let's file this under: are you kidding me?!!?

next time you run out of gift ideas for your pops, gramps, bro, boyfriend, husband, guy pal, well, just look at what you can get them - a big ol ugly mug of carnations and fake ice cubes! the poor schmucks!!

seriously. this piece of nastiness could be yours, for the price of $36.95! that's about $36 more than you should be paying for anything that resembles something like this!! i kept the .95 cents in for the price of the white carnations. the acrylic beer mug .. yeah, i wouldn't take that even if someone gave that to me for free.

the product description from the "flower expert" website says: toast any occasion, from St. Patrick`s Day to birthdays to Father`s Day, with this amazing arrangement! Approximately 8 inches h x 5 inches w. This selection may contain: carnations and acrylic beer mug.

is this a guy's version of what a flower arrangement should look like? what is that gold liquid looking stuff in the mug anyway? are those ice cubes?

sooooooo weird. let's please file this under: are you kidding me?!!?

funny names

those who know me well will tell you that i'm a bit of a nerd. i like to think of myself as being .. 'scholastic' or 'academic.' sounds less socially inept. anyway, today i was acting on my academic impulses and dug even deeper into flower and plant varieties. the scientific names are hard to pronounce, so i like to know the familiar layman's terms given to flowers and plants. and i was pleasantly surprised to find some odd names.

take, for example, the trendy household plant sansevieria, very popular as an indoor plant because of its detoxification properties and its associations with good luck. the common name for this plant is "MOTHER IN LAW'S TONGUE." as i read up on the plant, it occured to me why it's called that. it has a hardiness and virtual indestructability that makes it almost unkillable. it also has sharp 'sword-like' stalks .. you know, like the sharp tongue of a mother in law! hahahaha. [photo by peterbreuer via flickr]

let's take a look at one of my faves, the ranunculus. here is an excerpt from my new favorite site, flowers.org from the UK.

In fairy tales frogs are apt to change into princes and it was an Asian prince in just such a story who gave his name to this flower, which grows naturally in swampy ground. The prince was so good-looking that he was loved by everyone. He also had a beautiful voice but this was his undoing. He loved the open country and sang delightful songs in the presence of nymphs. He did not have the courage to declare his love to them and this haunted him so much that he died. After his death he was changed into the flower with delicate tissuey petals which bears his name. [photo jane.siet via flickr]

love the story!!! a frog prince .. how charming~

childlike enthusiasm

today i spent all day with the munchkins [my sister's kids]. i love all days spent with them. they allow me to be the big overgrown kid that i really am. i encountered on-the-street snaps of some nyc kids on sartorialist. the first thought that came to mind when i saw the little girl was: i was like her when i was young! i loved to match any colors that i was favoring at the moment, any crayon hue that i was really digging. i would match them with certain other colors from the box of 48 crayons [you know the enviable big box crayolas!] at one point, one of my favorite colors was a salmony pink, which i liked to pair with brown. at another point, i was really into gray and soft pink [i think the pink was called 'carnation.'] i kept drawing little grey mice with big pink ears and noses, over and over again, because i liked the color combination so much. i still like that combo, by the way! but i never liked red with green together - even to this day. like the girl below, i also liked to leave my hair unruly and wild .. i cringed [and actually cried] when my hair was twisted and formed into fish-braids, french braids, pig-tails and any other sorts of braids and tails by my mum .. who was of the philosophy that kids' hair should be kept out of their faces. sometimes, my older sister, who was always fashion-savvy, even as an elementary school kid, would tell me that i didn't match [i didn't .. often]. i guess i didn't really care because i knew what i liked, and it made me happy so .. that was that. in the back of my mind, i knew she was right, but .. i think my innate sense of rebellion and need for individuality kept my fashion quirkiness alive.

[photo from sartorialist]

i may be wrong, but i think this little fashion-savvy princess dressed herself in the morning, added the head scarf with as a last minute flourish, then stepped down the stairs of her brownstone with a skip, hop, jump and some 'tude to match .. all the way to school, where her friends oohed and aahed over her outfit .. to which, naturally, she shrugged her shoulders, smiled gleefully and moved on with her day.

this image makes me happy. to see the enthusiasm on her face makes me smile. to see that she chose deep purple and black as the base, then matched violet/blue tie-dyed tights and topped it all of with a purple head scarf is inspirational! i love kids. i love their un-self consious attitude toward life .. and design. whatever makes them happy matches.

i'm seeing multiples

today was free holiday mondays at lacma [sponsored by target]. so i hopped down the street, with my mum in tow, to see if there were any new exhibits showing .. it was mainly all the same stuff i've seen but i always find something new and interesting about works of art i've seen numerous times. it's also great to see new and revolving galleries. today, i did notice the matisse bronze sculptures/busts that i saw on exhibit at the MoMA in nyc a few years ago.

for the first 30 minutes, a family of 10 was on my heels. they kept making trite, ridiculous and insensitive comments on each and every single work of painting, sculpture and vase. so i cleverly ditched them somehow and was able to finally fall into one of my deep reveries, while immersed in the proper conditions to reflect upon the works.

i was very surprised to figure out that i previously skimmed over, actually, *completely missed* the francis alys exhibit of fabiola portraits in one of the galleries in the ahmanson building. the exhibit has been on display since september of 2008 .. the last time i went falls within september '08 and today, so i don't know how i could have missed it!

