The art is lost because sips were taken. I wasn’t as patient drinking as they were in making.

It’s no secret that Urth Caffe is one of my favourite places to go. If you come to stay with me, I will take you there and not feel the slightest guilt at turning you into a Spanish Latte addict. But one of the reasons why I love going there is in the details and the lesson within.

Generally, Urth is one busy cafe no matter which location you go to. I find myself more often than not in the Santa Monica one but the one on Melrose is fast becoming a second home. People always coming in and out, lines always forming but moving fast, tables filled with people and lively chatter.

But no matter how busy they are behind the counter, no matter how many people barked at them, no matter the craziness that ensues, the baristas always take the time to make art.

Every hot drink gets a design and which design depends on which drink. They make turkeys, hearts, leafs and a few others I can’t recall. They have to pour the drink into the cup just so, then they take a stick and create art. Even if it’s in a to go cup in which a lid will cover it all up, they take the time. Even if they have 100 orders to fill in 5 minutes, they take the time. No short cuts, no huffing, no auto-pilot. They literally pay attention to each pour and stroke of the stick.

Although I’ve watched them make drinks dozens and dozens of times, and although my guests who see it for the first time always ooh and ahh over the intricate details in their Japanese Tea Latte, I hadn’t ever really appreciate the effort it takes to make each task count, over and over again, no matter how busy or how often you do it. It’s far easier to go on auto-pilot with the every day than to appreciate.

But it’s so much more beautiful, happier and I think interesting, if you can.

When my Emira came to stay with me we ended up confessing a deep, dark secret each of us carried; we loved the movie Marie Antoinette. Not liked, not thought was just nice, but loved. We even shared a favourite scene (the birthday at the lake at sunrise when they’re all just sitting there).

We both loved how human this movie was which you don’t often see in a period piece nor in an autobiography such an infamous person. We both were in amazement at how perfect Kirsten Dunst, an American, was for this role and could picture no one else in it. The story told resonated with us deeply. This movie was the only thing that had me interested in finally visiting Versailles after dozens and dozens of trips to Paris and had Emira put in on her places to go.

However, what really made us swoon was the beauty, the frivolity of the set, and the clothing. The song, “I want Candy” is so perfect for one scene in particular because this movie was eye candy. Regardless of how you feel about the story line (it seems to be either a hit or miss with people), the one thing you can’t get away from is how beautiful, exciting and over-the-top inspiring it is to watch.

As times are challenging for so many of us and practicality seems to win over frivolity, it’s nice to escape into a movie that can transport one into a different place and inspire a little decadence. Everyone can use a little of that - I know I can.

This lead me to take cue from Emira who told me that when she watches the movie, she buys a little bottle of champagne, pours it into a beautiful glass and sits and watches the movie in a completely in-love state. So last night, I did the same, breaking out my never used crystal champagne flutes, poured some lovely sweet dessert wine, put on my best dress, lit my favourite candle and popped in the CD. Decadence without fortune. Simple pleasures without effort. Joy without guilt.

It reminded me that although one might not live in Versailles, have Manolo’s or pink macaroons at her constant disposal, there are ways to feel luxurious no matter what the times or the bank account says.

If you’re in need of some visual inspiration or in dire need of a little frivolity and extravagance, I encourage you to watch the movie and make your environment fit the tone. If you can’t see the movie then I’ve collected some beautiful stills of the film along with a couple of interior shots of the petite trianon and Marie Antoinette’s own shoes in case you need an escape from the practical if only for five minutes.

Read the rest of this entry »

Image by Seattle Bon Vivant

Jesse: You know, I satisfy one desire, and it just… agitates another, you know? Then I think, to hell with it, right? I mean, desire is the fuel of life, I mean, do you think it’s true that if we never wanted anything, we’d never be unhappy?

Céline: I don’t know… Not wanting anything, isn’t that… a symptom of depression? Yeah, that is, right? I mean, it’s healthy to desire, right?

Jesse: Yeah… I don’t know, I mean, it’s what all those Buddhist guys say, right? You know, liberate yourself from desire and you’ll find that you already have everything you need.

