OLD BRAND NEW

BEA MY HEARTMATE

2012-02-14T01:29:00.000-08:00

Look at these two lovebirds, they make it so difficult for me to get out of bed in the morning. Which explains why I'm always late to work. Damn their cuteness! Anyway, we are spicing things up at a latin restaurant called Playa tonight. And I got my heartmate a box of chocolate macarons from La Maison du Chocolat when I was NYC. It's some of the best macarons that have ever melted in my mouth. I can't wait to have it for dessert. And that's it for us. Any special plans for you guys?

Happy sweet Valentine's Day, my vintage vultures! ♥

TO THE EAST AND BACK

2012-02-13T10:26:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone! It's been kinda quiet around here hasn't it? I was in New York City for a few days. It was a last minute pleasure trip and I have a bag full of film waiting to get developed. Dying to see how they turned out. This photo was taken with the iPhone when I was on the J train coming from the airport. I'm pretty wiped out so I'm spending the day getting back to the swing of things. Did you guys have a sweet weekend?

ANNA LIAN TES

2012-02-09T00:55:00.000-08:00

ANTHOLOGY WINTER 2012

2012-02-08T00:58:00.000-08:00

I was delighted to find the Winter 2012 issue of Anthology in my mail box last week. After a long, blahful day at work, I can't think of a better way to wind down. This is the issue I've been dying to get my hands on because Justina's jungalow is featured! I'm so proud and happy for her. Her home is vivacious and it never ceases to inspire me. I'm pretty sure she'll be getting plenty of calls from people to jive in her jungalow. Shooooot...let me call her right now to book a home tour for Old Brand New! Das right! The rest of the issue is pretty sweet, too—more beautiful homes with wonderful stories. Anthology always gets it right. You can grab a copy from Anthropologie.

IN the BEDROOM

2012-02-06T09:44:00.000-08:00

Welcome to my side of the bed. I always get the window seat because my heartmate wants to be as far and away from the cold breeze that shoots through those 1930's windows. Yeah, he's a baby, but babies are cute, so whatever baby wants, baby gets! I wish I could show you what's on the other side right now because it's all kinds of disaster. Let's just pretend it mirrors this. The dipped side table is from West Elm. It's a great looking piece. I love the legs and the exposed wood. And it's on sale right now! I'm thinking of getting another one for the other side.

Sedum Rubrotinctum succulent / Teak candleholders from the Rose Bowl flea / Pillow by Dorothy Jeanne

WEEKEND JUKEBOX | CHAIRLIFT

2012-02-04T14:08:00.000-08:00

Chairlift ~ Take It Out On Me

2012-02-03T01:05:00.000-08:00

Happy Friday Finds —

+ A spellbinding tribute to the late Etta James' I'd Rather Go Blind.
+ Color me excited for The Color Run.
+ R.I.P. Mike Kelley.
+ Still dreaming about this home designed by Commune.
+ Let the desert sun warm your soul with this great deal for Miracle Manor Retreat.

Have a beautiful weekend, my vintage vultures!

L O V E T R I ▲ N G L E

2012-02-02T09:57:00.000-08:00

Heyo! It's already February. It's hard to believe that the year is almost over. Ha! The weather has been warmer than usual here which means this Valentine's, it's gonna be sizzlin'! Not sure what we're doing but I do have a few presents in mind for the heartmate. One of them involves a trip to the desert.

But let's talk about this freaken awesome, pale pink triangle pouch I got from my sweet, sweet friend, Jen. She's too good to me. Anymore gifts like this, I'm gonna have to give my heartmate the boot! Talk about a real love triangle! We love triangles. But who doesn't? I love the simplicity of this pouch. I'm storing change and rings in it for now. I have a habit of wearing rings and losing them because I take them off a couple hours later. This pouch was handcrafted by her talented friend, Tuftsmania. He doesn't have a shop but maybe if you bug him on twitter, you can get a hold of one? Mohawk General Store also stocks a couple in different colors.

And below, I rounded up some of my favorite triangle treats in case you have no idea what to get for your boo (or yourself, cos if you don't treat yourself, who will?!) this Valentine's. ♥

bookhou | copula

himmeli

seventy tree | totokaelo

corium

QUEEN BEA

2012-01-31T01:07:00.000-08:00

Queen Beatrice is loving her new vintage throne. Seriously, isn't she hilarious? I swear I didn't make her do it. It's all her! *bows down*

KITCHEN CONCOCTIONS : ALMOND CROISSANT COUSCOUSWICH

2012-01-30T00:07:00.000-08:00

Over the weekend, I had to cook for one since my heartmate was on a juice cleanse which I desperately need to go on soon. I stopped by Whole Foods and picked up my favorite Israeli couscous salad with cranberries and pecan from their salad bar. So good! I wanted to make a sweet sandwich so I grabbed an almond croissant and a pack of Muenster cheese. I fried up two eggs and threw it all together in less than five minutes. There's nothing like a quick and easy and super delicious couscouswich. Mmhmm! Hope you all had lovely weekend!

WILDER QUARTERLY

2012-01-27T01:04:00.000-08:00

I've always loved plants but my love for gardening didn't start growing til I worked at a gardening company. It didn't help that I was also bit by the Jungalow bug. And now, I want nothing but plants in my home. I wanted to learn more so I was looking for a gardening magazine that was like Apartamento, unconventional, cool, quirky, but I couldn't find any. Then, Satsuki told me about this new magazine called Wilder Quarterly and after visiting their site, I was sold. It's a beautiful magazine for all you plant/nature/foody enthusiasts. Cool Hunting gives an excellent review about it so check it out. You know me, I'm not much of a reviewer. My reviews are like this — SOLD! YES! or YUMMY! Ha. Anyway, grab a copy of Wilder and get wild with nature! Grow some green fingers!

That's all, folks, have a wonderful weekend!

ASHLEY

2012-01-26T10:31:00.000-08:00

Ashley, my flea market charm buddy, moseyed by the other day. We haven't hung out in awhile and she hasn't seen my new place so we caught up over yummy bagels with lox cream cheese, and mimosas. Of course, I couldn't refrain from busting out my camera to capture her many layers of radiance. Love this chica.

STILL LIGHT

2012-01-24T10:42:00.000-08:00

Dear Home, I miss you. I wish there was still light out when I come home from work. I can't wait for daylight savings so we can have more photo shoots during the weekdays.

YEAR of the DRAGON

2012-01-23T11:16:00.000-08:00

I remember as a kid, Chinese New Year was the holiday I always looked forward to. All my favorite uncles, aunts, cousins, great grandparents, the whole she-bam-fam came over to celebrate, everyone all decked out in robes of red. The adults were either in the kitchen cooking up a delicious, tropical storm, or singing karaoke, playing mah-jong, or catching up in a cherry blossomed corner. The kids on the other hand, chased down all the adults for their lai see (red envelopes). It was awesome counting all that money which eventually became my mom's anyway. I also remember lots and lots of incense burning. My ~~God~~ Buddah, the amount of smoke in the house made everyone's eyes watery. Those were some fun times.

It's toned down a lot nowadays. This year, it was just my mom, sister, niece and I and we had a simple and delicious dinner. I still get a lai see from my mom and I still get giddy about it. My niece also busted out a Hanukkah song which totally cracked us up. She sang it during the holidays in school and I guess she equates Chinese New year with Christmas. Lai see are like presents so it's understandable.

I was playing with Kaley for a bit which involved legos, Tinkerbell play sets, and coloring books. And when I tried to leave, she'll beg me to stay and say the darnest things, like, "Uncle, don't go, you make me sad." Or "Can you stay a ten, please?" You just can't turn down a googly-eyed big girl.

Eventually, I did leave and I couldn't shake the thought of Kaley totally missing out on all that festive commotion I experienced growing up. It got me thinking about having kids, and having lots of kids (Angelina style) so I could create the liveliness that Chinese New Year often brings. These are some crazy, serious thoughts. Who knows? Maybe Old Brand New is adopting a village! Ha! Anyway, enough chatter.