[photo from the lacma website]

the entire gallery [all 3 walls and partial 4th wall] is lined from chair rail all the way up to the rafters with portraits of fabiola. the original 'prototype' painting of fabiola dates from the 19th century and has been lost FOREVER. almost every reproduction of fabiola's portrait [and there are thousands] are based on this prototype. fabiola, the patron saint of nurses, is the icononic christian saint whose portraits are always depicted with her facing left and wearing a crimson veil.


on first entrance into the gallery, all of the portraits seem similar - a dazzling array of red veils upon a sea of delicately formed faces of a woman. on a closer second look, you will notice that *ALL* of the portraits are in fact, different! all of the portraits are part of one collection but they individually differ in depiction of fabiola. somehow, i found it hard *not* to think that one person was responsible for all of the works on display. a unifying element in this collection is the implied community of discourse amongst the disparate artisists presented in this collection. it should be noted that 'the artist,' francis alys, is not responsible for a single one of these portraits. he is simply the master of composition. with this collection he has expertly crafted a gathering of same and different, all based on one subject matter. there is an emphasis on unknown artisans, and all of the pieces are hand-made. francis alys demonstrates a preference for the replica in favor of the original. and according to the museum literature on the collection, the founding precept for the collection is the idea of the 'copy.' another important issue that is brought up through this exhibit is the idea of the chase after that elusive prototype, lost among a sea of myriad copies and approximations.

multiples of the same but different things, in the same color scheme. definitely leaves a lasting impression!

standing tall

this week has been C.R.A.Z.Y. i've been on my feet for 8 hours at a time. thank goodness i can be around things i love [flowers - things that don't talk back to you] and not annoying people, like how things used to be at my last office job! haha. i still haven't had a chance to take photographs yet of all the projects i've completed this week .. so this will have to suffice until i do take some.

[red roses, burnt orange & red ranunculus, berries,
white wax flower, yellow fillers, bamboo sticks]

this arrangement is much taller than the hearts and rounds i made yesterday. i created a forest of roses, with greenery interlaced in between the stalks. i quite like these berries that we've been using for the projects this week. they're so versatile! and they were cheap too~ double good ^ ^ i used 2 skinny bamboo sticks on either side of the front to rein in and hold the squarish shape of the rose forest .. also, the sticks come together to mimic the heart shape that we've been so focused on producing this week. i'm definitely a fan of the streamlined, boxed-in, hedged look .. but i also love wild flowers. i personally feel that all floral arrangements should have something wild and free about them. over-manipulation of flowers is not something i am interested in. the shape and flow of each flower, stalk and leaf needs to be considered. still, the feathery yellow filler flowers needed a bit of human pruning to let it fit in with the overall formalness [squarishness] of the arrangement.

i was coerced into making single-stem rose "bouquets" .. using leaves and *gasp* baby's breath today~ but .. you know, being a savvy business woman is knowing the current market and audience .. and in this economy, and in that neighborhood, those single-stem conventionalities may be the hot-selling items this valentine's day.

sometimes, it takes a lot more creativity to make something conventional work .. than to let your imagination run wild and take you where you want to go. on the other hand .. if i had all the resources at my fingertips, then i would NEVER make something as ghastly as THIS. i mean, c'mon .. what is this? there is no coherency in terms of color, shape or theme! and if there is some sense that went into the making of such a thing .. then .. well, it is completely lost on me.

i must have pruned about 150+ long-stemmed roses today. not only did i cut myself, get pricked by thorns and ruin my fabulous dark purple manicure .. but i also managed to lop off the heads of a half a dozen or so of these beauties. hehehe. so, i decided to make a little posey for my mum:


that's all for today. i'm going to enjoy my nice tall glass of wine and wind down for the night. REAL pictures, not mobile pics, will be posted later this week .. there are some really good arrangements that i'd like to post to the blog.

two of hearts

we're gearing up for valentine's day at the flower shop. so today's projects were very heart-centric. here are two heart arrangements that i made. i made the first one with pink roses, and the second one with red roses. surprisingly, i prefer the red arrangement. the heart is more vivid.

