This or That?

I've been wanting to upgrade my art collection for some time. I have a few wonderful original pieces, but also plenty of mass-market prints in Target frames. I like them, but it's (way past) time for something a little more grown up.

West Elm has several works that caught my eye, and a couple of them would look great in my office:

The office is black, white and gray with touches of pink, so either one would work beautifully. The abstract is on sale and would be more versatile, but I'm really drawn to the flamingo. It just makes me smile.

Any thoughts?

I'm Mad About ...

Good morning. Let's get right to it:

• There's so much great music out right now. I discovered San Francisco-based Nicki Bluhm the other day. Her voice is perfect for her country rock style. Have a listen and let me know what you think.
• June is Adopt a Cat Month. Come on, you know you want to!
• Looking for affordable art in LA? Check out the Tappan Collective pop-up Saturday at the Jeffries Building, 117 Winston St., at Werdin Place.
• I love this sneak peek at the upcoming Cupcakes and Cashmere book. Emily's blog is so inspiring and beautiful. I can't wait for the book to come out.

Have a great weekend!

I'm Mad About...

I'm hoping to get a jump on spring by picking up some outdoor plants and gardening supplies this weekend. Whether I'll get around to planting anything remains to be seen, however.

Have a lovely weekend. To kick it off, here are some things that caught my eye this week:

Hamptons tote

• I must get to San Francisco soon so I can get a close-up look at these beautiful totes!
• If you pin half as much as I do, you'll appreciate these great tips on Pinterest etiquette—and some words of warning.
• Love these peeks behind the scenes of movie productions by a talented French photographer.
• I might have to redo the (recently redone) living room to fit this coffee table in.

I'm Mad About...

Seth Casteel via Dangerous Minds

• These photos of dogs underwater are a little creepy but kind of cool.
• I love this idea—must make a mental note to do it next year.
• Goodbye, Whitney.

Have a lovely weekend!

Art and Architecture

While we were in LA last weekend, we hit LACMA for the California Design, 1930-1965: Living in a Modern Way exhibit. It's a must for any fan of midcentury modern design. From Barbie to Oscar, this has it all—even a full-scale reproduction of the Eames House living room. We weren't allowed to take pictures of that, but I did get some snaps of other exhibits:

 

The red gun in the first picture is an ice crusher. So inventive and fun! And what little girl (or big girl) wouldn't want to play with that 1962 Barbie Dream House? There was even a 1965 commercial for Polaroid ("Meet the Swinger"—sounds risqué!) with a young Ali MacGraw.

Hollywood Days

Good news: The blind and deaf dog's owner called Friday night and came to get her! It was perfect timing, too, because we had a weekend getaway planned. Yah!

We met up with some friends in Hollywood to celebrate my birthday, which is this week. It's becoming a tradition—we did the same thing last year and are already talking about getting together next year. And check out the gorgeous purse Jana made for me! Ah, the benefits of having a talented friend who knows how to sew!

The weather—as usual—was perfect. We hit our usual haunts plus a few new places, including LACMA for the Living in a Modern Way midcentury modern and the In Wonderland surrealist women exhibits. And I ate way too much! Totally worth the dieting I'm going to have to do this week.

We even had a celeb sighting at the Farmers Market—the very pretty Sarah Wright, who was in the canceled-too-soon Mad Love and a few episodes this season's Parks and Recreation.

I hope you all had a great weekend and have a wonderful week ahead.

I'm Mad About...

The (three-day) weekend is nearly here. I'll be spending it picking citrus and possibly baking some lemony goodies. Meanwhile, here are a few things that caught my eye this week:

Photo by Michael Yarish, AMCTV.com

• Get out your cocktail shaker—Mad Men is finally coming back March 25! (Newsweek is even planning a retro-style edition in its honor.) Yet another reason I can't wait for spring.
• Love Apartment Therapy's clean new look, although I'm still trying to find my around the site.
• I'll be watching this documentary on Charles and Ray Eames in preparation for my upcoming visit to the midcentury modern exhibit at the LA County Museum of Art. (I actually recorded the show several weeks ago, but now it's available online!)