Gung Hay Fat Choi! Happy Lunar New Year, everyone! :D

WEEKEND JUKEBOX : FAYE WONG

2012-01-21T11:20:00.000-08:00

Faye Wong – Hypnotize

Time to turn over another new leaf for the Lunar New Year this coming Monday. I'll be with family to ring in the fierce dragon. And I wanna share with you my fayevourite artist, Faye Wong. Hope you like it and Happy Weekend!

CALLAS & COFFEE

2012-01-19T08:33:00.000-08:00

When you stay at the Old Brand New Hotel, you'll get to wake up to fresh callas and Kona coffee every morning. Plus a deck of cards in case you wanna a play a game of solitaire and sweetBea to keep you warm at night. That's how I treat my guests here. Hurry and book your next vacation! Ha! :D

DOROTHY JEANNE

2012-01-17T08:35:00.000-08:00

I recently got this wonderful Homey pillow from Dorothy Jeanne, a vintage, home and paper goods shop. I love the fun, home-shaped pattern. I'm a sucker for anything geometric and yellow. It sits perfectly on my rocker and looks great in my bedroom, too. Like rugs, pillows are fun and affordable ways to tweak a space.

Dorothy Jeanne is run by Amanda Knee who's a talented graphic designer and decorator from Portland. She's a vintage vulture just like many of us and she's super sweet, too. All wins in my book! She also has a lovely blog on home renovations with cool before and afters.

And here are other goodies from her shop —

tea towel / print / bowl / pillow / card / watering can

Amanda tells us how she came up with the name of her shop —

WHO IS DOROTHY JEANNE?
My grandmas are the inspiration for the name, since both of them had a huge influence on me growing up in Iowa. Dorothy gave me an appreciation for collecting vintage items, "junkin" as she called it and Jeanne encouraged my creativity and taught me to paint, draw and sew.

Melt my heart.

FLEETING MOMENTS

2012-01-16T10:33:00.000-08:00

BRUNCH at BOUCHON

2012-01-13T10:14:00.000-08:00

We had a friend from Hawaii visit during the holidays so we took her out for brunch at Bouchon. It was my first time there and I was completely charmed by their interior. Beautiful lighting bouncing off big mirrors. Well-dressed people shuffling on those lovely tiles. And the food was good. I had the croque madame. My friend Claire tried their chicken waffles and they were really, really yummy. My heartmate had the omelette which was the only dish that was on the bland and boring side, so don't get that. The Plat de Côtes de Bœuf I hear was savorilicious — red wine braised short ribs in toasted brioche, with a soft poached hen egg & forest mushroom ragoût. I'm trying that next time. So, where's everyone headed for brunch this weekend?

I wanna thank you for all the heartfelt comments about my Kaley, It Gets Better post. I'm so blessed to have your support. YOU GUYS ARE ALL AWESOME IN MY HEART!

Have a marvelous weekend, my vintage vultures!

Happy Friday Finds —

+  I kinda want a Casetagram! Digging the star layout.
+  Color me Carla made a sweet list to get the look of my living room.
+  Floor number four — a blog that's hitting the sweet spot.
+  Long Beach Flea Market on Sunday. Should I do it?
+  Big congrats to Justina's awesome, tiny package!

FAITH'S TREE HOUSE VISIT

2012-01-11T09:47:00.000-08:00

Faith recently launched her awesome site, Call Me Faith which you need to check out because it features all her beautiful interior design projects. I did a few snaps of her home for her portfolio and my goodness, was I in boho-centric wonderland. Every corner is carefully curated to tell an interesting story. There's a quirky charm to it all, too, like that ladylegs nutcracker. Her home is both lived in and inviting. The second I walked in, I was greeted by Faith's vibrant spirit, plus a chilled glass of vino. Now, that's how you do! Oh, and did I forget to mention that she's Justina's sis. Amazingness runs in the family so I'm inspired to the double max!

And now, let's hear Faith talk about her fun tree house. Wish I could hang out there everyday! Take it away Faith! —

The house was built 100 years ago as a two story, one family home. I think the house is about 650 sq ft. In the 50's it was converted into a main house with an 'inlaw suite' above. These sort of constructions are often illegal these days due to zoning restrictions, so we feel extra lucky to live up here in this funny little 'in law suite'.

I am totally inspired by small spaces and the cozy, intimate experience that they can create. I have a fetish for house boats, trailers and tree houses. What makes our house so particular is that it has these small spaces, with funny shapes to the rooms, and the abundance of windows and light also give a sense of airy freshness. It's a winning combo ;-)

My personal style is eclectic. I like objects and art from all over the world that tell a story, provoke laughter and joy. When I travel or am living abroad the first places I go to are the thrift stores. So my home is full of funny little treasures from all over.

KALEY, IT GETS BETTER.

2012-01-10T12:05:00.000-08:00

Kaley's having a blast in kindergarten. However, my mom told me that there's a boy who picks on her because she's the smallest kid in class. She has no problem telling the teacher about the situation but she's also a little hurt by it and rightfully so! Kids can be so cruel. But I know Kaley's a tough cookie. She confronted the bully by saying, "Stop it. I don't like it. Go away." And she walks away. What. A. Diva! I love that girl. I wish I had half her hard-ass personality growing up.

I still remember vividly, those dark days of kids tormenting me from elementary all the way to high school. It got so bad in 7th and 8th grade that the idea of ending things had crossed my mind (I promise this post will get sweeter, like an ice cream sandwich!). I didn't tell my family about the bullies because they were busy working and had problems of their own and I didn't know how to even tell them. "Mom, kids at school think I'm a faggot. They shout gay when they walk by me."

I didn't have that kind of heart to heart relationship with my parents. We bonded over karaoke, seafood dinners, and Chinese soap operas and that's it. I was scared and uncertain at the time. I didn't want them to think I was gay. I wasn't ready to come out yet. Heck, I wasn't even comfortable accepting it myself. Luckily, I had the support from two amazing friends (Han & Anna, I owe you ladies my life!) and teachers in high school.

It took some time to pretty much say "fuck those losers, I'm awesome!" And it got infinitely better when I went to college in Santa Cruz and had the best years of my life! So, there you go, here I am, my little contribution to the It Gets Better Project. Don't let idiots run your world. Believe in yourself and just do your thing. There's a bright future ahead for all of us and make sure to surround yourself with the best, freaken fantastic people who accept you for who you are.

Which reminds me of the list: 30 Things to Stop Doing To Yourself —

Stop spending time with the wrong people. Life is too short to spend time with people who suck the happiness out of you. If someone wants you in their life, they’ll make room for you. You shouldn’t have to fight for a spot. Never, ever insist yourself to someone who continuously overlooks your worth. And remember, it’s not the people that stand by your side when you’re at your best, but the ones who stand beside you when you’re at your worst that are your true friends.

Werrrd.

BEA'S BACK!

2012-01-09T00:08:00.000-08:00

And she's in love with our new couch. Well, old/new couch. I picked it up from my bff Craigslist. It's the Petrie sofa from Crate & Barrel in brown. We used to have a white one but had to get rid of it fast because of Bea's magnetic dirt paws. It's a great sofa. Good lines, nice tufting, sexy legs. Beatrice approves so what more can you ask for?

Did you all have a nice weekend? I had a yummy dinner with my squirrels on Friday night at an Ethiopian restaurant called Meals by Genet. Great service. Lovely ambience. Food was so good I could not stop going "mmm...yum...mmm." And Rose bowl was fun. I spent about 75 bucks and got a few trinkity trinks. Can't wait to show ya!

2012-01-06T02:13:00.000-08:00

It's the Rose Bowl flea market again this Sunday. I don't have anything particular in mind that I want for the house. Well, that's not true. But what I really want to do is stock up OLD BRAND NEW's Supermarket. It's been awhile since I last sold vintage finds. So this weekend, I'm keeping you all in mind. Yah! I'll try to post some weekend photos on facebook.

Oh, yeah...OLD BRAND NEW just joined facebook! I'll be sharing daily adventures, sneak peeks of my home before I blog about it, and other blogs and tidbits that tickles my fancy. Check it out if you have time.

I'm so touched to see all your lovely, sweet comments about my West Elm feature. Thank you. You guys are the best.

Alright, have a fantastic weekend, my vintage vultures!