Céline: Yeah, but I feel really alive when I want something more than just basic survival needs. I mean, wanting whether it’s intimacy with another person, or a new pair of shoes, is kind of beautiful. I like that we have those ever-renewing desires.

Jesse: Well, maybe it’s just a sense of entitlement. You know, like whenever you feel like you deserve that new pair of shoes, you know. It’s OK to want things as long as you don’t get pissed off if you don’t get ‘em. Right?

From the movie, Before Sunset

Despite all my talk of being a simple, minimalist kind of girl, I do have a healthy appetite for falling in-love with many a thing. The lists of things I want never, ever seems to get smaller from books to clothes to home things to places to visit.

However, being frugal, living in a small place, and being overwhelmed at check-out counters leaves most of my desires in the shops. I treat them like a good book or magazine - highly inspiring, something to think about and sometimes even think about one day owning. I also find wishlists just handy for keeping track of things I want - especially online.

Wists is my favourite item-tracker. If someone mentions a great bag on a site, I can just add it to my Wist List so when I’m ready to get it, I know where to go  instead of trying to remember where on the web I saw it (I also use it for all my Domino Magazine finds). It’s great for sharing ideas with friends or seeing their finds. The down side is it doesn’t ship to people so you have to visit individual store sites to buy. Amazon is great for buying things for people (you can ship to their address if they have it listed and you don’t know it, I’ve done this heaps and it’s a really nice feature), it’s also great to keep a book list running (I think I add every Posie Gets Cosy book recommendation).  Wishlists at your favourite stores are also really handy. My store of choice is Anthropologie and my wishlist is perfect for finding out when things I love are onsale. This way I’m not tempted to scour their sales section for things I really don’t want but think of getting because it’s half off. Instead, I wait until the item I really love has been marked way down (and they do have great sales). I’m not sure how their shipping is for shipping to people whose address you don’t have or if you’re in need of gift services but buying for yourself, easy peasy. And adding to the dreaming? Even easier.

Read the rest of this entry »

In 1904, a man named Abbott Kinney came from the east in search of a better climate to help his health. He found Venice California, fell in-love, and decided to build 20 miles of canals. These canals have gone through many changes over the years including being a slum but thanks to a $6 million dollar renovation in the 90’s, combined with famous Hollywood types and architects moving in, the 2 miles of canals left are once again beautiful.

Although I’d known about them since moving to Santa Monica five years ago, I’d never been. It took having out of town guests and trying to find something local and easy to do to get me there. And once there, I, too, fell in-love with the area (and tried to figure out how to justify a one bedroom cottage for $3K a month for rent!).

What I loved was how unique every home was and how they all maintained a sense of privacy despite the fact you were walking right by their homes, often right by their windows. It was a relaxed area, definitely upscale but completely casual at the same time. Most lots are small (30′ wide by 80′ to 95′ deep) so there’s a lot of different homes to look at. Highly recommend this easy and beautiful walk if you’re in the LA area where dogs are OK but bikes are not.

Read the rest of this entry »

Over the past couple of years I’ve developed quite the magazine collection; some were bought for ideas, some were gift subscriptions (best. gifts. ever.) and some I received because I’d written for them. I’d always been pretty merciless about getting rid of them (giving them to friends, using them whilst working at Anthropologie, recycling the really chopped up ones to the recycle bin) until I met Alicia.

When I stayed over night in her spare room, she had a massive book cased filled with magazines; all Martha Stewart, old issues of Victoria, Marie Claire Maison. I don’t think I slept that night because I literally laid in bed going through all her magazines, page by page. I always thought this was a charming thing to have for guests - easy reading material - and so I began a collection of things I thought my mum or friends might find intersting when they stayed.

So I have schlepped heavy boxes from flat to flat and save for my last home in Santa Monica, didn’t really have a place for them. I’ve found a new place for my favourites (Boligliv, Marie Claire Maison & Idees, some Martha’s) but there’s a huge pile of wonderful ones I’m ready to part with.

