dear golden,

Thank you for keeping such a lovely shop & for offering so many pretty things.

xo.

Treasures from Dear Golden Vintage, which I can't wait to receive...

Sweet Beet Flutter Sleeve Dress

Bright Poppy Button Front Skirt

summer braids

via for me, for you

Loving Kate's braids over at For Me, For You along with the Braid Wednesday Flickr pool. I'm inspired to give it a try and post my attempts soon.
The perfect summer 'do.

petticoats, girdles, and lace

Plus bubble skirts, pretty colors, and good values = True Love

Dior Fall 2009 Couture

J'adore!

romparoo

The Capital Romper
Anthro

two paws down

It was impossible for me to like this movie once Wendy "lost" Lucy. Irresponsible Wendy left cute Lucy tied up outside of a grocery store (which is awful in itself) while she shoplifted inside, got caught, and was then taken away by the police, leaving Lucy behind. When she finally returns to the store 5 hours later, surprise, Lucy is gone! The rest of the film is dedicated to Wendy's half-ass attempts to find Lucy again.
Not worth the agony!

surprise!

Thanks to my thoughtful SIL, this adorable R. Nichols tote arrived on my doorstep today!
And it isn't even my birthday or Christmas!
The best gifts are sometimes the unexpected ones.
Merci, Ang!

more agnes

The Sundance Channel was showing "Agnes Martin: With my Back to the World" by filmmaker Mary Lance last night, which I eagerly watched with great interest. The documentary gives insight into Agnes' life of solitude, her paintings, and her thoughts on the world with interviews given over the course of four years during the final decade of her life. It also features photos and archival footage along with readings of her poetry and lectures.

A poem from her book, Writings, & recited in the film...

I can see humility
Delicate and white
It is satisfying
Just by itself

And Trust
Absolute trust
a gift
a precious gift

I would rather think of humility than
anything else.

Humility, the beautiful daughter
She cannot do either right or wrong
She does not do anything
All of her ways are empty
Infinitely light and delicate
She treads an even path
Sweet, smiling, uninterrupted, free

"My paintings are not about what is seen. They are about what is known forever in the mind." - Agnes Martin

Oh, how I do heart Agnes!

sunday

Betty's favorite afternoon spot.

fantastical

True Romance (1993)

Alabama: I had to come all the way from the highway and byways of Tallahassee, Florida to MotorCity, Detroit to find my true love. If you gave me a million years to ponder, I would never have guessed that true romance and Detroit would ever go together. And til this day, the events that followed all still seems like a distant dream. But the dream was real and was to change our lives forever. I kept asking Clarence why our world seemed to be collapsing and things seemed to be getting so shitty. And he'd say, "that's the way it goes, but don't forget, it goes the other way too." That's the way romance is...Usually, that's the way it goes, but every once in a while, it goes the other way too.

three cheers for three junes

Three Junes by Julia Glass

From chapter six...
"This is Felicity", he said. "Felicity, this is Fenno. I think you'll like him. He's very classy."
The bird regarded me intently. She tilted her head in that quizzically avian way, and I heard a faint clicking in her throat, a cantankerous tut-tut-tutting. She was, on closer inspection, not entirely red but had a deep blue-violet belly and gray feet that looked as if they were covered with crocodile skin. Her beak and eyes were the soft black of stones pummeled smooth by the sea.
I will admit that I was half-besotted, there and then. I had never owned a bird, although I admired the beauty of birds in the wild, and I had never laid eyes on a creature like this one.

From chapter seventeen...
Like her, he is an agonizer. Like her, he feels the atmosphere about him too acutely: the stealthiest shifts in wind direction, ozone level, barometric pressure. Sometimes it's almost too much to bear.

restless

via psychonautfromatlantis

country dreams

From the fabulous & inspiring blog This Young House....

A young couple's fantastic transformation of their 1950's Richmond, Virginia home.

I am green with envy, to say the least!
Thanks for the intro, AR!

new addition

via darren segal

Rice
by Mary Oliver

It grew in the black mud.
It grew under the tiger's orange paws.
Its stems thinner than candles, and as straight.
Its leaves like the feathers of egrets, but green.
The grains cresting, wanting to burst.
Oh, blood of the tiger.

I don't want you to sit down at the table.
I don't want you just to eat, and be content.
I want you to walk out into the fields
where the water is shining, and the rice has risen.
I want you to stand there, far from the white tablecloth.
I want you to fill your hands with the mud, like a blessing.

house of organic

House of Organic
Added to my list of shopping musts while in Paris.

Found via Cafe Mode, along with this adorable fashionista who I hope to find at the shop.

spring thunderstorms

Raindance by deepintheforestcat

Quiet minds cannot be perplexed or frightened, but go on in fortune or misfortune at their own private pace, like a clock during a thunderstorm. - Robert Louis Stevenson

The Tempest by deepintheforestcat

frock love

Loving these summer frocks from two of my faves...

Kate Towers
Sauvie Island Collection

Kate Towers
Golden Hour Collection

Heidi Merrick
Chantilly, Summer '09

i heart agnes

My step mum and I went to the Illumination exhibit at the Orange County Museum of Art this weekend & it was wonderful. The collection brought together the works of four important American women modernists; Georgia O'Keeffe, Agnes Pelton, Agnes Martin, and Florence Miller Pierce.
Of these four, I was only familiar with O'Keeffe's work going into it, but left with a greater appreciation of O'Keeffe and an introduction to three other extraordinary artists who led extraordinary lives.
My favorite (and new love) being Agnes Martin...