[pink roses, peach spray roses, berries, hydrangea & greens]

[red roses, white spray roses, berries, hydrangea, ranunculus & greens]

[i used two layers of dark violet chiffon ribbon]

the roses have pearl-topped pin centers. i'd like to find the crystal ones that i saw on an episode of "my fair wedding." david tutera used them for bridal bouquets. i want dark gem hues, like sapphire and ruby - also gold and silver, or course.

tomorrow, we will be making a lot of these hearts. a dozen or so wood boxes have been stuffed with drenched oasis foam and are waiting to be beautified. these pictures are not high-res, unfortunately, because they were taken with my crackberry. i'll be sure to bring along the SLR tomorrow.

hot * six

it's day two of incessant gloomy rainy weather. here i am, indoors, dreaming of sunny skies and warmer days to come. usually, fashion cheers me up when the mood is dreary. perhaps the dark weather has influenced my must-have spring picks because most of them are quite dark. that doesn't mean that it doesn't make me more lighthearted! it is decidedly an urban glam-rock direction that i am headed for this spring!

first, i must digest these looks and come up with more affordable versions.

photos and products are credited in the board. click on image to enlarge. layout by yours truly ^^

objects: mushi mushi collection

strangely enticing objects from the "mushi mushi collection" by tony moxham and mauricio paniagua. these playful objects were exhibited at the most recent new york international gift fair.

"The idea of working with a fantasy country such as Mushi Mushi was propelled by the idea of finding a place rich in artisans, hand-crafts, and magic. Most of the collection was hand-painted by Mauricio and myself, with a lot of inspiration from abstract expressionism, tribal face-painting and art, Japanese youth, African, Asian and Caribbean textiles and decoration, Communist Cuban graphics and '68 Mexico Olympics graphics, Romanov excess and beauty and Gatsby era white-ness (in terms of interiors, eccentric aristocracy and fashion)."

inspiration collage: henri bendel sketches

it's a dreary day. the kind of day when you want to stay in your jammies all day. there are raindrops on my window. a flight of birds have just flitted across the gray skies. on days like this, nothing cheers me up more than doing something fun and creative indoors. it's like when i was a kid: i would get super ecstatic about rainy days because it meant that i could play board games like scrabble and trivial pursuit inside the cafeteria. something about playing indoors seemed to make our lunch and recess times longer than usual.

today, instead of playing scrabble or trivial pursuit [no one to play with .. too bad], i think i am going to dust off my sketch book. i have a new idea for the website, and i need to start sharpening my drawing skills again. ok, my very rudimentary drawing skills, that is! still, it makes me happy.

i've been inspired by these beautiful watercolor sketches from henri bendel found on their website. their iconic fashion drawings have always combined the right amount of whimsy and fun with an element of super-chic. the artist of these drawings, if i can make out the signature, is "izak." i'm lovin it~

flower picking: ranunculus

i love ranunculus. their blooms are full, varied in colors and oh-so-romantic. i think they're best in giant bunches, cut short and placed in square, modern, short glass vases. i think they need little pairing with filler flowers. but if i had to add a few wisps of something else here and there, i would use berries or lacy flowers in complementary hues. verbena or coffee berries would be my picks. the ranunculus bunch at left is part of a larger squarish arrangement of red roses. yesterday i staged a full-on photo shoot at the flower shop where i occasionally work and hone my skills. i personally would have used a less contrasting rose color for the center. but women really dig red roses .. and with valentine's day being right around the corner, it's safe to say, this arrangement will be one of the first to be purchased off the refrigerated shelves, if it's not already gone. next week, i will post more pics of my own floral arrangements, as we prepare for valentine's day weekend. imagine that - a full weekend dedicated to valentine's day this year! that makes me happy [because i get to make a lot of floral arrangements] and sad at the same time [because none of those flowers are being sent to me!] oh well, we can't have everything in life.

beetle mania

the abundant beetle [5 to 8 million species!] is in the running to become the nam*woo mascot. their vivid colors are so beautiful. they almost look fake .. like they are brilliantly-hued plastic toys for children. the metallic shades amaze me! mother nature produces colors that no artist or paint company could ever replicate. these beetle*ful studio photographs of various beetle species were found on a website dedicated to beetles, aptly dubbed "living jewels."

click on the image to enlarge .. you can see just how JUICY their colors really are. haha, beetle juice~