The question is, how do you get rid of them?

My local friends have taken ones they wanted but still I have stacks. It seems a shame to just recycle them - any ideas?

If you’ve ever taken on a second home, gone through a breakup/divorce after having lived with someone for years, or had your home destroyed in a disaster, you’re going to have to have to re-buy some basics and then some. And since I’ve been in this boat a few times I’ve learned what really was worth the money, what wasn’t, what lasts and what doesn’t and what I really love having around in my home.

And while I sometimes brand hop when re-purchasing (still looking for the perfect bed, bedding, towels) I have been loyal to a few brand items because they just work.

And those things are:

• Dyson Animal Vacuum
• Williams Sonoma Brasserie® All-White Dinnerware Piece
• Williams Sonoma glass mixing bowls
• Williams Sonoma Kitchen stuff in general (it just lasts through all the hardships I put it through).
• All-Clad 7-piece set
• Chef’s Choice Electric Kettle
• Stainless Steel Shower Caddy
• simplehuman System Dishrack
• Huggable Hangers
• Pottery Barn Carlilse Drapes (an inexpensive godsend for an ugly room!).
• Ikea Lack side tables
• T-fal Ultraglide Diffusion Iron

I’m sure there’s a few more I’m forgetting at the moment (and will add as I can think of them). What are some home things that you love so much you’d buy all over again if you had to?

Every time my mother comes to visit me, she tells me I should get a cleaning lady. “Organization is your forte. Cleaning isn’t.” she’ll say. And she’s right.

My current flat is about 900 square feet, surrounded by gardens and the beach which means lots of dust, dirt and bugs - especially with dogs, cats and guests coming in and out. I’m also busy and just don’t have the time to keep up even though I feel I should be able to. And even before this flat I have, for years, debated about hiring someone to come in every three weeks to just give the place a good scrub down. But the guilt of not doing this myself, well, it’s stopped me.

But years ago I had a conversation with my friend Alicia who has a cleaning lady and she said to think of it hiring someone to clean not only helps you do what you do best, but helps someone else make a living. You contribute to someone else’s financial success so you have more time to concentrate on yours. I loved this way of thinking about it. Yet I still hesitated until last fall when I moved out of a very large flat and was stressed with all I had going on. I hired a couple to clean the place for the move out - the floors, the tiles, the oven, windows - everything. In two hours the made the place immaculate. Something I couldn’t have done and honestly, after moving 11 times in 7 years, I didn’t want to.

But I was convinced. They saved me so much time and energy and I helped their business. It was a win-win.

So now I’ll be looking into hiring someone to mostly scrub floors, washroom and kitchen once a month. The only thing is, I have no idea how to go about it (getting someone to clean an empty flat - easy peasy). I get nervous about someone having my key but then nervous about being home and in the way. Do I go through an agency, hire direct?

Who else has hired someone and what’s your advice?

Staying with my girlfriend, who has lived in the same roomy, beautiful flat for 12 years, I have become extraordinarily homesick for my own place. It hasn’t helped that we’ve been visiting with other friends with equally beautiful (and lived in) homes. And although spending half this year living in amazing hotel rooms had me ready to plunker down once again, it wasn’t until I started spending time in the homes of friends that it really hit that I haven’t had a place of my own to lay my head.

However, after weeks of looking at flat after flat that just won’t do (too dark, too small, too unsafe, too weird landlords, too smelly - oh yes been a lot of those for $1800!!) I’d felt a bit worn down and concerned that my vision of a flat wouldn’t manifest. I’d seen so clearly what I wanted thanks to friends and my own great home last year but I was feeling slightly defeated by everything and lack of hope.

So I took a break, drove up to Malibu and walked around; hesitating going into the Shabby Chic store. But, it’s so pretty in there and in I went. And that’s where I did something that was for me, slightly ridiculous. I’m not a shopper and generally not one to buy without purpose, but there was this beautiful pillowcase just sitting there and I am a smitten kitten for good linens. I picked it up, hesitated for a moment before I gave in to buying this solitary expensive pillowcase. Not a set, mind you, just a single, beautiful hand-embroidered crocheted linen pillowcase. It didn’t feel weird, actually, it feel really good even though at the moment I don’t have my own pillow to use it with.