What will you be doing this weekend?

Inspired by: Gallery Walls

As a rule, I like symmetry. It's calming, orderly, and a primary component of classic beauty. But let's face it—symmetry can be predictable. Uninspired. A bit sterile.

Lately I've been drawn to asymmetrical gallery walls: pictures of varying shapes, sizes and subjects thrown up in what appears to be (but when done well really isn't) a haphazard way. The look reminds me of an English country home, comfortable and inviting.

Here's an example from Kate Spade's London pop-up shop:

                                              Source: insidetheloop.tumblr.com via Zelma on Pinterest

This is from the book Decorate:

                                                 Source: apartment34.blogspot.com via Beth on Pinterest

Oh Joy! blogger Joy Cho's living room, styled by Emily Henderson, is cheerful and fun:

I'm awed by the oversize raven in this room from the Hampton Showhouse, done by the Jeffers Design Group:

                                                    Source: google.com via Beth on Pinterest

The color of the art picks up on the decor in this living room:

Via Good Girl Gone Glad

Love the animal-inspired art here:

Do It Yourself

Classic simplicity:

Domino via Sacramento Street

I love, love, love everything about this room:

Better Homes & Gardens

This little niche could easily have been overlooked:

Photo by Diana Kellogg via Alice in Designland

I'm Mad About...

• This beautiful pendant lets you look good and do good; $10 from each one sold goes to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.
• I'm mesmerized by these beautiful paintings by artist Hyun-Hee Lee.
• Another book to add to my wish list—Open Studios With Lotta Jansdotter!

Amazing, Ephemeral Art

This weekend was the annual Via Arte Italian street-painting festival. It's one of my favorite festivals of the year (even though it doesn't revolve around food!).

Dozens of supremely talented people (professionals and amateurs of all ages) create intricate chalk designs on the asphalt in the parking lot of a nearby shopping center. It's dirty, hot, backbreaking work, I'm sure, and the results are temporary—the chalk washes away after the festivities end.

But for those us lucky enough to see it, all that work is worth the effort. The weather was nearly perfect Sunday, and we brought Bitsy along. She did plenty of sniffing and made a few friends.

The artists end up covered in chalk and dirt. And I can only imagine how sore their knees and backs must get.

Animals were a common theme:

And beloved cartoon characters:

There were plenty of tributes to Steve Jobs:

I'm Mad About...

Source: marymaking.blogspot.com via Cristin on Pinterest

• These splatter-paint Dalmatians are just too cute—and made by children!
• This poem is so beautiful and vivid. 
• John and Sherry's new Room Gallery is full of inspiration from their House Crashing tours. It's super easy to navigate, and I've already marked a few favorites. 
• I can't wait to try these great, simple tips for taking better pictures.  
• Marimekko turns 60—but still manages to look so young!

I'm Mad About...

Source: designsponge.com via Beth on Pinterest

• There's nothing I don't love about designer Amie Weitzman's Connecticut cottage and New York brownstone.
• I wish I could have joined Cassandra on her Italian vacation.  
• Thanks to the The Goods Design for introducing me to these adorable Hugo Guinness bird prints.

You Never Know Who You'll See at the Grocery Store

Fashion icon Lilly Pulitzer has been showing up everywhere lately, but the last place I expected to run into her was at the grocery store. Sure enough, though, there she was—on a box of animal crackers!

Before Kate Spade, there was Lilly Pulitzer, whose fun, brightly colored frocks could be found in the closets of high-society ladies, including Jackie Kennedy and daughter Caroline. The brand is still going strong today (as is its namesake, who serves as the company's creative consultant).

So what's the connection with animal crackers? you ask. I wondered that myself. It seems Lilly Pulitzer has teamed up with Nabisco and the Urban Arts Partnership to promote arts education in schools—a noble cause in these days of draconian budget cuts. The result is this fun, special-edition box of animal crackers.

I'm a little late to the party—apparently this has been going on since April. So if you haven't done it yet, run out to the store and get your box before they're all gone. And since eight cookies have just 120 calories, consider picking up a couple of boxes to get you through the weekend!