+ Portlandia is back and airs tonight on IFC.
+ I got myself a new blazer after watching this new Tom Ford video.
+ I'm thinking of doing a juice cleanse with Pressed Juicery.
+ Must stop by Sweet Rose Creamery. My dear, Jen tells me it's to scream for.
+ Drooling over this necklace from Stone & Honey.

KITCHEN CONCOCTIONS : LEMON HONEY GINGER JUICE

2012-01-05T01:06:00.000-08:00

It's flu season and a handful of my buddies have been bit by that icky bug (my heartmate included). Luckily, I don't get sick, which means, lucky for them, I get to make them my favorite lemon honey ginger juice to alleviate some of their cold symptoms. My mom used to make it for me when I was a kid and now it's my turn to spread the love bug, not flu bug! Ha.

Here's what you'll need —

4 cups of hot water
2 lemons
5 slices of ginger
4 tbsps of honey

Mix it all up like it's sangria (mmm...sangria). Let it simmer for a bit to extract that ginger zing. Feel free to add more ginger or honey! And you really don't need to be sick to sip on this. It's delicious for no-reason-kinda days! Enjoy!

OLD BRAND NEW on WEST ELM

2012-01-03T09:14:00.000-08:00

I have awesome news to share with you today. I got on the Guest List at West Elm! I got my hair did up and even made sure the walls matched their header. Ha! West Elm has been consistently making me drool over all their gorgeous designs, seasons after seasons. I actually stopped by their new store in LA over the weekend and got myself a nice bathmat.

A huge, king-size thanks to Aaron for reaching out to me. I'm so honored to be in the mix with other awesome kids like Victoria of sfgirlbybay, Will of Bright.Bazaar, and Jon of Happy Mundane! They all have been a huge inspiration. What a fantastic way to kick start the New Year!

Head over there and say hello. And read a bit about my thrifty finds, camera tricks, and what's in store for Old Brand New in 2012!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2012-01-01T00:03:00.000-08:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE!
You guys are awesome and I'm truly thankful for all the love and support. It's been real. Wishing you all a lovely and healthy one! And to another year of fantastic finds and bright ideas! :D

WHO RUN MY WORLD?

2011-12-29T13:31:00.000-08:00

AWESOME GIRLS! That's right! Here are some photos of some of the lovely creatures I got play with this year. I am seriously one lucky squirrel. Thank you, ladies for all the good times, the laughs, your wisdom, and of course, juicy inspirations. If I don't have a photo of you up, that just means we need a lunch date soon! :D

FAVORITE FINDS OF 2011

2011-12-28T11:38:00.000-08:00

Another fun and fruitful year of frugal finds! Last year's list was pretty hard to beat but I think my new home takes home the prize! I'll be having a winter cleaning to get rid of some stuff so stay tuned. Thanks for following Old Brand New's thrifty adventures!

CORNERS OF MY NEW HOME

2011-12-27T01:21:00.000-08:00

My holiday weekend was very relaxing. I did all my shopping on Christmas Eve. It wasn't stressful at all. All the stores had deeper discounts that day and surprisingly fewer people. That evening, I took my family out for Chinese comfort food. We warmed our bellies with soupy noodles. And the next morning, I had them over at my new home to crack open presents. Later in the evening, I went to celebrate my friend, Kim's birthday. We had a Chinese family style dinner and it was yummytastic. I took a couple rolls of film which I'll be dropping off today.

Oh, and my mom loves our new home. I don't think she wanted to leave, neither did my niece. They thought it was very cozy. The place is slowly but surely coming together. I got a new plant. It's a Dracaena "Janet Craig Compacta." They're like fireworks. It was mine the second I had my eyes on it at Home Depot. So, how did your holiday weekend go? Tell me stories!

MERRY SWEET HOLIDAYS!

2011-12-23T06:56:00.000-08:00

This photo was taken at UniqueLA by Oh! Snap Studios.

I want you all to meet my sister. Kidding! But don't we look somewhat alike? This is the talented Jen from I ART U. Even though, I met Jen earlier this year, I feel like we've been part of each other's adventures, since forever. She's great. And on that note, Jen and I wishes you a wonderful weekend full of merriness. Enjoy your holidays with heartmates and families and friends or squirrels. Hope you all get plenty of gifts of love (ok, cheeseball alert). Thank you for all your support.

Merry Christmas! Happy Hanukkah! Happy Festivus to the rest of us!

FORE A CAUSE

2011-12-22T10:23:00.000-08:00

My FORE print is back! And for a limited time only, all sales from this print will go to the Red Cross to help areas greatest in need. Like, most recently, Philippine was struck by the tropical storm Sendong, taking 720 lives and leaving thousands desperately in need of relief.

It's been a really awesome year. I can't thank you enough for the wonderful support. This holiday season, it's time to give back! I've been wanting to do something like this for awhile now. I plan on making it a monthly thing by helping different foundations because this world is our home and we're all in it together. With every print and every penny, I hope we can all make a difference. Please head over to my shop and help. Fore print is 8 x 10 and for $25. Thanks, everyone and Happy Holidays! :)

LAST MINUTE HOLIDAY DECORATIONS

2011-12-21T02:27:00.000-08:00

When I threw my housewarming, I was so busy tidying up the place I didn't have much time with Christmas decorations. In fact, I even had friends help me put up the holiday sputnik mobiles during the party which was quite fun. Thanks, Ken, David and Phil! You might still have some time to get a mobile to build this sputnik mobile. Other quick tips: hang a globe ornament on a fun hook, find twigs or branches outside then hang a couple astro ornaments on it. A snowflake rope light. DONE. Also, check out ModFruGal's holiday disco. Easy peasy. How's everyone's decorations and shopping coming along? I still need to get my mama something. She's a hard one because she's very particular.

HOUSEWARMING RESIDUE

2011-12-20T01:40:00.000-08:00

You're probably thinking, "Wait, didn't they just move like two weeks ago and they're already having a housewarming?" You got that right! That's how I like to roll. It forces me to get the house looking flossy-flossy super fast. The warming was called Keep Dab Warm. Since my heartmate is on vacation and won't be back til Christmas, I had to gather all my fuzzy squirrels to keep me cozy. I'm so thankful for sweet friends. Let's keep the holiday celebrations coming!

HAPPY FINDS!

2011-12-16T10:06:00.000-08:00

These pretty creatures followed me home from the Rose Bowl flea market last weekend. My favorite find is the pink ceramic with speckles of gold shimmer. The salt & pepper shakers from Design House Stockholm are cute. They're temporarily out of stock but check back. So, I'm throwing an intimate holiday gathering this Sunday and I still have so much to do. Still trying my best to pull the living room together. My biggest challenge thus far. And that's all, folks! Have a wonderful weekend and I'll see you all next week!

+ Good reminders : 30 Things to Stop Doing to Yourself.
+ Wishing I could hang out with these awesome fellas from Bright Bazaar and Happy Interior Blog.
+ Ice Cube celebrating The Eames and giving some LA love.
+ Absorbing interior inspiration from A Note On Design.

CUTEST WOODEN ORNAMENTS

2011-12-14T09:37:00.000-08:00

I did a little bit of thrifting on Saturday and while I didn't find anything major, I did find the cutest vintage 80s ornaments. I must have circled around the Christmas tree for 15 minutes trying to collect every single one they had. And now, I'm obsessed with them! I love their beady eyes. I found more on Etsy if you're into them, too. Here and here. Last year, I had a Polaroid Christmas tree which was really simple so I'm gonna keep it the same way with just hanging these wooden creatures. How's everyone's tree's looking? I love how A Merry Mishap and Seventy Tree decorated their trees.

CHRISTMAS TREE

2011-12-12T09:47:00.000-08:00

We finally got a Christmas tree yesterday. I can't wait to start trimming it with the cutest wooden ornaments I found from the thrifts. Hope you all had sweet weekend! :D

HOME PROGRESS + A HAPPY WEEKEND LIST

2011-12-09T09:00:00.000-08:00

I'm making some progress in my new home. Books now have a home on the Helix bookcases in our media room which is where we'll be living for the most part. The actual living room is proving to be a huge challenge because of its size. We need a new set of pretty much everything. I think I have an idea of the sofa I want. I found this yesterday at H.D. Buttercup for $1450. But I'm also really drooling over West Elm's Chester sofa. I'm looking for anything tufted with clean lines. It doesn't help my search when thrift stores and Craigslist are being sticks in the mud lately.

