"TWEET, TWEET" (NO NOT TWITTER!)

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It's just got to happen. No matter how many times I veto my own vision of including the darling ol' bird theme in my new bedroom, it's just got to happen. Yeah sure, birds in cages are a bit past their design peak, but they remain romantic, bohemian and happy! So in my search for perfect accessories look WHO also thinks birds shouldn't fly away. Check out this wallpaper in four colors! $99/roll. 

 Gotta love TAR-JAY!

PANTRY & FATHER APPRECIATION DAY

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Near blueberry fields and fiddle-head groves, in the MIDDLE OF NOWHERE, MAINE, hammer (and table saw and power drill and paintbrush, etc etc) in hand, my father is working. A new house is sprouting deep in the woods and I am on the effortless end, missing all the hard work, but seeing the photographs morph. 

SO! Right now, I am introducing the first finished hunk of the project and paying homage to my dad - I am so proud of his hard work (doing everything himself) and very impressed with his improved design aesthetic (it only took 60 years!).

One of his design principles is "rarely buy new" (maybe this his budget rather than principle). At any rate, look what you can do with scraps of wood, stoves from craigslist and yes... things found on the side of the road. Plus, don't you feel a sense of pride when living amongst objects which you have bought back to life? Obviously his principles have rubbed off on me.

My dad has always gushed over the pantry rational. Let's just say, if 2012 hits with a Mayan blow... I know we'll be hungry-free for a few months.

He says none of the cans are past expiration date. Woo-hoo, GO DAD!

Below is a picture of my favorite pantry to date! I saw it in COUNTRY LIVING a few years ago and haven't forgotten it. I love the exterior door used inside, unique hardware and bright colors!

And here's a little list I created, compiling from Martha, Giada and food blogs. 

FOR THE LOVE OF CORAL & TURQUOISE

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HGTV can be hit or miss in my opinion. Sometimes I give a quick click in the other direction (*a’ hem* CANDICE OLSON), but DESIGN STAR winner DAVID BROMSTAD (who is like a flamboyant Greek God), is always a hit! On his show COLOR SPLASH (Saturday’s at 9), he listens closely to his home-owners, gives stellar advice to home-watchers and to add another notch to his coolness bar - he is a GOOD artist and paints something for every re-design (see pet portrait below).

It’s not just the colors that make this particular dining room a smash and one of my favorite HGTV rooms EVV-er! The mixture of texture is fantastic… a heavy farmhouse table, sheepskin draped over a oh so hip clear LOUIS GHOST CHAIR, brick fireplace, plush (and psychedelic!) RUG, silver and glass accessories– I think this room (episode 403!) has it all. 

MEEEOW!

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An original spin on custom pet portraits – these are just too funny! To have CINDY JERRELL memorialize your hairy friend go HERE and to see more of her work click HERE. Definitely a conversation piece or a super gift!

 all images from CINDY JERRELL

HOME IS WHERE THE HILL IS

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MISSION HILL that is.

Gentrification is the word.

Hard to believe my first climb up Calumet St. was two years ago - especially considering how much the neighborhood has changed since. Gardens are sprouting in front yards, four new apartments have emerged on my street since December and bbq’s can be smelled and heard every summer night (actually, my neighbor bbq’s on his porch in the winter too!). My point is - MISSION HILL should officially be rid of its bad rap. Yes, slums are still around, and yes, they have been carefully been edited out of this post – but it is clear that this neighborhood is reaching a refreshing level of charm and is full of noteworthy architecture, eye-catching (and

 still tasteful) paint colors and beautiful landscapes, stoops and doors. Resession phewf! Comforting to know some places/people/things are moving forward. 

See below for some of The Hill's perks - New England Victorian features (great bay-windows, tall towers, dormers!), plum and mustard (the colors!) successfully used together without looking like a bruise, thoughtfully decorative porches, intricate architectural details and views of the prudential building!

When September 1 arrives, I’m sure a post on JAMAICA PLAIN will shortly follow – most likely highlighting the smell of incense, organic café’s and momma’s pushing strollers. I will miss 02120 and suggest everyone climb The Hill and enjoy the scenery at least once in their Boston residency! 

O'DAY WHATTA DAY!

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Today was definitely one of “thooose days” - towed car, caught without umbrella, MIA cell and uncomfortable people interactions. Glad to say I am finally sitting peacefully and instead of dishing out more bad juju to you, I will share a happier DAY. ANITA ODAY that is.

YOU MUST WATCH; this video defines “cool” (for me at least!). Incredible jazz singer of the 40’s and one of my grandfather’s favorites, SHE is an icon with her white gloves, feathered hat, and pipes. The audience too - jam-packed with cat eye sunglasses (or some pre-cursor to the modern RAY-BAN phenomena), and people who make smoking a cigarette look classy. I recommend watching the tension between these two: 1:18 - 1:22. It's a hoot! 

