Live Large Like Louis

Friends, has the recession got you down? I know you're bummed to no longer have a bundle of Gs just laying around for that newest set of Louis Vuitton trunks you planned to scatter artfully throughout your home in an oh so status conscious gesture that screams, "I have money to burn, bitches!"

Tommy Hilfiger via Fashionphile

Kanye West

House Beautiful via Margaret Long

So what's a label whore* to do when the economy declares most emphatically that there shall be no more excessive spending?

*Not that I'm judging, since momma wouldn't turn down a free LV bag. Hint, hint sponsors...

Well, you could bring some curb appeal to your real estate and watch the value skyrocket:

The window bars really ratchet the klass factor up a notch or 20, don't you think? Via

Of course in a house so special and ah, unique, one can't be expected to live a common, pedestrian existence, can one? One must extend one's special uniqueness to all aspects of one's daily life.

Really, how could one be expected to use a common Hefty trashbag? That would be wimpy wimpy wimpy. Via

Or have a common pet, for that matter? I think this pig would really say, "I like money, but I'm not afraid to get my hands entire body dirty."

I'm not sure brown is the best color in this context. Via

Now this is what I'm talking about! I'm not even kidding. I never wanted to drive a Cutlass Sierra until now, but I neeeed that car. Hopefully the man doing sexy pose on it is not included because he's covering up my paint job. Maybe they make Louis Vuitton camouflage? That would totally appeal to hunters everywhere, I'm sure.

I'll Be Watching You

Friends, I'm feeling a bit like a Harlem Globetrotter juggling basketballs in a Scooby Doo special celebrity episode, except that I am not special, nor am I a celebrity. I'm just a sleep deprived wreck of a new mom that hasn't showered in days, but at least the baby's diaper is clean and there is food in his mouth. Don't think too carefully about that last bit. Anyhoodle, I'm not getting as much work done as I'd like, but my fancy new laptop arrives next week, which will hopefully write my posts for me. More importantly, I'm planning to spend some time catching up on all your awesome blogs and showering you with my witty comments. Until then, I'll be stalking your blog one handed on my phone. You may not see my presence, but it will be there...

Yes, much like the subtly creepy face embedded in Jason Miller's bison fur Wooly Chair, I'll be watching you.

Best Of A Bird Bunch

Hello Crisis-devotees, I'm Nath of le petit oiseau fame and my collection and obsession with birds is pretty much what got me into blogging, see here and, oh here. So, fittingly, I'd like to show you lots of beautiful birds. How does that sound? Right-ho, then here we go... We've established I like birds and so it seems I'm not alone, birds are all over the interweb like, erm, bird flu.

Owls - the bird du jour, or is the owl a bit over? Not for me, I love 'em. George Nelson designed this owl Zoo Timer clock in the 1950s, inspired by a night of doodling with Noguchi, you know, as you do.

Ostensibly for children, but I say why should they get all the fun? One of these would add a quirky graphic touch to any room.

Or how about one of these owl money boxes by Carlton Ware, designed in the 1960s.

Isn't he super-groovy? I can't think of a more deserving place for all my small change. Three in a row would be so dandy (and expensive)! And, I'd sure like to get my hands on one of these owl mugs, by John Clappison for Hornsea in the early seventies. Try H is For Home or ebay if you'd like to sip your morning herbal out of an owlish mug.

Looking around I came across this place, they sell 'fused light with a naturalist curiosity'. This owl nightlight would make a sweet and soft addition to any child's room or nursery.

For your walls, why not try Able, a design and branding firm outside Philadelphia who also design these handsome posters - here's Edmund - A Passionate Owl.

Perhaps you'd like your owls a touch more realistic, but still with vintage credentials? Look no further than this incredible resource. Ladybird book were a staple of my childhood, they covered a wide variety of topics from hobbies and crafts to travel and represent a social history of Britain in the 50s and 60s and now you can buy these beautiful illustrations as prints of all sizes.

The barn owl here is taken from A Second Book of British Birds, published in 1954. Is it possible to do a post on birds and not mention the mighty Charley Harper? It seems criminal not to. His work has received a lot of recent attention, but it doesn't diminish the power of his work for me. In a style he called "minimal realism", he captured the essence of his subjects with as few as possible elements. And boy, did he.

Birch Bark and Birds - Nuthatches - print available here

We were given this reissued 1974 classic book for Christmas and love it as I do, it's all I can do to resist tearing all the pages out to stick up all over my walls. (I never would actually do this, it would be totally sacrilegious wouldn't it?)

Speaking of walls, wallpaper can be a good way to add an avian accent to a room. We have this in our bedroom.

Weirdly, I didn't realise that they were peacock feathers at the time of purchase. I know, wtf? But, it's okay, I do now.

I like this paper too, it's Daydream by Julia Rothman, it's been doing the rounds in blue, but I rather like the muted softness of the pinkish grey.

This would work well in a bedroom, transforming it into more of a dark and sultry boudoir.. Available here for a very reasonable price.

So, did you enjoy that little fly-by posting? If you're hungry for more, why not follow my blog or check out my shop? Until the next post, then, I'll leave you with a little best-of compilation of some other birdy treasures around my home.

Thanks to Erin and Karly for having me over - it's been a lotta fun!