San Diego, dat you? A field trip to Craft & Commerce

The buzz about this restaurant had me feeling so not cool enough to go.



On our precious date nights, we don't want a scene and we certainly don't need attitude or pretention. But the menu was deliciously similar to Freemans Restaurant in NYC, and they have cornmeal fried pickles for gosh sakes (a favorite at this local spot, but you have to pick through the other veg to find the pickles)!



The are-we-cool-enough factor was compounded when we pulled up and a private stretch limo was at the door. Then I was like, are we mogul enough?

Decked out in my mostly-thrifted outfit (rockin the boots!) I faltered for a second, then smacked my self-esteem upside the head (I have to do this a lot) and decided that nothing is out of my league. I make my own league and my league wants pickles!

A cute boy in pork-pie hat and suspenders greeted us (sweetly...oh darling shy hipster boys!)

I think the interior is meant to be "rustic/industrial speakeasy". There are tiny Old West oil lamps(the kind you would use to go out to the barn and check on the horses 150 years ago) as lighting on the rough-hewn tables.
The waitresses all wear suspenders, too, and cute little tooled-leather Western purses (maybe for cash and what-not?)



Our waitress was gorgeous and funny, and we kept teasing her by asking for "more ketchup and more vodka, please"...they don't serve it (although they have burgers and fries on the menu, this rule is straight out of the hipster handbook, which we are, thanks to my tireless research, familiar with). They won't serve vodka since it wasn't available during Prohibition. Or coffee, but this is one they're working on. Maybe they'll really get into the spirit of things and make cowboy coffee over an open fire...

We bonded with the couple next to us after, over the course of their meal, they attempted to order all three of these items and were sweetly denied by the waitress. I finally couldn't suppress my laughter, and we ended up in a conversation that lasted through dinner and kept us there ordering more rounds of drinks so that we could keep talking.

By the time we were leaving, it had most definitely become a "scene". But in our little dark corner of the Old West we parted as with old friends, full of good honest food and warming ale. And pickles...I'll be back.

What we ordered:

Devils on Horseback (which included requisite dates but also asparagus and blue cheese apples!)

Brisket Sandwich with onion jam (OMG)

"Fried" Chicken (don't expect nasty grease puddles-this was likely brined and lightly oven fried and fabulous)

Delirium Tremens (besides loving the name, it was a gorgeous, smooth carmelly ale)

Allagash Curieux (a slightly more bitter drink for the huz)

Paper Dolls

Wouldn't it be cool, I thought, if online catalogues let you download "doll" templates and cut-outs of their clothes to try on?
Big girls like dolls, too! Especially when we can buy their outfits.

This doll would be from Portland or Seattle, where she has to stay warm but look really cool, too.












All via here (and it's on saaaaaale...)

Design Skool-Mixology

Can geometric-modern, African, and Western co-exist in one room?

Can and should.






Think of your home as a dinner party...the conversation is always better when there's a mix of people.

Ditch the floor-to-ceiling Mid Century or West Elm and invite some new folks to the party!

"Hand-made with natural materials" is the common theme here. The pieces can "have a conversation" without boring us with same-ness.

A charcoal wall, giant fig tree, Navajo rug, and brass thingies bring it all together.







Shazzam!

felt lamp found via Jamie's new project here-thanks ladies!

So you have a job interview at the Ace

See the original "you're probably a hipster" post here!

Congratulations, hipster! You had at least enough ambition to shuffle over to your Mac and send an email to whatever the Ace calls their human resources department (probably homey hirers or something?)

And now you have an interview. Uh oh. I think that means something is happening face-to-face! I don't think they're going to text you questions while you eat Cheetos and smoke in bed, or ask you to send a PDF file of your artwork.

Dang. Now what?

You have no work experience, so you definitely can't rely on references or...ability.

But there's one thing you do well in this world, and it's look the part.

So study this handy "Anatomy of an Ace Employee" and go get that minimum wage job!

First, if you don't already have one, you'll need to buy this:



Or this--I would NOT choose "the Weasel". Especially if you drive a van. Especially if you have to pass a school on the way. You will definitely get arrested.



May I suggest "the Hollywood"?

Then you'll need this...but heed my warning: it must be ill-fitting and threadbare:



Then, for as many days as possible prior to the interview, you'll have to completely avoid this:



And anything like these:



In fact, don't lift anything heavier than your iphone. Try to stay in bed and eat Cheetos in the days leading up to the interview. If it looks like your heart rate has been elevated at all, the people at the Ace will know it. They will indignantly tell you to take your self-righteous exercise routine down the street to Whole Foods, where the physically-active preachy vegan hipsters work.


Oh hipsters, I sure have missed our time together!
Do you miss the hipster list? Check the old ones here.

p.s. in all fairness I have to say that the Ace has the best staff in Palm Springs. Better than the starts-with-a-P-ends-with-arker. They're friendly and nice and do their job right, even with all that hanging macrame getting in their eyes! I've never found their facial hair in my food, and I like their plaid shirts. And I want to be them.

Unreal estate

I guess it's not polite to talk money, but at $899k this mid century lovely in a mountainside historic district overlooking Pasadena (fav-o-rite city!) seems rather well-priced. To someone who bought in San Diego. During the height of the real estate boom. $899k seems like a 50%-off sale. Ouch.

I am so in love. The setting is perfect. The papa bear chair. The carved door. The natural light. The snuggled-into-wooded-hillside location.

And, it's for sale by the original owner.

The good news is I only have to sell 450 papa bear chairs to buy it!

I can totally do that. Now where did I park my time machine?

Doing It

I've made a little headway on the oldest boy's room. Do you want to take a peek?



If you don't remember the general feel I was going for, I made a basic design plan here.




Then I bought the bed and pillow here.



Bedding is difficult for an older boy. His pirate sheets totally didn't work anymore. A comforter? Hurl.



I found this charcoal grey cashmere blanket at the thrift store yesterday (it's from that brief period of time when Banana Republic made some luxury home/gift items and cashmere baby clothes). It was new, the right size, and $12.95. The antique bed means I have to walk a fine line between granny and hip/young. The bedding looks masculine and kind of vintage militaria to me. I think it works.

We're going for a dark grey-blue wall and tested out some big swatches. The darkest one got the thumbs up.

But my most favorite addition is the brushed bronze starburst lamp. We had to have an electrician punch holes up the wall and across the ceiling to put it in. Our 90-year old house is almost completely timbered...there's only a couple inches between each framing beam, whereas most homes have one beam per wall and one across the ceiling. Thus the zigzagging holes.



Now we need to get the rest of the furniture (I'm thinking industrial) and art (some cool art posters from Poster Cabaret?)




This vintage Kevi chair would look delish in here, right?

America, America

We all know that the Danes and the Swedes are the cool kids, but American design can be pretty hip too, especially after I've gotten my hands on it.
The seats have new charcoal grey and white chevron upholstery and the walnut on all pieces is exceptional. The double-pedestal table goes on and on forever.
In the shop now.