My dear buddy Matthew made the Small Cool Apartment Contest this year on Apartmenttherapy.com. Go vote "super cool" for him and he has the chance of winning gift certificates not to mention the accolades of all the design-y people. If you check out Matt's floorplan you may recognize his work from his super great web comic, Isolated Instances of Non-Gravity. He's currently taking commissions, and if the comments on Apartmenttherapy are any indication, Matt's drawings could be quite the hot ticket.

The orange stripe on the wall was a good lesson in what a little painter's tape could do. The shelves were those basic modular kind just painted to match. Matt's vintage finds come from eBay and the Pasadena Rose Bowl.




Pictures of the colorful kitchen and bathroom here.

Labels: design, DIY, www.internet.com

One of my favorite girls is featured on Daily Candy today.

Daily Candy - Sand and Deliver

www.alexandracassaniti.com

Alexandra Cassaniti moved to the neighborhood last year and took over. All the ladies will be trying to dress like her soon and they sort of can since she's launched her own line. It's an online catalog right now so beg all your favorite boutiques to start carrying her summer themed stuff in time for you to hit the beach. She'll even design you a custom surfboard. (That's Alex in the picture showing off a custom lighting bolt pattern on one of our hometown beaches in Encinitas. That's right. I grew up with an up and coming designer, jealous?).




Available in these LA stores:

CURVE
154 N. Robertson
Los Angeles, 90048
310.360.8008

OPENING CEREMONY
451 N. La Cienega
Los Angeles, 90048
310.652.1120

Labels: design, fashion, shopping

I have a habit of browsing Craigslist's rentals even when I don't need a new place to live. I like to keep up on what's available in the neighborhood, remind myself how crazy the cost of studio living is, and daydream about the perfect home. But I never knew Craigslist could be a portal to learning about designers, until today. See the ad here.

Labels: design, local

Those who know me know I like things - but I am not a material girl - even though my closet says different. I often give in to the fleeting happiness gathered from beautiful clothes, shoes, jewelry and other stuff. These three are on my happy list today:


Atelier Hoodie by Eloise. Available at Anthropologie, just in the stores, not online anymore. Softer than the most expensive terry cloth hoodie and way more flattering. The wide band in the middle hugs the curves in the right spot. The wide bell sleeves and slightly puffed shoulder elevate this to a not-so casual sweatshirt. Plus the crochet details is just right, especially the row on the back, which compliments a lady's lower back just the way we like it. I'm trying out more layering options for this piece because if worn just with jeans the BF thinks I look too much like a Shirley Temple character and calls me good ship lollipop.




Thanks to the eames photostream on flickr I now know the U.S. Post Office will release Eames design stamps later this year. I'm a big fan of commemorative stamps. I'm not a collector, I just really enjoy the trips to the post office when they have a wide selection for you to choose from that doesn't include Christmas imagery or stamps made for weddings. I must plan a Saturday visit to the Eames House in Malibu soon as well as the Eames Office - the gallery/store that's gotta be cooler than the closest DWR.




My inner teenager wants to scribble all over my notebooks I heart Missbehave Magazine. Even though it's New York City centric it's full of sass. Like Jezebel, sometimes the sass needs to be taken like salt in small doses, other days I crave for the foul-mouthed fashionistas in training and say, bring it. I'm indulging in all of their guilty pleasures from ghetto-fab nails to the latest plastic-fantastic accessory. The blog occasionally posts party fliers for the LA area. I'll be checking in often to know which latest trend I'm missing out on.

Labels: design, fashion, shopping

With the 3-day weekend around the corner I'm making time to get back to an all summer long project - tackling the piece of dirt my landlord calls a lawn.

A little over a year ago my mom, her boyfriend and I made a patio. It was a fairly inexpensive and fairly easy project we completed in one weekend. My landlord even agreed to go half-sies on it with me. Poor renters take note: Always ask when you're going to do some sort of home renovation. You shouldn't expect your landlord to pay for the whole thing but you can usually sway them to help out when you talk about how much you like living there but would love to increase the value in some beautifying way. Be prepared to present a budget and if it's going to create more of an inconvenience for the other tenants than what it's worth.

