Perfectly Imperfect.

I've been in love with Rae Dunn's ceramics for a long time now; ever since my friend Charles introduced me to her work. Rae's ceramic work is really fun, yet simple and elegant. I love it's purity, without taking itself too seriously. And it's very tactile - I want to reach out and touch it. Rae says her work is strongly influenced by the Japanese aesthetic of wabi-sabi, "the beauty of things imperfected, impermanent and incomplete."



More of Rae's work can be seen in the ceramic gallery Verdigris that she co-owns and operates. Located in San Francisco's infamous Cannery Building, Rae shares this unique working clay studio and gallery with two other wonderful ceramic artists, Mary Mar Keenan and Christa Assad. I'll share more about these other very talented women another time.

Soft & Fuzzies

Last night I attempted to peruse the massive pile of holiday gift catalogs I tripped over upon entering my apartment. Why, oh why do they bombard us with these? It guilt's me not to look at them because it's such a waste of trees. Anyhow, I saw some cute things in the Garnet Hill catalog, so I thought I'd share. There's no way I can compete with the amazing gift guide series Grace put together on Design*Sponge, nor would I want to. You gotta check it out - it's really good! But I thought I'd post a few unique gift ideas over the next few weeks when they catch my eye.

I love these En Gry & Sif Felt Coin Purses. Handcrafted in Nepal using New Zealand wool, these colorful, fun designs are decorated with various embroidery treatments. Some styles have felted zipper pulls. All are lined with smooth nylon. So whimsical and happy! I love being able to spot cute things like these at the bottom of my purse.

These Chevron Hot-Water Bottles would make anybody cozy and warm on a winter night. Made in England, where they must be experts on avoiding a chill, these hot-water bottles are covered in a heathered chevron-patterned cover woven from soft English lambswool. Quite toasty and the perfect gift for any grannys and grandpas.

Just in time for Hanukkah.

Jonathan Adler has this fantastic line of handstiched needlepoint yarmulkes. Brilliant. You've never looked so good at Temple.

Have you ever been to Muji?

Muji in London is one of my favorite shops. When my friend Casey and I were there a few years ago, we picked up these great little journals and a set of colored pencils and documented and illustrated our whole trip. Even the toothless pick-pocket, but that's another story.

They've had a few things available online for awhile now. But I checked in today for some gift shopping and noticed they've really added to the online inventory. I'd much rather go to London and pick them up, but what's a girl gonna do? Here's some of the great things you can find there.

Clockwise from left to right: This small brown Wooden Soup Bowl is so pretty, made entirely from natural wood. Great for warm soups on cold winter days and fresh salads in the warmer seasons or use them as sweet little snack servers.

These collapsible Cardboard Speakers are lightweight, and so portable they can travel with you anywhere and fold away when they are not in use. Plug them into the headphone socket of your personal stereo to enjoy the sound out loud.

This cute little Alphabet Rubber Stamp Set comes with A-Z lettering, various punctuation signs, 0-9 numbers and red and green ink pads. A very cute stocking stuffer.

I'm pretty sure I'm partial to this Knitted Dog because he has Cooper's soft, floppy ears. He's handmade from a wool mix fabric that is knitted together and brushed for an extra soft surface. Available in green, beige and grey.

Clockwise from left to right: French Coffee Press - the classicly designed French coffee maker has a really nice, sleek style. I love mine.

Incense and Candle Travel Set, packaged in a small tin with lovely fragrances including cinnamon and orange, nutmeg and clove and ginger fragrances each with their own ceramic incense holder. Nice for cheering up a stale hotel room.

Just like they used to hide maps on handkerchiefs during WWII, this
City Handkerchief with a New York map on it so clever. There's also a London, Tokyo and Hong Kong version.

I really like these Striped Gloves. A sporty wool mix of stripes in brown, grey and white, they'll go with so many ensembles!

Muji is such a good source for stylish and unique items with simple, but wonderful design. If you can't get to London soon, check out the online shop for stationary, housewares, accessories, photo albums and so many other practical, yet well done items. Prices are listed in British Pounds so don't forget to check the conversion rate.

