Trend Spotting: Garland

As you already know, everyday is a party here at DC headquarters.  Unfortunately, the South South Austin branch of our conglomeration is not reflecting this ideology all too well.  Enter, a trend I've been spotting all over the web:  Garland.  Both festive and feminine, these lovely paper cutouts say "Yeah, it's Wednesday, why don't you just go ahead and get your groove on?"

via Please Sir

The flag banner in it's most basic form.  Can't you just smell the turkey legs and screaming children?

Artist Sophie Cuvelier juxtaposes the flag banner hype with quite interiors:

The small scale of her hand cut pieces become blissfully overwhelming when produced en masse. I can see these in every single room of my house.  If only I had the patience and time it must take to assemble these suckers. 

Wedding stylist Rebecca Thuss  Brings the jamz with her large scale garland alter.  I am wondering how my husband and mother will feel if I file for divorce so that I may remarry (same man) under this insane piece.  I will not be wearing that blue dress, though.

For a totally over-powering paper cutout experience, check out the works of stylist Zoe Bradley  her garland displays are to-die-for and probably even bring window-dresser-to-the-stars, Simon Doonan, to his Burberry knees. 

Zoe combines boxes, bags, paper and bows to make a Karly-Flavored dream display

If you need to water down your garland fashion for everyday wear, perhaps something like this is a bit more your style:

This garland inspired necklace from flickr user Vera Joao creates an instant traveling party.  Perfect for running errands or taking your cats to the vet. 

One of my very favorite flag banner pieces is this print by artist Elisabeth Dunker.  It has been my desktop image for as long as I can remember, one day I will own it in the flesh but for now it cheers me up every time I hop on my computer (which is almost every second of the day).  Note:  much more inspiring than a keep calm and carry on poster/pillow/towel/trash can liner.

You may remember that I have a smallish obsession with twins, when twin brothers Marc and Ian Hundley were featured on the Selby with their garland I almost fainted.  Seriously, why don't you just throw Christain Bale into the shot so I can be completely sent over the edge?

If like me your heart rate has excelled to a no-longer healthy pace and your head is spinning with visions of garland throughout your house but you find the task of construction a bit daunting, you can always visit our fine friends at Etsy:

clockwise from top left: cupcake garland by etsy user Frivolous Whimsey; Garland of Paper Flowers by Millalove; Royal Garland and Royal Garland detail by Royalbuffet; Baby Mama Papel Picado by Aymujer

While (thank god) I don't have a use for the Baby Mama garland, I think it's probably one of the funniest things I've ever seen.  Millalove's paper flowers are so delightfully perfect. I can barely fold a booklet and this gal is whipping out paper dalias like it's nobody's business.

I'm a pretty crafty lady, but the one quality I possess that outweighs my creativity is my aversion to tedium - I'm willing to bet a million dollars that I never knit an entire scarf - so it's good to know that these Etsy kids have my back and are willing to bring the party while I kick back and spike the punch.

+++++

UPDATE!  2 of our lovely readers reminded us about these lovely flag banners:

Woodley Park Zoo welcomes her new Feesh flag banner style.  I dare you to find a cuter fish welcome sign.

And thank you, Anna, for reminding me about my favorite Ikea fabric (how could I forget????)!!!  

Have a Rootin' Tootin' Shootin' Good Time

Tomorrow we leave town on our annual Thanksgiving pilgrimage. Every year my enormous family congregates at our farm near Texarkana, and we all enjoy good food, good company, and lots of redneckified activities, like ridin' four wheelers, burnin' stuff, and shootin' up a storm. I'm all about the four wheelers and any activities involving fire, but despite early indoctrination (I first shot a Glock at eight), I'm more than a little squeamish about guns. Because the only ass that's getting a cap busted in it is probably mine. Despite my misgivings, I really want to join in the fun. But I'm not even going to consider picking up a gun unless it looks like one of these:

(via Xirdalium)

Because, you see, everything does not look better in black. In fact, many things look good in pink and aqua with leopard on top, and there ain't nothing that don't look better in gold. No kind of thing.

Even though I was an eight year old badass with the hard black heart of an assassin, as a 32 year old wussy I may need to slowly ease my way back into the game. You know, get my feet wet. Try on some training wheels for size.

(via Glamguns)

Pretty pink Hello Kitty knows how to make a girl feel soft and feminine, but everyone knows that bitch can fight when backed into a corner. Watch out for the claws when they come out! Pft!

Who am I kidding? I may need to start out even... slower. Like, really slow. Like, more decorative, less lethal, slow.

(via A+R Store)

This paper AK-47 is probably a little more my speed. Pretty, but ineffectual. I'll look really cool while holding it, but self inflicted injuries will be kept to a minimum. Now we rollin! Dog.

Honestly, I kind of prefer the more old school weaponry. A little more Wild Wild West, with saloons and spurs, and weapons that aren't in the least automatic. Although the lack of modern medical technology is a definite minus for the accident prone. Wonder who that might be...

Awwwww yeah. Bet you thought I forgot this was a design blog! What have we here? Winchester shot glasses from Amazon, which are potentially lethal in a totally different way; A pistol shaped remote control seen at Design Boner that my dad would kill for; the uber slick "Smoking Gun" via This Next; and Jonathan Adler's whimsical needlepoint pillow, adored by pistol packin' grandmas everywhere.

Of course, my newfound frippery would look fabulous against this old-school-meets-young-stunna backdrop:

Designer Wallcovering carries Thug Stripe black and white gun wallpaper. Yes, please. And I have just the thing to cast a perfect, decoratively violent, glow upon it.