ReadyMade provides a great how-to article to make a stone paver patio. Leveling the ground with sand is key. I wasn't super concerned as I was just looking for some extra sitting/eating area. We don't get a lot of rain in these parts either, so worrying about puddles forming in front of my door wasn't a concern. Never having to weed again was the objective so we laid a heavy black plastic. Since then I've found damp newspaper also does the trick. When the occasional renegade weed does poke through I opt for boiling hot water or vinegar instead of reaching for icky chemical killers.

My patio care of half my yard problem and provided a great outdoor extension to my free-standing studio. Since then I've fantasized about complete outdoor space to house more guests, more parties, more outdoor time.




When I moved in to my studio I immediately started filling the outdoors with potted plants. The Sunset Nursery is my neighborhood resource. I collect succulents and plumerias. My major concern is that any plant I bring home has to be drought resistant (I'm environmental and I'm lazy!). Both types of plants are easy to care for. They thrive under the LA sun, and remind me of places my family and I visit. The cactus and succulents are for my extended family in Arizona & New Mexico, the plumerias are for Hawaii. I've always kept my plants in pots because I am the non-committal renter ready to move them at any notice.

I've been gathering inspiration little by little to bring continuity to my taste and have come up with a Palm Springs meets Mexican dessert theme. I've been collecting yard sale and swap meet finds. Hopefully by this weekend things will continue to come together.

The biggest hurtle is covering the dirt-yard with something attractive and environment friendly. I do not want to be weeding a garden or mowing a lawn on my off time. I love what Philip Dixon has done with pebbles and concrete.

Labels: design, DIY, shopping

The posts have been sparse because summer's got the best of me. Romance is all around and I keep skipping town. A year ago this little blog got started because I fell in like with LA in the summertime. Those of us in the know know there are those who "Heart NY" but we "Like LA".

Kate Neckel has been mentioned on a few design blogs. She's made a wonderfully unique quilt out of old skateboard decks. She also makes these daily drawings that make me wanna quit my job and go join the coffee house sketch artists. Then I remember I don't have the patience.



This one especially caught my eye. She says it's from a series done in Paris. I think it looks like the perfect alternative to a travel log. If not a drawing for each day, each little sketch could represent a favorite moment form one's travels. Here's a link to the larger image.

Maybe I'll get motivated and go to Casbah some warm Summer evening to sketch my recent escape to La Fonda, BC.

Labels: design, random

Never one to skip my daily browse of all the trustworthy design blogs, I have to pass on a very cool decorating idea via Apartment Therapy. Amy and John share a 1000 square foot apartment in New York. (Here's the full slideshow). Amy is a salvage artist for This Old House. She writes and creates video tutorials. This handy and handsome entranceway shelf looks to be a pretty straightforward DIY project. The quality and historical interest of the doornobs she chose I think make all the difference. Thumbs up for the YWCA nob. I think a similar effect could be had with mis-matched antique hooks on a re-purposed door or old wood facade. Scrap pieces like that can be found at Silver Lake's own salvage yard. Then bust out the drill and a couple screws. Now if only I had an entryway.


Silver Lake Yards
1085 Manzanita (down the hill behind the Sunset & Manzanita)
Silver Lake, 90026
323.667.2875

Labels: design, DIY

Boy was I excited to get up early on a Sunday, don my Etsy purchases and go out to Felt Club early in hopes of grabbing up a goody bag. Well, me and 500 other Los Angeles crafters had the same idea. By 11:00am - the set time for the doors to open to the pretty little Ukrainian Cultural Center - a line had wrapped around the block. Standing in the hot sun did not look fun.

We all knew it would be packed this year, but the extent of the crowd was intimidating, to say the least. By the time I showed up around 4pm food was sold out, but the crowds had diminished. There was still plenty of merchandise to be had. Charles Phoenix hugged mascot Gluey Gluerson and called the raffle. DJ Lance Rock, never one to disappoint, spinned my favorite poppy re-mixes and I learned that very day he's the new host of possibly the best cartoon show for infants ever, Yo Gabba Gabba.