Christmas seriously needs to slow its roll. I have a lot, a lot, A LOT of decorating to do. First, I need to get a tree this weekend. Talk about trees, like my lil guy I put up over there? Old Brand New is getting festive!

+ Aimee Man Christmas show Saturday (holiday ritual)
+ Get your holiday craft on at Renegade Craft Fair in LA this weekend.
+ Inspiration overload from My Future House
+ Yummy sweets from Matchbox Kitchen
+ Rose Bowl flea market Sunday

That's about it. Have a wonderful nutty weekend!

KITCHEN CONCOCTIONS : ICE CREAM MUESLI WAFFLE

2011-12-07T01:07:00.000-08:00

It's never too cold for ice cream, right? Not that it gets that cold here in Los Angeles. I wish it did though! So, let me share with you a quick kitchen concoction that combines some of my favorite breakfast bites: Belgian waffles, ice cream, and muesli. It's a perfect, healthy balance! A bit of sweets with a bit of mult-grains. I can eat this all day. Yummy nommy nom. Enjoy!

FLEETING MOMENTS

2011-12-05T10:40:00.000-08:00

Hey vintage vultures, how was your weekend? There were lots going on in OldBrandNew-ville. Unpacking, shopping for furniture, and hanging out with sweet friends from out of town. I went to the UniqueLA craft show with Jen, then danced around with other wonderful gals from Paper & Type, Le Petite Elefant, and Oh, Hello Friend there.

I really wanted to get a Christmas tree but didn't have time to squeeze that in. It's alright since we have a real tall one just outside our home. Nice, huh? Let's see, what else...Brunch at Jones on Third was delicious. My heartmate said it's kinda like Eataly but way smaller. Also did a bit of shopping for white elephant gifts. I'm definitely feeling the holiday flurry. Hope everyone had a splendid weekend.

PEEK INTO MY NEW HOME

2011-12-01T02:39:00.000-08:00

We're all moved in. Yippee! I stayed up all night packing and cleaning so I'm about to hit he hay real fast. I wanted share a few snaps of the new space before it gets populated with my tchotchkes. What do you think? It's very different from our downtown loft. It's still a one bedroom but we got more real estate to play with which means new furni! We're talking bookcases, shelves, and a new couch. Yes, we need another one. Ha! I'll get into more details about it. We're really happy with the space and goody Beatrice will love our mini yard. And thanks for all the sweet messages about us moving. You guys are great!

CANDY APPLES

2011-11-29T01:19:00.000-08:00

I can't remember the last time I had a candy apple so when I saw them at the supermarket near a mountain of Granny Smith apples, I caved in. I should probably mention that I was famished that day which is never a good idea when doing grocery shopping or any shopping, really, even at places like Target. I have a habit of buying questionable thing under the influence of hunger. Anyway, back to candy apples, mmm...yes, they're just as delicious as I remembered them to be. Sweet, gooey and crunchy. Maybe I should make some for my holiday dinner at my new home?

About the move, we're picking up the keys today and moving in tomorrow. Packing is coming along very slowly. The weekend was all fun and games soo it looks like I'll be up all night taping boxes. So excited!

WEEKEND JUKEBOX : ANDREW FIGUEROA CHIANG and the BROTS

2011-11-26T13:05:00.000-08:00

Andrew Figueroa Chiang and the Blazing Rays of the Sun | Baby Please

SWEET THANKS

2011-11-25T14:55:00.000-08:00

You're gonna think I'm an alien if I told you I'm not really a chocolate person. I'll eat them in bowl of mint chocolate ice cream or something but that's because I'll eating anything in ice cream. It just doesn't mix well with my body on its own. But you see, I couldn't resist buying these pretty Belgian chocolat pieces from Dolfin. I saw them on the counter at a wine shop so I grabbed a handful right before paying for a bottle of riesling. These are going straight into my heartmate's mouth or Beatrice's belly if she gets to them first. Those crazy little ones.

I hope everyone had a yummy Thanksgiving. We kinda cheated and ate at a restaurant, at a dumpling house which was still very fulfilling. And this weekend, I'm packing up the place so we can move out by Wednesday. I can't believe how quick this is all happening.

Lastly, I just wanna say thank you for taking the time to read Old Brand New. I'm thankful to be part of this extremely supportive and creative community. Much love. Have a wonderful weekend, everybody!

EATING MARATHON

2011-11-23T00:04:00.000-08:00

And...the eating marathon has officially started. Happy delicious eating, everyone!

HOUSE HUNTING WAS A SUCCESS!

2011-11-21T10:26:00.000-08:00

We got up early Saturday to scope out seven homes we bookmarked from Craigslist. We were lucky the sun was out because it rained cats on Sunday. Initially, we wanted to stay local, close to downtown, either in Echo Park, Silver Lake or even Los Feliz but we started to trek further west towards Hollywood and in the end, a charming home in Mircale Mile won our itty bitty hearts.

It was our last stop. We had already seen three amazing places that we loved and was this close on skipping what would have been our future home. As soon as I walked in, I was sold. Even though, there was no electricity running in the house, and the sun was down, I fell in love with the fireplace, brass sconces, wooden beams on the ceiling, and vintage hardwares throughout the house. It was love at first sight so we immediately snatched it up. It was almost too good to be true or something. I thought, could this be some sick American Horror Story? But I didn't care.

I wish I had photos to show. My camera died after candidate #2 and there were a total of four sweet ones. Never in my house hunting experience have I found this many awesome places in one day. Craigslist is the shizzle! He will hook you up. I found my car, my digital camera, my heartmate (kidding!) and jobs through it.

Anyway, we're moving in a couple weeks and I can't wait to start decorating all over again. Color me wicked excited!

HAPPY FRIDAY FINDS : PENTAX ME SUPER

2011-11-18T09:38:00.000-08:00

I'm really excited to try out the Pentax ME Super film camera I just found from the thrifts. I was going through flickr and the photos look very promising.

photo by Sun P

I have major news to share—we're moving! And it could be as soon as end of this month which is crazy because we just started looking the other day. It's gonna be fun. Other than house hunting, I got some birthday and housewarming gatherings. And I have a few projects I wanna get going, like some new prints? Maybe do some early Christmas shopping. Christmas songs are in full swing over here. I love it. Alright, have a wonderful weekend!

+ Andrew Figueroa Chiang and The Blazing Rays of the Sun show tomorrow at The Hotel Cafe
+ West Elm opens a new store in LA and it's gorgeous!
+ We Three Zweigs is a lovely blog
+ I ART U captured our vibrant gathering over the weekend at the Jungalow.
+ #NOPHO Week Two photos are so cute and cozy.
+ Thank you to the talented ladies at Desire to Inspire for the sweet mentions.

COLLABORATING WITH SATSUKI SHIBUYA : F/W 2011 LOOKBOOK

2011-11-15T03:46:00.000-08:00

I'm so excited to finally share the photos I snapped and styled for satsuki shibuya's fall/winter '11 lookbook. I've always adored her designs so I was thrilled to collaborate with her. Her new collection is a refined balance of bold prints and delicate patterns. The palette is neutral in mostly shades of grey and charcoal. However, subtle splashes of color can be found in almost all pieces, like when you flip over the double-sided dawn to dusk : placemat to reveal a pattern of leafy paintbrush strokes or in the finer details of green stitching. It's such a lovely collection. I seriously want everything.

I met satsuki earlier this year and talking to her for the first time was like—you know how you hear stories of people meeting other people for first time and instantly feel like they've known each other for a lifetime? Well, satsuki is that kind of person. I feel like we played handball in elementary, or swapped mixtapes in middle school (jamming to MC HAMMER or TLC). She's got a wonderful spirit and always make me feel at ease and at home ever time I hang out with her.