Rock and Royal (purveyors of the OG nefarious pirate ship chandelier) think that everything looks better under crystal, and they can glue, string, stitch, or wire it together in just about any configuration imaginable. I'm just not sure if I like the AK or the snub nosed pistol better:

Whereas the AK is sharp and pointy, the pistol is so soothing and unassuming. It says, "What, me? Dangerous? Never." Kind of like that douchebag boy you dated in high school, and you remember how that turned out. Alrighty, AK it is!

Or maybe I don't want any guns hanging over my head. They don't exactly connote the same sense of imminent death that, say, a guillotine might. Still, there are only a few wires keeping that barrel off my neck. Perhaps I'd be better off with something gravity bound.

I blogged about this super fly gold table lamp by Philippe Starck a hundred million years ago, but time has done little to assuage my lust. I like that the business end is pointed up. I like gold. I like fetishize guns. Enough said.

But if I'm being realistic, I'd probably get the most use (and street cred) out of this little number:

(via Trendhunter)

Everyone respects a gun-shaped flask full of tequila. Especially during the holidays.

The Doors of Perception

When I was 16, I had this obsession with what my mother's life at my age was like. It would have been 1969, and I imagined her running wild and free on the beaches of California, hanging with hot surfer dudes and smoking the reefer (Legal Disclaimer: I have absolutely no first hand knowledge of said activities). Sifting through various old photos showed me that Mom was stunning, with long, straight 60's blond hair and big Twiggy eyes, and the kind of figure that a 16 year old late bloomer could only dream about. So between the hot dudes, reefer, and hot mom, it was easy to envision this super glamorous, ultra hip, swinging lifestyle set to the music and crazed colors and all of the happenings of the sixties. Sadly, my obsession materialized as a suede fringed vest, ankle breaker clogs, oddly braided hair, and a predilection for The Beach Boys and Jefferson Airplane. Yes, something was missing in translation. Although my tastes have (mostly) matured over the years, there will always be this part of me that yearns to turn my house into an all out psychedelic den of mindblowing prints, patterns and colors. Because I'm too old to do drugs, people. But I still like The Beach Boys.

I wouldn't normally kick off a tour of my teenage dream pad with a bathroom picture, but the folks at M Interiors know something about mixing business with pleasure. The all-overness is killing me (in a good way), and I desperately need that swag light. STAT!

In the powder room, I will be featuring this wallpaper by artiste Virgil Marti:

Yes, that is fluorescent ink printed on black rayon flock. Hot damn, I love that wallpaper. Add some NyQuil, and you've got yourself an experience. Oh, and the blacklights would be sure to highlight any hygiene indiscretions.

Now that your hands are clean, you can come eat. The dining area would go a little something like this:

Wary Meyers, scroungy heroes of hip brokesters everywhere, starched vintage fabric onto the walls and used the leftovers to upholster matching cushions for their tulip chairs. Genius on the cheap.

The hallway leading from my fantasy dining area to the fantasy living quarters would be swathed in a trippy pattern from floor to ceiling, like this crazy tunnel of love from Domino:

Temo Callahan (whoever you are), the rest of your batshite insane pad makes me claustrophobic, but this is an epic Willy Wonkaesque masterpiece.

The living room will feature a ton of funky fabrics and patterns, of course:

M Interiors seem to be masters of mind reading, because I love this classic empire sofa recovered in a wackadoo print. Keeping the pieces vintage but recovering with fresh fabric prevents fauxchedelic syndrome:

Woof. No amount of NyQuil can make that palatable. The chrome legs, especially, make my eyes bleed. Even though this is a designer piece presented in Milan, I just know that's a cheap Sofamart couch with a nylon slipcover stretched over the foam. And that is wrong.

Must get back to my happy place, pronto!

Aaaahhhh... that's better. This picture by super photographer Ngoc Minh Ngo demonstrates the softer side of psychedelia. Of course, in my crazy fantasy pad, I would have to spice things up a bit. We'll be needing some art:

My real life pad may have to borrow these Andy Gilmore pieces from the fantasy pad. Because they're AMAZING. And homeboy has an Etsy shop. Yes he does.

I'll definitely need a special chair to sit in and concentrate on Gilmore's goodness...

This groovy chair upholstered in rad Jack Lenor Larsen fabric ought to do the trick. That dude had vision. Like the kind that comes from peyote.

Or, I could always keep the furnishings lean and go the psychedelic wallpaper route, a la Kelly Wearstler:

Whoa. Who needs a tv when you could just watch the wallpaper dance?

After all that dancing, I may need to chillax in my super restful bedroom:

Sorry about the terrible pictures, but I just had to show UK hotel, The Miller of Mansfield, getting its groove on. Bed In, anyone? I will be co opting that top headboard for the fantasy pad, thank you.

Perhaps I'll go a bit more minimal in the guest bedroom.

I love everything about this bedroom from Ngoc Minh Ngo's portfolio for my real life pad, including the fab psychedelic pillows. For my teenage dream home, though, I think we'll need a wee bit more drama.

Let's see -- this crazy wallpaper in a Suzy Hoodless designed hospital seems to be about the right color scheme... and who doesn't want a giant creepy owl hooting at them in the middle of the night? Whooo? Whooo?

Phew, I'm tired after a long and stimulating day of looking. I may need to sit in my little nook papered with this chill Ferm pattern:

The chair is staying, fo shiz. I will need it to sit and meditate on how the future is going to be so much brighter since we will soon be out from under the thumb of oppression, and we won't need to protest the war anymore, or rebel against narrow minded conservative zealots. Unless you live in California. Or Florida. I guess there's always a need for more flower power.