I was happy to meet Robert from Mahar Drygoods and even happier to learn they had a Mr. Toast affiliation. Mahar Drygoods is a cute online shop that Robert works out of his house in Santa Monica. He aspires to have an actual, versus virtual, storefront one of these days.


I didn't make any major purchases, but was more excited to do a little craft-shopping with as many vendors as possible and sign up on everyone's mailing lists.



This lion t-shirt came home with me from Poketo thanks to their bargain bin. A tip to craft shoppers: always look below their booths for the bargain bin section. Sometimes the cast-offs are more interesting than the "perfect" ones on the tables. The cotton is so soft. I plan to cut off the sleeves and shape the tee into a cosy yet skimpy camisole perfect for layering this summer.



A Happy Bacon magnet by SappyMooseTree now smiles back at me from my fridge. It would have been a crime to leave Felt Club without a creation of felt.

A Lucha Libre stencil kit will encourage me to take up cross-stitching thanks to Handmade Nation who were selling a variety of items for charity.



Fuzzy Balls Apparel had free buttons. My friend and I proudly wore the "I'm Fracking Magical" buttons for the rest of the day. She supports the Battlestar Galactica reference while I post-modernly adore Veronica Mars re-referencing "Frack" in one of her better episodes. Their temporary tattoos were a nice give-away as well.



Fomato stole my heart first with their graphic ghost prints and then with their witty birthday cards. Who wouldn't want a birthday card that reads "I'm celebrating your birthday by going to a dive bar in hopes to go home with a stranger"? There are also informative birthday cards on drinking tea.

I'm still on the lookout for the perfect frilly apron. It's gotta have at least four ruffles and tons of brick-a-brack. I'm probably gonna get crafty and make one.

There were lots of options to solve the small wallet that only holds the vital credit cards, ID, cash & change problem, but not one that was absolutely perfect. The DEVO inspired plastic one from Poketo came close. You can buy it here.



The auditorium lacked good AC or ventilation and word is the Craft Fair will move outdoors in November for their Holiday Expo. They're trying for the LACC courtyard.

Here's the thank you email letter from Felt Club maven Jenny Ryan:

Hello All,

This is just a quick e-mail to thank you all for coming out in droves for today's Felt Club: XL Summer Event. We all had an absolute blast!! Believe me when I say that as great as the press we got was, we still had no idea the crowds were going to end up being so enormous. Clearly we have outgrown our venue! Please know that we are aware of the situation and are hard at work coming up with new and better ways to bring you Felt Club fun in the future.

For everyone who has been asking, we are indeed doing a holiday show on November 18, and rest assured that the venue we're using for that show is MUCH larger, very well ventilated, and just downright fabulous. We'll be able to share more specifics with you on that soon, so please stay tuned! We think you'll be very pleased.

Many, many thanks so all of you who braved the crowds and heat to come support the super-crafty L.A. scene. Heartfelt apologies to those of you who couldn't take it, and we thank you so much for supporting us as we sort out our growing pains in order to continue bringing you the very best handmade awesomeness California has to offer. We're extremely grateful for your interest in what we're doing, you're the best!!

Sincerely,
Jenny Ryan
Felt Club

Labels: design, DIY, fashion, shopping

No I am not rallying for celebrity chef Tom Collichio's new restaurant, although I'm sure the opening of Craftsteak this weekend will be fabulous...


What is the hottest ticket in town is FELT CLUB XL this Sunday. The Winter Craft Fair was a huge success for the LA Craft Club that could and their summer one has gained so much attention from the community at large I'm sure it will be even more packed than last time. Show up super early if you wanna get in on the door freebies. Only 250 SWAG bags will be at the door with little freebies from Subversive Cross Stitch and local sponsors including Reform School and Echo Park fave eatery Masa - I think in the form of gift certificates, not pizza slices. But if you do get hungry Auntie Em's Kitchen will supply the noshes. I couldn't be happier about Auntie Em's. Once just my stop for red velvet cupcakes after tennis matches in Eagle Rock now the treats are showing up all over the city. The uber-trendy downtown Edison Bar even has her cupcakes on the menu. If you've never indulged, the perfect cream cheese frosting will make you forget about any disappointing pastry experience you've ever had.