[photographs by poul beckmann for www.living-jewels.com]

little luxuries make perfect

my friend jenny and i have gone through all sorts of decorating dilemmas and decisions when we were roommates in new york years ago. although she and i have different tastes and takes on a lot of things, there is one thing we could agree on: little luxuries make a big difference in the quality of your life! we were struggling ad/publishing peons back then, so we had to be very resourceful and creative about how we enjoyed ourselves [and spent the contents of our tiny purses]. but with jenny's ad-agency swag gifts [like tons of magazines, fancy candles, chocolates, free booze!!] and living in the LES with plenty of cheap eats around every corner, we somehow managed to enjoy life, even without much disposable income. a great cup of tea, maybe some chocolates and ice cream at the end of the day. parking our broke asses in front of the hand-me-down television set to indulge in our guilty pleasure - the korean drama. tending to a plant that grew maybe 1/8" in my 2-3 years of taking care of it, just for the sake of having something to take care of .. all those little luxuries helped to round out the rough edges in my life back then. no matter how one does it, it's important to enjoy the little luxuries that help to bring a sense of momentary perfection, calm and happiness to one's life.

a few days ago, jenny sent me a story that i might enjoy because it involved house beautiful magazine, where i used to work. she said she, or her story, was mentioned in the february 2009 editor's letter. i read the letter [below] and i was delighted that her earnest confession about upgrading her life with a few wastebaskets caught the attention of one of the key design tastemakers in the country! but in a way, it was to be expected from jenny - to mention this type of thing nonchalantly to someone, only to have it published in a national publication. it came as no surprise to me because i know that for her [and for me], these types of 'design' decisions are no serious decisions at all. it is a split-second recognition of the fact that a little change can go a long way to bettering the quality of our lives. that is just the type of thing that i would expect from someone who takes pleasure in beautifying her life in small and big ways. cheers to jenny! cheers to beautifying our lives in big and small ways!

bzxxxxxxxxzzzzzzzxxxx!!

i have noticed that the electrical wiring is a bit on the iffy side in my office. and last nite, i almost got electrocuted! it almost happened again this morning, before the lights just completely gave out. [i'm working in semi-darkness right now]. what a trip~ i got flashbacks of sophomore year in college when i was dumb enough to flip the garbage disposal switch with wet hands in an old dorm apartments complex. a good 30-60 seconds of jolting scared the living crap out of me then. phew~ thank goodness i didn't have to go through that again. or else i would have ended up looking like this poor little guy. isn't he cute though? i, however, could live without the shock and the bad hair day.

[photo courtesy of *firefox on flickr]

i don't really care for squirrels much, but this one is adorable, all electrocuted and spazzy looking. speaking of squirrels, how about a squirrel motif on the logo or on the website? squirrels and trees go hand in hand .. hmm .. see, i'm still thinking things through.

this red squirrel is native to the U.K. we don't have these cute ones here in the states. a few weeks ago, i read about how the brits are eating squirrels in order to control the squirrel population. no, they're not eating spazzy the squirrel. they're eating the gray ones [the nasty ones that were introduced to by the americans]. apparently, they are wreaking havoc by running rampant through the isle and terrorizing the parks and other species of squirrels. tsk tsk. americans are so conspicuous when they travel abroad. now it seems our indigenous creatures are mimicking our social behaviors too! except .. ok, and this is kind of sad for the ugly gray american squirrels .. they are paying for their behavior with their lives.

design file tearsheets: anglophile mania

the weekend has been pleasantly full of impromptu social outings and intellectual conversations tempered by fun silly romp-time with munchkins [of the niece and nephew variety]. the down time has put me in a rather upbeat mood. and it got me to thinking about the things that make me happy, put a smile on my face, turn my tastebuds into little oases of heaven, or draw out my insatiable sense of curiosity and need for information. things like .. time spent with family and friends, a steaming hot cup o' joe at 4 in the afternoon, my homemade cupcakes, getting lost in the maze of galleries at the met in nyc.

when it comes to design, i often turn to my favorite periods and personal obsessions to carry me away deep into my creative zone. i'm a self-confessed anglophile. all manners and objects related to the brits have long inspired me in satorial preferences and design choices. the love affair began with my love of british literature. then i developed an almost unfashionable penchant for plaids and argyles mixed in with badass elements [preppy punk, i love you]. i am fascinated by the brits' quirky fashion sense. they are true mash-and-mix masters, deftly and irreverently coordinating tiny floral patterns with striped tights and riding boots or doc martens~ subversive, rebellious and genius! i'm considering an all-things-very-english vignette as one of my showcase pieces.

this is one of my faves from the design files: tearsheets from house & garden magazine [also no longer around]. vivienne westwood-ish in mood. refined and eccentric. glitzy but not over the top. that temperley tiara is oh-so-chic!! that velvet queen anne armchair in a rich hue of purple is fit enough for my precious royal bottom. what princess wouldn't want the approval of the queen as she makes herself look presentable every morning in the looking glass? and lastly, don't even get me started on the jewels!

enjoy & cheers!