Leftover Animal Casserole

I'm stretching the animal theme pretty thin here, but I decided to keep it going after I saw the sad news that Japanese artist Nagi Noda died last week at the tender age of 35. Girlfriend loved her some animals, so today I'll serve up a few of my favorite mammalian leftovers in her honor. Since DC readers are a savvy bunch, you may already be familiar with her fabulously bizarre hair hats:

(Pictures via Hemmy). I would never, ever wear those (makes my tender little head itch just to think of it), but I would definitely hang them on my walls! Especially the lion, because I love me some kitties.

That's my new baby purse I got at the thriftstore for $3. I shall wear it out to the bars and if some loser gets a little too shmoozy, my leonine pal growl will at him and tell him to back the bleep off. Hunny Bunny should take note of this new development in interpursonal relationships. He could learn some things.

Continuing with the fancy felines, I also think this pillow from Design Public is pretty swell:

Alack! He is sold out (and also the wrong color), but perhaps Ross Menuez will read my mind and make me a special black and white version? Pretty please with animal crackers on top?

Don't worry; I try not discriminate against other species. That would make me a speciesist, and homey don't play that. I would play with this, though:

How adorable is this bear shaped padlock? AND the heart shaped chain??? Thanks to Sweet Dreams Security, I want to lock every single orifice in my house with this lil' cutie. I also think it would make a super gangsta style necklace, don't you? (via If It's Hip, It's Here)

Meanwhile, back at the ranch I've been searching for some bathroom hooks to hang my necklaces on. I think these Trophy Hangers from Phil Cuttance would do me up righteous.

Thanks, Raina, for the link! I love these little critters AND they're budget friendly!

If you're looking for something large and in charge for your home, Julia Lohmann is happy to oblige:

These headless leather cow benches are so life like, they're even named. Meet Rosel, Belina, Raul, Eileen, Carla, Elsa, and Radia. I think Elsa -- or is that Belina? -- wants to come home with you. Oh, I don't know. Is it wrong of me to say that all cows look alike?

I simply couldn't *bear* to leave you without sharing this:

Procreation is a biological imperative, yes? Well, the folks at Pentagram Designs think you need to know more about the sex lives of animals, and if you agree, you can trot on over to the Museum of Sex in New York and educate thyself.

Well, go on. I won't tell, but I'm not going to do it for you.

It's Elementary

Although the temperatures in Austin are still hovering in the triple digits, the first day of school is just around the corner. For those of us who can say, "no more teachers, no more books...," school days always bring with them a whiff of nostalgia as well as a masochistic desire to relive the bad old days. Like that time I got asked to my first sleepover where we watched Dirty Dancing, and then the popular bitches waited until I fell asleep and poured warm water in my sleeping bag and woke me up to tell me I peed myself. And laugh. Cliche, but true, and frankly some of the "quirkier" stories are just too damn depressing for morning reading.

Yes, after puberty school becomes a minefield of unbridled hormones and misunderstood emotions. And so, dear readers, I present a day of letters and numbers, and hopefully a return to simpler times.

Yasmine at A Print a Day's whimsical fonts (fashioned of stitchery and hair!) recall the apple for teacher days more than that time a dozen students from the opposing high school brought pistols and shotguns and hosted a full-on riot in our quad. Just like a movie! (via Exquisite Function)

A selection of pillows reminiscent of practicing handwriting on a Big Chief tablet. Can I still write without a computer...?

Clockwise from top left: Alexander Girard's OG design from way back in 1952 is back in production and available at Wrapables, some numerology from Urban Outfitters, a brown (?!!!) pillow from Dwell's baby line at Design Public, Alphabet pillow by Sukie at Three Potato Four.

Badass photogram of tiny objects arranged to compose the letters of the alphabet. C is for "Chain" and R is for "Rope." So much easier than C is for "Chitinous exoskeleton" and R is for "Remember that time you got dumped on the journalism trip by your first love? And then he started going out with that skanky ugly girl? On the SAME TRIP?"

Award-winning poster print by Dutch Osborne available from Spring Design. (via Elle Deco SA)

If you've ever had to eat your words -- like pretty much every time I ever said anything the entire time I went to high school -- then you'll appreciate this dinnerware:

Alphabet pot by Ayumi Horie at Reform School, subliminal plate set at CB2.

