Wednesday, March 25, 2009

cute dish



I love Fishs Eddy!

They have this series of dishes decorated with floorplans that totally reminds me of the game Clue. I feel like I'd be eating some mac and cheese and start to get to the bottom and see the outlines of rooms coated in greasy orange and think, "Professor Plum, conservatory, lead pipe." There's something very mysterious, I think, about a floor plan -- it gives so much information about a space and yet very little idea of what it might be like to inhabit it.

Then, they have this whole other collection based on the New York City skyline, with famous buildings identified. I think it's really charming to see all the city's grandeur and lights and soot and people reduced to this two-dimensional, black-and-white surface -- New York suddenly seems clean and elegant. Again, so much information about the city, but completely reinterpreted.

Monday, March 23, 2009

i'm not worthy...




I want a new BIG leather bag.

I've been carrying the same one almost every day for a year and a half, and have not been terribly conscientious with the large number of pens that I tend to carry. Hence, many unsightly spots. Ack. I don't really care (I think it gives my bag character), but lately I am getting a bag itch.

I'm pondering some options, but it seems dumb to spend too much in this economy. But I want something leather. And I want something nice. What to do?

Just a few of the bags I am coveting:

Jack Rabbit Collection The Stinger Tote

Marc by Marc Jacobs Classic Q Groovee Bag

Giorgio Brato Leather Satchel

Friday, March 20, 2009

sou sou (why i miss japan part bazillion and two)



I used to visit Sou Sou all the time when I lived in Kyoto. It's this tiny little shop down an alley off a main road -- one of many little shops in Japan where you walk in and the city seems to melt away. The designs are alternately funky and traditional, with wild colors, kitschy patterns and some styles that just typify Japan.

The signature item is, of course, the split-toed shoes. Confession: I own six pairs. They are surprisingly comfortable and make you feel kind of like Spiderman, with an unnatural feeling of having a grip on the ground and the strange confidence that you could probably run straight up a brick wall.

If you are ever in Japan, check out one of their stores. And if you can read Japanese (or find someone to aid you), buy them online! I find myself clicking on their website every couple of months, dreaming of Kyoto, New York melting away...

Check them out at http://sousounetshop.jp !

love it! -- all of my hearts --


I used to think heart motifs were really cheesy.

Maybe every woman goes through this. When you are a little girl, you love hearts. They are adorable and charming, bubble gum pink or sparkly, in the form of stickers or stamps or patterned leggings (this was the 1980's, after all). But around a certain age, they start to look stupid and immature. I remember being about 12 years old, getting a pair of heart-shaped earrings as a gift and shuddering, thinking, "So, you think I'm still a little kid?"

Somewhere along the line, however, that changed. Now, I recall those heart earrings and wish I had the foresight to keep them (I disposed of them promptly, of course). Because, just as as hearts suddenly became dumb, they are now fun. And cute. Winsome and whimsical.

Yep, I (heart) hearts.

Observe!

1 New York lights are hearts -- photo by "Color Me Katie"

2
Comme des Garcons Play Wool Heart Sweater -- on sale!

3
Modern Claddaugh Ring by Sudlow

4
Custom Heart Sampler by Miniature Rhino

5
Heart Stud Earrings by Trudie Davies

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

love it! --sweet socks--


Adorable socks by Hansel from Basel! Get 25% off at checkout by entering the code "dailycandy" at checkout.

Question: Can I justify spending $6 on socks in this day-and-age?

Answer: Alas, no.

Knowing me, these cutie-pie socks would have a hole in them within about five minutes. I'll just covet them via this photo and spend my money on a big old sandwich.

(Thank you www.hanselandbasel.com and www.dailycandy.com!)

Monday, March 16, 2009

mustache medley


I'm noticing a lot of mustache-themed items lately and have been contemplating the charm of the mustache.

Nowadays, it's somewhat rare to glimpse a fluff of hair in its natural habitat below a man's nose, but perusing Etsy and some of my favorite design blogs, I am tickled by the whimsical, whisker-like tufts of 'staches. On first glimpse, facial hair-themed art and knick knacks (as well as the cultivation of the hair itself) strike me as overly quaint and hipsterish, the kind of forced irony engaged in by people desperate for an easy way to articulate their cleverness.

And yet part of me is irrevocably drawn to the mustache.
I recall images of my father, who nurtured a fuzzy black 'stache off and on throughout the '80s that would have put Tom Selleck to shame. I believe that most of us, buried deep in our subconscious perhaps, have a genuine nostalgia and warmth for the mustache, the way it itched when it nuzzled in for a good night kiss or gleamed at us from its perch above a proud smile.

I wonder if mustaches have been robbed of their ability to be genuine. Can a man wear a mustache un-ironically anymore? Or have the cultural implications rendered it a simple signifier of hipsterdom? Perhaps a man can wear an ironic mustache with so much gusto and genuine passion that it comes out the other end of irony and becomes a genuine expression of who he is?
In any case, there is a mysterious quality to the mustache that no woman can completely grasp. They are at once so familiar and yet completely unattainable. I am not sure quite how I feel about them (overly cute or narrowly on the acceptable side of twee?) but I must admit that certain designers know how to give the 'stache some flair.

What do you think about mustaches?

Examine the evidence.

Exhibit:

a
The Miniature Tiny Mustache Stick

b Lewis (Art Print)

c Mustaches on Strings - Signed Print

d Mustache Teacup with Saucer

Sunday, March 15, 2009

salad weekend

This was a very salad-happy weekend. Yesterday, D. made salad with garlic shrimp and lots of tomatoes. Not to be outdone, I prepared a salad this evening with somen noodles, thinly sliced kielbasa and avocado (it was the more photogenic of the two, so it's pictured at left).

So... which salad was the winner?

I won't presume to judge. Both salads were fantastic in their own ways.

The salad, like the sandwich, is quite a versatile creature. I'm inspired to pursue further experimentation. Tuna, goat cheese, olives, various pastas... I have a lot to contemplate!