Sunset Walk

My aunt and me hopped in her giant vehicle and went down to the Des Moines Marina to visit my uncle at his boat. My aunt was tired so she parked on a bench with Sammie while my uncle and I walked up the pier.

It was a gorgeous evening with the sun setting on one side of the pier and a sliver of the moon hanging over the other. The camera on my phone does it no justice!

I had an awesome time hanging out with my aunt and uncle! Next time I hope to have pics from the water… My uncle said he’d take me out on his boat before the summer is over. 🙂

Totally Inspiring Room

The gorgeous masculine glamour of this foyer by Osborn Architects blows my mind!

It’s totally inspiring room… the late night edition! Better late than never, I say, especially when the room is this cool. Ok, so technically it’s an entry and it’s also just a glimpse. Still, isn’t this glimpse tantalizing enough to draw you into the rest of the house? Check out the cool blog Rex Kelly Mid-Century to see more of the house which was done by Osborne Architects! Happy night owling, y’all!

All Saints Spitalfields

The front window of the downtown Seattle All Saints Spitalfields.

I went to downtown Seattle yesterday to meet up with my good friend, Chauni, who recently moved into a cute little one bedroom near the Pike Place Market with her boyfriend, Desmond (THE music guy!) and their two cats. I hadn’t seen her in a while so we just walked around town enjoying the amazing weather and talking. While we were over on the Pine street shopping corridor, I spotted this amazing looking shop called All Saints Spitalfields where Coldwater Creek used to be. It was black and had a raft of vintage Singer sewing machines lining the 20′ windows. Good thing Chauni shares my love for all things punk/steampunk because NOT going in wasn’t an option!

These four mannequins were standing watch just inside the entry…

Chauni and I started oohing and ahhing as soon as we hit the front door. We both loved the ruched dress on the mannequin in the front of the store and we also fell in love with a super soft draped dress in a pretty dove gray color. We liked the buckle infested boots on the the other mannequin in the entry and were generally pretty much in love with all the edgy, I’m too cool for words vibe oozing out of every inch of the store.

Another bit we both really liked were the lights that lined the ceiling which you can see in the shot below:

The main floor of the store (there’s a men’s area downstairs).

And I was gaga over the table displays which had mannequins casually sitting on them like they were waiting for a friend to come out of the dressing room or something:

Don’t you love how Ms. Mannequin is just chillaxin’ in such a ladylike manner?

The aesthetic of both the store and the clothing is amazing! If you like your fashion with a little hard bad girl/punk edge but with high end fabrics and detailing this is the place for you. For me, the sizing is too small (they run US 0 – 10) and the pieces are on the pricey side (a tee was $65, the drapey dress was $295) but it would be an awesome place to pick out a special statement piece.

ZAMBRI

New York based band ZAMBRI.

I have a musically inclined friend that turned me onto this great new band today. They’re called ZAMBRI, the last name of the two sisters that created and make up the band. I’m still listening to and watching more of their music and videos. They put me in mind of Warpaint a bit and would mesh well on a playlist with tracks comprising that type of sound. Here is a standout track (of the few I’ve listened to so far…) To Keep Back. I hope you enjoy it!

Hope you’re having a great Monday!

Totally Inspiring Room

Simple room pinned by Emma Fexeus on Pinterest.

Simple, stripped down goodness. I’d like my life to be as uncluttered as this room…

Totally Inspiring Room

From Pinterest via sfgirlbybay.

Victoria from sfgirlbybay pinned this picture yesterday on Pinterest and it struck a chord. I absolutely adore the floors in the foreground. My dream home will have black chevron/herringbone floors! The vintage globe, midcentury chairs, and and pink hallway are all nice touches too.

Have a great Tuesday everyone. 🙂

Totally Inspiring Room(s)

Sometimes when you’re looking at interiors, you come across a space that speaks to your soul. Perhaps that’s a little melodramatic but I was so entranced by Darcy Miller Nussbaum’s home in the February 2012 issue of Architectural Digest that I’m sure woke the dead with all my oohing and aahing. There is loads more of this winning design by MR Architecture + Decor at Architectural Digest.

In A Bossa Nova Mood

So you may have noticed that I’ve been gone for a while… I apologize for that but I needed a mental vacation from blogging and the blogosphere. Hope I wasn’t gone too long!

To make up for my absence, I’d like to share a recent buy from Starbucks: In A Bossa Nova Mood. It’s a compilation of old and new Bossa Nova tunes served up in an absolutely gorgeous package. The beautiful watercolor spectrum on the cover, by artist Victor Melendez, was what initially drew me in. While I was waiting for my extra hot, extra caramel, Caramel Machiatto… I couldn’t stop picking the CD up and looking at the cover. When I finally flipped it over and saw the list of artists on the back, I was sold.

Stand out tracks include Bebel Gilberto’s take on So Nice (Summer Samba), Beck’s Tropicalia, Los Amigos Invisibles’ Los Lycras del Avila, and THE classic Bossa Nova song: The Girl From Ipanema with Antonio Carlos Jobim, Astrud Gilberto, Joao Gilberto, and Stan Getz… and that’s just the tip of the iceberg! The whole disc is amazing, with no ill tracks on it at all.

If you’re looking for cool, sexy, laid back music to play while you’re having a sultry summer evening grillout – this CD is for you!

On a design note: designstILes drew a comparison to Miles Redd’s work that was recently featured in House Beautiful with this CD cover. What do you think?

Totally Inspiring Room

Happy Tuesday everyone! I’m short on time today but here is some visual inspiration for the day:

…just a little black and white bliss for the office. See you tomorrow!

Cool Crochet. 08/08/10.

I’ve been browsing Anthropologie for the last little while looking for a mirror that was featured in one of my old magazines. Found the mirror.

Then I found this beautiful, crocheted, gold and silverd plated cuff.

Now THAT is cool crochet.