THE ROOT OF ALL THINGS PRETTY

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Hello summer, hello weekend, hello thrift shopping! This is the time of year to yearn for refurbishing projects and hunt like mad women (or MAD MEN <3), for yard sales. Sadly, as a city dweller, they are a bit harder to come by and goodwill and URBAN RENEWALS suddenly don’t cut it when the sun in shining. SO! Hooray for SOWA (South End Open Market) for opening the barn doors to antique dealers. Now we can satisfy our thirst for inexpensive vintage beauties, enjoy the sun and have an excuse to stroll the South End and scarf down a cupcake from the BUTTERY (yum!) all on a Sunday.

While I was strollin’ around the barn I noticed a lot of the clutter looked oddly familiar. Hey, that’s like my L.L BEAN ALARM CLOCK! Seems every "vintage beauty" has a modern counterpart - refurbishing gone mainstream. ha! Clearly my habitual attempt to make another person's trash my treasure and veer from consumer America, is an easier task than previously thought. Still, I recommend the Holga, Ork! and Bean as beautiful alternatives to the "real thing" (see below!).

EHVAUGHAN PHOTOGRAPHY: ROCKLAND, ME

HOLGA CAMERA

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ORK POSTERS! BOSTON

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LLBEAN MOONBEAM CLOCK 

BBM

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Dear Beloved BOSTON MAGAZINE,

It seems only fair to award you a "BEST OF," considering how generously you bestow the mark of respect to others - "BEST PICK UP SCENE," "BEST INDEPENDENT MOVIE THEATER," "BEST LATTE"  (yes please!).

Without hesitation you could be granted “city's best literature,” or in my biased opinion, “best internship site,” but I think you deserve something without parallel, like: “punch of happiness.” 

Massholes, MBTA or ridiculous in-limbo New England weather got 'cha peeving? A look through BBM’s glossy pages will remind you why you're in THIS city.

Highlighted in the July 2009 issue of beloved Boston mag is Kerry Waterman and her company FETCHING! Visit FETCHING for style, clothes or closet revitalization - I can attest to Ms. Waterman’s own flawless fashion (that’s my familiar sleeve in the left corner!). 

photograph taken by: DIANA LEVINE

ALPHA-"photo"-BET

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Get the creative brainwaves a chuggin’ by checking out the PHOTOGRAPHIC DICTIONARY. The WEBSITE defines words (even the obscure, hard to visualize kind, like “ache” or “foresight”) with photographs. The relationships are almost like poetry, delightfully clever - just because the word is "melon," doesn't mean you’ll see a honeydew. 

I was so excited to stumble upon this project and considering our incredibly visual-literate culture it feels a bit overdue. Behold three of my favorites and make sure you submit your SNAPSHOTS and/or masterpieces HERE!

"HUG" by Seth Ramirez

"URINE" by David Semeniuk

"EXTENSION" by Josh Murfitt

ON A PLANET MADE OF CHEESE

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Welcome, FIFTY PEOPLE, ONE QUESTION. The project created by design studio CRUSH + LOVELY and production company DELTREE, records hundreds of street strangers, in different cities, answering one question. The editing is brilliant and each interviewee is so enduring - you can’t help but fall in love with each and every person (British boy with the “shit answer” is pretty dreamy).

 

Isn't it funny how the question: “where would you like to wake up in the morning?” can organize your priorities. Martha Stewart’s craft room or Hogwarts would be OK with me, but I have to confess the kinship I felt with the woman who replies, “I don’t really have the answer to that anymore.” My priorities are a bit of a mystery too.

Find more videos HERE and spread the word!

"NICE TO MEET YOU NEW ENGLAND, I'M MONSOON SEASON"

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This drab weather (along with unemployment) has not only provided me ample time to fantasize of a tropical place where pineapples fall from the sky and conveniently into my mixed drink, but New England's pathetic monsoon season has also allowed me to finally start this blog. Dreaming of flying pineapples yes, but also plotting my first post and concluding the most feasible way to coax sunshine out in this so-not-June sky is with beautiful umbrellas, or "bumbershoots" (a name which should most definitely be resurrected from the Webster tomb). So without further ado, a bumbershoot to PINE FOR. 

Hello BRELLI! 4 reasons to love you:

1. Your eco-friendly mission - you're completely biodegradable (even your painfully beautiful website was created by a solar-powered graphic design firm).

2. Your chic, sleek, clear looks. 

3.  Your price tag. A stretch, but not unreasonable.

4. Your creator. All hail woman entrepreneurs like Pam Zonsius.

images from: www.thebrelli.com