Nana Sakata / Illustrations

Nana Sakata makes these incredibly sweet (but not in a bad way) illustrations that remind me of mydreams. Yes I dream of animals a lot, mostly of bunnies. Or maybe they are drawings of what mischief-making the animals are up to when we aren't paying attention.
Either way, I love her mix of black and white with swirls of watercolor brights.  







 

Isn't the Internet Awesome?

Kristine McMenamy and Nadja Auermann by Steven Meisel for Vogue, 1992

It was 1992, I was young and full of ideals. I was alternative (remember when people were called that?), wore dog collars and had purple hair. I remember being outwardly outraged that a cool underground scene like grunge could be so heartlessly co-opted by high fashion but secretly I thought, "eh, that's what fashion is all about right?" Oh teen self, you were so right! I'm still conflicted about high fashion but I'm also fueled by it. I get a rush every season and get unreasonably excited about new ideas and trends, even though part of me knows it's all a silly business.

And now that I am older and somewhat wiser, I've seen this back-to the wilderness in a flannel shirt with a floral dress look come and go so often that I'm pretty sure it wasn't invented with grunge. And I'm pretty sure grunge wasn't that great to being with. Ok, I'm definitely sure.

Anyway, the internet is awesome because I haven't seen this photo in years and yet, suddenly it popped up on my computer screen care of the Editorial Archive tumblr. Go there right now and scroll down memory lane- it's amazing!

Give Me a Head with Hair

If my friend's Pinterest boards are an indication of what's happening (and I totally believe that to be true), people are seriously into hair. Hair teased into sculptures, hair rolled into curls and bows, hair that's up to there. Maybe it's a combination of the teased and flipped 'dos of Mad Men and the Gibson rolls of Downton Abbey, but hair right now is headed towards the seriously coiffed. I think I'm going to have to start waking up a lot earlier.

Celebrity hairstylist Danilo shot by Chris Nicholls, for Flare Magazine via Dear Hunter


another beauty from Danilo


Frida Gustavsson shot by Andreas Ohlund, styled by Linda Lindqwister for Elle Sweden. via dustjacket attic


from Kelly Love's spring summer 2012 lookbook


Marique Schimmel for shot by Benny Horne, styled by Melissa Ventosa Martin, hair by Andre Gunn for Bon Magazine


another one from Bon


Du Juan shot by Jem Mitchell, styled byAnya Ziourova for Vogue China via Pennymint

Jujumade / Design

Juliana Hung has some serious crafty prowess. She makes ceramics, she crochets, she designs and sews leather bags. Her aesthetic is a little bit utilitarian, a little bit wabi sabi, paying homage to the material she uses. Even though I've only seen her work on screen, I want to reach out an touch everything she makes. I bet those ceramic bangles make the most satisfying clink together when you stack them on your wrist and that I want to roll those stone-y beads around on my palm.











You can see lots more on her blog.
To buy, check out her shop and the LA boutique Iko Iko.

Loving {Forever}: Taking the Cake

Cake brings people together. It's a symbol of fun, celebration and the nostalgic sugar rush of chldhood birthday parties. We all have quite a few memorable cakes in our past.
On my fifth birthday, my mom made me a cake that looked just like a hamburger, with ketchup jam and sesame seeds on top of the big frosted cake bun. My grandmother Jane only made only onekind of cake: yellow with the richest chocolate frosting ever, perfect when washed down with the iciest glass of whole milk. After a bad college break-up, I spent a Christmas break making cake after cake after cake. It was the only thing that made me feel whole.
Cake makes people happy and it transcends trend. Cupcakes may be overdone but cake is eternal.


Cake painting by Martha Rich


Teal and white chevron cake from Once Wed by Sweet Sensations


Maple cake pedestal by Herriott Grace


Cake painting by Paul Ferney


Leah Rosenberg's Cake of a Painting and Painting of a Cake. Genius!


A cake alphabet!


photo by Amy Stevens


and last but not least, who else wants to make a rainbow cake?