So, right off the bat, I knew styling and shooting this lookbook was going to be kickass fun. It took place at Satsuki's gorgeous home which absorbs an amazing amount of light. And I shot the entire lookbook with film cameras because film is so magical. Enjoy the photos with some behind-the-scenes snaps.

And now, let me introduce you to the splendid satsuki so she can tell us a little about her new collection.

Can you tell us your inspiration behind the new Wonderland Winter collection?
The inspiration for this collection came about from a trip to Lake Tahoe earlier this year. We went after a snow fall & the scenery was breathtaking. Cascading mountains overlooking a cobalt blue lake with sprinkles of bare trees creating patterns in the snow white landscape. While I sat on a deck that stretched onto the lake & dangled my feet over the waters looking at this picturesque scenery, I knew immediately that I wanted to somehow recreate this experience in the fall/winter '11 collection.

We love the special names you give to each piece in your collection, like "strawberry tickle or powdery slope." How do you come up with those sweet pairings?
The names usually come about on a whim. Most of the time the theme of the collection dances around in my mind while I work on developing each item and when it comes time to name the actual pieces, I just look at the item & say to it, "what would you like to be called?" Usually, the first or second names/words that pop into my mind is what ends up being the name of the product.

Thanks, satsuki for spreading your sweet spirit and gorgeous designs with us!
Check out her shop | blog | lookbook

FLEETING MOMENTS

2011-11-14T02:04:00.000-08:00

Sipping on milk tea at LAMILL, drooling over the California Design, 1930–1965: "Living in a Modern Way" exhibition at LACMA, and chilling at the JUNGALOW.

SNEAK PEEK + HAPPY FRIDAY FINDS!

2011-11-11T01:31:00.000-08:00

Last weekend, I did a photo shoot for satsuki shibuya's f/w 2011 look book. Here is a teeny-tiny sneak peek. Her sweet new collection comes out next week. It's probably my fave collection so far and I can't wait to share the look book with you all.

In other news, it's been a fun week for OLD BRAND NEW. I got a couple shout outs. Thanks, guys!

+ My holiday sputnik mobile made a cameo appearance on Apartment Therapy's Ohdeedoh.
Photographer Rachel Thurston put a spin on the sputnik for her kid's room and it looks so good!
+ My living room was also featured on Modernica.
+ Great turnout for week 1 for Oh Snap! (#NOPHO). Looking forward to this week's challenge. Join us!
+ Jonthan Gold dishes out 99 to drool for restaurants in Los Angeles.
+ Rose Bowl flea market on Sunday. Maybe I'll run into some of you there?

Alright, have a wonderful weekend, my vintage vultures!

ALICE PARK

2011-11-09T01:24:00.000-08:00

I've been shopping around for a new wallet and finally decided to get the Alice Park Slot Wallet. It comes in many fun colors and you know I love me some yolky yellow. It's unisexy, so if your lovuh is looking for a sweet, simple and supple wallet, this is it! And if you're in LA, I got mine at a this awesome store called OK. Or, you can also get it online from Canoe.

TULIPS

2011-11-07T03:00:00.000-08:00

Weeks later, and they're still telling a story.

WEEKEND JUKEBOX | MAZZY STAR

2011-11-05T09:03:00.000-07:00

Mazzy Star | Common Burn

Oh, sweet sighs of love. Mazzy Star is back with new tunes. Beautiful and dreamy sounding. My heartmate told me once that I have a thing for music that sounds like women serenading to you in caves. Hope Sandoval's voice is simply breathtaking.

HAPPY FRIDAY FINDS!

2011-11-04T01:25:00.000-07:00

I have a photo shoot tomorrow so I went through bins of my polaroids for inspiration and found these two from not too long ago. Completely forgotten about them. I guess you don't have to go far to find something new. Thanks for moseying by this week. Have a chill out weekend!

+ Eames: The Architect and The Painter
+ Joan Didion's Blue Nights
+ I'm quite fascinated with the new Lomokino.
+ Wilder Quarterly is a beautiful designy garden magazine.
+ Sweet thanks to D E S I G N L O V E F E S T for featuring my home.

BUTTERFLY

2011-11-02T03:59:00.000-07:00

Shuffling things around in my living room with the new butterfly coffee table and the case study planter I got from the Modernica Warehouse sale. I was pretty much sold on the hairpin legs on the table. And it's so sculptural. And I couldn't resist on a sweet planter. I planted a sansevieria, aka snake plant, aka mother in law's tongue. Fun names for those suckers, huh? If I can recommend any plant to grow in your home, this is the one. They will thrive even when you neglect it. They're also excellent air purifiers.

And my little Sass&Peril lion pillow returned. My niece grew out of it so I took it back. All she cares for right now are Little Mermaid gizmos and gadgets. And brassy Süsk is enjoying the fresh florals I picked for her.

A couple before living room photos : one + two

OH SNAP! PHOTO CHALLENGE

2011-11-01T10:30:00.000-07:00

It's November. Can you believe it? Well, I got some exciting news to share with everyone. I'm teaming up with Allison Lehman of Show + Tell to do a photo challenge for this month. Four weeks. Four themes. Four photos. It's a wonderful community that Allison has created for people who love photography. I love it. And guess what? There will be prizes! Well, just one prize. One winner will take home a fun Diana+ camera.

Not only will I be participating in snapping photos each week, I'm also the judge! I'm thrilled and so honored Allison reached out to me. It's gonna be super fun so let's do this!

THEMES
Week 1: Arranged | Week 2 : Comfy & Cozy | Week 3 : Elegant | Week 4 : Negative Space

All you have to do is submit photos online each week over here. For more details, visit Allison's blog.

Happy Snapping!

DRIVE

2011-11-01T00:40:00.000-07:00

Drive-by shootings with the Polaroid SX-70.
P.S. Sweet thanks to the lovely Miss Moss for featuring my Y Bench over the weekend.

WEEKEND JUKEBOX | FEIST

2011-10-29T01:55:00.000-07:00

Feist | The Circle Married the Line

INSPIRED GATHERINGS

2011-10-27T11:27:00.000-07:00

Inspired gatherings with two invigorating gals, Victoria and Satsuki.

Y-A-Y BENCH!

2011-10-25T01:22:00.000-07:00

I always keep my eyes peeled for a Bertoia Bench but that kinda stuff will never ever find its way to the thrifts, unfortunately. So, when I spotted something similar with a pair of Y-base legs from a distance at the Rose Bowl flea market, I zeroed in on it like a vintage vulture and knocked this bench down to $125. A little more than I normally would spend but absolutely worth it. It's made from reclaimed wood which is a plus except it's kinda prickly. I got a few nasty splinters from carrying it.

Time to dress this sexy thang up! The leafy green is from the flower market. Cactus arrangement is from my buddy who runs Branch of Life LA Lots of pretty succulents. The black print is from a fella at the flea who was selling all his works before moving to the desert. It sounded like he was taking a page out of Alexander Supertramp's book! Swoon! I love that book. And I love the desert. I had a couple of friends who went camping this past weekend at Joshua Tree and he said it was so dreamy out there. I need to go asap. Anyway, if you're feeling the Y-base as much as I am, West Elm's Y-Base coffee table is pretty handsome if I do so say so!

Also, I can't stop humming Yeah Yeah Yeah's Y-Control. Yeah. A whole lotta Y's for ya today!

FLOWER MARKET

2011-10-24T03:35:00.000-07:00

And...I'm back! What. A. Week. It's been. Lots of midnight oil burning for work but there were plenty of fun thrown in, too.On Saturday, a good friend celebrated his birthday with a floral theme, so we went to the flower market and got bucketful of florals for the party. Sunflowers, chinese lanterns, billy balls, mini chrysanthemums, callas, lisianthus, and other fillers, all for like 60 bucks. Pretty awesome. I can get use to going to the flower market every weekend. It's like a flea market!

Anyway, I'm so happy to be blogging again. It was a sweet break but boy did I miss you all. Hope you had a wonderful weekend!

WEEKEND JUKEBOX | THE LIVING SISTERS

2011-10-15T13:19:00.000-07:00

The Living Sisters | Good Ole Wagon

GREEN CORNERS

2011-10-12T02:08:00.000-07:00

My spirit fingers are turning mighty green!

