieces indigenous to other countries and cultures.


What's playing on your iPod?
I'm a big blues fan and right now it's Buddy Guy.

What's the last great book you read?
Devil in the White City.

Do you have a guilty pleasure?
I'm a very indulgent person. If I love it, not only do I want to own it, but want to own 15 more of them to surround the first one.

What is your most treasured belonging?
A rusted bed spring on the wall in the entrance to our home, a collection of brass glove mold forms, my shooting gallery target collection and gaming wheels. Some of these as much for how I found them as for what they are.

Favorite aspect of living in New York?
Access to all the culture. Nothing beats New York; no city is as inspirational.

Favorite places in New York to shop, eat, etc?
Fatty Crab, Spice Market, Spotted Pig and Hell's Kitchen. The days of old musty antique stores have ended long ago. Rents in NY prohibit the sale of moderately priced antiques, so I do more window shopping than anything else.

Real Simple

I'd love for every condiment, ingredient and packaged good in my kitchen to be so pure and simple. It'd be as pleasing to my eye as my stomach.

On the Run

I've always said I will one day run a marathon. After seeing this video, I'm amending the goal to read: I will one day run a marathon in an ethereal dress, barefoot, with metallic balloons waiting at the finish line.

[Thanks Lauren!]

Dressed to Kill

I'd wear this killer Lela Rose frock:
...in my dreams.
...on vacation.
...to watch the Oscars from my couch.
...on a sunny afternoon.

...while sipping a Dark 'N' Stormy on the porch.

...to my next birthday party.

...and for something this fabulous, I could list a million more scenarios!

Puppy Love

...because our furry friends also deserve extra lovin' today.

[Photos by Gemma Booth, Thayer Allison Gowdy, Michael Grimm and Julie Soefer.]

XOXO

Fall head over heels all over again. Happy Valentine's Day!

[Built by Wendy campaign photo by Gemma Booth.]

Eye-Opener

I spotted these Benjamin "Nicole" glasses on fashion stylist Jessica de Ruiter in Domino's March issue. I adore the mix of traditional tortoise with quirky gold clip-ons!

Bring Home the Bacon

My friend sent over the best link ever—ITL gone greasy—and I went hog-wild!


Want to ham up your favorite site? Add any web address behind http://bacolicio.us/ then sit back and drool. Because everything is better with a side of bacon.

In the Can

In 1931 at the age of 17, Holger Nielsen won a raffle at a Sunday football game in the small Danish town of Randers. He was awarded a car, but sold it to fund a metal turning lathe since he did not have a license.


Holger and Marie married in 1939. Upon opening a salon, Marie asked Holger to furnish the new space. Clients immediately swooned over the metal pedal bins and incessant commissions forced Holger to begin production on a larger scale. The bin, which was originally intended for Marie only, became a standard piece of equipment in Danish medical practices. Vipp was born and the rest is history.


Today the company is still family run—now a third-generation business—and the Limited Edition Yellow Cab is their latest collection. New York is home to Vipp’s first showroom outside of Denmark and the cab-inspired color is a tribute to the city that never sleeps. "Yellow cabs are the lifeblood of New York and have achieved iconic status, just as Vipp has won praise as an international design icon. With the new series, Scandinavian minimalism meets the big city pulse"...and that's right up my alley!

Available at Kuhl-Linscomb in Houston or online from The Conran Shop.

Can't See the Forest for the Trees

I want to spend the weekend in this neck of the woods. With work and life so hectic lately, I'm craving simplicity and silence.

[photos from Candystore Collective.]

Flying High

These aerial views shot with 35 mm film have me flying high. I love the muted colors and graphic shapes.

Foot Traffic

I wear flats to ride my bike and boots to the park; I'm not a sneakers kind of girl. So casual shoes that can handle lots of weekend mileage are always a welcomed addition to my closet. These canvas boots are extremely versatile and the lightweight fabric is a match made in heaven for summer's heat.

Daydream Believer

Today I'd like to be here, eating a shrimp po'boy, drinking fresh squeezed lemonade and shooting the bull with a funny friend. It'd be good for my soul.


What's your daydream?

Triple Take

I'm still working on my Diana F+ skills, specifically double takes. Photographer Jenny Vorwaller's triple exposed shot of her one son in Buenos Aires has me speechless. I'm considering this a triple-dog dare to step it up and practice more!

Goodie Bag

Wear your heart on your sleeve bag.

Biker Babe

A better photo could not be staged.

At Odds

I've always been drawn to oddities, so it's probably a good thing Houston and Venice aren't neighboring cities. California-based Obsolete sells quirky found objects, vintage artifacts and fine art curated in a gallery-shop concept that all appears to come alive at night.

A rotating gaming wheel is pretty tempting, but the real winner is that St. Bernard model to the right. He's the gallery's mascot and not for sale, but neither is my house mascot, Burkly, so I won't hold it against them.

Collection of artist models on top a cherry wood Belgian haberdashery cabinet, circa 1910-1920. The walls have two vintage fashion photos by Georges Dambier and Fernand Fonnssagrives and a contemporary pin hole photograph from Beatrice Valdes-Paz.

While it would most likely frighten any child, the poised ballerina automaton on her original box [she rotates on her left foot] would be a gorgeous heirloom and light in a little girl's room.

The oversized English birdhouse is pretty fantastic, though it's roughly a half-scale of my actual home. And I can envision an outdoor meal with rowdy friends sitting around the monastery table from 1880.

If I could handle the smell of paper whites in my home, I'd display them in vintage fish tanks and battery jars too. I could spend hours wandering through this amazing shop!