Why do laundromats have the coolest chairs?

Love me a good dishcloth.

These must be the cutest dishcloths ever. Or at least, in the top ten on the very cute dishcloth list. Rose and Radish in Hayes Valley carry this gorgeous line of dishcloths from Atelier Lzc, France. France, but of course! Oui!

This Bird Dishcloth, in purple, is my very favorite of the collection. The green, pastel palette is pretty sweet, too. They're so unlike your ordinary old dishcloth; so fresh and modern they almost make you wish for dirty dishes. Or at least someone cute to dry dishes with so you can show them off.




The Peacock dishcloth is inspired by Russian design, with bold, bright colors and repeating patterns of Matriochka dolls, eggs, fish, peacocks and roosters. Who would have thought such a crazy combination of icons would look so great together?



Each towel is hand-made and screen-printed. And nice and big at 20" x 26", so plenty of dishes can be dried with these beauties.



They're all $16, and available Rose and Radish Online, or at their very fun and trendy shop on Gough Street in the ever bustling Hayes Valley, San Francisco.

Too Cool. Had to Share.

I was browsing some of my favorite blogs tonight when I came across this amazing poster. What great design!


Shannon Lowry explains the idea behind the poster on her blog, "The Stitch Fashion Show and Guerrilla Craft Bazaar is an annual celebration of independent design, artistry and creativity. The idea was born when four austin designers (Jesse Kelly - Landes of Amet and Sasha, Tina Sparkles of Sparkle Craft, Karly Hand of Identity Crisis Clothing and Jennifer Perkins of Naughty Secretary Club) joined forces to create a forum to show their designs, the women took it upon themselves to establish Stitch." Cool, ladies.

The show was on the 11th in Austin, Texas. As a fellow knitter, I wish I'd been in Austin to see it (and to visit my good friend Annie!). Looks like Stitch's site is just as cool as the poster. Thanks for sharing Shannon. Maybe you or someone from Stitch can confirm who the talented designer is behind this great poster.

The Art of Magazine Covers.

Conde Nast, the publisher that brings you Vogue, House & Garden, Vanity Fair and Domino (among many other magazines) has a lovely online archive of reproduction magazine cover art available to purchase. Some of the them date back to the 30's all the way up until the 1950's. There's some really beautiful old sketches and photographs from an amazing array of artists from magazines like Vanity Fair, House & Garden, Vogue and Mademoiselle.


There's some lovely fashion sketches from Cecil Beaton like this group of nine older women seated in a row from Vogue, 1932.


I love this collection of gorgeous 1930's Vogue covers from illustrator Carl Erickson. What a great grouping they'd make.



This is a fun cover from Mademoiselle, a beautiful pastel illustration of woman with fishing pole and tackle basket by Helen Jameson Hall from 1936.




They are all available either matted only, or completely matted and framed. Some are available in two sizes, as well as custom boxed Note Cards (which you could frame yourself!). A grouping of fashion magazine cover cards could be a great look in a bedroom or bath, or make a great gift.





I've always loved these color tinted photographs. This one showing the new shoes and stockings of the season by William Bell, Vogue, 1959 and our own San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge by Serge Balkin for Vogue, 1957.

Feels Like Winter.

Tamjpn posted this gorgeous photo. Thanks so much for sharing.

Throw me a throw, will you?

Baby, it's getting cold out there. And thankfully, Anthropologie has a really lovely collection out this season of just the thing to keep you snugly and warm on a chilly winter night. I'm a big fan of throws and blankets because I like they way they can add warmth and texture to a sofa or your favorite reading chair and they're a great way to add color and style to a room. And being one of my very favorite spots to shop for unique looks, Anthropologie is a good place to look for just the right one to compliment a room.


I love this big, chunky Paint Palette Throw made of imported vanilla wool with bright spots of primary colors throughout. It seems just like you'd be pulling on your favorite, old worn sweater to take a nice long afternoon nap by the fire.






