my view from the car, driving through the san joaquin valley to the sierra nevada foothills.i love the dry california grass.
(click photo to enlarge)
my view from the car, driving through the san joaquin valley to the sierra nevada foothills.
flowers grow everywhere in san francisco... even between the cement cracks.

i'm always so enamored with artist karen gelardi's work. i love the concept behind her new book project, which will be part of her terrarium show 301 gallery, in beverly, massachusetts. i bought a book yesterday, which will be part of the installation- and then mailed to me when it's disassembled.
this is the lena dress, fom the new wiksten fall collection. isn't that wonderful?! jenny wrote that the printed fabric reminded her of my book. i can't think of many things better than having a dress named after me!
i'm feeling a little guilty about these recent purchases,,, but it's so hard to resist a good sale! sometimes 60% off still isn't cheap though... i'm happy to now own my second vena cava item. top purchases from the barney's warehouse sale, bottom from the apc surplus store.








i love books... i can never get enough...


it's always fun to check out the beautiful books when i stop by the STC offices... i had seen images of therese laskey's zakka sewing book before, but hadn't yet flipped through it. it's a really sweet book, with a lovely layout and very cute illustrations. and beautiful photographs by yoko inoue.






more fall fashion to dream about...
ohh!... ahhh!... images from the fall collection of mer are up. i love these tops, and i'm looking forward to seeing the ikat (i think it is) one in person.
a couple more book related things...
i have an envelope full of polaroids left over from the photo shoot for printing by hand. thayer took polaroids to check the light, styling, and angle for each shot, before she switched to using a film camera. i not sure why i treasure these polaroids so much, but i really love them. more here.
claire nereim has a beautiful new "forever" calendar in her etsy shop. it's hand-printed with california wildflowers on black recycled paper, and is organized by blooming times. i have her seasonal fruit calendar, and i'm looking forward to seeing this one in person...


it's hot, hot, hot in new york, and we have a steady stream of friends and family visiting. lots of eating out and very warm nights...
grace and i are holding a decorating with patterns contest this week, in conjunction with my book coming out. i love layering and mixing patterns-- and although my style wavers between minimalist and maximalist, my heart is always true to bold and over-the-top use of patterns. i hope lots of people submit photos of their similar love for patterns in their home-- it will be fun! i'm giving away two "field" pillows to the first and second place winners.