FLEETING MOMENTS

2011-10-10T01:15:00.000-07:00

It was that time of month again, the Rose Bowl Flea Market, of course! My buddy and I got there early and found this sexy wooden bench with a Y-base for $140. A little more than I'd like to spend but I love the base! I don't know what to do with it yet. It doesn't help that my place is a huge mess. And I still have to show you the coffee table I picked up from the Modernica sale last weekend. Gah! I'm so behind! Anyway, after the flea market, I hopped over to The Getty Museum for Jimmy's birthday. It was a beautiful, sunny day out even the city was covered in smog. But get this, a friend said to me "Smog allows for gradients." All I gotta say is, WERRD.

WEEKEND JUKEBOX | M. WARD

2011-10-08T03:26:00.000-07:00

M. Ward | Chinese Translation

REFUSAL OF SUMMER'S END

2011-10-05T00:15:00.000-07:00

Summer wants to linger on a little longer in Los Angeles and who's complaining?! The weather was perfect over the weekend and the delightfully sweet Jen invited me over to her aunt's place on Mulholland Drive to celebrate Refusal of Summer's End. My jaw dropped when I walked in to this divine home. Isn't it breathtaking? Every corner was impeccably styled. And that pool? For reals? This isn't happening to me, is it? I wish I took more photos of all the little vignettes around. Hopefully, I'll be returning soon because I left a big chunk of my heart there. Swoooooon to the max!

A SPOONFUL OF SHAUNA

2011-10-04T00:15:00.000-07:00

I'm so lucky to have spoonfuls of this spirited and passionate creature everyday who happens to have the cutest style! Check out Shauna's cute blog.

A COMMOTION

2011-10-03T11:02:00.000-07:00

It sprinkled for a split second Friday evening and created this beautiful commotion in the skies. Everyone in LA were instagramming about it. Pretty amazing, huh? Saturday, I went to the Modernica sale. As usual, it was a madhouse. I got a couple things but more on those later. I'm still piecing my weekend together because it was kinda chaotic, in a fantastic way! How was everyone's weekend?

PLAYGROUNDS

2011-09-30T00:10:00.000-07:00

Finally, jury duty is over! Woo hooray! It was a hung jury. Bummer, I know. Two and half weeks went down the drain. It was kinda fun though, ain't gonna lie.

Other than that, lots of things happening elsewhere for OLD BRAND NEW.

I just got word that Modernica is having their annual sale this Saturday. And check it out, remember when I got a rocker last year from their sale and blogged about it? Well, they're using one of them on their site for their fiberglass chairs. I'm super duper excited! I only grabbed a chair last year but I have a feeling I'll be walking away with a more goodies this time around. Think lamps, planters, more chairs or a bedframe? Check here for the sales pricing list. Anyone in LA going?

It's delicious food week over at Where The Lovely Things Are and I've contributed some of my faves along with other awesome bloggers like Miss Moss and Pennyweight! Yum's the word!

And finally, I snapped a few shots of Justina for her feature over at Fly Girl. What an inspiring creature!

That's about it. Have a wonderful weekend, my vintage vultures!

KALEY IN KINDERGARTEN

2011-09-29T00:12:00.000-07:00

Kaley loves school. Well, aside from a few feisty incidents, she's pretty good. I remember when I was in kindergarten, I used to climb up those tunnel slides and sit there til recess was over. I was too shy to play with other kids. And I peed in my seat once because I was terrified to ask the teacher to use the restroom. Oh my.

LOMO'S NIGHT OUT

2011-09-27T00:04:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, Miss Paper Pastries and I went to a Lomo workshop during Fashion's Night Out. We love using film and have seen plenty of awesome photos from the Lomo LC-A+ so we wanted to test it out. We hopped around Hollywood Blvd. Snapped at everything. Afterwards, I got our film cross processed and I think they turned out pretty rad for a test roll. It's super saturated and contrasty. And it can take double exposures, too. Ours didn't turn out that well though. The camera feels substantial. Overall, I dig it. I just need to save all my nickels and dimes for one. Maybe I'll find one at the thrifts, preferably swimming in dried cat vomit. Yum! For a recap of that night, visit Lomography LA. Can you spot me and Margaret?!

WEEKEND INSPIRATION

2011-09-25T13:19:00.000-07:00

Armelle Habib via The Design Files

Ye Rin Mok

Süsk and Banoo

Danielle Kroll

WEEKEND JUKEBOX | BJÖRK

2011-09-24T00:28:00.000-07:00

Moon

Björk's new record is due any day now and from all the buzz I hear, it's gonna be super! I can't imagine a world without her. Her contribution to the musical landscape is major! LOVE. And about the photo, it was taken a couple weeks ago at the Hollywood Bowl for Tchaikovsky with fireworks. I have another photo with straight up fireworks but this one looks like a galaxy which is kinda perfect for Björk's new tune.

VINTAGE VIGNETTES

2011-09-23T01:54:00.000-07:00

I haven't been very thrifty lately. Don't hate me! A full-time job is tough and now, jury duty—which is suppose to end today—crossing fingers! So, I suppose thrift shopping online will scratch the itch. I found all kinds of lovely things, like those rugs from loom. There were too many awesome ones to choose from, so I decided to put one on the wall. Aren't those lighting fixtures pretty? Anyway, hope this inspires your weekend. Have a sweet one and thanks for coming out to play this week!

chester chair | needlepoint lion pillow | twin beacon lamps | print - bawk bawk | woven shoes | print - old brand new | book clock | scoop chair | sconce | mirror | work table | ceramic cup | dracaena ‘janet craig compacta’ | vintage overdyed kilim | berber rug

JENNIFER & AMY

2011-09-22T02:44:00.000-07:00

2011-09-20T00:02:00.000-07:00

FLEETING MOMENTS
SEPTEMBER 20 2011

From my trusty Contax T2.

2011-09-19T00:10:00.000-07:00

CANELÉ
SEPTEMBER 19 2011

French toast with poached prunes at Canelé. Yum yum.

2011-09-16T00:15:00.000-07:00

DOWNTOWN MOUNTAIN
SEPTEMBER 16 2011

Woo! Week one of jury duty is over. For the next two weeks, this downtown mountain building is where I'll be calling home. Right now, the trial is a snooze so I hope it'll pick up some steam next week—all Law & Order: SVU style. I was actually on a month long murder case in 2006 and it was intense. Think serial killer intense. Yeah. Have any of you ever been sworn in to a trial and did you enjoy it?
Anyway, weekend's here. Let's relax and have some fun. I have ambitious plans that involves baking. I never bake so I hope it works out! Alright, have a sweet weekend, everyone!

2011-09-14T01:13:00.000-07:00

DRESS MY FEET
SEPTEMBER 14 2011

2011-09-13T02:22:00.000-07:00

MOONCAKE
SEPTEMBER 13 2011

2011-09-12T00:49:00.000-07:00

RISE AND SHINE
SEPTEMBER 12 2011

Rise and shine everyone! It's Monday and I hope you all had a wonderful weekend. I got up early yesterday to beat the other vintage vultures at the Rose Bowl Flea Market. While I didn't find any major things, I did however walk away with a few, nifty stuff. I'll show and tell soon.

So, in other interesting news I'd like to share. I got sworn in as a juror for a small trial last week. Which means I'm gonna have to wake up even earlier to squeeze in a bit of design time at work, then head to court after. It's gonna be exhausting but we gotta do our civic duty! What I do like about waking up early is that there's this sweet, golden light that bounces around my home. It also highlights my laundry that's been sitting in our bedroom for two weeks, begging to be sorted away. Yep, believe it or not, we are living out of our laundry baskets. We're busy bees during the week and on the weekends, we just wanna play and forget about all our troubling chores. I wish Beatrice could help with some of that. All she's really good at is cleaning our couch. She loves licking and making out with that purple beast!

And lastly, Happy Mid-Autumn Festival! I'll be nibbling on delicious mooncakes all week!