But enough about the sweets, how about the sweet vendors? There's too many to mention. Over 70 from around the country! Craft blogger fave Michelle Caplan will be there with her gorgeous collages. Local illustrators Jordan Crane and Martin Cendreda will most likely be sketching up a storm. Craft Magazine will provide a booth of craft classes. The schedule includes yarn spinning, gocco tutorials, needle felting, charm jewelry design. It's a bonafide craft-nerd paradise. The vintage culture deity himself Charles Phoenix MCs the entire event. That's him hugging Felt Club's mascot Gluey Gluerson. Adorable, no?

Sunday July 15th 11:00am - 7:00pm
Felt Club XL Summer
Ukrainian Cultural Center
4315 Melrose Avenue
LA 90029
$1 Donation at the door
Street parking or $2 lot on Vermont Ave.

Labels: design, DIY, events

The Live Earth concert over the weekend sure got my environmentally conscious pals and I worked up. Maybe we would have been more supportive if the acts were anyone worth wild but John Mayer's poo-face (the face he makes when he hits those cringe-inducing cliche guitar notes) started a rant about how un-environmental a giant concert is. Apart from the obvious waste and litter large stadium shows make, a friend of mine brought up that an Internet streamed concert from around the world would be just as effective, possibly "revolutionary", and a much smaller carbon footprint than planes for the artists and fans to fly to Tokyo, for example. From an environmental design perspective I was really unimpressed by the tire wall for the U.S. show. The "recycled-chic" look got lost when I started to think about the amount of energy needed to transport old tires and then attach them to a giant wall. And it doesn't look any better than Fat Albert and the Junkyard Gang's clubhouse.

Kelly Clarkson gets down with tires [via liveearth.msn.com].


Repetition with re-used or recycled materials is a signature green look - from seat belt purses to crochet plastic bag bags. The best looking example of this I saw today via sub-studio design blog. The Vintage Belt Floor Mat by Branch is awfully pretty. Made completely out of discarded men's leather belts, it makes quite the statement piece for your floor not to mention all the color variation from years of wear and fade would match most decors. And like signature green products it'll put you in credit card debt faster than you can download the Live Earth concert.


Never lacking at the local thrift stores, I'm confident a rip-off version could be made from old belts and a lot of leather glue. Branch's creation in fact is made just like that - belts glued onto "reconstituted leather backing". A bad suede jacket plus your dad's hand-me-downs could equal similar results, or at least a couple trivet trays. You'll need leather shears and strong glue which can be found at fabric or upholstery stores.

Labels: design, DIY, environmental

Just today I discovered a new favorite blog: REFERENCE LIBRARY aka Andy's Blog. Andy likes to do what I like to do. We both scour the Internet for interesting vintage items, covet antique school furniture and modern toys, and get outbid on eBay all the time. Andy doesn't provide a lot of explanation but I'm still just as inspired by all this cool stuff as I would if each item was written up in some glossy magazine.

Labels: design, random, shopping, www.internet.com

A couple years ago my dorkiness reached incredible heights when I saw the Lost Buildings Tour, a live radio show by Ira Glass of This American Life with a slide show by meticulous-is-an-understatement- for-this-comic artist/genius Chris Ware. All of my favorite daydream topics (comics, architecture, antiques, preservation, storytelling) came together in a very touching story of a young man and his mentor's quest to save the original Louis Sullivan buildings of Chicago. Under the golden glow of UCLA's Royce Hall Ira Glass was a maestro in his element as he engineered each sound cue live with a flourish. I assume he does that each week on his radio show. Ware created a companion PowerPoint presentation with detailed drawings of buildings accented by sentimental cartoon characters projected onto a giant vertical screen. This achieved the scale of these buildings and payed homage to the lost art of facade decoration pioneered by architect Louis Sullivan. I became a KPCC Public Radio donor that year just to get a copy of the slide show on DVD, designed by Chris Ware.