You could really cuddle up with a good read with this combed wool Fringed Throw. This one comes in cream or brown with multi-colored fringe and would also look great thrown over the back of any chair, or folded beautifully on a wood bench. Kind of exotic looking.

This Kashmir Paisley Throw made of saffron wool is finished off with these fantastic golden garlands and pompoms. I think it would look so pretty thrown over the foot of a bed with a crisp, white duvet cover. Like something you might have seen in The English Patient or A Passage to India.
















The Lucy Crochet Throw is a lovely, updated version of something your Grandmother might have made you. This too, would look so great thrown over a brightly colored, contrasting duvet cover. Really fresh and feminine looking.

Bond. James Bond.

I'm clearly not a movie reviewer, and this blog isn't about film, but sometimes films do inspire creativity, so here I am writing about one I just saw. I've been a fan of the James Bond films on and off for years, depending on the Bond of the moment. I was into Sean & Pierce. Not so much Roger & Timothy. But this new Bond. Wow. I'm just saying....I could watch this man clip his toenails and he'd be sexy. Daniel Craig has got that Steve McQueen tough-guy-with-a sensitive -side going on, which I'm a total sucker for. The first time he appeared on screen in his tux the woman in front of me audibly gasped. I've been a fan of Daniel's (we're on a first name basis) since I saw him in Layer Cake and Enduring Love, so I'm thrilled he pulled off Bond and proved all the naysayers wrong. Go Daniel, go.



I don't love Bond just for the guy-candy. And half the time I have no idea what's going on in the plot. It's just fun and a great escape. The opening credits of these films are enough reason to go alone - the graphics are amazing. I would go to a theater to see a montage of Bond opening credits any time and be quite inspired. Someone should put that together as a short film (anyone?). And Casino Royale does not disappoint. They've done a really witty and brilliant job with the graphics this time for sure.



And then there's the fabulous and glamorous fashion, the stylish decor and gorgeous locations. I just get into it, because it's so far removed from everyday life. The locations in this Bond are breathtaking. From the beaches in the Bahamas to Lake Como to the Grand Canal of Venice, Italy, it's like taking a mini holiday everywhere the story takes you. Simply fantastic.

So go see it - for the graphics, style, wit and plain fun of it all. Oh, and for Daniel, his sensitive side and those steely blue eyes. Wow.

Thankful.

I'm writing this tonight because maybe some of you are heading out of town tomorrow and may not check in. It's a busy time of year.

I had a really tough day at the 'real job' today. So I came home and lost it for a couple of minutes (okay, it was at least a half hour) then I hugged my dog, thought about the good stuff in my life and one of the things at the top of the list is this blog and you readers that read it.

It may seem silly, but interior design is a career I let go of many years ago, mostly because I couldn't make a living at it. After graduating from design school, I started in furniture sales, and I kid you not, my boss at the time actually brought me in on a Saturday to pass along his 'mantra' to me, in hopes the chanting might help me make more sales. Wow, how L.A. can you get? It didn't help a bit - because I was really bad at trying to talk people into buying something I wasn't sure they wanted. So after a while I abandoned something I really loved to head into the world of advertising and pay my rent.

I am proud of my achievements in advertising, don't get me wrong. I started as a receptionist and worked my way up the ladder to become the director of creative services and art buying at a San Francisco ad agency that I am lucky to be a part of. But a day like today, dealing with trying to keep a very large and diverse group of talented, individually opinionated and creative people happy, and all that crap (and believe me, it can be a lot of crapity-crap), I was so glad to come home and have another purpose - writing this blog and learning as I go along. My blog isn't perfect and I aspire to so much more, but it does make me happy. And they say if you can do what makes you happy you'll do it well. So with all that said, I just wanted to say how thankful I am that I have your interest, and you occasionally like checking in to see what I have to share with you. Seriously, it really means more to me than you know. I hope you all have some good things to be thankful for too. It's a tough world out there sometimes, and we all need to remember to be a little kinder, a little more patient and just be there for each other. It may sound lame. Perhaps. But isn't it easier to be optimistic, strong and happy when part of a community?