2011-09-10T02:40:00.000-07:00

Weekend Jukebox
Jens Lekman | An Argument With Myself

2011-09-08T03:24:00.000-07:00

Jungalow
September 08 2011

This beautiful home belongs to my sweet galpal, Justina Blakeney, who's the creative director of Compai. I dropped by her jungalow (that's what J calls her style) the other night for a lovely Cinco de Septiembre soiree and took a couple quick snaps. Her stairway entrance is one of my fave spots. It's inviting and has all that divine light pouring into the house. Also, I wanted to take her wall unit home with me. Can you tell I got a major girl crush on J?! P.S. Happy Blogaversary to Compai! Check out their sweet giveaway!

2011-09-07T03:54:00.000-07:00

Say Let's!
September 07 2011

Over the long weekend, I said let's to pretty much everyone and everything. Dim sum, soiree, Cinco de Septiembre, and dancing. Let's do it all! I had more social stimulation this past weekend than I had all year. It was exhilarating.

Here are a few colorful scenes I snapped up. My favorite is when a moth landed on my shirt which became a cute brooch. Très chic, no? Beautiful floor tiles at a tasty, organic vegan restaurant called Café Gratitude. Some fiiine tacos from Justina's boo. And a vintage car spotted while walking Beatrice.

2011-09-05T10:32:00.000-07:00

Pluots
September 05 2011

My heartmate brought home a bag of delicious pluots and I think I gobbled half of it up in one sitting. So good! They're intensely flavorful and super juicy. They also have cute names for different varieties, like Cotton Candy and Dinosaur Egg. What's not to love? I'm trying apriums next.

2011-09-03T13:29:00.000-07:00

Weekend Jukebox
Wild Nothing | Summer Holiday

2011-09-01T00:26:00.000-07:00

Disco Skating!
September 01 2011

Disco ball plus roller skates plus some booze, I'm sold! Over the weekend, I went roller skating for the first time in what feels like forever. I was a little shaky at first but with the support of my roller crew, plus a few rounds around the rink, I was skating like it was 1975. It was heaps of fun and I didn't fall! Yippee! So...Happy September! Can't believe it, summer's winding down. But don't let that stop you from doing fun things, like skating!

2011-08-31T01:02:00.000-07:00

Currently Reading | Apartamento #07
August 31 2011

Apartamento is "a magazine interested in homes, living spaces and design solutions as opposed to houses, photo ops and design dictatorships. The magazine is a logical result of the post-materialist mind shift. People are bored with the ostentatious and über-marketing. There is a real quest for identity in the midst of mass production and globalization, and that quest leads to what is personal, what is natural, what is real."

Yep, and that's why it's currently my favorite magazine. It's got style and substance and spirit. Non of that flossy-flossy that gets eatened up by Unhappy Hipsters. The stories are fun and engaging, the photographs are beautiful, and the design and layout is pretty clever. I grabbed my copy at a local bookstore but you can grab a copy here. This issue has an everyday life food supplement for all you healthy foodies.

2011-08-30T00:15:00.000-07:00

It took all summer to finally feel like summer in LA.

Hope everyone had a lovely weekend and to all my east coast friends, hope you are safe and sound after this weekend's storm.

WEEKEND JUKEBOX | SEABRIGHT

2011-08-27T00:14:00.000-07:00

Sea Samba

HAPPY FRIDAY FINDS!

2011-08-26T00:21:00.000-07:00

Some exciting finds this week. First, I wanna show you this pebbly jug and sugar bowl I thrifted. Cute, right?

And a good friend of mine is getting rid of this wooden chair so if you need some mid-century love for your home, it's yours for $15! What a steal. If I didn't have so many mismatched chairs, I'd totally snatch it up!

Feist just released a new song, How Come You Never Go There?. It's from her upcoming record, Metals. I love everything she puts out, so I can't wait for her new record to drop!

And lastly, do you watch Design Star? It's one of the few reality TV shows that I watch and I just got word from them that they're casting for season 7. If you're interested, here's more info—the casting is tomorrow in Los Angeles. Hey, maybe you'll catch me there? Ha! I said, maybe.

Alright, have a supercalifragilisticexpialidocious weekend! Enjoy the last weeks of summer!

SUPERMARKET SWEEP

2011-08-25T00:15:00.000-07:00

My heartmate went to a new market last weekend and brought home lots of goodies—goodies I've never seen before! He knows I love good packaging, so those seitan men—sold! Along with that almond butter. For the past year, we've been trying to eat healthier, cook more and be more in tuned with what we're putting in our bellies. We're not vegans or vegetarians. We just like to mix it up, eat less meat. Last night, I fried up the Italian seitan with purple cabbage and it was delicious and simple to make. And with a brick of tofu—dice it up, drizzle soy sauce, toss some scallions into it and bam! Dinner for two.

So, I titled this post Supermarket Sweep not only because of the groceries, but because my heartmate was actually on that show. Do you guys remember that kick ass show! This was like almost ten years ago and he teamed up with his mom. I wish there was a video somewhere. If you've never heard of this show before here, watch this clip. It's wild. I wanna be on it, desperately.

FINISH THE TREE

2011-08-24T00:01:00.000-07:00

"It's like someone didn't finish drawing the tree." Cutest thing my heartmate said all summer.

EATON CANYON

2011-08-22T00:32:00.000-07:00

My weekend was chill. On Sunday, I went to drop off a roll of film and had an hour to kill so I googled the closest hiking trail and found Eaton Canyon. I've never been but apparently my heartmate gone camping there when he was a wee Boy Scout. Adorable and I'm jealous because I wanted to join the scouts when I was a kid.

Anyway, I was very excited to learn that the park had a beautiful waterfall but I was bummed I didn't have a decent camera on me except for my iPhone with only 25% battery life left. Blah! I also knew I wasn't gonna go far because I had my man-heals on. So, instead of a full-on trek, I just bounced around the base of the park to get a small does of nature. It was invigorating to be alone and yet, it felt so lively at the same time, just hearing the sounds of birds sweeping by and rattling bushes. I was kicking it with my new tree buddies!

After an hour has gone by, I walked back to my car—but before that, I busted out my iPhone and hurriedly took a few snaps with a new iPhone app I got called ClassicTOY. I used the double exposure setting and kinda dig it. The rest were taken with the fail-safe CrossProcess.

Off topic, what are some awesome camera apps for the iPhone you guys recommend using other than Instagram and CrossProcess or Hipstamic — are people still using Hipstamic? And if you're on Instagram, find me, I'm dabito.

Alright, after hanging out with nature, I was back in my car, jamming to Jeff Buckley's Everybody Here Wants You. Which is seriously my jam du jour! Can't get enough of his voice. That's it. Hope everyone had either a relaxing or crazy fun weekend!

ALL ABOUT DAB!

2011-08-19T06:41:00.000-07:00

As promised, here is the Ask Dabito post! Some of the questions were kinda tough, some pretty random and some super silly but I enjoyed it all. Thanks for coming out and taking the time to play Q&A. Hope you guys enjoy this hella long post. Let's get down to business.

How did you first get started with photography?
I've always enjoyed taking photos but it wasn't until I went to college in Santa Cruz. I dived into a few art classes, took intro to photography and fell madly in love with the dark room. And what ended up happening was, I did a complete 180 and switched majors from chemical engineering (call me crazy) to art. I later discovered printmaking and was able to combine photography into that process.

How do you get your digi shots to look so much like film? (or maybe you only shoot on film?
I shoot both, and mix them up. I do feel like most of my photos look the same, whether it's from film or from my Canon digital or from the iPhone. I think it has to do with the photographer's eye. A decent lens helps. On my Canon Rebel, I adapted an old Nikon FM10's lens to it, instead of using the kit lens. To develop the digis, I use Lightroom to give it more depth like film.

What other kinds of vintage film cameras do you like?

I love the Polaroid SX-70. I also like rangefinder cameras: Yashica Electro 35, Konica C35, and of course, the Leicas. It's my dream to one day flip open a janky box from a thrift store and see that lovely red dot smiling back at me. A boy can dream, right? I also love medium format cameras, like my Yashica D.

I was wondering what kind of editing you usually do to your photos.
I don't do much to my film photos but with my digital ones, I develop them using Lightroom.

