At home in the Undergrowth

Recently while flipping through one of my brothers favorite magazines (XLR8R) I was mesmerized by an amazing dessert stand featured in one of it's editorials. With a porcelain white doll gazing out of it's base and tiny little legs dangling from the very top, it was true love at first sight♥ (shown above)...



Inspired by the obscure and uncanny in life, Tina Tsang, the brilliant designer and creator of Undergrowth Design breathes life into everyday objects to create an unconscious dialog between the object and user. The aim of her work is to enthrall the user and give a sense of other worldliness to everyday life. 'My designs make tea drinking a fun and flirtatious affair... The pieces were inspired from the beautiful lace I was using to make lingerie (which can be seen *HERE*) and the legs were originally a Victorian powder puff found at a vintage market.' -Excerpt from interview with Evil Monito Magazine





• So here is the most exciting part! •

Undergrowth Design has agreed to sponsor a very generous GIVEAWAY of one of Tina's charming 'Sugar Baths' in red (seen below). To enter, you simply have to visit the Undergrowth Design shop and in the comments section of this post, answer the question What would you buy at UndergrowthDesign.com and why?. The Shop is *HERE*. One entry per blogger, please. International contestants welcome. Winner will be chosen via random.org at 11:00 a.m. (California time) on Thursday, October 1, 2009.



...Much luck♥, I wish I could enter myself!

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Bright andBeautiful Things

Most from etsy… ♥



1) Ethnic chain and plastic necklace by Psarokokalo. 2) Forget me knot ring from Fredflare. 3) Pink Dog Sweater with Vintage Button by BeanTownHandmade. 4) Miniature Felted Bluebird Mama and Baby by Got Crow Creations. 5) Lotus Verde by Bijoutiful. 6) Giallo-viola by Anticovalore. 7) Pink Garden Party Headband by Jennifer Loiselle.

♥♥♥

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Pretty Knickers

Aren’t these fruity day-of-the-week undies adorable? I fell in love with them yesterday thanks to Tina and her great post on Stella McCartney.

(Thank you Tina!)



Sunday is my favorite… no fruit, just music!



Vintage whites...





Sources: Betty Page by Irving Klaw can be found *HERE* and René Gruau 'Lejaby' Illustration is Courtesy of Found in Mom's Basement.

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Le Chouchou de la Semaine

Today, el Cinco de Mayo, is a holiday in Mexico. The celebration of the Mexican army's unlikely victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. Bloody and violent holiday right? Here in Los Angeles, where it's estimated that 48.5% of the total population are of Hispanic or Latino descent, we use it as celebration of Mexican heritage and pride. So in keeping with the day I present la bonita María Félix, an icon of the golden era of Mexican Cinema, as the Darling of the Week...


Clockwise: Beaded Hoop Earrings, Mykonos Dress, Prohibition Bangle and Greco Sandals.

Romantic Serenades:



Sources: MariaFelixlaDona and AllStarPics.



*Besos*

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Le Chouchou de la Semaine

How do you say ‘very cute’ in French?



Clockwise: Tiffany Key Pendant, Fredflare Dress, Summer Crossing by Truman Capote and Anthropologie Cuff et Flats.



Sylvie Vartan and Brigitte Bardot (1967) by Jean-Marie Périer and Sylvie with 'La Plus Belle Pour Aller Danser' (1964).



*Bises*

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Saturday

Did you have a nice weekend? Mine was good despite having a cold, I’d managed to dodge it all season till now. But although sick I went out yesterday in search of vintage treasure at the Pomona Antique Mart, located in the Antique Row area of Pomona. At first impression the shop appears very white and windowless (lots of florescent lighting) with everything in glass cases. I think the first floor is where the longtime vendors have their booths set up. It’s a decent enough floor, once you get past the light and the cases there's some really nice things to be found. But the second floor is where the real fun is; where the newer vendors have their finds. Hardly any glass cases, with the exception of some jewelry, each booth is uniquely decorated and prices are reasonable. I get such sensory overload whenever I visit, it's what I imagine going back in time and then rummaging though someone’s bedroom or closet would feel like... :)











These pretty bangles were my big find for the day. I think they might be made of brass or silver? Not sure to be honest, but I loved the little seashell details on the ends:

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Vintage Pretties

Waking up late on a Saturday morning and then spending hours walking around tables and displays of mishmashes at thrift stores in search of vintage treasures is my idea of heaven. Unfortunately I don't always get a chance to do it, but luckily these places offer very much the next best thing...



Perfect strangers, Chatham Ho Treasures:





Ghostly dress, My Favorite Vintage:





Bird and botanical Illustrations, Slinky Malinki Cat:



This weekend I hope to get some secondhand shopping in, wish me luck and hope you have a great weekend also! :)

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"There are worse things I could do..."

Recently my favorite blog muse Chloé (of the world famous ChloéVanParis blog) posted the ‘beauty school dropout’ scene from Grease, so after watching it (I hadn’t seen it in years!) I had the film on my mind.

Then last night when I went to return a sweater at a local shopping center I saw this…



A Rizzo (Pink Lady) Barbie!

She only slightly resembles Rizzo, but I still love the idea behind it. Isn’t it great that Barbie took the most controversial of the Pink Ladies and made her a doll? We can’t all be Sandra Dee's? I’m trying really hard to be an adult lately so I resisted all my impulses to buy it, but well, deciding to not buy Barbie’s is a decision every person needs to make on their own, so if you don’t agree and you feel you must have a Rizzo doll of your own you can find tons on eBay (I started a search for you *here*).

And in commemoration is her solo that was cut from the original 1978 film but later added to the 1998 re-release, not the most famous of songs in the film but I still like it...

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Merry and Bright

Christmas is now just two days away and I’m feeling very much in the holiday spirit. I think a large part of that is due to all these Holiday posts I keep seeing on my favorite blogs…between Michiko’s Things of Beauty Happy Christmas post, The Asherette and her snowy puppies, Certain Creatures and her incredible Holiday Light displays, Mothersvea and her yummy cookies, My Castle in Spain and her unique olive branch chandelier, Spoonful of Mint with her dollhouse all decked out for the holidays and Celebrating my Home with her tasteful decorating ideas… I couldn’t help but get swept up this year.



So before I wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and the Happiest of New Years I thought I’d share some of my week in photos, beginning with the cookies my sister Anna and I made over the weekend (Well, actually more Anna than me. I sort of just assist, try to learn and do a lot of the taste testing). This was our first year making sugar cookies and we had quite a time trying to decorate them. It always looks so easy when Martha Stewart does it?







I love Peruvian Nativity Art, I bought this one at a local Church gift shop last year but you can probably buy them online from TenThousandVillages.com. They work with over 130 artisan groups in more than 38 countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America to bring fair trade jewelry, home décor and gifts. It’s possible that they’re out of stock now, but I’ve seen them there in the past.





While out shopping for the perfect gifts I found these adorable Japanese Beckoning Cats (‘Maneki Neko’). I’ve wanted one for some time now but when I saw all of these I couldn’t decide on which one to get, so I ended up not buying any, I had to think it over. Maybe you can help me decide by telling me which one you like the most?





Accordig to Wikipedia, these little cats are supposed to bring luck and are traditionally kept near the entrances of shops, the raised right paw is to attract money and the raised left paw is to attract customers. George raises them only when he wants to see what I’m eating and when I’m not being quick enough with his fancy feast.



…not sure what this one signifies, but George does this on the couch a lot.







So now I’m off to help in the making of the Tamales (it’s what we traditionally eat on Christmas eve).

Hope you have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!xxoo



...what’s Christmas without the Chipmunks? :)

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