Now on This American Life's online store you can purchase the Lost Buildings DVD as well as some of the most beloved episodes of the radio show on CD with covers designed by Ware. They're all quite lovely and a must for any Ware collector. I especially like the The Secret Decoder Program from 2000, where a group of radio serials have secret messages encoded at the end of each story. They'll bring out the dork in all of us in that lovable Ralphie Parker sort of way. If you got that movie reference you deserve a decoder ring of your very own, you geek.

Labels: design, shopping

Apartment Therapy's month-long Small Cool Aparment Contest had their finale when the four winners were announced online this morning. I am not a winner, and I knew it couldn't have happened when the competition is so fierce and the discrepancy between high and low end apartments are so huge. I was incredibly pleased just to look at the loads of generous comments from the AT community. Too bad I couldn't make the DWR party last night. It sounded like a lot of fun.


The winners are inspiring and would easily fit in to the pages of any glossy design magazine but I am ecstatic Laura from Santa Monica took second place. Her abode is free of pretensions. Someone actually lives in that apartment versus the sterile hotel feel of some of the finalists. Bravo to those who can take their architecture degrees and hire the best help, and have the best resources at their fingertips. But mad mad props to the people who fix up their living spaces in their image and don't walk around with formal design credentials. I always loved AT for their DIY attitude and empowering the little man with affordable and still attractive solutions but these days I find myself lingering less and less on their site. If I wanted Elle Decor and Architectural Monthly I would read them. Which I do. I just feel there are lesser known voices out in the home decorating/design world that often go unheard over the loud noise of overblogged (overpriced) topics.







Laura's studio stands out from the rest. It's a well though out use of small space and as practical as it is pleasing to the eye. Feminine and welcoming at once. Simple elegance and budget conscious. No wonder it was a favorite of so many readers. I am biased towards the single-woman and that she's an LA resident. She's also the only non East Coast finalist and the only renter out of the group. Maybe AT could tailor their contest next year for winners in separate categories. Renters v. Owners. Or take style or budget into consideration. Or even how small is small. There is quite a difference between an LA studio and a 2 bedroom custom made NY loft, for example.

AT for the first time this year also held contests on their specialty sites, The Kitchen, The Nursery and I was keeping tabs on Home Tech. Call me crazy, but when they first announced the rules for the Home Tech Small Cool Contest I was not picturing a bunch of entertainment centers and computer hutches, which is what I mainly saw posted.



The winners are all seamless integrated TV units. They're flat screens on the wall with hidden cables in stylish settings. They're lessons to those looking to streamline but not a whole lot more. Letting apartments enter multiple contests is not a bad thing, but it was outlawed this year. It could create some interest among entrants. Harder for the judges, I know, but they weren't lacking a flood of entries this year anyway. Step up the prizes to something else besides an iPod and I'll enter my flatscreen next year.

Labels: design, DIY, editorial

I'm looking for new ways to declutter my home life. An obvious step is to cut back on the magazine subscriptions. While Vanity Fair used to rule my living room in tall sleek and glossy piles I now pick-up only cover stories that interest me. I faithfully buy the annual Hollywood Portfolio issue and five-finger discount any others from my gym. I've started my own library swap system actually. Last month's Jane for their US Weekly, for example. Pretty much everywhere there are magazines to be perused I'll leave another in its place then return the initial borrowed one. My coffee table as well as my recycle bin rejoice as the clutter keeps walking out the door with me. What is harder to get away from are the beautiful design and decorating magazines I keep on my shelf for years. Thank goodness for two sites which are my daily landing pad for inspirations. Desiretoinspire.blogspot.com & decor8.blogspot.com. I never have to cut a single page ever again. One question: How long should I hang onto my Lucky Magazines? One year? One month?


Desire to Inspire
Can now check Domino and Elle Decor off the list - they've done the work for me. The two-person staff trolls the web for sumptuous modern design images and then places them on their site in one cohesive collage. It feels so right. Loose categories for trends and specific designers are giving me quite the education each time I stop by. The house tours are especially inspiring. They usually showcase London's Living Etc. - a beautiful gallery for decorating solutions. Now I can get back to work and not have to hit up two sites in one day.