Happy Thanksgiving to all. Design on people!
Victoria

Photograph compliments of the lovely Astrid. Thanks so much for your talent, girl.

Many styles. Much Inspiration.

There is so much amazing talent to and great design be found and shared on Flickr, that I thought I'd show you some of my favorites. It's an excellent tool for inspiration and kick starting your imagination. And it's free! I know I gush over Flickr, but I do believe it's only just begun a long life as an amazing resource. It's like having many, many magazines, art and photography, diverse cultures, travel logs and style mavens all at your fingertips. I highly recommend it.

Pink Loves Brown kindly shares her cheerful new dining room. Great bold colors.

I love this wall color and sweet bird from Encantada.






Interior shot of Turquoise, a lovely shop, located in Venice, CA, provided by Typefiend. The grey walls with the coral upholstry looks fantastic.









This photo was sent to Michelle Caplan by one of her clients who lives in London and recently bought these six pieces of Michelle's beautiful collage work. That mantel is amazing, too.




















Decor8 shares this colorful, vintage modern room originally posted on Apartment Therapy. I really love this room.














Amber in Norfolk shows off her new home and the fantastic job she's done decorating. I love her colors. And love that McCobb credenza!

Go on...check out Flickr for what inspires you.

Buttercup Bathroom Remix.

I got all inspired this weekend and decided to finally make a decision on a color to paint my bathroom. I've been in quite the conundrum as to which color to go with for a long while now. I was headed in the lime-ish green with pink accents direction, but decided I'd tire of it quickly. I hit one of my favorite's, Cole Hardware, and picked out some paint. It's a great local shop that serves popcorn and allows dogs - they even have treats for Coop.

I was pretty spontaneous once I got there, and chose a lovely buttercup yellow. I thought it paired well with my charcoal grey and white checked floor. And I think it works really nicely. I moved in one of my favorite thrifted paintings - a deep blue and grey seascape and then my little parakeet print and found a little theme going on. I picked up some really soft and comfy charcoal colored bath towels by Thomas O'Brien for Target and it felt like the room really came together.





After a long day of painting, I lit some candles, drew a nice bath and hopped in to enjoy the fruits of my labor. I love painting - it's almost instant gratification. Yummy!

Find of the day.

Have you ever seen Found Magazine? It has amazing little found objects submitted by readers that evoke many emotions, from sorrow, to cheer, to hope. Here's today's find and the story behind it...


'Beautiful.' Found by Joseph Mirabello in Richmond, Virginia. "I was in an elevator after a particularly rough day of classes when I looked down and found this on the floor. It was a nice reminder." Sometimes you find what you need just when you need it.

Grey Gardens at The Castro.

I received an anonymous tip on one of my posts today that they are screening one of my all-time favorite films this week. Grey Gardens and a new film, The Beales of Grey Gardens (made up of precious edited footage from the first movie) are playing at The Castro Theatre in San Francisco. If you've never seen Grey Gardens, a cult classic film by Albert and David Maysles (I blogged about it in a previous post), the Castro Theatre is the perfect venue to view it. Apparently the films have been making the rounds and just played in New York City. Showings in SF at the Castro are on the 21st and 22nd, this Tuesday & Wednesday evenings, so make your plans now and get there early.

Built in 1922, The Castro Theatre is one of the truly original, grand theatres; so many of which are torn down these days to be replaced by mini malls. The Castro's interior is very diverse. You can see Spanish, Asian and Italian influences. The auditorium seats over 1,400 in a art deco setting that is both lavish and intimate. There's even an organ player! The Castro is known for playing vintage and kitschy classics. A group of friends and I went to see Valley of the Dolls here and had such a blast. So if you are going to this double feature, you'll get to view two amazing films, and the grandeur of a beautiful old movie house all in one evening. What a great night of inspiration.