A pair of inspired selections in some of Karly's favorite colors:

On the left, Numbers Rug at Urban Outfitters. On the right, Uppercase Scarf at Little Factory that could have solved my first day of school fashion dilemmas. Instead I showed up in purple hair, black tights, orange wool tartan skirt, black sweater and Doc Martens. In August. In Texas. In Texarkana. In 1991. I had a lot of friends. Sike! (only about the friends part)

Pillows and totes made of recycled sailcloth by Reiter8. Kind of reminds me of some of the early DIY projects Sassy used to have, which my only friend and I would try (but usually fail) to complete. It's hard to finish things when you get sidetracked by your hormones. So instead of following Sassy's plans for a hideous skirt made from used ties, we stay up and smoke about 500 clove cigarettes and talk about THAT GUY, who, in an excruciating twist of fate, WE BOTH LIKE.

Oh, Magic 8 Ball of my future self's memory, I wish I had you in the past.

Because I'm feeling a little wound up now, a cleansing mental vacation from the evils of the unknown self:

Image from Living, Etc., via Elements of Style. Me want those pillows!!!

Well, friends, I am off to Texarkana next week, where I'll be visiting with my little sister before driving her up to Arkansas for her first year of college away from home -- hence the trip down memory lane. I'll still be posting, but my internet access will be somewhat limited.

In the meantime, I'm wondering if you, my happy-well-adjusted-grown-up friends, have any grand tales to tell of your school daze? Were you Pretty in Pink, Better Off Dead, or Dazed and Confused?

Chevronathon

Did you know chevron (no, not the gas station) is the new zebra? Seriously, it's everywhere. Exhibit A:

Walnut Wallpaper's amazing collection of wall coverings includes this hand printed beauty by Paper Mills, which is even named Zebra, although clearly it's a chevron pattern, right? I like this so much better than zebra (even though I do, of course, have the ubiquitous rug in my dining room) because it's less safari and more classic. Plus I totally feel like I could paint or stencil this (a la Karly, the stencil queen) on a wall myself!

Exhibit B: When I saw this post on Decorno's blog featuring House of Mann fabric in the grandest scale ever, I knew I was going to have to do some serious shopping research into this chevron business.

I already see myself lazing away in this canopy while DH fans me with palm fronds and feeds me grapes... I have a feeling he probably doesn't share the same vision, but I may have to order some of that fabric for outdoor cushions anyway. House of Mann swears it's mildew and UV resistant, and since hemp is a renewable resource, it might temporarily assuage some of the guilt borne by my rampant consumerist tendencies. Probably not, though.

Exhibit... whatever: Once I started looking in earnest, I found that chevrons come in a zillion color combinations, some resembling Missoni from its heyday in the seventies, and some even produced by Missoni today.

Clockwise from top left: Pillow by Twinkle Living at Design Public, Lulu DK chevron fabric, Missoni's current offerings at Sak's Fifth Avenue, and a crazy awesome hooked wool rug from the American Country Home Store. Yep.

Although I am digging some of the colorful options -- especially that insane rug -- I really like chevron  best when it pairs one light tone with one dark one, because simplicity is the chevron's ace in the hole. Check out these amazing Madeline Weinrib Rugs. Don't worry. They're not expensive. They are ridiculously expensive, because Madeline Weinrib is an atelier, you see, and things made by an atelier (insert accent) cost a lot of money. Don't ask me why.

(Photo on right courtesy of Domino)

God, I really want that rug, but I'm not a millionaire... crap, I'm not even a thousandaire, so I may have to do as adorable deal hunter Nick Olsen did and whitewash a flatweave rug (like a dhurrie, sisal or seagrass) and then paint some colored chevron stripes on it:

(Photo courtesy of Bellasugar)

Love the navy, white, and oregano green, paint palette... and do I spy a hint of my new favorite color in there? Dreamy!

My last issue of Domino also featured this super cool chevron patterned urn distributed by Zocalo:

Hooray for the foray into 3D surfaces! The chevron does a great job of defining volume and classic black and white always works because it's graphic enough to be punchy, white still accommodating a range of decorating possibilities. This chevron has all the positive attributes of the beloved zebra print, but it just doesn't feel like it's trying so hard.