What's your favorite thing/object/scene to photograph?
I love capturing the quiet, day to day, mundane moments of people and their surroundings and objects people touch. It's like the objects have a life of their own.

How many cameras do you have? and what brand that you love...
More or less, 20 cameras. My favorite brand that I own is probably the Contax T3.

Any tips for bright whites in interior shots (like using fancy lights or anything)?
Lots of big windows, mirrors or photo reflectors help. I normally stick to all natural lighting.

What was your favorite photo that you took with this (Olympus XA2) camera?

Do you have a favorite brand or type of film?
I like Fuji films, like the pro 400H or Reala. Slide films like Sensia or Provia are good, too but can be quite expensive. I try not to spend more than $2 per roll so I go hunting on ebay. To develop, if you're in no rush, you can send film to Dwayne's Photo, get it processed with CD only, no prints. Turnaround is about two weeks.

What camera would you like to have in your possession the most? Or If you could only use one camera for the rest of your life, which would you choose?
Any Leica rangefinder will do! :D

Your top 3 photography tips! GO!
Get comfortable with your camera, understand aperture and shutter speed. Try shooting in manual so you have more control. Just keep on taking a bunch of photos to find your eye, your voice or style, whatever you wanna call it that makes it you. And take photos at different perspectives, like kneeling down, or lying on the ground, close up, far away, or my personal favorite—eyes closed!

What are your top 3 favorite pieces of art?
There are so many but from the top of my head:

Philip Guston
Painting, Smoking, Eating 1973
Oil on canvas

Kiki Smith
Fawn 2001
Etching & Aquatint

Cy Twombly
Leda and the Swan 1962
Oil, pencil, and crayon on canvas

How do you juggle all your various endeavors? (work, blog, special projects, thrift...the list goes on)?
Boy, is it hard, especially with a full-time gig. I like to jot down notes, calendar projects and events, have deadlines. I tape important memos to my wall. Those are some ways to cope with a busy schedule. With my blog, I try not to spend more than two hours a day creating a post. And a new rule I try not to break is that if I don't have a post ready by midnight then I skip it. Lately, I've been gathering content on the weekends and that makes it easier to blog during the week. When it comes to thrifting, I'll swing by a thrift or two after work. I don't normally spend more than 10 minutes in one.

What makes you inspired?
I get inspiration out of boredom. Read blogs, books and magazines. Watch movies. Or make something out of nothing. Step outside. Friends. Inspiration is everywhere so it's up to you how you wanna apply it to your own creative efforts.

What picture/work of art made a lasting impact on your life?

Robert Mapplethorpe

How much sleep have you lost over not shipping that purple sofa to us? :)
I've been tossing and turning for months! Take it, it's yours! I'm ready for a new one!

What is your favorite ice cream flavor?
Red bean

As a seasoned shoe-shopper at thrift stores, i'm wondering how and where you store your vastly expanding footwear collection? i'm struggling myself and need ideas!

I used to hang them on my wall like they're work of art, but after I moved, they're now piled up on chairs. I wanna get a bookcase or floating shelves or something to house them in.

What's the thrifted item you covet most?
My Contax T3 camera for $3. Yep, best find ever!

What are your favorite thrifting spots?
I don't really have one particular one. I just hit up whatever's around me like Salvation Army, Out of the Closet, and Goodwill in LA.

What's your favorite time of the day?
The golden hour.

What is your favorite thing about Summer?

Well, when we were kids, we'd get summer breaks and it was just so wonderful to have two months off. So, I try to maintain that same spirit; it's the season of fun! There's a sense of freedom, new adventures and discoveries. And most importantly, friends and family gatherings.

You're such a creative person, creating using so many different mediums, is there anything you haven't tried yet and would like to put your hand in? (in the dream world or real world) what would you like to try next?
I was a printmaking major but I've never done screen printing. I'd love to try it one of these days. I also kinda wanna open up a restaurant or an ice creamery. And also do pottery!

What is your favorite nostalgic photo of yourself as a child?

Would you rather be able to speak every language in the world or be able to blink and transport yourself to any place in the world?
This is a no brainer. Blink and transport myself to Brazil, New Zealand, Australia, India, Iceland, stat!

What is your favorite book?
Anything by Haruki Murakami.

What is your favorite word to say aloud?
Persimmon

What were your favourite places in Paris?

The Porte de Vanves flea market was charming. You can find some of my favorite spots from my Paris posts.

What is your first memory ever?
Dayam girl, you getting deep! I can't remember anything from those early days. But I do remember my first day in kindergarten, I had a Snoopy bottle of orange juice and I cried my heart out when my mama was gonna leave me so she promised me a toy train to shut me up. I never got that train.

What's your favourite cupcake flavour?
Red velvet!

Do you have a favorite animal? if so, could you please provide a photo of it?

I like elephants. I don't have a photo but here's an illustration I just did!

Do animals like lions and penguins bruise?
What? Maybe? You silly billy goat! ;D

Hello! I am visiting LA in a couple weeks... What is the ONE thing I have to do when I'm there? Or eat?

Hollywood Bowl. You can eat and drink and sing to your favorite shows or tunes.

I would like to know what has been the most rewarding part of having your blog?
The most rewarding part is meeting so many fascinating bloggers from different continents. I've never been so inspired. Having a blog actually makes me wanna do, make, create things. And the support in this community is incredible. We all got each other's back!

What is your favourite blog (apart from your own, of course!)?
Some of my favorite blogs are Miss Moss, La maison d"Anna G., and The Fox Is Black.

If you had to listen to one musical artist for the rest of your life, who would it be?
It would be Faye Wong. I grew up listening to her and she has hundreds of songs and has one for every mood I'm in. Listen to Hypnotize.

What's ONE song that makes you drop everything and dance?

And on that fun note, have a fantastic weekend, everyone!

FLEETING MOMENTS

2011-08-15T00:49:00.000-07:00

My weekend was a relaxing one. We went to see Aimee Mann perform at a park next to the ocean. It was sweet and intimate. I tried playing with the new pack of polaroids I found but they were beyond expired so nothing came out of it. Oh well. But I did drop off a roll of film to develop and found photos of birthday cheers, me riding in cars with flowers and pretending to be parisian. How was your weekend?

WEEKEND JUKEBOX | DUM DUM GIRLS

2011-08-13T23:57:00.000-07:00

Coming Down

BACK TO POLAROIDS

2011-08-12T01:39:00.000-07:00

I'm busting out my Polaroid SX-70 this weekend because I just found a pack of expired film from the thrifts. It's been way too long since I last used it. Crossing all my fingers, my toes, and my eyes that the film still works. Tomorrow, I'm going to see Aimee Mann. She's having a free show so if you're in the LA area and love her just as much as I do, you should check it out! Alright, have a fun weekend everyone!

P.S. After a real long talk with Beatrice trying to decide on a name for my new pooch, we agreed on the name, Süsk! It's after this talented gal. Thanks for all the suggestions!

THE BEACH

2011-08-11T00:14:00.000-07:00

I'm so ready to take a break and maybe head to the beach for a little make out session with the sun and the sea. I haven't gone all year.

Also, I wanna let you guys know that I'll be posting the Q&A next week from the giveaway. There were lots of fun questions I can't wait to share.

I almost signed off like it's Friday. Doh! This week is going by way too slow. You feel me?

NEW POOCH

2011-08-08T00:52:00.000-07:00

I was going through Beatrice withdrawals last week so I decided to check out some local adoption agencies, aka Goodwill. And bam! There she was, standing in a fresh pile of poop-smelling furniture,all brassy sassy, so I scooped her up for a song. She cleaned up real nice and by the time Beatrice returned from her week-long trip, she was instantly smittened by ________'s golden charm. By the way, I need a funky name for her. Any suggestions? And that's all I did this weekend, folks. Play stupid cupid with a brass dog and Beatrice. How was your weekend?

JUKEBOX TWO

2011-08-05T04:38:00.000-07:00

DOWNLOAD JUKEBOX TWO

Here are some tunes for you to sway / wiggle / twirl / jam / move / shake to over the weekend. Hope you like it! Thanks for coming out to play this week and have the most wonderful weekend, my vintage vultures!