But the extravagance was because I needed to feel like I had something that pertained to home whilst living out of two suitcases. Something to look forward to. Something to remind me that one day I’ll have use for it, I just need to be hopeful and keep trying.

Driving back down the coast I felt a bit more at ease, a bit more hopeful that I too, will one day find anther place that will feel like me. Before heading back to Hollywood I decided to stop in at Santa Monica and loook at just one more place.

And wouldn’t you know it, it was the one.

I once wrote a post “For the Love of Guests” in which I shared some ideas of what I do when people stay. Giving people a wonderful experience is important because I understand how travelling can be stressful and tiring and expensive. So anything I can do to lesson that, great.

But I never really talked about being a guest because I don’t have great experience at this; I generally feel intrusive, a burden, and slightly uneasy no matter with whom I’m staying with. That’s why I almost always stay in hotels when visiting because I just don’t want to put anyone out and frankly, I like my privacy and quiet after a busy day out.

However, the past couple of months I’ve stayed with a couple of friends and currently, I’m staying with my BFF. Before I came I asked her to lay some ground rules (what she likes, doesn’t like, where things go, etc.) and then I gave her full-on permission to tell me to leave, pick up or move something or leave her alone. Her friendship is more important than a free night’s sleep so being honest about how we are and what we need set us up for visiting success!

The flowers above are from her; she went to the flower market, arranged them, picked the fern from her front yard and voila. She cooked a feast and had a dinner party last night and today, showed me her secret beauty room in which I sat and put on some make up. She, like me, loves to make things special and she, like me, loves to have guests. And that’s when I realised that if people agree to have me, it’s because they want me and that staying with people can actually bring you closer and can be a lot more fun (who wants privacy when there is 2AM Girltalk to be had?). So with that, I thought about how to be a great guest: Read the rest of this entry »

I’m a visual girl; it’s one of the reasons I’ve worked in film and do photography. A picture really does say 1000 words. There’s been more times than I can count when I’ve fallen in-love with an image and have wanted nothing more to post it here, just for you to look at too. But I don’t because the image was copyrighted.

While most people’s intentions at taking images are good (they fall in-love with something and want to share it or illustrate a point), that doesn’t make it right. All images and content on this site and on my others are copyright which means unless you’ve received permission you can’t use the images. That’s not because I don’t believe in sharing, but because I have to protect the work I do. I’ve had a lot of issues in the 13+ years I’ve had web pages with content stealing/sharing from identity theft to my images being claimed and sold by other people.

The other issue arises when people take images and innocently host them on other serviced hosting sites such as Blogger or Typepad. The problem with this format is lack of credit back to the original image owner - even if you put in a text link below the image. The image itself will look like a blogger/typepad/hosted filename and in some cases, the terms and service of a host provider claims ownership of anything hosted! Which means an image of mine taken by you and uploaded to your server can become a legal battle of who owns what.

This is why 99% of the time I use only my own images on this site. If I want to illustrate something I will ask permission to use an image and if I don’t receive permission or am just to lazy to ask I just link to it. This is really important to do because it shows respect, kindness and real support to other artists. It’s also important because as someone who profits from photography via personal collections, licensing and magazine work, I can’t have an image I’ve copyrighted and profited from being used for free on other sites or worse, being used to promote things that have nothing to do with me.

There are some sites where people don’t mind their images being freely used and some Flickr pages allow you to easily blog others’ photos. The great thing about blogging a Flickr Photo is that Flickr automatically links back to the original owner and you can clearly see the owners copyright information/permissions. If you see an image on a blog that you’re really wanting to use, just take a moment to search the site for copyright info or just ask. Sometimes even an old image-clenching stiff like me will allow images to be used (and provide better resolution images!).

But when in doubt, please leave it out.