patti smith: dream of life

late last night i watched a truly wonderful documentary, 'Patti Smith: Dream of Life" on PBS. it was created over an 11 year peiod by the artist's long time friend fashion photographer/filmaker Steven Sebring. patti smith is not an artist that i knew very much about until now, although i did know that she was extremely close to photographer robert mapplethorpe. the film itself is a piece of art, a bit of a valentine to the artist herself, and i loved it! patti as narrator gives the film an extreme close up of who she is as a human and the journey of her family, life, and career. at one point, she tells a charming story of how in the beginning of her career, not knowing how to play a guitar nor tune one up, she devised a ruse to get a musicians to do it for her. she lived at the time in the chelsea hotel where she hung out for hours showing everyone her "really cool guitar". inevitably, someone like bob dylan would be captivated by the 1930's era guitar patti was given as a gift from writer sam shephard, and tune it right up for her. now that's chutzpah! patti smith has turned me into a new fan, and made me want to be a rocker..that is for sure.

running with scissors interior wow

i died for these yellow lamps..


i just saw the movie over the holiday and went completely nuts over these amazing 70's inspired interiors by richard sherman the production designer for the film...i wish i could find some better images to share..

la palma products

i thought this morning that i would share some of the things i did while i was down in la palma. the workshop of edgar and his mom dona aminta was vibrant and warm, and it provided me with a wonderful space to be creative. technology and materials are quite scarce in this part of the world, but often i think limited parameters can inspire great work. these photos represent just a few of the objects we completed during the week using only wood paper glue and paint. i particularly love that cute birdhouse with the decoupage exterior!

baby's first espanol building blocks.
wee birdie garden sticks for your indoor or outdoor garden.
and a DIY baby tortuga.

j crew on mad ave

hello??? i am sure that all of you sophisticatos have already seen this.but exqueeze me? this has got to be THE most gorgeous thing in a while. Lonny mag just covered the new j crew shop that opened on madison..and i am in love. this is such brilliant merchandising..and so incredibly sophisticated! ouch.

maddy weinrib festival

my other big spring inspiration is the stepsister to the super prep...maddy weinrib ( she of the ABC Carpet and Home clan) and all those ikat/suzani enthusiasts. well i say..sign me up! this look works really well in super preppie town because these are the kind of step sibs that get along. i can't wait to get back to the studio and cook something up.

preppytown

i have been thinking a lot about my spring collection for 2010, and my big idea is super prep style. this is a look i have never truly explored( except for a short stop in lily pulitzer town), and i have gotten so excited poking around the internet for some prepster heroes..the reigning queen of course being tory burch. tory loves herself some super bright colors, and i am loving the navy and poppy orange she is often wont to use. in addition to mademoiselle burch i am surfing some other mainstays of the modern prep such as prints from ms. ck bradley and the must have goyard tote! next stop ikats and suzanis.

inspiring walls

our fearless interpreter and guide..iris the fabulous! in front of a marvelous window screen.


el madeiro de dios where we spent our workweek.


gorgeous bricks..maybe a new lamp will come out of this..hmmm?

we are off to orlando tomorrow for our holiday with the family. but before i take off i wanted to share more of the beauty of la palma with you. the strees of the town are covered in fantastic shades of paint and many murals (more images of these later). one is struck repeatedly tho by the dramatic contrast that the door screens make with the wonderful colors of the doors. it truly adds such a giant dose of charm to each person's home. enjoy the amazing patterns.

the streets of la palma

a friendly truckdriver wanted his picture taken..when he saw the photo..he said.."i look good!"
the "tuk tuk" a local style taxi..so so cute!
where to buy everything.
my trip to el salvador seems like a dream today, so i wanted to post a few shots of the local colors. the place is so so charming. everywhere you look..bonita..muy muy bonita.

table setting success!

my kids and i came up with a charming solution for the thanksgiving conundrum of the place cards for 23. we were very groovy and recycled sticks and an old turnbull and asser shirt of my dad's with the decorated name flags. pretty sweet.. right?

in la palma

i am getting ready to post a bunch about working in el salvador which was so wonderful, but i quickly wanted to send this wee film of two sweet "modelas" xenia taler and i chose for showing off our collaborative efforts.
happy looking!

new boots!

i am just back from my week in el salvador,(posts coming soon) and at home being cozy with the family. i really got used to the 80 degree weather down south rather quickly, and now i am feeling a bit worried about the winter ahead. my one consolation is the fact that before i left for warmer climes, the family took a trip over to the barn in newton, and picked up some cold weather gear. i finally stopped obsessing over boots and got the bogs because they DO in fact come in all black for women..hooray! their website boasts that not only are they a vegan (!!) , completely waterproof boot, but they are made for staying warm in subzero temps. and then..the hat in luscious moonlight i just could not resist. ok..that is IT for the rest of the year! i am feeling totally set. ol man winter..here i come!!

el salvador here i come

today i flew to san salvador to start my work week with the artisans of la palma in the mountains. the area was made famous by the artist fernando llort who had a very distinctive colorful style. i will be joined by the fabulous designer xenia taler, and the two of us will work together in the workshops on new designs we created to extend the collections currently being made there. i am so excited to get started..but i am really sleepy from all my travels.

email blasts!

jennifer hill is teaching me how to create email blasts that i can send out to our customers to make it easier for them to click and buy our work online. i am giddy with excitement, as there is nothing so exciting for me as learning new techmology! she designed this card for us for the holidays, and i think it totally rocks. thank you jennifer!

the cake boss

it is my birthday today, and it has me thinking about cakes. the thought of cake instantly brings to mind the cake boss who our family discovered by accident. how fun is this show? my mom, who hates everything on television ( except the yankees!) , was entranced by buddy, and his staff. i think they created the word "telegenic" for this dude!. treat yourself right today, and pop in a you tube video of buddy and his hoboken staff. you will thank me for it.