Decor8
Another blogger favorite. Holly Becker, a freelance writer outta Boston, posts gorgeous things all day long. Her aesthetic ranges from cool modern to handmade treasures. A store directory by city doesn't hurt either. Remove catalogues from the list. Her list is my shopping destination now. Everything on Decor8 would just look perfect in my apartment (see above couch & rug). And boy, is Holly thorough. Every subject she tackles she finds pages and pages worth of ideas. Her post on new doormats about a month back blew every other design blog away. Becker keeps price, proportions, and trendiness all as factors. Her personality delightfully shines through in every sentence. She's a blogger's inspiration too.

Labels: design, www.internet.com

I was going to spend the weekend pouting that I didn't get Coachella tix and watching the recently released Twin Peaks Vol. 2 DVD but then my Friday took a turn for the more social with these three happening events.

Enlightened Development + Crosswired - A & D Museum
6:00-10:00pm
Not even my architect buddies knew there was an Architecture & Design Museum in LA. But there is, a small gallery with a lovely courtyard space near Wilshire's museum row. Friday nights until May 21 DJ's take over the courtyard for vodka fueled mingling over new architecture models. Even if pre-fab is not in your vocab, free drinks and techno beats is not a bad way to kick-start your weekend. Like any gallery reception, show up on time. Shop promptly closes up @ 10pm.

A&D Museum
5900 Wilshire
Miracle Mile, 90036
323.932.9393


Not For Tourists Party - Footsie's Bar
6:00-9:00pm
Another FREE party with beer - print out the invite for a complimentary PBR. This time the folks at NFT (Not For Tourists) City Guides opens up Footsie's Bar in Highland Park to celebrate their new 2007 Los Angeles edition. I'm a big fan of their pocket city guides. The New York City guide really saved my bootie when I was in desperate need of the closest subway or latte in Manhattan. Their neighborhood maps of LA's burroughs make attractive and informative office decor too. Giveaways at the door while supplies last.

Footsie's
2640 N. Figueroa
Highland Park, 90065
323.221.6900


Dirty Found - Steve Allen Theater
8:00 & 10:00pm
The adorable Davy, Jason and the gang of FOUND Magazine reach new heights off the grounds of decency and privacy with a very special DIRTY FOUND Outreach Show. Pulled from the pages of the 'zine, which collects found objects of the risque nature (homemade cartoon porn and pervy Polaroids never meant to see the light of day) the multimedia show will feature slide shows, readings, songs and more. Tickets are still available for $12 at the box office or add on $3 for an online ordering charge.

Steve Allen Theater
4773 Hollywood Blvd.
Los Feliz, 90027
323.666.4268

Labels: art, bars, books, design, events, freebies

So I finally completed a dream of mine and entered Apartment Therapy's Small Cool contest. My apartment made the cut today! Entry #7: Meredith's Boho Chic Studio will be up on the Los Angeles page for everyone's voting pleasure. If chosen as a finalist I could win gift certificates to DWR. But really it's just nice to see the kind words everyone's posted so far. Thank you thank you thank you! And go vote today!

Labels: design, DIY

Bravo's Top Design came to an anti-climactic finale this week. Even the judges seemed bored by the end of it all. Although, I appreciated their criticism and praise and how no one became the reality show staple bad cop a la Simon Cowell or Janice Dickenson.

Around the design blogs what became the topic of heated typing was judge Kelly Wearstler's wardrobe. I stand by the woman's choice. Her decorating choices are fierce and often off-beat. Why shouldn't her wardrobe or hair be just as playful?

Her unforgettable fashion choices for the show via Bravo TV:







What I didn't know, but was illuminated to just now on a Design*Sponge comment board thanks to anonymous, is not only is Kelly Wearstler an internationally successful designer, but she also was once a Playboy centerfold! I knew the girl modeled, but damn. According to Wikipedia:

Kelly Gallagher (also known as Kelly Wearstler, born November 21, 1967 in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina) is an American model and professional interior designer. She was PlayboyPlaymate of the Month for September 1994. Her centerfold was photographed by Arny Freytag and Stephen Wayda. ...Her centerfold appears very briefly in the 1995 film Welcome to the Dollhouse, affixed to the inside of a school locker.