"I would like my work to be recognized as being in the classical tradition (Coptic, Egyptian, Greek, Chinese), as representing the Ideal in the mind. Classical art cannot possibly be eclectic. One must see the ideal in one's own mind. It is like a memory, an awareness, of perfection." - Agnes Martin

Untitled, 1967

Untitled, 1997

chambray lust

Rag & Bone Western Shirtdress

Current/Elliott The Painter's Smock Denim Minidress

from the tape deck

Belly - New Music - More Music Videos

impatience

Coco avant Chanel

Is it September 18th yet?

sunshine delight!

Hope everyone had a splendid holiday weekend!
Mine was full of catching up with old friends, lots of sun to brighten up my pale skin, and the redoing of our front balcony with mom, which came with its share of funny adventures along the way.
After scouring all of the hardware stores & nurseries in the area, we finally found the perfect black pots and plants to go along with the modern makeover for the balcony. And, after hours of sweating in the hot sun and lots of dirt to scrub out from beneath our fingernails, everything turned out fabulously! The makeover is complete, except for adding one final element to replace an old bistro table & chairs set that was inherited when we bought the house. I've spent hours upon hours searching for the right thing.
And, as if the perfect weekend couldn't have ended more perfectly, I found this sunshine delight online tonight & snatched her up for a mere $58.65....

Retro Painted Steel Tulip Chair

She will reside in the corner of the balcony next to a shiny black pot of succulents.
I can't wait for her arrival!!

2 days in the desert

I took a commuter flight to Phoenix for work today and spent the afternoon in the burning sun. Good god was it hot. Besides the 100 degree plus temperatures (in May, really?) there was also something special there in the desert, a beautiful rawness of sorts. I'm going back tomorrow to soak up more of the desert sun, I only regret not having enough time to visit with my dear friend, Somlynn of The UE while I'm there.

In honor of the sun and my most unusual work week, some desert inspiration....

Arizona Desert by Aj+

In the Desert
by Stephen Crane

In the desert
I saw a creature, naked, bestial,
Who, squatting upon the ground,
Held his heart in his hands,
And ate of it.
I said, "Is it good, friend?"
"It is bitter - bitter", he answered,
"But I like it
Because it is bitter,
And because it is my heart."

La faute à Fidel!

This shot alone was enough to make me have to see this film.
La Faute a Fidel! (Blame it on Fidel) is a story about 9-year-old Anna and the changes she tries to understand as her parents go from living a bourgeois life in 1970s Paris to the life of radical political activists.
Brilliant!

recovery

Besides Pipo and I hovering over her like worried parents, Missy is doing well after her surgery.
The e-collar may be the toughest part from here on out. I wanted to laugh and cry at the same time as she walked backwards around the house trying to get out of it, eventually gave up, started walking forward, and then ran into almost every piece of furniture and wall with her cone head. Poor girl.

OMGawd - so adorable!
A get well soon card from Auntie AR.

Thank you for all of the get well messages, lovelies!

the last emperor

I loved this film!
Valentino: The Last Emperor gives a fascinating look into the life and career of Valentino Garavani and the conflict between fashion as an art form and as a business.

One of the most interesting aspects of the film was the insight into the 45 year relationship of Valentino and Giancarlo Giammetti. A true partnership, in every sense of the word.

Comedic relief was supplied throughout by Valentino's uncensored outbursts and the glamorous lives of his five adorable pugs.

The movie ends on a sad note with the retirement of Valentino from his haute couture fashion house after 45 years of making history.

A must see!
Merci Jeannie!

must-have

Mission Salt & Pepper Shaker Set
Crate & Barrel
On sale for $9.95/set

changes in kitty land

Missy Foo is going under the knife this week to remove bladder stones that recently developed. The surgery is routine and my Pops, who is a vet, will be performing it, so she'll be in the best, most capable hands. But, I still can't help but be a bit nervous for my girl.

Missy Foo's latest development has caused a change in diet for both Missy & Betty. As you can see from the photo, Betty is not happy about it. We've taken away the bowl of dry food and switched them both over to wet food only, which means no more free feeding. Our little 8 lb angel, who never seemed interested in food before, has become a food-obsessed ferocious beast. Well, not really all that ferocious, but she's definitely pissed. She points the blame at Missy Foo and makes it known by hissing at Missy Foo several times a day. Where did my shy little angel go?

As for Pipo & I, we worry about whether they are getting enough food, if Missy Foo is comfortable, and when Betty will be happy again.

It's funny how the smallest change can throw us all off course.

weekend fun

I toured the quaint and charming neighborhood of Floral Park, Santa Ana with my mama this weekend & it was so much fun.

Started in the 1920's and developed further in the 30s and 40s, this neighborhood is home to a wide range of architectural styles. From Tudor, Colonial, and Ranch masterpieces each home had its own character and allure. It was great to see all of the architecture, and getting to see inside the homes was particularly fun. So much inspiration to take home with us to our non-tudor homes and neighborhoods where every house looks the same. But, the grass is always greener.
Floral Park Home & Garden Tour

We finished the afternoon in Santa Ana with a delicious lunch at Tangata at the Bowers Museum.

Merci Mama!

scrumptuous

Anthro Swallow's Wing Blouse

oh my!

Omelle Drew Open Toe Apron Pumps