Moving Up

Like many young adults, I have basically been moving once a year ever since I was eighteen. Freshmen year I had my new extra long twin sheet set and a bag full of cloths, Sophomore year I had my new towel set and some kitchen utensils. Junior year I had a sofa cover and a toaster. And Senior year I had a double bed and TV to move. How do we acquire so much stuff? Of course I am grateful to no longer be sharing an 8’x10’ box and be creating meals using a mini fridge and communal microwave. Still, there was something so simple about living with just what you need.

A month ago I made my most recent move, and found myself moving three couches, a love seat, a coffee table, a TV, four book shelves, a queen bed, a dresser, two night stands, a kitchen table and chairs, a kitchen full of stuff and the list goes on. Certainly when it comes to moving, the more stuff you have, the bigger the headache. On top of it all a move usually comes right at the end of something, such as a school year. Stress is high and time is short. Well, this year was no different. My very last class in my Masters program ended two days before I was to be out of the apartment. I had grand ideas of slowly packing things weeks in advance so the move day would be a breeze and I would have time to focus on my project. However, as things usually go, I found myself up until 10:00 pm, the night before the move, shoving things in boxes.

 My stealthy packing (these garment boxes are amazing)

My boyfriend and I decided we would make the move ourselves this time around (with the help of his brother). The day of the move I was so proud of myself for having boxed so much. Yet, somehow my impressive packing was not all I had thought it to be because we found our selves moving out of the apartment for eight hours! The Uhaul we rented had to be packed like a complex 3D puzzle. There were definite doubts that everything would fit as the truck filled up and more stuff appeared . By the time we arrived at our new place it was 9:00 pm and there was no way we had the energy to unpack the whole truck in the dark.

 My Boyfriend's brother taking out a load

 

Almost a full truck and more to go!

 Kitchen Odds and Ends

Lessoned learned, plan ahead when you move and don’t under estimate the time it takes to pack up the odds and ends like dishes and artwork. For those of you who may have a move in the near future I have included a link to Martha Stewarts “Moving Check List.”

 http://www.marthastewart.com/photogallery/moving-checklists

Incase you are already cozy in your home here is Martha’s “Fall Home Maintenance Check List” for those over achievers.

http://www.marthastewart.com/photogallery/homekeeping-checklists#slide_3

New in Architectural Digest

 This weekend I was skimming through Architectural Digest when I came upon an article on the Osborne’s new home in Hidden Hills. The design was decadent, airy, and feminine (very different from their previous pad). As I read the article I discovered that the interior designer was Martyn Lawrence Bullard, the head designer for the company I am interning for. Check out the article this month.  It’s a fun article to read and look through and Martyn has a really interesting eye for design.

Martyn's website: http://www.martynlawrencebullard.com/

Obama Causing Traffic Drama

Yesterday President Obama came into Los Angeles! We LAers are used to movie stars and pop stars galore, but having the PRESIDENT in town is quite exciting. I found out about his arrival from my friend who was nice enough to send me an email that warned me about the traffic implications. There was a website link that had a map of Los Angeles with a big red Haze over the 405 freeway and its surrounding areas, marking where traffic would be expected. The way home from my current internship at Martin Laurence Bullard goes straight through the red area. I was expecting my route home to take 5 hours, when it normally takes me 45 minutes. Miraculously the trip home was my quickest to date! One note that the website link had about the President’s visit is that he would be dinning at a restaurant in Brentwood, Tavern. I thought that was pretty interesting since I had been there many times and really enjoyed it. I even went to the restaurant for a lighting class assignment where I had to do sketches of a restaurant's lighting. A big welcome to the President and happy Easter weekend to everyone.

 

A New Dog A New Life

 

Life has changed a lot for me recently with my boyfriend’s and my decision to adopt a 2 year old corgi sheltie mix. Remy (the name we landed on) was in a high kill shelter and came into our graces through a wonderful organization, Perfect Pet, who often saves dogs in such shelters. We had been looking for several weeks and couldn’t find the right match. The moment our eyes fell on Remy, we were in love. He was so sweet and loving and wanted kisses and attention. We were told we could walk him in the neighborhood, and with his cute little strut and his sweet demeanor, we knew he was the one. Of course he came home with kennel cough (needing medication) and a “cone of shame” because he had recently been neutered, so we hit the ground running making sure all of his needs were taken care of. The first day we had him it seemed like he peed one hundred times! The responsibility for taking care of another being was slowly hitting us.

In our early discussions about adopting a dog we discussed how we wanted to train him and feed him etc., many choices we disagreed on making it an annoying, yet educational process. I wanted to be a good dog mom, but I also wanted to respect my boyfriend’s opinions (he tends to be a bit more laid back), so we had to do a little give and take.

 

Remy is a real joy, although a handful. I was worried about how a rescue dog would connect with us, but with Remy we don’t have that issue. He will follow us everywhere, waiting outside the bathroom door when I shower and always at my feet when I walk around the apartment. He also loves to lie down in the funniest positions, often propped up, or with his head hanging down. It has been such a learning process for me and I definitely appreciate my parents a lot more after getting a small taste of what it is like to care fore something and love something so much. It makes me think of my sister who  is due in a week or two. I can’t wait to see her blossom into a wonderful mother.

Time in Between

 This quarter Wednesdays are long days for me. I have two classes, Survey of Decorative Arts from 1:00-4:00 and Project Management from 7:00-10:00. After my first week of class I realized that I would have to pay a flat rate of $8.00 for parking by school and I would hit rush hour traffic after 4:00. This realization led to my conclusion that leaving in between classes made little sense. Meaning, I would be gone from 12:00pm -10:30pm and have three hours to kill in between. Now, you must know that I am one who enjoys schedules and list, and three hours of free time in between classes was embarrassingly enough, daunting. I had to find something to do.

The first week I walked to a near by movie theater and saw a film. The following week I got my nails done and window-shopped, and another week I studied in a café while consuming a chai tea and toasted cranberry baguette. I was able to do all of the things that I rarely indulge in during the middle of the day, yet are so relaxing and restorative. While I write this I sit at a wonderful little coffee shop in Westwood, Espresso Profeta, which is the perfect place to spend moments in between. I actually read pages in a book today that I have been reading for over a year, just because I never take the time to find the time to pick it up. Sitting here reminds me of the times I sat in cafes in Florence while studying abroad. I would wonder the streets until I came upon a charming little café that would engulf me in quite Italian chatter as I wrote or read. There is something about cozy shared spaces and a warm drink that enables one to delve inward and reflect. I found that I do this a lot more when I travel, because there are often times in between the next activity, but doing it in my own town is new to me. I hope that reading this inspires some of you to take time in between your everyday hustle and bustle to read, write, walk around, paint, play an instrument, sit at a café, or just sit and see where your mind takes you. I know I will try my hardest to sneak 3 hours of me time in every now and then even after my Wednesday built in break is gone.

Rooms I Like

After continually finding  images of rooms that I like and want to keep track of, I made a folder on my computer called "Rooms I like". This image was one of my first images placed in that folder. It is warm and cozy yet a bit funky and historic. I love the day bed piled with pillow and the industrial light fixture. The curtains behind the day bed, help make it feel extra special. I would be perfectly happy picking up a book from the table and lounging for a few hours dozing in and out of sleep.

Looking at an object in many different ways

In one of my earlier classes in the design program we were assigned to take an everyday object and recreate it in four different artistic styles. Of all things, I chose to use a beat (one of my least favorite vegetables). I was attracted to it because I thought the plant had great character, almost like a human face. The heart of the vegetable had lines and indentations like wrinkles on a face, and the foliage had volume, creases and layers like hair. It's fun to come across these old assignments and see how I went about tackling them.

Valentines Day Dinner

Valentines Day can be a very weird holiday. There are pressures to be romantic under the most unromantic circumstance (America telling you to). A few Valentines ago my boyfriend and I went to “one of the most romantic restaurants in Los Angeles” to find that there was a 45 minute wait for a table even though we had reservations and that we would have to eat outside in 40 degree weather (and I was wearing a skimpy dress) crammed between two couples. Needless to say the food was horrible and the valet thrashed the bottom of my car in front of our eyes on a dip in the road.  We look back on that night and laugh, saying never again! Never again will we eat out on Valentines Day and spend a fortune on a prefix meal that tastes like bad wedding food.

This Valentines Day I left the planning of the night up to my boyfriend, hoping he would find a good alternative to eating bad expensive food. Boy did he succeed!  He took me to a restaurant just a few blocks from our place that I have wanted to try forever, Rustic Canyon. Rustic Canyon is a restaurant in Santa Monica known for its seasonal fresh food. The atmosphere is pretty casual. The tables are all wood and the lighting is very warm and dim. The restaurant was busy, but there wasn’t a feeling of overcrowding (we had a four person table to ourselves).

The prefix menu was meant for sharing and you could choose eight items total. We ended up choosing goat cheese filled squash blossoms, cauliflower covered in capers, garlic and bread crumb, grilled squid, Santa Barbara uni spaghetti, pork belly with grilled prawns, lamb meatballs with yogurt sauce, vanilla passion fruit cake and olive oil cake with strawberries. Everything was simple, fresh, and aaaaamazing. I love my meat and sweets, but surprisingly my favorites were the cauliflower and squash blossoms. The wine menu was extensive, and everything we had was delish. My boyfriend was very excited they had a beer that he only could find up north and every song that came on we looked at each other and said, "who sings this, I love this song?" We arrived back home with smiles on our faces and bellies stuffed with food.

That night I realized that sometimes it is nice to have your country tell you "show this person you care," because it makes us set aside time for each other. There is nothing quite like sharing a good meal and good conversation with the person you love.

Prints

 Here are pictures of the prints I got at the last flea market. This time I ended up getting some vintage earrings for a formal event I have later this month. I will post pictures of those soon.

Pasadena Flea Market

Tomorrow I am heading to Pasadena Flea Market, hoping to score so finds. Last time I was there I got these amazing prints from the 1800s. I mounted them on linen and framed them in black. I think they add some culture to my dinning room.

The Brothers of Industry are one of my favorite dealers. They make tables and mirrors out of reclaimed wood and create wonderful industrial inspired light fixtures. I hope to find them there!

Surface Materials

In my Surface Materials class we had to draw a material out of a hat and clad a whole kitchen only in that material. I drew wood (I was a lucky one, some of the other materials were rubber and fabric for example). As a designer I often like to mix materials and textures, so it was a bit of a push to go all out on one material. I ended up doing a kitchen with a country feel.

Agam

One of my first classes, Color Theory, taught me a lot about the creation of color and how it is used in art. I took it early on in the program, but one of the projects still remains with me. My instructor called it an Agam, which I assume is named after Yaacov Agam an Israeli Sculptor and experimental artist best known for his contributions to optical and kinetic art. The end result is created by slicing two of one's paintings in equal parts and joining them in an alternating pattern. It was definitely a practice in releasing attachment to my work and trusting the process. I was so nervous to cut up my paintings that I had painstakingly copied from Van Gogh. I realized that by letting go I was able to create something even more wonderful than the two separate parts.

First entry!

Hello and welcome to my blog! I am so excited to finally begin what I have been wanting to do for the longest time. I will be gracing these pages with my work in the blogs to come, but wanted to welcome you all to my page.