Just let me drag my jaw back from the ground.


From Playboy - I give you Miss September 1994.

BIRTHPLACE: Myrtle Beach, South Carolina USA

BUST: 34" C

WAIST: 24"

HIPS: 35"

HEIGHT: 5' 6"

WEIGHT: 105 lbs

AMBITIONS:
To own my own marvelous design and furnishings business.

TURN-ONS:
Fabulous, intense minds, honesty, huge smiles and a man with a colossal heart.

TURNOFFS:
Lack of communication, cruelty to animals, slackers, and bad design.

ROMANCING MY MAN:
Breakfast in the boudoir, a bit of physical activity, trip to the museum for some mental and visual stimulation, a nibble for two to satisfy the palate and a trip to the beach to see the sun set and the moon rise.

I CAN'T GET ENOUGH OF:
Swap meets, blended coffees, Nicholson Baker novels & good loving.

Nice to know Kelly is an L.A. woman who always had ambition.

Labels: design, fashion, television

The flier for Thinkspace Gallery's art show is so lovely I must archive it. The show runs 'til April 27.

Picks of The Harvest Opening Reception
Friday, Apr. 13 7:00pm
Thinkspace Gallery
4210 Santa Monica Blvd.
Silver Lake
323.913.3375

Labels: art, design, events

...Apartment Therapy's Smallest Coolest Apartments of 2007 to be exact.
If chosen as a finalist my apartment will be showcased on Apartment Therapy's blog and people will vote on it. I've been wanting to enter this contest ever since last year and hope all my decorating and little projects have payed off. So cross your fingers for me and hopefully three of these pics will show up on ApartmentTherapy.com next week. Once voting commences in May my apartment could go on to the semi-finals where the AT staff will vote for the smallest coolest apartment based on aesthetics, efficiancy, and creative problem solving with special challenges. The prize will be gift certificates to DWR - Design (sligthly) Within Reach. But the funnest part is all the design snobs (and I use the term snob with the utmost respect) will give me feedback. Any last minute tips?

Labels: design, DIY

There's a brand new design co. in town (Mar Vista to be exact). Tiny Face Design is the brain child of recent architecture school grad Katy Regnier. Katy, being from the school of DIY design and craftiness will take any of your photos and with the help of a computer turn them into a pleasing illustration.

That's her and her hubbie gracing the company's t-shirt. She designed their wedding party's souvenirs - his & her brides and groomsmen t-shirts with cartoons of each of the wedding party's faces.

T-shirts are a popular place for your new little piece of art, but Tiny Face can put your design on just about anything. And don't stop at family photos. Pets and custom art pieces can be commissioned as well. Due to the time and creative effort Katy's fee stays at $15 per face. And the more photos you submit the better to give her the essence of each person's (or dog's) personality, expressions, or quirks necessary for the finest illustration. Although, keep the photo choice to just one pose. She'll do some consulting but having exactly what you want reproduced is the most helpful. After the process Tiny Face will host a mini store on customink.com. And then your beloved's face can grace everything from ringer tees to baby onesies.

Labels: design, DIY, shopping

Furniture and design store DWR, has never really lived up to its name. They put out fabulous displays of mid-century modern designs but never really fall into the Design Within Reach category they call themselves. I am a big fan of the modern icons like the Eames because they seamlessly blended form and function as well as created beautiful furniture out of materials that could be inexpensively reproduced. Those famous chairs show up at DWR today as reproductions for exuberant prices. Collectors troll every flea market for the originals and design students furnish their apartments with IKEA. The gap for design within everyone's reach is wide wide wide. Which is why a little design contest with a bourgeoisie item is fun fun fun.





The winning chairs, as well as the runners up pictured above, will tour DWR stores next month in a champagne fueled reception sponsored by Veuve Clicquot (the good stuff).

