baby sasso party

yesterday, thea and i came over here to the studio to a baby shower for dave and jhill (with whom we share our studio) that was designed and created by our amazing asisstant Lizzie Vaughan (she is pictured here tidying in our entryway). i cannot tell you how absolutely blown away i was by what beauty she had created from very simple, but smart design elements. our studio had been completely transformed into baby shower heaven.
here is a wall of cute photos of dave and jennifer through the years where our ceramic trays normally sit.
above are these marvelous memory cards lizzie invented for the party that each of us filled in that was meant to be pasted into a baby book..questions included.."how i met your parents.."
cakes and treats below the color tiles..so cute!
i died over these gorgeous apples topped with sasso flags..which is the pet name dave and jen have chosen for the baby prior to its' birth.
the sweet flowers are made from coffee filters..clever right??

i regret not cutting right into this thing..yummy.
gifts and flowers adorn our painting tables..

drinks served on our slabroller..
and finally this snow flecked gothic cathedral bundt cake in our studio window..photos by thea.

fall boot conundrum

can we talk? the thing is..lately fashion is pain to me. i really don't know what to buy my people!. i am at a loss. my mother claims i am uncertain about what image i am trying to project..but i beg to differ. this is truly not the case. it is not i who is conflicted..it is the fashion world foisting it's unrealistic ideals upon me, and i am forced to swim in these waters.. a girl cannot go barefoot in boston..and the old dogs have had one too many facelifts according to my man. so here goes..my thoughts on the boots for fall. oh..and once again i could use some solid advice here peeps. so..apparently ralph is saying that the numbers above finished with shearling are a must..but i say no way, no how, non non s'il vous plait. i need to be able to walk my girl. and to me these simply say hobble.
are we bowling now..or walking? no thanks.
ok..michael kors. these have class..but they're rubber..and unless it's raining..faggedaboutit!
oy with the bondage trend. je don't think so.
pocahontas i am not!
do these come with the little round granny glasses? yuck.
puh-lease..when i see girls in these..i am seriously tempted to knock them over..it wouldn't take much.
tie me up tie me not. ewwww.
ahhhh. this is more my speed (franco sarto on piperlime). walkable..pretty..if a bit butch. but i work in a studio not an office park. so now i am just a tad worried..is it really going to be uncomfortable shoving all the fabric of the jeans down into these? heeelp!

home in a rock

here's a good story. yesterday i was checking one of my favorite blogs..elements of style which had just posted about this stunning jewel of a house in the san juan islands near seattle. as i scanned the pictures with envy, i had a sinking feeling of dread that perhaps i knew the owners..having several friends who live out there. sure enough, merrill wright who comissioned this home is a friend of a friend and patron of my work!
even more annoying..dear friend judith had just spent the weekend there! the nerve!
well it does give us the inside scoop..no? she reports that though the house is stunning, with piles of impeccable design taste..the house has it's imperfections! HAH!
we all know that the sun never shines in washington state..so judy says that the 3 days of the year it does come out..this spot will be magnifico!
what can i say..jealousy brings out the devil in me, by the way the sink below is ridunk.

fashion fiasco

ok. here's the deal. i find that quite often i feel like i am from planet qrxmar, and that i walk as an alien among my own people. this is because i feel like i naturally want to swim upstream, against the grain, you name it, i am fighting conventions. my mother though is often on the same page with me..so we at least have company in our out of it-ness. i will get to the point. i am looking for your help. i do not know what to wear at work in the colder months. when it is freezing outside, my studio is tropical. i do walk to work, so this means layers. by the time i strip down most days i am wearing nothing but my white tank top..from hanes. nice. oh..and i do not look like jodie. sorry! this is a look i MUST get away from. but i am at a loss as to the alternative. i do shop..but most of the time everything is ALL wrong. OY!!..i have found many spirited tanks with tie dye looks..too high school. and also some ruffled/ruched numbers that look absurd on my tiny frame, and do NOT work with sweatered layers! please help me stop wearing my underwear in public! write me with your suggestions. i am in great need, and i am depending on you dear sweet reader to point me in the right direction, and away from my fashion don't. oh..and ps. i work with my husband..so looking nice is part of the objective.

Evan and Oliver Haselgrave

Leafing through the design issue of New York Magazine the other day, i came accross the article about the haselgrave brothers who live and work together in Brooklyn (what is it abolut brooklyn these days??). the brothers who came to the business ( called hOmE )organically over time, design and build restaurants, and other commercial spaces from scratch, by hand, using salvaged and recycled materials in ingenious new ways. this is such a crafters aesthetic and i am a sucker for it. so much love must go into each of their projects, with all the details that are required to fit their puzzles together.
i adore this wonderful recycliing of an old hammer as a door knob.
your kidding right? what is the shovel doing there? is this where they get water?..so beautiful!
and this cocoon is where they sleep. keep out girls!

boston architecture

i am always caught off guard by the gorgeous pieces of architecture in my back bay neighborhood. there is so much lovely detail in the most humble sections of many buildings i see around town. these examples are from the art deco former site of Shreve Crump and Low


and these are the tree grates from Copley Square..also from an earlier part of the last century.
it must have been a time when there was a budget that allowed for decorative detail on buildings, and also a time when the work of artisans came very cheap.

halloween

last night was an incredible night for halloween here in boston, and my kids did an amazing job creating original costumes from some basics we got at i party. thea was robin hood and loch was halloween man (his own concept) with a costume created by his sister. though it was mighty cold out, that did not stop them from scooping up hundreds of pieces of candy. as much as i encouraged them to call it quits early ( i was absolutely frozen) i had to remind myself what a thrilling night halloween must be for a child..when every adult stranger that they meet wants to give them candy!!!