March 20 6:00-8:00pm
451 Manhattan Beach Blvd.
Manhattan Beach

March 22 6:00-8:00pm
60 West Green St.
Pasadena

April 3 6:00-8:00pm
393 7th Ave.
San Diego

Labels: design, events

Thursday is the new Friday and Monday is the new Saturday. Get with the program and expand your weekend already. All dates 2/9-2/12.

* I dig the short and sweet interview LA Weekly held with Great Northern. The Silver Lake darlings play Spaceland Monday night 10:00pm.

* Ultraluxx is at it again at Mountain Bar. Saturday night is an early Valentine's Day FREE heart-themed bash with DJ's and dancing all night.

* The 15th Annual Art of Motion Picture Design showcases over 100 costumes from this year's Oscar Nominees all week starting this Saturday. FIDM Museum Galleries, Downtown. Viewings daily 10:00am-4:00pm.

* Hip-hop influenced indie dudes The Height perform with their homey Raw Bear at The Smell Saturday night just in time for curfew. 8:00pm in the eclectic line-up of Shelley Short, Alexis Gideon and Tanks.

* Courtesy of my new favorite art site SourHarvest.com : their nicely layed-out schedule may be a little behind the week, but scroll down to find Saturday's listings which include a benefit art auction in Culver City. Everyone's favorite street artists turned industry debutantes will be selling their interpretations of vintage paint by numbers to benefit LA's own The Alliance for Children's Rights including: Paul Frank, Shepard Fairey, Gary Baseman, Camille Rose Garcia, Isabel Samaras, Shag, Gary Panter, Tim Biskup and more more more. @ Corey Helford Gallery, Culver City. Public viewing begins 10:00pm.

Labels: art, design, events, music

In the same vein as Project Runway, Bravo TV starts its new reality-contestant show tonight, Top Design. Like the fashionistas and Top Chefs before, a group of talented interior designers will compete for title of Top Designer. The judging panel promises to catch that watchable blend of critique and cattiness with home designer Jonathan Adler heading and Todd Oldham hosting. LA Times insinuated the first challenge is not the most visually interesting. A bunch of self-proclaimed fabulous people sit around sketching and talking leading up to the big end of show reveal when they have to decorate a "sanctuary room". And the folks over at TLC are probably wondering what took Bravo so long to jump on the home decorating bandwagon. But one can expect talented individuals amidst the bitchy backstabbing that seems to be a staple on all reality shows as much as claws to the face fights were on Jerry Springer.
So after Top Chef crowns its latest drama king with the big floppy hat, stick around for more drama, more design, and water cooler talk the next morning.

Top Design
Bravo (Channel 57 for the Time Warner cable folks)
11:00pm PST

Labels: design, reviews, television

Felt Club's craft fair last weekend was so much fun, I can't wait for another one. Fortunately, this Saturday is Bazaar Bizarre. Another alternative to the crafting and gifting world, there'll be plenty of unique handmade goods and even a clothes swap. Just bring a bag of clothes and $10 to exchange for as much as you can carry. Finally, that bag of stuff I couldn't sell at my yard sale will find a home and I can get all new junk.

Bazaar Bizarre & Swap O Rama Rama
Saturday, Dec. 16
11:00am - 7:00pm
Shrine Auditorium Expo Center
700 West 32nd Street
$2 at the door

Labels: design, DIY, events, shopping

Felt Club's XL HOLIDAY this Saturday, Dec. 9 12:00-7:00pm. Handmade and crafty gifts fill the Ukranian cultural center for one whole day of fun. Support your local crafters. Enjoy plenty of vegetarian snacks, guest DJs and the editors from Make: and Craft: magazines will be there as well. Over 70 designers hawk their wares and mingle. First 250 in the door get swag bags. List of vendors and pictures of goodies in store for you here.

Felt Club presents XL Holiday Craft Fair
Saturday, Dec. 9 12-7:00pm
Ukranian Cultural Center
4315 Melrose (@ Heliotrope)
Parking lot on Vermont between Melrose & Monroe

Labels: design, DIY, events, shopping

Let the gift guide officially begin. As the holiday season clutches it's grinch-like grip upon us I'll be highlighting some toys for good girls & boys in the form of local and indie designers. First up, for the Star Wars fan with wit: